THE CATHOLIC REVIEW: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering

by Deacon Rick Bauer

“In this world you will have trouble.” In the Upper Room of Passover before Calvary’s offering, Jesus comforted his disciples. There will be suffering, he reminded them; there will be persecution, some would face martyrdom. There was no saccharine happiness — no beige discipleship — that would forever mark their footsteps. There would be trouble.

Megan Hjelmstad, author of “Offer It Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering” (Emmaus Road, 2025), knows the truth of Jesus’ warning to the disciples on Holy Thursday. She also has realized that there is a unique power in overcoming the world’s suffering, weaknesses, and failures. A Catholic housewife, mother, Army veteran, and self-proclaimed “hockey mom,” she is also a member of St. Mark Parish in Highlands Ranch and part of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

In her new book, Megan shares openly and candidly about her life and her introduction to both success and suffering, starting in her teen years with a debilitating bout of endometriosis and adenomyosis. Megan overcame these trials and went on to graduate from West Point, be commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, and marry her husband, himself a cadet.

We learn later in the book, however, that Megan’s health challenges did not end in high school, as she faced difficulties in pregnancy, immunological and digestive issues, and years of general subpar health. Megan had to view her suffering through one of two perspectives — either the “suck it up” way (the armed forces way of ignoring difficulties or simply plowing through them in a demonstration of sheer personal courage and will), or the “offer it up” path, making a deliberate decision to understand suffering in light of her faith in Jesus Christ, and consider the spiritual values of treating these test from a heavenly perspective. As she lay down the weapons of earthly conflict, she discovered weapons that can tear down principalities and powers, and with the Holy Spirit as an empowering guide and source of consolation.

This book is one of the more accessible, enlightening, and helpful studies into the subject of human suffering I’ve ever read, and as we reflect on our own sufferings, those in our family, and those in our world, this Lent provides the “reflection space” to consider how Christ may teach us more through suffering than through joy or success.

According to Today’s American Catholic, “Offer it up” is a phrase used in religious contexts, referring to intentionally giving suffering or inconvenience to God as a sacrifice. By uniting our struggles with the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus, we trust that God brings about good and personal growth. It is a way to become more like Christ and love others as He loves them.

Megan began a battle against her physical ailments that became for her the greatest spiritual test she had ever experienced and the answer for several debilitating illnesses, including digestive ailments so severe that she even had to “fast” from Holy Communion for a season. Megan, like Christ, “learned obedience from what was suffered”; her own experiences provide a human perspective on suffering that opens a door of understanding to the scriptural teachings that illustrate the redemptive power of “Offer It Up.” She writes, “. . . over the years, I’ve spent many moments questioning God’s goodness and wisdom amidst the cruelty of suffering. I’ve clung precariously to faith and borrowed others’ hope when mine was wearing dangerously thin. I’ve sought healing through medical interventions, functional medicine, and the rich traditions of my faith . . . through decades of suffering upon suffering, I’ve encountered both the depths of agony and heights of grace. I’ve prayed in faith, outright begged the Lord at times for physical healing that has not happened — but also bloomed with a spiritual healing I never would have imagined” (Offer It Up, pages 8-9).

If all the insight contained in the book simply focused on the author’s abject suffering and spiritual testing, we would walk away inspired and thankful. As we continue through the chapters, however, we discover that the initial part of the book only sets the stage for deeper insights. We are introduced to a “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over (Luke 6:38)” of teaching, catechesis, and exemplars of faith about the ways that suffering can be redemptive in the purposes of Christ and for his Church. We often see the Christian faith twisted into false guarantees of success, fame and fortune, but the only promise our Lord gave to us was in the Upper Room — and it has been a promise that Megan met with faith, authenticity, and integrity in her life.

Like a skilled catechist, Megan walks us through the Sacred Scripture on the subject, from the origins of sufferings (imagine a perfect, beautiful Garden, if you would . . . ), through the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus, through Magisterial teachings and the wisdom of the saints and doctors of the Church — we walk through sound and trusted teaching so our expectations will be both stretched by faith and tempered by wisdom. We discover (at least for many Christians) that there can be a real participation in the sacrifice of Jesus when we suffer, not in the sense that our suffering is meritorious like the sacrifice of Christ on the cross of Calvary, but for the sake of the Body of Christ, Christ’s Church (see Colossians 1:24). Indeed, we can discover that we can share in Christ’s sufferings, actual co-redeemers of a type, which can bring tremendous grace and confidence.

“Offer It Up” features 15 sequenced chapters of powerful insights and personally-validated guides for addressing those “times of trouble” in our lives and in the lives of others. Chapters titled “Setting Limits in the Midst of Suffering,” “Asking for and Accepting Help in Suffering,” “Overcoming Comparison in Suffering,” and “Forgiveness in Suffering” unveil the deeper perspective of the grace that is found in pain. As St. Paul realized the authentic spiritual power of his own weaknesses, Megan Hjelmstad unveils a similar experience, drawing on the example of countless saints whom God seems to always chasten and purify by suffering’s fire. Through solid and faithful Catholic teaching, authentic personal stories, and by sharing the heroic and inspiring witness of the saints, “Offer It Up” shines a bright light on the path to sharing our suffering with Christ.

Bishop James Golka wrote the book’s preface, sharing how his experiences growing up and early in his Catholic priesthood taught him the redemptive power of suffering and how to “offer it up” in the challenges of his life. Even currently, reflecting on his parents’ declining health, he observes that “as they enter this stage of life, the most difficult thing for me is to see them suffer and simply not feel well. While I feel sadness in their suffering, I find great solace and deep peace in knowing they belong to God. God is honoring their suffering. I trust God even more. Even in their difficulties, my parents are bringing me more profound graces and insights” (Bishop James Golka, Preface, Offer It Up, page xiii).

May you welcome this wonderful guide in your library and your life.

(For comments, reactions, or to suggest a book or resource that might be helpful for Catholics, please write Deacon Rick at rbauer@diocs.org.)