[00:00] He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases. With these words, Matthew identifies our Lord with the suffering servant of the prophet Isaiah. And in the first reading, we heard from the book of Lamentations, in which the suffering

[00:38] of Israel in exile is expressed. One of the themes that I frequently encounter in the confessional is the struggle that good people have with the reality of evil in the world and the suffering that so many Christians undergo.

[01:09] Suffering of injustice, suffering of tragedies in the family. And so this is a topic that for some can be a real challenge to faith. But suffering that is accepted in union with the suffering of the Messiah, of the one who

[01:42] took upon Himself all of our infirmities to heal us. If we unite our suffering with His, if we accept it, then it also is incorporated into that redemptive action of Christ, and it becomes redeeming and purifying for us. Of course, our nature abhors suffering.

[02:14] We run away from it. We flee from it. We're not created to suffer. We're actually created to be happy, to be united with God. We're created for heaven, actually, and in heaven there are no tears, there is no suffering. But as long as we're here on this earth, which is marked by sin and death, until we get through this life, we have to accept whatever suffering the Lord permits us to experience.

[02:54] For those who can accept that, then their suffering is not an obstacle to salvation, but an aid. Because in accepting suffering and learning to have that disposition to accept as coming from God, you know, as Job, the quintessential person who suffers in the Old Testament,

[03:32] we accept the good from the Lord, should we not accept the bad? God gives and God takes away. In His suffering, Job was challenged, not only in his own interior, surely, but by those around him. His own wife says, "Why don't you curse God and die?" I mean, thanks. A wife is supposed to be a helper, but that's human to doubt, unfortunately.

[04:07] And that's the danger, then, that we all face in suffering, is instead of increasing our faith and putting our trust in God no matter what, because we believe that He died on the cross for our sake and rose again and ascended into heaven and is calling us to be with Him. As I say, I encounter this often in the confessional, which just to make an observation, I'm not,

[04:49] I don't want to challenge anybody's sacramental disposition or practice. Some people think, "Oh, you really just need to get them in and get them out." There's a line. This is true. But St. Alphonsus Liguori, the great moral theologian and doctor of the Church, said that from the confessor's point of view, he needs to concern himself with only one soul, and that's the one that's in front of him right now in the confessional.

[05:22] And so, if confessions are not hurried, there's an opportunity there. That's the moment when a person in his or her suffering opens up. And if the priest is ready to use that moment, it can be a moment of healing. It can be a moment of strengthening. Of course, the sacrament confers grace regardless of the disposition of the priest.

[05:52] And so, if a priest is really concerned about getting the line completed and doesn't have or doesn't offer any time, it doesn't mean that you're not going to get the grace. But humanly speaking, sometimes those are really good moments. And I talked about the examination of conscience in the last homily I gave with regard to

[06:23] the love that we're called to practice, which is perfect love, which is to love those who hurt us as well as those who love us and to do it for the sake of Christ. Next weekend, I guess it's a week from today, this country will mark the 250th anniversary of its existence. And thanks be to God, the bishops had this pastoral wisdom to consecrate the nation to

[06:54] the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the heart of our Savior, the heart of Him who suffered and died for us. And the Sacred Heart of Jesus desires to be loved. So this charity that we're called to practice begins with loving Him who suffered for our sake and in loving Him and trusting Him and knowing because we have faith and holding on to that faith instead of letting it slip away because we're suffering, then we can begin this process of purification that I mentioned.

[07:30] But we're weak. And the Lord knows we're weak and that's why He gave us His mother. So that's why today we're celebrating in this Mass a memorial of Our Lady and in particular under her title as Help of Christians. Today's also the feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, but we don't have a specific Mass for that title. That's kind of a, it's a particular Mass that I think was given to the Redemptorists.

[08:04] But Help of Christians, as we struggle with our suffering and in our need for strengthening, for assistance to not turn away, to not curse God and die, as Job's wife says, we need help. And so we turn to Our Lady, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, these two hearts that are united in charity and also in suffering, which is why we call her the Co-Redemptrix.

[08:40] Her heart is united more perfectly to her Son's than any other heart. And she can help us be more united to Him, to love Him better, to accept suffering, to be purified by it, and in doing so to become other co-redeemers, sharing in that redemptive suffering that is fueled by charity and that fuels charity in others as well.

[09:13] May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the patroness of the United States of America, help us to be more united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to bear our suffering patiently in union with Christ for that happiness that eternally we will experience if we just get through this veil of tears. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.