Jun 24 2012, 7:32 PM
Sister : How is Fortnight for Freedom being expressed in your church or parish environments
Jun 24 2012, 7:32 PM
Guest454 (guest): In our area, there is an air of selfishness that comes with the idea of individual rights. as if each person has their own right over others.
Jun 24 2012, 7:32 PM
Guest 007: I believe true freedom is only attained within the HOly Spirit and the gifts given to us because then we would be truly free from sin and enjoy unity with Christ?
Sister : And can St Francis’ perspectives help in any way?
Guest007: Yes, St. Francis does help. I believe that all people need to concentrate on our Religious Freedom. It seems like history is repeating itself from the Old Testament when people did not obey God’s Laws and continued as people of today. We all need to pray and ask forgiveness and place God back in or Country in order to have Him help us.
Jun 24 2012, 7:35 PM
Guest454 (guest): No, on the contrary, progressives seemt o be concerned with what they like or what they choose and are not concerned with living in a way that is God centered.
Guest 007 Yes exactly! We all need to open our hearts and ask God to forgive us and pray for those who do not pray
. It is difficult not to be with others that have the same commitment to God and are on the journey that God wants us to be. It is increasingly becoming worse and people are very uptight and still not praying and having any remorse. How can we achieve freedom if we are not willing to accept God?
Jun 24 2012, 7:42 PM
Sister : That would be St Francis contention- without God there is no true freedom. It is centered on God’s love
: St Francis does contrast true freedom with worldly freedom
Guest454 (guest): We try very hard to live for God, but it is a challenge. I can say that my new parish helps. It really helps to have peers who try to live by God, and families who support one another on this journey.
Sister : True freedom consists in knowing and doing the Will of God
Guest 007: In my PArish, I quitely placed a note to the Pastor and we are having Adoration mon-Fri 11:30am- 12:30pm with the Sorrowful mysteries. There have been announcements at all Masses and still 5 people show up. We pray and we pray for all those in our Parish
Sister : I think one of the main points of St Francis de Sales on freedom as expressed by Fr Eunan is the idea of moving the central thoughts from rights to love
Sister : God’s grace brings freedom to its true goal but we need the support of an environment conducive to that
Guest250 (guest): but I’ve been told whenever I go to Adoration daily that I’m a “spiritual glutton” even though I’m not neglecting things in my life, I just like to go and sit in Jesus’ presence
Jun 24 2012, 7:45 PM
Guest 007: You know most of our PArishinors are more concerned with running an event rather than what we are actually doing it for. We are living with the politics in this country and so much politics in our Parish. I keep still and always in the backround so others can feel important
The prayer of humility at the end states that we ask to become less and less and others be holier as long as we become as Holy as we should. Love that because that is teaching the Gospel…without words
Guest250 (guest): I love the prayer of humility! I listen to a Catholic radio station on my phone at work and they pray it several times a day
Guest454 (guest): Yes, I believe we need to be a sign of God’s love in this world. Less and less of ourselves so we can be the light of Christ.
Guest454 (guest): I have never heard of the prayer but will look it up.
Sister : I think each of you are blessed- you each understand what the other is talking about and means. How can we extend that understanding to the others. Certainly prayer and sacrifice, example-
Jun 24 2012, 7:49 PM
Guest 007: We can only pray for others and not judge them. It becomes frustrating, but, God is the one who will take care of everything. We need to pray for others in hopes they have a better relationship with God
One thing that seems important to young people is that it is “real.” That our love and relationship with God is not phony or for show but true love, sacrificial, and giving.
Guest: I’m reading a book now called the third spiritual alphabet, and it mentions that your life is like a vase, and the more things that distract you case cracks and leaks and let God’s Grace leak out, so if we detatch that seals up the leaks some.. the more we focus on God the more we seal up the cracks and can be filled with more of His Grace
Guest454 (guest): That sounds like a good book. I just started reading St Francis book The Devout Life and like it very much.
Devout Life is a classic and you can’t go wrong- its so solid and timely after 400 years!
Jun 24 2012, 8:08 PM
Guest250 (guest): I found it at the convent I went to the silent retreat at and started reading it, and when I got back I found this super old copy that some nun had and bought it.. it’s got all her notes in it (
Jun 24 2012, 8:08 PM
Sister : Do the notes help?
Jun 24 2012, 8:09 PM
Sister : We have some reflections on it from courses taken
Jun 24 2012, 8:09 PM
Guest250 (guest): yea, and she had underlined good stuff too
Jun 24 2012, 8:09 PM
Guest454 (guest): It really resonates with what is in my heart.