In a letter to a friend in June 1958, Flannery O’Connor briefly discussed an acquaintance who had committed suicide. O’Connor’s mother (a frequent foil for O’Connor’s wit and wisdom) had said that “she didn’t see how anybody with any faith in God could do such a thing”. O’Connor’s judgement of the person was more charitable and circumspect. It was also very profound. “His tragedy,” she noted, was “that he didn’t know what to do with his suffering.”
In a sentence, O’Connor summarises the predicament of a modern world that has neglected – or rejected – the Catholic Christian purpose and end of suffering. Lent is the annual reminder of that purpose. Among other things, the season of Lent tells us what to do with our suffering. Perhaps more importantly, Lent calls us to be attentive to the suffering of others, as we help one another to know what to do with our suffering.
