Self Emptying, Conversion, Transformation and Following Jesus

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Shakuhachi

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What is the spiritual life really all about? What is holiness? What are we supposed to be doing with our lives?

I am convinced it is about letting go of the will of the ego and accepting the higher will of God. That often means seeing Christ in others and sacrificing our movement to moment desires and inclinations on their behalf in love. In that way we become less self centered and more unified in Christ. It takes self emptying, a conversion of how we live and it results in the transformation of who we are. Holiness is realization of our unity in the love of Christ and it requires a diminishment off our sense of “me” alone.
 
I totally agree. Ego beads to be tamed. I believe our ego runs counter to doing Gods will. It tells us that we are God and can take care of everything ourselves, that we are in control. It can be made up of dysfunctional behaviors that we developed in childhood, while growing up. It comes down to “God vs. Ego”.
 
And the ago can be insidious taking a religious form. But we certainly can’t abandon religion. I think a good strategy is to find the words of Jesus that we find particularly hard to swallow and dwell worth them. For me it is things like , “If anyone would come after me, he must take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

To me that means little things like helping with house cleaning instead of watching a baseball game, going someplace with my wife where I would rather not go…doing anything I would rather not do, and not doing things I want to do for the sake of someone else.

That dying to self, transforms when done of the love of the Holy Spirit.
 
Yes, you know, once we get to adulthood we don’t have to obey anyone as much as when we we’re children and had parent to obey. Now it is an inner command, an inner voice of conscience.
 
Yes, remaking humble and coming to Jesus as a child. And definitely the Ego can incorporate strong religious beliefs. In those cases I question the relationship with Jesus. But if they are praying, they too can be healed…they have to know they need it though and want it.john 5:1-9.
 
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Sacrifice

We make all kinds of sacrifices in our lives. Some are our choice and others are not our choice. But what is our choice is how we accept them. If we can accept them all as our small crosses, unite every sacrifice with the sacrifice of Chris, always mindful of that, we are on the path of transformation.

I think the Eucharist should remind us also of our own need to sacrifice.
 
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Following Jesus is a life long journey and it is not all sacrifices, it is giving of ourselves. With that we can experience joy!
 
Wouldn’t you know I was just reading Psalm 50. “The sacrifice you accept, O Lord, is a humble spirit.”
 
“Giving of ourselves” is exactly sacrifice and with the transformation is becomes joy. I think of St Francis embracing the leper.
 
I guess what I was trying to say, not well I guess, is that joy is not a sacrifice.
 
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