Marieteresa Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Just wondering what eveyones thoughts are on this subject. Is there true happiness in deprivation of will, worldly goods and sometimes family? I thought this would be a great topic to discuss since Lent has started. Please share your thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemma Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 [quote name='Marieteresa' post='1457206' date='Feb 7 2008, 07:41 PM']Just wondering what eveyones thoughts are on this subject. Is there true happiness in deprivation of will, worldly goods and sometimes family? I thought this would be a great topic to discuss since Lent has started. Please share your thoughts![/quote] Absolutely. The more one is filled with God, the less one needs of other things. If a family is involved, as it is in my case, my sanctification lies in caring wholeheartedly for them. Blessings, Gemma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benedicite07 Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 IMHO, deprivation can and does lead to holiness if we actively seek God's grace to fill up the empty space created thereby. On the other hand, deprivation can lead to bitterness, anger and sin if we feel we are being unjustly deprived of something we are entitled to. Holiness can and does lead to happiness, just not always in this life (but most definitely in the next!) So yes, deprivation can lead to happiness -- eternal happiness -- with God's help. Awesome question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortnun Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 In this holy season of Lent, I can't help but see the connections between "deprivation" (or what I would call "simplicity") and "fasting." I absolutely think these are ways that help us recenter our focus and attention on God! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praying4carmel Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Depravation can be a tricky thing, I think. Numerous saints have struggled with it; if one is not careful it can lead to a path of the ego whereby one feels holy because one is deprived. St. Teresa of Avila warns about this clearly in her "Way of Perfection". It is easy to move from depravation to scruples, I think. I think what Gemma is saying about serving family, I would not consider to be a deprivation but a Grace. Christ should move within us outward to loving service whether cloistered or not. It's easy to have notions I think, sometimes that religious life should not be joyful in the fullest, especially for those of us with a contemplative bent. However, the more joy filled I am the better my prayer, even if it is sometimes dry, and the less "Me' is involved. What I am looking for is a Balance and Respond-ability so that if I need to let something go I can, and when I need to respond fully towards something I can. No shame or regrets, no judging the situation, just balanced response. Doors open and shut, it is the flow of a Christian life in Christ I think when we analyze it too much, we bring the Ego in too much. The Lord will take away what He does not want us to have effortlessly and bring in what He does want us to have without us trying to manufacture situations as a penance. Just my opinion. Not Gospel! I can certainly understand the other points of view and they have much merit. Interesting question because this Lent I am in a place where I am just allowing the cleansing to occur instead of trying to deprive my self of something to make a good Lent. It seems to be flowing much better for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Therese Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I'm not sure, but I think the value of deprivation would be equivalent to how attached you were to things, or your passions, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praying4carmel Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I agree, St. Therese, But I do not see Deprivation in the same way as I see Detachment. Semantics Maybe.. Detachment is more spiritually based as i see it but that is just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laudate_Dominum Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I'm hoping that hairshirts make a comeback in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycin Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Good question, one that I have thought about a lot... I'm not sure I know the answer yet, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Therese Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 (edited) Of course, detachment and deprivation are not the same thing. But it seems to me (and I'm no expert) that if one has an unhealthy attachment to something, or someone, or some passion, etc, that deprivation could help one with this. Perhaps in this context deprivation would be understood as morification. Edited February 14, 2008 by Saint Therese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I was just trying to explain to my husband today that we are all born with a void that we try to fill. Some try to fill it with food or drink or drugs, some with work, some with serial relationships or material things, but none of that works. Only God will truly fill it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praying4carmel Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Mortification, that's great St. Therese! Yes, I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Therese Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 This thread makes me think of St. Jerome and his ascetical life which helped him to overcome his passions, which he struggled with terribly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Therese Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 This thread makes me think of St. Jerome and his ascetical life which helped him to overcome his passions, which he struggled with terribly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnydigit Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 i'm learning that penance, deprivation/mortification/fasting/etc. is a powerful tool to bring you closer to God. it helps with humility and is like kryptonite to vices (hint: guys).. i wonder if that's what happened to St. Francis - that he went so far and so deep into it that when there was nothing left for him to do, God said, "ok, you want it? you sure? ok you got it!" and blessed him with the Stigmata. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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