I'm a just "pray" or intercede type and go to the Lord with the needs of others and myself..I see different things from Catholic and Orthodox and wonder what thye involve..Like what is a prayer "intention" ? What does it mean to " offer up" ? What is saying a mass for someone ? What does a novena involve and how can it guarantee a prayer will be answered if something is said and printed for so many days ? Another unusual this is this woman in another forum had a man living with her and they weren't married and he was causing her difficulties and suffering..Someone suggested she "offer it up".... Like she is reaping what she has sowed yet is offering it to God for some kind of credit ??? Why not just get rid of the cause..Can you help me understand this type of stuff and where it came from..Thanks..nab..
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AMDG
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What is being asked for in prayer.
It's usually said as "offer it up". We offer our pains and sacrifices (whether they are physical, spiritual, or emotional and whether they are little, like a paper cut) or something much bigger to Our Lord. It's part of redemptive suffering.
The Mass is a prayer--the greatest prayer, because it is re-presenting Jesus' Great Sacrifice for us. When we have a Mass said for a specific person, he or she is the "intention" of that prayer.
A novena is nine days of prayer. The first novena said to be in the book of Acts, chapter 1 in the Bible.
We merely petition God for our "intention". It is always God's will to answer "yes" or "no" or "wait". There never is a "guarantee" that our will will be done--only God's.
Perhaps this will help:
Redemptive Suffering: Offering it Up
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JimR-OCDS
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namericanboy;
If I ask you to pray for me, I'm asking that my intentions be heard by God. So, praying to a saint, is the same, except, we know that the saint is with God in heaven. The word "prayer," means to ask, or beckon.
Offer up your suffering and hardships to God. As Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me.
The same as asking prayers from a Saint, except, the Eucharist is the highest form of prayer for Catholics. It brings special blessings.
Novena's are nothing more than asking a saint to pray for you. See above.
This doesn't make sense. Offering up a sinful lifestyle is not in accord with any Catholic doctrine.
Jim
If I ask you to pray for me, I'm asking that my intentions be heard by God. So, praying to a saint, is the same, except, we know that the saint is with God in heaven. The word "prayer," means to ask, or beckon.
Offer up your suffering and hardships to God. As Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me.
The same as asking prayers from a Saint, except, the Eucharist is the highest form of prayer for Catholics. It brings special blessings.
Novena's are nothing more than asking a saint to pray for you. See above.
This doesn't make sense. Offering up a sinful lifestyle is not in accord with any Catholic doctrine.
Jim
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Thanks..So we are doing some things the same with different names, ie prayer request same intention correct.. And I guess your offering prayer at mass is like our corporate intercession...
I still don't get the offering up, you get like " credit " for our sufferings here on earth..We know we will have tribulations in life..So you guys feel the sufferings "helps" for things like answered prayer..With sufferings like health problems..What if the pain/suffering is from our bad decisions like marrying an unbeliever or having problems from an unwed pregnancy.. How could that suffering earn you anything..
An novena's are like saying the same prayer for nine days...God can answer yes , no and maybe after one prayer..Why must there being a certain amount....Thanks..I'm not trying to argue just trying to make sense for me.
I still don't get the offering up, you get like " credit " for our sufferings here on earth..We know we will have tribulations in life..So you guys feel the sufferings "helps" for things like answered prayer..With sufferings like health problems..What if the pain/suffering is from our bad decisions like marrying an unbeliever or having problems from an unwed pregnancy.. How could that suffering earn you anything..
An novena's are like saying the same prayer for nine days...God can answer yes , no and maybe after one prayer..Why must there being a certain amount....Thanks..I'm not trying to argue just trying to make sense for me.
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Rhamiel
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pain is horrible, it can break a person and make them bitter and horrible, but the power of God is greater then that, He can use to refine born agian christians what would break natural man.
to offer it up is to ask Jesus to take it, so even if the pain is still in our lives, it now belongs to Him, I am not sure I am explaining this right, i am trying to say it so people can understand, but I do not practice the act of offering up troubles very offten, i never really understod it myself
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JimR-OCDS
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namericanboy;
We suffer while here on earth, because we are in a fallen state. Being such, we make back decisions, which is called sin. The correct translation of the word "sin," from Greek, is "to miss the mark." In our fallen state, if we don't rely on God for our direction in our life, we will miss the mark and get ourselves into situations that cause us to suffer. How we react to suffering, either helps us to grow spiritually, or destroys us. It depends on the level of faith a person has. Offering up, means accepting it, as Christ accepted His suffering.
Novena's are nothing more than devotions. Its a spiritual discipline. Unfortunately, many Catholics treat them as if God were some sort of prayer vending machine. X-number of prayers in equals a desired output from God.
Its NOT what they are about!
Novena's are for the purpose of creating a life of prayer, in order to grow closer to God. We accept whatever grace He gives, i.e. "His will be done."
Jim
We suffer while here on earth, because we are in a fallen state. Being such, we make back decisions, which is called sin. The correct translation of the word "sin," from Greek, is "to miss the mark." In our fallen state, if we don't rely on God for our direction in our life, we will miss the mark and get ourselves into situations that cause us to suffer. How we react to suffering, either helps us to grow spiritually, or destroys us. It depends on the level of faith a person has. Offering up, means accepting it, as Christ accepted His suffering.
Novena's are nothing more than devotions. Its a spiritual discipline. Unfortunately, many Catholics treat them as if God were some sort of prayer vending machine. X-number of prayers in equals a desired output from God.
Its NOT what they are about!
Novena's are for the purpose of creating a life of prayer, in order to grow closer to God. We accept whatever grace He gives, i.e. "His will be done."
Jim
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Thanks for clearing that up..Our one advertising paper has a lot of novenas printed saying that saying this prayer for 7-9 days will get you what your praying for...Never made sense to me...like some kind of magic..
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Amen bro on the power of God...I had a work accident and have deteriorating disks and spondelosis in my back along with fibromyalgia and osteoporosis..Many days I wake up feeling like I was in a car accident...I haven't had good sleep since 05..Doc's are all amazed how I tolerate the pain without drugs..It is all God's at work keeping me...I had to do an attitude adjustment and accept where I am at.. I used to mountian bike with my sweetie...I said Lord your going to have to heal me or have my social security go through..We'll 9 months later I got my backpay and first SS check....I just thank God for His faithfulness and mercy...I just love to praise and worship Him and look fdw to my heavenly rest...He has me in a mobile home park missions setting...
God bless you and draw you closer my dear brother in Christ..
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Thank you dear sis AMDG , may God Bless you....That was an interesting read...I can see SOME of where it is coming for like dying to the flesh..Paul's suffering was directly related to the preaching of the gospel few of us go through that with the freedoms we have here..I've see some bizaar examples in places like the phillipines where men flog themselves and crucify themselves, walk on there knees in stones and glass... dear
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Jesus calls all Christians to be co-redeemers with Him. Quite a privilege huh?
An offering up is a sort of reparation in the example of Jesus suffering as a sacrifice. (Most suffering we endure is wasted).
Jesus told St. Faustina that the thing which offended Him most was that people didn't trust Him.
Imagine what it feels like to love someone and have them not trust you.
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Yet the miracles Jesus performed weren't magic. One can have all faith to move mountains but if they have not love its worthless.
There are stipulations to those novenas and it amounts to being in Gods will while immersed in grace.
Otherwise they can be superstitious. Thats hardly Gods will though so its not successful.
Everything Jesus accomplished was within Gods will. Remember the apostles asked Jesus how to pray because they weren't sure how.
A wrong intention is not united with Gods will nor if its contrary to Gods will it will not bend His ear no matter how much knocking is done. For exampled, God cannot be changed by our pleas.
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tell that to the apostles becuase we model a novena after what they did.
Jesus told them to wait for the Spirit, so they gathered and prayed for nine days waiting for the Spirit.
Jesus could have sent them the Spirit right away but Christ had them wait and with Mary they prayed. Jesus also said persistence in prayer is what answers prayers.
If you ahve a problem with all this, you really do have to take it up with the bible and not us.
and offering our suffering is not credit- you are are way off base. it's union, uniting what we suffer with what Christ suffered for us so we become one with Christ n the cross. he gives meaning to what we suffer and our uniting it to Him means Christ did not suffer in vain. Our offering it up transcends time and space, we bring comfort to Jesus during His passion.
It wasn't an event that happen and now it's just a memory. God is not trapped in time.
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