Some suffering lasts much longer than we expect. A recovery takes months, grief returns in the middle of an ordinary afternoon, or a family problem remains unresolved despite our prayers and efforts. We may keep doing what needs to be done while quietly wondering how much longer we can manage.

In his talk “Pain & Suffering,” Fulton Sheen asks why we seem able to bear more pain than pleasure. His answer points toward heaven, where suffering ends and joy finds its fullness. That hope shapes the rest of his reflection on turning to Christ, receiving mercy, and praying for others through the difficulties we carry.

Our present pain and the joy to come

Sheen observes that earthly pleasures have limits. A pleasure may fade, require more stimulation to produce the same response, or even become painful. Yet people sometimes find themselves bearing suffering long after they thought they had reached their limit.

Sheen explains our greater capacity for pain by pointing to its end: suffering belongs to this life and has no place in heaven. Pleasure and joy, however, are not exhausted here. The happiness we experience now is only a taste of the fullness that awaits us in life with God.

That does not make a long illness or deep grief feel small. It gives us a reason to hope that pain will not be our lasting condition, and that the happiness we have known so far is not all that God has prepared for us. Sheen looks beyond the limits of this life to a future in which tears are wiped away and joy is complete.

With that future in view, he turns to how we respond to suffering now. How can we remain close to Christ, receive His mercy, and love others while we wait for the joy He promises?

Christ meets us in our suffering

Sheen brings that hope into focus through the two criminals crucified beside Jesus. Both are suffering. One challenges Jesus to save him. The other acknowledges his wrongdoing, recognizes Jesus’ innocence, and turns to Him with a request: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

Jesus answers: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Sheen draws attention to the promise of being with Christ. The man is still on his cross when Jesus speaks to him. He receives mercy and the promise of life with the Lord even as his suffering continues. Here, hope becomes personal: suffering will end, and the joy of being with Christ awaits.

That matters when our own prayers seem to leave us in the same circumstances. We can ask God for healing, relief, and change. We can also ask Him to help us recognize His presence while we wait. A difficult day does not put us beyond His care.

Sheen contrasts rebellion with acceptance. As we consider that distinction, we need to be gentle with people who are hurting, including ourselves. Grief, fear, and questions can be part of an honest relationship with God. Trust may begin with a prayer as simple as, “Lord, I am frightened. Please help me through today.”

Mercy calls us to make things right

Sheen also considers our response when we have caused harm. He recalls an incident from his childhood: he and his brother accidentally broke a neighbor’s window while playing ball. Their mother made them ask the neighbor’s forgiveness and pay for the damage with their own savings.

His example reminds us that an apology should be followed by an effort to repair the harm we have caused.

For us, that might mean repaying money we owe, correcting something untrue we said, or acknowledging how our behavior hurt someone. These steps can be uncomfortable. We may have to give up our excuses or accept a cost we would prefer to avoid. Turning to Christ can give us the courage to face that work honestly.

We should be careful about applying this teaching to suffering in general. Illness, loss, and mistreatment are not evidence that someone has done something wrong. Jesus Himself is innocent in the scene Sheen describes. We can take responsibility for our actual choices without blaming ourselves for every painful thing that happens.

We can pray for others while we hurt

Sheen also invites his listeners to unite their sufferings with Christ’s, offering them to God in prayer for others. He calls this reparation: offering prayer and sacrifice to God for the sins of others. He connects this practice with the ways people depend on one another.

The heart of his appeal is love. He uses the example of a mother staying awake with her sick child. Her tiredness has a purpose because she loves the person who needs her.

That example helps us understand what offering a difficulty to God might look like. During a sleepless night, we might pray for someone who is lonely. While waiting for an answer of our own, we might remember a friend facing an uncertain future. A limitation that keeps us home may become an occasion to pray for the people we would otherwise be too busy to notice.

We can name a particular person and ask Christ to receive our prayer: “Lord, You know how hard this is. I bring it to You, and I ask You to help my friend too.”

We do not need to manufacture suffering or leave treatable pain unattended. Seeking medical or emotional support, asking someone to share a burden, and getting help to leave an unsafe situation are compatible with trusting God. Offering a difficulty in prayer is something we can do while pursuing the help we need.

Love also moves us to ease another person’s suffering. We can bring a meal, offer a ride, sit beside someone, or listen without rushing to explain what their pain means. Sheen’s example invites us to think about the person who needs care as well as the person giving it.

Hope reaches beyond today

Sheen’s opening reflection reminds us of what we are hoping for: suffering ends in heaven, while the joys of this life are a foretaste of happiness we have not yet experienced in full. When pain feels relentless or a happy moment passes too quickly, we can remember that our present experience is not the full measure of the life God promises.

We may never receive a satisfying explanation for a particular loss. We may have to keep asking for help and taking life one day at a time. Christian hope rests in the Lord who met the dying man beside Him with mercy and promised to receive him.

For today, we can tell Jesus what hurts, accept the help available to us, and remember someone else in prayer. We can also receive the joys that come, however briefly, with gratitude. Each of these can help us live close to Him as we look forward to a life in which pain is finished and joy is full.

Jesus, help me bring You my sorrow honestly. Give me courage to seek help, humility to make things right where I can, and compassion for others who are hurting. Keep me close to You today, and help me trust in the fullness of joy You promise. Amen.

Source note

Reflection based on Fulton Sheen’s “Pain & Suffering.” Scripture quotations: Luke 23:42–43.