Self mortification

[Monica4316]

Isn’t it really the ego that needs to be mortified rather than the physical body? The body is just the house. When Scripture implores us to die to self in order to be reborn of Spirit, it has never meant death to the body.

It is the ego (I would just call it pride) and also the passions… Corporal mortification (typical example is fasting) can help with that. But I think its about “the passions” not about the body itself. Its also not about feeling pain, but a way to reach virtue or greater love for God. Making it about self, or pain, or just sepeating it from its purpose in any way, can lead to harm. That’s why its so important to have a spiritual director … Also no need to do major penances, some Saints did but they had the advice of their director (who often forbid anything too extreme), and they were already well advanced in holiness at that time…

 

[Dempsey1919]

Penance and mortification should be a part of every Catholic life. It’s necessary to gain self-mastery over your disordered passions. It also unites us with Christ in his sufferings. Suffering makes us co-redeemers with Christ.

The best kinds of mortifications are those which don’t mortify others. This includes smiling when you don’t feel like it, getting out of bed immediately after the alarm rings, giving up your seat on a bus, deliberately choosing the smallest piece of cake when you can have the largest etc.

There is definitely a place in the spiritual life for harsher penances such as self-flaggelation but these should only be done with permission from a spiritual director. Modern Catholics including John Paul II, Mother Theresa, Padre Pio and Josemaria Escriva used things like the discipline and cilice.

However, it’s important to note that corporal penances can be a source of spiritual pride - and hence very dangerous to the spiritual life.

This is a generalisation, but I find many converts from Protestantism struggle with the idea of corporal mortification. This is usually because they haven’t fully learned the Catholic doctrines on salvation and redemptive suffering.