We have not always been able to do that well. We have interpreted, and still do, suffering as divinely ordained whether for our punishment, our salvation or our sanctification. Worse, we have interpreted the disasters of others in ways so as to feel ourselves superior or chosen. When all else has failed, we have given to suffering meaning while at the same time admitting that we cannot yet understand it: \u201cGod moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Yad Vashem stands out as a place where the interpretation of suffering has been \u201cdone well\u201d\u009d. While giving no meaning to suffering itself, it has given meaning to the lives of the millions who suffered and died, by keeping their memory alive to stand as reminders and as warning of our human capacity for cruelty. It has given those lives meaning beyond that of victims, working to recover their identities as fully human persons. It stands firmly as an advocate for life in the face of death.<\/p>\n
There is no mystery or glory to suffering. It is simply a vicissitude of human existence. The glory lies in our interpretation, in the meaning we make of disaster in order that real life can flourish.<\/p>\n