How study can hinder holiness

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I was meditating today on becoming a marathon runner. I was overwhelmed by running 20 miles when I can barely walk three miles. In my mind I started comparing marathon running to spirituality. I thought, “How silly it would be to study hours and hours about marathon running to try to be a marathon runner,” The only way to become a marathon runner would be to START running. I’m sure some studying would be good for learning to eat, train, and rest for marathon running but someday in order to compete you would have to start running.

I say this because I have caught myself in the vicious cycle of study when it comes to the spiritual life. I could spend days reading. But what kind of life is a life spent reading and learning about how others lived, if I don’t live my own life. I would read and read about who this saint was and who that saint was but often not even know who I was. I could look and admire all the gifts and talents of someone but never know what my gifts were. The problem with not knowing what my gifts/talents were is that I wasn’t using them.

I was reading a book (ha. ha.) the other day that was talking about how our gifts and talents reveal our purpose. For example, my talent is singing, so I sing for my parish. I started as a meek member of a choir, then graduated to a cantor, and now ten years later, I am the primary cantor for funerals and weddings, I am engaged to the music director for the parish (whom I got to return to church before we were dating and work for the church.) and we are on the diocesan board for “World Mission Day.” 2013" together.

I started with my voice, which I wasn’t very strong in at the time, and grew from there. The point being is…I STARTED.

I’m not trying to toot my own horn here because actually, I have found myself caught in the vicious circle of study, study, study and not enough action. I was just observing myself and wondering if I was avoiding responsibility by diving into study. You know, like when we talk ABOUT Jesus yet never talk TO Him. Have you ever found your self doing that? I know I have been standing right in front of Him in the Eucharist, talking about how He is present there without ever addressing Him personally…such a shame.
 
My talents is in math and computers. I do not know how to give more glory to God. Most other people with this aptitude tend to be earthly minded.
 
Lady_Love said:
I was meditating today on becoming a marathon runner. I was overwhelmed by running 20 miles when I can barely walk three miles. In my mind I started comparing marathon running to spirituality. I thought, “How silly it would be to study hours and hours about marathon running to try to be a marathon runner,” The only way to become a marathon runner would be to START running. I’m sure some studying would be good for learning to eat, train, and rest for marathon running but someday in order to compete you would have to start running.

I say this because I have caught myself in the vicious cycle of study when it comes to the spiritual life. I could spend days reading. But what kind of life is a life spent reading and learning about how others lived, if I don’t live my own life. I would read and read about who this saint was and who that saint was but often not even know who I was. I could look and admire all the gifts and talents of someone but never know what my gifts were. The problem with not knowing what my gifts/talents were is that I wasn’t using them.

I was reading a book (ha. ha.) the other day that was talking about how our gifts and talents reveal our purpose. For example, my talent is singing, so I sing for my parish. I started as a meek member of a choir, then graduated to a cantor, and now ten years later, I am the primary cantor for funerals and weddings, I am engaged to the music director for the parish (whom I got to return to church before we were dating and work for the church.) and we are on the diocesan board for “World Mission Day.” 2013" together.

I started with my voice, which I wasn’t very strong in at the time, and grew from there. The point being is…I STARTED.

I’m not trying to toot my own horn here because actually, I have found myself caught in the vicious circle of study, study, study and not enough action. I was just observing myself and wondering if I was avoiding responsibility by diving into study. You know, like when we talk ABOUT Jesus yet never talk TO Him. Have you ever found your self doing that? I know I have been standing right in front of Him in the Eucharist, talking about how He is present there without ever addressing Him personally…such a shame.
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Powerful observation…Pray about it and God will lead you to a balance. I do think that seeking knowledge is an important and necessary part of the Christian life, but so is prayer and action.

Good luck
 
I don’t think study hinders holiness. Study is a part of it. People may find God calling them to do other things for holiness in various situations. Nevertheless, when you read Catechism or browse Catholic Answers you are actually running the marathon of faith and love. 😉
 
InJesusItrust said:
My talents is in math and computers. I do not know how to give more glory to God. Most other people with this aptitude tend to be earthly minded.
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If your church doesn’t have a website maybe you can develop one for them. You could also tutor the children in the church if math. There may be a need for that as well.
 
There’s a balance between learning about God and applying what you’ve learned. You can make Christianity an academic exercise and mistake your knowledge for real progress in the interior life. However, on the flip side, you can pray without learning about God, and you end up worshiping a God that you have created, not the God that has revealed Himself. Both are extremes that should be avoided.

A great book (haha) that Scott Hahn’s spiritual director made him read once every year to combat this is: Soul of the Apostolate. It has helped me tremendously in this area.

Another problem that I’ve had, I don’t know if it afflicts anyone else here, is seeking the “perfect” prayer routine. Liturgy of the Hours vs. 1962 Roman Breviary, Rosary, Bible study (which Bible version and how much?), Angelus, Holy Hours, and the list goes on and on. Catholics are blessed with so many choices of devotions, but it can be a hindrance in that you are trying so hard to find a devotion that works for you, that you never arrive at the goal of prayer: union with God. You are constantly searching for the “perfect” devotion. Just pray! Realize that you will never reach nirvana on earth. Augustine says, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, Lord.” So don’t let the search for perfect prayer deceive you. God just wants to talk.
 
Some wonderful insights here! Yes, I do find myself falling into the habit of learning about God, but not spending enough time praying to him. Gotta go now, but great insights!
 
InJesusItrust said:
My talents is in math and computers. I do not know how to give more glory to God. Most other people with this aptitude tend to be earthly minded.
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Your skill is very valuable in these times. If you don’t know how to use it in the service of God, you could start by asking your local parish if they need any of your skills. You could possibly invent a reason they need you. They might need someone to update a website, promote a certain 'special event."
 
i can completely understand. i may read and study a saints diary, but getting up and starting to live like them is different
 
When you learn to fly (escape the “worldly” earth’s surface) you have ground school, and you have in-flight instruction, plus you have solo work to do before you can take passengers.

No matter how much ground school you have, chances are if you were in the plane for the first time, and didn’t have an instructor or safety pilot, you will crash and perhaps die. And this is with “full knowledge” of everything that could be on the written test, include how the airplane works and what to do if it breaks in flight, all the regulations, air traffic control, weather, everything.

On the other hand, if you have only flight training, then if someone gives you the keys you’ll be able to take off and fly around town and circle your house and stuff, and you’re not going to get killed. But without the ground training, if something goes wrong you are at risk for not having a clue what to do about it. Or if you actually want to do more than fly around near the airport (like a “recreational pilot” which I think is dumb but there it is) go on trips, etc. then the ground training is key.

I think too much study can in fact get in the way of holiness in the case that a person thinks that more and more knowledge is what they need to get to become closer to God. Knowledge by itself doesn’t; it’s knowledge put to use.

Alan
 
Alan,

But wouldn’t it be a real shame if someone spent hours, days, even years studying to fly but never actually took the action of stepping into a plane?
 
Lady_Love said:
Alan,

But wouldn’t it be a real shame if someone spent hours, days, even years studying to fly but never actually took the action of stepping into a plane?
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Yes, and no. And you made me think of my dad.

My father always wanted to fly, since he was young. He had the brains, the talent, the money.

But he put it off … and put it off … until finally he was 49 and had a heart attack. Then he really got interested in flying and found that he would basically have to be superman to get a medical certificate – even if he did get off all of his heart and blood pressure and other meds.

So, knowing he’d never get a license, he enrolled in ground school that was taught at my high school, and of course got 100% on all the tests. He liked to talk about it, for to him it was better to have the ground school than not, because he may not get to fly but he still wants to have the knowledge.

So there, it was a shame he didn’t get to fly, but he elected to take ground school and loved it, and talked about it the rest of his life.

But …

When I moved to Wichita in 1981, I told the airport I flew out of in Chicago, that I was going to live near the Cessna factory, so if anybody buys a new 172, I’ll be happy to bring it to them.

They took me up on it. They reimbursed my expenses and gave me a return ticket, but by law they couldn’t pay me for the actual flying because I didn’t have a commercial license. But I got to fly, got free hours to log, and they saved money they would have paid a ferry pilot.

Now here’s the good part. This was a couple years after Dad took his ground school. He got all excited and flew on American Airlines from Chicago to Wichita, just so he could fly back with me in the brand new 172. He did all the navigation, using what he learned in ground school, and was astounded to find out how well it worked. He’d say "in two minutes and thirteen seconds we should be crossing over El Dorado Lake. Then right to the second, it happened. He started smiling and didn’t stop until several hours after the flight was over. 😃

In short, he had accepted only taking ground school. So to him, the flight was a bonus he hadn’t dared to dream of.

Alan
 
There are walking encyclopedia types that are puffed up with knowledge, but fail in charity the minute they open their mouth to profess their wisdom. These were the very ones that Jesus had the most trouble with: following the letter, rather than the spirit. Their satisfaction in having vast learning has blinded many. Not having a bible handy, I cannot quote, but there are many sayings concerning this in the book of Proverbs.
 
AlanFromWichita said:
Yes, and no. And you made me think of my dad.

My father always wanted to fly, since he was young. He had the brains, the talent, the money.

But he put it off … and put it off … until finally he was 49 and had a heart attack. Then he really got interested in flying and found that he would basically have to be superman to get a medical certificate – even if he did get off all of his heart and blood pressure and other meds.

So, knowing he’d never get a license, he enrolled in ground school that was taught at my high school, and of course got 100% on all the tests. He liked to talk about it, for to him it was better to have the ground school than not, because he may not get to fly but he still wants to have the knowledge.

So there, it was a shame he didn’t get to fly, but he elected to take ground school and loved it, and talked about it the rest of his life.

But …

When I moved to Wichita in 1981, I told the airport I flew out of in Chicago, that I was going to live near the Cessna factory, so if anybody buys a new 172, I’ll be happy to bring it to them.

They took me up on it. They reimbursed my expenses and gave me a return ticket, but by law they couldn’t pay me for the actual flying because I didn’t have a commercial license. But I got to fly, got free hours to log, and they saved money they would have paid a ferry pilot.

Now here’s the good part. This was a couple years after Dad took his ground school. He got all excited and flew on American Airlines from Chicago to Wichita, just so he could fly back with me in the brand new 172. He did all the navigation, using what he learned in ground school, and was astounded to find out how well it worked. He’d say "in two minutes and thirteen seconds we should be crossing over El Dorado Lake. Then right to the second, it happened. He started smiling and didn’t stop until several hours after the flight was over. 😃

In short, he had accepted only taking ground school. So to him, the flight was a bonus he hadn’t dared to dream of.

Alan
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Neat story!
 
Sirach2 said:
There are walking encyclopedia types that are puffed up with knowledge, but fail in charity the minute they open their mouth to profess their wisdom. These were the very ones that Jesus had the most trouble with: following the letter, rather than the spirit. Their satisfaction in having vast learning has blinded many. Not having a bible handy, I cannot quote, but there are many sayings concerning this in the book of Proverbs.
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I guess that it really requires some sort of balance between the two- we do have to use our intellect to know our faith (how can we live what we don’ t know)? But it has to be more than an intellectual exercise- learning to live that faith wholly and lovingly is important, too.
 
mommyof4 said:
I guess that it really requires some sort of balance between the two- we do have to use our intellect to know our faith (how can we live what we don’ t know)? But it has to be more than an intellectual exercise- learning to live that faith wholly and lovingly is important, too.
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Yes, it’s always both. You should never be afraid to really study the Catechism or read the bible.

People who remain intentionally ignorant usually don’t grow in their faith.
 
Although this is not about religion, I have found that the more I study science the greater chance of becoming haughty I become. I have caught myself being so certain of my view because experts believe it that I tended to put off a vibe of pride to people who did not know science and believed otherwise.
 
InJesusItrust said:
Although this is not about religion, I have found that the more I study science the greater chance of becoming haughty I become. I have caught myself being so certain of my view because experts believe it that I tended to put off a vibe of pride to people who did not know science and believed otherwise.
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That’s more an attitude fault than a consequence of study. I mean a person who has that problem could get just as puffed up about anything else, because it’s not the study that’s the problem, it’s the attitude.

There is an encyclical (recent writing by PJPII) about faith and reason.
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_15101998_fides-et-ratio_en.html

Keep in mind that the Catholic Church invented the university system in Paris about a thousand years ago. This is much bigger than you or me or the OP.
 
InJesusItrust said:
Although this is not about religion, I have found that the more I study science the greater chance of becoming haughty I become. I have caught myself being so certain of my view because experts believe it that I tended to put off a vibe of pride to people who did not know science and believed otherwise.
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I had the same problem. When I saw my first SD, on the first day he told me that since I’m a scientific person and had been my whole life, he told me to read Job 38-42. He said, “God asks Job a number of difficult questions that Job finds impossible to answer.”

Alan
 
Lady_Love said:
I was meditating today on becoming a marathon runner. I was overwhelmed by running 20 miles when I can barely walk three miles. In my mind I started comparing marathon running to spirituality. I thought, “How silly it would be to study hours and hours about marathon running to try to be a marathon runner,” The only way to become a marathon runner would be to START running. I’m sure some studying would be good for learning to eat, train, and rest for marathon running but someday in order to compete you would have to start running.

I say this because I have caught myself in the vicious cycle of study when it comes to the spiritual life. I could spend days reading. But what kind of life is a life spent reading and learning about how others lived, if I don’t live my own life. I would read and read about who this saint was and who that saint was but often not even know who I was. I could look and admire all the gifts and talents of someone but never know what my gifts were. The problem with not knowing what my gifts/talents were is that I wasn’t using them.

I was reading a book (ha. ha.) the other day that was talking about how our gifts and talents reveal our purpose. For example, my talent is singing, so I sing for my parish. I started as a meek member of a choir, then graduated to a cantor, and now ten years later, I am the primary cantor for funerals and weddings, I am engaged to the music director for the parish (whom I got to return to church before we were dating and work for the church.) and we are on the diocesan board for “World Mission Day.” 2013" together.

I started with my voice, which I wasn’t very strong in at the time, and grew from there. The point being is…I STARTED.

I’m not trying to toot my own horn here because actually, I have found myself caught in the vicious circle of study, study, study and not enough action. I was just observing myself and wondering if I was avoiding responsibility by diving into study. You know, like when we talk ABOUT Jesus yet never talk TO Him. Have you ever found your self doing that? I know I have been standing right in front of Him in the Eucharist, talking about how He is present there without ever addressing Him personally…such a shame.
Click to expand...
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
The nice things that have been happening to you are the fruits of seeking God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. (2Chr 26:5a)

Continue to seek Him:
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deu 4:29)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:9-13)
 
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