Does God want certain sufferings?

[distracted]

I believe suffering is good for the soul… hate it but still believe this…

Does the Church teach this, exactly?

I know the Church teaches we can offer our sufferings for

1. expiation of (the effects of or stain of) past sins
2. the souls in Purgatory
3. conversions

But how do we know what sufferings to accept & which to reject (run from)??

to me just getting out of bed in the morning is a terrible suffering…uch: but i have a plethora of other sufferings as well (celibate for 100 yrs, etc )… and sometimes don’t know which ones are… self-inflicted & totally un-necessary… and which ones i should (nonetheless? ) accept??

 

[sistermouse]

I have wondered the same things. I can remember the nuns saying “Offer it up”, to what ever whining we may have given her. I had no sweetner (I use 6 packs) for my cereal one morning and I “offered it up”…don’t know if it is right or not—but I now “offer up” my sweetner each morning!! I often smile as I wonder if God notices!! Exactly what should we “offer up”??

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

I believe suffering is good for the soul… hate it but still believe this…

Does the Church teach this, exactly?

I know the Church teaches we can offer our sufferings for

1. expiation of (the effects of or stain of) past sins
2. the souls in Purgatory
3. conversions

But how do we know what sufferings to accept & which to reject (run from)??

to me just getting out of bed in the morning is a terrible suffering…uch: but i have a plethora of other sufferings as well (celibate for 100 yrs, etc )… and sometimes don’t know which ones are… self-inflicted & totally un-necessary… and which ones i should (nonetheless? ) accept??

The Church certainly does not teach that “God want certain sufferings”,or any sufferings for that matter. Otherwise, God would be a sadist ​

 

[distracted]

I have wondered the same things. I can remember the nuns saying “Offer it up”, to what ever whining we may have given her. I had no sweetner (I use 6 packs) for my cereal one morning and I “offered it up”…don’t know if it is right or not—but I now “offer up” my sweetner each morning!! I often smile as I wonder if God notices!! Exactly what should we “offer up”??

this made me 'cause it reminds me of this talk i heard once by this priest (it’s on tape/disc also). His name is Fr Emmerick Vogt.

He was talking about validating feelings and not just ignoring them… our own & others’. He is a big advocate of 12 step programs… (good ones)…

anyway, he said something about Catholics being taught to “offer it up” and said that sometimes they get tired of “this ‘offer it up’ stuff”… etc

(you kinda had to be there but he is really humorous about this kind of thing & relationships between humans). i think everyone should listen to his talks… CA may have it (?)…

anwyay, his point was (i think) that you can take anything to extremes…

A good example would be a woman who is beaten by her husband? Is she just supposed to offer that up and not do anything about it? jsut stay in the abuse? No. I wouldn’t… I’d leave the first time a man hit me… so cowardly anyway… but if a man has an anger problem he needs to go tell a shrink… not take it out on someone weaker than him…

some situations are not, however, as cut-and-dried as this one…

 

[distracted]

The Church certainly does not teach that “God want certain sufferings”,or any sufferings for that matter. Otherwise, God would be a sadist ​

certain sufferings are necessary for salvation…

it is suffering to change…

because we humans are not angels… and we don’t necessarily want to be angels… and yet we must be changed in order to enter Heaven… where no impure thing will ever enter…

so suffering IS required of God and he is not a sadist…

 

[Texan77]

Here is what I do know Jesus Christ made it very clear - those who believe in me and follow me will also be persecuted, we will also suffer, each of will pick up our own cross…

I do not know of any one Church who has been attacked more that our Catholic Church - likewise the Catholic Church has always fought destructive heretical teachings which has come from within her.

 

[distracted]

Here is what I do know Jesus Christ made it very clear - those who believe in me and follow me will also be persecuted, we will also suffer, each of will pick up our own cross…

I do not know of any one Church who has been attacked more that our Catholic Church - likewise the Catholic Church has always fought destructive heretical teachings which has come from within her.

if a person does right and/or tries to… s/he will suffer…no way around it… so in a way you could say that God “ordains” suffering… not directly… but as a means to an end…
salvation…

 

[Texan77]

if a person does right and/or tries to… s/he will suffer…no way around it… so in a way you could say that God “ordains” suffering… not directly… but as a means to an end…
salvation…

I believe we suffer in this sinful world of ours because its the consequence of original sin - after all as catholics we do believe in temporal punishment.

 

[Eucharisted]

Offer every suffering, whether it is punishment, poor fortune, pain, disappointmet, or whatever.

 

[MacGregor1991]

1. expiation of (the effects of or stain of) past sins

Wait a second there, does this mean i can get my sins forgiven by buying a whip and using it to whip my back bloody like some people do in spain/portugal?

 

[distracted]

I believe we suffer in this sinful world of ours because its the consequence of original sin - after all as catholics we do believe in temporal punishment.

once we’re baptized, we suffer also from the effects of actual sin - ours’ and others’…

i don’t really like the word punishment (how PC of me, huh?? ) but more
Temporal-consequence-undoing… or whatever…

but why get technical…

the word punishment works… (except for those who think God is too good to punish us…

and to that i say… You’re right… but Sin is not too good to punish us…

 

[distracted]

Wait a second there, does this mean i can get my sins forgiven by buying a whip and using it to whip my back bloody like some people do in spain/portugal?

not forgiven, expiated…

but i wouldn’t recommend doing all that…

except maybe i’d have recommend it to someone like tiller who (if he made it to Purgatory) might see such “discipline” as a walk in the park…

 

[distracted]

Offer every suffering, whether it is punishment, poor fortune, pain, disappointmet, or whatever.

good advice… this is a veyr powerful thing to do… and the strange thing is… it seems to take the edge off our sufferings… almost seems (for me anyway) to relive them … like mayb 75%…

 

[distracted]

everyone who’s responded is Catholic

(except maybe Gottle… Who knows what he is… what “gutted” might mean…

and do we want to know??? . hmmmm… )

but in any case, Are there any Protestants who want to add their 2 cents worth about suffering?

they have a different view, as you know…

just wondering if they agree w/ any of this “Catholic stuff”…

 

[MacGregor1991]

not forgiven, expiated…

but since it is a means of penance one could do so, and then ask for forgiveness to be free of them… i wonder if there is a whiplash to sin exchange rate or something like that

 

[distracted]

i wonder if there is a whiplash to sin exchange rate or something like that

huh???

 

[MacGregor1991]

I was just wondering how much suffering different sins would need as penance. Since there is no metric-unit for suffering etc.

 

[redhen]

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord that do all these things.

The commentary at New Advent reads; “Create evil, etc… The evils of afflictions and punishments, but not the evil of sin.” newadvent.org/bible/isa045.htm

 

[rinnie]

I don’t think God wants certain sufferings. but I do agree that for some people he can sure use them to get their attention. Most of our suffering is brought on either by us, or eachother. But I do see suffering as a way to get better understanding. Thats how I think God can make good out of it.

But I do know we are put in this world to suffer. We all will. One way or another. This is not heaven and it is not easy. Suffering is brought on by sin, and we sin not God. If there was no sin there would be no suffering. God took away sin by his suffering. But by our sin we cause suffering on ourself or others. But God loves us and promises us that he will be with us every step of the way if we ask.

God wants suffering as much as he wants sin. None. But he has given us free will. And by free will we do sin, and for that sin we must confess and repent, and that does pertain to some suffering.

Now the Devil oh yes he wants suffering, the more the better. He loves sin, because when people sin they cause suffering for themself and others. Now its him who wants suffering. All God can do is help us with it. And take away our suffering.

 

[distracted]

I was just wondering how much suffering different sins would need as penance. Since there is no metric-unit for suffering etc.

well, i can just feel when my sins have been sufficiently expiated… not that all of them have been… i’m sure i will have plenty of yrs of Purgatory to do… when i leave this world.