‘Suffering Well’: Insights for spiritual directors from Friedrich von Hügel and Abbé Huvelin

Abstract

ABSTRACT‘Suffering Well’ is a key emphasis that the religious philosopher, Baron Friedrich von Hügel (1852–1925), inherited from his spiritual director, Abbé Henri Huvelin (1838–1910). Huvelin and von Hügel both recognized there is no beauty in suffering per se. However, they both argued that ‘suffering well’ – somehow coming to accept sufferin and ‘pressing into Christ’ in the pain – can lead to transformation. Whilst holding this position, von Hügel also recognized that suffering can narrow and harden souls. Rather than glorifying suffering or seeking suffering through asceticism like Huvelin, von Hügel recommended a focus upon Christ in love, through contemplative prayer and the Eucharist. This paper explores this uncomfortable idea of ‘suffering well’ as taught by both Huvelin and von Hügel, as well as highlighting the differences between their positions. To further problematize this complex area, I have incorporated into this discussion the voices of poets who express their suffering with varying degrees of joy in the midst of their pain. This dialogic mixture of experiences of suffering and theologies of suffering raises questions about how spiritual directors today might accompany their directees and help them to ‘suffer well’.