Hand in the Fire?

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I want to raise the subject of mortification and penance. I can understand fasting and abstinence as a means of mastering the appetite of the flesh. However reading the lives of the Saints…most seem to take it further…perhaps because they were tempted more.

Hairshirts - I can understand…even flagellation. My question is - What is a good tactic to overcome temptation?..A word of Scripture?..yes!..A prayer of exorcism (such as the Lord’s Prayer)…Amen to that!..but there are Saints who…threw themselves into bushes (maybe if i was being brave), plunged themselves into pools of fire (gulp), even ripped their own eyes out…OUCH :eek: or should that be :crying:.

I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way but I do find myself tempted and I wonder what Christ wants us to do especially if the temptations are accompanied by unwanted sensations.
 
Some of the saints, especially some of the older ones, were indeed merciless with their flesh. I cannot really comment on that except to say that I won’t go there with penance myself. Indeed, St. Therese of Lisieux, now a doctor of the Church, didn’t go there either. She instead practiced the mortification of performing her daily tasks to perfection.

How horrible would that be? Doing what’s required of me? The dishes? The laundry? Paying bills? Planning lessons? Keeping my desks cleared? Weeding the yard? Honestly, if I ever master performing my daily duties for the love and service of Christ, I may have to start considering some additional mortifications…

OK, as to penances to deal with temptations, especially of the physical kind, prayer is the first and best place to start. But you can’t wait until temptation arrives to start praying. I speak as someone who struggles desperately with these temptations. A few months ago I began attending Eucharistic Adoration regularly (a few hours a week) and having a “no excuse” policy about going to daily mass on the two days a week my schedule allowed it.

From there I noticed an increased desire to read books by the Saints. I began with The Story of a Soul by St. Therese (my patron) and then moved on to St. Josemaria Escriva’s Furrow and a book recommended by a friend (author and title completely forgotten at this moment).

So I was going to Adoration and daily mass regularly and reading some pretty awesome material – and then I had a major (and disgusting) accident at home with one of my power tools on Palm Sunday. As I was lying there alone in the ER, with a bloody bandage on what used to be my perfect hand, all the things I had been reading flooded my mind. Images of Our Lord on the crucifix and truly present in our beautiful adoration chapel filled my imagining. And as I waited, I felt both terrified and yet at peace, offering my sufferings as the music from Good Friday and Easter Vigil played in my head (I’d been practicing the music on the piano that very morning).

You see, prayer, adoration, and excellent spiritual reading aren’t just good for resisting temptation – they’re GREAT for building virtues and a truly useful store of strength in all situations. These graces have now led to my immediately changing the channel even when I see something as “innocent” as a passionate kiss on a TV program or commercial. I just won’t let these things into my mind now – I can’t handle it, I admit it and go joyfully on my way 😃 It is a process to overcome these temptations, but God is on your side. He wants you to succeed – and grace will build upon grace built upon grace. We’re talking exponential growth. You can’t do it, but He can 😃

My hand’s doing better, by the way, and I’m already learning (slowly!) how type and play the piano with nine fingers 👍

God bless you – and don’t give up the fight. “Never give up! Never surrender!”

Gertie
 
Gertabelle said:
Some of the saints, especially some of the older ones, were indeed merciless with their flesh. I cannot really comment on that except to say that I won’t go there with penance myself. Indeed, St. Therese of Lisieux, now a doctor of the Church, didn’t go there either. She instead practiced the mortification of performing her daily tasks to perfection.

How horrible would that be? Doing what’s required of me? The dishes? The laundry? Paying bills? Planning lessons? Keeping my desks cleared? Weeding the yard? Honestly, if I ever master performing my daily duties for the love and service of Christ, I may have to start considering some additional mortifications…

OK, as to penances to deal with temptations, especially of the physical kind, prayer is the first and best place to start. But you can’t wait until temptation arrives to start praying. I speak as someone who struggles desperately with these temptations. A few months ago I began attending Eucharistic Adoration regularly (a few hours a week) and having a “no excuse” policy about going to daily mass on the two days a week my schedule allowed it.

From there I noticed an increased desire to read books by the Saints. I began with The Story of a Soul by St. Therese (my patron) and then moved on to St. Josemaria Escriva’s Furrow and a book recommended by a friend (author and title completely forgotten at this moment).

So I was going to Adoration and daily mass regularly and reading some pretty awesome material – and then I had a major (and disgusting) accident at home with one of my power tools on Palm Sunday. As I was lying there alone in the ER, with a bloody bandage on what used to be my perfect hand, all the things I had been reading flooded my mind. Images of Our Lord on the crucifix and truly present in our beautiful adoration chapel filled my imagining. And as I waited, I felt both terrified and yet at peace, offering my sufferings as the music from Good Friday and Easter Vigil played in my head (I’d been practicing the music on the piano that very morning).

You see, prayer, adoration, and excellent spiritual reading aren’t just good for resisting temptation – they’re GREAT for building virtues and a truly useful store of strength in all situations. These graces have now led to my immediately changing the channel even when I see something as “innocent” as a passionate kiss on a TV program or commercial. I just won’t let these things into my mind now – I can’t handle it, I admit it and go joyfully on my way 😃 It is a process to overcome these temptations, but God is on your side. He wants you to succeed – and grace will build upon grace built upon grace. We’re talking exponential growth. You can’t do it, but He can 😃

My hand’s doing better, by the way, and I’m already learning (slowly!) how type and play the piano with nine fingers 👍

God bless you – and don’t give up the fight. “Never give up! Never surrender!”

Gertie
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Thanks for your inspirational story. I frequent the Sacraments regularly yet have a real problem examining my conscience with any useful measure of accuracy. I know the gravity of any given sin but I find it hard to judge when consent is given especially in respect of matters of purity and lust.

I agree that there is plenty of opportunity for growth in virtue in this society - at work and in my social life where Christians are viewed as embarassing freaks (here in the UK) and more especially in doing things I don’t like doing such as the daily chores.
 
i think this will help you out -
catholicapologetics.info/morality/general/mortification.htm

the idea of mortification is to learn to tell yourself no,
by telling yourself no in things you are tempted to that are not sinful (such as seasoning your food…as a very small example d: ), you can much more easily tell yourself no in things that are sinful,

although you should start out small, and definitely talk about mortification with your priest first,
alot of the mortifications in that article would probably be overwhelming to someone who is not as disciplined in themselves, so don’t read it with the idea that you have to do all those things, they are all optional.

and here is another article on mortification that i’m sure will also help -
catholicapologetics.info/catholicteaching/virtue/vpenence.htm

ok well, hope this helps, take care.
 
What’s important is not so much the magnitude of the mortification, but how sincerely we offer the suffering or action up to God. There is a risk with acts of mortification that we will become self-centered with them, as if they are challenges we make for ourselves to test our mettle. I know that I am guilty of it. I’ve performed fasts more so just to see how long I could go without eating rather than using it to focus on God. But I’ve also performed small penances which have been more spiritually profitable.

Focus on offering up everyday activities first. Think of all the missed opportunities we have every day to offer up small annoyances or menial tasks. Becoming a saint involves finding God everywhere, in every task we perform.
 
EmeraldWings said:
i think this will help you out -
catholicapologetics.info/morality/general/mortification.htm

the idea of mortification is to learn to tell yourself no,
by telling yourself no in things you are tempted to that are not sinful (such as seasoning your food…as a very small example d: ), you can much more easily tell yourself no in things that are sinful,

although you should start out small, and definitely talk about mortification with your priest first,
alot of the mortifications in that article would probably be overwhelming to someone who is not as disciplined in themselves, so don’t read it with the idea that you have to do all those things, they are all optional.

and here is another article on mortification that i’m sure will also help -
catholicapologetics.info/catholicteaching/virtue/vpenence.htm

ok well, hope this helps, take care.
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Thanks for the advice. I apreciate your time and (name removed by moderator)ut. God Bless
 
Luke_K said:
What’s important is not so much the magnitude of the mortification, but how sincerely we offer the suffering or action up to God. There is a risk with acts of mortification that we will become self-centered with them, as if they are challenges we make for ourselves to test our mettle. I know that I am guilty of it. I’ve performed fasts more so just to see how long I could go without eating rather than using it to focus on God. But I’ve also performed small penances which have been more spiritually profitable.

Focus on offering up everyday activities first. Think of all the missed opportunities we have every day to offer up small annoyances or menial tasks. Becoming a saint involves finding God everywhere, in every task we perform.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help. I will pray for guidance
 
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