Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle shared some thoughts about suffering from Fr. Thomas Aquinas Pickett in the Sept. 6 bulletin.

In the bulletin, the vicar reminds us that we are all susceptible to the weaknesses of the human body: sickness, suffering and death.

“While those who live without hope will go to any length to avoid these realities, we Christians have a profound, God-given wisdom that allows to unlock their deeper meaning and possibility,” Pickett said.

He recommended the short book “The Theology of Illness,” by Dr. Jean-Claude Larchet.

“Looking at illness in the light of faith, especially during a time of pandemic, helps to remember how ‘the body will fulfill its ultimate destiny of being deified along with the soul in the human hypostasis’ (p. 131),” Pickett said.

The book, filled with applicable quotes by the Church fathers, is well worth taking the time to read, as it provides powerful insight to our pilgrimage on the earth, the vicar said.