"Wear it tight"

     A few days ago, a friend of mine took me rock climbing for the first time. Before we could begin, a worker at the climbing center went over the rules and checked to make sure our harnesses were properly fastened. As she went around, she kept repeating, "It may not be comfortable, especially for the guys, but you are going to want to wear it tight." She was right, and not just the part about it being extremely uncomfortable. While it may have been more enjoyable to loosen the harness, the extra slack could become dangerous. Our long-term benefits far outweighed the momentary discomfort.

     The instructor's advice reminded me of a poem by an unknown author I had read a while back:

I slipped His fingers,I escaped His feet,I ran and hid, for Him I feared to meet.One day I passed Him, fettered on a tree,He turned His head, looked, and beckoned me.Neither by speed, nor strength could He prevail.Each hand and foot was pinioned by a nail.He could not run and clasp me if He triedBut with His eye, he bade me reach His side."For pity's sake," thought I, "I'll set you free.""Nay - hold this cross," He said, "and follow Me.This yoke is easy, this burden lightNot hard or grievous if you wear it tight."So did I follow Him who could not move,An uncaught captive in the hands of love.

God sometimes gives us harnesses and asks us to "wear them tight." We call them sufferings. We all suffer physical, mental and emotional pains. Humans, by the grace of God, have a great tolerance for suffering because the Lord wishes for us to exhaust all our suffering in this life so that we may experience complete joy unfettered in the next.
     Despite this tolerance for suffering, we all sometimes plead with our Father in Heaven to remove our  hurts. Yet, when we ask we are often really asking that our harnesses that tie us to God be loosened. Recall how on the cross next to Jesus there was a thief being crucified who shouted out to our Lord Save yourself and us! (Lk 23:39) He was asking for his suffering to be relieved, just like you and I have asked at one time or another. But he did not want to grow closer to God, he only wanted to be let down to continue his life of sin! How often it is that we too want God to grant us a reprieve so that we might continue pursuing our own selfish goals. We ask Him to cure our aches, but do we intend to use bodies then for service to those in need? We petition that he give us energy, but do we intend to exert ourselves in meaningful or meaningless tasks?
     We should be very careful when we chose to ask God to remove our suffering and, when we do make such a request, conclude it always by echoing the words of our savior: Not my will, but thine, be done. (Lk 22:42) Far more often, we should try to focus our efforts on offering our suffering up for someone else's cause. If all the world's sicknesses were offered up, think how many souls in Purgatory could find their way into Heaven. When we come to think that our suffering is unjust, may we be consoled to know that Christ suffered death for us out of love, though He never sinned. Imitating the Lord, may you and I, who have sinned, attempt to suffer patiently and with love for others. If we can succeed in that then we will truly be wearing the Cross tight.