“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance.” These words from St Paul are incredibly direct. They do not suggest that suffering is optional, nor do they frame it as something purely negative. Rather, they give us a sense that we should rejoice in our sufferings and be grateful for them. This season of Lent, when many of us take on small sacrifices and discomforts in order to grow closer to Christ, is an especially good time to reflect on suffering and how we should approach it. Suffering is simply part of life. It is unavoidable. And it is obvious from quotations such as this, as well as Christ’s command to “take up your cross and follow me”, that we are called to suffer.