yes….suffering!

return to August - Call to Action

We often think of suffering only during Lent or Advent, but at Fatima, our Lady showed us that some form of “Lent” is with us almost always, even if “only” in unavoidable suffering. So don’t waste that suffering; offer it to God for your own purification and the conversion of sinners, as Our Lady reminded us. Then (especially if you feel like your suffering is currently minimal), maybe even go the extra step of offering avoidable small sacrifices to God for this same purpose.
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When we make these offerings, WE become stronger in the face of persecution (and perhaps help strengthen someone else somewhere in those circumstances). The three young Fatima seers offered sacrifices for others and then successfully endured severe persecution when captured by the evil local mayor in August, 1917. He threatened these children with death and jailed them with hardened criminals (page down to the August information here).
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Suffering afflicts each person in many different forms – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, or any combination of these. Even when living a life of material abundance, happy family, and good health, we can still experience severe challenges and outright sufferings, as we simply try to manage all of our needs and responsibilities while serving others and interacting with colleagues, friends, strangers, and members of our immediate and/or extended families.
return to August - Call to Action