Today I heard someone answering a question about temporal punishment for sin, in the course of which they mentioned the concept of "offering up" one's own sufferings, specifically in the context of uniting oneself to the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross for the salvation of mankind. I remembered discussing the same thing with my children when they learned about this in Religious Ed. The question is, if God became man in order to offer the perfect sacrifice for our sins, how is it there could be anything lacking in what He suffered? and therefore of what value is our own suffering when we offer it up?
The answer I provided is this: Imagine Jesus carrying His cross. Although it is a grievous struggle for him he is able to carry the burden. Yet if you were there, and went up to Him and said, "Please, may I help You," even though he is able to carry the burden alone, wouldn't He feel grateful and accept? Not because he needed your help in order to finish the task, but because your offer itself gave comfort.
The world is not perfect, and human nature is still flawed, and so we will continue to experience suffering of one kind or another. It is a given part of human life. We must not ever just roll over and give up, but when we do encounter this inevitable aspect of human life, which in itself is a moral evil, we can say "I am going to experience this anyway, so here, Lord, let me walk with You and keep You company along this road a while."
I can't make everything better for you, but I can keep you company if that is the only thing I have to offer.
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