Paradox of good from suffering....

In tribulations God enriches his beloved souls with the greatest graces... - ...a single "blessed be God," in adversity, is worth more than a thousand acts of thanksgiving in prosperity. - St. Alphonsus Liguori; Magnificat magazine; August, 2011; pp. 31, 32)

i've pondered 'suffering' over many years  -my fathers pancreatic cancer.... my mom's brain tumor.... my personal suffering.... my work with families who have abused or neglected their children.... and just yesterday, finding out Travis was hurt so severely.  btw, no real new news to share -thank you for your continued prayers for him and his family.  please also pray for my son matthew....

i don't 'feel' this way right now, but in faith and my lived experience, a rainbow will come after this storm.  Easter Sunday could not have happened without Jesus suffering, and dying, on Good Friday. -perhaps the ultimate paradox.

there's a great story told about a saint.  she was traveling by carriage in a storm.  there was a huge 'pot-hole' in the road and she was thrown off the carriage.  sitting in mud, with rain pouring down, she raised her fist to the heavens and said "God, if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!" i'm guessing she was able to laugh about it at some point, but i'm also guessing at the time, she was giving her father in heaven an honest piece of her mind!

i feel like her sometimes, and yet.... isn't it true that it is after we have experienced a great difficulty in our life that we have grown the most?  one of my mentors use to say "there are good days, and there are growth days."  may travis, his family, matthew and all who are suffering, find comfort in Christ who knows what it is to suffer, and who suffers with us now.