Salvifici Doloris is widely considered to contain some of John Paul II's best writing. In it he tackled one of humankind's most difficult questions, is there a meaning to suffering? Written in 1984 it was the first systematic reflection on the Church's teaching regarding the Christian meaning of human suffering. There are three central themes explored in Salvifici Doloris: The creative value of suffering: in that if God has permitted this relationship between life, suffering, death and resurrection, there must be a deeper meaning to it than simply the fragility of humanity. Suffering seems to belong to man's transcendence: it is one of those points in which man is in a certain sense destined to go beyond himself, and he is called to this in a mysterious way. The salvific value of suffering: because the weaknesses of all human sufferings are capable of being infused with the same power of God manifested in Christ's Cross. And the Christian vocation in moments of suffering: It is a vocation. Christ does not explain in the abstract the reasons for suffering, but before all else he says: Follow me! Come! Take part through your suffering in this work of saving the world, a salvation achieved through my suffering!