Saint Perpetua

Three Kinds of Suffering

A lot of our members are having knee, hip, or shoulder replacement surgeries. I found there are always two surgeons for these. Because they are “joint” operations. 

Many people are suffering in mind, body and spirit. To suffer physically means aches and pains that are felt in the body. These include physical diseases. This kind of suffering is widespread. Another form of suffering is emotional. This is harder to see. It includes feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, and depression. This is also very common, but harder to spot. There is stigma and shame admitting to and talking about emotional distress. A third kind of suffering is the least understood. This is spiritual suffering. It happens when a person makes choices in conflict with what is right and wrong. Spiritual suffering is so widespread and commonplace that most people have difficulty being aware that they are in this condition at all. It is like a fish trying to be aware of water.

Jesus Suffered

Today we remember the temptation of Christ. This is the first Sunday of Lent and so we remember how Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. When the devil came to tempt Jesus, he did so in three different ways: physically, mentally, and spiritually. The first temptation concerned Jesus’ hunger. He was told to turn stones into bread to satisfy the pain in his gut. The second temptation was emotional. The devil led Jesus to the top of the temple mount and told him to jump off, to give in to despair. The third temptation was spiritual. The devil led Jesus to a high mountain from which they could see the grandeur of the earth. He told Jesus to worship Satan, the essence of evil which yes at times wields power on this earth. These three forms of suffering and temptation present themselves still today to you and me.

St. Perpetua Suffered

The feast day for Saints Perpetua and Felicity will be celebrated this week on March 7. The passion of Perpetua and Felicity was one of the first things I studied in seminary, and his stuck with me ever since. It is so striking because most of the text is written by Perpetua herself in the year 203, she was born in 182, and so was 21 years old when she died. She also suffered in body, mind, and spirit. 

In her account it is the emotional suffering that takes the greatest toll. There are two people in her life that cause her great emotional distress. The first is her father. He is not a Christian and he feels absolutely livid that she has become one. He begs her to give it up, and when she doesn’t he berates her. The other person in her life that causes her great emotional distress is her child, a nursing baby. She nearly goes out of her mind pining for her baby, but because some Christian deacons bribe the prison guards she is able to have her baby with her in jail for a time, which gives her temporary relief. 

The physical suffering she endures is obvious: mistreatment in prison and eventually the brutality of the arena with beasts and gladiators. The spiritual torment she is faced with is similar to Jesus. She is offered an opportunity to leave jail. She is led to a tribunal where there is a statue of the Caesar. All she has to do is burn incense and worship Caesar as the son of God. She does not do this, and when she doesn’t they strike down her father who is present to plead with her. 

God Creates Sanctuary from Suffering

God doesn’t allow you to endure suffering alone, but provides a place of refuge in the midst of chaos and trouble. We read about this in the account of creation. Throughout these 40 days of Lent we are remembering and celebrating God’s creation of the universe according to Genesis. On Ash Wednesday we meditated on the fact that heaven and the earth are God’s and are good. Today we consider the second day of creation. 

God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Genesis 1:6-8

Water can be a scary and chaotic thing especially when it presents as a flood or a storm on the sea. So God makes a dome to shelter us from water and give us a safe space. God’s creation gives a physical place to live, a sense of security to calm our feelings, and an eternal home in heaven. But God also creates domes of sanctuary in our times of need.

Perpetua and Jesus Had ‘Sanctuary’

In the case of Perpetua God blessed her with visions that gave her direction and space to be strong when she faced suffering and temptation. The first vision she had was of a bronze ladder that went to heaven. To get there she had to trample on the head of a giant snake and the sides of the ladder were tangled with weapons. This showed her that she would be martyred but at the end she would be with Jesus, and so gave her strength. The second vision God gave her was of her late younger brother who had been dead. In this vision God cared for him. This gave her hope that God would care for her father and her own baby. The third vision she had was of her facing a giant gladiator in the arena. She triumphed over him and knew that this represented her triumph over Satan. By these visions of God Perpetua had strength.

God created a dome of sanctuary for Jesus when he was suffering in the wilderness and being tempted by the devil. God’s dome for Jesus at that time was the word of God. Satan used scripture to tempt Jesus, but the Word of God stood strong. When Jesus was tempted by hunger the Word of God said, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” When he was tempted to despair the word of God said, “Don’t put God to the test.” When he was tempted to worship satan, the Word of God said, “Worship only God.” With these words Jesus endured suffering.

Choose God’s Sanctuary

So what is the point for you and me? The point is that God provides shelter, safety, and a “dome” to shield us from the pain and suffering from chaos. But it is up to us to make use of it. God offered Adam and Eve all the food they needed to eat and live well. God told them what fruit was bad for them. The point is you don’t have to eat poison to know that it is bad for you. You don’t have to listen to lies, when you know that they are not true. You don’t have to take counsel of your fears when God offers you a vision of what path to take. God gives you an opening, a word, and a vision. Do that. Amen.