Christian Suffering, Pt. 3

If you're Catholic, especially if you grew up Catholic, or maybe even if you know a good amount of Catholics, you are probably familiar with the expression, "offer it up."

You're also probably aware, if you've heard this expression and were even remotely curious as to what it meant, that it is an expression encouraging us to endure our suffering here and offer it up as a sacrifice for those suffering for their sins in Purgatory as they are cleansed and prepared for entrance into the Kingdom.

But what does this really mean? If you're like me, you've never thought about it beyond that point, you just know that's what it is. To me though, this now begs the question of WHY? Why offer it up? After all, wasn't Christ's pain, Christ's suffering, Christ's sacrifice enough? Wasn't THAT the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, that we may be forgiven for our sins? The answer is, of course, an emphatic yes. There are no more sacrifices necessary for our salvation, there is nothing we must do except accept the precious gift of Salvation, which comes in the form of Blood, the Blood of a New Covenant, shed for us and for all so that our sins would be forgiven.

So then why? We have the sacrifice of Christ, the pain of Christ, the Blood of Christ, the Lamb of God. Why would we offer up our own pain as a sacrifice?

The reason is simple. First, we must understand Purgatory, which is not a place where people suffer to be forgiven of the sins, it is a place where people go to experience the temporal punishment for their sins, and be purged of their effects on your soul. To enter Purgatory, you must be in a state of Grace and friendship with God, this means all your sins were forgiven, your sin was paid for by the Blood of Christ. But your temporal punishment is another matter. Consider it this way, the child who plays outside in the mud gets himself covered in dirt, and then runs home to his mother. As dirty as he is, she will not let him inside the house until he has been thoroughly scrubbed. Certainly she will forgive him for ruining his clothes, making himself dirty, and disobeying her when she said to stay out of the dirt, forgiveness isn't the problem, but the fact remains that the child must be cleaned, and scrubbed, and will later be punished for his actions.

Purgatory is where our brethren in Christ go for a period of time partly as penance for their sins, and equally as a final scrubbing of the remaining dirt of sin, while the guilt of it has long since been forgiven. Why do we sacrifice our own suffering for them?

Because we are called to be like Christ.

The final point regarding pain and the Christian path is that once we endure pain, once we forgive others for pain, and once we thank others for the gift of pain, we can finally turn and say honestly to God that this pain we accept, this suffering we GLADLY bear. And then we ask with our whole hearts that we be allowed to bear temporal suffering so that our brethrens, our beloved brothers and sisters of Christ might be released from any more suffering, that our pain be their pain.

When we can sacrifice our pain, when we can offer it up, truly, with joy, with hope, with love, we will join Christ in His example on the Cross, join Him in the second greatest act of love we can perform for our brothers and sisters (the first of course being to give up our very life for their sake), that of taking their pain upon ourselves, as Christ took our sin upon Himself. Therefore; take up your cross, and walk.