Saints are known to suffer for God. They are further sanctified in this way. We mere mortals cannot even understand the depth they can go. I for one am not able to.
I admit, I have been humbled by The Lord. Assuming it's easy enough, I offered my suffering of cough and colds to Him. Unfortunately it is too difficult to bear, seriously, I've never had this kind of cough before. It actually is my fault why I got sick too. Even after going to the doctor and taking meds, it still hasn't gone away!
Btw, if you're unfamiliar with the term "offer it up", read my posts about it:
- Part 1: "Oh the Pain, the Agony..." Don't Waste It!
- Part 2: Your Pain and Suffering is Worth More Than Gold If...
So anyway it's already been a week since I've been coughing like a dog. 😂 This was when I realized I shot myself in the foot in even suggesting we all "offer it up". Apparently I am not holy enough to even bear it like the saints. Lord have mercy. 🙏 But you know, at least I tried and learned from it. Now I know what I should do instead.
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The Ultimate Sacrifice is Jesus
Since I am weak and human, only Jesus can save me. He was able to take all the hardships in the world just to save us all. Anything we suffer in this time of peace is not even 1/8 of what He went through. Seriously.
So there I was, praying praying every night, suffering this cough, this itchy throat. And then suddenly my mind was praying parts of the chaplet of the Precious Blood. Well yeah why not, I should pray that too. And so I clicked on my playlist and played the video.
This is why I have earnestly started praying the Chaplet of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. At first I thought it was just a random thing to pray. You know, being a former lukewarm Catholic. I still really have no idea about a lot of Catholic practices and activities.
It was only last night that I realized it is better to offer Jesus' Precious Blood. He is the rightful sacrifice, the most pleasing of all to God. I have no choice because I am giving up on offering my suffering to God. I cannot do it anymore, it is too difficult for me. 😥
Of course my experience may not be the same as yours. You might find it really easy to offer your hardships to the Lord. And that's fine. We are all different people.
I did try to just bear everything for quite some time but could not sustain it. I realize only saints can do it for a long period of time, without complaining! I am definitely not at par with their holiness at all. 😅
Anyway I first saw the song version of the chaplet on YouTube in July 2023. I didn't think much of it when I first prayed it. Actually at one point it even became an earworm. 😆 Never did I think it is something important and serious to pray. Now I know better.
If sacrificing our pain, suffering and hardships in life is hard to do, offer Jesus Christ to God instead. Pray the Chaplet of the Precious Blood of Jesus and it will be like offering Him up during mass.
The second option is to do the First Saturdays devotion: Start a Good Habit This Year: The First Saturdays Challenge! 💪. And that my friends is what we can do instead to supplement "offering it up".
Or maybe you have your own tips and ideas to share about this? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
