Question about Redemptive Suffering

[WoundedIcon]

I’m having a hard time understanding a part of this. I understand that making an offering of suffering is essentially a prayer whereby we earn graces as a reward to be applied to various situations. But I have a very difficult time understanding why those graces need to be won by us in the first place. For example, if I were to offer up my sickness that I have right now for the conversion of sinners, why would that be necessary? Why isn’t God already offering those graces? I mean, there’s no element of atonement here because of the fact that they still have original sin.

Maybe I’m asking the age-old question of “If God knows our needs, why pray”, but still. I guess that is my main question, but it’s exacerbated by trying to understand the interplay between providence and free will.

 

[jpjd]

We are called to participate in Christ’s suffering. We are to offer our sufferings to Christ, join ours to His, which gives our suffering redemptive value.

Our suffering joined to His makes our suffering more purposeful. Our prayers prayed to God help bring about God’s work.

I read an analogy that illustrates this pretty well. Take the example of a child helping his mother bake cookies. Mother is more than capable of baking cookies all by herself. But when the child helps, he really is helping to make the cookies .

 

[ready]

We are called to make up for what is lacking in Christ’s suffering - for the sake of the body of Christ (the Church), to help redeem others individually. We are called to be co-redeemers with Christ, not equal to him in the redemption of individuals, we are just callled to do it with him. Mary is Co-Redemptrix (a female term for Co-Redeemer) and is not equal to him in her participation either, but she is more powerful than all of the angels and saints and the entire Church militant put together. We are all one body and whatever good we do or suffer united to Christ helps other members of His body - even the entire body, just as whatever evil we do hurts other members - even the entire body. God wills for us to participate this way because this is how he ordered things - he wants us to be like him and share in his sufferings for the sake of His members, and for our own sanctification. Peace!