Eliot's image of Christ as the wounded healer struck a chord with me when I first encountered this collection of poems centred on the passion of Christ. Through his imagery, at the time of my first 'breakdown' in my final year of study, I began a life time study of what is means to live out the reality of 'sharing' in Christ's suffering: 'For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.' (2 Cor 1:5, NIV).
Too often some of the current teaching in churches focuses on the comfort and blessings of faith in Christ, whilst neglecting the condition of this and other passages in scripture - not only are we to share in his sufferings, but we are to share 'abundantly' in those sufferings. Take a moment to absorb that. The sufferings of Christ. From his rejection when he began his ministry, to the hatred from those in authority, and the total rejection of the crowds who had followed him for three years. From the emotional and psychological suffering of Gethsemane to the total isolation and loneliness of the cross. From the stripping away of the skin and muscle from his back as he was scourged, to the final asphyxiation and collapse of death by crucifixion.
Instead of a faith of comfort and ease we are confronted with the challenge to not only accept, but share in suffering, abundantly. If suffering did not have a purpose in God's hands such a challenge would verge on those masochistic practices of some extreme sects. Instead, suffering is not the end for the Christian. There is a world of power in that little word 'so'. 'So also our comfort abounds through Christ.' We know that the cross was not the end, Christ triumphantly came through to new life, having even tasted death. In practice what this means for me as a Christian, is that I shouldn't be surprised when life is hard. Just because I am a Christian I am not exempt from the pain of living in this world. What pain and suffering allow me to do is to test my faith, to have my character and faith tempered and strengthened. The process is painful and I really would have rather not had to live what I have lived sometimes, but, in God's hands I can trust that those experiences are not wasted.
'Romans 5:3-5New International Version (NIV)
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.'
We have a choice about how we use our sufferings. Our wounds mean that we have a sensitivity to the pain of others, they mean that we can offer comfort from the comfort we have received from God as we have 'gone through' our times of pain. When we have been freed finally from our 'crucibles' we have a choice about whether we hide our wounds, or share them with others:
"Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not "How can we hide our wounds?" so we don't have to be embarrassed, but "How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?" When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers. Henri Nouwen"
