The Essential Question

[stagefairy]

[quote]Would that I could. The Cathedral doesn't offer adoration.[/quote]

My church has adoration twice a day most of the time, but in the summer only once a day... but when the church is closed, I go knock on the rectory door and sweetly ask to be let in to visit Jesus... I have never been denied. The Blessed Sacrament doesn't have to be exposed for us to adore Him. He is there in the tabernacle.

[stagefairy]

bump. I actually bumped this before realizing it was up at the top. Silly me.

Edited August 13, 2004 by stagefairy

[let_go_let_God]

I have heard holiness defined as "Simply letting God love you." Easier said than done. Reading Seatbelt's AWESOME post I was reminded of a Bible passage, Philippians 3:12-16

[quote] It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my persuit in hope that I may posses it, since I have indeed been taken possesstion of by Christ [Jesus]. Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Let us, then, who are "perfectally mature" adopt this attitude. And if you have a different attitude, this too, God will reveal to you. Only, with reguard to what we have attained, continue on the same course.[/quote]

I was at a funeral today, and I heard something phenominal.

[quote] Even his long lived life of almost 78 years is nothing in comparison to eternity. In the grand scheme of things it is but a glimpse of light in the dark, which we have been blessed to see. John lived his life as best he could, working with the church from an early age as an alter server and sharing his love for God with his family through simple acts of kindness.[/quote]

I have some work I need to do, and I will continue this later.

[Paladin D]

The question you have brought to us, is the goal that we as Christians all have to strive for. There is no direct formula or a [b]How to guide for Dummies[/b]. We are put on this earth to get to know Christ, His Church, and spread the message of the Gospel to everyone. In order to do all this, we must strive for holiness. To reach for something higher that we cannot duplicate on this planet, something that is beyond our mortal flesh. Which is why it's a long, challenging journey.

To strive for holiness, one must be hungry and willing. There will be times when we will be discouraged, and our flesh will constantly attack us in the process. First it starts with the heart, we must have a desire deep down... a desire to sacrifice our lives for Christ. This doesn't always mean to join the priesthood or what not, God has a plan for each and every one of us. This desire will be clouded and threatened by destruction, by our flesh which Satan uses against us.

Think of it this way. This earth is filled with many things that are awesome, yet many of those things can lead to our destruction. Would you rather spend an eternity in heaven with [b]everything good[/b]? Heaven is not about naked, baby angels flying around, and all clouds. Heaven is perfect. The problem is it's so great, we can't comprehend it... thus we become discouraged. We think to ourselves [b]"How can heaven be perfect? It won't have all the fun stuff on Earth"[/b], which is not true. Heaven will be fun, full of joy, it will be 1,000,000 better than here! You have to bypass the details and the [b]what if[/b]s (of heaven), because it will do you no good anyway. Or you can have a great time here (immoral wise), and go to hell for eternity.

Secondly, once you have this desire, you must put it into action. By you creating this thread, it shows that you have a desire (even if it's a very small one) to achieve holiness. Not everyone is alike, so therefore not all methods would be as effective for everyone. But here are some suggestions...

[b]1.[/b] Prayer. Just have a conversation with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Virgin Mary, and/or the Saints. Tell them what's going on, talk to them through prayer. You don't have to always use fixed prayers. Fixed prayers are awesome, but so are prayers which you just come up with. Have a conversation through prayer, don't be in a mindset that somehow God is [b]out there[/b] and you are [b]here[/b]. He is there with you.

[b]2.[/b] Mass. Mass is the highest form of worship, by you participating in the Holy Sacrifice, you are witnessing a miracle. Christ coming down in the form of Bread and Wine. If you ever wanted to experience Christ before you, find it in the Eucharist.

[b]3.[/b] Meditation. Meditate on ways where you can be more of a blessing towards others. If it be lending a hand with a chore, being gentle towards those who need it, and etc. These are only a very very few ways where you can be Christ-like. Just meditate.

...I apologize for my grammar or for the wording, not having a good typing day.

[Paladin D]

Correct me if I misunderstood the original post.

EDIT: My entire post was off target.

Edited August 13, 2004 by Paladin D