Detachment of the World

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Hello,
First of all I would like to apologize for my English.

Last week I went to a silent retreat of the Charismatic renewal. Initially I was a bit suspicious but I actually found out that the people there had a very deep faith and God really spoke in my heart.

We received 3 Bible verses and we were instructed to invoke the Holy spirit to speak to us.
We had spiritual direction as well.

I’ve had a very strong experience, that God showed to me that all earthly things are nothing in comparation with heaven and that in order to live this spiritual life, this heaven on earth, I have to detach from certain things I want to hold on to. I gave up so much for the Lord already and have grown so much in Love, but the Lord told me that he calls me to detach. I follow a very healthy diet which is my main interest besides my faith and I always said to the Lord that by the time I will make vows within a religious community, I will let go. I heard the Lord saying, I want you to start letting go already. As long as you seek wordly things you can not live the life I attended you for while still on earth (I am talking about the spiritual life, the heaven on earth that many saints experienced when they died to themselves so perfectly). I experienced how sweet this is. How infinite but back home, I start to resist. I find it so hard. I feel like I am not capable. It is so strong and it is so big what the Lord is asks.

I was thinking that the only way for me to attain this is to actually join a religious order but as of now it is not possible. So how does one, while remaining in the world, detach?
 
moonlight87 said:
Hello,
First of all I would like to apologize for my English.

Last week I went to a silent retreat of the Charismatic renewal. Initially I was a bit suspicious but I actually found out that the people there had a very deep faith and God really spoke in my heart.

We received 3 Bible verses and we were instructed to invoke the Holy spirit to speak to us.
We had spiritual direction as well.

I’ve had a very strong experience, that God showed to me that all earthly things are nothing in comparation with heaven and that in order to live this spiritual life, this heaven on earth, I have to detach from certain things I want to hold on to. I gave up so much for the Lord already and have grown so much in Love, but the Lord told me that he calls me to detach. I follow a very healthy diet which is my main interest besides my faith and I always said to the Lord that by the time I will make vows within a religious community, I will let go. I heard the Lord saying, I want you to start letting go already. As long as you seek wordly things you can not live the life I attended you for while still on earth (I am talking about the spiritual life, the heaven on earth that many saints experienced when they died to themselves so perfectly). I experienced how sweet this is. How infinite but back home, I start to resist. I find it so hard. I feel like I am not capable. It is so strong and it is so big what the Lord is asks.

I was thinking that the only way for me to attain this is to actually join a religious order but as of now it is not possible. So how does one, while remaining in the world, detach?
Click to expand...
There is both inner and outer detachment. The inner attachment is important for the recluse and the those that are not reclusive. Attachment is to objects we desire to have. Aversion is to objects we desire to avoid. Detachment comes through cultivation of self restraint and elimination of personal desires. This includes liking to dwell on certain thoughts. Christian practices are mental control, prayer, alms giving, fast and abstinence, charitable service and always observing moral standards, including avoiding sinful temptations and environments with sinful temptations.
 
First, I find your commitment to the faith commendable and inspiring.

It is of course possible to be “in the world” but not “of it”. Christ does not have a single, universal means of getting one to detach. While it is asked of all disciples, it does not come in the same form. The rich young ruler couldn’t be a disciple unless he sold all he had; St. Joseph of Arimathea (my favorite saint) was considered a disciple in spite of the fact he was described as a rich man as he boldly acted for Christ after His death. I believe that in prayer if we are truly open to what God wants from us, come what may, we can find how God wishes us to detach.

Detaching does not remove feelings of pleasure. Though it is a radically different conception therein, a life of detachment is not necessarily a life void of warm feelings at face value unrelated to prayer. Christ and the disciples shared happy times in Bethany and the wedding at Cana. Detachment is undeniably a large call to self denial, generosity, loving charity and care for the poor. One can still engage in all of these and remain a human being with a sense of humor, appreciation for the human family, and enjoyment of the presence of recreation and other people’s presence.
 
There are so many ways to practice detachment in daily life, especaiily if one has a family. It is all about being generous with our time for others. Also in patient accepting what we cannot change. A small example: I do not like to travel. A 3 hour drive for me is torture, especailly the last hour. But now my job requires it. So I accpt it as God’s will for me and an opportunity to detach, surrender, and offer it.
 
To allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God, we need great compliance and adaptability, and we can acquire these little by little by practicing detachment. We should make an effort not to “hang on to” anything, either materially, or affectively, or even spiritually. The detachment we should aim for is not that of saying “to hell with all of it,” or of becoming indifferent to everything, or of practicing a sort of forced asceticism and stripping ourselves of everything that makes up our lives; that kind of detachment is not what our Lord normally asks for. But we need to keep our hearts in an attitude of detachment, maintaining a sort of freedom, a distance, an inner reserve, that will mean that if some particular thing, or habit, or relationship, or personal plan is taken from us, we don’t make a drama out of being deprived of it. Such detachment should be exercised in all aspects of our lives.

Fr. Jacques Philippe- In the School of the Holy Spirit, p.35
frjacquesphilippe.com/theme/detachment
 
Thanks a million. This was really helpful. I appreciate it.
 
Detachment is to.understand that: ‘one day in Your Courts is better than thousands elsewhere’.
 
I would focus on attachment to God first, and Godly things, and let the world’s things mean less to you, while working on loving as God does, everyone.
 
Detachment will occur naturally by focusing on prayer, and communicating with God more and more. The more you focus and center your life around the Church, the less attachment you will find with the world.

It may be easier said than done at first. But habits and routines replace the old attachments.
 
moonlight87 said:
Hello,
First of all I would like to apologize for my English.

Last week I went to a silent retreat of the Charismatic renewal. Initially I was a bit suspicious but I actually found out that the people there had a very deep faith and God really spoke in my heart.

We received 3 Bible verses and we were instructed to invoke the Holy spirit to speak to us.
We had spiritual direction as well.

I’ve had a very strong experience, that God showed to me that all earthly things are nothing in comparation with heaven and that in order to live this spiritual life, this heaven on earth, I have to detach from certain things I want to hold on to. I gave up so much for the Lord already and have grown so much in Love, but the Lord told me that he calls me to detach. I follow a very healthy diet which is my main interest besides my faith and I always said to the Lord that by the time I will make vows within a religious community, I will let go. I heard the Lord saying, I want you to start letting go already. As long as you seek wordly things you can not live the life I attended you for while still on earth (I am talking about the spiritual life, the heaven on earth that many saints experienced when they died to themselves so perfectly). I experienced how sweet this is. How infinite but back home, I start to resist. I find it so hard. I feel like I am not capable. It is so strong and it is so big what the Lord is asks.

I was thinking that the only way for me to attain this is to actually join a religious order but as of now it is not possible. So how does one, while remaining in the world, detach?
Click to expand...
I need to tell you that in last year on Mother’s Day, that night I cried to Mary due to my sadness and I prayed the whole Rosary in front of Mary statue besides my bed, then I got to sleep. Just right before I fallen asleep, I heard a woman spoke to my ear with a very confirm and clear and motherly voice, saying “** You should give up all earthly things**” I was shocked and awake suddenly, that was my first time I heard her voice, I was very sure that was Mary’s voice (certainly not my voice because I NEVER have such sentence in my mind). I felt so warm and at that moment I know it was Mary asked me to do, without any wrong. I still remember her voice, she spoke in a way like a mother instructing her child, with love and warm and clear sentence. :o

God bless you.
 
Shanishani I remember you have been active at the vocation forum as well.
I can’t say anything about you hearing Mary’s voice.
But God can also speak in the depths of your heart. I wonder if you have done the spiritual exercises of Ignatius in order to sort out if you are called to make vows of Poverty (chastity and obedience).
 
moonlight87 said:
Shanishani I remember you have been active at the vocation forum as well.
I can’t say anything about you hearing Mary’s voice.
But God can also speak in the depths of your heart. I wonder if you have done the spiritual exercises of Ignatius in order to sort out if you are called to make vows of Poverty (chastity and obedience).
Click to expand...
What are the spiritual exercises of Ignatius ? How is it be done and have you tried it? :confused:
 
It is a silent retreat that consist of meditation of scripture passages, written by St. Ignatius. It is a way of discerning the spirits and therefore also a good means of discerning your vocation and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak in the depths of your heart. You can either do the 8-day reatreat or the 30 day retreat. During the exercises there will be a spiritual director assigned to you whom you have to talk to however you are not expected to talk to other people in order to maintenance the inner silence which is very essential during these exercises.
 
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