Inquiry

  • Jul. 10th, 2009 at 2:49 PM
...hello!


Been a while. Life is good. I'm already on 1 Samuel  in the OT  on my daily bible study and i'd like to get your opinions as to how you guys interpret this particular verse. 1 Samuel 28:1-25 (Saul and the Witch of Endor). God bless!




Kar wren =)

Captivity

  • Jul. 9th, 2009 at 7:02 PM
"An intellect faithful in the practice of the virtues is like St. Peter when he was taken captive by Herod(cf. Acts 12:3-18). The name 'Herod' means 'made of skins or leather', and so Herod signifies the law of leather, that is, the will of the flesh. St. Peter is guarded by two squads of soldiers and shut in by an iron gate. The two squads signify the attacks suffered by the intellect from the activity of the passions and from the mind's assent to the passions. When through the teaching of practical philosophy, as though with the help of an angel, the intellect has passed safely through these two squads or prisons, it comes to the iron gate which leads into the city. By this I mean the obdurate and stubborn attachment of the senses to sensible things."
The Philokalia vol. II, pp. 182

Any thoughts on this? Agreements, disagreements? All input is welcome.
Do you think that the law of leather is the law of nature?
By sensible things I think it's meant to rely on the material, the external influences,
or strictly on the rational mind.
5. 'So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.'
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2012:3-18;&version=31;
Thank you.

Confused is the right word...

  • Jul. 8th, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Hello all,

I guess I'm just a little confused in my life right now about things. It's probably the best way to describe it. I came to know Jesus through my boyfriend when I was 20, who is now my husband. Learning about Jesus opened my eyes to many things even though I feel like I learned about him later in life and wish I grew up knowing Jesus all along. He's definitely inspired me to think of others more and I started volunteering, giving money anonymously, and trying to walk a better life than before. I guess the main problem is that my ego is very strong and it always has been.

My husband and I are now married and we are 25. A large part of us is looking to live a Christian life (but we're not 100% sure what that means)... So here's our dilema. We feel like we have a calling to join the Peace Corps. Don't ask us why or where it came from, we have no idea. But in order to do that, we would have to give up our jobs, careers, and leave family. But the thing is, is joining the Peace Corps really a Christian thing to do? Or is it an ego thing? And I currently work for a non-profit organization, so isn't there Christian work for us to do here? Also, we have large debts to pay off and we wouldn't be able to if we left our jobs. Things are just so confusing right now.

But I think the thing that sort of scares me is that he's starting a high-end job in the fall for a wall street company and will be making pretty decent money. Actually more money than we've ever dreamed of... So wouldn't that be a great opportunity to give money to people in need? What should we do honestly?

Study Bibles

  • Jul. 8th, 2009 at 10:16 PM
I have a NIV bible. I would love to have a study bible to get more in depth with the bible. The problem is, I have no where to start with trying to find the perfect study bible. I was wondering if anyone has a study bible that is actually worth picking up for someone who is somewhat a beginner like myself. Thanks

Caritas in Veritate - Initial Analysis

  • Jul. 8th, 2009 at 10:44 AM

One thing is for certain: one should not look to this Pope seeking sound bites. This Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate - Charity in Truth, is a very dense 30,000 words. I have some initial reactions to the first half of the Encyclical:

The first thing that struck me, not related to the content but rather to the way he has situated this, is his defense of Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council as a continuation of Church Tradition. The Holy Father has consistently stated, to the chagrin of traditionalists and progressives alike, that Vatican II is only properly interpreted through a hermeneutic of continuity. In reference to Pope Paul VI's great Encyclical, Populorum Progressio - On the Development of Peoples, which serves as the backdrop of this current Encyclical, the Holy Father writes that it can only properly be interpreted through "the Tradition of the apostolic faith[13], a patrimony both ancient and new, outside of which Populorum Progressio would be a document without roots." Paul VI's Encyclical is situated in continuity with Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum - On Capital and Labor, in continuity with the Second Vatican Council, and in continuity with the historical development of the apostolic faith. Concerning the Second Vatican Council the Holy Father writes, "The Council probed more deeply what had always belonged to the truth of the faith, namely that the Church, being at God's service, is at the service of the world in terms of love and truth."

Continue reading... )

persecution complex?

  • Jul. 8th, 2009 at 4:28 PM
There is this bible verse that says that anyone who wants to lead a godly life will be persecuted. Can someone tell me what that really means?

In my real life I have maybe three people I look up to in terms of faith, my pastor, my mother, and the former pastor of a nearby village. I think that all of them devote much time to the faith and try to live by the commandments. But I think none of them qualifies as being persecuted.

So does that mean that all of us don't have the right faith and don't lead the right life, because we are not being persecuted yet? Or do small troubles that arise when you become a christian, such as when family members or friends disagree with you and don't think your choice for faith was a good one, already count as persecutions? I've had that happen with my dad, who is an atheist, but it was nothing big really. He just voiced his disagreement and later told me he didn't want me to speak about christian stuff with him. Other than that he never hinders me at the practice of my faith, and even drives me to church and such things.

I think it's possible that through the freedom of religion thing which is a human right in most western countries, including Germany where I live, prevents real persecution. In other countries it's way different, for example India where a christian pastor I knew really got into trouble with muslims. Somehow I think real persecution is about real weighty threats such as those Paul experienced. Beatings, other violent attacks, imprisonment, being sent into exile, being legally required to conform to another religion, etc. But here in the west? Somehow I doubt that the small troubles we are all face count as persecution.

What do you think?

Truth and Love in Christ

  • Jul. 7th, 2009 at 8:29 PM

"Truth and love are originally identical; where they are completely realized they are not two parallels or even opposing realities but one, the one and only absolute." Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23)

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)


There is an insidious seduction of the modern world, the seduction of relativism, which causes man to buy into the lie that truth and love are somehow separable. I say it is insidious because it is a lie, but it is an attractive one. The truth is difficult and much more likely to cause conflict, and our human nature is such that we prefer to shy away from conflict. It is difficult to find someone who does not agree with the ideal of love, and so we look at love as the common bond which can unite us. But love that is not in the service of truth is vapid and meaningless, it is merely a sentiment with no substantial value. When love forsakes its responsibility to truth, it is not love at all, but is a sentimental lie.

Continue reading... )

Lucid Dreaming

  • Jul. 6th, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Some of my friends back home are getting into lucid dreaming. I don't know much about it, but it seems fishy to me. Anyone have any knowledge of it?

Self-Awareness and the Grip of the Ego

  • Jul. 6th, 2009 at 12:02 PM

Breakthroughs do indeed happen. These can, however, be quickly followed by moodiness, irritability, struggling once again with demons we thought had been dealt with long ago. This ego backlash is fairly common at this point in one's practice and not all that complicated. The ego is accustomed to keeping a tight grip on things and always having the last word. Any growth in contemplation is going to loosen the ego's grip, and the encounter with silence will for once leave it speechless. Sometimes the ego reacts by tightening its grip again, and, after taking a step forward, we're left with the impression of having taken three steps back. It's best to become comfortable with the sense of always being a beginner.

--Fr. Martin Laird, OSA, Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, p. 87

One of the fruits of contemplative practice in the beginning can often feel more like a curse. It is the fruit of self-awareness. This takes on three distinct manifestations. One, we develop a hyper-awareness of our faults and sins; two, this awareness brings to the surface hidden anger, fear, resentment, pain, and the like; finally, the silence with which we begin to encounter all loosens the grip of the ego, and the ego does not like this one bit, for it is in the ego's nature to dominate and control. The attack of the ego attempting to regain control produces an internal battle that often makes us irritable, angry, moodiness, depression. In all three cases it feels as if we are actually regressing in the spiritual life, when in fact the opposite is occurring. We are being purified, like gold tried in fire. These impurities, these pains, these afflictions, these sins, are all passing through the furnace of Christ's Sacred Heart, and this process is painful, but produces great humility and great purity.

Continue reading... )

Discovering the Art of Silence

  • Jul. 4th, 2009 at 7:56 AM

Truly I have set my soul
In silence and peace
As a child has rest in its mother's arms,
even so my soul.
--Psalm 131

The discursive mind, the ability to think and to reason, is one of the great gifts of humanity. It is an essential component of what makes us human. There is the tendency, however, to allow it to dominate our soul in such a way that denies us the opportunity to cultivate another and even greater component of our humanity, which is the art of silence.

Continue reading... )

Happiness?

  • Jul. 4th, 2009 at 7:15 PM
I have a question inspired by the post asking whether being a Christian made people happier than they were without faith. I've often heard people talk about this, and I've never quite understood how they got that idea. I never got the impression that faith is supposed to make us "happy". It's about something much more important.

So, my question: why do you think this (= being happy/happier) is something that many people think will happen when you are a Christian?

How do you pray?

  • Jul. 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 AM
This is something that has been on my mind as of late.  Of course, I have been taught the Lord's Prayer and several others, and pray for the people around me or for guidance.  My question is about what I perceive to be an essential part of prayer, that of listening to God.  Am I incorrect that this is an essential element of prayer?  If it is, how do you all go about doing it?  This is not something I have ever been taught, so I am confused about it and would appreciate any wisdom you want to share.  While I have been taught to pray, it has always seemed more like 'going through the motions" rather than a communion with God.  Thanks!

our religion

  • Jul. 2nd, 2009 at 8:24 PM
Has faith in the Christ made you happy? Or at least happier than you were before?

Was it a success for you to become a christian?

How? Why?

Developing the Loving Awareness of God

  • Jul. 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 AM

Union with God is not something we acquire by a technique but the grounding truth of our lives that engenders the very search for God. Because God is the ground of our being, the relationship between creature and Creator is such that, by sheer grace, separation is not possible. God does not know how to be absent. The fact that most of us experience throughout most of our lives a sense of absence or distance from God is the great illusion that we are caught up in; it is the human condition. This illusion of separation is generated by the mind and is sustained by the riveting of our attention to the interior soap opera, the constant chatter of the cocktail party going on in our heads. For most of us this is what normal is, and we are good at coming up with ways of coping with this perceived separation (our consumer-driven entertainment culture takes care of much of it). But some of us are not so good at coping, and so we drink ourselves into oblivion or cut or burn ourselves "so that the pain will be in a different place and on the outside."

--Fr. Martin Laird, O.S.A., Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

The great common illusion of our human experience is that we are somehow separated from God, that God is absent from us, that He is distant. There exist any number of reasons why this distance is perceived, but the reality is that we as humans are built for contemplation. We are created with a God-given capacity for knowledge of God's nearness, for the intimate experience of God's indwelling within us, as the very ground of our being.

Continue reading... )

Pope Benedict XVI on the Priestly Identity

  • Jul. 1st, 2009 at 11:11 PM

On Priestly Identity

"One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone"

VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued with the theme he took up last week: the Year for Priests.

* * *

Dear brothers and sisters:

As you know, with the celebration of First Vespers for the solemnity of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Pauline Year has come to a close -- the year that marked the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the spiritual fruits that this important initiative has brought to so many Christian communities.

As a precious her itage of the Pauline Year, we can reap the Apostle's invitation to go deeper into the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, so that he becomes the heart and center of our personal and social realities.

This is, in fact, the indispensable condition for a true spiritual and ecclesial renewal. As I already emphasized during the first Eucharistic celebration in the Sistine Chapel after my election as the Successor of the Apostle St. Peter, it is precisely from that full communion with Christ that "flows every other element of the Church's life: first of all, communion among all the faithful, the commitment to proclaiming and witnessing to the Gospel, the ardor of love for all, especially the poorest and lowliest" (1st Message at the End of the Eucharistic Concelebration With the Members of the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, April 20, 2005).
Continue reading... )

Lost

  • Jul. 1st, 2009 at 10:19 PM
I didnt know where else to go and something told me to post to this community...here is to hoping....im lost...and normally when i feel this lost i turn to my bible, i turn God and his son Jesus. but today for the first time in a long time I picked up my bible, cried and didnt know what verse or where to turn. i felt as though i picked up the wrong book it didnt feel right, my cross ive worn around my neck is now sitting on my jeweley box i feel like im not in the state of mind or spirit to wear it. I feel lost. its been a tough few weeks and i know others are struggling just has much if not worse than I. i hope that someone in this group can help me direct me to a passage, a reading a song something that will help me feel not so lost. ive only once felt this lost and it was after tha passing of my grandmother. this time i dont even know why i feel so lost. anykind of wisdom would be so gratefully apperciated.

thank you in advance

a lost soul.

God gives us the vision..

  • Jul. 1st, 2009 at 2:54 PM
It's been tough what with being unemployed and the strain that has put on my life. So I was pleasantly surprised when my dad forwarded this quote that a friend sent to him:

God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we will have patience. Think of the enormous leisure of God! He is never in a hurry. We are always in such a frantic hurry. In the light of the glory of the vision we go forth to do things, but the vision is not real in us yet; and God has to take us into the valley, and put us through fires and floods to batter us into shape, until we get to the place where He can trust us with the veritable reality. … The vision is not a castle in the air, but a vision of what God wants you to be.Let Him put you on His wheel and whirl you as He likes, and as sure as God is God and you are you, you will turn out exactly in accordance with the vision. Don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had the vision of God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you.

Prayer Request...

  • Jul. 1st, 2009 at 7:49 PM


I'm calling out to anyone who might come across my journal, or the communities that I'm posting this request to.

A friend of mine, Justine, who is on loan to us from Uganda and has been doing amazing work for and within the church, has recently received news that following an accident her brother and sister are in hospital (back in her home country).

Justine is a wonderful wonderful person with an amazing heart.  She loves and worships God & Jesus so openly and beautifully and completely, and has devoted her life to serving our Lord.  She isn't returning to Uganda until the middle of August, but is obviously now torn between doing God's work for the church, and rushing back to her family.

I am including her and her family in my own prayers, and I humbly ask any and all Christians out there to join me in asking the Lord for his blessing at this time, and that He might help Justine through this difficult emotional time and that if it be His will, that he help her siblings to get well so that Justine can return to her family whole and happy in August.

We are all God's children, and therefore all part of His family.  Let's show our sister Justine, and her siblings, that she is not alone.

My thanks and love to you all, and thanks to anyone who offers support and prayers.

X-POSTED TO [info]christianhelp, [info]134_851_544, & [info]ljchristians



Celibacy, Marriage, and Union with God

  • Jul. 1st, 2009 at 1:10 AM

I have been thinking recently about this vocation to celibacy – not specifically the vocation to priesthood, but the vocation to celibacy itself. It is not uncommon to hear one argue against it, on the basis that sexuality is only natural and to deny it thus must be unnatural. This, however, is a false tautology. What we must ask is what is it about sexuality that makes it truly a gift from God?

The reason that Christianity teaches that the sexual union is a gift used perfectly when it is between a husband and a wife is because of what the sexual union itself represents. Sexuality is designed by God as a means to achieve a union of love which leads both to an ecstatic experience as well as the giving of life. It is given to humans in this way because it is a type of what is to come, that union with God experience by the soul after death. The soul in heaven is perfectly united to God in love in an eternal ecstasy in which the soul also experiences an abundance of life, as promised by Christ. The sexual union, then, is but a foretaste of eternity with God.

This vision of the sexual union is important when attempting to understand the vocation of celibacy. The celibate is called to foreshadow this union with God in a radically different way – through contemplation. Though contemplation is certainly not limited to celibates, celibacy better enables a soul to prepare for it and be drawn into it. Contemplation in a Christian sense has nothing to do with thinking or meditating – though meditation is a means of preparation, it is not contemplation itself. Contemplation is the communication of God's very Being to the soul – it is the deepest awareness of the soul's union with God, and the soul in contemplation experiences even more profoundly than in the sexual union of husband and wife that experience of ecstatic love and the abundance of life.

The reality is that every human being is in union with God. As Creator God is the ground of our very being, and so there is no such thing as "separation" from Him. There is, however, a darkening of the awareness of that union, and this darkening leads us farther and farther astray from our predestination, which is eternal life with God. It is sad then that more priests and religious and celibates of every kind do not recognize their call also to contemplation, because it is through this call that they are best able to foreshadow the life to come. Through so many varied ways does God bless human beings, all so that we may better experience His love and witness to that love by loving our neighbor, and insofar as we all, married or celibate, recognize the true depths of our vocation, only then may we best bring a glimpse of heaven here to earth.

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