Need Some Moral Support

[Nunsense]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1278749' date='May 22 2007, 07:30 AM']"Remember that you are here to enjoy God."

He has asked me to think about that whenever my friend's Jansenism surfaces in conversation. It's simple advice, but it restored so much to me - I danced all the way home. Remember that you are here to enjoy God.

Pray for the ability to want to forgive Anna. Then pray for the ability to forgive her. If we are wrapped up in the enjoyment of God then forgiveness becomes a pleasure and harmful behaviours like Anna's become something to take before Him in your prayer. Think about how fundamentally unhappy Anna must be if she is able to give advice like that. Perhaps this will open the door for you to pray for her.[/quote]

Absolutely wonderful advice CA! It is so easy to forget the essence of God when we get caught up in everything that surrounds Him. "enjoy God" -- I love that.

[Ora et Labora]

so true. it's so easy to be caught up in anything else nowadays. i think it's hard for all of us to stay in the virtuous state of mind.

[philosophette]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1278749' date='May 21 2007, 07:30 PM']"Remember that you are here to enjoy God."[/quote]

That is a fantastic piece of advice! Thanks for sharing!

[Maria]

Other's have touched on this, but I want to repeat that, if you can, find friends who love God and who love you. Giving them up does NOT please God. Yes, God needs to be more important to you than your friends. Therefore you will try to help your friends become Saints and, if they are leading you to hell, you cut off the friendship, but the point is that we are communal beings. We're made for community. It's part of the being made in the image and likeness of God thing (God is the fundamental community, communion, between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). God made us to be in union with Him and, through Him, in union with others. He did NOT make us to be miserably alone.
There's the Communion of Saints, so even hermits are (supposed to be) living in communion with others.
Find some friends, even if they're not Catholic. Friends who will build you up and respect you, not who try to control you. Friends who will show you God's love through their actions, even if they don't (or even more than they do) talk about Him. If they're not good Catholics (or even if everyone thinks they are), use the internet to gain more confidence about your faith.
Be aware of the dignity you have as a child of God, bought with Christ's blood. That's who you are. Someone the almighty, all-knowing, all-holy, infinite God loves with all that He is. Humility is recognizing that and wondering at God's grace and love. It's looking at God, not at yourself. It's recognizing that God is all in all, that He is the source of everything good, that you cannot receive life except through Him. It's NOT beating yourself up. That's what the devil pretends is humility, and he does that because it leads souls away from God. It ends with people turning their backs on God because it's too hard and there's too much pain, or with them abstaining from drawing near to God because they're not good enough. PLEASE reject this death-bringing lie of Satan.
Find friends who recognize the dignity you have as a child of God, even if they can't phrase it as such. It will probably be harder to do this if they're not Catholic, especially if you're not firmly convinced of it, but do try.

God bless,
Maria

[farglefeezlebut]

[quote name='Ora et Labora' post='1278808' date='May 22 2007, 03:38 AM']so true. it's so easy to be caught up in anything else nowadays. i think it's hard for all of us to stay in the virtuous state of mind.[/quote]


I don't think it's just a case of "nowadays" - I think that's human nature.

But yes, CA gives wonderful advice.

Ask God for the ability to pray for Anna.

[jkaands]

This girl perceives Catholicism in a stark black-and-white fashion. Her spirituality is out-and-out Jansenism. It's blinkered. It's impoverished. And its poison has been slowly seeping through the chaplaincy's pews. But as my friend is a theology student from a very religious family (her brother is in his fourth year of seminary) for the past few weeks I've been worrying that she might be right on so many counts. Right that this novena is more powerful than that one, right that it's 'uncatholic' for an unmarried girl to wear a black mantilla instead of a white one, right that it's a sin to read books of Protestant theology, right that I'm being a cafeteria Catholic for refusing to give much credence to St Faustina's diaries. It all boiled up yesterday when we were on pilgrimage to Walsingham and she criticised me for putting on my scapular in an insufficiently reverential manner.



I don't recognize any of that as good theology.


my impression of Catholic theology, for example, is that one is not obliged to believe in revelations, such as Faustina's, only that they are 'worthy of belief'.


This sort of person is usually the first to abandon her religion.

I congratulate you on being 'friends' with her. She would drive me away from the group completely.

[u][b]I [/b][/u]would tell her to go to hell. (I'm not recommending this)/

[sismaria]

I haven't quite been able to read all the responses to you, dear God Child. It is a shame that you trusted your Anna so. You need to read good Catholic books so that you can tell good advice from bad advice. From the time I became close to God I've read so many books about saints and by saints, and the documents of the Church and the Bible. Then I know when someone is giving me good advice and when it doesn't go along with the way God works.

My biggest piece of advice for you, however, is a little different than the others, I think. Instead of looking for friends to build you up and be a friend to you, why don't you look around for some lonely people and try to build them up. I have found that the surest road to happiness lies in forgetting yourself and trying to think of others. Each day try to look for ways you can do something to make another person happy.

and another observation... All those grouchy old people in the pews may have good hearts. I have heard many people complain about Catholics who don't live their faith or know the Lord and who have no enthusiasm at Mass, but many who judge those people from outward appearances don't know what is inside their hearts. I have spoken with people who seem outwardly unfriendly but are very goodhearted and sometimes share experiences by which I can tell they are very close to God, but you would have never know this from looking at them. Give people the benefit of the doubt. When people are unkind or even cause us harm, as that Anna did, it is usually because they are wounded. Try to make excuses for others (but don't follow their bad advice.)

So if you wish to find happiness try to give to others and think well of others. St. Therese once wrote, "And tell me, is there anything sweeter than the inward joy that comes from thinking well of others?"

This advice may sound idealistic, but put it into practice and you will finally find the happiness for which you have been searching.

[Mary-Kathryn]

[quote name='GodChild' date='May 21 2007, 08:03 PM' post='1278735']
I don't care about Anna - in fact I'm furious at her (and myself for listening to her). Problem is I'm left with a really really bad view of 'religious' people - nuns, priests etc

Anger can be a very healthy thing. Use it constructively to move forward and put alot of distance between yourself, Anna, and any dangerous behaviors she may have tried to instill in you. Forgive this mother's heart for saying one more time: God does not want or need you to cut yourself to prove your love for Him.

I know Australia is huge, but are you near a cathedral, convent or monastery that has an active youth/young adult group? I'm trying to think of places that might click with you.