Redemptive Suffering/Offering it Up

"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


"If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy." I Corinthians 12:26

"Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong." II Cor 12:8-10

"We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you." II Corinthians 4:8-12

"More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and (the) sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:8-11

"So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name." Acts 5:41

"Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope" Romans 5: 2-3

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us." Romans 8:18

"For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering." Heb 2: 10

The Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages and reminds us of our vocation: "By His passion and death on the Cross, Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to Him and unite us with His redemptive passion" (#1505).

"Once you are joined to the Lord, you become as omnipresent as He is. Instead of offering assistance in one particular place, doctor, nurse, or priest, in the power of the Cross you have the ability to be everywhere at once. At every scene of misery. Your compassionate love, drawn from the Redeemer's Heart, can take you in all directions, allowing you to sprinkle on every side the Precious Blood that soothes, heals and redeems." (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, OCD)

"Jesus did not come to do away with suffering or remove it. He came to fill it with His presence.” Paul Claudell


Do you know what the words “offering it up” mean? When you endure suffering or any painful experience, you shouldn’t waste it but make it mean something. Offering up your sufferings in love of the Lord and uniting yourself to Jesus is also called redemptive suffering. We can give Jesus the gift of our redemptive suffering by offering up to Him your not so fun or easy trials. This will bring you closer to Jesus because He allows you to unite or merge your difficulties with Him like when Jesus redeemed us from sin with His death on the Cross. Christ also allows you to help Him in his work of repairing souls and bring more people to Him. Jesus invites you to share in His life or enter into His suffering so you can make up for the sins you have committed. It can be done with any small thing from having a headache to a disliked chore. So if you have an annoyance with your brother or sister, offer it up to God as a sacrifice and put your suffering to good use so you won’t feel like a victim but instead do it joyfully for the Lord!

Every hardship and weakness is an opportunity for God to display His redemptive and saving power in your life. The Passion of the Lord on the Cross was how we were freed from sin. That is why the hardships and trials of daily life are considered your crosses to bear in life. Know that the hard times are all a part of your Christian journey and you should welcome your crosses in your life since they will only make your faith stronger to become His disciple. A cross can be physical pain, disappointments, humiliations, sickness, sadness and delays for example. Just think how many opportunities of spiritual growth and for helping others are wasted in complaining about the crosses in your life. So try to willingly accept without complaint the little irritations, frustrations and inconveniences that come your way. This way you can be collaborators in the work of Christ's redemption, building up His Kingdom in the world around you with not only your prayers and good works but also your sufferings.

Your walk with Jesus is not about explaining the mysteries of this life but understanding the truth - the truth being that you have a God who loves you so much He sent His Son to die for you. You live in a world that is filled with problems and struggles from which none of you can escape nor can you completely explain. In those hard times, you can cry out to our Heavenly Father for comfort. He is with you, walking with you, carrying you through all of life’s struggles. So you have a choice. Do you dwell on struggling to find the answers to the "why" or do you look to our Lord and place your trust in Him? You cannot understand what God's purpose or plan is for you. He has given you His Holy Spirit to guide you and comfort you. You are called to look towards Him and know that He is with you and will never go through your struggles alone. The Lord does not want you to not get caught up in trying to explain the mystery, but to focus on Him. So when you cry out why, He alone will give you peace and rest.

God can handle the tears, the screaming, and the groaning from our hearts. He’s big enough. He loves you and is the closest to you at those times. He is not done with you yet. God is using your circumstances to recreate your life. In tough times, God gives you opportunities to see how big He really is. If you look closely in the midst of troubles, you can see that God is not finished making you stronger, deeper and more reliant upon Him.

In suffering you may be tempted to lose hope and faith in the Lord’s love and in His desire for your eternal life with Him. But that same suffering can teach you, if you let it, to turn to God and place your hope and trust in Him. You'll develop a better character while learning some of the fruits of the Spirit ... .love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control...

So remember the promise and hope that the Lord is walking with you the entire time in the midst of your pain and struggles. He will not leave you on your own to handle things by yourself. He is walking with you, guiding you, strengthening you and helping you build character and perseverance so you can remain strong. You shouldn't always pray that others may be delivered from their pains, but rather pray to God that He would give them strength and patience to bear them as long as He pleases.

So what are some ways to "offer it up?" You could say the Morning Offering every day when you wake up since it dedicates your entire day to God. Or you can stop at a moment of stress, or as you enter into a situation that you know will be stressful, and make the Sign of the Cross and say something like, "O Jesus, I offer up my struggles and sacrifices today for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory." Or after you may have gone to confession and are truly sorry for your sins, you can help living people that are in need too by offering up your bad time to them, winning them grace from God. You may ask that your suffering be applied to a special petition for someone. God will use them for the good of the Church when you accept the pain of stubbing your toe or having to wait in line a long time. Of course this act is hard to do but will make your suffering meaningful for another. You will then reduce your sin penalty, repairing your soul so you will be rewarded in Heaven.  So don't run away from suffering since it will only strengthen you, humble you and set you on the path to becoming a saint.