"Offer it up"

A very remarkable excursus on the pope's encyclical comes to us from the American Papist.

I think this is a perfect idea for a new year's resolution. Start this week as a preparation for Gaudete Sunday.

And here's my excursus on his excursus-- note the part he quotes from the encyclical:
There used to be a form of devotion—perhaps less practised today but quite widespread not long ago—that included the idea of “offering up” the minor daily hardships that continually strike at us like irritating “jabs”, thereby giving them a meaning...
In this way, even the small inconveniences of daily life could acquire meaning and contribute to the economy of good and of human love. Maybe we should consider whether it might be judicious to revive this practice ourselves.

Here our Holy Father references that illusory concept I tried to know more about this past November-- the spiritual economy. That somehow in our doing and being as Christians we contribute to a greater doing and being.

Protestant used to write this off as 'meriting heaven' or 'justification by works'. But I think they do the same thing in their daily devotionals. It's precisely what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions is that we, Catholic or otherwise, believe our God is Incarnate. And so we participate in divine life by choosing Jesus.

"No, he chooses us!" some Protestants might reply. But we all know what we mean. It's a joint effort. You have to keep wanting Jesus in your life in order to be a good Christian. There's no getting around that. And so we all, whether we use the Catholic terminology or not, believe in the Spiritual Economy. We all join our prayers to Christ's. We all genuinely believe that by doing so we really are making a difference in the world around us.

I'm still wanting to grasp the concept further. I checked the Catechism and the index only points to the section on liturgy and the sacramental economy. It doesn't treat the concept in its own right. But I think the pope gives a clear idea of it in the above statement.

How we face each day matters greatly to God. Our disposition each day when we get up matters a great deal to Him. Isn't that a blessing to know how closely we are loved? how intimately He regards us?

Numbering the hairs on our heads and so forth. I love Jesus.

I love Papa Benny.


Yay God!