The concept of offering one's suffering to God as a sacrifice was introduced last week at RCIA.
It is never an easy concept, but one person in particular struggled with understanding it. A request was made for a book recommendation.
I have no clue, people. At least about a book to help with this concept.
Recommendations?
Just as a source of further information, should someone be reading and wonder what the heck we're talking about, here are two previous posts of mine on the subject:
I can't think of a book, but these CD talks helped me to understand it--they are from Lighthouse Catholic Media. 15 Things to do in the Midst of Suffering by Jeff Cavins and Making Sense Out of Suffering by Scott Hahn. Here's the link to their catalog: http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/titles
ReplyDeleteThey're cheap to buy but even cheaper to download. If your parish has their CD program you might request they purchase certain titles that are helpful to RCIA participants. Blessings.
I remember when my Mom (Lord, let pertetual light shine upon her..) was complaining about traffic once, I was a little presumptuous to comment : "Mom offer it up". and her reply (before my words were out of my mouth) in a soft voice was "I do Stevie , I do." It makes me wonder today what else she offered up perhaps to seek help for me.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny the conversations (even short ones, like this) you remember form departed loved ones.
Fuquay Steve
I'd recommend Peter Kreeft's "Making Sense Out of Suffering" for some theological background and St. Therese of Lisieux's "Story of a Soul" to see it in action.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is what you mean, but when I was in college there was this trend (it seemed almost cultish) where people felt like they had to PROVE they would suffer for God, even if they weren't. So they ended relationships, broke off engagements, dropped out of school... to prove they would. Competitive martyrdom, anyone?
ReplyDelete"The Invisible World", by Anthony DeStefano,touches on this. I rec'd this book to a friend of mine who is Protestant. After she read it,she said, " 'Offering it up' - why didn't anyone ever tell me about this before?! All those times stuck in traffic - now I can do something with that!"
ReplyDeleteThank you for the book ideas! I love both Kreeft and DeStefano so both appeal to me and I'll have to look into them myself.
ReplyDeleteJenny - competitive martyrdom ... ugh. Could anything be less Christian? Talk about making it all about YOU, right? Oy... :-D
This might be a good place to talk about Our Lady of Fatima, for two reasons: 1.offering everything unpleasant that happens to us in reparation for the sins of the world was her primary request and 2.it's a chance to tell people that in 1917 God really did prove his existence to the world, with 70,000 witnesses, many of whom were non-believers. I know it's a private revelation, but it's a powerful one and is approved by the Church.
ReplyDeleteThe Joy of Full Surrender by Jean-Pierre de Cassaude is the definitive work on this subject.
ReplyDeleteI never understood what doing God's Will really meant until I read this book.
Offering it up means you align your suffering to the cross. So I would also recommend JPII's encyclicals Salvifici Doloris, Redemptor Hominins, and Dives in Misericordes