Author Topic: The offering of someone elses pain... possible? (Read 574 times)

s2srea · « **on:** March 20, 2012, 09:31:10 AM »

Lets say my child is sick, with a fever, and is physically suffering. Can I offer God the pain that my child is going through? Obviously my intent is to make her pain go away, and take care of her and make her better. Don't know if this makes any sense...

wallflower · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2012, 09:56:10 AM »

I believe so.

I do it all the time for mine. I offer it out loud so they can hear and be as much a part of the offering as possible. Even when they cannot be a part of it as tiny infants or if more severely ill I still offer it on their behalf. That is our role, to act on their behalf. If God accepts our decision to baptize them on their behalf I'm sure He accepts our prayers and sacrifices on their behalf as well. Not only accepts them but desires them.

I believe it's very powerful. Not to mention it instills the spirit and the habit of sacrifice and offering suffering at young ages so it becomes an intregal part of them and hopefully develops into true virtue with deep roots. I make sure to use the term sacrifice and once able to (around 12-24 months a child can starting nodding yes) I have them agree that they are making a sacrifice even if they don't know what that entails just yet. Eventually they will.

s2srea · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2012, 10:04:13 AM »

Thanks Wallflower. I also like the idea of saying it out loud for them to hear- thanks! :)

MyrnaM · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2012, 10:11:15 AM »

What I do is pray the child will accept their suffering as the Will of God, but I offer my own suffering to God. I know that parents especially suffer along with their child as Our Lady suffered watching her own Son suffer so much.

I pray that my adult children (now) will not lose their faith, just because they are seriously sick, mishaps, crosses in their life that are hard to cope with.

You can also unite your own suffering to the suffering of Jesus, I found this to be very helpful in my own life. Depending on how old the child is, you can find a similar suffering in the life of the Holy Family, and tell them the story, encouraging them to unite their sorrow with the story you just told them.

wallflower · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2012, 12:28:45 PM »

You're right Myrna, once they become adults the playing field changes and we can no longer speak for them but we can still pray that they do the right thing themselves. Whether they are still children or adults, the parents' pain in seeing them suffer is always a worthy offering as well.