“Pain is never Permanent”
“Pain is never permanent”
Yesterday was the feast of St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. These are her words. She suffered much, mostly at the hands of her religious order and the ecclesial authorities of her time. We all suffer pain at times. It comes in different forms, physical, psychological, and spiritual, but we can’t escape it.
Depression and other mental conditions are painful. Losses of loved ones; dreams, and ways of believing are painful. A broken trust, betrayal, illness, difficult co-workers or teachers can all provide ample pain. Yet, from experience St. Teresa says it is temporary.
Yesterday I visited an old friend who a while back had suffered some losses and then ended up in a situation that was less than optimal, to say the least. He looked terrific! His wit and mental sharpness that had disappeared during the difficult time was back. His eyes looked happy. When I asked how he did this he said, “I learned a long time ago that when these kinds of things happen it is best to go through the grief knowing it won’t last forever.” (Re-read the last 5 words)
Since he is a man of faith it goes without saying that when he is in pain he also holds as true these other words of St. Teresa.
“The feeling remains that God is on the journey too.”
Joy will Come in the Morning is a song taken from Psalm 30:5b. It is a deep south spiritual so some more traditional Catholics may not have a taste for it. I used to sing the blues with a choir so it is special to me and I sing it when I’m down. Only the first 4 minutes or so is the song. The second half of this is a testimonial.
