Sharing in Suffering and Love

My Journal - Agatha Nolen

I return to thoughts of my time walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2019 almost every day. It was my last great adventure before the pandemic and it was spiritually enriching, clarifying what retirement from full-time employment would look like. It was my Camino that eventually led to a renewed dedication to my faith and enrollment at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC where I’ve just completed my second term in a Master of Divinity degree. It is a hybrid program so that I can continue to work part-time at my church in Nashville and take most of the classwork on-line.

As I write today, there is a tremendous amount of suffering in the world. Refugees are fleeing their homelands with the war in Ukraine adding to the recent influx of Afghans in Middle Tennessee. I am unable to imagine what it is like to have your home destroyed by mortar shells and huddle in subways for warmth, planning an escape.

This past week my thoughts returned to one photo from my trip to Spain: Cristo con brazo caido (Christ with the fallen arm). I was stunned when I walked into the chapel in Furelos, Spain and I sat for a long time contemplating the vision of the artist.

Christ reaches his right arm down to us, beckoning for us to join him on the cross. In this life, we will have many troubles and suffer much, just as Christ suffered on the cross. We are never alone, Christ reaches down to pull us closer to him, not just to share his suffering but also to share his love.

I hope that you have a blessed and fruitful Holy Week. As we are reminded of Christ’s suffering, we are also reminded of his strong arms holding us tightly with his love.

Blessings, my friend,

Agatha