This may not seem like a joyous Pascal message but it really is at the heart of Jesus' Resurrection. There could be no glorious ascent to the Father and descent of the Paraclyte without Jesus' taking on all of the sufferings and sins of humankind from Adam and Eve to the Second Coming. Every injustice, every pain, every act of senseless violence was somehow mysterious experienced by Jesus sweating blood and Gethsemane and redeemed and conquered by His cross. No, our Easter joy is not that there will be no more suffering, but that no suffering, no matter how slight, no matter how great, escapes the redeeming power of the cross. Jesus' parable of entering the sheep gate goes far beyond anything that may occur here on earth - it speaks of our final end, of the divine plan for eternity, the lamb being lead to the slaughter pointing towards the alpha and omega lamb of Revelation.
Monks are no strangers to suffering, it is in fact an intrinsic part of our vocation.
And while many people today would be offended by being though of as sheep, I think monks would laugh at the comparison being made to themselves. Yes, monks are like donkeys - belligerent, stubborn, tenaciously believing their views, from of the interior mysteries of the Holy Trinity to the mysteries of interior decorating to be the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel. Well it's rather like getting a donkey to move a load that he doesn't want to. A superior eventually faces the fact that instead of acting the part of the nurturing shepherd, all he really can do is see that everyone is fed and that some semblance of fraternal charity reigns -I f he can manage at least that, he is doing quite well. But monks, like their animal comparison have their merits.