It brings tears to my eyes when I read this verse about our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. So as to show us the price of loving us and how important is to love us, "he learned to obey through suffering." He obeyed to die for the love of us all. How many of us can say this to themselves.
I have discovered my mission as a mother, as a father, as a son or daughter, as a school teacher, or business man or woman ... "I have learned to serve, to love, to care for, to share, through suffering." Yes, suffering is the best school for human beings. When you suffer you can understand the suffering of others. An Old Greek proverb says: "Wisdom comes by suffering".
William Faulkner have said: "The Salvation of the world is in man's suffering". In fact, In today ongoing war we are learning this more than anytime. We do not want our army to suffer, we do not want others to suffer ... do we? Suffering making us think what is the price a war!! Commenting on this St. Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444) wrote: "As the firstfruits of our renewed humanity, Christ escaped the curse of the law precisely by becoming accursed for our sake. He overcame the forces of corruption by himself becoming once more free among the dead." In today the Gospel also Jesus speaks about the grain of  wheat that should die so as to produce fruits (john 12: 24).
In fact, we are all on a way or another dying everyday; we are becoming older every day, things are becoming different for us, the younger people look at us some times as old fashion, we feel stranger many times in this our world that we have shared to build ... But at the same time we feel proud that we contributed, in our ascend to death, to make this world a better place. I hope that a lot of us feel that satisfaction. May be many others will feel that they have failed the world and God. Jesus will say to us at today mass: "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life" John 12: 25. Of course Jesus is speaking in symbols here. He meant that we should not be attached to this world and all what we have to do in this world is producing fruits that could make from it a paradise where people can feel brothers and sisters, a world where love is the only law.
This is why Jesus came to the world. In fact, he explains what he has just said with this other verse: "And when I am lifted up from the earth (he means dying for us on the cross), I will draw everyone to myself" John 12: 32 You see how suffering made Jesus wanting us not to suffer, He took it to himself and he lovingly will draw us to him.