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iloveangels
Guest
Based on your descriptions of what you’re looking for, this sounds like a match.
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Edward_H
Guest
The spirituality of Opus Dei draws in many people once they understand it.
One of the “always norms” in Opus Dei is “consideration of our divine filiation”…an ever deepening awareness and understanding (not necessarily just a feeling, but more substantially and enduringly, at the intellectual level) of our divine sonship; maintaining spiritual childhood. This leads to a calm and stable joy.
Cheerfulness is another “always norm”. Cheerfulness, because we are children of a loving, constant Father God. Being cheerful also can be demanding. Smiling when we don’t want to for the love of God and at the service of others. Making the lives of others more pleasant.
These attributes…lead to an “attraction” (God acting in our soul) that others should be able to sense…and this can be the basis for an effective personal apostolate. By being good friends, by living generously and cheerfully, by doing our work very well, eventually our friends and colleagues will eventually open up to us, and these opportunities present chances for them to very naturally and gently engage with us about more substantial topics, perhaps the transcendent ones.
Apostolate is one of friendship.
One of the “always norms” in Opus Dei is “consideration of our divine filiation”…an ever deepening awareness and understanding (not necessarily just a feeling, but more substantially and enduringly, at the intellectual level) of our divine sonship; maintaining spiritual childhood. This leads to a calm and stable joy.
Cheerfulness is another “always norm”. Cheerfulness, because we are children of a loving, constant Father God. Being cheerful also can be demanding. Smiling when we don’t want to for the love of God and at the service of others. Making the lives of others more pleasant.
These attributes…lead to an “attraction” (God acting in our soul) that others should be able to sense…and this can be the basis for an effective personal apostolate. By being good friends, by living generously and cheerfully, by doing our work very well, eventually our friends and colleagues will eventually open up to us, and these opportunities present chances for them to very naturally and gently engage with us about more substantial topics, perhaps the transcendent ones.
Apostolate is one of friendship.
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
Done. Your words were the second most important influence on me, Jason (after my family). My family’s (name removed by moderator)ut was a bit of a surprise, as it means more meetings at a much greater distance (hey, wait a minute: are they trying to get rid of me?Well Lou? Today was D-Day. Let’s have it!
).Additionally, there was one other factor. It is that the fraternity is near death.
We are down to 7 professed members (in my case, re-professed) and 1 inquirer. If it drops below 5, it means that the fraternity will be dissolved. Now, in my case, there is a fraternity (emerging) that is actually 5 minutes from me, so I could transfer there. (I didn’t start out there, as it didn’t exist when I started in 1996.) I still feel a “responsibility” for my fraternity of origin, which is why I don’t simply attend at the (much) closer one to begin with.Again, I want to thank all of you in this thread. You have helped me more than you will ever know. May the good Lord bless you abundantly for having helped me.
J
jwinch2
Guest
St. Francis it is huh?Done. Your words were the second most important influence on me, Jason (after my family). My family’s (name removed by moderator)ut was a bit of a surprise, as it means more meetings at a much greater distance (hey, wait a minute: are they trying to get rid of me?
Additionally, there was one other factor. It is that the fraternity is near death.
Again, I want to thank all of you in this thread. You have helped me more than you will ever know. May the good Lord bless you abundantly for having helped me.
I’m happy that you are at peace with your decision. Good for you!
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
Thanks my friend. For everything
J
jwinch2
Guest
Cheers Lou.Thanks my friend. For everything
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Tampa_Dave
Guest
Congratulations, Luigi!
St. Francis is a winner! He will be lucky to have you as one of his faithful followers. Its really great that you’re able to bolster the ranks of your former fraternity, especially at the sacrifice of many additional miles. God bless you on your path!
St. Francis is a winner! He will be lucky to have you as one of his faithful followers. Its really great that you’re able to bolster the ranks of your former fraternity, especially at the sacrifice of many additional miles. God bless you on your path!
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
Thank you very much, Dave!
J
jwinch2
Guest
Just ordered the Manual for Oblates of St. Benedict (1955) though a used book store out in California. I had heard both good and bad things regarding The Oblate Life (2008) in terms of some brands of feminism on the part of some of the writers that did not quite jibe with Church teaching. With that in mind, I decided to pursue what multiple people had said was a great version, and get the original. The last thing I need is some wacky modernist approach to Benedictine Spirituality and life as an Oblate.
I now have enough Benedictine books to read for the next year or so.
Unfortunately, I am a bit of a bibliophile.
Peace,
I now have enough Benedictine books to read for the next year or so.
Unfortunately, I am a bit of a bibliophile.Peace,
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
The Oblate Life gets a C-. At best.Just ordered the Manual for Oblates of St. Benedict (1955) though a used book store out in California. I had heard both good and bad things regarding The Oblate Life (2008) in terms of some brands of feminism on the part of some of the writers that did not quite jibe with Church teaching. With that in mind, I decided to pursue what multiple people had said was a great version, and get the original. The last thing I need is some wacky modernist approach to Benedictine Spirituality and life as an Oblate.
I now have enough Benedictine books to read for the next year or so.
Peace,
J
jwinch2
Guest
Thanks.
It gets pretty good reviews on Amazon, but its hard to trust those reviews since they allow people who haven’t even read the text to comment on it.
One reviewer on Amazon who did appear to read the book gave it 1 star out of 5 and was the person who stated that there was some off the wall feminism in the writing. Did you notice anything of that sort?
When you have the time, I encourage you to write reviews on Amazon for the books you have read. It would be good to get some additional accurate reviews on Catholic books.
Peace,
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
There was indeed. I recall coming across it, and wanting to throw the book away. There are a couple of really good chapters, but the bad/boring ones really brought the book down.
Pace e bene
J
jwinch2
Guest
Thanks. I trust you not to see something that isn’t there so I will continue with my plan to avoid that book. There is too much out there that is solid and faithful to waste my time and greenbacks on questionable material.There was indeed. I recall coming across it, and wanting to throw the book away. There are a couple of really good chapters, but the bad/boring ones really brought the book down.
Pace e bene
Pax,
T
Tampa_Dave
Guest
Edward H,
Are you a member of Opus Dei? I’m meeting again this week with the numerary from the local Study Center. I’ve attended an evening of recollection, will soon attend my first circle, and I’ve signed up for a retreat at Longlea. I’ve researched Opus Dei and find myself in agreement with the prelature’s practices and beliefs. Good start, but much left to learn.
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Tampa_Dave
Guest
Luigi,
I encourage you to look at the St. Francis book I recommended earlier in this thread (“Francis of Assisi: The Man Who Found Perfect Joy” by Michael De LA Bedoyere) While I’ve only read excerpts thus far, they were as impressive as the Amazon reviews. After I finish with my Opus Dei materials, I hope to delve into this book.
I encourage you to look at the St. Francis book I recommended earlier in this thread (“Francis of Assisi: The Man Who Found Perfect Joy” by Michael De LA Bedoyere) While I’ve only read excerpts thus far, they were as impressive as the Amazon reviews. After I finish with my Opus Dei materials, I hope to delve into this book.
T
Tampa_Dave
Guest
Lest I gave a bad impression earlier, I want to be clear about my visit with the Discalced Carmelites. They are a wonderful community with an equally inspiring spirituality and great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. If I didn’t think Opus Dei was a better personal fit, I would certainly explore formation with the OCDS. If not for Opus Dei, I would be at their doorstep seeking the brown scapular.
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Edward_H
Guest
Dave, yes, I am a new supernumerary member, but had been a cooperator for about 4-5 years. Good progress. Well done. I suspect you’ll really like Longlea. I’ve gone there a number of times. Bring a notebook…lots of good ‘work’ to do. Never go home rested!
Don’t want to derail this thread, so PM me if you have any questions.
J
jwinch2
Guest
Hello everyone,
An interesting train of thought popped into my head after watching one of the Catholicism episodes last night. In the show, Fr. Barron made the comment to find a saint who is like you and learn from them. Then he said, find a saint who is not like you and learn from them also. That created the question in my mind of exactly how one becomes good at the spiritual life and translates that into improving their relationship with God.
An analogy come up with is that of learning a musical instrument or a sport. When I was a musician, we were always told to practice what we were not good at. Why? It was the only way to get better. Young musicians especially, have a tendency of playing the things they are good at over and over again instead of practicing passages or pieces of music which are difficult for them. Short story? Success is more fun then failure but it is failure which makes you good at something.
We could look at golf the same way. If someone is good at their woods and irons but a lousy putter, they are never going to make it anywhere in golf. The only way to get better is to learn how to read greens more effectively and accurately, and work on your putting stroke. However, poor putters tend not to practice putting. Thus, they never really become good at the game of golf.
Now, let us apply this to improving our spiritual life. Should we follow the path of the saints who’s strengths are our strengths? Or, should we follow the path of the saints who’s strengths are our weaknesses?
Looking at my own situation, the charism of the Order of Preachers and the Society of Jesus are probably the two which probably most closely match my own personality. I love study. I like to teach. I don’t mind working independently and often prefer it. I don’t mind moving from place to place and often get antsy if I stay in one spot too long. I enjoy a spirited debate, err… discussion
. I could go on here, but you get the general idea.
Then, take the charism of the Order of Saint Benedict, Camaldolese Benedictines, Cistercians, etc. Humility. Obedience. Contemplation. Lectio Divina. Stability. I stink out loud at all of these things. I am prideful. I balk at following orders. I have ADD which makes focusing on any one thing for lengths of time difficult. I read my study bible pretty faithfully but rarely attempt lectio divina. I have lived in 4 states in the past 5 years. Me, a Benedictine? Not exactly the obvious choice.
Having said all of that, what is the best approach? Is it the one which accentuates the things you are good at and which best matches your personality? Or, is it the one which accentuates the things you are poor at thus, allowing you to improve your faults and tendencies towards sin? If my skill acquisition analogy related to music or sport, is a good one, it would seem that the second choice is the one more likely to get you where you need to be as it would help to raise up the areas of one’s character which need the most improvement.
So anyway, that is what has been bouncing around in my head for the last day or so. I haven’t spent much time fleshing this idea out as it literally came together about two hours ago. I appreciate any thoughts on the matter that all of you may wish to share.
Pax,
An interesting train of thought popped into my head after watching one of the Catholicism episodes last night. In the show, Fr. Barron made the comment to find a saint who is like you and learn from them. Then he said, find a saint who is not like you and learn from them also. That created the question in my mind of exactly how one becomes good at the spiritual life and translates that into improving their relationship with God.
An analogy come up with is that of learning a musical instrument or a sport. When I was a musician, we were always told to practice what we were not good at. Why? It was the only way to get better. Young musicians especially, have a tendency of playing the things they are good at over and over again instead of practicing passages or pieces of music which are difficult for them. Short story? Success is more fun then failure but it is failure which makes you good at something.
We could look at golf the same way. If someone is good at their woods and irons but a lousy putter, they are never going to make it anywhere in golf. The only way to get better is to learn how to read greens more effectively and accurately, and work on your putting stroke. However, poor putters tend not to practice putting. Thus, they never really become good at the game of golf.
Now, let us apply this to improving our spiritual life. Should we follow the path of the saints who’s strengths are our strengths? Or, should we follow the path of the saints who’s strengths are our weaknesses?
Looking at my own situation, the charism of the Order of Preachers and the Society of Jesus are probably the two which probably most closely match my own personality. I love study. I like to teach. I don’t mind working independently and often prefer it. I don’t mind moving from place to place and often get antsy if I stay in one spot too long. I enjoy a spirited debate, err… discussion
. I could go on here, but you get the general idea.Then, take the charism of the Order of Saint Benedict, Camaldolese Benedictines, Cistercians, etc. Humility. Obedience. Contemplation. Lectio Divina. Stability. I stink out loud at all of these things. I am prideful. I balk at following orders. I have ADD which makes focusing on any one thing for lengths of time difficult. I read my study bible pretty faithfully but rarely attempt lectio divina. I have lived in 4 states in the past 5 years. Me, a Benedictine? Not exactly the obvious choice.
Having said all of that, what is the best approach? Is it the one which accentuates the things you are good at and which best matches your personality? Or, is it the one which accentuates the things you are poor at thus, allowing you to improve your faults and tendencies towards sin? If my skill acquisition analogy related to music or sport, is a good one, it would seem that the second choice is the one more likely to get you where you need to be as it would help to raise up the areas of one’s character which need the most improvement.
So anyway, that is what has been bouncing around in my head for the last day or so. I haven’t spent much time fleshing this idea out as it literally came together about two hours ago. I appreciate any thoughts on the matter that all of you may wish to share.
Pax,
M
Marauder
Guest
Welcome back. Hopefully you will be just the thing that the “near death” fraternity needed and maybe also exactly what the new fraternity needs. Good luck.Additionally, there was one other factor. It is that the fraternity is near death.
Pax et bonum
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
Dave,
I have it (on your suggestion) and am reading it now. It is so good that I am limiting myself to 1 chapter/day (although I am cheating like a mad dog
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