The Work That Redeems

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“Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of humanity the powers of the redemption.” — Saint John Paul II

Saint John Paul II had a way with words. He was a poet at heart—literally a poet—and in this sentence, he articulates something I could never put into words: the opportunity that suffering presents in our lives.

Because I think sometimes we hear “suffering” and immediately think of extreme pain or tragedy. But suffering can also just be the hard work of life.

If you’ve ever had young kids, you know what this means. There’s no such thing as time off. If you work outside the home, you’re working before work, and after work you’re still on. If you’re a stay-at-home parent, you’re on all day.

Not that being around my children is suffering—but it is work. Real work. The kind that wears you down, that requires constant giving, that tests your patience at 6:00 AM and again at 6:00 PM.

And that’s the opportunity John Paul II is talking about. We can connect that work, that daily struggle, with the power of redemption. With Christ’s work on earth.

Every diaper changed in exhaustion. Every patient answer to the same question asked for the tenth time. Every moment we choose to give when we have nothing left to give.

That’s not just surviving. That’s redemptive work. That’s participating in Christ’s sacrifice.

It’s true for each of us, regardless of our vocation or state in life. We can connect what we’re experiencing—the daily grind, the hard work, the moments that break us—with our Lord’s work.

That changes everything.