"To be in the World but not of the World"

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anon90438963

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I’m feeling challenged lately to take this phrase more seriously. I realize it is an on-going tension, but what do you do (or what don’t you do) to live up to this?
Obviously, avoiding sin and taking time for prayer are paramount, but what else?
 
Personal holiness - no matter where you are. Allow your faith to shape you - your thoughts and actions, your demeanor, your readiness to offer prayer and any other work of mercy, the joy which we are called to radiate.

It will infuriate some, that much is assured. Pay no mind to that, as God will reward you.
 
Stay rooted in Scripture.

Keep to the Deposit of Faith.

Pray, go to Mass and “try not to sin”.

Say yes, when good things come.
 
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St. Pio said: “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”
 
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Mary says to the servants, “do everything he tells you”… it will all make sense after a short time.
 
The “Pray, hope, and don’t worry” advice is indeed countercultural these days.
 
First, I have been baptized and through my baptism was given the gift of faith. I try to stay rooted in the scriptures and in my church. I try to understand the scriptures so that I can evaluate the culture of the world we live in against the standard that God has communicated to us. I try to understand the law and how God intends for me to live over and above what the culture might be directing, yet I also try to remain firmly rooted in the gospel. I try to be faithful in my worship and active in the community of faith. I am fortunate to have a number of close relationships with the deacons, elders, and pastors within my church who are wonderful examples who challenge me to live a life dedicated to Christ. I take that example and try to model it within my family as the spiritual head of my household. I try to pray regularly. I look forward to regular participation in Communion to remind me of what Christ has done for me. I often have to pray for forgiveness and try to extend forgiveness to others. Hopefully, as a community of faith in Jesus Christ, we all are able to proclaim to the world a life that stands apart from what the world corrupted by sin has to offer.
 
Solitude and Meditation: ‘Very many great saints avoided the company of men wherever possible and chose to serve God in retirement. “As often as I have been among men,” said one writer, “I have returned less a man.”
We often find this to be true when we take part in long conversations. It is easier to be silent
altogether than not to speak too much. To stay at home is easier than to be sufficiently on guard
while away. Anyone, then, who aims to live the inner and spiritual life must go apart, with Jesus,
from the crowd.’ - The Imitation of Christ
 
It was easier back when.

People did not depend upon external (social) affirmations as they do today (thanks to hollowood’s tenets and principles).

So people sought to serve God with all their heart and might.

Today, people are mostly concerned in how they are going to “fit” or be accepted or be liked by the greatest number of people possible.

Thanks to hollowood’s spirituality, people are seeking not to “judge” and to give “respect.”

The problem is that people don’t judge immoral/evil behavior and they “respect” whatever the wind drags about–the values are turned on their heads.

Since being in the world means accepting secular values and since fitting in means giving in to whatever the winds drag about, those who seek to not be part of the world find it quite difficult to achieve.

Remember the movies that depicted people running to the aid of those in need? Today we find people running to post things about those who are hurt or assaulted–everyone wants to be a “star” or be part of a “movement” or “thing” as long as it does not involve Christ or the Church.

Maran atha!

Angel
 
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I do believe in Pio’s saying 😇 Bought the bumper sticker - for a reminder.
Hope - is a curious word …
You can’t help but worry, if your doing a lot of hoping.

Perhaps…
Pio - wants us to hope, and then forget about what were hoping for…
so we don’t worry.

Same with the rosary - at the beginning of it -
Faith…hope…charity…
I always juggle what hope could mean -
because I associate it so closely to faith…
 
Remembering that we are set apart for the Lord and many times that entails as signs of contradiction to the world.

In a society where keeping up with the Joneses is often visible, embracing the simple Jesus can be a challenge.
 
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anon90438963 said:
I’m feeling challenged lately to take this phrase more seriously.
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@anon90438963 , you are reminding us of something which is not an option for a follower of Jesus .

St Paul in Romans 12:2 would say the same thing . “And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind.”

Faced with the world as we encounter it in Western societies we are called to be countercultural .

It isn’t easy . But it is so easy to go with the flow .

Many Catholics through politics , pleasure , life-styles etc. have become compromised , conformed to the false values of Western societies .

You ask what else you should do .

Jesus answers , “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

So it’s a daily task . As we live within our communities we can only strive in the power of the Holy Spirit to stay on that path Jesus has shown us . That is going to entail a lot of denying . A lot of denying , a lot of cross carrying . But we can do it in the strength of the love given by the Holy Spirit , being careful in rejecting the sinful ways which surround us not to reject the sinners . That is not going to be easy , but Jesus did warn us what following him would entail …taking up a cross daily…denying ourselves .
 
Rob2 said:
Jesus answers , “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

So it’s a daily task . As we live within our communities we can only strive in the power of the Holy Spirit to stay on that path Jesus has shown us . That is going to entail a lot of denying . A lot of denying , a lot of cross carrying . But we can do it in the strength of the love given by the Holy Spirit , being careful in rejecting the sinful ways which surround us not to reject the sinners .
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I fully concur!

It is the “everyday/daily” practice that Jesus Calls us to:
3 Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. (St. John 15)
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Even the most spiritual (due to their connection with Jesus) of us must Abide with and in Christ for without Him we are nothing!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
I interpret it as trying to be very selective with the media I take in— I used to love watching the CW’s Supergirl, but they added a bunch of lesbian and transgender elements so I had to give it up. I also don’t listen to music that has vulgar or sexual language.
That’s one of the ways I take the verse, at least.
 
ChristinaAH said:
I interpret it as trying to be very selective with the media I take in— I used to love watching the CW’s Supergirl, but they added a bunch of lesbian and transgender elements so I had to give it up. I also don’t listen to music that has vulgar or sexual language.
That’s one of the ways I take the verse, at least.
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Exactly!

It is the difficult part of being in the world, yet not being part of the world. When we choose to obey God rather than the world we are labeled “intolerant” or “anti xyz.”

I was a big sci-fi fanatic then the promiscuous culture of death was forced into the scripts and I dropped the shows soon after… you can still see this in the newer shows but they are kept to a lesser degree than those “in your face” indoctrinations–drvs are great tools for filtering out such segments… but avoiding the programs altogether is the better solution.

Maran atha!

Angel
 
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