Asking for suffering?

[water]

Have you ever asked for physical suffering for the purpose of repentance and praying for others?

If you have, how does it help you spiritually?
and if you think it is not a good idea? could you list some reasons?

Thanks - I am just curious.

 

[mommyof4]

Ask? No. Not brave enough. I figure life is going to have enough suffering without having to ask for more. I do pray for the grace to accept my suffering and I always offer it up.

 

[thistle]

Have you ever asked for physical suffering for the purpose of repentance and praying for others?

If you have, how does it help you spiritually?
and if you think it is not a good idea? could you list some reasons?

Thanks - I am just curious.

We are not supposed to seek out suffering but rather accept suffering if it comes our way.

 

[LilyM]

Ummm, so that’s why we give up stuff for Lent and on Fridays? Admittedly those are minor inconveniences rather than true suffering.

Seeking suffering via inflicting it upon ourselves, I think, is a different thing to asking God to send more suffering upon us. Didn’t St Rita of Cascia receive her stigmata in response to her request that she share in the sufferings of Christ??

 

[thistle]

Ummm, so that’s why we give up stuff for Lent and on Fridays? Admittedly those are minor inconveniences rather than true suffering.

Seeking suffering via inflicting it upon ourselves, I think, is a different thing to asking God to send more suffering upon us. Didn’t St Rita of Cascia receive her stigmata in response to her request that she share in the sufferings of Christ??

I understand what you mean but I consider penance (like fasting and abstinence) more of a sacrifice than suffering.

My one liner in the earlier post is what a priest said. I can’t remember who it was. It was maybe on EWTN. I just can’t remember.
He said something like we should not go out of our way to look for suffering but if suffering comes our way we should accept it.

 

[puzzleannie]

no I don’t go out looking for more suffering, doesn’t bible say in proverbs or someplace, sufficient unto the day is the sorrow thereof.

I do offer up prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of each day in my morning offering for the intentions of the Pope, and all apostles of prayer, and for those for whom I have been asked to pray. I frequently pray, when in a state of particular pain or flare-ups, to have that suffering which cannot be alleviated by proper medical treatment, offered up in union with Christ for the specific benefit of another person, such as one of my children.

 

[Joysong]

I have always believed that there is nothing greater than the sacrifice of Holy Mass for obtaining graces for others, besides being able to receive Christ in communion, and in truth, it is! Because this is His sacrifice made present, it is the most efficacious act we can do, more so than asking for suffering. You might consider going more often than weekly, if possible.

If this is already a practice of yours, ask Jesus to inspire those things which might help others. One of my sacrifices is to abstain from coffee during advent, in order that someone with an addition to alcohol might be able to give it up. You would have to know my intense love for coffee to appreciate how difficult this is for me. I reasoned that if I find this so hard, how much more would someone with a chemical dependency find it almost impossible to quit. I have little doubt that it helped bring some poor soul to sobriety.

By chance, I accidentally spotted a witness on a TV religious program the other day where a gentleman received the grace to give it up … on Christmas Day! Maybe God wanted me to see this to keep me faithful to the practice and realize that He hears and honors our sacrifices.

In short, no I don’t believe we should ask for physical suffering.

 

[TOP]

I believe we only are giving what we can handle. I would think that if you asked for suffering, that if it happened, you would pray it hadn’t. Didn’t Jesus say pray that we don’t undergo the test. Tim

 

[Em_in_FL]

God does not cause suffering. Suffering came into the world when sin entered… not through God. It is not God’s nature to cause suffering. He created the world out of love for the enjoyment of his people.

However, since sin IS in this world, suffering is inevitable. We are called to accept the sufferings of this world with grace, and to offer them up to God as a sacrifice.

So, to answer your question… I don’t think asking God for suffering is necessary or even logical. I think the better way to approach your desire for repentance in the world is to pray.

Just my thoughts.

 

[littleone]

Have you ever asked for physical suffering for the purpose of repentance and praying for others?

If you have, how does it help you spiritually?
and if you think it is not a good idea? could you list some reasons?

Thanks - I am just curious.

Jesus own words “take up your cross and follow me”, and again
“I have come into this world to take on the sinns of the world”, and “do like wise what I have done”. It is an honour to follow Jesus.
Look at every saint. they purged their lives their bodies gave up all, what else can I say.
It is the greatst honour to follow Jesus in the manner He lived and died for us look at the many marters and saints .

If non of what I have writen is true then non of the saints have followed Jesus and the bible is not correct.
“Many are called but few are accepted”, our heart MUST be on Jesus with no living for the world. That is why Jesus tells us that we are to be IN the world NOT OF the world.

There is a point here though, one person has been given much grace to under go much and they know what they are to undergo because they live the way Jesus has shown their heart. Their spirit shines, magnifies God and it is becaues they have been chosen NOT because they are greater than any other person. These people are usually ones who are little ones no significant in any way. People who are usually unknown until after they enter into the heart of God leaving this world.

God bless

 

[Andruschak]

Have you ever asked for physical suffering for the purpose of repentance and praying for others?

If you have, how does it help you spiritually?
and if you think it is not a good idea? could you list some reasons?

Thanks - I am just curious.

I have not asked for more suffering in this life. It would be too easy to go over the line into Spiritual Pride. I do try to accept what comes unasked.

This does not mean I cannot do penance by choice. My formation with BSP and CFP are part of that choice. I eat only two meals a day, dinner and supper. No meat or fish at supper. No snacks. Accept the hunger.

But there is one way you can properly ask for more suffering in the future. Make the Heroic Act of Love for the Pour Souls of Purgatory. They get all your indulgences. You pay to the last penny in Purgatory. Your reward is their gratitude when you get out of Purgatory

 

[littleone]

Have you ever asked for physical suffering for the purpose of repentance and praying for others?

If you have, how does it help you spiritually?
and if you think it is not a good idea? could you list some reasons?

Thanks - I am just curious.

I don’t know if I asked for suffering but I did ask Jesus for someone to help me live the way Jesus wishes me to and He gave me St Therese the little flower.
The first thing I noticed was the amount of self denial she desired to undergo. I cried out to Jesus that I had found my way, living in the same little way of denying my flesh so that I could think more of the spirit. I started to look for ways of denying the flesh so that the spirit of God could live more in me and I believe that this is the key for wishing to suffer.
It is not a way of living that is natural but it should be since Jesus tells us to live this way.

I am very open about this because it is what is asked of us and many do not understand it nor do they understand that the more a soul wishes to deny themselves the more the openings for God’s spirit to enter and take over our lives. The more the soul wishes to give itself to God until there is nothing else that matters.
The other point is that
1 the more a soul gives itself to God in this form the more grace is shown it
2 the more a soul lets go for God to take over the more God allows that soul to understand Him.
3 the more a soul understands God the less the soul thinks of self but wishes to see only God in every person and in His creation.
4 the more the soul sees God in all there is the more Gods Love can take over to be glorified.
This thriving to suffer or deny the flesh is a continuous feeding that takes the flesh into a continuous rejuvenation of God’s spirit taking the soul into territories that maybe unknown to the person themselves. But here the soul does not have to know what is happening because that soul has given it’s whole being over to the Holy Spirit leading where He wishes.

This suffering gives over to the soul wishing only for God to be glorified and will do anything to see this happen. Hence if the spirit of spiritual pride should show then the Holy Spirit will correct the way for God’s will to be done.
Hence the reading “It’s no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me”.

It is then that Jesus becomes our one true lover, all others become because of Him. Our spouse our family our friends our tools of life all because of Jesus.

 

[Joysong]

Very edifying, Littleone. God bless you in your efforts to follow Him in perfection.

This thriving to suffer or deny the flesh is a continuous feeding that takes the flesh into a continuous rejuvenation of God’s spirit taking the soul into territories that maybe unknown to the person themselves.

Amen! Not many understand this, but if we remain faithful to those inspirations chosen by God to help us in weak areas to deny the sensual excesses of the flesh, it does permit us to remain recollected in Him to a much greater degree!

Being a little imperfection, or even a venial sin, some might think it is not important to overcome these tendencies, whatever they be. What awesome blessings one misses out on, thinking they can harbor them and that God will dwell with them and reveal His presence. Uh-uh. We can’t preach or teach this enough, I believe.

 

[water]

I thought we could ask God for that as some Saints did. Certainly, we should not bring sufferings to yourself if it is not God’s will.

I also heard on Relevant radio that someone said that we could ask for difficulties.

 

[Rykell]

I think God knows well our frame, and that we are frail. He will not permit us to undergo anything beyond our strength. Do we not pray, “lead us not into temptation?” Even there, His grace is all-powerful, his wisdom all-knowing, and his love all-embracing.

You are right that some saints asked for suffering, but they were saints and probably had a powerful inspiration to do this. I doubt we should follow suit without certain confirmation from the Lord that this is his will.

If it would help you to see examples of a few saints who regretted taking on extraordinary sufferings in the form of penances, I will look it up and share it with you. There are also many who asked for sufferings and benefitted from them.

I think it really comes down to whether or not God is the author of the inspiration. I’m thinking now of St. Faustina and St. Peter Alcantara, but there are others.

 

[water]

I think it really comes down to whether or not God is the author of the inspiration. I’m thinking now of St. Faustina and St. Peter Alcantara, but there are others.

I am currently reading St. Faustina’s diary and knew how she asked for sufferings. She had so much love for God and for souls; however, she always acknowledge that without grace of God, she could not bear the sufferings.

 

[StephanieC]

I think I remember from her Story of a Soul that St. Therese of Lisieux first asked permission of her prioress to become a ‘victim soul.’ I found her obedience/submission to her authority to be fascinating…here was such a devout person, obviously blessed by a close relationship with Jesus, and yet totally willing to accept her human authority’s decision.

Just wanted to add that to the discussion/thought; I know it doesn’t really answer any of the OP’s questions…

 

[water]

I think I remember from her Story of a Soul that St. Therese of Lisieux first asked permission of her prioress to become a ‘victim soul.’ I found her obedience/submission to her authority to be fascinating…here was such a devout person, obviously blessed by a close relationship with Jesus, and yet totally willing to accept her human authority’s decision.

Just wanted to add that to the discussion/thought; I know it doesn’t really answer any of the OP’s questions…

If you haven’t read the diary of St. Faustina, I’d suggest you read it. You will be also fascinated by her obedience.

Asking for suffering is certainly not an easy thing to do. I have allergy all year round, and it is more than enough that I could handle - I hope I don’t complain about it too much.

 

[Damascus]

Water- I abstained from cigs almost all day today. For me, that is suffering.
I only do it when I feel weak in spirit. I broke down a little while ago, but intend on making it up tomorrow.

Its my silly way to share in Christs suffering. And trust me, my regular life is no walk in the park either.

But, for HIM, I try to do more everyday. He wont let me down. Others will.

 

[water]

Water- I abstained from cigs almost all day today. For me, that is suffering.
I only do it when I feel weak in spirit. I broke down a little while ago, but intend on making it up tomorrow.

Its my silly way to share in Christs suffering. And trust me, my regular life is no walk in the park either.

But, for HIM, I try to do more everyday. He wont let me down. Others will.

I remember one of my old professors used to smoke at least one pack of cigs per day. He has given up for good.

Interestingly, tonight, I came to this part of the diary of St. Faustina. She mentioned about sufferings:

"772. …Every grace gives the soul power and strength to act, and courage to suffer. The soul knows very well what God is asking of it, and it carries out His holy will despite adversities.

1. Yet, the soul cannot proceed on its own in these matters. It must follow the advice of an enlightened confessor, for otherwise it could go astray or gain no profit.
2. Oh my Jesus, I understand well that, just as illness is measured with a thermometer, and a high fever tells us of the seriousness of the illness, so also, in the spiritual life, suffering is the thermometer which measures the love of God in a soul."