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  ON SUFFERING
  by Meister Eckhart
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Summary: Suffering is a blessing when it is in accordance with God's
will and can lead to growth, development, and the acquisition of
virtues.

Topics: "Suffering", "Redemption"
Scripture References: Matthew 5:10, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17, James 1:2

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DESCRIPTION
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Meister Eckhart preaches on the profound nature of suffering,
emphasizing that those who love God do not complain about their
sufferings but rather find blessedness in suffering according to God's
will. He highlights that true blessedness lies in being willing to
suffer for righteousness, not just having suffered. Eckhart explains
that God makes the burdens borne for His sake light and sweet,
transforming suffering into love and comfort. He suggests that if there
was anything more noble than suffering, God would have used it for the
redemption of mankind.

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CONTENT
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Men who love God are so far from complaining of their sufferings, that
their complaint and their suffering is rather because the suffering
which God's will has assigned them is so small. All their blessedness is
to suffer by God's will, and not to have suffered something, for this is
the loss of suffering. This is why I said, Blessed are they who are
willing to suffer for righteousness, not, Blessed are they who have
suffered.

All that a man bears for God's sake, God makes light and sweet for
him...

If all was right with you, your sufferings would no longer be suffering,
but love and comfort.

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If God could have given to men anything more noble than suffering, He
would have redeemed mankind with it: otherwise, you must say that my
Father was my enemy, if he knew of anything nobler than suffering.

*

True suffering is a mother of all the virtues.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/meister-eckhart/on-suffering/
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