A Retreat for Everyone – Triple Transference (6/15)

In this chapter, Fulton Sheen addresses the profound mystery of suffering through the lens of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. He begins by reflecting on Job’s story from the Old Testament, emphasizing how Job’s questions about suffering remain unanswered by human reasoning. Sheen explains that the only answer to the problem of evil and pain is found in Christ, who chose to bear humanity’s physical, mental, and moral suffering through a process of transference. By doing so, Christ not only shared in human anguish but provided a path for redemption and solidarity with those who suffer.

Sheen elaborates on the three forms of transference: physical, mental, and moral. Physically, Christ empathized deeply with the ailments of those he healed, such as the blind and lepers, feeling their pain as his own. Mentally, he experienced abandonment and loneliness, epitomized by his cry on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This was Christ entering into the depths of human despair. Morally, Christ bore the weight of sin and guilt, not his own, but humanity’s, offering himself as both judge and substitute in an act of ultimate mercy and justice, much like a father would take on the punishment of his child.

Concluding with a call to action, Sheen encourages priests, religious, and laity to emulate Christ’s transference by identifying with the suffering of others. He highlights the importance of reparation, prayer, and sacrifice for the redemption of the world. Just as Christ bore the weight of humanity’s sins and struggles, believers are called to carry one another’s burdens, continuing Christ’s mission of love and redemption in a broken world. In doing so, they can participate in his passion and find joy in uniting their suffering with his.