Interesting on "Offering Up". I hadn't heard about that practice until about a year ago, when a very Catholic friend of mine recalled his Grandmother mentioning that.

Then again, just a month ago or so, one of our Priests mentioned his Grandmother doing that for the suffering souls in Purgatory.

Now again, we see it here.

Funny how that works.
Yeoman | 11.30.07 - 1:09 pm | #

Funny how that works.

He does work in amazing ways.

And I'm so glad our Holy Father has reminded us of offering our suffering to God (even the little annoyances and daily pinpricks). Gosh - I don't know how it's even possible to suffer without giving it to God to do with as he pleases. Otherwise, we try to distract ourselves from suffering or wallow in it or become resigned: we do all sorts deadly things in an attempt to keep the cross as far away as possible and it just doesn't work. And what's worse, without the cross we don't get Easter either so we end up with nothing at all.

I do hope that "offering it up" will become customary again.
Drusilla | Homepage | 11.30.07 - 2:38 pm | #

Many Catholic families still teach "offer it up" to their children. This is a wonder way to teach children patience in the face of irritation. It also gives us one more chance to remind kids of the constant presence of God in their lives.

As adults, there is so much more to understand. Here's how it works:

Little annoyances crop up every day. (Oh darn, we're all out of coffee!) I could gripe at my wife about her inattentive grocery shopping... (BAD idea, but the first one that comes to mind)

Next, I think:
Okay... I will offer it up. I will endure my morning of no coffee with a smile. I will shoulder this cross, and join it with Christ's sacrifice on Calvary. (Wow! I'm so holy and herioc! oops, that's pride. Bury that thought.)

Alrighty then... I should suffer my coffee-less morning for some special intention. Who needs a prayer? Dawn is on a retreat... I'll pray for her. She needs a good break. Every time I think about coffee, I will say a little prayer that Dawn has a peaceful and prayerful retreat.
=============
Actually, I'm not out of coffee. But maybe I'll give up my beloved coffee this weekend, and offer it up for Dawn.

This is the joy of a simple Catholic spirituality!
Del | 11.30.07 - 4:31 pm | #

Del, thank you for that. My understanding of this is now greatly enhanced. So in essence then, we can offer up any of our daily trials, for a greater cause?
Yeoman | 11.30.07 - 10:21 pm | #

That's it!

I had to tell my mom about this, because she always told us that as kids. Because the sisters at school always told _her_ that.

Anyway, we had a good chuckle about it.
Maureen | 12.01.07 - 12:00 am | #

"Offering it up" is one of the richest lessons I've learned upon conversion to the Catholic faith. Just think: God grants us the ability, through our own hardships, little and great, to be co-redeemers in Christ. He shares with us His work of redemption. Through our own patient resignation to trials, uniting them to Christ's own suffering and offering them up for souls, we can contribute to the salvation of the world.

What a profound honor God bestows on us, His children!
Christine | Homepage | 12.01.07 - 4:06 am | #

I can stack up some scripture references, if any Evangelical readers want to be convinced. (hints: this participation in Christ is part of the "priesthood of all believers," and Paul also mentions that he "makes up in himself what is lacking in Christ's sacrifice.")

For those who simply want to understand this Catholic spirituality:

The concept is called "redemptive suffering." This is how Catholics make sense of tragedy and pain. When we suffer (great or small), we have a special opportunity to join our suffering with the suffering of Christ. We don't know how, exactly. We're just glad that God lets us do this. We can take on the pain and discomfort, and make it holy.

I've heard that Pope Benedict, in his first act after being elected Pope, visited a large cancer hospital in Rome. He asked the cancer victims please to offer up their suffering for him and his pontificate. He especially needed their powerful suffering prayers.

I'm not surprised to find Pope B. gently urging us to remember this devotion. It is Hope, for a despairing world.
Del | 12.01.07 - 3:07 pm | #

To paraphrase Bl. George Matulaitis,

The Lord never accomplished so much, as when he appeared to be doing nothing while hanging on the cross.

As Fr. Groeshcel says: don't waste your suffering.
tony c | 12.01.07 - 5:44 pm | #

So beautiful to return from retreat and find these thoughts on the Pope's words -- thank you!

Del writes:

Actually, I'm not out of coffee. But maybe I'll give up my beloved coffee this weekend, and offer it up for Dawn.

Wow! Thank you so much. I did receive graces on the retreat, and I know that your prayer and the prayers of other friends and religious who were praying for me helped.

Funnily enough, part of my retreat experience was a sort of semi-abstinence from caffeine. I usually have two or three caffeine drinks a day. At the abbey where I stayed, the most I managed was half a cup of coffee per diem, as the coffee pot was usually near-empty by the time I got to it (since monks get up quite a bit earlier than I do). I did feel the lack of buzz, and that's probably why I wound up taking a nap yesterday. It wasn't how I was originally intending to spend my time that afternoon (I'd rather have checked out the abbey's library), but probably what I needed.
Dawn Eden | Homepage | 12.02.07 - 1:37 pm | #

Hi Dawn!
A nap!?!? Perhaps the Spirit felt you needed a little rest!

I failed on my abstainance from coffee. But I did pray for you and your retreat. And I offered up several hours of heavy icy snow shovelling instead.

I have some severe muscle aches to offer up today. I have a special friend (a beautiful 57-yr-old lady). Her 3rd marriage is coming apart, and she is already in another unchaste relationship.

This is a very good and loving woman. She could almost be holy, but she has bought into the worldy morality that says sex will lead to that special life-bond. She gets my achey-prayers to today.
Del | 12.03.07 - 9:52 am | #