Mourning the pandemic

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted – Matthew 5:4

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the reasoning of suffering. Within the context of the last two years, facing with struggle and sadness has been inescapable. Yet, I look for some sort of structure to the chaos – a form or blueprint to the madness of life. While finding little satisfaction, I will say there are plenty of wrong perspectives on suffering. Many, perpetrated by those of faith.

While a bulk of our trials are brought on by humanity, either ourselves or others, a good share of tragedy is unaccounted for. Unable to fit in any neat column of blame, it puzzles, driving us mad. It is here, in the absence of meaning, that we wrongly ascribe a cosmic force. Like some character in a bad melodrama, we make a whole theology behind our unknowing, blending faith and superstition recklessly. In our grief, it is easy to think some sort of God is teaching us a lesson, giving us a burden to see what we’re made of.

This is the most dangerous of theological errors.

Is there any comfort to be found in a God like this? No. The same people who believe they can be delivered from arbitrary matters like speeding tickets from their cosmic force, are the same ones who are prone to believe God gives them suffering to refine them. At its core, these two thoughts are opposing, but we still fall into this mode of thinking when our categories become shattered. The danger here is found when we do not “pull through” our suffering. Sometimes, the battle is not “won” by us.

Many times, the suffering wins.

And this is not our fault. Neither does it mean we are somehow weak or unable to learn some cryptic message from a vengeful deity. If there is any redemption within our suffering, it is found deeper within the suffering itself. There is little we can control in this world and few of it makes sense. The ache of suffering has never been reasonably addressed, by even the brightest among us.

I was thinking of all this recently with the Christian response to the current virus. While there have been undoubtedly people of faith serving those who have suffered these last few years, my heart breaks for the “Christian” response (or non response) which is overwhelmingly prevalent. With a pride I have either never seen, or was blind to, many of faith have downplayed the virus, efforts to control it, and ignored those who have lost loved ones to it. In many cases, working hard to antagonize with anti-christ stances or dismissing it because it never affected their bubble. While the Church has always been a step behind culture, it seems like the past two years have sent it back a generation. I wonder how much of this response is due to the pollution of nationalism and politicization of our faith, and how much has been this inherited view on suffering.

The unknowing is frustrating. Those of faith may feel attacked by it. Yet when we free ourselves, understanding that this is not contrary to faith but an asset to it, then we can sit with those who suffer with Christ like compassion.

*Though there are many thoughts on this subject, I do wish to mention the writer John Green, whose portrayal of suffering in fiction and in his recent Youtube video has inspired me to write this.