Daily reflection _ the suffering we endure will be transformed into joy

The suffering we endure will
BE TRANSFORMED INTO JOY
To be a follower of Christ means to share in His suffering, but it also means to share in His glory.
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
It has often been observed that there is no physical pain that can be compared to that of giving birth to a child. Men must, of course, take this statement on faith and most men are undoubtedly grateful for that fact. Nonetheless, all of us have experienced the realization that time often blurs the memory of intense pain in the past. But there is another element to consider. When pain has accomplished something significant, it is not merely forgotten in the future. Rather, it is considered to have been worthwhile. It can be endured because it has a purpose.
Jesus was looking for a way to make His disciples understand that the sorrow and suffering involved in being His followers would not only be forgotten later but would be very worthwhile! That is why He talked about a woman giving birth to a child. The allusion was particularly apt because the pain of childbirth leads to a new life and the suffering of the Christian leads to everlasting life. In the eighth chapter of Romans, St. Paul puts our own suffering and a world of suffering in the context of labor and new birth: "We know that the whole world has been groaning in labor pains until now." But there is hope of new life.
We need to remember that Jesus Himself took the lead in this. He accepted suffering and death in loving obedience to His heavenly Father. Because of this His Father highly exalted Him. To be a follower of Christ means to share in His suffering, but it also means to share in His glory. The first reading for today relates some of the sufferings of Paul. He accepted these sufferings in union with Christ and, just as it did for Jesus, his loving obedience led to his glory.
The Easter victory of Jesus teaches us to have courage in the face of suffering and death. In the Resurrection of Christ our fears are laid to rest. His Resurrection is a total and final triumph, and for us, it means peace and joy at the end. We will have troubles in the present reality. Through the eyes of faith, however, we know the final outcome - complete victory over sin, suffering, and death in Jesus Christ!
This is why we can pray confidently now, knowing that the Father will give us everything we need to live as His children and as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes! We do know the Easter joy of Christ's victory over sin and death. And during this life we are like a woman in labor. There is pain and sorrow in this life. When our time comes, however, we will not give birth. Rather, we will be the ones born into everlasting life. For "God is King of all the earth" (Ps 47:8a).