Deny/love self.

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“If any one would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. These words are almost an introduction to Jesus’ great commands of LOVING God, your neighbour and self; LOVE being in capitals since it is the agape variety! As I see it, the greatest challenge facing mankind at present is the first part of this “condition” to “deny himself”. Satan has woven a web of deep self hatred around so much of mankind and now we construct this elaborate façade to try and counteract/protect and to prove that “we are the greatest”. Yes, look at our sport and the desperate need to win and the displays when we do or don’t. The “gushy” emails that “we ought to send back” to “prove” that we love the sender, whereas really it only “proves” that we know where the “reply” tab is! The examples are literally endless! And yet we go on trying to convince ourselves that deep inside we LOVE ourselves, but I feel that this is just not true, but the appetite becomes insatiable. But where is this “deep inside”, yes, our childhoods mainly, “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you a man”. Satan has been slowly and carefully “positioning” the foetus/baby/child so that they are, or feel they are, not LOVED, through emotionally mangled early childhoods. “Oh I had a very loving childhood!” is the immediate response of so many people, but then, when it is allowed to unravel, with Jesus in control for some, it gradually comes into sharp, painful focus. They have not been viewing their childhoods as their child did and/or do not understand the true meaning of this LOVE, God’s LOVE, as shown for us on the cross, “A space in which anything can exist”. Jesus “LOVED” Himself in that He could stand before Pilate, knowing the utter horrors that were before Him, and could be silent and “He knew Himself”. But His LOVING himself was interwoven/integral with “denying Himself” as it should be for us. If what I have suggested is true then surely this hating ourselves undermines the complete foundation of LOVING God and our neighbour, not to mention ourselves. On the latter, Jesus led me to the very painful discovery that I hated my father and brother and that around this “hate” I had constructed an elaborate wall of, yes, I’m O.K., which appeared, for me, as “I cannot be wrong”; “I must be perfect” and so on. Written on my primary school report was, “Lives in a dream world of his own” and this was my “dream world” I’m O.K., but as Jesus showed me, I wasn’t. Read “The Shack” by William P Young or view “The Dead Poets Society”, some of the “God touched” material for our growth I believe!
 
JMJ / MMM 091021 Wednesday
Hello Deny/love self –
God made each of us and we’re not junk. I’ve come to understand that I musn’t view myself as bad, wicked – although in the past I have been. Even then, though, Jesus looks at me with Love and, perhaps, sorrow. I should regard myself as A SICK CHILD, who needs proper care and loving.

Each of us has a TRUE self and a SEPARATE self. It’s that separateness in our self that has to go. God means our self to be healed and to grow and to mature … and to enter into a deeper and deeper union with Jesus Christ Trinity.

Our pope, Benedict, explains well the difference and relationship of EROS and AGAPE … in his work Deus Caritas Est, God Is Love. EROS and AGAPE are meant to be integrated into a healthy EROS and a Divine AGAPE. In the Trinity there is EROS. Is it wrong for God to Love Himself and Will Infinite Good to Himself? Of course not.

Yes, “unless the grain of wheat fall into the ground and die” … unless that separateness in us die … we cannot grow into the members of the Living Christ we were created to be.
John (JohnJFarren)
 
Jesus’ instruction is rooted in Judaism, albeit I don’t exactly remember how. I know it had to do with the paradox of religion, though.
 
Sorry John but I just do not understand what you mean by “TRUE self” and "SEPARATE self.
"Each of us has a TRUE self and a SEPARATE self. It’s that separateness in our self that has to go. God means our self to be healed and to grow and to mature … "
I wonder if you could unpack a little. Brian (Delphos)
 
JMJ / MMM 091022 Thursday
Hello Delphos, Brian –
I’m sorry my language was a little confusing.
I had written, "Each of us has a TRUE self and a SEPARATE self. It’s that separateness in our self that has to go. God means our self to be healed and to grow and to mature … "

Here’s what I meant. We have only one soul … and only one self. By our TRUE self I mean that self that God envisions us to become … that self that is perfectly united and in tune with God. And we won’t achieve that until Heaven.

By our SEPARATE self I mean I mean that imperfect self we have now, that self which is not perfectly united with God’s Will and, in that sense, separate from our TRUE self.

Very much of our difficulties and sufferings come from being this TRUE & SEPARATE one self. What a tension!

If this is not yet clear, please let me know. I do not always express things as best can be.
Blessing! John (JohnJFarren)
 
Hi John, Oh don’t worry, neither do I, but the important thing is to ask questions/for clarification, rather than to make assumptions and therby get into some very deep misunderstandings/deep water. Yes that does make much more sense now, and I would say, of the cuff!, that this life is about bringing the two selfs together. Yes a very tall demad but then I believe that people like Mother Teressa and PJ2 got very, very close. But what is the problem in aiming high, which is surely what Jesus wants us to do. Yes the “difference” in some ways is a “tension” but I don’t think we should worry too much about that but just set our sights on Him and “go for it!”. It has taken me something like fifty years to discover some of the basic truths and I would say that I perhaps have only been five years on the “real” journey. But that’s OK since Jesus understands and LOVES me all the same. The last one to be hired in the vineyard but… Wow!!! But where are you in your journey John? God bless my friend. Brian
 
Delphos said:
“If any one would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. These words are almost an introduction to Jesus’ great commands of LOVING God, your neighbour and self; LOVE being in capitals since it is the agape variety! As I see it, the greatest challenge facing mankind at present is the first part of this “condition” to “deny himself”. Satan has woven a web of deep self hatred around so much of mankind and now we construct this elaborate façade to try and counteract/protect and to prove that “we are the greatest”. Yes, look at our sport and the desperate need to win and the displays when we do or don’t. The “gushy” emails that “we ought to send back” to “prove” that we love the sender, whereas really it only “proves” that we know where the “reply” tab is! The examples are literally endless! And yet we go on trying to convince ourselves that deep inside we LOVE ourselves, but I feel that this is just not true, but the appetite becomes insatiable. But where is this “deep inside”, yes, our childhoods mainly, “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you a man”. Satan has been slowly and carefully “positioning” the foetus/baby/child so that they are, or feel they are, not LOVED, through emotionally mangled early childhoods. “Oh I had a very loving childhood!” is the immediate response of so many people, but then, when it is allowed to unravel, with Jesus in control for some, it gradually comes into sharp, painful focus. They have not been viewing their childhoods as their child did and/or do not understand the true meaning of this LOVE, God’s LOVE, as shown for us on the cross, “A space in which anything can exist”. Jesus “LOVED” Himself in that He could stand before Pilate, knowing the utter horrors that were before Him, and could be silent and “He knew Himself”. But His LOVING himself was interwoven/integral with “denying Himself” as it should be for us. If what I have suggested is true then surely this hating ourselves undermines the complete foundation of LOVING God and our neighbour, not to mention ourselves. On the latter, Jesus led me to the very painful discovery that I hated my father and brother and that around this “hate” I had constructed an elaborate wall of, yes, I’m O.K., which appeared, for me, as “I cannot be wrong”; “I must be perfect” and so on. Written on my primary school report was, “Lives in a dream world of his own” and this was my “dream world” I’m O.K., but as Jesus showed me, I wasn’t. Read “The Shack” by William P Young or view “The Dead Poets Society”, some of the “God touched” material for our growth I believe!
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this is kinda weird… Just now, i was wondering what forum to go to and i heard the word Spirituality in my head so i came here and purused and was attracted to your thread title; reading this post … was eerie because it seemed to be speaking directly to me… Long story why but it seems that this one person i know could have written it and so i checked your public profile to see if you were that person but you are not… In any case… it seems i was meant to read this… I would say I KNOW i was but only God knows, right?? 🙂

anyway… that thing about the Reply button really hit home because some of my family members who aren’t really all that cahtolic… or christian (my opinion, hardly know enough to say anymore) well, they don’t send me emails as much as i tend to think (or tended to think) they should and so in the past i have been kinda hurt but then i realized they are just afraid of the intensity of my faith or soemthing… your post hit home for other reasons but i don’t know if i w ant to elaborate…

anyway… i have struggled for yrs with this thing of loving *self *appropriately, without being selfish and without going againsst that thing about denying yourself… This really hit home for me because this morning i had a long conversation w/ several women from the Church and they just kept wanting to talk about mundane, unimportant (ultimately) things… and i kept wantting to talk about assisted suicide being legalized (WA) … and things we can do to stop that kind of evil… i felt a little lonely and depressed listening to them talk…i didn’t press the points i was trying to make… kinda gave up… i would bring up some serious thing and thye would make a comment but then just go back to talking about… uh… what they ate for dinner or whatever… So now i see that i must… do something a little different in my activities… & again, i feel very alone and its hard to do things when you are doing them or seeking to do them all “alone”… which leads to me to ask a question i have asked myself before… Why isn’t God enough companionship for me? I mean he was and is enough for me but lately… i just seem to want to… be connected w/ people … involved in some kind of good project… I feel very human and weak and needy and… like i am pitying myself too much, waitng for “support” from others, etc… instead of just doing what needs to be done… so maybe i am “loving” myself too much… in indulging in these feelings instead of just getting to work…

thank you so much for your post… it is helping me to work through all this… God understands us being… needy and weak and feeling the need for others to help us… work with us… and He gives us time to work through all this stuff… but once we get through it… wel… he wants us to put it behind us… I am just thinking as i go here… not sure what point i am really getting at beyond all that…

but really appreciate that you seem to u/stand where i am at…

What is your spiritual background??
 
JMJ / MMM 091023 Friday
Hello Brian –
Thank God for truly holy people like Mother Teresa and John Paul II. Yes, they were close to the perfection God has in mind for all of us.

I didn’t mean to imply that we should aim high. My motto is, “Shoot for the Stars!” If Jesus were to ask me – and, as a matter of fact, he does – “John, what can I do for you? What do you want?” My answer is ready and very serious, “Jesus, I want it ALL! And that includes you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and the Father!” And you know what, Brian? Jesus would say to me, “Don’t you know, John, that I gave you ALL from the beginning!” We don’t really know, do we?

It has taken me almost seventy-nine years to understand and real-ize who I really am. From a little child on we are always learning more and more who we are. Some of us learn easy … and some of us learn BAD-HARD. But God will see to it, sooner or later, one way or another, that we do learn. This seemingly endless Way, process, becoming, maturing seems such a difficult and painful way God insists on. Why this hard way? Couldn’t God have created us perfect, gifted us with the Beatific Vision and thus constituted us in Heaven – just like that? NO. God could not – unless He wanted puppets … because that’s all we would be. God demands that we become REAL – you know, like The Velveteen Rabbit. And to become real we must suffer. And all that apart from any mention of “Original Sin” thinking.

I have learned … and I can see its truth … that it is metaphysically necessary for any finite being to become that suffering be involved.

God’s Love for each and all of us is absolutely unchangeable. Isn’t that amazing! And yet … it absolutely cannot be any other way. You and I change. God never changes. As a matter of fact God cannot change.

Instead of trying to say where I am on this so very long Way – that’s risky – I’d rather respond as Jesus did … seemingly out of nowhere – and yet very relevant, “Who is good but God alone?”

If I’m not clear, Brian – and maybe I’m wrong – let me know. I’m glad I met you.
John (JohnJFarren)
 
JohnJFarren said:
JMJ / MMM 091023 Friday
Hello Brian –
Thank God for truly holy people like Mother Teresa and John Paul II. Yes, they were close to the perfection God has in mind for all of us.

I didn’t mean to imply that we should aim high. My motto is, “Shoot for the Stars!” If Jesus were to ask me – and, as a matter of fact, he does – “John, what can I do for you? What do you want?” My answer is ready and very serious, “Jesus, I want it ALL! And that includes you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and the Father!” And you know what, Brian? Jesus would say to me, “Don’t you know, John, that I gave you ALL from the beginning!” We don’t really know, do we?

It has taken me almost seventy-nine years to understand and real-ize who I really am. From a little child on we are always learning more and more who we are. Some of us learn easy … and some of us learn BAD-HARD. But God will see to it, sooner or later, one way or another, that we do learn. This seemingly endless Way, process, becoming, maturing seems such a difficult and painful way God insists on. Why this hard way? Couldn’t God have created us perfect, gifted us with the Beatific Vision and thus constituted us in Heaven – just like that? NO. God could not – unless He wanted puppets … because that’s all we would be. God demands that we become REAL – you know, like The Velveteen Rabbit. And to become real we must suffer. And all that apart from any mention of “Original Sin” thinking.

I have learned … and I can see its truth … that it is metaphysically necessary for any finite being to become that suffering be involved.

God’s Love for each and all of us is absolutely unchangeable. Isn’t that amazing! And yet … it absolutely cannot be any other way. You and I change. God never changes. As a matter of fact God cannot change.

Instead of trying to say where I am on this so very long Way – that’s risky – I’d rather respond as Jesus did … seemingly out of nowhere – and yet very relevant, “Who is good but God alone?”

If I’m not clear, Brian – and maybe I’m wrong – let me know. I’m glad I met you.
John (JohnJFarren)
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**so how do we teach protestants about the value and neccessity of suffeering??? **

they seem to avoid it like… they try to avoid Catholics… 😃
 
Dear “Distaracted”, No I think I understand where you are, in more ways than you could understand. Fistly get a copy of the Book, “The Shack” by William P. Young and read several times. Whilst doing so, up your prayer life and start coming into a close, intimate relationship with JESUS, not Gos but Jesus.“No one comes to the Father except through me”. Devour the Gospels and all that is written about Him. Reach Jesus in the sacramanets such as knoiwing that He IS in the host at Mass and Adoration, etc. In other words saturate yourelf in Jesus, no more no less, and then everything else will fit into place my dear friend, eveerything. He is “The way, the truth and the LIfe”. Brian
 
Oh John, my dear friend, you sound a man after my own heart. Read what I’ve written for Distracted above, because John, for me, Jesus has become my total focus. I pray when even my wife doesn’t know I’m praying and I totally focus on Him. The endless distactiong thoughts that come are all to do with self but I acknowledge them as such and call on Jesus’ help, and they are diminishing. As I give myself to HIM, and the focus begiuns to change from me to HIM, everything begins to make sence. Yes I was also weened on the “Velveteen Rabit” but read “The Shack” John, Wow!!! I love it!!! Brian.
 
Yes John, also “shoot for the stars”, or at least one STAR, JESUS!!!. But you see John, that one STAR is everything, Father , Son[of course] and Holy Spirit. “If you have seen me then you have seen the Father”. God gave us everything in His Son and as we draw Him into our very selves[by denying our self!] then we fill up, in perfection, with as much as we humans, at present, can take of God. God gave us mere humans a finite chunk of himself in Jesus, until…!!! Wow!!! John it has taken me a lifetime to “discover” all this, but now, like you I think, I just don’t want to be stopped and it’s only because of what He is giving me. I have just come back from a large conference but I have had to discard so much because of what Jesus is telling me and where I “know” He wants me to go. Just like M.T. and JP2, who also saturated themselves in Jesus, it is not a comfortable journey, often lonely and painful, BUT the true joy and peace is worth it all. As I think JP2 said there’s one “Be not afraid” in the Bible for every day, Having tasted this Jesus guy your appetite becomes sort of logrithmic and must be unstopable despite, like JP2 the physical suffering, or M.T’s mental suffering, which, I believe God “works through” to bring us into the ultimate, But lets start where we are at this moment and leave the rest to Him!!! Brian.
 
JMJ / MMM 091026 Monday
Greetings Delphos, Brian –
Yes, in what you share I hear all kinds of resonances … overlapping sounds and meanings. Someday we shall all be possessed in the Whole Christ in the Trinity by the God Who will be ALL in all. And … right now … you and I partake of this.

What you’ve written contains so much! This short posting is merely to say that I will be working on sharing with you what I want to share-back … during the day. You’ll hear from me. John (JohnJFarren)
 
JMJ / MMM 091026 Monday
Greetings Brian –
I don’t appreciate those “send to ten people and you WILL have a miracle happen” sendings either.
Code: 
God has a Great Plan .. and each of us has a Great Choice.  Angels make their choice the instant they first exist.  But we humans become .. we s l o w l y, v er y  s l ow ly  become .. and make our Great Choice in a summation of a lifetime .. sometimes quite short, other times very long.  Our entire life boils down to either YES or NO to God.  Each of us must learn to “deny ourself” .. or, as a grain of wheat falling into the ground, die.  Lucifer made his/her choice in an instant .. **"NO!"**

God could have Saved us in many ways .. but God chose to become one of us and to Save us as Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the God chosen Center.

Yes, LOVE is truly everything.  It takes theoretically very long to really understand LOVE .. but it takes our entire lifetime to learn to live LOVE .. real, true, living LOVE.  From the Infinite God to the furthest extreme of finite being, merely possible being, all is necessarily drenched in love and Love and LOVE.  And LOVE is the most wonderful, beautiful, powerful thing in anyone’s life -- and the most excruciating , painful experience that can be.  And that’s because we’re so little prepared for real and true LOVE.

Three meaningful words the Greeks have given us for love are EROS and PHILIA and AGAPE (I wish many years ago I had studied Greek rather than Latin).  I’ll share with you something “new” I learned from Pope Benedict’s writing **Deus Caritas Est.**  EROS has always been considered BAD.  Largely the doing of Freud.  But this contains a tragic mistake.  EROS is in itself GOOD.  There is EROS necessarily in the Trinity.  EROS is that in a being that wants to receive good for itself (real, true good OR mistaken good is beside the point).  Every being .. from God to the least actualized being .. yearns for its own good (in God it’s not a yearning for anything absent, of course).  Without some EROS it is impossible for AGAPE to exist.  *Nemo dat quod non habet* .. or .. No one (no being) can give what he (it)  doesn’t have.

If there is AGAPE there must be EROS.  If there is EROS there *should* come to be AGAPE.  In a healthy and/or a perfected being these two, EROS and AGAPE, must be in a living relationship.  In complete reality they are one .. but we live in the middle of becoming and we're not ready to see that yet.

I’ll check into the book, **The Shack** by William P Young.  I may read it.

Following Jesus?  The road does get lonely and rough, doesn’t it?  Several years ago I was following Jesus and I began to notice that his footsteps .. and mine .. were getting slightly bloody.  There is only One Way, right?

WHY all this suffering?  Let’s forget about sin and its consequences for the moment.  There would still be necessary very much suffering?  WHY?  Because “God don’t want no puppets,” that’s why.  “It ain’t easy to become real!”  God insists that we become real.  No button pushing.  No magic.  And the ONLY way to become real is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Even for those entirely unknowing of Jesus Christ the only way to become real is through suffering and acceptance of that suffering.  Couldn’t God have created us perfect and put us into Heaven?  No.  The limitation is in no way God’s .. rather the intrinsic limitation is in the material God Works with .. creatures .. US.

Many years ago when I taught high school, I delighted in the Philosophy Elective course I had started.  As we studied some things about man, I called for a definition.  Well, of course, “rational animal” came up.  Good.  After the pupils (and an occasional student) had hashed out this tentative definition and that one, I told them I would give them a PERFECT definition.  I worked them up a little .. attention .. suspense .. most of them on the edge of their chairs, having their full attention .. I slowly began > *MAN  IS  AN  INFINITE …..* and then with my arms and hands in the right place .. I paused .. almost as if I wasn’t going to go on .. and I finished .. *MAN  IS  AN  INFINITE … **EMPTINESS.***  I do believe it’s the best negative definition.  Brian, only God can fill us.  Anything else, any other person, may possibly seem to fill us for the moment, but in time our non-fulfillment becomes evident and we feel lonely and yearning again.

How far are we to share in God?  Oh that’s a big one!  Perhaps I’ll let that go until some later sharing.

I like to keep up with how Theology is coming along today.  I subscribe to a quarterly magazine, **Theology Digest,** published by St Louis University.  In an article **The Council of Chalcedon: Some contemporary Christological issues,** by Thomas G Weinandy, two areas among others that have fascinated me for years, have to do with “*Did Jesus know he was God?*” and “*The human ‘I’ of Jesus.*”  Revelation is continually being understood better and better by the Church and her people.

Yes, Brian, we must learn to LOVE Jesus .. and Jesus in the Trinity .. more and more.  Not by our own efforts -- although not without them either -- and enter more
and more into …… WOW!!!
May Jesus and Mary Bless you, Brian .. and me too! John (JohnJFarren)
 
Delphos said:
Dear “Distaracted”, No I think I understand where you are, in more ways than you could understand. Fistly get a copy of the Book, “The Shack” by William P. Young and read several times. Whilst doing so, up your prayer life and start coming into a close, intimate relationship with JESUS, not Gos but Jesus.“No one comes to the Father except through me”. Devour the Gospels and all that is written about Him. Reach Jesus in the sacramanets such as knoiwing that He IS in the host at Mass and Adoration, etc. In other words saturate yourelf in Jesus, no more no less, and then everything else will fit into place my dear friend, eveerything. He is “The way, the truth and the LIfe”. Brian
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i have heard about the Shack and i have hear that it isn’t as “Christian” as some think… I don’t know since i haven’t read it but at least one protestant review of it wasn’t good.

i already do all that other stuff… i hear the Bible when i go to daily Mass… i have probably heard the Bible several times over by now… since you hear the whole thing if you attend daily Mass for 3 yrs… been going much longer than that.

Do you spend much time in the Real Presence??? There is nothing like it…

better to spend time with Jesus than just read (or hear) HIs “letters” to us. 🙂
 
JohnJFarren said:
JMJ /
Even for those entirely unknowing of Jesus Christ the only way to become real is through suffering and acceptance of that suffering. Couldn’t God have created us perfect and put us into Heaven? No. The limitation is in no way God’s … rather the intrinsic limitation is in the material God Works with … creatures … US.
Code: 
ohnJFarren)
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this thing about being real hit home… One time i asked Jesus what he wanted and tht’s waht came to me
“Be real”… I can’t prove tht was Jesus but i don’t think the devil wnats that… because real is JEsus… 🙂

yes suffering is the only thing that will get us to be real becasue we can’t be what we need to be without going through painful changes. This is one reason i spend a lot of time @ the Blessed Sacrament… because i must change before i can get into Heaven… and only Jesus (with me cooperating) can do what needs to be done. I don’t know why the Church doesn’t emphasize the RP more… makes no sense. its almost like priests don’t really care whether people find Jesus in a big way or not… 😦 It was a good priest who told me aabout the RP years ago after having been Catholic (one way or the other) all my life… never knew about it… weird…& i have never heard any other priest mention this since… I thank God for that priest every time i think about how i could have missed oiut on this greatest blessing known to man… Its amazing how completely Christ really gave Himself to us poor pathetical humans… and its also amazing how we igore Him… most of the time. 😦
 
Dear Distracted, Oh, just prayerfully read “The Shack” and you will doscover who’s behind it!!! Yes the Real Presence, BUT I believe it is possible to be in front of it and yet be away from it, if you can understand what I mean. It is where our heart/soul/spirit is that’s important and yes we can be there but at a distance from Him, and I come back to “denying self” which for me is the foundation stone. If we are truly REAL with Him, “Jesus, I’m here but my heart is wandering. I plead with you to pull me back to you so that I may empty myself, as much as I’m able, and to begin to be filled with your LOVE so that your LOVE, not my own inadeqate love may begin to flood out to those around me, etc., etc”.[isn’t that being REAL!!!]. When * was in theological college a student was found in the middle of the night prostrate in front of the altar. Almost from that moment, as the gossip spread, he was seen as the “fool” of the college. If only I had turned to him when I was in spiritual trouble because I now KNOW that he had found the source of life, JESUS!!! Yes go on finding/persuing/throwing yourself at Him as much as you can. You’re in my prayers. Brian*
 
JMJ / MMM 091028 Tuesday
Greetings distracted –
I’d like to combine two of your postings and share some ideas with you.

I am familiar with two parishes (there are more) in our diocese that have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. There are sign up sheets with hours where the faithful may give themselves to adoration before the Exposed Host through all the hours of the day and night. The faithful are encouraged to take part, sign up, and spend time adoring Jesus. And many do. Aside … I like the two expressions “spend time” and “pay attention.” Both expressions indicate that there is some self-giving involved here.

There is some difficulty with the words “selfish” and “selfishness.” They have certainly acquired a negative tone and that occasions us difficulties. On the one hand we’re commanded to “love our neighbor as ourselves” … and observing this commandment certainly is good. At the same time we’re told not to be self-centered, selfish. You and I and all of us must get our understanding focused and clear about of what is selfish-good and what is selfish-bad. Certainly enjoyment or pleasure cannot be the determining factor. Enjoyment and pleasure certainly are part of Heaven.

Being selfish-good has at least the desire to do true good to someone, to God, to a creature, to ourselves … while at the same time not offending the Will of God. Doing self-bad always has the motive present of doing something falsely good to ourselves that is an offense to God’s Will.

Most of our actions are a mixture of selfish-good and selfish-bad. But the mixture here can be changed for the better … over time … if we really want it to improve.

Chit-chat … on the surface, generally empty of serious meaning … can be very hard to bear. You don’t have to go looking for it, distracting … but when it comes looking for you, that is God’s Will for you. As Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord. Again I say rejoice. In all things give thanks. This is the Will of God for you.” Try to conceive how hard it must have been for Jesus, to sit around at a banquet or wedding feast … and to hear all the talk going on around him! And he couldn’t put an unhappy look on his face either. As a matter of fact we know Jesus Loved people and Loved to be with them. Certainly Jesus wasn’t at every moment talking about spiritual or religious things – and these are the words we’re given in the Gospels.

Into the conversations people generally have, try to give yourself to both the people and the conversation. You needn’t tell me this can be painful – I know. Believe me, my chit-chat sociability used to rate about a 2 (out of 10). Yet, over the years I’ve improved to about an 8, sometimes 9. Where it is yet lacking, I am the one who’s lacking. I’m working on it. You can and should work on it, distracted.

We are made essentially social beings. If we screw that up badly, we’re not ready to enter Heaven. Before our earthly death or after it … we’re not ready to enter Heaven. We’ve got to learn not only to do it but to like doing it … in the Spirit of Divine Love.

You asked, “Why isn’t God enough companionship for me?” Because you, a human being, are essentially a social creature. And also because Jesus Christ is our head and we are the members of the ONE whole body of Christ, the Mystical Body. In this Living body of Christ, the feet, the hands, the tongue, the whole body is meant to Live as one and to function as one. For a while God may allow that God seems enough for me. But that’s because I’m on baby’s spiritual milk. God won’t allow that for long.

If someone were to apply to become a Carthusian monk, he would be examined most carefully … and if it were found that he had great difficulty being relaxedly social in a social group, he surely would not be admitted. That would be serious reason for refusing him entrance into that order.

I have to wrap up now, distracted. I hope some of these thoughts are meaningful and helpful to you.
I Bless you and pray for you. You, please, pray for me.
John (JohnJFarren)
 
Delphos said:
Dear Distracted, Oh, just prayerfully read “The Shack” and you will doscover who’s behind it!!! Yes the Real Presence, BUT I believe it is possible to be in front of it and yet be away from it, if you can understand what I mean. It is where our heart/soul/spirit is that’s important and yes we can be there but at a distance from Him, and I come back to “denying self” which for me is the foundation stone. If we are truly REAL with Him, “Jesus, I’m here but my heart is wandering. I plead with you to pull me back to you so that I may empty myself, as much as I’m able, and to begin to be filled with your LOVE so that your LOVE, not my own inadeqate love may begin to flood out to those around me, etc., etc”.[isn’t that being REAL!!!]. When * was in theological college a student was found in the middle of the night prostrate in front of the altar. Almost from that moment, as the gossip spread, he was seen as the “fool” of the college. If only I had turned to him when I was in spiritual trouble because I now KNOW that he had found the source of life, JESUS!!! Yes go on finding/persuing/throwing yourself at Him as much as you can. You’re in my prayers. Brian*were you in a Catholic seminary? why did you not stay in or… stay Catholic or wahtever??

do you belive in the Real Presence and do you spend a lot of time there… kinda dumb quesiton cause if you spent time there you would believe… 🙂
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JohnJFarren said:
JMJ / MMM 09
If someone were to apply to become a Carthusian monk, he would be examined most carefully … and if it were found that he had great difficulty being relaxedly social in a social group, he surely would not be admitted. That would be serious reason for refusing him entrance into that order.

I have to wrap up now, distracted. I hope some of these thoughts are meaningful and helpful to you.
I Bless you and pray for you. You, please, pray for me.
John (JohnJFarren)
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yes they have been… i am relaxed when with people, more or less… but most people i know don’t know me because i am into Jesus more than them… so i stay to myself a lot… starting to associate with others who believe as i do…

there was something else i wanted to comment on but i forgot it and think i deleted too much of your post so now i can’t comment…

i’m distracted… 🤷 god bless… 🙂
 
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