When are we akin to Jesus?

When are we akin to Jesus?
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We suffer when we are physically or mentally pained.

No pain, no suffering.

We think​ that pain is synonymous with suffering.

Pain and suffering are  related, but they   are actually two separate problems.

Pain is what we experience.

Suffering is our response to pain.

We can react to pain by our 

Thought,

Feeling,

and

behaviour.

What do I think about my pain?

How do I feel when I am pained?

How do I behave during my pain?

Answers to the above questions will reveal what kind of man I am spiritually.

Pain is not under our control. We will have to experience pain whether we like it or not.

But reaction to our pain is under our control.

Our thinking, our feelings, our behaviour are under our control.

Suppose my boss yelled at me for no mistake on my part with harsh and wounding  words that pain my heart.

I have no control over my  boss and so over his words.

But  I can react to them as I like.

I can ignore them giving no thought to them.

When I ignore them my feelings will be indifferent to his words and unaffected by them. I will be as happy as ever as though  no yelling has happened.

My behaviour too will unaffected. I will speak  even with him  normally as though his words have no effect on me. I can even smile at him.

Or,

I may react quite differently.

My thoughts  may be full of his wounding words,  so full that I am unable to think about anything else, including my duty.

My feelings depend on my thoughts and so I will be unhappy and will not be able  to smile even at my friends. I cannot even enjoy a joke. My sense of humour would be off waving a 'bye bye' to me.

My behaviour will depend on my thoughts and feelings. My words also will become wounding. I will return  my
master the haughty words received from him,  with interest. Our relationship will be broken.

Our reaction will reveal our real character.

During Our Lord's passions He had to bear unbearable pain.

How did our Lord react to His pain by thought, feelings and behaviour?

By thought He accepted the pain as the will of His Father.

He became man to fulfill His Fathers' will,  which was that  He should  sacrifice Himself on the Cross as amendment for our sins and redeem us.

So He accepted the pain wholeheartedly.

His feelings during the passions were feelings of love for us 

As His mind was full of His Father's will,  His heart was full of love for us.

He felt that  He was fulfilling His Father's will  out of love for His Father and His children.

He  behaved  like a meek lamb led to the  altar to be sacrificed.

Though innocent,  He did not resist when He was arrested,  rather, He offered Himself to be arrested.

"Jesus asked them, Who is it you are looking for? and when they said, Jesus of Nazareth, he answered, I have told you already that I am Jesus. If I am the man you are looking for, let these others go free."(John. 18:8)

He offered Himself to be arrested, but asked the  Jews who were arresting Him to leave His Apostles to go free . How kind of Him!

While He was hanging on the Cross  He asked His Father to forgive all those who were responsible for His crucifixion. (We too were responsible by our sins. )

As human beings we cannot escape from pain.

By the manner we respond to it we remain ordinary people or become saints.

Saints accept pain as a blessing from God.

When we accept pain as a means of amending for our sins, we are akin to  Jesus, because He too accepted pain as amendment for our sins.

Let us consider pain as a blessing to be akin to Jesus.

Lourdu Selvam