Suffering as Teacher

Father Thomas Keating 

Suffering tends to move us into areas of deep understanding faster than anything else if you can accept it. On the other hand, if you have no understanding of its value, it can be devastating.  Suffering that fails to teach leads to despair. That's why we need to reduce everybody's suffering insofar as we can, even to the point of taking the suffering of the world upon ourselves, which is what Jesus did.

World Without End