Your suffering matters

By Tom Quiner

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7sCT0biJMs]
A friend posted this quote on Facebook this morning:

“A stone thrown into the ocean affects even the most distant shore. Doctors graft skin from the body; if it is possible to graft skin, why is it not possible to graft prayer; if it is possible to transfuse blood, why is it not possible to transfuse sacrifice? The sacrifices I make can therefore be applied to others.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer Book)

The Venerable Bishop Sheen paraphrases St. Paul so beautifully. Paul expressed the power of redemptive suffering in his letter to the Colossians (1:24):

“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.”

We are so beautifully connected. Our suffering can serve a purpose.
And our prayers are powerful in this life and the next.
Watch the video above for an example of the power of intercessory prayers from a beautiful soul in heaven. My wife, Karen, and I had the honor of producing this short video of Bonnie Engstrom’s amazing story. She describes an alleged miracle that took place near Peoria, Illinois, a few years ago.
Each of us is a member of the Body of Christ on earth and in heaven. Our suffering and our prayers give our life rich meaning.