Can we Imitate Christ and Suffer like Him? - Saint Symeon the New Theologian

Saint Symeon the New Theologian says, 

“Imitate Christ our God! Suffer for your own salvation even as He suffered for you.” 

How many times and ways did Christ suffered for us?

They called Him possessed by demons, a deceiver. A glutton a winebibber. A friend of tax collectors. (Mt 27:63; Jn 7:20; Mt 11:19)

He was dragged away in bonds as if He were a murderer of a criminal. (John 18:12)

Set before Pilate like a worthless man.

He received a slap in the face from a slave (John 18:22)

He was cast into prison...led away by soldiers and handed over to the people by Pilate as he said “Take him you selves and crucify him.” (John 19:6)

He was abandoned in their midst, He who is above all the heavens (Eph 4:10) and governs all things by His hand

He was pushed from one side to the other, punched by men’s fists, slapped (Mt 26:67)

He was derided and scourged (Mk 16:15; Mt 27:26)

He was led to the praetorium (Jan 18:29)

He was stopped, bound to a pillar, and received the full number of forty strips, which proclaimed that He was sentenced to death.

When he received the scarlet robe in mockery, He was slapped on the head and asked, “Who was it who struck you?” (Mt 26:69)

He was crowned with thorns, received mock homage, and was spat ion, and heard Himself mentioned in irony, “ Behold, the king of the Jews.” (Mk 15:26; Lk 33:38)

When dressed in His own clothes His neck was bound with a rope and He was led away to death.” (Mt 27ff; Mk 15:16ff)

He was loaded with His own cross. (John 19:17) 

When He had come to the place He saw it fixed in the ground.

Abandoned by His friends and disciples He was again stripped naked, hoisted up, and His hands and feet were nailed to it by the soldiers.

Left hanging there He was given a drink of bile.

He as pierced by a lance (John 19:34), blasphemed by a robber, and mocked as He heard men say, “If he is the Son of God, Lee him now come down from the cross and we will believe in him!” (Mt 27:40)

What did He do after suffering all these things? 

He gave thanks and prayed for His murderers and commended His soul into His Father’s hands. (Lk 23:34, 46)

Are we ashamed to Imitate His sufferings?

  “ If we suffer with Him we shall also be glorified with Him.” (Rom 8:17) But if we are ashamed to imitate His sufferings, which He endured for us, and to suffer as He suffered, it is obvious that we shall not become partakes with Him in His glory. If that is true of us we shall be believers in word only, not in deed. When deeds are absent, our faith is dead (James 2:17, 26).

Examine ourselves

Examine ourselves and our way of life and see if we are able to suffer like Christ. Think about even the small ways we sacrifice our worldly pleasures to be closer to Him. This includes our commitment to attending liturgies, making time for daily prayer, following the fasting guideline, reading Scripture and the Church Fathers and giving a portion of our time and wealth for charity. While these are small sacrifices compared to how Christ suffered for us but it is a start to imitate Him and suffer with Him so we “shall be glorified with Him.”

Reference: Saint Symeon the New Theologian: The Discourses, pp 128-128.

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Freedom From Suffering

The moment we accept death, true life can begin.  (Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra) 

In his commentary on Psalm 88, Elder Aimilianos is addressing suffering and all our tribulations of earthly life. His message is that there is only one way to be freed of this struggle: not by rejecting these sufferings or difficulties but in joyfully accepting them.

Elder Aimilianos writes,

The secret to his freedom does not lie in the rejection of his suffering, but in his joyful acceptance of them. He will be truly free only when he lets go of wanting to be free of his sufferings, for all freedom and all life depend on our being in right relation to God. When he accepts his death; when he allows himself to hear the sound of his footsteps descending into the grave, he will find that death no longer has a hold on him, for now he is with God. The darkness will vanish and he will see only light.

This freedom from or fear of suffering and death requires that we make a choice to voluntarily sacrifice ourselves to God, just like Christ voluntarily sacrificed Himself on the Cross. 

The Elder says, 

“if he accepts to become an instrument of God’s will, he will emerge triumphant; but otherwise he will fail.”

When we are focused on our difficulties and suffering we become very self centered and find ourselves distant from God. We become our own god and there is no room for another.

The Elder says,

“If “l” exist God cannot exist, for there cannot be two gods, and so it is either God or the self. When someone sees only his own suffering, God cannot answer him, for it is precisely the mistaken, negative attitude toward suffering that constitutes the separation between him and God. But if “I” cease to exist, if my relation to my suffering changes, then I can be united to God. This union depends on the denial of my self, so that God can come into my life.”

This freedom comes only through a transformation that is the result of our growing love of God and our willingness to confront the many self-centered passions one is burdened with. In accepting or rejecting our suffering, we are accepting or rejecting God Himself.

He says,

“I must learn to accept suffering with joy, to find joy within my suffering, to realize that even in my moments of glory, I am nothing but “dust and ashes” (Gen 18:27), a pelican in the wilderness (Ps 102:6), lost in a desert land, seeking shelter in a landscape of ruins. I must realize my sinfulness, my nakedness, my alienation from God; I must realize I am like a sparrow alone o a house top (Ps 102:7), not because I have some psychological problem, but because I have been separated from God.”

We need to accept our condition, and desire to be freed from fear of death and suffering and commit ourselves to the spiritual struggle found in the Orthodox way of life. We need to seek for the Holy Spirit to lift us up, to purify our heart, and lead us to union with God.

The Elder concludes his commentary,

“In this cry, this calling out, there exists the hope that I will hear the sound of His footsteps, and these will overtake my own and lead me to salvation.”

Ref: Psalms and the Life of Faith, by Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, pp 104-109

Ten Points for an Orthodox Way of Life

Difference Between How Buddha and Christians Handle Suffering

Buddha lived and taught in the fifth century before Christ. He came from a royal family and when he came of age he left the palace and immediately saw the deplorable living condition of those outside the palace. From this is learned that the main problem of life is suffering, and, if he were to help others, this would have to be eliminated. He became an ascetic and gave up his royal life. He went into the forest and contemplated the purpose of life. He determined that suffering was caused by selfish desire (tanha). This desire creates a gap between what we desire and what we have. This he concluded was the cause our suffering. To eliminate suffering this gap had to be eliminated. To do this, one only had to give up what they desire. The ultimate was to desire nothing. If one were able to do this it would lead to what he called Nirvana.

Jesus Christ shows us a different path. It does not involve trying to get what we desire or giving up all our desires. He showed us how to change our desires. By changing what we desire we change our world and how we experience life. He taught us to desire one thing, to do the will of God, our Father in heaven, instead of our own will. This is known as having a pure heart. By controlling how we use our free-will we learn to only desire what God wills. We unite our will with His. This is done based on faith and our love of God. Jesus provides the example and instructs us in the Way. He shows by His life what it means to desire only God's will. Since He was fully human as well as God, He lived by uniting His will with His divine will. When we form this intimate relationship with God, then we experience pure joy no matter what is happening to us or around us. We know that God is good and loves all His creation. When we put to death our self-will and offer our life to Christ, we discover His unlimited love. We have hope in eternal life in His kingdom. We know there is more than the strife of this world in the life to come. Through our faith and His grace we learn to love others as ourselves. As we are able to do this our love of God become perfect and we live in union with Him.

If we always accept whatever comes to us as God's will, knowing that He is a God of love, then there is nothing that will cause us to experience suffering. We will always experience the joy of being united with God.

Neither of these paths are easy as they both require effort on our part. Buddha's path is the most difficult because it is based exclusively on our self-will and ends in nothingness. The Christian path involves our faith in the Gospel and our cooperation with God by learning to control our bodily passions so that our soul is in control directing us to follow God's will. As we go down this path we receive God's grace. It is through His grace, His help, that we are able to overcome suffering and live in union with Him. It is not something we can do through our own will. It is only by giving up our own will to God, learning self-discipline, that we can follow the Christian path which ends in eternal life in His Kingdom.

Christians have help in God. They have hope in an eternal life in God's Kingdom. They have the comfort of a loving God. The Gospel records for us that Jesus was born of a virgin, He healed the sick, and taught about the Kingdom of God. He was killed unjustly by crucifixion, a voluntary sacrifice He made for our benefit. He was resurrected after being three days in a tomb and forty days later, after teaching his disciples the mysteries, ascended into heaven opening the gates to Paradise for all humankind. He then sent the Holy Spirit to empower His disciples so they could spread the good news about God's kingdom and establish faith communities called churches, where all mankind could come to receive the Holy Spirit, to be healed and united with Him. Follow Him and you will find eternal joy. Have only one desire, to unite your will with His. 

Reference: Making Sense Out of Suffering by Peter Kreeft, pp 147-148