In his walk with Our Lady, She has taught A Friend of Medjugorje many things, one of these is about suffering…
January 18, 2012 A.D.
In his walk with Our Lady, She has taught A Friend of Medjugorje many things. Of the many She has taught, one of these is about suffering. Often we will hear from family, friends, and many on our mailing list, “Please pray for me. I am going through difficult trials right now.” The truth is, everyone is. The time we are in is the purification of the heart. Our Lady wants us not to be crushed by this purification, but be made stronger.
A Cross, marking a grave in Medjugorje, with Cross Mountain in the background.
While not pleasant, the crosses of life are not escapeable. Learning what to do with those determines our benefit or not. A Friend of Medjugorje writes:
Our Lady knows what is best for us. It is to our benefit to struggle, to suffer. But we determine if it becomes valuable or worthless. Do we elevate God through our suffering by witnesing joy amidst trials or do we take away from God’s kingdom by carrying it in such a way that it brings others down and even away from God. Our Lady said in November 1991:
A Christian, who is seeking perfection, will consider it a great benefit to the soul to suffer. With a correct attitude, reflecting Our Lady’s message, sorrow and suffering will be more attractive to the Christian than pleasure to the pagan.
We must realize that all suffering will pass, however for those who embrace their suffering, using it for purification or for souls of others, it will never pass. Its mark will be forever lasting throughout eternity.”
23 thoughts on “It Is To Our Benefit to Struggle… Suffer”
In the space of 12 days beginning January 8, 2012 my father suffered a major heart attack, my mother was diagnosed with dementia and my husband had a work accident that severed 2 of his fingers down to the first knuckle..meanwhile flying down from Ohio to Florida ASAP to care for my father and mother and then knowing that I could not fly back to help my husband in Ohio and rely on family and friends to help him. Needless to say this message has come at the right time for me!
Thank you for the reminder. Sometimes, the pain blinds us and the world tells us that suffering is bad. But Paul preached Christ crucified. Thank you for reminding us that suffering has power if only we knew how to use it for souls and would never forget it!
Thank you Friend of Mejugorjie and all at Caritas for Our Lady’s messages. I have suffered from ill health all my life. Last year I was diagnosed with ME/CFS. Our Lady had called me to Medjugorie (my first visit) and I was well enought to go last May/June. I was blessed to be able to shake Vicka’s hand and I felt the great love Our Blessed Mother has for me. What joy! Shortly after returning home my Osteo Arthritis became so debilitating that I am in the process of applying for ill health retirement from work. I place all my trust in Almighty God and Our Blessed Mother. I off all of my suffering mental/physical to Jesus. I ask for Almighty God to heal my soul and remove anything that prevents me from being with him. My physical life will one day end but my soul lives forever. Praised be Jesus and Mary!God bless all of you at Caritas.
Dear friend, I agree with you but unfortunately although I knew it in my weakness I sometimes forget it and I’m not strong enough to pass through suffering. Thank you for your message. It is good to remember it. Our Lady bless you. Hugs.
Dear Caritas Community, my heartfelt thanks and prayers for all the sacrifices you have endured all these years Evangelizing World-Wide. My personal life experience at 66 years has taught me the closer I am to GOD the more attacks from the darkness in the world to allure me away into the safe pleasures of the world…..Our Lady Queen of Peace in Her messages have helped me grasp the spiritual warfare on Earth for SOULS…..the events and struggles in everyday have intensified as stated for all GOD People true BELIEVERS…December 2011 Message emphasizes our ‘baptism’ into the Body of Christ and therefore the CROSS is our Banner and Hope and the Rosary our weapon.
Mother always comes to me at the right time. I am going through a very difficult time and started to despair a little then boom i read this article and i got the big A HA! I love you so much Blessed Mother. Thank you for watching over me. HUGS.
For a very composed, older catholic woman, who lives day and night on the word of the Lord, I became so sorrowful when I had to face a serious problem and though I was holding on the Jesus, I could not get out the pain I felt, two days later, I felt better and went off for my daily Mass. But, today, Our Lady made me understand that we should carry our problems courageously for God knows all about it, and allowed it to happen, and I understood too that many people are going through grave problems at this time, and that it will soon pass. Our Lady has indeed enlightened me.Rita
its a good message given through this article. thanks for the message. i will keep this in my mind. thanking you again.
True we all turn to God when we want help but we also realize that we do need to always keep Him in us all the time. He is always by our side 24 hours a day. Thank you so very much for everything God the Almighty.
I needed this, I love the timing of our heavenly family, to give us these reminders when we need them……We never know, or are unaware just how close our saints are to us in our everyday life, be it pain, joy, or mundane…they seem closer when there’s pain…….and we all get there sooner or later….I’ve had one thing or another(mostly physically), with me for years and years, I’ve never thought of it as a ‘blessing’, but after reading this, the enduring of pain in all its forms, I’m trying to look at the suffering in a different way…..hopefullly I have the strength to see and feel the power of God….itself a blessing……We the suffering, are we the militant of Christ’s church on earth?
Oh Mother Mary, thank you for your message. The lump of misery which I felt in my heart before going to bed last night just melted away after reading the message. I was just too overwhelmed with my business problems and woke up at midnight to pray over it. I was astonished to be greeted wth the message by Mother Mary from Caritas in the morning which has empowered me to say boldly, that “Lord, I thank you for the gift you are giving the family.” May Your will be done. Thank you Caritas for keeping us in touch with Mother Mary!
Since returning from my trip to Medjugorje on October 7th, two of my daughters have had miscarriages, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer, my niece was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, I have had pneumonia, 5 of my 7 children are having trouble or strife in their marriages…..I feel like Job! But I still praise God for all of his blessings, and say the Divine Mercy chaplet, especially the ending prayer……”that in difficult moments, we might not despair nor become discouraged, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is love and mercy itself.” When I start to get overwhelmed, I thank God for all of these things, and before going to bed at night, I give it all over to Him. Truly, He knows what is best for all of us, and will use different means to bring people closer to Himself.
DEAR SWEET IMMACULATE MOTHER Thank You so much for shedding light on our sufferings.It surely helps to understand persecutions, illness, injustices,etc…You Most Beloved Mother and My Saving Jesus know my heart better than I do…the struggles I have to perservere trials with JOY..Please pour forth Your Grace to bear them silently and joyfully…You experienced and thereby know my struggle with watching my beloved suffer…if only it could be me instead of my beloved…in small likeness to You Dear Mother observing Your Beloved on that Blessed Cross You understand my sorrow and in contemplation of You at the foot of the Cross being crushed with sorrow for Your Beloved Jesus I offer my nothingness and my small sorrow to unite to Your infinite sorrow at the sight of that horrifying sacrifice…Thank You Immaculate Virgin Mary Mother of The Most High for interceding and teaching Your children through all your Messages…Medjugorje…, and all others. In Jesus, Ron
Thank you for everything Caritas has done for so many people to keep the messages of Our Lady in our homes and our hearts, I embrace my cross and I give Glory to God., Thank you Jesus we love you
Suffering is a part of Living in Christ. Only through our Faith can we endure our crosses. I have carried many crosses some heavier and longer than others but through my Faith in My Lord and doing what I can humanly do and offering up to Our lord that which is beyond my control do I pass and relieve myself of that particular cross. His Will be done not mine. I used to worry a lot about everything small or large but worrying is the work of satan cause worrying only causes you illness, sickness and for what? When I have a concern (worry) I offer it up to God and leave it with him. Believe me when I say most of the time nothing ever comes of what it was I would have worried about if I didn’t offer it up. As I said earlier HIS WILL be done and HE has shown me over and over again throughout the years that HE will not abandon me. My heart is always open to Jesus Christ and HIS Blessed Mother Mary.
I say Amen to those who sent feedback to this article. I too am crushed by circumstances and this article reminds me again, to offer it up and not run or hide from it; to love those who the Lord in His wisdom has given me to love and pray for all. Thank you Friend of Medjugorje for continuing to say YES to Our Lady and for being loyal to your calling. You are for us another Shepherd; which I am eternally grateful. I will keep you all in my prayers.
May the peace of Christ be wtih you all. Thank you for being a sign of contradiction in this difficult time we are in. For these words of wisdom run counter to the all-too-common and worldly conviction that man should be free to escape suffering and live for pleasure, power, prestige, or wealth. How important it is to regain the truths of Faith and expose this post-modernist and “socially engineered” worldview for the dreamland that it is! Thank God a trillion-fold that Our Lady is here to lead us on the path to Christ. God bless you all.
God Bless Caritas and your constant flow of deep wisdom and understanding of our Faith and Blessed Mother’s messages. I know I need to have joy and thankfulness in my suffering of the loss of my cherished loved one. I am praying each day for gifts of the Holy Spirit for pure Faith, love, counsel, understanding; however,in my weak and earthly human side, I am totally devastated! I realize I can not take ONE breath or step without begging Our Lord and Mother to be by my side. Please forgive me, but my heart is shattered and I would be less than truthful if I did not admit that. I keep reflecting on Good Friday when our Blessed Mother witnessed her precious innocent Son being tortured and murdered. How did she as a human creature withstand such pain? I don’t think I will ever fully comprehend that. Thank you for reminding me of Our Lady’s precious words regarding how we are to suffer. God Bless and Keep You Always
This article has awakened my soul. I’m no longer scared of the hardships that I’m currently facing in my life, I only need to offer them to the Lord. Thank you mother Mary for these words of wisdom
Yes, only with faith can we say suffering is beautiful. Thank you, dear Lady, for teaching us! How much you love us!
Thank You Mother! this is a great advise. Yes we have to say Thanks My Lord! When we have to face difficulties in our life. We do not have to discourage, nor drowned. Mother! you know everything in our lives. Failures, dangers, sicknesses, Please pray for our weaknesses Mother help us to face the life bravely and be Thankful to our Lord.
OUR DEAREST FRIEND OF MEDJUGORJE. Your writings are nourishing our mind & soul. We have faith but we are weak & tired, the moment that we will step aside from prayer your writings are waking us, strengthening us, and leading us back to prayer. I thank GOD that we have you in our lives . GOD BE WITH YOU
What an example you are of how devotion to Our Lady changes one, helps us to grow, takes us to places we never would have dreamed of, and allows us to be in union with Her and Her mission to us, who are struggling in this ole wounded world. Thank you.