How do you become "less worldly" as a Catholic?

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In the good (lol) olden days of me being a Torah Keeper, TV was avoided and other than being on 1 forum…didn’t do much in the way of the internet.

As a Catholic, how do you keep from being worldly?

Thanks!

Kat
 
It has helped me a lot when I stopped watching TV, and generally consuming pop culture via other sources. (I’m not completely shut off from these things, in the sense that I hear from other people (and CAF) what’s popular out there and what the trends are.) In this way I am not subject to swallowing secular ideology. I think that most people don’t even realise how much they are influenced by the media and pop culture.

And of course, regular prayer will keep you grounded. Having Catholic friends helps too, so you don’t feel isolated.
 
James 4:8 says “draw near to God and God will draw near to you”. For me that begins with an intentional decision to live a life more closely focussed on God. I know it seems almost too simple to mention, but that decision actually lays the foundation upon which to build. Then I stop doing things that take me farther away from him and do things which bring me closer. I hope that is not too simplistic. Then I found different practices which worked for me and work to continue them.

One of the most effective techniques was to open myself to learning about others’ beliefs and practices without condemning them. For personal growth I stay focussed on Christian beliefs, for education purposes I will sometimes look at other faith traditions. I do not look to non-Christian faith traditions for personal growth.

Pax

Btw-also turned off the tv more than a year ago.😉
 
Shin said:
You still give up the TV! 🙂
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Or alternatively be very selective in your choice of viewing.

Pray for discernment, that you may comprehend what is error when you come across it. That also goes for all other media and communication.
 
Contra_Mundum said:
It has helped me a lot when I stopped watching TV, and generally consuming pop culture via other sources. (I’m not completely shut off from these things, in the sense that I hear from other people (and CAF) what’s popular out there and what the trends are.) In this way I am not subject to swallowing secular ideology. I think that most people don’t even realise how much they are influenced by the media and pop culture.

And of course, regular prayer will keep you grounded. Having Catholic friends helps too, so you don’t feel isolated.
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Spending time with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is a powerful way to keep focused on HIM and His will for our lives. Let HIM guide you. God Bless, Memaw
 
I am, by my very human nature, worldly…and since it is unlikely I will take vows of poverty, I will remain worldly.

However, the question is how can we become “less” worldly.

Still very worldly, I have become less worldly, by increasing my almsgiving.

Sure, I still meet the financial obligations of my family, and enjoy nice things, I am less focused on the number of hours spent at work, salary demands, and amassing “disposable income” to acquire more “toys”.

The disposable income thing has prompted me to be more generous in my almsgiving, and as a result, I find myself in the position of sharing the financial blessings God has given to me, making me realize all I have is not mine, but His, and His giving me money allows me to be an instrument of his will to help others.

Part of my monthly budget process used to be to allocate first to retirement investments, then “mad money”, then bills, then day to day expenses, then if there was any left over give (only a portion of it) in alms to charities or the Church. Now, the first allocation I make is for almsgiving. I find I still have enough for the essentials, and am find myself far more spiritually satisfied than I used to be.

Oh…I still watch TV…worldliness is more than abstinence. Abstinence is a sacrifice, but almsgiving is a sacrifice that is not just helping yourself, but helping others…as we are called to do by Christ.

Peace and all Good!
 
Growing older has naturally made me less wordly, being a part of what is current does not interest me. But, as a young person it is very hard to have that attitude and still be a part of the world. Our faith provides us with so many wonderful opportunities to help us keep ourselves grounded and faithful. Daily Mass, daily rosary, adoration, Church groups all come to mind and I am certain that I have overlooked many other ideas. It begins with a choice to live a certain way and whether you need to give up tv or music or books all depends on you and how these things affect you and your relationship with God. In my life it has always been the people I surrounded myself with who caused the most problems with remaing less worldly. When I am with those who place a value on following God and His plan for our lives I find it much easier to avoid the worldly issues which take me away from Him.
 
katpants said:
In the good (lol) olden days of me being a Torah Keeper, TV was avoided and other than being on 1 forum…didn’t do much in the way of the internet.

As a Catholic, how do you keep from being worldly?

Thanks!

Kat
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That is exactly what Lent and Advent are about. There is a great book on exactly that subject called Seek That Which Is Above by Joseph Ratzinger. you can get it here: amazon.com/Seek-That-Which-Above-Meditations/dp/1586171879.
 
Its helped me personally to not watch TV. I don’t miss it at all now. Also - doing mental prayer. There are great resources on this such as the book “Ways of Mental Prayer” from TAN. It allows God to work in us more deeply, Communions become more deep too and hence less worldliness. Otherwise I found removing pop culture has helped a lot. Also not spending much (if any) time on social media.

It also helps to consider the question - how did the Holy Family live? Ven Mary of Agreda wrote about this and it is very inspiring. They lived in the world but completely not of the world.

Following a daily schedule or rule, daily Mass and mental prayer, and avoiding worldly places, all help to not be worldly. The world leads us to many evils too - as we know temptation comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Its important to not care about what the world considers important and follow God’s Will instead.
 
What a great question, and I too have learned from the responses 🙂

A major change I have had happen is in my political thinking. Now I really strive to align my thinking with Church teaching rather than with one group or another. In stead of saying what does (a party, a group, a person) say about an issue, I consider the CCC, the Summa, Pope Leo, et al.

I now disagree with almost everyone 😃
 
The thing to do is to establish your spiritual life as the basis for everything else you do. The way you do that is to have a solid prayer routine. And, the best way to do that is to pray the Prayer of the Church–the Liturgy of the Hours.

You need not buy the 4 volume set to do that. As lay people we are not expected nor is it generally advisable to do the whole of the Divine Office daily. But praying Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and perhaps Compline (which can be combined with Evening Prayer) puts our heads and hearts in sinc with the intentions of the Church and aids in our own relationship with God. You can buy a copy of Christian Prayer or Shorter Christian Prayer or go online: divineoffice.org/.

Another prayer routine that many find helpful is a daily rosary. Some do all fifteen mysteries a day, but most prayer five at day and many include St. Pope John Paul II’s Luminous Mysteries on Thursdays. Even a decade a day can be beneficial.

Also, offering up little expressions praise and thanks throughout the day keeps our minds and hearts focused on Christ. Like St. Therese of Liseux we need to have Jesus’ face ever before us: in our minds, in our hearts, and on our lips in thanksgiving.

We need to ask ourselves what we truly want and if it can be best received through living for Christ rather than following urges that last for a few moments and then are gone, leaving us just as dissatisfied as before.

Establishing daily contact with God in prayer–prayer that is planned and done–like eating three square meals a day, helps us mold our hearts and minds to that of Christ, so that we can manage the onslaught of the world and all its empty promises and temporary delights.
 
I agree, without God we can do nothing, we need His grace and we receive it in Sacraments and prayer… Prayer and Adoration helps our disposition be better so we can receive more in Communion! Jesus wants to give us very much but sometimes its like people bind His hands and prevent Him from acting. Self will and attachments (ie to the world) can do this.
 
A way to become less worldly is to be close to Jesus and focus on him. Try practising the divine presence within you. Get in the habit of thinking on his presence as much as you can and your determination allows you. Think of Jesus being in your presence in simple love often.

That is the way to do it. And then you will notice how easy it is to love him and think of him more and more. There will be less and less time left over for the mind to think of anything else, including the world.

May divine mercy, peace, and love be yours in ever greater measure.
 
Contra_Mundum said:
It has helped me a lot when I stopped watching TV, and generally consuming pop culture via other sources. (I’m not completely shut off from these things, in the sense that I hear from other people (and CAF) what’s popular out there and what the trends are.) In this way I am not subject to swallowing secular ideology. I think that most people don’t even realise how much they are influenced by the media and pop culture.
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I have shut out pop culture as well. I used to be caught up into it, twelve or so years ago, and I’ll admit I thought very differently from what I do now. I can completely relate to this. I let it affect me, sway me, and swallow me in its shallow Godlessness. Then, ironically, when I developed other interests, I had started to grow away from the darker way of thinking and drawn more to the light. To more wholesome, meaningful things. I completely have no interest in any of it. And when I’m forced to see it, if it’s unavoidable, I can only stand it for a few seconds, and I just have a bad taste. Besides, I’m just not interested. It seems our culture is more concerned with being popular and pleasing to people rather than having deeper thought and realizing in the end, when they are standing before God, their “popularity and success” will mean absolutely nothing.
 
fred_conty said:
A way to become less worldly is to be close to Jesus and focus on him. Try practising the divine presence within you. Get in the habit of thinking on his presence as much as you can and your determination allows you. Think of Jesus being in your presence in simple love often.

That is the way to do it. And then you will notice how easy it is to love him and think of him more and more. There will be less and less time left over for the mind to think of anything else, including the world.

May divine mercy, peace, and love be yours in ever greater measure.
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Great point! 🙂
 
When a rich young man asked Jesus a similar question, Jesus answered by telling the man to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and then follow Him.
 
I dropped my TV off at the land fill years ago. My only regret is that I did not fill it full of buckshot first. I very seldom intentionally listen to any type of music other than Catholic hymns. I can do without the clutter in my mind. I have made other changes as well, but these two changes helped me a great deal.
 
As a Catholic, how do you keep from being worldly?
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Great question, Kat. I think there are varying degrees, depending on the individual. Certainly, when you start looking at the saints, especially monks and nuns that live completely separate from the world, you have a more austere example of avoiding the world with all its trappings.

The Carthusians, one of the most austere religious monastic orders, is probably one of the more exceptional cases of avoiding worldliness. They are strict vegetarians, live in solitary cells, and devote their entire life to prayer. You can see a great movie about this order called “Into Great Silence”, which provides a glimpse into the life of a Carthusian monk.

If one were to model their lifestyle from the Carthusians, even to the smallest degree, you would be moving in the right direction away from worldliness. Eating a vegetarian diet, or living a more simple, austere lifestyle might be a couple of good examples, as well as incorporating a prayer regimen into one’s daily routine.

For the average Catholic, daily attendance at Mass and a devout prayer life are perhaps the most important factors. As much as one can do so, steering clear of the modern culture and media is perhaps one of the more difficult tasks. I generally think avoiding worldliness is more difficult living in our modern culture, unless one purposely moves to a more remote area of the country, joins a monastery or convent, or is self-sufficient financially.
 
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