Our Suffering does have meaning and purpose!
Jesus redeemed mankind by dying on the cross “that we might not perish but have eternal life.” Jn 3:16
He was sinless yet he offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus, Our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord, overcame the laws of sin and death that we might not perish. We are taught and accept this salvific act of Jesus, but we often do not grasp the meaning and value of our own suffering.
Christ invites us to share the cross: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" Lk 9:23
St. Paul states, "Even now, I find my joy in the sufferings I endure for you. In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His body, the Church" Col 1:24 What did St. Paul mean? In his book entitled Redemptive Suffering, Fr. Sam Tiesi TOR explains it like this, "the only thing lacking in Christ’s suffering is our lack of participation in it.” That means that we need to be linking ours with His “for the sake of His Body, the Church”.
Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter, The Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, wrote, "Christ sanctified suffering, making it salvific by His love. Now the Lord invites us to be sharers in the work of salvation by helping to bring His mercy to everyone. How? By offering our sufferings, no matter what kind or from what source, with love, uniting them with Christ for the salvation of others."
Fr. George Kosicki, CSB in his book Now is the Time for Mercy, says, "The saving work of Jesus is not finished. He "needs" us to cooperate with His work of redemption and help to bring His mercy to this generation. This kind of partnership involves a sharing in His sufferings in order to share in the saving work of mercy.”
DO NOT WASTE YOUR SUFFERING, LINK IT!
The Intercessors of Divine Mercy
"The imitation of Jesus, the suffering Servant, has led great saints and simple believers to turn their illnesses and pain into a source of purication and salvation for themselves and for others.”
-John Paul II
What is this Network of Suffering Souls?
This network consists of people who have decided to offer their pain and suffering to the Lord as redemptive suffering. Trying to explain redemptive suffering in a world where suffering is seen as having no value is like speaking a foreign language. We hope this “modernized” explanation will help you to see how your sufferings can be linked to Jesus’ sufferings. When your sufferings are offered up with His on the Cross they gain salvific value as an act of reparation for sin.
There are moments while suffering from illness and loss, when we are overwhelmed and cannot lift our voices in prayer. During these moments, just looking at or holding the Covenant Badge of Mercy and Love (explained below) reminds us to offer our pain with His to the Heavenly Father as redemptive suffering. Words are not necessary because Jesus knows the desire of our heart and hears our prayer. In accepting the Covenant Badge of Mercy and Love we commit to offer our sufferings up in union with His as we pray for needs of the Body of Christ.
The Spiritual Network
1. The HEAVENLY website is not an internet website but a spiritual one that links suffering souls to each other and to God by means of the Holy Spirit. (symbolized by the computer)
2. www.suffernet.calm is not an Earthly Website, but a Spiritual Network. called the world wide web of those who unite their sufferings with Jesus on the cross in reparation for sin and for God's grace to be poured out, bringing calm to our troubled world through Jesus, the Divine Mercy.
3. COVENANT BADGE OF MERCY AND LOVE This Badge, having been touched to the First Class Relic, is a Third Class Relic of the Crown of Thorns and serves as a reminder of the Covenant of Love and Mercy which we make with Jesus to join our suffering with His and offer them to the Heavenly Father. (This is not a binding covenant but an act of love between you and Jesus) Like the ENTER button on a computer keyboard, when we hold the Badge, it becomes a touchpoint, a prayer aid and symbol of our "YES LORD!" which links our sufferings with His as a reparation for sins which offend God.
4. LET MY PRAYER RISE LIKE INCENSE BEFORE YOU Morning Offering (There are many prayers that can be said including those in your own words. The following are some examples you can use
"Oh My Jesus. I offer to Thee my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered throughout the world for the intentions of our Holy Father and for all good intentions especially for:
_____(mention your intentions here)_____
The Angel at Fatima taught the children this prayer:
Oh, my God, I believe, I adore, I hope in and I love you and I beg pardon for all who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope in and do not love you.
Our Lady of Fatima asked the children:
“Do you want to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings which he wants to send to you, as an act of reparation for the sins which offend Him and as pleas for the conversion of sinners?” “Yes, we do.” they answered. We, too, are asked this question. What will our answer be?
5. SUFFERINGS TRANSFORMED
Our sufferings are transformed into Grace which the Heavenly Father pours out on the world as mercy.
BENEFITS OF BECOMING AN INTERCESSOR
- You will belong to a spiritual support group of Intercessors from around the world who form a network of prayer for the world, the church, families. each other and the intentions of the Holy Father.
- Each person’s name will be placed in the Book of Intentions in the Chapel at the Center and prayed for daily by the other Intercessors and the staff of the Ministry Center.
- Everyone receives a Covenant Badge - a Third Class Relic of the Crown of Thorns.
HOW DO I JOIN?
- To join simply call or send the name of the person becoming an Intercessor and request a Covenant Badge.
- You are invited to share your story. Let us know if you would like to share it with others via our newsletter.
- There is no membership fee, no dues!