What are are you working on in your spiritual life?

[Brigid]

What is the difference between resignation and acceptance of His Will? I seems to me the same.

To me the difference is resignation would be like saying, "Well, okay, if You insist". Acceptance would be like saying, "Oh, goody, something I can do for You".

[Bailey2]

What is the difference between resignation and acceptance of His Will? I seems to me the same.

To me the difference is resignation would be like saying, "Well, okay, if You insist". Acceptance would be like saying, "Oh, goody, something I can do for You".

Maybe acceptance also means to receive the good things with joy and not to try to push them away for the sake of "mortification."  If all is gift, than maybe we are to resign ourselves to things we dislike and accept that which we like or enjoy.   "There's a time for porridge and a time for penance."   St. Teresa Avila    

And maybe both require humility and trust; to accept the good  takes humility because we don't pretend we are better than needing good things.  It takes trust to believe good and fun things are from God too.  And when it is bad things we resign ourselves to we know it is the way of things because we are only human (humility) and it is trust because we trust God has planned something wonderful for us.

My two cents.    

[Therese]

I'm trying to remember to always offer up my sufferings for souls.  I'm also trying to love suffering and the opportunity it gives me to gain merit for souls.

[Therese]

I pray for all of you who post on this forum every day and hope that our Lord helps you with whatever it is you are working on spiritually right now.

[Brigid]

I pray for all of you who post on this forum every day and hope that our Lord helps you with whatever it is you are working on spiritually right now.

Thank you most sincerely, Therese. I really need your prayers to do His Will.

[Patricia]

Thank you, Therese.

[Therese]

You are both most welcome, Brigid and Patricia.

[Therese]

I'm trying to remember to always offer up my sufferings for souls.  I'm also trying to love suffering and the opportunity it gives me to gain merit for souls.

In the morning the first thing I do is offer up everything to God (including my sufferings), but during the day, when I am experiencing suffering, I sometimes find myself not profitting in the least bit by the suffering and find myself doing nothing with the suffering but experiencing it's pain - not abandoned to God's will.  Please pray that I will always profit by my sufferings and will immediately offer them up to God for souls, abandoned to his will for me the moment they come.  That way every moment of suffering will be the perfect opportunity for me to turn to God and to experience greater graces for myself and for souls.

If a person offers up his sufferings in the beginning of the day, but during the day when he experiences them doesn't respond in a virtuous way to them, how good is that?  I know it still is virtuous that he did his offering in the morning, but how much is he truly offering up of his morning offering when he his fighting/resisting his sufferings all throughout the day?

[Patricia]

Please pray that I will always profit by my sufferings and will immediately offer them up to God for souls, abandoned to his will for me the moment they come.

I will pray , Therese that you will profit by every cross that comes your way. Also please remember my little  family when you think of souls. That my children may successfully receive all sacraments, become good and faithful Catholics and see salvation. There are many obstacles in their way.

If a person offers up his sufferings in the beginning of the day, but during the day when he experiences them doesn't respond in a virtuous way to them, how good is that?  I know it still is virtuous that he did his offering in the morning, but how much is he truly offering up of his morning offering when he his fighting/resisting his sufferings all throughout the day?

I'm not sure Therese, since I'm not an expert in these matters. You could check with your superior. But isn't it why it is called suffering. It is something human beings naturally rebel against or prefer to stay away from if given the choice. Even Our Lord experienced this in the Garden in His Agony. You have already offered it up to the Lord in the morning and He accepts it all,  even the imperfections of how you handle the suffering He sends. What is generous is that you have made the offering. He sees that.

[Brigid]

Please pray that I will always profit by my sufferings and will immediately offer them up to God for souls, abandoned to his will for me the moment they come.

I will pray , Therese that you will profit by every cross that comes your way. Also please remember my little  family when you think of souls. That my children may successfully receive all sacraments, become good and faithful Catholics and see salvation. There are many obstacles in their way.

If a person offers up his sufferings in the beginning of the day, but during the day when he experiences them doesn't respond in a virtuous way to them, how good is that?  I know it still is virtuous that he did his offering in the morning, but how much is he truly offering up of his morning offering when he his fighting/resisting his sufferings all throughout the day?

I'm not sure Therese, since I'm not an expert in these matters. You could check with your superior. But isn't it why it is called suffering. It is something human beings naturally rebel against or prefer to stay away from if given the choice. Even Our Lord experienced this in the Garden in His Agony. You have already offered it up to the Lord in the morning and He accepts it all,  even the imperfections of how you handle the suffering He sends. What is generous is that you have made the offering. He sees that.

Patricia, I will pray for your family/children.

Therese, I must admit to agreeing with Patricia on this. Seems to me that maybe you are being harder on yourself than He might be on you. Now certainly humility is needed however I am reminded in this discussion of the nun in "The Song of Bernadette" (the old movie) who, after hearing of Bernadette's diagnosis and great suffering, went to the chapel and in talking to Jesus, was totally ashamed of herself in having worked so hard at being perfect and found out that Bernadette, who didn't seem to be perfect at all while being just humble in everything was much closer to the Lord. I am not equating that nun with you at all, but this discussion just reminded me of that nuns actual pride .

[Therese]

Please pray that I will always profit by my sufferings and will immediately offer them up to God for souls, abandoned to his will for me the moment they come.

I will pray , Therese that you will profit by every cross that comes your way. Also please remember my little  family when you think of souls. That my children may successfully receive all sacraments, become good and faithful Catholics and see salvation. There are many obstacles in their way.

If a person offers up his sufferings in the beginning of the day, but during the day when he experiences them doesn't respond in a virtuous way to them, how good is that?  I know it still is virtuous that he did his offering in the morning, but how much is he truly offering up of his morning offering when he his fighting/resisting his sufferings all throughout the day?

I'm not sure Therese, since I'm not an expert in these matters. You could check with your superior. But isn't it why it is called suffering. It is something human beings naturally rebel against or prefer to stay away from if given the choice. Even Our Lord experienced this in the Garden in His Agony. You have already offered it up to the Lord in the morning and He accepts it all,  even the imperfections of how you handle the suffering He sends. What is generous is that you have made the offering. He sees that.

I'll remember your little family when offering up my sufferings, Patricia.  You're right about my morning offering being pleasing to God, despite the imperfections of how I handle the suffering he sends.  Thanks!

[Bailey2]

OK, did I miss something?  Theresa, are you a nun?   

[Patricia]

I think she is going to be a nun, am I right Therese? What do you do in training? ( I don't know the right word...is it novitiate?)

[Therese]

No, I am not called to be a nun.  I am a candidate with the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order.

When I wanted to be a nun I read a lot of St. Alphonsus de Liguori and he talked about the virtue found in loving sufferings (for Jesus, of course).  I know it sounds strange because on the natural level suffering is our least favorite thing to do, but like I told Patricia in a personal message I think it was St. Padre Pio who said that if we only knew the value of suffering we'd all be asking for more suffering in this life.  St. Teresa of Avila said: "To suffer and not to die" and Jesus loved His cross.  I'm just trying to love mine and I am trying to actually love suffering/the cross like the saints were able to because all suffering comes from God for our sanctification and when patiently and lovingly borne gains great merit for ourselves and for others - and is actually not a bad thing other than the fact that it is painful.  It brings us closer to the Lord and makes us more like him. And if it didn't hurt how could it be redemptive?

When I'd get lonely or irked by cold, hard people I would suffer a great deal from these things, but now I am tryiing to detatch myself and move myself, despite the pain, to be thankful for the suffering because it is giving me something to offer up for the Kingdom (for souls) and is forcing me to grow and be exercised in charity, patience, humility, detachment, etc..  All good things.  

I just want to love the cross and not hate it anymore.

[Patricia]

Oh, I don't know why I was under the assumption that you were going to be a nun.
You're absolutely right, Therese. I think there is nothing  more valuable in the Christian life than the cross that the Lord lovingly sends His friends for their own good and sanctification. If only we learned to carry it more lovingly and joyfully for His Name's sake.

[Brigid]

No, I am not called to be a nun.  I am a candidate with a Discalced Carmelite Secular Order.

When I wanted to be a nun I read a lot of St. Alphonsus de Liguori and he talked about the virtue found in loving sufferings (for Jesus, of course).  I know it sounds strange because on the natural level suffering is our least favorite thing to do, but like I told Patricia in a personal message I think it was St. Padre Pio who said that if we only knew the value of suffering we'd all be asking for more suffering in this life.  St. Teresa of Avila said: "To suffer and not to die" and Jesus loved His cross.  I'm just trying to love mine and I am trying to actually love suffering/the cross like the saints were able to because all suffering comes from God for our sanctification and when patiently and lovingly borne gains great merit for ourselves and for others - and is actually not a bad thing other than the fact that it is painful.  It brings us closer to the Lord and makes us more like him. And if it didn't hurt how could it be redemptive?

When I'd get lonely or irked by cold, hard people I would suffer a great deal from these things, but now I am tryiing to detatch myself and move myself, despite the pain, to be thankful for the suffering because it is giving me something to offer up for the Kingdom (for souls) and is forcing me to grow and be exercised in charity, patience, humility, detachment, etc..  All good things. 

I just want to love the cross and not hate it anymore.

What a wonderful way of putting it. It seems as if "loving suffering" is the same thing as accepting with open arms what He decides to send as Bailey2 was saying.