Posted on 09/21/2016 7:12:54 AM PDT by Salvation
“The Garden of Eden” by Thomas Cole
One of the great mysteries of our life in this world is that we can endure more pain than pleasure. Indeed, we can endure only a little pleasure at a time. In fact, too much pleasure actually brings pain: sickness, hangovers, obesity, addiction, laziness, and even boredom. Yet we seem to be able to endure a lot of pain. Some of our pain, whether physical or emotional, can be very intense and go on for years.
Why is it that we can endure more pain than pleasure?
Physiologists and anthropologists might focus their answer on the fact that we are wired for survival and being able to endure pain helps us more than being able to enjoy pleasure. Fair enough. But I would like to offer an additional answer from a spiritual point of view.
The spiritual answer is that pain is for now while pleasure is for the hereafter. In this world, this exile, this valley of tears, we are being tested; we are meant to fill up our quotient of pain. And while we do enjoy some pleasures here, they are only a foretaste of what will be fully ours only in Heaven. In this world the foretaste seems limited to bite-sized morsels. Otherwise (as noted) we are overwhelmed by pleasure, distracted by it, and even sickened and enslaved by it. Until pain has had its proper effect within us, we are not disciplined or pure enough to properly enjoy large amounts of pleasure.
Pain is thus our first assignment here in this world, this paradise lost. Pain both purifies and teaches.
We should recall that God offered us the paradise of Eden with the proviso that we trust Him to teach us what is best. But we insisted on the knowledge of good and evil for ourselves and the right to decide what was right and wrong. We wanted a better deal than Eden. Here we are now in that “better deal.” Adam and Eve chose to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, even knowing that God had said it would usher in suffering and death. And we have all ratified their choice on countless occasions.
God, respecting our freedom, did not undo our choice. Rather, He said, in effect, “Fine, I will meet you at the cross of suffering and death, and allow that very suffering and death to be the way back to me.” And thus the way back to paradise, and to an even higher and heavenly glory, is through the cross.
This is why our tolerance for pain is greater now than is our capacity for pleasure. God has equipped us in this way because pain is for now; pleasure is for later.
Frankly, we need a high tolerance for pain, because it is a needed remedy for a very serious malady. Our condition is grave and requires strong medicine. The cross and its pain is the strong medicine needed. And thus our tolerance for pain must be certainly be greater than our capacity for pleasure.
Pain, despite its unpleasant qualities, has many salutary effects. It teaches us limits and helps conquer our pride. It purifies us. It reminds us that this world is passing and cannot ultimately be our answer. It intensifies our longing for Heaven and the shalom of God. If we endure pain with faith, it draws us to seek help and to trust God more. Pain endured with faith is like being under the surgeon’s scalpel. The scalpel inflicts pain but only to cut away what is harmful. It is a strong but healing medicine.
For now, our assignment is clear. Pain has the upper hand and is the strong medicine we need. When in pain, seek relief from God. But if he says no, remember that God promises that His grace will be sufficient for us (see 2 Cor 12:9), and that pain has a healing place for now. It is indeed a gift in a strange package.
Yes, it is a mysterious truth that we have a higher tolerance for pain than for pleasure. But given our current location in paradise lost, it makes sense. One day when suffering, pain, and death have had their full effect, we will enter into the Heaven of God, where pain will be no more and where our capacity for pleasure will blossom like a rose. Having been purified by our pain, our capacity for pleasure will now be full and there will be joys unspeakable and glories untold.
Comments welcome.
Monsignor Pope Ping!
My tolerance for pain is very high. I have been putting up with liberals for MANY years and have done nothing productive about causing that pain to stop.
Very interesting!
I remember going through 23 hours of labor with my first baby, my son.
He is in is twenties now. I said then and I say, now: I don’t want to do anything for 23 straight hours...
Change is constant as well it should be. Whether here or in a possible hereafter.
Well, for one thing, there is a boatload more pain in the world than pleasure. Which is why we instictively seek pleasure!
It is religions’ “goal” to encourage ways of pushing us towards the problems and pains of short-term pain to get long-term gains.
Phrased another way, it is the goal of EVERY religion to encourage long-term salvation by fore-going short term profits and pleasures!
I’ll tell you what’s painful-—puff pieces like this that push the important posts off the bottom of the front page.
Pleasure isn’t tolerated. It’s embraced. And frankly, I can’t get enough.
I think he makes some very good points. However, it seems to me that he’s using “pain” in a very broad sense while using “pleasure” in a more restricted sense.
Research shows that physical pleasures often quickly pall and get much more difficult to achieve, which is why addicts require higher dosages of whatever. On the other hand, the “pleasure” of learning never fades, and if you’ve lost interest in Greek for now, you can easily switch to studying art. The “pleasure” of spending conflict-free time with your family, while difficult to achieve, is never exhausted. The “pleasure” of experiencing nature does not fade.
What, did you post a vanity about Donald Trump and have it drop off the first screen? Make sure you label it “Breaking News” next time.
Use the “Browse by Forum” option, in the right sidebar, and click “News/Activism.” That will keep you from seeing Religion articles, such as this daily post from Msgr. Pope’s blog.
fyi....yes yes, I’ve been here a while. I have “all posts” on my main scroll, and breaking in side panel.
It sounds like you are browsing with the everything option.
The Religion Moderator can tell you how to avoid seeing the religion forum posts.
I did not post this to the front page.
Pain is the highway guardrails in the journey of life that leads us to true pleasure.
The issue here is the illusion of pleasure vs. true pleasure.
In the first part of my life I was driven for success, money, power, control... and I was very successful, so I thought. I used to joke that I had done more by the time I was 30 than most people do in a lifetime. While growing up dirt poor, I started working construction at age 12 and purchased my first apartment building when I was 15. By the time I was 30 I was pretty well off and ready to retire.
And then, at age 32 I died, went to Heaven and found true pleasure. But they sent me back. Not by my choice, but my purpose was here. Suddenly, all the money in the world was worthless. I didn’t care about anything except regaining the nirvanic pleasure I had experienced in Heaven. I actually wanted to die in order to experience it again.
I not only lost my fear of death, but actually looked forward to it and welcomed it. I prayed, and prayed... non stop, “Let me come home again.”
However, some days I think God is a little bit sadistic in enjoying my pain as when I cried and fell to hit absolute bottom, saying “God please let me come home.” I heard His voice respond, “Love Me in all the people around you.”
But God, it’s not the same... “Look harder.” “Look within them not at them.”..... And thus the journey... We must learn to Love even our enemies. We must learn to see God, even in our enemies. Wow, what a difficult task.
I remembered Jesus words when He was being crucified, “Father forgive them.....” And Steven in Acts when he was being stoned..”Father forgive them.” They know not what they do... Dying is not our greatest lesson. That was easy. The hard part is learning to Love everyone, yes, even our enemies. 1John 4 says it all. It’s about being Love.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: in this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
In this year of our elections, yes we must also Love Hillary. Not her behavior or values, but the spirit of God in her that created her in His image. If we demonize her and hate her, we become like her. We lose.
A wonderful testimony with admonitions.
Thank you.
This is not a “puff” post.
I, too, have preferences about what I like to read, and Msgr. Pope articles are high on my list. Still, it would not occur to me to complain that someone has different interests. Further, it would not occur to me to bump up the very thread I want to complain about.
bkmk
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.