Why does my suffering keep coming back?

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TreeOfLife123

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When I say “I suffer with you Jesus” to Jesus Christ or “I offer you my suffering oh Heavenly Father” all of my suffering temporarily goes away. But then it comes back in less than an hour usually.

My interpretation is that the Heavenly Father wants me to suffer and suffering is essential in Catholicism if I understand correctly. And regardless of what I do He still wants me to suffer for Him.

Is that true? I get confused because sometimes I think it’s something else rather than that God is perpetuating my suffering for good reason. If saying “I suffer with you Jesus” to Jesus Christ takes away my suffering I think there is a spiritual basis rather than a different explanation and the real explanation is explainable with Catholicism.

I guess I’m trying to avoid suffering despite the fact that I think it pleases the Heavenly Father. It’s just so unpleasant and I have been suffering consistently pretty much every day for over a year and a half. It comes and goes and is up and down but the suffering is every day.

I think I should offer my suffering more often to the Heavenly Father?

I see the suffering as doing many things: purifying me of sin, correcting me, getting me to turn to God, it has played a major role in my desire to join the Catholic Church, it surely played a major role in my accepting Jesus Christ, it increases my holiness and provides greater spirituality. In short it seems very good for me despite the fact that it is so unpleasant.

I guess what I’m asking then is for better understanding of why we suffer. We are supposed to take up our cross daily but I don’t understand why. Is it because it makes us worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven? I guess I just want confirmation of what I might already know. If I could get feedback on this issue even if I already sort of know the answer I think it will improve my faith. Community is important and you guys certainly are a good influence.

Peace,
Adam
 
I didn’t mention that I haven’t yet converted to Catholicism but plan to.

I also didn’t mention what I suffer from. It’s hard to explain and I would prefer not to say. A lot of it is mental but some of it is physical. I am going to professionals and my doctor is sometimes of help and my therapist is a nice man that wants to do good.

I guess what I’m asking for is a better understanding as to why we suffering according to Catholicism. A lot of good has come from my suffering but it is so unpleasant at times.

Peace,
Adam
 
Well maybe God wants you to offer your suffering to Him more as you said, and the relieving of suffering is just the bait to make you want to offer it more often. I’m not sure and most probably wrong, but God often gives pleasures to people to pray once in a while, and then the pleasures go away after a while and I’m just guessing it might be the same case for this. Correct me if I’m wrong.🙂
 
It is not necessarily that God wants us to suffer - suffering is a part of life that is around due to sin - the Original type. After all if we were all still in the Garden of Eden there would be no suffering.

That being said suffering does give us a unique opportunity to be close to Christ in His Passion. During one difficult time in my life a priest handed me a small empty pocket Cross and told me to mentally lay my body on this next to His during times when I was suffering. It is in our suffering that we are closest to Christ making the greatest Sacrifice - except for when we receive the Sacraments. I hope this makes some sense.

God bless you and welcome Home ot the Catholic Church.
 
If I understood the writing of a Catholic writer there are verses from the Bible that say that suffering makes us worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and purifies us and cleanses us of sin.

2 Thess. 1:5

Often times the suffering I endure leads to what appears to be some very good things.
 
AveMaria,
I don’t know. But I just said “oh Mary” and it took away most of my suffering.

Mary is very important too. I’m still new to this all. It all started around the time of Easter for me with Christianity. What a good time for it to happen too.
 
About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with a disease that I’ve been told never goes away but will sometimes go into remission. I was apart from the Church at the time of my diagnosis, returned to the Church about 3 years or so into it, and not because of the disease. After about 2 - 3 years of being back to my faith (which is Catholicism) it occurred to me that I never prayed to have my disease go away. When I prayed I did thank God for my blessings as well as the challenges he brought to my life (such as this illness), because the challenges showed me repeatedly that I could do anything with Him.
I want to say that I learned a LOT as I suffered with this - I learned humility, patience, things like that. My personal feeling is that God allows suffering like this in order to teach us - who knows what until they have accomplished what needs to be done - and when the day came that I was in Church praying, I said in my prayer - “Lord, I believe I have learned what it is that I needed to learn from this.” And I listed the things I had learned and how I apply those lessons in my life. Then I continued in my prayer, “So Abba, if You agree with me on this, can you please let this cup pass from me?” At the time I was praying this it was on Holy Thursday evening after services two years ago and I was staying with Jesus (at Adoration) for the one hour he had asked his apostles to stay awake with him in the garden.
I am here to say that from that point forward my blood work started improving, continued improving, until finally last March I discovered that I was in remission.
So how cool is that? 😃
Thank you, Abba, for hearing my prayers.
 
Many thanks to you both for the links.
Much of it is what I had some idea of but it is nourishing and very good to read what saints have to say. I haven’t read both links but I read most of the first. I’ll read it probably several or many times.

And again saying “oh Mary” took away most of my suffering.
 
That’s great news about your condition.
I’ve had a few healing experiences in the past regarding other things with God and this mental suffering has gotten much better with Christian practice but it’s still rather bad for me.

I think I will be all better some day or much better but it will take time and continued Catholic practice and officially joining the Church.
 
Suffering is a normal, human experience, that most of us would like to flee from. Society treats any form of suffering as abnormal and to be avoided. No doubt, it is unpleasant, but God Himself would not permit Himself to be exempt from suffering. Indeed, Christ suffered “since the foundation of the world”. His entire, earthly life was not comfortable, easy, or envied. Many rejected Him b/c He was so much like the rest of us. But Christ did something divine to suffering - He made it redemptive. What an incredible gift it is to have even the most unpleasant of all human experiences have divine value! God must surely love us!

I believe that the true test of our love is how much we are willing to sacrifice. I try to express my love to my children with sweet caresses and words of adoration and little gifts, etc… but when the going gets tough, and I am willing to put my own comfort and ease aside for their sake (illness, direction, homework, etc…), then it is that my children most surely understand that my love is genuine. It’s easy to buy something for someone - easy to say “I love you” - easy to give a hug and kiss… It’s quite another thing to lose several nights (or years…) sleep b/c of your constant vigilance for the care of your child - quite another thing to sacrifice the white-picket fence, 4 bedroom home, 2 cars and a yearly family vacation for the sake of sending your children to a good school - or to put decent food on the table.

I feel very insecure when things are going well (according to the world…); comfort and ease; health and wealth… It gives me a false sense of security and self-sufficiency. It’s when things get difficult and painful that I turn to my Heavenly Father and throw myself at the foot of the cross contemplating God’s incredible love for us. And all I can do in return is embrace my own cross and thank the merciful, good God for giving me the opportunity to express my love for Him, while at the same time “completing what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ”. All that is lacking in Christ’s sufferings is our own - since we are His Body; the Church - all very much connected.

Think “Footprints” poem. When things are well, I feel as though I am walking on my own. I’d much rather be carried in God’s arms (“it was then that I carried you”).

Suffering is a great mystery. Praise be to God that it is also a great gift! The saddest thing about humanity is how unappreciated suffering is. Our time here is so short… If I am capable of contemplating these things in my last hour, I would surely regret every suffering moment of my life when I was not appreciative of its value.

Should you offer your suffering more often? Yes! Even on a “good” day, you have something to suffer, no matter how small. Begin every day with a morning offering:
I offer Thee all my prayers, works, and sufferings in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for the intentions for which He pleads and offers Himself in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, in thanksgiving for Thy favors, in reparation for my offenses, and in humble supplication for my temporal and eternal welfare, for the wants of our holy Mother the Church, for the conversion of sinners, and for the relief of the poor souls in purgatory.
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I have the intention to gain all the indulgences attached to the prayers I shall say, and to the good works I shall perform this day. I resolve to gain all of the indulgences I can in favor of the souls in purgatory.
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[Optional]: Our Father, Hail Mary, Apostles’ Creed, Glory Be
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You might be surprised to know that some of the great saints offered themselves as suffering victims for the sake of reparation. religious-vocation.com/redemptive_suffering.html

The best suffering is that permitted by God. There have been instances in history when people imposed suffering on themselves by whipping themselves, wearing hairshirts and iron crosses… But many of these practices can insight pride and are not recommended today. However, the Church does endorse periods of fasting and abstinence and small acts of sacrifice - liturgically and as a matter of personal devotion - and always should be with the consent of a good priest/confessor/spiritual director.

As for the suffering temporarily going away. I’m not sure why that would happen, but I wouldn’t offer my suffering to God more often in the hopes that it would go away more often. Well, I guess I would for the sake of relief, and perhaps God does relieve you of your suffering b/c of your act of faith - and perhaps you should continue with praying in that regard, but I would also pray for the grace to bear your suffering with patience and trust. Sometimes when we consent to our suffering, God does take it away - if only for a time. I think sometimes He is pleased with our consenting to what is difficult for love of Him and as a result will withdraw some of that suffering for us, but more perfect would be to ask for the grace to endure our present and future suffering for love of Him, for the conversion of sinners, our own purification, and the souls in Purgatory. I also believe that accepting suffering and enduring it by the grace of God - completely abandoned to His will - brings a holy consolation by bringing us closer to God in a way that ordinary, comfortable, pleasure or ease does not bring. It is that awareness of His nearness in those difficult moments that makes suffering not only bearable, but sometimes more desirable to a soul that truly thirsts for God than any other state of life.
 
WatchfulPilgrim,

I think emphasizing that God loves us all might help a lot with what I’m going through. Not just that God loves me (well that certainly is important and I should!) but that God loves all of humanity.

I will reread your post as well as probably reread the words of the saints and other posters. My suffering limits me however.

Thank you,
Adam
 
TreeOfLife123 said:
WatchfulPilgrim,

I think emphasizing that God loves us all might help a lot with what I’m going through. Not just that God loves me (well that certainly is important and I should!) but that God loves all of humanity.

I will reread your post as well as probably reread the words of the saints and other posters. My suffering limits me however.

Thank you,
Adam
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Above all, implore God to reveal Himself in your suffering, and to give you clarity in your deepest affliction. The best of all wisdom you’ll find here will pale in comparison to God’s owns wisdom. He can show you better than any of us.

Yes, above all, pray… Many people have been able to enter into the mystery and gift of suffering; were able to find great wisdom there at the cross. Some actually find something desirable and consoling there in the depths of all.
 
I suffer greatly with the burden of severe mental illness (so serious to the extent that I’ve twice tried to kill myself). I too find comfort when I offer up my suffering to God, or when I remember to include Him within my suffering.

The question of why we suffer is a difficult one and not one I have any answer to. All that I can say is that it was in my very darkest times that I came to truly know God and hear His voice, which is an incredible, unforgettable experience. I truly believe that illness and the suffering that comes with it is one of the most powerful ways in which we can come to experience God, if only we let ourselves.

As for why your suffering keeps coming back… I don’t know about you but I am not good at remembering to offer up my suffering or take it to the Lord. I just become depressed or angry about it and ask God why He does this to me. There are few situations in which I remember that I should take my suffering to Him, which is a shame, since I’ve made a point of offering up my suffering to relieve a dear loved one of some of her suffering. Maybe you too need to be more regular and quicker to offer up your suffering and converse with God 🙂

I will keep you in my prayers 🙂
 
In answer to the OP:

Because the free processes and free creatures in the world create suffering - God isn’t making you suffer on purpose
 
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TreeOfLife123:
And again saying “oh Mary” took away most of my suffering.
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That’s pretty interesting. During several of my wife’s labors, when she got to the birthing point, when she couldn’t take it for another instant, she would yell out “Mary! Mary!”, and our child was born immediately afterward.
 
Razredge and others,

Please read this section from scripturecatholic.com/suffering.html:

Heb. 12:5-7 - “do not lose courage when you are punished, for the Lord disciplines whom He loves. The Lord loves each one of us more than we love ourselves, and will only permit suffering if it brings about our salvation.” A good verse and the quotation is the writing of John Salza. I personally love his website and feel it is very helpful.

I do think that the Heavenly Father punishes me as a good father would punish their son. For correction and discipline. He effects the mind too. He can effect our whole being in so many ways. I love Him! This is also stated in the old testament that God punishes those whom he loves for the purpose of correction.

Jeremiah 10:24
Lord correct me only in measure
Never in thine wrath or anger
Lest I be diminished

I think that suffering might have different purposes but one reason is for God to punish us for the purpose of correction.

I’m convinced at the moment that my suffering is going to really mean something like Heaven and being corrected by the Lord.
 
TreeOfLife123 said:
Razredge and others,

Please read this section from scripturecatholic.com/suffering.html:

Heb. 12:5-7 - “do not lose courage when you are punished, for the Lord disciplines whom He loves. The Lord loves each one of us more than we love ourselves, and will only permit suffering if it brings about our salvation.” A good verse and the quotation is the writing of John Salza. I personally love his website and feel it is very helpful.

I do think that the Heavenly Father punishes me as a good father would punish their son. For correction and discipline. He effects the mind too. He can effect our whole being in so many ways. I love Him! This is also stated in the old testament that God punishes those whom he loves for the purpose of correction.

Jeremiah 10:24
Lord correct me only in measure
Never in thine wrath or anger
Lest I be diminished

I think that suffering might have different purposes but one reason is for God to punish us for the purpose of correction.

I’m convinced at the moment that my suffering is going to really mean something like Heaven and being corrected by the Lord.
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I’ve never seen those verses stated that way - wonder what version it is.

Yes, God punishes those whom He loves, but not all suffering is for our correction.

I do believe that the past 6 years of my own illness were given to me as a correction, and as soon as I learned my lesson and changed my ways I was totally healed. But in all that time I did not acknowledge the correlation. Someone did once tell me that my illness was a punishment from God and I thought they were crazy. But as if out of the blue, 6 years later, the thought came to me very suddenly exactly how my illness correlated to my sin (a sin I did not acknowledge before) - and at that time (still not aware of a correlation…) I was in the process of changing my ways regarding that sin. So yes, I absolutely believe that some of our suffering is for the purpose of redirecting us.
 
Isn’t suffering only redemptive when in a state of grace? Otherwise, isn’t suffering an “actual grace”?
 
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