Good Day and welcome to Day 18 of these 30 days!
Today is First Saturday and how awesome that we are going to talk about suffering — Our Lady is the Queen of Suffering!
To understand why we must suffer is very simple…
God knows suffering is good for us! It will lead us closer to JESUS -
-Because JESUS said follow me!
The word follow in Greek means very literally do what I do!! Follow at my coat heals — like a little kid that if you stop too fast the child trips over you!
Jesus didn’t say follow me to the cross and then you can stop right there!
NO and because of Revelation we know that Jesus’ suffering was for our sin — to reconcile us to the Father!
We also know that being in the body of Christ means that we are living in JESUS and as the scripture says — we are making up for the sufferings that are lacking in HIS BODY!
What — I thought that JESUS died on the cross once and for all SIN! Why does His body still have to suffer?
St. Paul says in Colossians 1:24
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18
St. Paul suffered in body and spirit — and that is what we are called to do to unite with Our Lord —
here’s how we conform to HIS likeness –
here is out goal…
Philippians 3:10
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
Suffering is integral to the work of redemption! This is how God created it and it is for our GOOD!
Now God doesn’t will evil — but He allows suffering! He knows that suffering purifies us and gets us ready for the glory of heaven!
The only way to understand this is to pray for the gift of understanding and wisdom and then God grants the vision to see the Good!
There is POWER in suffering just as there was at the cross!
Fr. John Corapi said that if we want to see our world transform Catholics should offer up all their sufferings as a prayer at the same time!
Whooo hooo what power there would be for the kingdom of God on earth!
No one knows suffering better than Our Lady – the Blessed Mother so we huddle close to her and ask her to teach us about suffering!
She is our example of faith — she suffered internally which is how we can all unite to JESUS through Mary — through suffering!
She stood in our place at Calvary and we are now called to take that same place — we can stand with her — and she will teach us!
Pray today the First Saturday Devotions found on the devotion page of this website and read the promises of Our Lady for all who follow this and pray the devotion!
We make reparation today for all of the ways that Our Lady is dishonored in our world today!!!
Let the joy of the Lord be your strength and you walk courageously in your suffering!!
Hand it over –Hand over your sufferings- we in the Church need this prayer!
God bless you!
Follow Us!