Why Sacrifice?

I have a sweet friend that I met on Facebook named Jessica. She is a young girl of 23 and is the niece of my friends, Jean and Rita Karim in Lebanon. She lives in New York City. She and I have talked a lot of Lebanon because I have been there three times in the past three years and Jessica longs very much to go there and be with her family. We share lots of conversation. Jessica reads this blog and we sometimes discuss it. I like her inquisitive nature. She read with interest the post that I wrote some time back about my joy when I realized that my depression had been an answer to my prayer to suffer for priests; how I had turned my suffering into a new joy because it could be used as redemptive suffering if I joined my suffering with those of Christ on the cross to benefit the souls of priests. I told her that I had offered to God that I would like to suffer for the souls of priests, and in particular for a priest friend of mine. And she was surprised when I told her that now that my depression was over, I was asking God to suffer in some other physical way, for the souls of priests again.

Jessica asked, why suffer? Why not just pray for priests? I had to think a bit. This is a difficult concept for many to understand, especially nowadays, when we don't hear a lot about redemptive suffering, particularly in America. I probably didn't give an adequate answer, but, this is how I responded. And I invite any readers to comment if I am wrong, or to add to my answer please. First, I told Jessica that in Scripture itself somewhere it says that we must make up for that which is lacking in Christ. I cannot quote the chapter and verse because I am not good at citing verses. Of course nothing is lacking in Christ, but, I understand this to relate to the suffering to which I am referring.

Then, I explained that if we can be right up there on the cross suffering with Jesus, this is the ultimate sacrifice, and just as He could make up for the sins of the world, so too could we help some people with their sins by joining with Him on the cross. Perhaps my words are not adequate, but, the idea is there. A prayer is always good for someone's soul; but, how much better is an act of suffering. Jesus took His prayer one step further - to the cross and to His death. So if we take our prayer one step further - to suffering, shouldn't this bear more weight? It is not that God wants us to suffer, just that in our service to him we need to be willing to suffer.

We hear over and over in the lives of saints, their willingness to suffer for the souls of others. This is a saintly thing to do. If we are striving for holiness, should we not imitate the holiest ones? So, in my inadequate way, I have attempted to explain why I have decided to offer sacrifice for the souls of priests in general, and for particular priests. I hope this helps.