Q
Quaere_Verum
Guest
What is the meant in Colossians 1:24 which says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body; that is, the church…”?
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T
Tantum_ergo
Guest
According to the online Douay Rheims:
24 “*Wanting”… There is no want in the sufferings of Christ in himself as head: but many sufferings are still wanting, or are still to come, in his body the church, and his members the faithful. *
L
LilyM
Guest
What is lacking is our own embracing of and taking up of our own crosses in imitation of and union with the Cross of Christ.
Q
Quaere_Verum
Guest
So does this verse then refer to sufferings and how, as members of the Communion of Saints, we can assist one another through prayers, mortifications, and sufferings?
S
s4angel
Guest
I am not really sure which bible you are reading but I read the passage in both my bible and my dads. My bible is the Jeruselem bible it says
Col 1:24 IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO BE SUFFERING FOR YOU NOW, AND IN MY OWN BODY TO MAKE UP ALL THE HARDSHIPS THAT STILL HAVE TO BE UNDERGONE BY CHRIST FOR THE SAKE OF HIS BODY, THE CHURCH.
My dads bible is the master study bible the new american standard it says.
Col 1:24
NOW I REJOICE IN MY SUFFERINGS FOR YOUR SAKE, AND IN MY FLESH I DO MY SHARE ON BEHALF OF HIS BODY (WHICH IS THE CHURCH) IN FILLING UP THAT WHICH IS LACKING IN CHRISTS AFFLICTIONS.
I believe that what he is saying is figurative. Listen he says that he is rejoicing in his sufferings for your sake. In his flesh he does his share for christs body which is the church. He uses christ as the name of the church or rather the body which is christ or the church. Jesus christ is not lacking rather he is filling up the afflictions of the church which in this passage he called the body of christ. The church is lacking in afflictions and sufferings for christ not christ himself which could never lack.
Maby someone else can explain this better than I have. hope this helped
Col 1:24 IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO BE SUFFERING FOR YOU NOW, AND IN MY OWN BODY TO MAKE UP ALL THE HARDSHIPS THAT STILL HAVE TO BE UNDERGONE BY CHRIST FOR THE SAKE OF HIS BODY, THE CHURCH.
My dads bible is the master study bible the new american standard it says.
Col 1:24
NOW I REJOICE IN MY SUFFERINGS FOR YOUR SAKE, AND IN MY FLESH I DO MY SHARE ON BEHALF OF HIS BODY (WHICH IS THE CHURCH) IN FILLING UP THAT WHICH IS LACKING IN CHRISTS AFFLICTIONS.
I believe that what he is saying is figurative. Listen he says that he is rejoicing in his sufferings for your sake. In his flesh he does his share for christs body which is the church. He uses christ as the name of the church or rather the body which is christ or the church. Jesus christ is not lacking rather he is filling up the afflictions of the church which in this passage he called the body of christ. The church is lacking in afflictions and sufferings for christ not christ himself which could never lack.
Maby someone else can explain this better than I have. hope this helped
J
JimG
Guest
There is nothing lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, the Church, except those sufferings which the other members of the Church can join to his, and thus acquire redemptive value.
S
s4angel
Guest
thank you jimg
much easier said. I agree:thumbsup:
much easier said. I agree:thumbsup:
Q
Quaere_Verum
Guest
I quoted from the Revised Standard Version. My Douay-Rheims Bible says, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are ***wanting *** of the sufferings of Christ…”
It still sounds to me as if there is something missing which we as the Body of Christ and the Communion of Saints are required to provide.
Maybe we’re all talking about the same thing. Mine is just poorly worded and poorly thought through.
It still sounds to me as if there is something missing which we as the Body of Christ and the Communion of Saints are required to provide.
Maybe we’re all talking about the same thing. Mine is just poorly worded and poorly thought through.
R
Ravyn_Guiliani
Guest
this very scripture was in the lesson for my Divine Mercy Cenacle I just studied over this morning and I asked this very question! wow–talk about getting answers to your prayers! weird almost!
In the lesson we are studying the suffering of St. Faustina and how SOME of her suffering was relieved–for instance when she was too physically weak to do chores like drain huge heavy pots of boiled potatoes- miraculously the potatoes became red roses and she lifted them easily, however her tuberculosis grew progressively worse and she died suffering of it.
Why did Jesus make the potatoes into roses when He could have just cured her illness? Because He said her suffering was for others–she was a Suffering Soul, her suffering was joined to His Passion and was used for the good of others. As the Church, the Bride of Christ, she shared in His sufferings as ‘one flesh’ like a wife.
In general this is the lot of all of us as we are members of the Church too, but she had made a special vow as a nun and so it became more personal and pronounced. We have the option of offering our specific sufferings for the greater good and joining them to Christ’s Passion or keeping them—which means dealing with them ourselves or accepting His lighter yoke… seems like a good deal to me. How does the saying go about "if God brings you to it, He will give you the Grace to get thru it’?
If anyone is interested the lesson references are:
Mark 14: 32-36
CCC: #164, #1508, #1521
Diary (of St. Faustina) #65, #67
My final take on it is that Jesus did all the suffering for all of humanity once and for all, however for the Church (us) to be joined to His Passion these sufferings will be represented by individual suffering until it is complete. So every time we suffer personally and consecrate it to Him we are maybe taking some suffering from someone else. Like He did for us. Maybe someone else will suffer for us or maybe He will take the suffering away, or maybe we will have the privilege of sharing in His Passion. Whichever way it works out it does not make sense to me to suffer without it doing anyone any good.
I suffer with a genetic disease that can be excruciatingly painful and I wrote this prayer a year and a half ago before I became part of this Cenacle at my Parish:
***Consecration of Pain and Suffering
All my pain and suffering this day,
I give to Thee.
Count my pains as Yours.
Since You have already suffered for me,
allow me to share in Your suffering by adding my own.
Let not my pain be wasted.
Let not my tears be useless.
As Your Holy Blood courses thru my frail human veins,
Let me feel Your Agony and not just my own.
Accept my pain and suffering as a Gift
and do not let me live with it in vain.
If You so choose to relieve me and alleviate my pain and suffering,
then give me the Grace to understand that You have
accepted my Gift and Granted me Thy Peace in return.
Help me to let go of my attachment to my suffering and
to disown my pain as mine.
If you so choose to heal me, please
Dear God, make me grateful.
If you do not choose to heal me, please
Dear God, make me worthy.***
In the lesson we are studying the suffering of St. Faustina and how SOME of her suffering was relieved–for instance when she was too physically weak to do chores like drain huge heavy pots of boiled potatoes- miraculously the potatoes became red roses and she lifted them easily, however her tuberculosis grew progressively worse and she died suffering of it.
Why did Jesus make the potatoes into roses when He could have just cured her illness? Because He said her suffering was for others–she was a Suffering Soul, her suffering was joined to His Passion and was used for the good of others. As the Church, the Bride of Christ, she shared in His sufferings as ‘one flesh’ like a wife.
In general this is the lot of all of us as we are members of the Church too, but she had made a special vow as a nun and so it became more personal and pronounced. We have the option of offering our specific sufferings for the greater good and joining them to Christ’s Passion or keeping them—which means dealing with them ourselves or accepting His lighter yoke… seems like a good deal to me. How does the saying go about "if God brings you to it, He will give you the Grace to get thru it’?
If anyone is interested the lesson references are:
Mark 14: 32-36
CCC: #164, #1508, #1521
Diary (of St. Faustina) #65, #67
My final take on it is that Jesus did all the suffering for all of humanity once and for all, however for the Church (us) to be joined to His Passion these sufferings will be represented by individual suffering until it is complete. So every time we suffer personally and consecrate it to Him we are maybe taking some suffering from someone else. Like He did for us. Maybe someone else will suffer for us or maybe He will take the suffering away, or maybe we will have the privilege of sharing in His Passion. Whichever way it works out it does not make sense to me to suffer without it doing anyone any good.
I suffer with a genetic disease that can be excruciatingly painful and I wrote this prayer a year and a half ago before I became part of this Cenacle at my Parish:
***Consecration of Pain and Suffering
All my pain and suffering this day,
I give to Thee.
Count my pains as Yours.
Since You have already suffered for me,
allow me to share in Your suffering by adding my own.
Let not my pain be wasted.
Let not my tears be useless.
As Your Holy Blood courses thru my frail human veins,
Let me feel Your Agony and not just my own.
Accept my pain and suffering as a Gift
and do not let me live with it in vain.
If You so choose to relieve me and alleviate my pain and suffering,
then give me the Grace to understand that You have
accepted my Gift and Granted me Thy Peace in return.
Help me to let go of my attachment to my suffering and
to disown my pain as mine.
If you so choose to heal me, please
Dear God, make me grateful.
If you do not choose to heal me, please
Dear God, make me worthy.***
M
mdgspencer
Guest
Why should we pray when God already knows what we want and need? God makes some things dependent on our prayers because He wants us to pray, since suchj prayers are desirable for our own good. We can also suffer for other people as Christ did on the cross, and gain some measure of inner greatness. And in such ways and for such reasons God wants us to complete what Christ did for us.
W
water
Guest
Thank you, Quaere Verum, for asking the question. I was wondering myself too. Thank you all for your responses. They are very helpful. 
Q
Quaere_Verum
Guest
Yes, thank you everybody. Keep those responses coming. The more you respond, the more we learn.
M
MariaG
Guest
Thanks for sharing, most especially for the very personal prayer
S
Sagefrakrobatik
Guest
This reminds me of my Aunt who passed away a few years ago. My aunt suffered from MS she could barely get around. She struggled day to day trying to do things such as put on clothes, cooking, holding a fork things we take for granted with painstaking intensity. However when it came to faith she had more conviction for Christ than a pillgrimage to see Billy Graham speak. She was also resolute when it came to the issue of Christian exclusivity noting that non can be saved except if they accept Jesus as their lord and Savior. Now that i think about it While i may disagree with her conclusions I can see where she is coming from.I think we suffer to remind us of our own immortality and vulnerabilty which i think is the theme of this scripture.
C
Crumpy
Guest
This has to do with the question of suffering in general, as well.
I think that God allows suffering so that we will empty ourselves and call out for His love and mercy, while demonstrating our faith and commitment.
There are those who complain about God,and say why would a ‘just’ God allow all this, like the suffering from the hurricane Katrina or the collapse of that bridge in Minnesota.
We don’t know God’s mind on all of that, except that He is just and merciful on an eternal basis.
Consider Romans
8:16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
8:17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (NAB)
Phillipians
8:16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
8:17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (NAB)
I Peter
1:6 * In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials,
1:7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
and
4:19 As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good. (regarding persecution for the sake of the gospel)
I think that God allows suffering so that we will empty ourselves and call out for His love and mercy, while demonstrating our faith and commitment.
There are those who complain about God,and say why would a ‘just’ God allow all this, like the suffering from the hurricane Katrina or the collapse of that bridge in Minnesota.
We don’t know God’s mind on all of that, except that He is just and merciful on an eternal basis.
Consider Romans
8:16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
8:17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (NAB)
Phillipians
8:16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
8:17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. (NAB)
I Peter
1:6 * In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials,
1:7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
and
4:19 As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good. (regarding persecution for the sake of the gospel)
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