Private Vows in The Laity/Spirituality

[Guest]

EXTREME PILGRIM - ASCETIC CHRISTIANITY(You Tube)

I am half way through watching this You Tube documentary again (posted previously here).  It struck me as I watched that Jesus is all things to all men (the path of freedom St Paul took imitating Jesus who bore the sins of us all to save us***) and Jesus is "The Way, The Truth and The Life" and there are many ways to travel and all of them in Jesus (witnessed by our variety of vocations) - and the documentary speaks of a way (total eremitical solitude), but it is not the only way.  Even so, there are things that I have been able to draw from the video that speak to me and my own way of life - not that I have reached them as yet...........perhaps I never will.  It is a consolation, nevertheless, to see an objective (Grace permitting) as a sort of light that says: head towards this way - which is a confirmation for me.

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*** St Paul: 1st Corinthians Chapter 9 "Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew to win over Jews; to those under the law I became like one under the law - though I myself am not under the law - to win over those under the law.

To those outside the law I became like one outside the law - though I am not outside God's law but within the law of Christ - to win over those outside the law.

To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some.

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St Paul: Romans Chapter 9: "For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh."  (Haydock's Commentary Excerpt: "He (St. Chrysostom), and many others, think that St. Paul was so troubled and grieved to the heart at the obstinacy of the unbelieving Jews, at their blasphemies against Christ, and their eternal perdition, that an extraordinary charity and zeal for God's honour, and their salvation, made him wish even to endure a separation from Christ, and from the glory prepared for him in heaven, though not from the love, or from the grace of Christ.

If this, says St. Chrysostom, seems incredible to us, it is because we are far from such heroic dispositions of the love of God, and of our neighbours. (Witham) --- The apostle's concern and love for his countrymen, the Jews, was so great, that he was willing even to suffer an anathema, or curse, for their sake; or any evil that could come upon him, without his offending God. (Challoner)

 

 

IRONING AND BEDTIME

My one ironing client dropped off a big load of ironing this morning and so my available time over the next three days (Thursday 1st Sept. 2016 10.05pm here) will be taken up with ironing keeping me out of mischief I hope.  Monday I have a visitor for most of the day - my foster son is taking me shopping to the newly opened ALDI not all that far from Bethany here.  I would like to explore if it is a worthwhile shopping venue - and he will be doing the same for his needs.   After that, he will be doing a couple of tasks I can no longer do myself.  There is a Psalm in the Divine Office (Psalm 126) that always reminds me of my sons and their wives and their outstanding faithfulness as channels of God's Goodness: 
 

Quote

 

"Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watches in vain.  It is vain for you to rise before light, rise after you have slept, you that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved,

Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb. As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. Blessed is the man that hath filled the quiver with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate."

 

In Holy Orders and consecrated life, they have the welfare of all, body and soul, entrusted to them in a very special way - in that is their spiritual parenthood.  While those in married life have a very special way too and share (though in a different way) the command "increase and multiply and fill the earth".  And all ways and vocations faithfully followed (despite falls at times) will take one the Way of The Cross, the way of fecundity.

 Past my allotted bedtime for today!

[Guest]

HOW TO BECOME HOLY

In one not-so-easy step - Dear Self: how holy are you?

Here

Quote

 

Excerpt only: "Thanks to a suggestion by Amazon, I recently happened upon Dr. Peter Kreeft’s new book, How To Be Holy: First Steps In Becoming A Saint, which explains masterfully why holiness is simple but hard. Amazingly, at least to me, Kreeft affirms exactly what I’ve been trying to say in both my writing and talks—that holiness isn’t about performance, but surrender.  In other words, holiness has much less to do with asserting my will than it does with assenting to God’s. And therein lies the crux of Kreeft’s message.  ...............

.............But it is when God allows us to be sanctified, or made holy, “against our will, through suffering” (Kreeft, 32) that we are frontally challenged to exercise the theological virtues in a more radical way. It is then that we must decide whether we really believe that God is good and whether we truly trust that what he is permitting in our lives is for our good. In these moments of permitted purification, we are beckoned to abandon ourselves with confidence to God’s providential will, allowing the fire of God’s love to burn away the dross of our own self-love and self-will—in a word, selfishness—which, Kreeft says is the main obstacle to holiness....."...........

Read whole text on above link.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by BarbaraTherese

[Guest]

NATURE OR GRACE

Daily Reflection -3rd Sept 2016 -  

St Vincent de Paul Society (FAMVIN)

 

"Every step we take all day long is a step of nature

or a step of Grace." - St Elisabeth Ann Seton

Almost finished the ironing load.  My client (who also has breast cancer) has advised that she has lost her job.  I have offered to iron for her FOC - no advice from her to date.  She picks up the ironing I am doing now next Tuesday and I should know then if she will take up my offer.  She has been more of a friend than an ironing client and both her and her husband are lovely people. Just lately have been thrust into serious and very trying circumstances.

As the above circumstances each unfolded, I have come to realise that perhaps much that I take for granted about Catholicism and The Gospel and as pretty basic sort of knowledge -  is an eye-opener and new to them (they are not Catholic nor any other faith profession).

A prayer for them very much appreciated.

[Guest]

PEACE & SUFFERING

Daily Reflection - 4th Sept 2016

St Vincent de Paul Society (FAMVIN)

 

Peace is never so complete that we may not have something to suffer

St Vincent de Paul  (IV:171).

[Guest]

DIVINIZED IN CHRIST

Theological Gems from Emile Merch's Theology of the Mystical Body

Book III: Christ

 Chapter 11: Nature of the Redemption

 

317. Christ took to Himself miseries, sufferings and human death; and behold, they are divinized in Him.

[Guest]

Busy day today.  My son took me to ALDI to investigate as a branch had opened not far from me.  I was not impressed and we went to my usual venue i.e. Coles.

My son then did many jobs for me around Bethany I can no longer complete.  He is actually my foster son and I am so very proud of him.  He came to us (while I was married) at only 8yrs old and he is now 53yrs. and happily married to a great gal.  He is the eternal practical joker and by the time he left I was absolutely grateful for him, giving thanks..............but I had a headache too!  I have promised him that if he gets to my age and I am still on this earth with my marbles, I plan to make his life pure hell!

He has asked me if I can no longer manage here in Bethany due to age/physical disability, would I like to come to live with him and his wife.  I replied that I would...............providing I had a granny flat about a mile from the house.  They do not need me day in and day out for sure........and some visa versa there too!............ again

Both my sons and their wives are great blessing to me indeed.......my biological son and his wife live in another state.

All in all a very busy day and I still have groceries to unpack and straighten up generally since tomorrow is an ironing day with my client picking her ironing up in the later afternoon.  It is just that I am so very slow to what I used to be ........ and still frustrating even though giving thanks my problems are not far worse as so many do endure today - far far worse.  As a previous quote in this thread stated, we can experience real Peace even though there might be something to suffer and I still cannot get over frustration at times (try though I may) as age and disability slows me right down and provides inability to be able to do what I once did with ease.

Tomorrow afternoon I will know, I think, if my client will accept my offer to iron for her FOC.  She has lost her job.

  Please say a prayer she will accept my offer - ironing keeps me out of mischief and it means that I can be helpful to another (I charge a very cheap rate when I do charge - covering costs really only since the government housing authority wants 25% in rent even if I only earn $5.  The plus side of that is that Bethany here is a lovely unity and garden at exceptionally cheap rent even with 25% of any ironing invoice I submit added).

Deo Gratius.

[Guest]

I still please would like a prayer for my ironing client (I did put a request into the Prayer Forum too).  She has breast cancer and to date will accept only natural treatment even though the medicos know the cancer has gone into her lymph nodes.  Now she has lost her job.  Not only those things, life has presented her and her hubby (both beautiful people) with really heavy expenses lately and, of course, neither of them anticipated a job loss.  All this is coming more or less one thing on top of another is why I am really hoping that she will accept my ironing assistance FOC.

Our Lady, Untier of Knots, please pray for them

[Guest]

Just did another view count check (I do every 5 to 10 days).  Since the end of July 2016, the count average per day has steadily increased from 41 to 64 views per day average.  It was steady around 41 views for a while.  Hence I am presuming there is still some interest in this thread.  If the average per day drops off, then I know that interest is on the wane.

I did ask that the thread title be changed, but got no reply.  If I changed the wording of the title my presuming was that Google would pick it up as private vows sooner.  It hardly ever does, if then, with the current title.  When I started the thread I was again presuming that after the Home Mass, the thread would die out - but that is not the way things have developed with much more than info on private vows being posted including spiritual quotes and bipolar disorder/mental illness comment.  That was not my original intention, just the way it has unfolded.   Nothing much I can post re private vows at this point since I just live them out daily and as a very ordinary every day type of life in the laity for a 71year old I presume with some unobvious to others adjustments due to the vows.  And this is what I think private vows is very much all about i.e. a very ordinary life as a lay person with some adjustments due to private vows as dictated by my rule of life.  St Therese is said to have lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way.  That would be the heights for me, as I waddle around wherever, indeed, I am waddling around

I have had a couple of attempts at a blog, but do not know enough about blogging to get comfortable about it and on all attempts to date I rather quickly gave up.  If this thread should be locked/disappear, then I will have to get serious about the blog business but until then if it happens, I am happy to cruise along in this thread, even without a title change and grateful that to date it has been allowed to continue.  I figure that if The Lord should want someone to read something I might have posted, they will read it without any help from me at all - hence the lack of reply to my request to change the title has not been a bother at all.

St Mary of The Cross MacKillop said: "Do what you can and leave the rest to God".............great advice!   As I post what I do on various spiritual matters, I am learning.  And writing has always been a learning tool for me amongst other things in that when I write something down, I have a better chance of it staying in my memory.............but that is by no means guaranteed....."better chance" is operative.

Venite , exsultemus Domino..........

[Guest]

SOURCE OF PEACE & CALM

Daily Reflection - 5th Sept 2016

St Vincent de Paul Society (FAMVIN)

“May the good pleasure of God be forever the peace and calm of your afflicted hearts.”

– St. Vincent de Paul

(All the saints writings and sayings [as it should be] are very much aligned with our Doctrine of Divine Providence (as per CCC***).........laid out in great detail in the work of Jean Pierre de Caussade SJ read online HERE and be sure too to read the very important Letters at the end of the book.

Peace and with it calm, as a previous quote I posted stated, can come with suffering.  And suffering (affliction) can wear a great variety of garments indeed.  Nevertheless, it is a beautiful intercessory prayer that St Vincent de Paul has prayed above.)

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*** CCC:

 V. GOD CARRIES OUT HIS PLAN: DIVINE PROVIDENCE (#302 - 324)https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=1755

[Guest]

My ironing client contacted me and will be picking up her ironing tomorrow.  She insists on paying as she is still receiving some sort of payment from her employer.  I have let her know that my offer to iron for her free still stands if along the way she needs it........and that I would be happy, honoured, to help her and her hubby out in such a small way as ironing.  It's not as if I find ironing difficult and a chore - a detested laboured sort of task (like dusting can be for me).  Rather I can find ironing quite relaxing. I am concerned about her and while realising that The Good Lord always acts for the very best in every way in all things great and small - on the human level I can find it difficult still and that applies whenever something negative might come my way - although I would rather suffer myself than have to stand by and know that someone I care about and love is suffering and one is helpless on a practical everyday level.   She has been an ironing client of mine for probably around 5 yrs. or so.  She and her husband are truly beautiful people - the one in a thousand kind.

Our Lady, Untier of Knots, pray for them and us.  Amen.

[Guest]

THE MORE LIKELY GOODNESS WILL TRY YOU

Vincent's Quote of the Day - 6th September 2016

The better you serve God, the more likely His Goodness will try you St Vincent de Paul (IV:180).

[Guest]

Our parish is conducting a Service & Ministry Renewal programme.  I am volunteering for:

• St Vincent de Paul Society
• Lectio Divina Prayer Group
• Assist at cuppa after Saturday Vigil Mass
• Parish Office support
• Emergency assistance at Saturday Vigil Mass where and if needed

My finances will have recovered after the wedding in May and then I will be reviewing first and second collection gifting, joining a senior's club and online study at University of The Third Age.

Hoping to stay out of mischief!

 

Our Lady, Untier of Knots, pray for us

[Guest]

8th September 2016 - Birth of Our Lady

http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections

(An important reflection on Our Lady: You will need to scroll down in the "September" column underneath the video on the above link - click on 2016-09-08, and then return to the video screen which will play automatically)

[Guest]

Venial Sin or Imperfection

I thought that this is an excellent and concise explanation of the difference between venial sin and imperfection:

Source: Catholic Answers here

Quote

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. Venial sin does not break the covenant with God but it weakens charity and manifests a disordered affection for created goods. It impedes the progress of a soul in the exercise of the virtues and in the practice of moral good. It merits temporal punishment which purifies. http://www.vatican.va/archive/compen...um-ccc_en.html

An imperfection can be said to be --when good is done -but with say with less generosity then one can. It is weaker than ones gifts. It is weak but good. I do my work - it is done and is good -but really I could do it better.. There is "imperfection" present.

 

[Guest]

FORMAL PRAYER ROUTINE

A thread was initiated in Open Mic, asking about Prayer Routines, the following is my post here
 

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On rising, having coffee: Morning Offering, Come Holy Spirit, Guardian Angel, Hail Holy Queen and Our Father.  If I pray these unreflectively, I repeat until I am reflective.  It can take over an hour to be fully awake from previous night's psychiatric medication - and a bit longer before my limbs are sufficiently limber to get dressed.  After fully awake I will pray Morning Prayer (Matins) or perhaps even after I am dressed.

With leaving voluntary work outside the parish (2 bus trips there and again for return), I have changed my prayer times.  If for some reason I am unable to get to a particular time, I simply move on to the next.  But most times nowadays I can pray the routine.

Rather than going by the clock, formal prayer times are around duties of the day.

• Morning Prayer (Matins)
• Gospel Reading and Meditation
• None (afternoon prayer)
• 15mins Private Prayer
• Evening Prayer (Vespers)
• Night Prayer (Compline)

Spiritual Reading during the day.

Spontaneous mental aspirations as I go about my day including drifting off to sleep.

Rather than make a formal type of daily examination of conscience, I prefer to do so before I see my SD next time when I also go to Confession.  I write down the results of my formal examination of conscience so I forget nothing in Confession.