Offering it Up

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I just got home from tonight’s mass and was in so much pain I sobbed for a good ten minutes. I turned to God and said, “I have nothing except you.” I don’t feel “better” exactly but I said it over and over again and gradually pulled myself together,
 
hazcompat said:
He won’t. We won’t.
I placed my crosses on the paten today, and He changed them to a crucifix, My suffering is meritorious through, with and in Him. My accidents remain, but my essence(heart,mind,soul) is transubstantiated. If it is His Will that more suffering come, the more merit will come as well, all for the greater glory of Our Loving Father. In prosperity and adversity THANKS BE TO GOD!

peace
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A good thing to read after how bad it was earlier tonight. Thank you for the continued listening and inspiration. I’m praying for the intentions of all the people reading this thread, thanks to everybody.
 
dret said:
I just got home from tonight’s mass and was in so much pain I sobbed for a good ten minutes. I turned to God and said, “I have nothing except you.” I don’t feel “better” exactly but I said it over and over again and gradually pulled myself together,
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Prayer begins in heaven. Even your tears are forever before Him. Some of the others and I were discussing how after awhile we get a higher threshold for pain. It is no less exquisite, but the Hospital scale doesn’t work if my level 1 would cause a “normal” to cry. Keep praying, The Lord will surprise you.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Peace
 
hazcompat said:
Prayer begins in heaven. Even your tears are forever before Him. Some of the others and I were discussing how after awhile we get a higher threshold for pain. It is no less exquisite, but the Hospital scale doesn’t work if my level 1 would cause a “normal” to cry. Keep praying, The Lord will surprise you.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Peace
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I shared what happened last night with some good friends in email and was really surprised to learn about some really bad health stuff they had that I had no clue. It makes me wonder whether I am such a good friend after all. Three good guy Catholic friends of mine were saying, “I have a condition that’s getting worse”, or “I had a condition for a couple of years and it hurt all the time”, and that kind of thing. I guess I have a lot to learn.

Thanks for praying HazCom I am praying for you and everybody reading this!!
 
dret said:
I shared what happened last night with some good friends in email and was really surprised to learn about some really bad health stuff they had that I had no clue. It makes me wonder whether I am such a good friend after all. Three good guy Catholic friends of mine were saying, “I have a condition that’s getting worse”, or “I had a condition for a couple of years and it hurt all the time”, and that kind of thing. I guess I have a lot to learn.

Thanks for praying HazCom I am praying for you and everybody reading this!!
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dret,

I cherish your prayers on my behalf. The Lord knows my own needs better than I. Jesus I traust in You.

Peace
 
Second reading
From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop
You will find everything in the Lord’s Prayer

We read, for example: May you receive glory among all the nations as you have among us, and May your prophets prove themselves faithful. What does this mean but Hallowed be your name?

We read: Lord of power and might, touch our hearts and show us your face, and we shall be saved. What does this mean but Thy kingdom come?

We read: Direct my ways by your word, and let no sin rule over me. What does this mean but Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?

We read: Do not give me poverty or riches. What does this mean but Give us this day our daily bread?

We read: Lord, remember David and all his patient suffering, and Lord, if I have done this, if there is guilt on my hands, if I have repaid evil for evil… What does that mean but Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?

We read: Rescue me, God, from my enemies, deliver me from those who rise up against me. What does this mean but Deliver us from evil?

If you study every word of the petitions of Scripture, you will find, I think, nothing that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer. When we pray, then, we may use different words to say the same things, but we may not say different things.

We should not hesitate to make these prayers for ourselves, for our friends, for strangers, and even for enemies, though the emotions in our heart may vary with the strength or weakness of our relationships with individuals.

You now know, I think, the attitudes you should bring to prayer, as well as the petitions you should make, and this not because of what I have taught you but thanks to the teaching of the one who has been pleased to teach us all.

We must search out the life of happiness, we must ask for it from the Lord our God. Many have discussed at great length the meaning of happiness, but surely we do not need to go to them and their long drawn out discussions. Holy Scripture says concisely and with truth: Happy is the people whose God is the Lord. We are meant to belong to that people, and to be able to see God and live with him forever, and so the object of this command is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and a sincere faith.

In these three qualities, “a good conscience” stands for “hope.” Faith, hope and love bring safely to God the person who prays, that is, the person who believes, who hopes, who desires, and who ponders what he is asking of the Lord in the Lord’s Prayer.

RESPONSORY Psalm 102:2, see 18; 130:2

Listen to my prayer, O Lord;
hear my cry for help.
– O God, you will not scorn the prayers of the poor.
peace
 
Hazmat what a great letter this is and Saint Augustine is such a great saint too. The Our Father is so perfect and has everything we need. Thanks for sharing that with me and with everybody that reads this thread. It was really good. Continued prayers for you and everybody that reads this thread! :gopray2:
 
Second reading
From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop
We do not know what it is right to pray for

You may still want to ask why the Apostle said: We do not know what it is right to pray for, because, surely, we cannot believe that either he or those to whom he wrote did not know the Lord’s Prayer.

He showed that he himself shared this uncertainty. Did he know what it was right to pray for when he was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to bruise him, so that he might not be puffed up by the greatness of what was revealed to him? Three times he asked the Lord to take it away from him, which showed that he did not know what he should ask for in prayer. At last, he heard the Lord’s answer, explaining why the prayer of so great a man was not granted, and why it was not expedient for it to be granted: My grace is sufficient for you, for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness.

In the kind of affliction, then, which can bring either good or ill, we do not know what it is right to pray for; yet, because it is difficult, troublesome and against the grain for us, weak as we are, we do what every human would do, we pray that it may be taken away from us. We owe, however, at least this much in our duty to God: if he does not take it away, we must not imagine that we are being forgotten by him but because of our loving endurance of evil, must await greater blessings in its place. In this way, power shines forth more perfectly in weakness. These words are written to prevent us from having too great an opinion of ourselves if our prayer is granted, when we are impatient in asking for something that it would be better not to receive; and to prevent us from being dejected, and distrustful of God’s mercy toward us, if our prayer is not granted, when we ask for something that would bring us greater affliction, or completely ruin us through the corrupting influence of prosperity. In these cases we do not know what is right to ask for in prayer.

Therefore, if something happens that we did not pray for, we must have no doubt at all that what God wants is more expedient than what we wanted ourselves. Our great Mediator gave us an example of this. After he had said: Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me, he immediately added, Yet not what I will, but what you will, Father, so transforming the human will that was his through his taking a human nature. As a consequence, and rightly so, through the obedience of one man the many are made righteous.

RESPONSORY Matthew 7:7, 8; Psalm 145:18
Ask and it will be given to you.
– For whoever asks will receive,
whoever seeks will find,
whoever knocks, the door will be opened to him.

The Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth.
– For whoever asks will receive,
whoever seeks will find,
whoever knocks, the door will be opened to him.

divineoffice.org/

Peace
 
It’s never Gods will to make us suffer. If he has allowed it to happen to you then he will usually give us the opportunity to pull some good out of it. Many of us need to be broken so that we will stop trying to rely on ourselves and just give it all to God. Trust in him for everything. I was so happy to read your post when you said “I have nothing except you”.

I came to that crisis point myself and had to just give up trying to control my life and gave it all to Jesus. My spiritual rebirth began at that time. over the next few months the bible became alive to me and I began to feel the Holy Spirit in my life again. Now that you have given him total control of your life he can start pouring mercy your way without you reverting back to your old ways.

If you pray to God asking for him to show you people in your life that you need to forgive and any area’s of unconfessed sin, you can then go back over those moments in your mind and bring Jesus into your memories and let his love come into the memory and change it for the better. Doing this will help your spiritual development. Possibly with your condition as well. There was no sickness before sin came into the world.

Justin…
 
hazcompat said:
Second reading
From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop
We do not know what it is right to pray for

You may still want to ask why the Apostle said: We do not know what it is right to pray for, because, surely, we cannot believe that either he or those to whom he wrote did not know the Lord’s Prayer.

He showed that he himself shared this uncertainty. Did he know what it was right to pray for when he was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to bruise him, so that he might not be puffed up by the greatness of what was revealed to him? Three times he asked the Lord to take it away from him, which showed that he did not know what he should ask for in prayer. At last, he heard the Lord’s answer, explaining why the prayer of so great a man was not granted, and why it was not expedient for it to be granted: My grace is sufficient for you, for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness.

In the kind of affliction, then, which can bring either good or ill, we do not know what it is right to pray for; yet, because it is difficult, troublesome and against the grain for us, weak as we are, we do what every human would do, we pray that it may be taken away from us. We owe, however, at least this much in our duty to God: if he does not take it away, we must not imagine that we are being forgotten by him but because of our loving endurance of evil, must await greater blessings in its place. In this way, power shines forth more perfectly in weakness. These words are written to prevent us from having too great an opinion of ourselves if our prayer is granted, when we are impatient in asking for something that it would be better not to receive; and to prevent us from being dejected, and distrustful of God’s mercy toward us, if our prayer is not granted, when we ask for something that would bring us greater affliction, or completely ruin us through the corrupting influence of prosperity. In these cases we do not know what is right to ask for in prayer.

Therefore, if something happens that we did not pray for, we must have no doubt at all that what God wants is more expedient than what we wanted ourselves. Our great Mediator gave us an example of this. After he had said: Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me, he immediately added, Yet not what I will, but what you will, Father, so transforming the human will that was his through his taking a human nature. As a consequence, and rightly so, through the obedience of one man the many are made righteous.

RESPONSORY Matthew 7:7, 8; Psalm 145:18
Ask and it will be given to you.
– For whoever asks will receive,
whoever seeks will find,
whoever knocks, the door will be opened to him.

The Lord is near to all who call upon him in truth.
– For whoever asks will receive,
whoever seeks will find,
whoever knocks, the door will be opened to him.

divineoffice.org/

Peace
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This is powerful message for anybody that is suffering sickness or chronic sickness. Saint Paul did all his writing and traveling and relied on God to help him do it, we have to remember! Thank you!
 
Aussieman88 said:
It’s never Gods will to make us suffer. If he has allowed it to happen to you then he will usually give us the opportunity to pull some good out of it. Many of us need to be broken so that we will stop trying to rely on ourselves and just give it all to God. Trust in him for everything. I was so happy to read your post when you said “I have nothing except you”.

I came to that crisis point myself and had to just give up trying to control my life and gave it all to Jesus. My spiritual rebirth began at that time. over the next few months the bible became alive to me and I began to feel the Holy Spirit in my life again. Now that you have given him total control of your life he can start pouring mercy your way without you reverting back to your old ways.

If you pray to God asking for him to show you people in your life that you need to forgive and any area’s of unconfessed sin, you can then go back over those moments in your mind and bring Jesus into your memories and let his love come into the memory and change it for the better. Doing this will help your spiritual development. Possibly with your condition as well. There was no sickness before sin came into the world.

Justin…
Click to expand...
Justin that’s really great thank you for sharing that. I think you’re right that God wants us to put God first and that if we don’t do it then we’re never going to get anyways better unless we do that. Maybe I will get better or maybe not but it really is so much better making time for him all day and not wasting it on stupid things like I used to do. I hope you are happy in him also and will pray for you and everybody reading the thread!
 
Second reading
From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop
The Spirit pleads for us

The person who asks for and seeks this one thing from the Lord makes his petition confidently and serenely. He has no fear that, when he receives it, it may harm him, for if this is absent, anything else he duly receives brings no benefit at all. This is the one, true and only life of happiness, that, immortal and incorruptible in body and spirit, we should contemplate the Lord’s graciousness for ever. It is for the sake of this one thing that everything else is sought and without impropriety requested. The person who has this will have all that he wants; in heaven, he will be unable to want, because he will be unable to possess anything that is unfitting.

In heaven is the fountain of life, that we should now thirst for in prayer as long as we live in hope and do not yet see the object of our hope, under the protection of his wings in whose presence is all our desire, so that we may drink our fill from the plenty of his house and be given drink from the running stream of his delights, for with him is the fountain of life, and in his light we shall see light, when our desire will be satisfied with good things, and there will be nothing to ask for with sighs but only what we possess with joy.

Yet, since this is that peace that surpasses all understanding, even when we ask for it in prayer we do not know how to pray for what is right. Certainly we do not know something if we cannot think of it as it really is; whatever comes to mind we reject, repudiate, find fault with; we know that this is not what we are seeking, even if we do not yet know what kind of thing it really is.

There is then within us a kind of instructed ignorance, instructed, that is, by the Spirit of God who helps our weakness. When the Apostle said: If we hope for something we do not see, we look forward to it with patience, he added, In the same way the Spirit helps our weakness; we do not know what it is right to pray for, but the Spirit himself pleads with sighs too deep for words. He who searches hearts knows what the Spirit means, for he pleads for the saints according to God’s will.

We must not understand by this that the Holy Spirit of God pleads for the saints as if he were someone different from what God is: in the Trinity the Spirit is the unchangeable God and one God with the Father and the Son. Scripture says: He pleads for the saints because he moves the saints to plead, just as it says: The Lord your God tests you, to know if you love him, in this sense, that he does it to enable you to know. So the Spirit moves the saints to plead with sighs too deep for words by inspiring in them a desire for the great and as yet unknown reality that we look forward to with patience. How can words express what we desire when it remains unknown? If we were entirely ignorant of it we would not desire it; again, we would not desire it or seek it with sighs, if we were able to see it.

RESPONSORY Romans 8:26; Zechariah 12:10

We do not know how we should pray;
– the Spirit will plead on our behalf with sighs too deep to express.

On that day, says the Lord, I will pour out a spirit of compassion and prayer on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
– The Spirit will plead on our behalf with sighs too deep to express

divineoffice.org/

Peace
 
From a sermon by Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop

Now that we are reborn, as I have said, in the likeness of our Lord, and have indeed been adopted by God as his children, let us put on the complete image of our Creator so as to be wholly like him, not in the glory that he alone possesses, but in innocence, simplicity, gentleness, patience, humility, mercy, harmony, those qualities in which he chose to become, and to be, one with us.

Peace
 
Thanks for the quotes HazMat there were some good ones in there. The Office of Readings sometimes has some great things too at Universalis.

I had a few pretty good days there but I did have to do a lot of walking at work the past couple of days and that means one of my knees is a bit hurting tonight although is not as bad as it sometimes was. But that is okay because I am just offering it up for the intentions of someone I know. I am remember the people reading this in my prayers. :angel1::gopray::angel1:
 
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
“Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen.” (Saint Francis’s prayer before the San Damiano Crucifix)

penitents.org/start.html

peace
 
Amen! A lovely prayer.

Continued prayers for everybody reading this. I hope all of you are offering things up the best way you can. I am trying to take each day to say, I will offer the pain I experience today for someone else’s needs, and that kind of thing. It is a helpful way to keep going. God bless!
 
Today I was noticing that some stuff feels better, and other things that weren’t bothering me now they are bothering me. I really have to keep praying and stopping worrying so much about things I think it’s making me sick in the first place! I have to bear my suffering better and not let it make me sicker, right?
 
Seems like God keeps taking away things from me so he must want to do something for me, right? :frighten:
 
One bunch of bad news yesterday led to another bunch of bad news today. Offering it up is a hard thing to do when really I just want to sit there with my hands over my face and say go away, everything. But God is permitting all of this to happen and I just have to keep asking him for help because I have no idea how else I could stand all of this.
 
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