Reviewed by Mary Frances McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 6/3/04)

INTO THE ABYSS OF SUFFERING, by Fr. Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J. St. Anthony Messenger Press (Cincinnati, 2003). 144 pp.

"Humanity still experiences Good Friday. Mental and physical illness, poverty and starvation, wars and systemic violence of all kinds overwhelm individuals, communities, entire nations. Each of us has a personal story of suffering. At times we cry out to God with the Psalmist: ‘You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the darkness of the abyss’ (Ps 88:7). We search for comfort, light and meaning" (Into the Abyss of Suffering).

There is no question that there is a lot of suffering in the world today. From worldly problems like hunger and war, to personal losses from death or divorce, very few are spared from a host of worries left on their doorsteps by daily life and the daily news.

For those who suffer, those who know someone suffering and even those who worry about suffering in the rest of the world, Jesuit Father Kenneth Overberg’s Into the Abyss of Suffering offers an explanation. "How can we hold a good and gracious God together with the harsh reality of suffering?" Father Overberg writes in the introduction. "What can be said about the meaning of suffering, especially innocent suffering?" While some may question God when they suffer, asking, "Why me?" or "How could a good God allow this?" Father Overberg helps explain suffering within the context of the Catholic faith.

Drawing from a plethora of Catholic resources, philosophers and theologians, Father Overberg pieces together the reasons why God allows suffering and pain in the world.

Rooted heavily in the passion story, Overberg uses Christ as the ultimate model for human suffering. He explains why Jesus had to suffer and die, and what His suffering meant for humanity. Father Overberg explores the life and death of Christ and His relationship with God.

Instead of describing God as a demanding God who forced His Son to suffer and die, Father Overberg is consistent in painting a picture of a gentle God. "We don’t have to believe in an angry God who demands Jesus’ suffering and death as atonement," Overberg writes. "Scripture and tradition tell us of a God who is overflowing love, who creates in order to become Incarnate, who is forgiving, nonviolent and compassionate. This God wants healing and salvation, not suffering, neither Jesus’ nor our own."

Into the Abyss is in no way a fluffy self-help book meant for someone in a deep depression. To the contrary, this book is meant for someone who seriously wants to better understand suffering in the world, not someone who wants an easy to read reassurance that "everything will be ok."

While the book is short, and the language is easy to understand, the content is very heavy and needs to be contemplated, and perhaps even meditated upon. It is helpful that each chapter ends with questions for reflection, prayer and discussion, making it well-suited for a book club or Bible study group.

Father Overberg is a professor of theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

To order Into the Abyss of Suffering contact St. Anthony Messenger Press at 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202-6498, 1-800-488-0488, or catalog.AmericanCatholic.org.