Would You Crawl Up These Stairs On Your Knees

[cmotherofpirl]

Again you got it exactly wrong.

Doing something a bit uncomfortable to remind yourself of the sufferings of Christ who suffered for you is a humbling action.
You might try it sometime before you spout such an opinion.

[Era Might]

[quote]And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

...

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

--Luke 7:37-50[/quote]The woman's faith was not only in her heart. Our Lord upbraided the others for not expressing their faith in acts of devotion. She was willing to get on her knees and wash his feet with her hair, and kiss them and anoint them with oil.

[quote]At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God."

--Acts 10:1-4[/quote]
This man was also commended for his "prayers and alms." He showed his love for God in a concrete way. St. John the Baptist wore camel's hair and ate locusts, even though he was the greatest born among women. St. Paul said, "I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified" (1Corinthians 9:27). We get on our knees and do penance to show our love for God in practice and not in words, because no words can fully express the love we have for the Incarnate Word, before whom every knee will bend.

[quote]For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, "He has a demon." The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, "Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.

--Luke 7:33-35[/quote]

[Ash Wednesday]

Jesus also defended the woman's actions when the disciples argued that her ointment was an expensive waste of money better spent on the poor.

I also find it baffling that anyone would assume that just because someone has financed a trip to Rome, it means they are wealthy prideful people who have no regard for their fellow man. I've known people who were anything but wealthy and had traveled continents on a shoestring.

Edited June 17, 2007 by Ash Wednesday

[Starets]

I think I would too, if I was ever in Rome. I am not a big fan of travelling anywhere for anything, myself.

There is another reason why I think I would do something like this that hasn't been mentioned by others. Its because Christianity is not just a philosophical system. It cannot be reduced to a series of theoretical arguments, whether it be four "laws" or five "points". The Incarnation makes Christianity a living, breathing, palpable reality. The Blood of Christ is not a philosophical concept. It is something that is red, wet, and sticky. Worshipping God with our bodies, whether it be in this example or in a myriad of others, is entirely appropriate.

[Mercy me]

Budge your bitterness is showing again.

Every response to this thread said that they did it to meditate on the passion of our Lord. If one does not pray then how does one come to know Him more deeply. To travel to pray has been a part of the Christian tradition since the very beginning. It is called a pilgrimage, Budge.

People of all "denominations" do it. Because you choose not to does not make it right for you to pass judgement on those that have. Those that have done this simply made this a priority and saved the pennies to make it happen.

There is something incredible to go were Jesus Himself has been, particularly to the steps that He had to climb while He sacrificed Himself for me. It is all very humbling.

[Budge]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldlPbS1WxGA"]LUTHER CRAWLS UP THE STEPS AND GETS A CLUE-_VIDEO[/url]

[quote]Those that have done this simply made this a priority and saved the pennies to make it happen.


I also find it baffling that anyone would assume that just because someone has financed a trip to Rome, it means they are wealthy prideful people who have no regard for their fellow man.[/quote]

I know what a trip to Europe costs, and it is not something for people who are of lower socioeconomic means, just the fact that you folks see it as something easy to undertake, {see a 1000 dollar plane ticket as affordable} tells me you are not in the socioeconomic classes I am dsicussing.

I still see it as a ridiculous that someone would think God would find them crawling up some stairs on their knees to be even worthwhile.

[Veritas]

[quote name='Budge' post='1297640' date='Jun 18 2007, 09:40 AM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldlPbS1WxGA"]LUTHER CRAWLS UP THE STEPS AND GETS A CLUE-_VIDEO[/url]
I know what a trip to Europe costs, and it is not something for people who are of lower socioeconomic means, just the fact that you folks see it as something easy to undertake, {see a 1000 dollar plane ticket as affordable} tells me you are not in the socioeconomic classes I am dsicussing.

I still see it as a ridiculous that someone would think God would find them crawling up some stairs on their knees to be even worthwhile.[/quote]

+

Again: "Jesus also defended the woman's actions when the disciples argued that her ointment was an expensive waste of money better spent on the poor."

Everyday the Catholic Church feeds more poor, houses more homeless, provides more healthcare, and cares for more orphans than any other institution on earth. We also have beautiful places to worship God (note Solomon's Temple). It is not a matter of either/or it is a matter of both/and.

God Bless you Budge.
V

[Mary-Kathryn]

[quote name='Budge' post='1297640' date='Jun 18 2007, 10:40 AM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldlPbS1WxGA"]LUTHER CRAWLS UP THE STEPS AND GETS A CLUE-_VIDEO[/url]
I know what a trip to Europe costs, and it is not something for people who are of lower socioeconomic means, just the fact that you folks see it as something easy to undertake, {see a 1000 dollar plane ticket as affordable} tells me you are not in the socioeconomic classes I am dsicussing.

I still see it as a ridiculous that someone would think God would find them crawling up some stairs on their knees to be even worthwhile.[/quote]


Budge,

Do what our family did. We went to Rome during what is considered "the rainy season" in November during Thanksgiving week. It did drizzle a bit every day, but hey! No lines at all and the people were so kind and friendly. The prices were very cheap and we are a family of five. We didn't go to do anything expensive or for fancy restaurants, but saw everything we deamed of. We even had the extraordinary blessing of seeing John Paul II for the Sunday Blesssing Blessinggg a few months before he died and that was after a Latin Mass at St Peters. My children saw and experienced things they never imagined. It was beautiful. Oh, and just to let you know, we saved for about 3 years so we could go--and I am a housewife. It is possible if you really want it.

Edited June 18, 2007 by Mary-Kathryn

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Budge' post='1297392' date='Jun 17 2007, 04:12 PM']So Michah, does that mean that those men in the Phillipines who get themselves crucified are right?[/quote]

That's a straw man fallacy. I wasn't saying that and you know it. Having yourself crucified is an entirely different matter. For starters, it's deadly. We're not called to kill ourselves for Christ.

[quote]Its based in pride, seeking to *appease* God and force His hand and not in truth. Many of you are young, [u]life WILL bring you suffering, count on it! You do not have to go looking for it.[/u] If this Catholic stuff was true, JOb would have knocked down his own house and took medicine to give HIMSELF boils[/quote]

This has nothing to do with trying to appease God, although I admit some may think of it that way, unfortunately. This has to do with wanting to take part in a devotion which seeks to lower oneself to the levels Christ lowered Himself to, all the more to rise with Him.

Once again, Budge, you've completely avoided my point and made it look as if I was saying something I wasn't.

[Veritas]

Its based in pride, seeking to *appease* God and force His hand and not in truth. Many of you are young, life WILL bring you suffering, count on it! You do not have to go looking for it. If this Catholic stuff was true, JOb would have knocked down his own house and took medicine to give HIMSELF boils. -Budge

+

If the case you mentioned about seeking to "appease" God were the motivation, that would be wrong. However, sometimes, Christ does call us to unite ourselves to him, even when it costs us something. Can anyone say, "Could you not watch one hour with me?" -Jesus

[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='Budge' post='1297640' date='Jun 18 2007, 10:40 AM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldlPbS1WxGA"]LUTHER CRAWLS UP THE STEPS AND GETS A CLUE-_VIDEO[/url]
I know what a trip to Europe costs, and it is not something for people who are of lower socioeconomic means, just the fact that you folks see it as something easy to undertake, {see a 1000 dollar plane ticket as affordable} tells me you are not in the socioeconomic classes I am dsicussing.

I still see it as a ridiculous that someone would think God would find them crawling up some stairs on their knees to be even worthwhile.[/quote]

Budge,

Seeing as you are a fan of Charles Dickens, if you were given the opportunity to go to where he lived, see his house, walk where he walked, and be a small part of the history that he was a part of, would you do it?

[onlygrace08]

I think that the thing that is perhaps missing in this discussion or at least in some parts of our understanding of it is LOVE. Is it so hard to believe that someone who is, as we sometimes say, "madly" in love would do something like this. In this case, it has nothing to do with atonement or thinking that doing this act will somehow knock off some of our purgatory sentance. Does that make any sense? It has to do with love. Often times, one who is in love will do things for the beloved that others would call foolish. However, the one in love does not usually care about what others think. As others have pointed out, the story of the sinful woman washing Jesus' feet with her tears and anointing them with the expensive ointment is a great example. She did not care what the other people in the room thought about what she was doing... she carried on anyway.

Furthermore, I can see where you may now say, "not every person who does this is doing it as an act of love." But, it is not our part to judge the hearts of others. Just as, we know that many people are hypocritical about their faith, saying one thing and doing another. But, we do not go to church, whatever church that may be, and assume that such-and-such a person is a hypocrite. We assume that they are good, giving the benefit of the doubt. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that this is the Christian thing to do.

One more thought: even if such a thing is hard on one's knees or back or whatever, what does that really matter? One may say too that carrying around a baby all day is hard on a mother's back. But, she does it anyway... she loves her child.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote]I think this whole crawling up the stairs thing to "be" more holy comes out of human pride. You want to DO something that you believe will make you more pleasing to God and HOLY.[/quote]

Holiness is about realising how much you are loved by God. Many Christians know about this love notionally and many know it partially, but few know it really. For a significant number of people, experiencing physical pain is a way of coming to realise the depth of that love, as Jesus went through so much worse for our sake. There is a lesson to be learnt from climbing the stairs. It doesn't do you any lasting physical damage but it does give you a taste of a fraction of what Our Lord endured for our sake. Wanting to know His love is not the same as trying to reproduce it on our own merits. To say that physical pain is worthless is to decry the value of the Passion.

[chelsea]

[quote]Many of you are young, life WILL bring you suffering, count on it! You do not have to go looking for it.[/quote]

I bet that most of the people replying to this thread HAVE suffered, and i think this comment is a little uncalled for.

We're called to find joy in our suffering, and unite it with that of Christ.

[kenrockthefirst]

It's called discipline.

[i]Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.[/i]

1 Cor. 9:24-27

[i]Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church...[/i]

Col. 1.24

St. Augustine referred to his body as "Brother Ass," a reference to the fact that it needed to be tamed and made to work.