Offer it up

Because Christians in Communist and Moslem countries have plenty of opportunities to suffer for Christ and are, in record numbers, being martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ they, to me, represent the apple of God’s eye. 

When I was a teenager, I assumed that the only suffering worthy of God’s approval was when one was dragged away to jail for having stood on a stump on some street corner “spreading the Good News.”

We in America, where freedom of religion has not been totally obliterated yet, do not have to suffer like this. So, most of our suffering, I once thought, amounted to nothing more than great wastes of time and not worthy of God’s approval. I also assumed that these ideas were mine alone, until today.  Today I heard someone express those same notions while beating themselves up for being “so sinful”.

Now I wonder how many others believe the same way.  How many Christians view illness, bad marriages, abuse, the battle to rid oneself of bad thoughts, and just about everything else as having no connection to furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  And how many feel this suffering is for nothing and of little interest to God? 

In recent years, I have gotten to know a lot of faithful Catholic Christians, and one thing they all believe about suffering is, all suffering does matter to God and it is redemptive.  When these Christians suffer, they all say: “Offer it up.”  

Offer it up to the Lord as a sacrifice of praise.  Offer it up as a tutorial that will someday help me to help someone else.  Offer it up like a child who comes to his daddy with a “booboo”, and snuggles on Daddy’s lap so he can be hugged.

This someone I mentioned earlier has suffered severe hardships for decades.  Not like Christians in North Korea or Egypt, but like Christians who stand by their convictions to do what is right even though doing what is wrong would free them from their hard circumstances.

  Staying in a difficult marriage because one believes her vows before God are more important than her happiness, turning over to God one’s fears after receiving a diagnosis of cancer, quitting a good job instead of working for a shady boss; all these sufferings “spread the Good News” through our attitude and actions in them.

Where I got the idea that only by suffering the consequences of stumping for God on a street corner or in the bowels of Africa was worthy, I’ll never know. It has been very freeing to know that whatever is given me to deal with is an opportunity to “offer it up” for my salvation and the salvation of others. 

He came near

Jesus told this story when asked, “Who is my neighbor?” by an expert of the law.

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who also stripped him, and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead.

And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by.  But a certain Samaritan being on his journey, came near him; and seeing him, was moved with compassion. And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine: and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two pence, and gave to the host, and said: Take care of him; and whatever you spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay you.”

This story not only taught the teachers of the law to have compassion for all and especially their enemies, it informed them in no uncertain terms that they could not expect to go to heaven simply because of who they were.

The Jews believed that they were a privileged people because they were Abraham’s offspring.  But Jesus showed them, by using a priest and a Levite as the callous bystanders, their blood line alone was not enough. 

By depicting the despised Samaritan as the one who came to the aid of this injured man, told Jesus’ accusers that it was the works of kindness that mattered.

The story makes me wonder if the Samaritan would have helped the man if he had not gotten close and seen how bad off the man was.  Jesus tells his listeners that he came near, saw him, and was then moved with compassion. Maybe if he had kept his distance, he too would have walked away. But because he came near a man who was very likely an enemy of his and his people, his heart was softened. 

Jesus wanted the “expert in the law” to know that his neighbor was anybody who needed his help, friend or foe. He wanted the man to know his education, pedigree, and lineage was of no consequence if the love he showed others was not equal or greater than the love he had for himself.