Giuli, Sofi and Adrianna have a conversation about the relationship between suffering and desire. The central claim we discuss is that suffering presents us with an alternative: either my desire is for something impossible and thus life is meaningless, or my desire is undergoing a positive test of its meaning. The Christian proposal is that suffering can be a privileged place of encounter with God.

This episode was based on an article by Francesco Botturi in the magazine Traces. You can find a PDF on our website at www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com/a-trial-of-desire or an audio recording by our friend Fr. Mike on Apple Podcasts www.tinyurl.com/3w64cts8 or Spotify www.tinyurl.com/4ahbmmzb //

Our media recommendation is C.S. Lewis' novel The Great Divorce: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Divorce. Our monthly challenge is to pray with Psalm 22 and unite it to your own experience of suffering. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com or find us on Instagram at @pilgrimsoulpodcast. Our website is www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com. //

Other resources we mention:

• Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Spe Salvi //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”