In the Gospel today there is no attempt to answer the question, “Why suffering?†In other passages Jesus emphasises that it is not the consequence of sin, refuting this commonly accepted belief among His contemporaries, but more than that He does not say. When confronted with human suffering, He chooses to heal rather than philosophise.
We each have our own demons to taunt and tempt us. We are not possessed, nor do we need exorcism. But each day we face our own weaknesses, and struggle lest they take possessions of us completely. Probably the greatest temptation of all is disillusionment, even despair, when we are confronted with suffering in our own life or in the life of those we love. It cannot be rationalized or explained away; it cannot be settled like a bad debt; it remains and challenges whatever faith we have in God and in God’s goodness.