The concept of the victim soul derives from the Roman Catholic teaching on redemptive suffering. Such a person is said to be one chosen by God to suffer more than most people during life, and who generously accepts the suffering, based on the example of Christ's own Passion. The Catholic Church does not officially designate anyone as a victim soul. A New Testament basis for this concept may be found in Saint Paul's statement in Colossians 1:24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church,"
Background
In the apostolic letter "Salvifici doloris", which deals with human suffering and redemption, Pope John Paul II noted that: "The Redeemer suffered in place of man and for man. Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished...." An exposition of the tradition of victim soul appears in the autobiography of saint Thérèse of Lisieux, The Story of a Soul. In her view, the victim soul is a chosen one whose suffering is mysteriously joined with the redemptive suffering of Christ and is used for the redemption of others. The Catholic Church does not officially designate anyone as a victim soul. The term comes from the testimony of those who have observed Christians who seem to undergo a kind of redemptive suffering. Victim soul status, even when genuine, is a matter of private revelation; therefore individuals are not bound to accept, as part of the Catholic faith, the legitimacy of any particular person for whom such a claim is made, nor the genuineness of any miraculous claims that have been made in connection with such a person.
Saint Gemma Galgani : wrote in her autobiography how Jesus told her "I need souls who, by their sufferings, trials and sacrifices, make amends for sinners and for their ingratitude."
Blessed Alexandrina of Balazar : whose Vatican biography states that she saw her vocation in life to invite others to conversion, and to "offer a living witness of Christ's passion, contributing to the redemption of humanity."
Saint Faustina Kowalska : who wrote in her diary that Christ had chosen her to be a "victim offering", a role that she voluntarily accepted.
Although the notion of a scapegoat has been present within Judeo-Christian teachings for long, the Catholic concept of a victim soul is distinct and different from it, in that in this case the victim soul willingly offers the suffering to God, unlike the unwitting scapegoat scenario.
