What exactly does "offering it up" mean?

[Carolyn]

What exactly does this mean?
We all have suffering in our lives: physical pain, mental anguish, worries, poor health etc…

Funny story: when my sisters and I were teens the air-conditioner in the house was broken. My sisters were protesting LOUDLY (we were tucked away in our beds). My dad bellowed up from his bedroom: “Quit your complaining! Offer it up to the poor souls in purgatory!!!”

My sisters and I thought this just another example of Dad’s “weird” religiousness. They joke about it to this day. But I thought carefully about what he said but didn’t quite “get” what it meant.

Geez, if no air conditioning on a hot night was the worst of our problems…sheesh! How spoiled we were!

Back to my question: Let’s say I’m uncomfortable or worried or hurting physically etc…
Do I just say to God:“Lord I’m offering it up?” What does offering it up do? If my “offering” suffering “up” helps I’d just like to understand it a little better…

 

[theMutant]

In the contexts I have heard the expression used, it essentially means joining whatever suffering you are going through with the suffering Christ endured on the Cross for your sake and also asking Him, through the Holy Spirit, to help you through your suffering in faith. One psychological advantage to this is that it helps us to put our own suffering into perspective - crucifixion was an incredibly horrible experience in which the victim slowly suffocated while enduring the pain of hanging on the cross. If you haven’t seen The Passion of the Christ - it is a very accurate portrayal of the level of suffering He went through. If your personality is not one that can endure watching the movie, I recommend the book, “A Doctor at Calvary.”

On the spiritual side, God will always answer this prayer and will give you the grace of perserverence through suffering - all you have to do is accept that grace!!!

 

[Minerva]

I don’t know if this is exactly how it’s supposed to be done, but the way I think of “offering it up” is I’m saying to God, “take this suffering of mine and use it in place of the suffering of a soul in purgatory or the suffering that a sinner will go through in order to convert and repent. Let me suffer this little bit in their place so it’s easier for them.”

 

[JimG]

A prayer something like this:

“Lord, take this suffering of mine, or just this petty annoyance, and join it to your sufferings and use it for the good of the Church.”

St. Paul says:

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church.”
Col. 1:24

 

[Jermosh]

The only way for our sins to be forgiven or for our prayers to be answered is thru a holocaust, this requires us to offer a sacrifice that is dependent on the wealth ness of the person. This is why Jesus sacrifice is continuous and not ending, otherwise we would have to slaughter animals again, or maybe in modern terms burn money. We send our sins and prayers thru his offering of himelf.

 

[mhansen]

Jermosh:

The only way for our sins to be forgiven or for our prayers to be answered is thru a holocaust, this requires us to offer a sacrifice that is dependent on the wealth ness of the person. This is why Jesus sacrifice is continuous and not ending, otherwise we would have to slaughter animals again, or maybe in modern terms burn money. We send our sins and prayers thru his offering of himelf.

Now that sounds to me like we have to “earn” our forgiveness. We might as well slaughter animals, if that’s how it works… What exactly do you mean by “offer a sacrifice that is dependent on the wealth ness of the person.”?

 

[Jermosh]

mhansen:

Now that sounds to me like we have to “earn” our forgiveness.

Yes we have to “earn” our forgiveness, but one person earned it for us already and done the hard work already.

We might as well slaughter animals, if that’s how it works…

We have to offer a sacrifice in all of the Covenants for the act of contrition or prayer. It is a essential ingredient to the sacrament, just as wheat or wine is a essential ingredient of the sacrament of Eucharist. In OT covennats it was animal of some form, but in Christ’s" covenant that “sacrifice” is fulfilled by his blood. This is why His sacrifice has never stopped and is witnessed in every Mass.

What exactly do you mean by “offer a sacrifice that is dependent on the wealth ness of the person.”?

A rich man a prime bull, a poor woman a scrawny pigeon.

 

[tru_dvotion]

Then again, if you follow the True Devotion, you can just rest easy with the knowledge that the Holy Mother will apply your suffering to where it is most needed. It could be applied to you, or to someone you know, or to someone you don’t know, or to someone in purgatory, or it could have been applied to ease Christ’s suffering on the cross. But always, when we offer up a suffering, it becomes a little easier to endure. Try it, this really works.

 

[Jermosh]

tru_dvotion:

Then again, if you follow the True Devotion, you can just rest easy with the knowledge that the Holy Mother will apply your suffering to where it is most needed. It could be applied to you, or to someone you know, or to someone you don’t know, or to someone in purgatory, or it could have been applied to ease Christ’s suffering on the cross. But always, when we offer up a suffering, it becomes a little easier to endure. Try it, this really works.

But this still requires Christ sacrifice. You cannot seperate that, ever.

 

[Ter]

Morning Offering:

“Oh my God I offer you all my thoughts, words and actions, joys and sorrows of this day. In union with the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass throughout the world, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for all the intentions of Your most Sacred Heart”.

The way I see it is that we accept whatever inconvenience or great happiness in our life and offer it to God, as a small token of the worship and sacrifice which He is due (thats why we unite it with Christ’s suffering). In addition the ‘benefits’ of that sacrifice can be applied to our own life or to the lives of others by reason of our interconnectedness in Christ.

 

[tru_dvotion]

Jermosh:

But this still requires Christ sacrifice. You cannot seperate that, ever.

But tell me this; could our Holy Mother ever act separate from Christ? Hmmm?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Minerva:

I don’t know if this is exactly how it’s supposed to be done, but the way I think of “offering it up” is I’m saying to God, “take this suffering of mine and use it in place of the suffering of a soul in purgatory or the suffering that a sinner will go through in order to convert and repent. Let me suffer this little bit in their place so it’s easier for them.”

In an old Irish tradition you place it on the paten. That is at the Offertory when the priest lifts the paten to offer the unconsecrated bread to God you mentally place all your problems and sufferings on the paten too as a part of that offering. they are then united with Jesus in the Consecration.

Not in formal Church teaching, but it appears reasonable.

 

[Teresa9]

Joe Kelley:

In an old Irish tradition you place it on the paten. That is at the Offertory when the priest lifts the paten to offer the unconsecrated bread to God you mentally place all your problems and sufferings on the paten too as a part of that offering. they are then united with Jesus in the Consecration.

Not in formal Church teaching, but it appears reasonable.

Dear friend

This is how I have understood it and have often lifted different people and intentions when the Priest lifts the paten. I also place my heart and life and lift them as a gift to God also. Then outside of Mass I offer up many things (e,g, pain and suffering, heartache, bad day, disliked chore etc etc) for reparation and atonement for my sins and those of the whole world, though they can never measure up to Christ Jesus’ sacrifice for us, they are joined with His, in intention and love.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[tru_dvotion]

Joe, it IS! (Reasonable) I did not know it was Irish. Our priest is Vietnamese, and he often reminds us to do just that.

 

[Teresa9]

Dear tru

It’s as irish as it can get and as such is not out of line with Rome, in the offertory we are supposed to offer our hearts, ‘let us lift up our hearts to the Lord,… we lift up our hearts’, you can lift another and God loves a generous heart who lifts up another as well as their own.

Put someone you care about/ love in the chalice, or paten, a loved one or one you wish to revert/convert to the faith, a sick person etc…see what happens , I guarrantee you results!!

God Bless you tru and much peace and love to you

Teresa

 

[Jermosh]

tru_dvotion:

But tell me this; could our Holy Mother ever act separate from Christ? Hmmm?

Not sure of your meaning. But I am stating that we can not seperate His sacrifice and death from our Graces that we recieve. It does not matter who the intercession is from, it is still only possible due to His blood that was shed.

And no, she could not act seperate from the Father. All things good come from Him, and Him alone.

 

[Jermosh]

Ter:

Morning Offering:

“Oh my God I offer you all my thoughts, words and actions, joys and sorrows of this day. In union with the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass throughout the world, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for all the intentions of Your most Sacred Heart”.

The way I see it is that we accept whatever inconvenience or great happiness in our life and offer it to God, as a small token of the worship and sacrifice which He is due (thats why we unite it with Christ’s suffering). In addition the ‘benefits’ of that sacrifice can be applied to our own life or to the lives of others by reason of our interconnectedness in Christ.

I agree.
Titheing, disapline, mortification, obedience, etc, etc are seen as and is a sacrifice. But it not really needed, its more of just added “gravy” sort of. We do need to have Faith and Works of course.

 

[George2]

Putting more than two dollars in the collection basket.

• an usher

 

[tru_dvotion]

Jermosh, you are right; I did misunderstand. I am a bit paranoid when it comes to our Holy Mother. No, nothing would be possible without his sacrifice. We would not even be having this conversation otherwise. It’s just that… the comment sounded so Protestant… almost need not be stated, because it is… after all… the basis of our faith, no? God bless!

 

[Jermosh]

George2:

Putting more than two dollars in the collection basket.

• an usher

You do got to be carefull of this. We do a auto-deduction from our checking account right to the parishes checking account. We give our children a few dollers to place in the basket because we want them to get used to giving. So just becuase a family only places a doller or 2 does not mean that is what their tithe is.