My Spiritual Journey

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Edwin1961:
Jeff, offer up the pain from your hip to Our Lord in connection to his Passion. Imagine Him carrying the Cross after being scourged and beaten up. I’m sure Jesus’ hip was huring Him too.
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I agree with Edwin here. I am so sorry that this happened…God is vigilent, but so to is “Old Red Legs!” But if you are stronger, we know who will win…you!

Edwin, this is one of the few times i could understand the “offer it up” theories. With your example, the act of doing this is clearer. Thanks for your genuine thoughtfulness…it will help more than Jeff this morning.

xxxxx to you
 
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Edwin1961:
Jeff, offer up the pain from your hip to Our Lord in connection to his Passion. Imagine Him carrying the Cross after being scourged and beaten up. I’m sure Jesus’ hip was huring Him too.
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I’m not sure exactly what this means. I’ve never heard of this before. None of the Protestant churches I’ve ever been a part of have spoken of this. Do Catholics believe that God heals people? I believe that God will heal me. For reasons of his own, He hasn’t done it yet, but I believe He will.
 
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krysianka:
Oh, Jeff I’m sorry to hear about the hip! This may not sound like good news but the Lord knows you can take it, and offer it back to Him. I only wish I could practice that myself, as I know it’s sound teaching.

This is a great suggestion from Edwin
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Thank you. The pain is radiating from my hip to lower back, upper back, and neck. I’ll be taking it easy today.
 
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Rammy:
I agree with Edwin here. I am so sorry that this happened…God is vigilent, but so to is “Old Red Legs!” But if you are stronger, we know who will win…you!

Edwin, this is one of the few times i could understand the “offer it up” theories. With your example, the act of doing this is clearer. Thanks for your genuine thoughtfulness…it will help more than Jeff this morning.

xxxxx to you
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I have no idea what the “offer it up theory” is. Anyone who can, please explain.
 
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jbsmith:
I have no idea what the “offer it up theory” is. Anyone who can, please explain.
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Well i do believe it is recognizing something that God went through that you can relate to, and agree that you understand it and recognize that what he did endure was for the benifit of us all, and he did it without regret and with the purest forms of love there is.

When we offer it up, we simply offer the suffering we are enduring, for his glory…in other words, that you do this in the same eyes and heart as God did…to benifit others. This pain, and you enduring it for a better and higher purpose can be your prayer, your form of an offering…just as a fast of suffereing can be offered. You can offer this pain for a better cause…for God, or on any day, you can offer it up for his works…let say, for Cliffs soul, or in thanks for your parents finding a way to your side, or what ever suits your form of dedication.

It is a prayer intention of a wonderful kind…you do not have controle over the pain, but where it is being used, you can use this to bring you closer to God.

Now i am not sure if i am right, but i do believe i understood it for the first time through Edwins example.
 
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Rammy:
Well i do believe it is recognizing something that God went through that you can relate to, and agree that you understand it and recognize that what he did endure was for the benifit of us all, and he did it without regret and with the purest forms of love there is.

When we offer it up, we simply offer the suffering we are enduring, for his glory…in other words, that you do this in the same eyes and heart as God did…to benifit others. This pain, and you enduring it for a better and higher purpose can be your prayer, your form of an offering…just as a fast of suffereing can be offered. You can offer this pain for a better cause…for God, or on any day, you can offer it up for his works…let say, for Cliffs soul, or in thanks for your parents finding a way to your side, or what ever suits your form of dedication.

It is a prayer intention of a wonderful kind…you do not have controle over the pain, but where it is being used, you can use this to bring you closer to God.

Now i am not sure if i am right, but i do believe i understood it for the first time through Edwins example.
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Okay, thank you for the explanation. I’ve been seeing this on other threads and had no clue what it was. This must be a distinctly Catholic doctrine.
 
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jbsmith:
I have no idea what the “offer it up theory” is. Anyone who can, please explain.
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Hi Jeff,

Yes, God can and does heal, but sometimes He says “wait patiently”. So, when circumstances are such that our prayers for healing are not answered, we trust that the Lord is working through our trying circumstances and can draw us closer to Him in the process.

We offer up to Him what we cannot change, and we can identify with His Passion that he endured for us. We have to make acts of faith and trust to do this, and He grants us the grace to endure, and refines us in the “fire” so to speak.

As always, you and your intentions are still in my prayers…
 
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jbsmith:
Thanks, Rebecca. This was helpful. I note again the use of the word “chastity.” I’m certainly not an expert, but to me this leaves the possibility open that a person with SSA can develop a heterosexual orientation through the power of God.
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Yes, with God all things are possible, and we should not limit what He can do!

For more information, I believe the priests at Courage have knowledge about this.
 
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Dorothy:
Yes, with God all things are possible, and we should not limit what He can do!

For more information, I believe the priests at Courage have knowledge about this.
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Courage is a good organization. I’ve visited their website several times and spoken with a priest on the phone a couple of times. it’s a shame there’s no local chapter here. Maybe one day they’ll start one.
 
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Dorothy:
Hi Jeff,

Yes, God can and does heal, but sometimes He says “wait patiently”. So, when circumstances are such that our prayers for healing are not answered, we trust that the Lord is working through our trying circumstances and can draw us closer to Him in the process.

We offer up to Him what we cannot change, and we can identify with His Passion that he endured for us. We have to make acts of faith and trust to do this, and He grants us the grace to endure, and refines us in the “fire” so to speak.

As always, you and your intentions are still in my prayers…
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Thank you for your prayers and for the explanation. It was very helpful. It’s becoming clear now.
 
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Rammy:
I agree with Edwin here. I am so sorry that this happened…God is vigilent, but so to is “Old Red Legs!” But if you are stronger, we know who will win…you!

Edwin, this is one of the few times i could understand the “offer it up” theories. With your example, the act of doing this is clearer. Thanks for your genuine thoughtfulness…it will help more than Jeff this morning.

xxxxx to you
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That was a ‘Holy Spirit’ moment that came to mind!
 
Philippians 1 27:29 New American Bible

27 Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel, 28 not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29 *For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. *
30 Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me.

Jeff, the life of the Apostles, Paul and the followers of Christ were constantly struggling and in sufferings.
These sufferings were either persecutions, physical ailments, etc.
The Apostle Paul suffered greatly for Christ.
And as Christ’s followers, we must suffer in so many different ways and recognize this in connection of Christ.

What the Baptists DON’T teach is the fact that Christ’s ARE to suffer. (Remember in most Protestant Churches, they claim to preach the WHOLE Bible, but they really don’t. I had never haard anything about suffering from their pulpits. The Catholic Church teaches the WHOLE Bible and that includes: suffering.

(I couldn’t find the Scripture passage where Paul talks about ‘his rejoicing in his sufferings’. If someone can find that passage, post it for me? Thanks!
 
Colossians 1:24
usccb.org/nab/bible/colossians/colossians1.htm

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Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,
25
of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God,
26
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
 
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beckyann2597:
Colossians 1:24
usccb.org/nab/bible/colossians/colossians1.htm

24
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,
25
of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God,
26
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
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BeckyAnn,
THANK YOU!
I’m sure Jeff (and everyone) will find these verses an example why the Catholic Church believes that uniting sufferings to Christs’ is a worthy sacrifice.
 
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Edwin1961:
Philippians 1 27:29 New American Bible

27 Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel, 28 not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 29 *For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. *
30 Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me.

Jeff, the life of the Apostles, Paul and the followers of Christ were constantly struggling and in sufferings.
These sufferings were either persecutions, physical ailments, etc.
The Apostle Paul suffered greatly for Christ.
And as Christ’s followers, we must suffer in so many different ways and recognize this in connection of Christ.

What the Baptists DON’T teach is the fact that Christ’s ARE to suffer. (Remember in most Protestant Churches, they claim to preach the WHOLE Bible, but they really don’t. I had never haard anything about suffering from their pulpits. The Catholic Church teaches the WHOLE Bible and that includes: suffering.

(I couldn’t find the Scripture passage where Paul talks about ‘his rejoicing in his sufferings’. If someone can find that passage, post it for me? Thanks!
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Thank you for the Bible passage. I’ve never heard this preached in any Protestant church I’ve ever been in. The health and wealth churches especially don’t preach this. I was involved in that movement very briefly several years ago, and ran away from it as fast as I could when I found out what it was all about. Telling someone they’re sick, impoverished, dying, etc. because they don’t have enough faith in God is irresponsible and cruel. (This is what the health and wealth churches teach.)

Suffering is a natural part of life on earth, but so is happiness and healing. I try to remember all of that, especially on days like today.
 
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beckyann2597:
Colossians 1:24
usccb.org/nab/bible/colossians/colossians1.htm

24
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,
25
of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God,
26
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
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Thank you, Rebecca. I still have a question, though: Catholics do pray for healing, though, don’t they?
 
I also have another question that my Baptist acquaintances have posed to me. I’ve researched this, but I haven’t found a definite answer. How is one saved in the Catholic Church? I know that infant baptism is for the removal of original sin and adult baptism removes pre-baptismal sins. But I also know that a person isn’t baptized until they’ve completed RCIA, so what about the person’s salvation before baptism? Also, what about the sins of the child before he/she makes a first confession? I haven’t been able to find a clear answer on salvation from my research, and my Baptist friends/acquaintances really want to know. They keep reminding me that they all have a clear time when they were saved, but Catholics don’t.
 
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jbsmith:
Thank you, Rebecca. I still have a question, though: Catholics do pray for healing, though, don’t they?
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Yes, we do pray for healing and leave the decision to God. He gives us what He knows is best for us at the time.
 
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