Mr. Peasant On Suffering

Karl Julius von Leypold - Wanderer in the storm 1835

If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.

SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

Epicurus is the philosopher of the quiet life. Despite all associations with the philosophy of hedonism, Epicurus argued and demonstrated that the most tranquil life you can have is a quiet life in your garden. For Epicurus, hedonism was not a matter of increasing pleasure but reducing pain and suffering. His lifestyle demonstrated that you didn't need a lot of money to find this pain reduction.

Much of what Epicurus taught can be found in the proverbs of the Old Testament, the sage advice of Saint Paul in the New Testament to live a quiet life, and in the example of the hidden life of Jesus and the Holy Family. The simple life is the best life and the most pleasant life. It should be our aim in this life.

The downside of all of this is that a pain free life is impossible. You can reduce suffering by the elimination of needless things. But you can never escape suffering in this life. It will find you despite your best efforts.

Suffering came to Epicurus at the end of his life. The philosopher developed a painful kidney stone that ended up killing him. The man died in agony. Despite his best efforts, pain and suffering found Epicurus.

Roman Catholics know that suffering is an essential part of life especially the life of a saint. We should strive to live in peace and tranquility, but we should never be surprised when we encounter adversity and suffering in this life. This is very important when considering the domestic utopia of the quiet life.

You cannot make heaven on earth. What you can achieve is an oasis of rest in the harsh desert of this world of tears. If we cannot have the hedonism of endless pleasures, we certainly should not have the masochism of endless suffering. At the end of the day, we must take the good with the bad. We must enjoy life without attachment, and we must endure life without despair. These are good lessons to remember in this season of Lent.

I hope this post finds you in a pleasant spot in life. Thank you for reading.

Christ in the Wilderness, Ivan Kramskoy 1872