Following Your Honest Convictions

[CRATUS]

How do you face the reality of yourself ( flaws, imperfections & shortcomings) without justifying or dwelling on them? It irritates me I cannot be perfect. Some days I wonder why God is so hard and demands so much of his followers yet outsiders can repent and earn heaven like I did. I know I should simply keep my eyes on my own paper. In the end, I always feel like I AM NOT ENOUGH. Always something to fix, correct, change. One of my friends recently left the faith. I thought about how a lot of pressure religion sometimes puts on people. Maybe she left for another reason. Ultimately I have a choice to do the right thing or the wrong. I guess I do a lot of religion or the right thing out of obligation. I never thought I did not have to do this religion thing or I could choose to do the wrong thing.

 

[Tablefor9]

You are not enough. Neither am I, nor the saints. None of us will attain perfection on our own. What then? We must day by day, like the Blessed Mother, submit to God. We must allow Christ to be formed in us by the Holy Spirit of God. How? By asking Our Lord to cleanse us by the washing of His Word, by His blood, by His presence in the Eucharist. By asking Him for the grace to do His will, seeing others as He sees.

There is no instant sanctification, no fast track to holiness. That’s why the Chirch primarily looks at the last 20 years of a person’s life in investigating sanctity in the beatification process.

Be at peace. Remember that our Lord said in the Beatitudes:

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.

And in Philippians:

having confidence of this very thing, that he who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ’s day:

Learn to look at it as submitting, not striving.

 

[Isca]

You remember the parable of the workers in the vineyard? The ones who only did a little work at the end of the day got the same reward as those who’d worked a full day in the sun.

God loves us all the same amount, whether we are a lifetime saint on earth or a person who sincerely and fully repents at the end of a ‘bad’ life.

Catholicism (unlike many of the Protestant faiths) gives us structure in our lives. It constantly brings us back to the main event, the whole purpose of our existence in this world. I do understand what you’re saying, as I was a believer who didn’t attend church for 30 years, until I converted from the CofE two years ago, in my mid-50s. Some aspects of my present life still aren’t right, but the priest I trust the most knows about them and has reassured me.

I sometimes think that actually it would have been much easier to be a cradle Catholic, born into a devout practising family, where I could have done everything right as I went along in life and ticked all the Catholic boxes, as it were! That’s probably the opposite of what you’re saying, I reckon.

I can’t change the past, I can only do my imperfect best (or at least, TRY to do it). I still fail, but at least these days I’m aware that I’ve failed. As you say, you can only control your own actions. I know life sometimes looks so much easier for people who don’t bother with religion at all, and we don’t really know what will happen to any of us in the next life - God will decide. However, you and I know what’s right - we must do our best and keep our eyes on what really matters.

 

[guanophore]

How do you face the reality of yourself ( flaws, imperfections & shortcomings) without justifying or dwelling on them? It irritates me I cannot be perfect. Some days I wonder why God is so hard and demands so much of his followers yet outsiders can repent and earn heaven like I did.

Heaven cannot be earned by anyone.

You sound like the workers who were angry that they only worked one hour in the heat of the sun and got the same wage as those who went out in the morning. (Matt. 20:12)

 I know I should simply keep my eyes on my own paper. In the end, I always feel like I AM NOT ENOUGH.

Well, go with the feeling! None of us are. If we were, Jesus would not have needed to die on that cross.

Always something to fix, correct, change. One of my friends recently left the faith. I thought about how a lot of pressure religion sometimes puts on people. Maybe she left for another reason. Ultimately I have a choice to do the right thing or the wrong. I guess I do a lot of religion or the right thing out of obligation. I never thought I did not have to do this religion thing or I could choose to do the wrong thing.

It sounds like you are trying to power your way through the Christian life without grace. This is not going to work.

 

[CRATUS]

You remember the parable of the workers in the vineyard? The ones who only did a little work at the end of the day got the same reward as those who’d worked a full day in the sun.

God loves us all the same amount, whether we are a lifetime saint on earth or a person who sincerely and fully repents at the end of a ‘bad’ life.

Catholicism (unlike many of the Protestant faiths) gives us structure in our lives. It constantly brings us back to the main event, the whole purpose of our existence in this world. I do understand what you’re saying, as I was a believer who didn’t attend church for 30 years, until I converted from the CofE two years ago, in my mid-50s. Some aspects of my present life still aren’t right, but the priest I trust the most knows about them and has reassured me.

I sometimes think that actually it would have been much easier to be a cradle Catholic, born into a devout practising family, where I could have done everything right as I went along in life and ticked all the Catholic boxes, as it were! That’s probably the opposite of what you’re saying, I reckon.

I can’t change the past, I can only do my imperfect best (or at least, TRY to do it). I still fail, but at least these days I’m aware that I’ve failed. As you say, you can only control your own actions. I know life sometimes looks so much easier for people who don’t bother with religion at all, and we don’t really know what will happen to any of us in the next life - God will decide. However, you and I know what’s right - we must do our best and keep our eyes on what really matters.

I am familiar with the parable of the vineyard. Do I feel like my feelings are wrong? Of course they are. It still does not change how I feel. All I can do is focus on my life and try to do what I think is best, which may not always be easy. I will try to associate myself with others who share similar convictions. It has be hard. Seeing friends or boyfriends fall away from the faith and choose obstinately to remain in sin. People have the right to be wrong or to lead lives I strongly oppose. All I can do is lead my life my way. I guess I have to remind myself if God can forgive what I call a wretched person at last moments of their life, why not forgive me? No mater how good I am. I am still a sinner. I am no better or worse than anyone. It can be difficult choosing to commit to the Lord, the added responsibility, seeing reality. I envy others ignorance.

 

[guanophore]

I am familiar with the parable of the vineyard. Do I feel like my feelings are wrong? Of course they are. It still does not change how I feel. All I can do is focus on my life and try to do what I think is best, which may not always be easy. I will try to associate myself with others who share similar convictions. It has be hard. Seeing friends or boyfriends fall away from the faith and choose obstinately to remain in sin. People have the right to be wrong or to lead lives I strongly oppose. All I can do is lead my life my way. I guess I have to remind myself if God can forgive what I call a wretched person at last moments of their life, why not forgive me? No mater how good I am. I am still a sinner. I am no better or worse than anyone. It can be difficult choosing to commit to the Lord, the added responsibility, seeing reality. I envy others ignorance.

Feelings are not morally right or wrong. The problem lies in your thinking and attitude. You refuse to accept that God has already forgiven you, and you are not basing your approach to life on that fact.

 

[fred_conty]

“I envy others ignorance.”

This is very similar to enving the bad guy who seems to have it good and why the good guy seems to have it bad.

There are two worlds, this one our body lives in, while the soul is suppose to live in the next one, the kingdom of Christ. The body drags us constantly back into this one and tries to control our soul. The soul on the other hand must control the body to live in the next one.

Live in accord with the spirit and you will not yield to the cravings of the flesh. The flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh; the two are directly opposed. That is why you do not do what your will intends. Galatians 5:16-17

And that is what makes the problem. Whereas those who let their body do the living, turn their soul over to the control of their body. Then there is no conflict. just unison. They have lost the battle and waved the flag of surrender.

But of course it should be the reverse, where there will always be conflict because of the wound of sin which bends us toward evil.

So it helps if we understand that we are in this for the long haul and it will never go away until Jesus says for the last time “follow me”, and hopefully not the reverse.

This is what Lent helps us with.