Withdrawing from 'worldly' life

[Leebo]

I need help understanding this. To what extent is this to be done? The overwhelming majority of Catholics (or Christians) don’t do this to any real extent at all.

How is this to be done? How do you “pick up your cross” and follow Jesus ? I know it involves great sacrifice, but what kind? Do you really abandon your family and drop everything and just start wondering the earth looking for poor people to help?

I have never ever heard any priest give a real answer to this question. I have heard many talk about it vaguely but never with any detail. It is obvious to me that these ‘sermons’ don’t bear much fruit as I don’t see Christians following through on this. Probably because they don’t understand any more than I do what it all really means.

Am I missing something? Any (name removed by moderator)ut would be appreciated.

 

[MarieVeronica]

Hi Leebo. I can pass on to you, what I have learned. When Our Lord told us that we must take up our cross, and follow Him… He meant, that we must accept the circumstances of our lives… with faith in His Providence (Will) for each of us. To follow Him, then… would mean, to live out whatever your particular vocation is… (Marriage, Holy Orders, Student… etc.)… with faith that He loves us, and is leading us in the direction He wants us to go. That direction… is Heaven.

The path is always a little bit different for each of us (married, single, religious… etc)… but the foundation (as Christians) should be the same. Love God. Love your brothers and sisters.

I don’t think it is possible for all of us… to live the radical Christian life… such as, for example… Mother Teresa of Calcutta. But we can certainly step back, examine our lives… and try to discover what we CAN do for love of Jesus.

For example… if you’re a student… do you maybe have a little bit of extra time, each week… to go and visit an elderly person in a nursing home? How about stay at home Moms… maybe you have the time to pick up a few extra groceries… while shopping, and drop them off at a local homeless shelter? Maybe you have extra clothing, too? Working men… do you maybe have a little bit of extra time on the weekend to do repair work at your parish? If you’re ill, infirmed or disabled… how about becoming a “Prayer Warrior”? Prayer is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. As Fr. Corapi says… “Now, there is POWER”.

I think those a few good starting points. When we stop thinking about ourselves, and start to think about what we can do for others… (and then, go DO it)… it is then, that we are truly taking up our crosses and serving Our Lord. God bless.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Quoting Leebo:

I need help understanding this. To what extent is this to be done? The overwhelming majority of Catholics (or Christians) don’t do this to any real extent at all.

As lay people in the world and with vocations in the world we are called to be the leaven in the world rather than to abandon it. Even today in religious houses there is an understanding that God created man and the world because He loved them and they brought Him Joy…and hence we have a responsibility and accountability rather than abandoning the world, to invest in it.

How is this to be done? How do you “pick up your cross” and follow Jesus ? I know it involves great sacrifice, but what kind? Do you really abandon your family and drop everything and just start wondering the earth looking for poor people to help?

We are not called to abandon our family and wander the earth. Our call and vocation in the world can be whatever it is for us and within that call and vocation, crosses will come, and our state in life has the potential to make saints of us every much as if one is called to religious life or the priesthood.

I have never ever heard any priest give a real answer to this question. I have heard many talk about it vaguely but never with any detail. It is obvious to me that these ‘sermons’ don’t bear much fruit as I don’t see Christians following through on this. Probably because they don’t understand any more than I do what it all really means.

Much truth indeed in what you say above from my point of view, much truth! Somehow, I guess, we have to be able to reach our priests and let them know that their homilies or “sermons” are just not hitting home and many find them completely meaningless and do not understand.

Barb

 

[Johndigger]

The best example is Our Lord.

He lived a quiet life for 30 years, making a living. Then in the last 3 years His ministry began.

God has become man. By becoming man, Jesus has made even the most mundane tasks holy. Jesus would have helped His Mum in the kitchen, helped Joseph in his carpentry.

These little things. All the mundane boringness of our lives is made holy by Jesus Christ. By following our own lifes in a humbly, sincere and loving way we are truly “picking up our cross.”

There will, however, be times when we need to be like Jesus in the last three years of His life, where we have to stand up for what we believe in and abandon the wicked ways of the world, admonish the sinner and save souls.

In Christ,

JD

 

[BarbaraTherese]

The best example is Our Lord.

He lived a quiet life for 30 years, making a living. Then in the last 3 years His ministry began.

God has become man. By becoming man, Jesus has made even the most mundane tasks holy. Jesus would have helped His Mum in the kitchen, helped Joseph in his carpentry.

These little things. All the mundane boringness of our lives is made holy by Jesus Christ. By following our own lifes in a humbly, sincere and loving way we are truly “picking up our cross.”

There will, however, be times when we need to be like Jesus in the last three years of His life, where we have to stand up for what we believe in and abandon the wicked ways of the world, admonish the sinner and save souls.

In Christ,

JD

Really good post! I have never thought before that for thirty years Jesus would have been involved in the mundane probably and most ordinary occupation of probably assisting his father in carpentry work. I have thought of Mary as being occupied with the often mundane and ordinary tasks of wife, mother and housekeeper, but not Jesus being for 30 years of his life about similar matters. Thank you for that. This point I will never forget!

Good Post!

Barb

 

[puzzleannie]

I
How is this to be done? How do you “pick up your cross” and follow Jesus ? I know it involves great sacrifice, but what kind? Do you really abandon your family and drop everything and just start wondering the earth looking for poor people to help?

I.

lay CAtholics living in the world are in the best position to do this, because they are the ones who daily take up the cross of work, family, responsible civic life in the community, defense of the nation, raising children, producing the needs of society. No need to wander. the people you are supposed to help are sitting across the breakfast table from you

 

[SarahR]

In the world, not of the world…it might be helpful to meditate on Who God Is (the psalms), eternity, all the pleasures/concerns/fears/pains/fun of this present life will be gone in the twinkling of an eye. We find ourselves detaching from these material things and this material life.

God has custom-fit you to your cross. It would be impossible to bear it (whatever it entails) with out His grace, but with His grace it will yield tremendous fruit and holiness.

Whatever cross you have, be it huge or seemingly insignificant, it’s that way for a reason–to bring glory to God and prepare you for heaven.