The Hermeneutics of Suffering
This essay critically examines the theological reframing of suffering as sacred calling, positioning it within broader philosophical and literary traditions of meaning-making in the face of human affliction. Drawing upon Viktor Frankl's logotherapy, Carl Jung's analytical psychology, Simone Weil's mystical philosophy of affliction, and Paul Celan's poetics of trauma, this analysis explores both the transformative potential and inherent dangers of sacralizing medical suffering. While acknowledging the therapeutic value of meaning-making, this examination argues for a more nuanced understanding that recognizes the irreducible otherness of suffering while maintaining space for genuine encounter between physician and patient. The essay ultimately proposes a hermeneutics of suffering that honors both the search for meaning and the acknowledgment of meaninglessness as equally valid responses to human affliction.