What lets you grow - support or an hostile environment

[alice24]

I noticed a huge boost in my efforts to live my faith since I´m in a rather hostile environment. I got less lazy with it, but this is connected with setting clearer borders against “the outside world”. On the other hand, closing the door (mentally) can make people hard in their hearts. I started to feel the wish to live in an living environment where I can meet more like minded people, where christianity is more common and lived (yes, it´s part of “grass is greener on the other side”). This happy island doesn´t exists for us right now, and I wonder if this is exactly the Lord´s way to keep me in line with my practice, or If I should try harder to find that “happy place”.
How is it for you?

 

[TheLittleLady]

There are two sorts of plants. Hearty plants that grow and bloom out in the elements and those that are fragile in a hothouse.

 

[alice24]

A wise thought, thank you.
Maybe I don´t know what kind of plant god made me and this is part of the problem

 

[TheLittleLady]

We all need to go into the hothouse for a rest now and then, but, look at the USA. The Catholic Church is growing and flourishing in the deep south, known as the “Bible Belt” because it has historically been dominated by evangelical Protestantism.

The Church in Russia, it is amazing how strong those Catholics are! Take a look at this video.

 

[alice24]

Yes, I think I miss a rest so much. We didn´t left the house since we moved here insetad of work and buying food. We visit the theater as a “couple activity” and we enjoy this, but on the social area…nothing.
But you are right. It grows. My priest said today that 20 years ago, the parish were 15 people in an one-room “church”. Today our bishop blessed us and we hardly found a place in the little graveyard chapel we always attend. I sometimes wish I was 20 years older to enjoy the (hopefully) larger and more vivid community then.
It´s like closing the door to stay sober, mentally, But sometimes, I wish to see a place where simply no one drinks…

 

[Dan_Defender]

Maybe it is God’s will that the social environment is hostile, so you can focus on your own spirituality and grow that way. Monks and mystics did not socialize outside the inner circle and achieved holiness. This may be a blessing in disguise.

 

[joeybaggz]

Support or a hostile environment.
BOTH! I have learned and grown much from encountering the atheist and the agnostic, and I have deepened my appreciation and growth in my relationship with God by encountering good and actively engaged catholics.
It is easier to understand white, when you encounter and learn to understand black.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

If you want to use muscles as a metaphor, muscles don’t get strong unless they’re subjected to resistance. They need something to push against.

But muscles also need rest—too much pushback and resistance can overwhelm and injure and weaken the body.

You need support and resistance in just the right amounts.

 

[alice24]

I think I should maybe create space for this resting time. I´m not sure how atm, but this is a way I need to rethink, beside “everything or nothing”. It seems that we have to stay here for at least some years to stabilize financially, major steps aren´t prudent now for various reasons. As I am relateively new to my parish here, I didn´t want to rush in and ask “why don´t we have xyz/groups/activities”, but I thought of talking to my priest in the following months about this.

 

[Learner1969]

I became a Christian in an hostile environment but it has not stopped me from growing it has made me stronger, you cannot get more hostile than prison.

 

[Reuben_J]

Support group is important and a great help in spiritual life. When one experiences love, which a support group gives, one would grow and in return would want to share that love.

A non-hostile environment may not be supportive to one needs spiritually and can be indifferent. You really have to have a sense of purpose and direction in such environment, otherwise you can be lull into complacency.

A hostile environment can effect a reaction for us. The early Christians grew tremendously because of persecution. This however, requires one to be a strong and convicted believer in the first place.

 

[alice24]

If it´s not too private, may I ask what your “support/relax/spiritual nurture” places are? Beside mass iself, of course.

 

[adgloriam]

These are several issues, intervening personal/social in a context of faith.

I´m in a rather hostile environment

Noticing it’s a secularized world and we aren’t secular, being in it.

with setting clearer borders against

Clear moral notion of right/wrong (sin). Viewing the world in terms of sin and bad influences.

On the other hand, closing the door (mentally) can make people hard in their hearts.

Advanced aspect of living the faith (an art and science) is the wisdom of how we “meet” others in daily life being faithful.

I can meet more like minded people

Wanting to belong to a community of faithful, allowing us to live more significantly that dimension of our lives.

If I should try harder to find that “happy place”.

It also depends on the free time you have to seek and integrate into a community of faithful. Those overworked will hardly find time for it. Then there is another matter of finding a group whos aims, charisma, and members you identify with.

How is it for you?

I live all those aspects simultaneously conditions permitting.

 

[adgloriam]

I find this evocative of some places where “the first christian” communities formed in the first centuries. They were probably small. The difference being they also probably knew each other closer (with closeness raising it’s own set of problems). Perhaps the nuclear christian community is the family itself

In larger parishes and cities there can be a tendency for anonymity and the faithful not knowing each other, the community only meeting for mass. If one feels called to it joining certain groups within the church is perhaps the best way to integrate into a society where folks know each other.

I think it is also a good idea to speak with the priest since all groups will be connected to him, and he certainly has the best overlook of everything happening in the parish.

God bless.

 

[Sarcelle]

When I started working out, to build up strength via strength training, my fitness instructor said while working out, challenging the muscles to the point of failure and then letting them rest is the best way to build up strength. A combination of challenge and then recovery is the best way to build up strength.

I suspect the same is needed for spiritual strength. That is why there is such a thing as a spiritual retreat.

 

[alice24]

with setting clearer borders against

I thought about this often. If I am too judgemental, for example. We tried to socialise even if we saw morally uncomfortable things for us, and both my husband and me had a feel of…being messed up afterwards, because of what was talked and acted. And no, we don´t live super-strict and we always participated at social activities at university that were secular, so, I can´t say we are overly pious.

You gave me a list of good (name removed by moderator)ut, thank you so much. What you say about anonymity is on the point, and most of the young people at church have different backgrounds that make it harder to connect for us - many are stil students and single and seem to connect rather with other university singles, and the young families stay in their families for most of the time.
Time is a point, as it is money. Our church organises pilgrimages from time to time, but even if we could pay the money for this, we couldn´t take enough free time at work. Sometimes, I think that this is maybe the time where we are young, rather healthy, and with the energy to make major changes, and if we should search somethig different. But honestly, I wouldn´t know where to go, this is part of the problem. Germany is mostly more or less secular.

 

[Rob2]

I recall a Jesuit priest , a refugee from Soviet ruled Lithuania , leading a retreat in 1963 .

He had a phrase which he repeated many times during the course of the retreat . it was “In the East they are harsh and cruel . In the West they are soft and lewd” .

It has stuck with me and moulded me all these years .

In an environment where the enemy is harsh and cruel I imagine that it would be fairly obvious what the enemy was and what means to use in combat .

In an environment where the enemy is soft and lewd I imagine that the enemy could be insidious and stealthy , and not so obvious , craftily drawing us unwittingly .

Whatever the environment , on earth it is going to be hostile . We are surrounded by a hostile culture . We will grow within it or we will stunt and shrivel . Each day we are faced with a choice . But it’s good to have support from those who share our beliefs . I would say it is necessary to have their support .

 

[alice24]

Good points… I think my main problem is there is no army, but only us in this combat.
At least, it’s the old question of how to live in diaspora, and of course this is not comparable with extreme oppression and danger the way many Christians face it…

 

[Rozellelily]

Personally,I find myself less committed to faith in a hostile environment.
Here (Aus) it is not so much hostile but more just that religion is not really talked about in day to day city life and has become unpopular and people who are religious or not for gay marriage etc can be perceived as bigots etc…
So it’s hard for me to not just “go with the flow”.

What is it like to live in Germany?

 

[Eric_Hyom]

I find a profound sense of peace; whilst being in the middle of drunken anger and violence. We encounter grief, depression, addictions, homeless people, suicide and people who have served time in prison. We also meet lots of wonderful people; and we listen to people who say we have helped them change their lives.

I have been a Street Pastor for ten years, we go out in our community until about 4 am on a Saturday morning. We don’t go out to preach, but we strive to show the love of God in our town by our actions.

Here is a nine minute video that gives an overview of Street Pastors in action.

If there is not a Street Pastor ministry in your area, then you can start one, it takes one person to get things going. I know how it happened in our town, you can also start one any where in the world.

https://www.streetpastors.org/about-us/the-street-pastors-training-programme/