As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, we are all starting to think about what we are going to give up such as sweets or coffee, and one of the key themes of Lent is fasting.  But this brings up the important question of why do we “offer it up” and what is the meaning of redemptive suffering? Many of the answers come from St. John Paul II in his magnificent apostolic letter “Salvifici doloris” (On The Redemptive Meaning of Christian Suffering).  St. John Paul II gives us great insights on how Jesus, through his own suffering and death, has transformed our suffering to become redemptive.