How to "Offer it Up"?

[pensmama87]

Since Lent is coming up, and I suddenly feel very aware that I am very bad at managing any kind of discomfort (to the degree that I sometimes feel entitled to never suffer at all! ), I would like to begin practicing that spiritual discipline known as “offering it up.”

Does anyone have a particular way they do this? Are there particular prayers you use to focus on what you are doing? Do you just wake up in the morning and say, “OK, Lord, whenever I get frustrated today, I am going to embrace that suffering for [intention]”?

Personal experiences and outside resources very welcome. I am very new at this!

 

[ClearWater]

Since Lent is coming up, and I suddenly feel very aware that I am very bad at managing any kind of discomfort (to the degree that I sometimes feel entitled to never suffer at all! ), I would like to begin practicing that spiritual discipline known as “offering it up.”

Does anyone have a particular way they do this? Are there particular prayers you use to focus on what you are doing? Do you just wake up in the morning and say, “OK, Lord, whenever I get frustrated today, I am going to embrace that suffering for [intention]”?

Personal experiences and outside resources very welcome. I am very new at this!

I guess there are prayers for this, but my mother told me to do this since I was 10 y.o. She would say to offer up my sufferings to God. Well, it’s my understanding one can offer sufferings up for a purpose…for atonement of our own sin, the holy souls in purgatory, conversion of sinners, etc.

When I do this, I don’t feel that my sufferings are in vain. It gives them purpose.

 

[gardenswithkids]

Morning offerings are a great way to begin each day. There are lots and lots of them, usually some simple little prayer like, “Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus I offer everything I do this day to Thee.”

Throughout the day as you encounter challenges you can just utter a little prayer like “I do this for You, Lord” or “Here You go Jesus–You suffered for me and I unite this with Your suffering for (name an intention)” or even just make the sign of the cross.
At Mass imagine that you place all those little offerings and then “bring” them to the altar. At the altar the priest unites our gifts to the Father with Jesus’.

I can tell you’re a mom like I am. You might find Marie Bellet’s song “Morning Offering” inspiring. She’s a Catholic mom who writes and sings about Catholic family life.

 

[tawny]

Since Lent is coming up, and I suddenly feel very aware that I am very bad at managing any kind of discomfort (to the degree that I sometimes feel entitled to never suffer at all! ), I would like to begin practicing that spiritual discipline known as “offering it up.”

Does anyone have a particular way they do this? Are there particular prayers you use to focus on what you are doing? Do you just wake up in the morning and say, “OK, Lord, whenever I get frustrated today, I am going to embrace that suffering for [intention]”?

Personal experiences and outside resources very welcome. I am very new at this!

The Morning Offering prayer is a beautiful way to start the day.

 

[Richard_White]

The Morning Offering prayer is a beautiful way to start the day.

This is the Morning Offering Prayer:

O Jesus, I offer You all my prayers, works, joys, 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, for the intentions of all our associates, and for the general intention recommended this month. Amen.

It is good, because it unites our entire day to the Lord and all the intentions listed above, including those of the Holy Father. I say it every morning, and I would recommend that you do, too!

May God bless you!

 

[St_Francis]

I will start fussing and fuming about something and my lovely children will remind me to offer it up I picked up a little prayer in a book about St John Bosco: All for Thee dear Jesus, Who has suffered so much for me.

That does help put things right.

Sometimes I will be so bent out of shape I chase the children away and tell God, I want to offer this up but I don’t understand this and I’m not sure how to.

Over the tike I’ve been offering things up, I have learned better how to. I am actually better with big things than with little things, because I can see that the big things are out of my power and thus obviously under God’s control, but i really think i should be able to handle the little things… but they too are under God’s control as He reminds me frequently!!!

So even if you do it really badly at first, keep at it: practice makes perfect!

ETA: All tye above in addition to the Morning Offering. That is a nice prayer to reflect on the meaning of, and a reminder eacy morning of how wonderful God was and is to bring me back into His fold.

 

[Petaro]

I have given the doctrine of atonement some consideration, as I am not without pain at times.
I have recently been considering my past life and have now developed a prayer schedule offering up my day in the morning for the repose of the souls of my deceased twin brother, other relatives and those with whom I co-operated in sin in my past life whom I know to have died. I do this however as a subset within a general offering of any value in my suffering to the intentions of our Blessed Mother.
In the evening I thank Jesus for His Mercy in not allowing temptations to overcome me over the day and my Beloved Mother for her specific protection in conjunction with my Guardian Angel.
I have had difficulty in intellectually coming to grips with why a loving God would find value in the physical suffering of his so loved children. I know I would do anything so that my son did not suffer. I have read the book of Job; the Pope’s encyclical on Human Suffering and am still no closer. However, as I get older I find that a child like approach to doctrine and my personal spirituality is the preferred path.
So a few small prayer of offering and thanks does it for me.

 

[ccmcmg]

Since Lent is coming up, and I suddenly feel very aware that I am very bad at managing any kind of discomfort (to the degree that I sometimes feel entitled to never suffer at all! ), I would like to begin practicing that spiritual discipline known as “offering it up.”

Does anyone have a particular way they do this? Are there particular prayers you use to focus on what you are doing? Do you just wake up in the morning and say, “OK, Lord, whenever I get frustrated today, I am going to embrace that suffering for [intention]”?

Personal experiences and outside resources very welcome. I am very new at this!

I, too, am not good at physical suffering (headaches, flu, sprains, etc).

When I have a headache, first I try to remember to offer it to God, for the relief of those suffering who are not as fortunate or as blessed as I. Then I ask St. Teresa of Avila (patron saint of headache sufferers) to help me with my suffering. Somehow, the pain eases.

Also, recently, the cold has been very bad here. When I was cold in my car going home, I offered it to God, for the sake of those that were suffering in the cold, especially small children.

 

[the_phoenix]

Fatima Sacrifice Prayer:

[When offering a sacrifice]
O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I like to add, “and for the poor souls in purgatory.”

…

 

[InNomineDomini]

Fr. Benedict Groeschel did an episode of Catholic Answers Live on this very topic.

Here’s a link to the show: catholic.com/radio/shows/offering-up-suffering-4825