HAL BRADY: A few insights on suffering

Have you ever been watching television and the announcer suddenly interrupts and says, “We interrupt this program to bring you an important announcement.” Sure you have. We’ve all experienced this kind of interruption. Occasionally, the interruption will be good news, such as the collapse of the Berlin Wall. But most of the time when we hear that interruption we have to white-knuckle the arms of our chairs. We know it means trouble — storms, disaster, pandemics and more trouble. For the most part, we remember exactly where we were when news of the 911 attack on the United States occurred. During that interruption, I was attending a church staff meeting in Columbus.

So how do we handle bad news? How do we handle life-shattering tragedies? Jesus had just interrupted his disciple’s program with a very grave announcement. He had informed them that their fellowship was about to be broken. Jesus told them of his impending crucifixion and death. Oh, yes, he had also told them about his resurrection, but in their despair they missed that part of the message. They only knew that the One who had actually revealed God to them was leaving. To put it bluntly, the disciple’s world was falling apart. It was in such troubling times that Jesus spoke these comforting words, “Let not your hearts be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). Jesus is telling us to believe in God — not a generic “god” but the “Father” to whom he leads us. Believe means “to trust.” And trust is the capacity to hold on, to keep steady, to have an underlying trust in God even when the way is not clear and the issues involved are beyond our understanding and grasp.