Divine Union

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seanom

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Hey I’m just wondering how do I achieve divine union like the saints, and other holy people. I really am motivated to become deeply converted, can people who would know something about this please give me tips? I do understand that it is God who does this so please can you advise me on what i should do: any particular type of books, advice on mortification, prayer etc…
Thanks a million…
 
Dedicated prayer, contemplation, receiving the sacraments, obedience to the Bishop. etc
 
“Prayer is nothing else but union with God.”
  • Saint J.M. Vianney
You can strive to make your whole life a living prayer by trying constantly to submit your will to God’s, accepting each moment of each day as it is, good or not so good, and cultivating a spirit of sincere gratitude towards him who loves us best. Receive the Eucharist daily if you can. Receiving absolution for our sins through Reconciliation is a great grace that also helps bring us closer to the Divine. Showing charity and kindness to others also brings us closer to God.

Hope this helps a little. 🙂
 
If you’ve never read “The Story of a Soul” by St. Therese of Lisieux (the little flower) I highly recommend that you do so.

She is a doctor of the Church because of her life and the sharing of her “little way of love and self-surrender”.
 
Union with God by Blessed Columbia Marmion is a good read.

I counsel you to get a spiritual director, just make sure they are Orthodox, meaning faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. I would recommend getting a priest for a spiritual director. They stand in the person of Christ, something that no other spritual director can do if they are not priests.

Come and join my group God’s little ones You can click on my signature link. In that group we talk of how we become little ones and come to a closer union to God. The group just started. - of course this is the last important recommendation by far.

Frequent recourse to the Sacraments and a life of prayer. Do all for the love of God and keep Mindful of His Presence.

God bless.
 
Reading The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis keeps me in communion with God.
 
I think the other posters have supplied some good advice; in particular finding a good spiritual director. They aren’t always easy to find, and in fact I am a cradle Catholic but never even heard of spiritual direction until age 42, when I went for monthly session with an amazing Redemptorist priest whom I credit with helping me regain my sanity. Unfortunately he had to retire and it just wasn’t the same with the guy who replaced him. Nice guy, but it just wasn’t the same.

One specific thing he taught me about were the different types of prayer, and especially contemplative prayer forms which he called “resting in God.” Lectio Divina is one practice that includes silent prayer, which invites contemplation, which as you (the OP) mentioned is a gift from God whereby His Spirit actually transforms us, but not on our time schedule but His.

The Catechism (2708) recommends that one’s prayer life goes even further than meditation, and into contemplation which is true union with God.
CCC 2724:
Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.
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I highly recommend you read the article “Expressions of Prayer” in the Catechism, especially the section on contemplative prayer.

Alan
 
Divine Union ~ check out Scripture verses Ephesians 2.13-18.
 
It needs to be pointed out that Divine Union is not something we can achieve on our own. It is a gift from God. We can dispose ourselves to be open to union with God but we can’t say that if I say these prayers or do this rite or practice this devotion I will achieve it. Union with God comes only after all our inordinate desires and pleasures are purged. It comes when we no longer have the need or desire to “feel” the presence of God. It also comes with pain and suffering.
 
seanom said:
Hey I’m just wondering how do I achieve divine union like the saints, and other holy people. I really am motivated to become deeply converted, can people who would know something about this please give me tips? I do understand that it is God who does this so please can you advise me on what i should do: any particular type of books, advice on mortification, prayer etc…
Thanks a million…
Click to expand...
Slowly, like a child, with God in conversation (i.e., prayer).

Rectifying your will with His will in everything.
 
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