As iron is fashioned by fire and on the anvil, so in the fire of suffering and under the weight of trials, our souls receive that form which our Lord desires them to have.
–St. Madeline Sophie Barat
“What do you mean that you are going to offer up your sufferings for the souls in Purgatory and the people that are here on earth? ”
The above statement is a question that I get asked. My answer to the question always is, “I do not believe in letting any kind of suffering go in vain. “
So, how can your suffering help another person on our shared earth? It starts with you wanting to let your pain, hurt, insults and whatever else is going on at this time in your life – for the better of another.
Do you believe, that there is a payoff from holding onto your hurts?
If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola
The most unselfish thing that any one of us can do, is to let go of our hurts. We hold onto them, because in reality, we get something from holding on to the hurt, isn’t that true? What is it that we get from holding onto it? Why would we not just let it go when we know how we feel every time we think about it? Maybe perhaps it is because it is a protective barrier that we put around ourselves, an excuse to not speak to the person, or to confront the situation that has caused us grief. Change is always painful and it comes down to this, you can either decide to stay in the current state that you are- mentally, emotionally and especially spiritually, or you can take that dive and give up all of your hurts and angers; give them to God. Offer it as a sacrifice for the person that made you feel this way. If anyone needs help, it is the person that hurt you.
Prayer for finding Peace 🕊
Dear God, I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I feel like so much of my life has been spent on going back in my mind, about the hurts that have been done to me. I do want to move on and it is not that I am forgetting that they hurt me, it is that I am choosing happiness for myself, instead. Please help me during this time in my life and in all other times. I choose to forgive for myself and for You. Amen.
Offer up your hurts for the better of another person. Never let your suffering go in vain, any kind of suffering, even the suffering that you see as you watch the evening news, God will take those sufferings that you have and will use them for the good of another person. You must leave them at the Foot of the Cross. There is no other way.
Reality Meets Faith 