Friday, September 5, 2008

Stuff Catholics Like

Offering it up or Offer it up.

Offering it up refers to offering something bad, hard, tough to do; to God for the benefit of the souls in purgatory, the salvation of others, for those who are sick, to win the lottery - kidding, it doesn't work, trust me - I should know.

It's similar to Non-Catholics saying "Suck it up".

This can be a formal daily process. For example making a Morning Offering each day where you offer to God all the days works, pains, joys, sufferings...everything. Or at daily Mass where we join with the sacrifice of the Mass.

Or it can be informal, done through-out the day. It could be bumping your head on the bar when getting off the floor, putting up with an obnoxious co-worker (not that I've ever had one of those), missing a long traffic light cause some guy running 26 miles gets in your way. Instead of swearing like a woman in labor, you offer the situation up to God to use your suffering as needed or for something specific.

The only problem with it is that I sound like a dork at soccer games (as opposed to just looking like one). It's much cooler to yell "Suck It Up Princess" when my kids get hurt than "Offer It Up". Oh well, we Catholics must make these small sacrifices...guess I'll just have to offer up having to say offer it up.

So if you ever hear a Catholic say "to offer it up", you will know what they mean.

1 comment:

Colleen said...

This is a timely post for me, as my 5 year old just recently asked what I meant when I told him to "offer it up". It's kinda hard to explain to little kids, and I don't think I have ever had it actually explained to me, just had my mom saying it since I was born...she still says it daily. I think that's the phrase that should go on Catholic parent's gravestones everywhere!