Redemptive Suffering?

Kadaffi20 · #1 May 12, '12, 5:33 am

Hello. Could some kind soul please help me the understanding of this? And maybe 'teach' me how to do it? I want to understand how to suffer and how to offer it up. I also want to understand a little more about the meaning of it, I do know it is very powerful and that you can suffer for e.g the souls in Purgatory, conversion of sinners etc. Could someone please give me a "guide" on that matter? Btw.. JPII's article on Redemptive Suffering is pretty hard for me to understand...

Thanks! May Our Lord bless you!

Lainey63 · #2 May 12, '12, 6:20 am

Good morning! You can make the daily offering in the morning and sanctify your entire day. No matter what you don't have to go look for suffering it will come to you. All the little annoyances that you encounter during the day can be offered up; like getting stuck in traffic, dealing with difficult people, getting in the express line at the grocery store which says only 10 or less items and the person in front of you has a full cart.

Julia Mae · #3 May 12, '12, 6:20 am

There's a thread where this is addressed here: http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=673744

In a nutshell: if you are suffering and you are angry or rejecting about it, it stays as something that belongs to you. But there is an alternative: you can accept your suffering. If you understand that by doing this you create "spiritual goods" that can be used by the Holy Spirit to lessen the suffering of another, then you can even be glad for it. You can see your pain as an opportunity for Grace and the chance to heal another, even if you must do this by fiath and not know the person who benefits.

How to do it? If you can identify others suffering worse than you are, if you can trust that God always has your best interests at heart and that your pain is part of His plan, then you are well on the way to accepting your situation in the name of charity and mercy and asking God to use it to benefit another.

That's all you do.

fred conty · #4 May 12, '12, 10:38 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kadaffi20

Hello. Could some kind soul please help me the understanding of this? And maybe 'teach' me how to do it? I want to understand how to suffer and how to offer it up. I also want to understand a little more about the meaning of it, I do know it is very powerful and that you can suffer for e.g the souls in Purgatory, conversion of sinners etc. Could someone please give me a "guide" on that matter? Btw.. JPII's article on Redemptive Suffering is pretty hard for me to understand...

Thanks! May Our Lord bless you!

You mentioned you want a "how to" guide.

You said you already know why by saying, "I do know it is very powerful and that you can suffer for e.g the souls in Purgatory, conversion of sinners etc"

Other "whys" are to make reparation to the heart of Jesus for indifference and abuse of him.
To show our sincerity in our sorrow for our sin.
For the world which does not know or care.
For graces for ourselves and others.
Many of the great saints offered their suffering for these reasons.
One of these saints is St. Faustina. In her Diary is contained a treasure chest of ideas.

The "what" kinds of suffering is all inclusive of what we go thru everyday in our lives.
I believe Laney explained the kinds we experience in our activities very well.

The "how" is the offering, or intention, to do these out of love for Jesus.
We see them as an opportunity to exorcise the virtues of faith, hope, and love.
Jesus sends them our way as question of our love, and we then answer one way or another.
So usually as we get out of bed in the morning, we make the act of love to him by offering all our ugly events, and our good events, and our plain events, everything, in his honor that day.
To please him in all that we do. In this way we make our whole day a prayer of committment to doing his will and of our desire to be with him..

And finally here is an idea from Benedict XVI Spe Salve encyclical.

There used to be a form of devotion—perhaps less practised today but quite widespread not long ago—that included the idea of “offering up” the minor daily hardships that continually strike at us like irritating “jabs”, thereby giving them a meaning.... What does it mean to offer something up? Those who did so were convinced that they could insert these little annoyances into Christ's great “com-passion” so that they somehow became part of the treasury of compassion so greatly needed by the human race. In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love.

Try it, I know you'll like it.

Kadaffi20 · #5 May 12, '12, 10:53 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by fred conty

You mentioned you want a "how to" guide.

You said you already know why by saying, "I do know it is very powerful and that you can suffer for e.g the souls in Purgatory, conversion of sinners etc"

Other "whys" are to make reparation to the heart of Jesus for indifference and abuse of him.
To show our sincerity in our sorrow for our sin.
For the world which does not know or care.
For graces for ourselves and others.
Many of the great saints offered their suffering for these reasons.
One of these saints is St. Faustina. In her Diary is contained a treasure chest of ideas.

The "what" kinds of suffering is all inclusive of what we go thru everyday in our lives.
I believe Laney explained the kinds we experience in our activities very well.

The "how" is the offering, or intention, to do these out of love for Jesus.
We see them as an opportunity to exorcise the virtues of faith, hope, and love.
Jesus sends them our way as question of our love, and we then answer one way or another.
So usually as we get out of bed in the morning, we make the act of love to him by offering all our ugly events, and our good events, and our plain events, everything, in his honor that day.
To please him in all that we do. In this way we make our whole day a prayer of committment to doing his will and of our desire to be with him..

And finally here is an idea from Benedict XVI Spe Salve encyclical.

There used to be a form of devotion—perhaps less practised today but quite widespread not long ago—that included the idea of “offering up” the minor daily hardships that continually strike at us like irritating “jabs”, thereby giving them a meaning.... What does it mean to offer something up? Those who did so were convinced that they could insert these little annoyances into Christ's great “com-passion” so that they somehow became part of the treasury of compassion so greatly needed by the human race. In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love.

Try it, I know you'll like it.

Thanks for your answer, also, thank you all for your answers, very helpfull! So every morning when I wake up, as I've understood it I can simply say this prayer: "Heavenly Father, I offer up all of my sufferings both past, present, and future to You and in order to make them more acceptable to You I unite them with the sufferings of Your most beloved Son, Jesus Christ" ..? And if I get hurt like 25 minutes after that prayer, do I have to pray it again or is it OK if I do it only once, when I wake up? Thank u all for your answers, very helpfull!!!!!

**Holly3278** · #6 May 12, '12, 12:52 pm

I have a question about redemptive suffering. If you complain about it to someone else or get upset about your suffering, you can still offer it up, right?

fred conty · #7 May 12, '12, 1:04 pm

Here is one version of the morning offering prayer.

O Jesus, thru the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you this day all my prayers, works and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and for all the intentions of Mary.

The prayer may be said to suit your own wishes. Like you just gave...: "Heavenly Father, I offer up all of my sufferings both past, present, and future to You and in order to make them more acceptable to You I unite them with the sufferings of Your most beloved Son, Jesus Christ"

That is a very beautiful prayer.

May I suggest that you consider adding "works". The reason is that even simple things like walking, or reading, and other simple acts then become prayers for the reason that we want to glorify and honor him in every way possible. Even little tiny things we seem to overlook become prayers because of our pure intention to love and please him. The intention is the toggle switch that we turn on and makes everyting pleasing in our Father's eyes. Like a child who offers his mother a dandyline which means nothing in itself but touches the heart of the mother because it is a token of her child's love.

The Father owns and has everything except one thing, our heart. Our love is what pleases him that is all we have to give him that is really ours.

Just a thought.

Kadaffi20 · #8 May 12, '12, 1:06 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

I have a question about redemptive suffering. If you complain about it to someone else or get upset about your suffering, you can still offer it up, right?

As I've understood it you have to be happy for that suffering you have. "Our first reaction whenever we have pain or misunderstanding should be, “I have it coming; I deserve it. It’s good for me.”"

And if you complain about your suffering then want to offer that suffering which you complained about to God. It sounds pretty strange actually.. You should not complain about suffering, look at me.. I want to suffer real bad. I want more pain. I want you pain, Holly. Be happy for the pain you got.

fred conty · #9 May 12, '12, 1:59 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

I have a question about redemptive suffering. If you complain about it to someone else or get upset about your suffering, you can still offer it up, right?

Yes, but
the more love you pour into it the greater the worth.

The story of Job is the story of a man of God who knew how to handle suffering.
In the story he lost his family, wealth, health, friends.
Each time he suffered a loss he said, "blessed be the name of the Lord."
That indeed was a real man of God. He never let the bad things break him.
He never complained but trusted in the Lord in all things.

St. Catherine of Siena in her book, Little Talks With God, said the same thing.
One day in a loqution she had with God, he said this to her.

"In the case of injuries done to you, judge that my will permits them in order to
prove virtue in you, and in my other servants. Esteem that one who acts in an
injurous manner does so as the instrument of my will. Such apparent sinners
may frequently have good intentions,.....you should not judge in your mind, even
though externally it may be open, mortal sin."

..."Otherwise you fall into contempt of your neighbor, if you judge his evil will
towards you, instead of acknowledging my will acting in him."

...."because the soul remains always in the love of its neighbor, the soul remains
always in mine, and thus remains united to me."

This is one of the hardest teachings to understand and even more difficult to accept.
....to love God in everything that comes to us and to see it as a blessing, regardless
of what happens. And this is what Job understood. "Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Mother Teresa made a vow to always be cheerful in everything she did for God.
Her thought basis was "the Lord loves a cheerful giver."

How do we feel about people who do things for us grudgingly?

Just a thought.

Lainey63 · #10 May 12, '12, 2:25 pm

For me it has been a process so doing God's will, which usually is doing what you're supposed to be doing. Whether it be taking care of your children or going to work and doing the best job that you can etc. But also don't think of everything as a task or even suffering.

Nothing happens without the Will of God and He will take you through it. Some things are pretty scarey for example if you have loved ones that are drug addicts.
Practicing being grateful and mediating on the Passion of Christ helps immensely. Everything is a matter of perspective when I think of Jesus as being a poor victim put to death by evil men then I am more likely to feel sorry for myself. Thinking that I am being unjustly treated or punished However, when I think that Jesus could have stopped the crucifixion at any time, he was determined to make it to the cross that's why he kept getting up. He could have gotten off the cross, but He did not. That is "true" love.

Trusting in God, knowing that everything will be alright, fighting against negative thoughts of what "usually" therein lies the battle. Becoming as close to God as you can naturally brings one joy but joy is not always laughter but a peace and calm within.

Acceptance of suffering becomes easier with practice. Keep in mind that Jesus prayed asking the Father if it is possible to remove this chalice but also accepted the Father's will.

I hop I'm not all over the place with this.

Julia Mae · #11 May 12, '12, 2:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holly3278

I have a question about redemptive suffering. If you complain about it to someone else or get upset about your suffering, you can still offer it up, right?

IMO it's about the timing. Let's say you have this initial reaction when you, say, sprain your ankle. But them n t you realize you are lucky to even have an ankle, much leas doctors to go to or people to complain to. So, you offer this up to God. Once you do that, however, the complaining and bad feelings about it, need to stop.

nuntym · #12 May 12, '12, 8:26 pm

+JMJ+

Pray this every time you suffer:

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You,
Because by Your Holy Cross WE have redeemed the world.

Kadaffi20 · #13 May 13, '12, 4:52 am

Wow... I am really thankful for all of your answers! Thank you very much guys. Btw. I have a question about victim souls, I am praying that I want to be a victim soul to carry others burdens and sins for the conversion of sinners. Am I doing it right?

Julia Mae · #14 May 13, '12, 5:38 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kadaffi20

Wow... I am really thankful for all of your answers! Thank you very much guys. Btw. I have a question about victim souls, I am praying that I want to be a victim soul to carry others burdens and sins for the conversion of sinners. Am I doing it right?

To me, that's between you and God, really. This may or may not be what He has in Mind for you. But if you really want this, you'd better get a spiritual director familiar with this. And you might want to think about a religious community. I think the trick is continuous acceptance of whatever you get and thankfulness to God for it.

DO NOT go get a hair shirt or start self-flagellation.

IMO, anyway.

etmom · #15 May 13, '12, 5:43 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kadaffi20

As I've understood it you have to be happy for that suffering you have. "Our first reaction whenever we have pain or misunderstanding should be, “I have it coming; I deserve it. It’s good for me.”"

.

Wow, so when my son died, I should have said "I have it coming, I deserve it?". When he suffered greatly, as a baby, before his death, "he had it coming?" This is NOT my understanding, of redemptive suffering.