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mariB
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Could someone please explain to me the purpose of offering up things to the Lord?
In my heart I feel like it is another form of prayer like fasting. I know the Lord does not need us to sacrafice for our salvation but I want to understand this more clearly.
Every time one of my dear friends mention it, I feel like I just can't understand it and almost as if I want nothing to do with it.
And since am not thrilled with suffering (although there have been many times I have), how could the Lord use this?
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Elizabeth
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Marianne,
Alice just talked a bit about that here. But we can discuss it further in this new thread if you like.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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mariB
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Thank you, Elizabeth.
Alice explains "offering up" as A GIFT. Wow. And I see that everything that we give to the Almighty is really so much like when a child gives us their precious little gifts! -----like Alice said.
I'm starting to understand when put that way!
Wow, just when I think that our Catholic faith can not get any more beautiful, I get to see another of it's little gems to help us get closer to God, because gifts are really so intimate.
Thank you, Alice. I will pray and meditate on this.
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Tami
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And one can offer not only suffering, but anything! I had a friend who died several years ago from leukemia. A remarkable, holy woman. As her disease progressed, and her daily functioning decreased, she would simply offer every breath that day to the Lord, as an act of love for Him. It was sometimes all she had to give.
St. Alphonsus Liquori talks about stopping at the beginning of each hour to say a 'Hail Mary' (or maybe 3?) to dedicate it to the Blessed Virgin. I set my watch to beep each hour so I can remember to do that.
As for suffering, I remember a statement attributed to Bp. Fulton Sheen. It went something along the lines of 'The worst thing in the world is not suffering, but wasted suffering.' It gives me great pause for thought whenever I think of it.
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When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become. (Nouwen)
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alicegunther
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Wow, Marianne, the Holy Spirit obviously wants us to think and talk about these things--when I offered that explanation at "A Peek Inside the Cradle," it seemed as if we should ought to begin a full length thread on the subject. Now here you are asking the very question in its own thread today of all days! Thank you!
And thank you for your kind words as well.
I am looking forward to this thread developing more deeply.
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Helen
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Offering up sacrifices and trials allows one to lift up her thoughts and heart to God. In this way it is a form of prayer, and a very effective prayer because of the power of sacrifice.
By fostering a prayer life full of "offering up", one pursues a plan of dying to self, a little bit at a time. The more one dies to self, the more there is room for the Lord Who comes to dwell with all the richness of His grace. The stronger His presence in your heart, the stronger His presence in the world. THis is what makes offering up such a powerful prayer.
Our Lady at Fatima taught the children to "offer up" their sacrifices with this prayer:
For the love of God, the conversion of sinners and sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Here's another thread from last year. In my post I link to EWTN's site which has a very good explanation of the Fatima apparition of Our Lady.
I believe "offering up" is also called redemptive suffering - if you wanted to do a search to find more information.
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mariB
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The Lord led me to read Psalm 4 and verses 5-6 really hit me.
"...upon your beds ponder in silence. Offer fitting sacrafice and trust in the Lord."
Those hours when I'm awakened by a child and then sleep does not come easy, are the times I that I want to offer sacrafice of prayer and the "little things" that have hurt me in the past.
Tami speaks of Bp. Fulton Sheen and wasted suffering. The Holy Spirit is working here, because I thought of that last night in bed. I felt so sad that I had not offered up the beginning months of my 5 pregnancies when I felt so
sick I could not even leave the house.
I ask the Lord if he could still use that. Actually, I begged him.
Thank you for explaining to me what seems so simple Alice, Tammi, and Helen. When I climbed into bed last night I thought of the book I have read each of my children over the years. Book No. 5 of the Catholic Treasure Box when St. Therese offers her presents to God.
I felt so foolish as I realized just what that story meant. But maybe it's like the Parables that Jesus taught, when your eyes and ears are open you can see and hear.
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Joann in AL
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For the sister in Christ who asked for a visual, I seem to have this vague memory from grammar school of a picture (maybe in the Baltimore Catechism although it is not in either of the two I have) of Jesus crucified and a child kneeling offering up things and a line of light from the child's heart to the Sacred heart to the Father.
Joann
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Philothea
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I think of St. Therese, the Little Flower. She made it her custom to offer up every slight, every sacrifice, every indignity, every pain, no matter how small, as another "flower to add to the bouquet" that she was making for God. She additionally asked Mary to present the bouquet to God on her behalf.
I try to think of her throughout my day for inspiration -- when DH snaps at me, when DS misbehaves, when I'm cut off in traffic, when I'm sick, when I'm tired, when I have a sink full of dishes to do or a resistant child to put down for a nap. St. Therese proved that even the little stuff that seems almost petty to us can "count" if offered with a sincere heart as a gift to our Father.
People talk about "death by a thousand cuts," I think of this as "redemption by a thousand sufferings." The size of the sufferings do not matter -- only that we offer them to Him.
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KC in TX
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Joann in AL wrote:
For the sister in Christ who asked for a visual, I seem to have this vague memory from grammar school of a picture (maybe in the Baltimore Catechism although it is not in either of the two I have) of Jesus crucified and a child kneeling offering up things and a line of light from the child's heart to the Sacred heart to the Father.
Joann |
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Thank you!! This really helps along with everyone else's descriptions. This is something I've struggled so much with because I had such a hard time understanding.
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kjohnson
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One thing I love about our Faith is that through the sacrament of Baptism, everything we do is united to Christ. "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27). We were buried in the sacramental waters and we rose up a new creation. The Mystery of the Ascension always blows me away. To think that our human nature has been perfected and joined to the Holy Trinity. It's such a great gift.
Everything we do and endure now has an eternal dimension because we are participating in Christ's Body. It's as if Jesus said, "OK, so I'll take that which kept you separated from me and endure it Myself so that everything that once kept us apart now brings us intimately together."
So now when I suffer, I just remind myself that this has been touched by Christ and is very holy. It's my path to Him. I have nothing to offer Him, but He has offered something to me...a path to union with Him. And it's like Helen said, when we accept the gift, we die to selfishness by turning our focus to Him and His Image in us becomes clearer and clearer.
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kjohnson
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One more thought...
Millions of pilgrims have traveled to the Holy Land just to walk down the holy path of Jesus to the Cross. Honestly, the path is always before us in the suffering that we endure because it has been sanctified by Him. We don't have to travel any distance to walk in His steps.
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KC in TX
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kjohnson wrote:
One more thought...
Millions of pilgrims have traveled to the Holy Land just to walk down the holy path of Jesus to the Cross. Honestly, the path is always before us in the suffering that we endure because it has been sanctified by Him. We don't have to travel any distance to walk in His steps. |
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Wow. This is really a profound statement. Thank you, Katherine. I am in such awe of your knowledge.
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mariB
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Thank you Katherine and ALL for your input. The Lord is guiding me on this journey further and further.
I went to our Catholic bookstore with our 3 year old which can usually be trying, she begged me to buy a prayer book and a St. Therese novena prayer card. I gave in because I know that the Lord uses our children, especially when we adults can be so blind.
In the prayer book that Molly wanted, throughout the day and evening, she kept showing a picture of St. Therese and curiously enough, only that particular page.
Now I know that St. Therese will help me more with understanding "offering up".
Then I saw that Elizabeth prays the Rosary with St. Therese! That CD is my next purchase!
Thanks again all!
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kjohnson
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mariB wrote:
Now I know that St. Therese will help me more with understanding "offering up".
Then I saw that Elizabeth prays the Rosary with St. Therese! That CD is my next purchase!
Thanks again all! |
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St. Therese will lead you by the hand. I love the CD that Elizabeth uses. Therese's Little Way is a perfect way to understand this. 
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Joann in AL
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Just wanted to add the Biblical basis for this. Scott Hahn points this out in a teaching. Unfortunately, I have not yet found the CD that has this on it. One of my daughters thinks I probably to my other daughter's fiance. 
From the Scriptures about why we offer up our sufferings:
Colossians 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church...
This does not of course mean that Christ's passion and death lacked anything, but gives us an opportunity to share in His sacrifice in a personal way.
That is what I understood Dr Hahn to mean. I will make the ultimate sacrifice for you all and keep listening to the CD's I have that I didn't give to future ds-i-l. in case I do still have. I wanted to share this though before this thread got lost!
Blessings!
Joann
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mariB
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Thank you Joann. I feel led to purchase more Scott Hahn books!
The part you said about sharing in His sacrafice in a personal way makes it clearer and also us uniting ourselves with Christ.
This gives the Protestant phrase, "Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior" new meaning. How coud we know Jesus more personally than being united to him in all things?
Like Katherine said, "We are united to Christ through Baptism."
This kind of clarity in my life gives me great joy. It feels good to offer things up to the Lord knowing they are doing some good.
I realized when I was offering up something to God last week that we become strengthened in OUR virtues! (Less complaining, less frustration,
peacefulness, etc.)
God knows what's good for us.('')
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aussieannie
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Joann in AL wrote:
Colossians 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church...
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Yes, that is an excellent biblical quote, Joann.
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Joann in AL
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Marianne wrote:
"How coud we know Jesus more personally than being united to him in all things? "
Well, we could eat His Body..... 
Joann
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KathrynTherese
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I'm jumping in here late, but we've just been talking about sacrificing here:
http://kathryntherese.blogspot.com/2007/01/eucharist-and-suf fering.html
Interestingly, I just gave a talk to some twenty-somethings (Theology on Tap) about suffering, and they were so receptive. We all have plenty to sacrifice...
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: offering up our sufferings
