Suffering is one of the most difficult realities we face in our lives and in our prayer. It forces us to confront
the reality of our limits, the broken and fallen world in which we live, and the question of why God allows
suffering to occur. We often don’t see the value in suffering, but some of the greatest joys in life come
through suffering, especially through suffering as a result of self-gift. Real love is self-gift, and real joy
comes from giving ourselves to another in love; this is how we can experience great joy even through suffering.

One of the mysteries of the Christian faith is that Jesus did not take away suffering; Jesus did, however, save
us from death and reclaimed suffering by making it the way of love. Uniting our suffering to the suffering
of Christ on the cross allows us an opportunity to be a part of redemption. In this way, sacrifice and
suffering become life-giving and fruitful for the world. This way of suffering is not reserved for the holiest
saints, but is meant to be embraced in the ordinary trials of daily life.

Transforming our suffering into an opportunity to love requires us to know, first, that we are loved. This
allows us to avoid turning inward on ourselves and falling victim to the danger of acedia, which is a deep
form of spiritual desolation and a sadness toward spiritual goods. Acedia, or sloth, can make it difficult to
pray, which in turn requires us to recommit more intentionally to prayer during this time, especially using
the ARRR formula.