What does it mean to "offer up your suffering?"

[ForeverJoy]

I have read the phrase “offer up your suffering” or “unite your suffering” with the cross several times on here, and I’m not entirely sure what that means. Is it similar the the Protestant saying to “lay your burdens down at the cross,” or “give your burdens to Jesus?”

I’m still learning the Catholic “language,” and sometimes I’m not sure I really understand the meanings of certain phrases/sayings. I’m don’t know why, but sometimes it’s like my brain just can’t puzzle it out, although it seems like it should be relatively straightforward.

 

[Nelka]

Give your suffering to Christ so He can use it to heal others.

 

[Richard_White]

When you find yourself suffering, you can offer it up as a mini-sacrifice to God in reparation for your venial sins or temporal punishments for forgiven sins (the stain left by our past sins that have already been forgiven through Confession). Many saints have said that penance in this form on earth is more potent than the sufferings of Purgatory after death for the reparation of temporal punishments.

Uniting our sufferings to the Cross of Christ is something that j don’t really have the words to explain…I kind of just know what it means in my heart. Hopefully someone else can clarify for you!

May God bless you this Easter season and always!

 

[ThankUJP2]

I don’t think the analogy to lay down your burdens is necessarily the best, but I don’t know. Can it be interpreted to mean lay down your worries and commit yourself to do God’s will?

I think a better analogy may be when Jesus tells us to take up our own cross and follow him. Then we can offer up our suffering knowing that God has ordained or permitted our suffering and ultimately He will work a greater good from it.

 

[Horton]

I have a chronic illness and am often in pain. Rather than complaining or commiserating about how I feel, I pray offering it up for either souls in purgatory, special intentions, for those who are suffering far more than I am, or just giving it to God. I don’t ask God to take it away but I do ask for the grace to deal with it.

 

[Telstar]

I have read the phrase “offer up your suffering” or “unite your suffering” with the cross several times on here, and I’m not entirely sure what that means. Is it similar the the Protestant saying to “lay your burdens down at the cross,” or “give your burdens to Jesus?”

I really don’t think the Catholic practice is the same as the Protestant one. The way the statements are worded, it seems more like they’re the exact opposite of each other. The Catholic practice is to offer up our own sufferings to God as a sacrifice, united with the sufferings of Jesus, to make reparation for our own sins and those of others. The Protestant wording seems to suggest that they’re taught to give their sufferings to Jesus, as if they’re asking Him to carry them for them. At least, that’s what it sounds like to me, according to the way it’s worded. That way appears to add even more burden to what Jesus already carries. But, the Catholic way is focused on accepting our sufferings as a means of making reparation for our own sins, as well as for others. By doing this, we believe we can actually relieve the burden that Jesus already bears for us, and help other sinners, as well.

I’m still learning the Catholic “language,” and sometimes I’m not sure I really understand the meanings of certain phrases/sayings. I’m don’t know why, but sometimes it’s like my brain just can’t puzzle it out, although it seems like it should be relatively straightforward.

Sometimes, the similarities and differences are hard to figure out between Catholics and Protestants. It makes communication between us a little more difficult. Another example of a common problem that often confuses many of us, is that some things Catholics refer to as prayer, Protestants tend to call worship. So, it usually helps to make sure everyone is working from the same understanding and definitions of terms before we try to have any kind of theological discussion. It at least helps to keep the confusion to a minimum.

So, don’t feel badly for misunderstanding certain things. You’re definitely not alone.

 

[ForeverJoy]

I really don’t think the Catholic practice is the same as the Protestant one. The way the statements are worded, it seems more like they’re the exact opposite of each other. The Catholic practice is to offer up our own sufferings to God as a sacrifice, united with the sufferings of Jesus, to make reparation for our own sins and those of others. The Protestant wording seems to suggest that they’re taught to give their sufferings to Jesus, as if they’re asking Him to carry them for them. At least, that’s what it sounds like to me, according to the way it’s worded. That way appears to add even more burden to what Jesus already carries.

Yes, Protestant teaching (very generally speaking) is to stop carrying around so much baggage (worry, guilt, shame, etc.) and to give it to Jesus to carry for us. I believe the idea comes from Psalm 55:22, Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

I can’t seem to wrap my brain around as to HOW to make a sacrifice of my suffering (I’m assuming this includes stuff like headaches/migrains and backaches as well as chronic pain?), and how or why this helps make reparations for sins or those of others. And if one does offer up a headache, say…does that mean that we shouldn’t take medicine to try and relieve that pain? I know these are probably stupid questions, but it’s so different from anything I’ve ever been taught that my brain is having a hard time comprehending it…

But, the Catholic way is focused on accepting our sufferings as a means of making reparation for our own sins, as well as for others. By doing this, we believe we can actually relieve the burden that Jesus already bears for us, and help other sinners, as well.

So somehow the crick in my neck I’ve had the last week can somehow be offered as a sacrifice for say…cousin Jane Doe who is cohabitating with John Smith?

So, don’t feel badly for misunderstanding certain things. You’re definitely not alone.

Maybe someone should write a Protestant/Catholic Translation Dictionary. lol!

 

[YADA]

Yes, Protestant teaching (very generally speaking) is to stop carrying around so much baggage (worry, guilt, shame, etc.) and to give it to Jesus to carry for us. I believe the idea comes from Psalm 55:22, Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

I can’t seem to wrap my brain around as to HOW to make a sacrifice of my suffering (I’m assuming this includes stuff like headaches/migrains and backaches as well as chronic pain?), and how or why this helps make reparations for sins or those of others. My brain just can’t comprehend it…

So somehow the crick in my neck I’ve had the last week can somehow be offered as a sacrifice for say…cousin Jane Doe who is cohabitating with John Smith?

Maybe someone should write a Protestant/Catholic Translation Dictionary. lol!

So here are my late evening musings … probably not as coherent as I would like. but its been a long day …

In his letter to the Colossians 1:24- St Paul tell us that he - …“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, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints.” - Colossians 1:24 (RSV)

So did Jesus not suffer enough? Of course He did and just as clear - there is nothing necessary for Christ’s atoning sacrifice to be completed. However, Paul saw his suffering in service to the Gospel as necessary … We too are called to witness to that same Gospel. We to are the Church and serve the Church - Thus we have a role in uniting our suffering with Christ’s suffering … which is why we offer our sufferings to Christ … not for His benefit - but clearly for ours…

Thus we Catholics say …"Offer it up"

We pick up our Cross each and every day - and carry it to best of our abilities and because our God strengthens us - on our own we can do nothing - but united with Christ we can do all things. Our suffering helps to unite us to Christ - to build relationship with each other and with our God - to be like our God who suffered for us - we suffer for each other.

A big part of this I believe is our learning to recognize we have no control …and we learn to submit our will to God’s … Jesus in the Garden prayed for the relief from His suffering - but not His will but the Father’s be done … We hate loosing control - we fight that … we want life on our terms. We want all the blessings and none of the trials - the proof of our humanity … our suffering is what helps us rely on God …

 

[Bookcat]

"40. I would like to add here another brief comment with some relevance for everyday living. There used to be a form of devotion—perhaps less practised today but quite widespread not long ago—that included the idea of “offering up” the minor daily hardships that continually strike at us like irritating “jabs”, thereby giving them a meaning. Of course, there were some exaggerations and perhaps unhealthy applications of this devotion, but we need to ask ourselves whether there may not after all have been something essential and helpful contained within it. What does it mean to offer something up? Those who did so were convinced that they could insert these little annoyances into Christ’s great “com-passion” so that they somehow became part of the treasury of compassion so greatly needed by the human race. In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love. Maybe we should consider whether it might be judicious to revive this practice ourselves. "

~ Pope Benedict XVI Spe Salvi

w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html

 

[Telstar]

Yes, Protestant teaching (very generally speaking) is to stop carrying around so much baggage (worry, guilt, shame, etc.) and to give it to Jesus to carry for us. I believe the idea comes from Psalm 55:22, Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

That’s not really referring to the kind of thing we’re talking about, even from the Protestant perspective. Looking at that passage in context, I think it’s about our trying hard to remain faithful to God when others around us are being unfaithful to Him and attacking us, and God protecting and helping us to remain faithful when we ask Him to. So, that’s a different situation, entirely.

I can’t seem to wrap my brain around as to HOW to make a sacrifice of my suffering (I’m assuming this includes stuff like headaches/migrains and backaches as well as chronic pain?), and how or why this helps make reparations for sins or those of others. And if one does offer up a headache, say…does that mean that we shouldn’t take medicine to try and relieve that pain? I know these are probably stupid questions, but it’s so different from anything I’ve ever been taught that my brain is having a hard time comprehending it…

Those are definitely not stupid questions, so I’ll try not to give you stupid answers.

Those are exactly the kinds of things I’m referring to. God turns all of those sacrifices into graces for us, to cover our sins, and even those of other souls, too. Think of it being like when we might bring flowers or a small gift to someone we love, when we know we’ve done something to hurt their feelings. Accepting those annoying things that happen to us, and offering them up to God (big or small), can really touch the Heart of God in a big way. He loves us. If you hurt your Mom or Dad’s feelings and felt bad about it, then brought them a little gift to say, “I’m sorry.”, wouldn’t they give you a big hug and forgive you? God is the same way with us. Those sacrifices are like giving a bouquet of flowers to God, to say we’re sorry for offending Him.

To answer your other question, if your headache or whatever gets to the point where it’s too hard for you to deal with, there’s no harm in taking a couple of aspirin. God knows that, sometimes, the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. It still earns graces.

How to do it is pretty simple. You could just say a little prayer like this, “Jesus, I offer you all of my sufferings, today, in reparation for my own sins, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and for the conversion of sinners. Amen” You can specify certain things your feeling, or just say “sufferings” in general. You can also say it for a specific person that might need prayers, too. If someone is sick, or is in a bad situation or whatever else, you can offer your suffering up for anyone.

So somehow the crick in my neck I’ve had the last week can somehow be offered as a sacrifice for say…cousin Jane Doe who is cohabitating with John Smith?

Yep. You’d be surprised how powerful that kind of prayer can be.

Maybe someone should write a Protestant/Catholic Translation Dictionary. lol!

I wish I had a nickle for every time I’ve thought about that… I’d be rich!

 

[Bookcat]

"40. I would like to add here another brief comment with some relevance for everyday living. There used to be a form of devotion—perhaps less practised today but quite widespread not long ago—that included the idea of “offering up” the minor daily hardships that continually strike at us like irritating “jabs”, thereby giving them a meaning. Of course, there were some exaggerations and perhaps unhealthy applications of this devotion, but we need to ask ourselves whether there may not after all have been something essential and helpful contained within it. What does it mean to offer something up? Those who did so were convinced that they could insert these little annoyances into Christ’s great “com-passion” so that they somehow became part of the treasury of compassion so greatly needed by the human race. In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love. Maybe we should consider whether it might be judicious to revive this practice ourselves. "

~ Pope Benedict XVI Spe Salvi

w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html

 

[dmftx]

When we offer our sufferings through the day, it is good to offer a small invocation such as (my favorite) “Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place My Trust in Thee”. My take is that we rely on our faith as we perform our daily duties and we should try to remain in prayer and thoughtful of our Lord at all times.

 

[runwaymodel]

I have a chronic illness and am often in pain. Rather than complaining or commiserating about how I feel, I pray offering it up for either souls in purgatory, special intentions, for those who are suffering far more than I am, or just giving it to God. I don’t ask God to take it away but I do ask for the grace to deal with it.

It has never occurred to me to offer it up to the poor souls in purgatory or special intentions. It makes me look at my own ‘sufferings’ in a different, more tolerable way if I can offer it up like this. Thank you for posting.

 

[Errham]

There is another aspect here that needs to be mentioned. Just as Jesus suffered to carry out God’s will, we must also be willing to suffer in order to carry out God’s will, on earth as it is in heaven. By “offering up” our sufferings, we can remind ourselves that God’s plan for most of us isn’t all flowers and rainbows - it’s a life of suffering, so that, through suffering in this world, we can pass on to eternal life in the next. If God was willing to submit his own son, the sinless one, whom he loved so dearly, to unthinkable pain and suffering, how much more must he be willing to submit us sinners, who are constantly angering him with our every action. There’s no point in sugar-coating that fact - that’s the cold, hard truth of it. But, if Jesus, who had no need of salvation, was nevertheless willing to suffer in order to submit to the Father’s will, how much more must we, who must beg God for his mercy at every hour. So why go through all this torment? Because we must remind ourselves that we belong to a kingdom that is not of this world, and that, by patiently bearing our sufferings in this life with patience and fortitude, we’re offered the means to pass on to everlasting paradise in the next. Offering up our sufferings is a constant reminder to us of this fact. That being said, like others have stated it is, in a bit of a cheeky way, us reminding God of the sufferings that we’re submitting ourselves too willingly in order that his will be done. Not that he ever forgets, don’t get me wrong, rather, I mean it as a form of prayer, whereby we truly pray “Thy will be done” in the fullest sense of the word, and as a prayer for mercy, that God will accept our sufferings as atonement for our sins.

Another thing it reminds us of, is that Jesus had one big advantage over us - namely, that he had the divine knowledge of WHY exactly he was going through all that suffering. We don’t. And we must constantly remind ourselves of that fact, lest we think that God is submitting us to all this suffering for no reason. Think of it as a person enduring a very painful surgery. He doesn’t understand why exactly he’s feeling so much pain, as without a degree in Medicine he couldn’t even begin to figure it out. But he knows that that pain will eventually be removed, and he will feel suffering no more, and that is his only hope for enduring it. So much more is it with us, who have at least a basic understanding of medicine, but can’t even come closing to knowing even the tiniest strands of the divine intellect.