Would someone explain this prayer to me, please

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Hi Dear friends, I apologize this is so long, but I thought it needed to be said.

I say a prayer every morning that is now making me wonder about the message. Would you explain to me the exact meaning if you know it?

The Prayer is this…
*
Beloved Mother Mary, whose heart suffered beyond bearing because of us, teach us to suffer with you and with love, and to accept all the suffering God deems it necessary to send our way. Let us suffer,* and may our suffering be known to God only, like yours and that of Jesus. Do not let us show our suffering to the world, so it will matter more and be used to atone for the sins of the world. You, Mother, who suffered with the Savior of the world, we offer you our suffering, and the suffering of the world, because we are your children. Join those sorrows to your own and to those of the Lord Jesus Christ, then offer them to God the Father so that He will know the one who created it. You are a mother greater than all. Amen

I personally thought God was all love. Does He bring suffering to us to hurt us? And if He does, why? I actually want to help mankind and suffer with the Virgin Mary and help people for the atonement of sins, but yet, I have had enough suffering to last a lifetime. And I don’t want to hurt in my body and mind anymore. And I know in the prayer, “Our Father” The last of the Prayer says “And do not lead us into temptation”, which means do not put us to the test but deliver us from evil. So…

These are verses that my Friend, Louise found. So I give credit to her.

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3
For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5
For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4
And I’ll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

This is the God I know. Please enlighten me. And thank you for your responses, sweet friends.

Love ya’ll,
Sheila
 
well just as God permits evil, he permits suffering 2 bring about a greater good and besides Jesus suffered
 
Don’t be discouraged. It seems to me that this prayer is saying something we Orthodox are taught all our lives, to accept our suffering because it is God Who gives it to us as our cross to bear to teach us humility, and to draw us closer to Him. A friend just told me this little parable today, "There was once a man who complained and complained to God that his life was too hard, and to please make it easier. One day God brought the man before Him, and said “What is it that I can do to make your life easier?” The man told God, “I need a smaller cross to bear.” So, God took the man to another building where he saw crosses of every size: huge crosses, small crosses, even mini-sized crosses. The man then pointed to the smallest cross he could find, and said, “That’s the one I want.” God just smiled, and looked at the man and said, “My child, that’s the cross you already have.” I’ll be praying for you, and have hope, so will the Mother of God!

The sinner,
Josh
Most Holy Mother of God save us!
 
randirhoades said:
Hi Dear friends, I apologize this is so long, but I thought it needed to be said.

I say a prayer every morning that is now making me wonder about the message. Would you explain to me the exact meaning if you know it?

…

I personally thought God was all love. Does He bring suffering to us to hurt us? And if He does, why? … but yet, I have had enough suffering to last a lifetime. And I don’t want to hurt in my body and mind anymore. …
This is the God I know. Please enlighten me. And thank you for your responses, sweet friends.

Love ya’ll,
Sheila
Click to expand...
You ask for an explanation of the prayer, yet you seem to already reject the answer! If you do want to understand this difficult truth in Christ, maybe this can help, from Fr. John Hardon, SJ: LINK.
 
Our life on this earth is a time of penance, suffering entered the world out of Gods mercy for us, because sin entered the world, so suffering also came as a means to free us from our slavery to sin,
of course we do not like to suffer, it doesn’t feel good, but that’s the point, it is a means of denying ourselves and subjecting the body to the spirit, by mortification it helps us to have strength over our free will, so that we can actually use our free will, and by penance it is a means of making satisfaction for our sins and the sins of others, it is a means also to save souls, and make an expression of love to God…
to suffer is not evil, otherwise Christ would have had no part of it, but instead He came into the world, for one to redeem us, but secondly to give us a model which we might imitate, and from Christs birth to His death, He suffered.
all of the great saints lived a life of suffering, one of the saints known most for her heroic suffering said this ‘Pain and Love are almost synonymous words.’ - St. Lydwine of Schiedam
the connection of pain with love is a deep contemplation, do not dismiss it before you have really given it some thought,
after all, the most beautiful expression of love was Christs passion and death for us, and i cannot think of a more genuine proof of love than to suffer for the one you love, to deny your own well-being for the sake of another.

it may seem like suffering happens by chance or accident, but that is not the case, the church teaches us that not only is suffering on purpose, but that God Himself sends it to us and allows it,
of course you would ask why, and the simple answer is, because He loves us, but to understand it more extensively i would simply recommend reading up on it, you can find many books to help you understand on www.tanbooks.com and also listen to many good sermons and talks on suffering from these sites - audiosancto.org/
keepthefaith.org/
fultonsheen.com/Fulton-Sheen-MP3.cfm

these will also help greatly, which you can read for free here - gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=18175319
gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=18087275

most people do not want to hear these things, but it is what the church teaches, and it is what Jesus and His apostles taught, and also the saints and all good Catholic teachers of the faith…and if you look at their lives and how fruitful and joyous they were, you cannot really claim that suffering is at all a misfortune, when those who suffered most were also most joyful and at peace…

and while the bible says very much on the love and goodness of God, it also says very much on the goodness of suffering with Christ and for love of God and our neighbor -
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us.” 2 Timothy 2:12

“For what glory is it, if committing sin, and being buffeted for it, you endure? But if doing well you suffer patiently; this is thankworthy before God.” 1 Peter 2:20

*“For unto this are you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow his steps.” * 1 Peter 2:21

“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

“Christ therefore having suffered in the flesh, be you also armed with the same thought: for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sins.” 1 Peter 4:1

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10

“And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

“For unto you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” Philippians 1:29

“And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

“And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.” Romans 8:17

well, there’s alot more, but i won’t list them all,
the point is, suffering is not an act of hate on Gods part, but an expression of love, and a means of very much good, including our own salvation, through the merits of Jesus Christ.
and while on our part, to cause suffering to others is bad, yet on Gods part it is not that way, as we also read -* “For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”* Isaias (Isaiah) 55:8

as for the Our Father prayer, where it says “And lead us not into temptation” this does not mean “do not put us to the test”, but instead to be given the strength not to enter into our temptations, to not take the way of sin, it’s not asking that we be not tempted, but that we do not fall into temptation…and since God does not temp us, so we cannot ask God not to lead us into temptation, God only allows temptation, because to concur temptations strengthens us against them, and by that they are good and beneficial for us.
and as for being tested, God tests us, but not for His own sake, He tests us for our sake, so that we may better know ourselves, among other things…

anyways, i don’t want to make this to long, so that’s all, i hope this helps, take care.
 
randirhoades said:
Hi Dear friends, I apologize this is so long, but I thought it needed to be said.

I say a prayer every morning that is now making me wonder about the message. Would you explain to me the exact meaning if you know it?

The Prayer is this…

Beloved Mother Mary, whose heart suffered beyond bearing because of us, teach us to suffer with you and with love, and to accept all the suffering God deems it necessary to send our way. Let us suffer,
Click to expand...
I cannot as I never saw the prayer before, I don’t know what the asterisks mean. You choose to pray this, what does it mean to you?
 
fide said:
You ask for an explanation of the prayer, yet you seem to already reject the answer! If you do want to understand this difficult truth in Christ, maybe this can help, from Fr. John Hardon, SJ: LINK.
Click to expand...
I’m not rejecting the answer, that’s why I asked. Please don’t be rude to me for being human. I wanted to understand fully. I prayed it and chose to because I want to be in agreement with the Virgin Mary to help mankind and said it in my post. But, I’m a very handicapped person and hurt all the time. I mean I hurt. Sitting here is killing me but I wanted answers. Plus, I wanted to ask about this prayer for a long time but didn’t have the guts so I finally did. Anything to do with God, I never wanted or ask questions because He knows what is best for us but I questioned this prayer to fully understand. I put what I didn’t understand in asterisks. I’m sorry I didn’t make it clearer.

I’m not perfect, I don’t like to suffer, I am a trembling coward when it comes to pain. Yet, I never blame God for my plight. To me, it’s the world that brought all this and more than anything, I blame myself. Further, I know God doesn’t stop evil, He allows it. And I know Christ suffered for us and I can’t stand the knowledge of it for it hurts me, makes me cry, fills me with sorrow knowing how much Jesus suffered for our sins. And when I see Him on the Cross I shake just a little.

And now I know suffering is to bring us closer to God which it has done and my question has been answered even though perhaps I didn’t ask about the prayer in the correct way.

One last thing, we should have the right to question our faith to enlighten us, well, I want to because I want to live my Christianity and my love for Christ to the fullest.🙂

Love ya’ll,
Sheila
 
randirhoades said:
So…

These are verses that my Friend, Louise found. So I give credit to her.

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3
For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5
For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4
And I’ll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

This is the God I know. Please enlighten me. And thank you for your responses, sweet friends.

Love ya’ll,
Sheila
Click to expand...
ive heard that before on this video…good stuff. youtu.be/9Q5T9RYLiG4
 
randirhoades said:
I’m not rejecting the answer, that’s why I asked. Please don’t be rude to me for being human. I wanted to understand fully. I prayed it and chose to because I want to be in agreement with the Virgin Mary to help mankind and said it in my post. But, I’m a very handicapped person and hurt all the time. I mean I hurt. Sitting here is killing me but I wanted answers. Plus, I wanted to ask about this prayer for a long time but didn’t have the guts so I finally did. Anything to do with God, I never wanted or ask questions because He knows what is best for us but I questioned this prayer to fully understand. I put what I didn’t understand in asterisks. I’m sorry I didn’t make it clearer.

I’m not perfect, I don’t like to suffer, I am a trembling coward when it comes to pain. Yet, I never blame God for my plight. To me, it’s the world that brought all this and more than anything, I blame myself. Further, I know God doesn’t stop evil, He allows it. And I know Christ suffered for us and I can’t stand the knowledge of it for it hurts me, makes me cry, fills me with sorrow knowing how much Jesus suffered for our sins. And when I see Him on the Cross I shake just a little.

And now I know suffering is to bring us closer to God which it has done and my question has been answered even though perhaps I didn’t ask about the prayer in the correct way.

One last thing, we should have the right to question our faith to enlighten us, well, I want to because I want to live my Christianity and my love for Christ to the fullest.🙂

Love ya’ll,
Sheila
Click to expand...
Hello Sheila,

I’m sorry for my (unintentional) rudeness - it’s just that your post sounded to me like you had made up your mind against the thought of finding value in suffering. But I did not mean to be rude or insulting to you. Please forgive me.

Did you read the link I posted? Fr. John Hardon is a holy priest - now deceased, but holiness goes with us, thanks be to God, when we die so he is holy now, more than ever. He is also a wise man and priest, and he shows great understanding of the value of suffering in that link HERE.

Please do read it. I’d like to hear if it helps.

Fide
 
There is suffering, and then there is suffering.

One of the things that I do during my own morning offering is to offer up to God all the good that I might do during the day, the evil that I might have to endure, and “. . . my suffering, such as it is.” I add the bolded part because while there are things in my life that are painful to me, they are not things that other people would consider painful, nor could they be considered “suffering” on the level of dying from an extremely painful form of cancer, being burned over a large part of my body, or watching my child starve to death (and starving myself) because there is no food.

We live in a fallen, broken universe. It is a very rare person who never has anything unpleasant happen to him/her from day to day. Some of those unpleasantries are the result of our own fallen natures (our own sin and distorted desires), while others are impacts on our lives from the fallen natures (sins and distorted desires) of others. This sin-suffering was concentrated and poured through Jesus as he hung on the cross (I Cor. 5:21 – "For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus, God the Son], who knew no sin, to be sin for us), and the Blessed Virgin, who was there, also felt this suffering in a way that I do not claim to understand.

However (and this is one area where Catholicism differs strongly from Protestantism), that suffering, as severe as it was, was not enough (another concept that I cannot claim to understand), and we rank-and-file believers are called upon to complete it (Col 1:24 – I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. . .). Our sufferings may make it seem like God hates us, but actually they have the dual effect of both making us stronger and making reparation for our own sins and the sins of others.

So I may hate my own sufferings, as petty as they are, but I’ll add them to yours, and you add yours to mine, and let’s offer them to God to complete what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings. When we get there, I think we’ll find out that the eternal rewards greatly outweigh the temporal suffering that we’re feeling now.
 
DaveBj said:
There is suffering, and then there is suffering.

…
However (and this is one area where Catholicism differs strongly from Protestantism), that suffering, as severe as it was, was not enough (another concept that I cannot claim to understand), and we rank-and-file believers are called upon to complete it (Col 1:24 – I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. . .). …
Click to expand...
Hello Dave.

The afflictions of Christ are rooted and grounded in His self-giving love. His Cross is rooted and grounded in His self-giving love. We “make up what is lacking” in us - in our participation - in His afflictions. That is to say, in our suffering rightly received we make up what had been lacking in our participation in His self-giving love for others. His personal divine love for others on the Cross was complete and infinite! Our love for others can be mixed and often mercenary - so it is there, in our hearts, in the hearts of His people, that His affliction has not yet completed its work.

So we can rejoice in our sufferings when our sufferings are truly united with His, because then, in His Cross and in union with His Cross, they are efficacious in the name of holy love.

I hope this can help. As I read over it, it may make no sense at all - but it might.
 
@randirhoades, you said, “Would you explain to me the exact meaning if you know it?”
and to accept all the suffering God deems it necessary to send our way. Let us suffer,

This is a difficult subject and one which is brought up in one way or another
over and over. Many Catholics don’t have an adequate understanding, and
lost of Protestants don’t either.

There are many kinds of suffering and IMHO each needs to be dwelt with
in their own way. For this particular post, I would eliminate anyone else’s
suffering, and only deal with a personal suffering of one person and look at
their own suffering alone. If we see anyone else suffer, we must do our
utmost in charity to aleviate it as best we can. So the suffering we are
dealing with is our own personal suffering and what good that can bring about.

To give an example, St. Catherine of Siena in her book, Little Talks With God,
reveals what God told her in one situation. Here are a few short passages of
what God said. (St. Catherine heard the inner voice of God.)

“In the case of injuries done to you, judge that MY WILL permits them in order to
prove virtue in you, and in my other servants. Esteem that one who acts in an
injurous manner does so as the instrument of MY WILL. Such apparent sinners
may frequently have good intentions,…you should not judge in your mind, even
though externally it may be open, mortal sin.”

…“Otherwise you fall into contempt of your neighbor, if you judge his evil will
towards you, instead of acknowledging MY WILL acting in him.”

…“because the soul remains always in the love of its neighbor, the soul remains
always in mine, and thus remains united to me.”

So God is saying he sends suffering our way, it is his will, for our improvement.
And we should see in this an opportunity of grace to further our closeness to Him
even tho unpleasant things are shoved our way. It seems to us at first glance
that we should avoid them as harmful and take a defensive measure against them.
But quite the contrary, God says it is HIS WILL.

This was not said by any ordinary saint, but by a Doctor of the church, considered
the best of the best when teaching.

This is one of the hardest teachings to understand and even more difficult to accept.
…to love God in everything that comes to us and see blessings, regardless
of how things look to us. The soul that accepts the good and the bad on equal terms from
God is accepting Him totally without qualification.

Just a thought from St. Catherine.​

“Blessed be the name of the Lord.” By Job, who understood what St. Catherine said.
 
Here are some other sites you may want to look into as time permits.

St. Gemma
stgemmagalgani.com/2011/03/st-gemmas-heroic-penances-sacrifices.html

Patience and suffering by Fr. Hardon
therealpresence.org/archives/God/God_035.htm

Catechism
vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P4K.HTM old.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.shtml

Priestly comments on Redemptive suffering:
copiosa.org/suffering/suffering_redemptive.htm
copiosa.org/suffering/index.htm

“To Love and To Suffer” - The Science of the Saints
therealpresence.org/eucharst/pea/suffer.htm

How to bear suffering by Fr. O’Sullivan
catholic-pages.com/life/suffering.asp
 
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