What does offer it up mean?

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Jeremyah

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I’ve been hearing the phrase, ‘offer it up to Jesus’ ever since I was a child and no one has ever explained to me what this actually means.

I tried to find an answer for this right before I deconverted from protestantism so many years ago. Right before I deconverted, I actually got real serious about trying to be a Christian and started asking a lot of questions like this, trying to developed a deeper understanding of my ‘faith’ and hopefully solve the ‘problem’ of why it didn’t seem to “work.” And no one seemed to have the slightest idea of what any of the phrases they were constantly using actually meant.

Anyway, I hadn’t really given much thought to it for almost 2 decades now. I read another post where someone said, “offer it up” and so I thought I would start asking again.

Catholicism, thus far, has been able to provide all the answers that my old protestant ‘religion’ couldn’t and so I have no doubt that there is an answer to this one too.
 
as far as I understand it, to ‘offer it up’ means to offer the merit of our sufferings in union with Christ’s sufferings. I can’t recall the scripture that alludes to it, but I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than I will be along to help you out forthwith 🙂

I ‘offer up’ my daily trials and pains for a number of things.

edit: Colossians 1:24, I think.
 
Eruvande said:
as far as I understand it, to ‘offer it up’ means to offer the merit of our sufferings in union with Christ’s sufferings. I can’t recall the scripture that alludes to it, but I’m sure someone more knowledgeable than I will be along to help you out forthwith 🙂

I ‘offer up’ my daily trials and pains for a number of things.

edit: Colossians 1:24, I think.
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How does one actually do that?
 
Personally - and I speak as a current non-Catholic, so bear with me in this - when I suffer pain or distress, I pray and literally say ‘Lord, I give this to You for…whatever it is I’m offering it for’. I honestly have no idea if that’s the right way to do it - an actual Catholic should be able to help more 🙂
 
Jeremyah said:
How does one actually do that?
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My mother told me to offer up my sufferings to God when I was 10 y.o. and got juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

I sometimes use a prayer that comes in a prayer book I have which says that today, I offer up my thoughts, joys, sorrows to God. You can also do this with a certain intention in mind.

For example, the way I’d do it would be to say something like, “I offer up all my sufferings for the souls of purgatory”.

You can offer up your joys and sufferings also in reparation. Again, I might say, “I offer this…suffering…rosary…up in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus”.

In a similar way to that of how Christ offered up his sufferings for our salvation, we can offer up our sufferings for the salvation of others, so that souls are freed from purgatory, or for other intentions.

One more thing…when one has tremendous suffering, when one offers it up for a purpose, it gives the suffering meaning rather than the feeling it is all in vain.
 
Eruvande said:
Personally - and I speak as a current non-Catholic, so bear with me in this - when I suffer pain or distress, I pray and literally say ‘Lord, I give this to You for…whatever it is I’m offering it for’. I honestly have no idea if that’s the right way to do it - an actual Catholic should be able to help more 🙂
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Don’t worry, it seems like you’re correct! 🙂 To offer up one’s suffering is to unite whatever painful merits one has and wishes to offer to those of Christ, and present them to the Father in union with Our Lord’s self-offering. This can be done to obtain a petition, to give thanks, to do penance etc., and the suffering can be anything from the stubbing of a toe to the loss of a loved one. This is one of the purposes of Lenten fasting and abstinence from meat, so that we can accrue suffering in order to do penance.

Fish Eaters has a great article on it here:
fisheaters.com/offeringitup.html
 
God gives us the ability to make our suffering have supernatural meaning. We can all be Simon of Cyrene every day of our lives.

Remember something truly fantastic: to the Father, who is not bound or stuck in time and space like we are, all moments appear as present moments…the Father still sees His Son Jesus offering Himself to Him, the Father. We can unite with Jesus in this way…we can all help Jesus carry the cross by asking God to accept our offering through His Son.

The important thing isn’t the sacrifice…it’s the closer UNION that such an offering brings between us and God that is important and what God greatly desires.

To do this is so simple…you simply ask your Father to accept your offering in His Son’s name.
 
Jesus is the Father’s only begotten son and because of his station, everything is pleasing to his Father. At Jesus’ baptism the Father said, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” It is precisely because he is his son that anything and everything Jesus does is pleasing.

In the same way because we too are now the Father’s sons/daughters, everything and anything is pleasing to the Father. We are his sons as well with the life of grace flowing thru our spiritual veins. And precisely because we are his sons of grace, if we have the motive of offering our active life to the Father, it is most pleasing to him. This cannot be said of anyone who is not baptised in the grace of the Father. The unbaptised, Tho the Father is their creator, and made in the image of his son, they do not have the relationship of son, but only that of creature.

So when we, who are baptised, make an offering of all we do and of our very selves to the Father, our whole life becomes pleasing because we are his family.

In so offering ourselves, we may ask that favors be granted to others or for ourselves. So our suffering becomes a source of good for ourselves and others, and is rewarded. The saints even went so far as to seek sufferings and penances so that they could offer more to the Father and become more united to Jesus’ sufferings. One of the forms of suffering that was granted to a number of them was the stigmata, the 5 wounds of Jesus. For they saw that it is easy to say you love someone, but suffering validates the words.

“O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you this day all my works, joys, and sufferings.”
 
Simply saying, “I offer it all up to you, Lord” just seems a little too easy.

The prayers offer a little more. I’ll add them to my routines.

I want to be actively involved in “offering it up,” not passive.
 
🙂 It does seem so simple doesn’t it? I often wonder if I am doing it right too. But I heard my mother say it to me and my grandmother and they were devout Catholics. I offer up everything in a day, especially pain and suffering to God by uniting it with the Cross.

Catholic Answers podcasts have some great tracts on offering suffering. Here is an example:

catholic.com/radio/shows/the-act-of-offering-your-suffering-3841

Hopefully the link will work. Not tech savvy, savvy? 😃

Also, here is a link to a page that I find most useful. It gives you the words and that was a big help to me until I got used to just feeling out the words. It has a lot of explainations to it:

newce.com/suffering/

Peace!
 
Jeremyah said:
Simply saying, “I offer it all up to you, Lord” just seems a little too easy.

The prayers offer a little more. I’ll add them to my routines.

I want to be actively involved in “offering it up,” not passive.
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Some people are more specific, saying…I offer up my suffering…past, present, and future in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the holy souls in purgatory, the conversion of sinners, world peace,…or my father’s soul, etc.

You put it for your intentions.
 
I prayed for the answer to this question last year, many many times, and I received this on my heart. I discovered that I had ‘offered it up’ without realizing it many years before. I had gone through some tremendous personal suffering and strife; I barely made it out alive, literally. I told my husband, that if my suffering kept one other person from going through the same thing who might not survive, it was worth it.

Perhaps there is a ‘finite’ amount of suffering in this world, and if we can accept our own suffering for the sake of others so that they might not suffer, that is offering it up as well. I’ve chosen to remain ‘cold’ (not turning on the heater on my short drive home) for the sake of those, especially children, who are homeless and out in the cold, that they might be warm even if just for a moment. I’ve tried to accept my migraines or headaches and offer them up for someone who might be suffering as well, and that this might grant them some relief.

I talked to my priest about this, and he confirmed my own understanding.
 
ccmcmg said:
I prayed for the answer to this question last year, many many times, and I received this on my heart. I discovered that I had ‘offered it up’ without realizing it many years before. I had gone through some tremendous personal suffering and strife; I barely made it out alive, literally. I told my husband, that if my suffering kept one other person from going through the same thing who might not survive, it was worth it.

Perhaps there is a ‘finite’ amount of suffering in this world, and if we can accept our own suffering for the sake of others so that they might not suffer, that is offering it up as well. I’ve chosen to remain ‘cold’ (not turning on the heater on my short drive home) for the sake of those, especially children, who are homeless and out in the cold, that they might be warm even if just for a moment. I’ve tried to accept my migraines or headaches and offer them up for someone who might be suffering as well, and that this might grant them some relief.

I talked to my priest about this, and he confirmed my own understanding.
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:angel1: :dancing:
 
Just say: Lord, I offer up this suffering in union with your Son’s for the intention of ________ (and name your intention). God bless you.
 
I stumble on the words “offer up.” When I’m hurting, I say, “I’m doing this for…[name, intention].”

One example: I got the stomach flu the day a friend was going to enter the convent. I was so happy for her but so afraid too because she had tried to enter years before but had to leave, and I wanted her to be able to stay this time…usually, if I have to throw up, my whole body protests. I tell myself, “I will NOT throw up, I am NOT doing this,” and then, of course, I have to barf anyway, and I just added to the stress by resisting the inevitable.

I never thought having the stomach flu could be energizing! Instead of fighting it, I accepted it and allowed it to happen, for her sake. I told myself, “I WILL do this, and I will do it for [name] and her family.” I actually look back on the flu as a positive experience; I don’t want to do it again anytime soon, but I feel like I learned what it means to “offer it up.” I see it as accepting suffering rather than fighting or denying it. Of course you should get medical attention if necessary, but if you have to live with suffering anyway, it is possible to participate by actively accepting it (for an intention) rather than just resisting the inevitable and getting bitter about it.
 
ready said:
Just say: Lord, I offer up this suffering in union with your Son’s for the intention of ________ (and name your intention). God bless you.
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Or you could say: Lord, I offer up this suffering in union with the merit of your Son’s suffering for the intention of __________(and name your intention). God bless you.

or: Lord, I offer up this suffering for the intention of _________ (and name your intention).

The second way (out of the three) could be the best way, but I am not sure which way is best, or if there even is a best way. I only know that it is our uniting our sufferings to the merits of Jesus Christ’s sufferings that makes our offering things up powerful. God bless you.
 
ready said:
Or you could say: Lord, I offer up this suffering in union with the merit of your Son’s suffering for the intention of __________(and name your intention). God bless you.

or: Lord, I offer up this suffering for the intention of _________ (and name your intention).

The second way (out of the three) could be the best way, but I am not sure which way is best, or if there even is a best way. I only know that it is our uniting our sufferings to the merits of Jesus Christ’s sufferings that makes our offering things up powerful. God bless you.
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Actually, most people when offering up their sufferings make their offering directly to Jesus Christ, not to the Father. I make my offering to Jesus Christ too.
 
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