Recipes for the Heart: June

"Unless you have suffered and wept, you really don’t understand what compassion is, 
nor can you give comfort to someone who is suffering.
 If you haven’t cried, you can’t dry another’s eyes. 
Unless you’ve walked in darkness, you can’t help wanderers find the way. 
Unless you’ve looked into the eyes of menacing death and felt its hot breath, 
you can’t help another rise from the dead and taste anew the joy of being alive."
— Servant of God Dr. Paul Takashi Nagai

While preparing for writing this blog post, I stumbled upon the story of Servant of God Paul Takashi Nagai. Him and his wife have a truly remarkable story, together they exemplify how we should persevere in faith, hope, and love in the midst of suffering.

Paul Takashi Nagai was a convert to Christianity who lived in Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II. He was a doctor, specializing in radiology, and his work with radioactive materials led to a diagnosis of cancer, which he believed would soon take him away from his wife and children. However, within months of receiving this diagnosis, a devastating tragedy occurred: the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by the United States. The destruction caused by the bombs claimed many lives, including that of his beloved wife, Midori Marina.

Nagai survived the blast and later discovered her remains, still clutching her rosary. In this unimaginable moment of despair, he did not succumb to hopelessness. Instead, he praised the Lord, writing:
“Dearest God, thank you for allowing her to die praying. Ah, gracious Jesus, our Savior, you once sweat blood and bore the heavy cross to your crucifixion. And now you have shed peaceful light on the mystery of suffering and death.”
What a beautiful testimony of faith, even in the darkest of times. (More about Paul Takashi Nagai’s Story.)

In a world that thrives on instant gratification, the idea of denying ourselves can seem almost impossible. We live in a culture where avoiding suffering is often the goal, but this isn’t what we are called to do as Christians. Instead, we are called to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.

While He weeps with us and does not desire our suffering for us, the Lord can use our pain and challenges for the greater good—both in our lives and in the lives of others. Just as Servant of God Paul Takashi Nagai endured immense suffering yet chose to offer it up, we, too, can allow God to use our struggles to fulfill His will.

1 Peter 5:10 reminds us that, “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.” What a beautiful promise! The Lord does not abandon us in our suffering; instead, He uses it to prepare us for the glory that awaits us. After a time of hardship, He will restore and strengthen us, shaping us into stronger, more faithful followers of Christ.

However, in our daily sufferings, it’s often tempting to convince ourselves that we aren’t really suffering. We might ignore or deny the weight of our struggles because we fear appearing weak or vulnerable. Sometimes we dismiss our pain because we compare it to others’ crosses and feel that theirs are heavier or more worthy of attention. But denying the reality of our struggles isn’t the same as joyfully enduring them.

“By his passion and death on the cross, Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.”
– CCC 1505

True, joyful suffering comes when we acknowledge our pain and choose to embrace it with Christ. In doing so, we remember that, as 1 Peter 5:10 assures us, our suffering isn’t in vain. Christ Himself will restore us after we endure, confirming our faith and establishing us in His eternal glory.

Whatever our struggles may be, big or small, whether it’s managing food intolerances or enduring other challenges in life, we are called not to shy away from suffering but to embrace it with faith. In these moments of physical discomfort and limitation, we can remember that, through Christ, our suffering is never in vain. Like Servant of God Paul Takashi Nagai, we can offer our pain as a prayer, trusting that God can bring healing not only to our hearts but also to those around us. Let us hold onto the promise that, even in our deepest struggles with our health, God is always with us, transforming our suffering into a source of hope, love, and ultimate redemption.

Thank you for reading and reflecting with me. May your journey through life be filled with patience, grace, and the comforting presence of God, who always walks with us in our struggles.

The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. — 1 Peter 5:10

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