Saint Francis talks about ordinary Christian exercises being done with “extraordinary perfection,” as seen in the examples of the saints. Are we all called to this perfection? Is it a specific calling for an individual or an expectation of every Christian? Saint Francis says, “We must not swallow so much food as to be unable to digest what we take.” How do we discern when we’ve taken on too much in the Christian life or if God is calling us to more than we are aware we can handle? Is it important to
Jan 12, 9:20 AM
VisitationSiste: Is it important to have a
spiritual adviser for this reason?
Why does Saint Francis say that we should make a “speedy and solid
resolution” when discerning a religious order, Christian service, or the
like?
“Better is the possession of a small treasure found, than the expectation
of a greater which is to find.” Give examples of this in your lives and
that of the saints. How about in religious life? Married life?
Jan 12, 9:20 AM
VisitationSiste: Sun Chat Jan 13 730pm est
Jan 12, 9:21 AM
VisitationSiste: Sr Susan may not be available this week
Jan 13, 7:31 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Hi Dawn ! God Bless You ! Brian
Jan 13, 7:31 PM
Dawn (Guest): Hi Brian!
Jan 13, 7:32 PM
Dawn (Guest): God bless you. Hope all is good at Karios
Jan 13, 7:33 PM
Carol Ann: Hi Dawn and Brian
Jan 13, 7:34 PM
Ruth (Guest): Hi Dawn, Brian, Carol Ann, Sr. Susan.
Jan 13, 7:34 PM
Carol Ann: Hi Ruth
Jan 13, 7:35 PM
Dawn (Guest): Hi Carol Ann and Ruth!
Jan 13, 7:35 PM
Ruth (Guest): Oh, And Carroll V. Welcome back!
Jan 13, 7:35 PM
Carol Ann: Carroll, hi!
Jan 13, 7:35 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Everybody has been getting sick at work and at home . My youngest Daughter Maria , my Son Mitch and I all recovering from flu
Jan 13, 7:36 PM
Carroll V (Guest): Hi everybody… I have really missed this group! … Just dropping in to listen and try to reconnect this evening…
Jan 13, 7:36 PM
Ruth (Guest): Opps! Sr. Susan isn’t here tonight — at least not right now.
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Carol Ann: Lots of flu going around this year
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Dawn (Guest): Sorry to hear Brian. I hope your recovery is speedy and complete
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Hi Carol Ann , Caroll V and Ruth ! God Bless You ! Brian
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Ruth (Guest): And Judy is still not with us.
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, Lots of illness.
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Dawn (Guest): Hi Carroll V!
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Ruth (Guest): in this neck of the woods, too.
Jan 13, 7:37 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Thanks Dawn !
Jan 13, 7:38 PM
Ruth (Guest): Get well! Stay well! And a common greeting around here: keep warm.
Jan 13, 7:39 PM
Carol Ann: Here too, with the addition of stay dry!
Jan 13, 7:39 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): This topic reminds me of the saying you can be too busy doing the Lord’s work to do the Lord’s work !
Jan 13, 7:39 PM
Dawn (Guest): Cold up here! 18 this morning, but that is warmer than some have
Jan 13, 7:40 PM
Carol Ann: I’m going to need to think about that for a minute!
Jan 13, 7:40 PM
Ruth (Guest): “Better in a small treasure found than in a greater which is to be found” is quoted in the text we are to discuss. Funny, it sorta reminds me of the bad steward and the good steward in reverse.
Jan 13, 7:40 PM
Dawn (Guest): yes Brian!
Jan 13, 7:41 PM
Dawn (Guest): what is this story Ruth?
Jan 13, 7:41 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, Dawn, was -12 F here in the night. The highest temp today +12 F.
Jan 13, 7:42 PM
Ruth (Guest): I’m sure you know the story, Dawn. Let me see if I can find the Gospel text.
Jan 13, 7:43 PM
Ruth (Guest): Matt 25:14-30.
Jan 13, 7:44 PM
Dawn (Guest): thank you Ruth!
Jan 13, 7:44 PM
Ruth (Guest): The story of the talents.
Jan 13, 7:44 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): One of the traps that prevents us from growing is the busyness of life . That can creep into our life with the Lord . We keep adding things on with little discernment and we get completely out of God’s will !!!
Jan 13, 7:45 PM
Ruth (Guest): Good observation Brian.
Jan 13, 7:45 PM
Ruth (Guest): Sometimes I wonder if that isn’t why God gave Padre Pio bilocation!
Jan 13, 7:46 PM
Carol Ann: That’s true. We start with good intentions saying rosary and chapter and wonderful novena and then forget to sit and listen
Jan 13, 7:46 PM
Ruth (Guest): Too much to do, too little time to do it is a common complaint, it seems in every walk of life,especially in this country.
Jan 13, 7:48 PM
Ruth (Guest): And always looking for a place to somehow excel! More fertile soil. When what we may be called to do is just to grow where we are planted.
Jan 13, 7:50 PM
Ruth (Guest): The housewife or family father who has a church meeting every night may be neglecting his/her spouse and children.
Jan 13, 7:50 PM
Carol Ann: Maybe it’s because we tend to think of perfection as something we do
Jan 13, 7:52 PM
Dawn (Guest): That connects with Brian’s insight
Jan 13, 7:52 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): We have a culture that is addicted to the busyness of life which also gets back to the opportunity we have to bring others to Church Adoration or even couple hours of retreat time Soo they can grow closer too God . I take my clients to visit Fatima Shrine and Our Lady of Victory Basilica at times and I see a great impact and beautiful sharing that takes place . I have had many clients begin to move closer to God Through these experiences
Jan 13, 7:52 PM
Ruth (Guest): Indeed! Carol Ann. At an SSJ Assoc. meeting just this Saturday the talk was about “improving or perfecting ourselves.” I said, “Or letting God do it to/for/in us.”
Jan 13, 7:52 PM
Carol Ann: Rather than something Jesus does in us
Jan 13, 7:53 PM
Ruth (Guest): Exactly.
Jan 13, 7:54 PM
Ruth (Guest): He needs our cooperation, but as soon as we think we are in charge, MISTAKES, sometimes serious or big ones are likely to creep in.
Jan 13, 7:55 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Amen Ruth !!!
Jan 13, 7:55 PM
Ruth (Guest): Our self-determination goes only so far.
Jan 13, 7:56 PM
Carroll V (Guest): Part of our Pastor’s homily this morning spoke to the truth of our worth as beloved children of God and how one of the ways many of us can go astray is by defining our identity by what we do.
Jan 13, 7:56 PM
Carol Ann: Yet, we are encouraged to act more, do more, say yes when asked until half of us in a parish are burned out and the other half is bored
Jan 13, 7:56 PM
Ruth (Guest): Even when God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying him, he walked with them, and even gave them clothing made of animal skins.
Jan 13, 7:58 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): God teaches us let our yes be yes and our no be no . I have learned from elders the importance of saying no !
Jan 13, 7:58 PM
Ruth (Guest): He the hardness of life was not simply a punishment, but a way of helping us to recognize that HE, God, is in charge. Sometimes illness can do that for us, or at least help us move in the direction of recognizing God’s lordship.
Jan 13, 7:59 PM
Ruth (Guest): Even the hardness, not He the hardness
Jan 13, 8:00 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Sometimes when we say no we are giving that person who is on the fence a chance to jump over the fence and help out
Jan 13, 8:01 PM
Ruth (Guest): Good observation, Brian. And inviting other, less “busy” members of the community to provide specific services might help them become more involved.
Jan 13, 8:02 PM
Carol Ann: And feel needed and necessary
Jan 13, 8:02 PM
Ruth (Guest): They say it is “always the same ten” who attend meetings, do jobs, etc.
Jan 13, 8:02 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, Carol Ann.
Jan 13, 8:02 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Soo true Ruth !!! Some people are just waiting for a personal invitation to help
Jan 13, 8:03 PM
Ruth (Guest): On the other hand, if you want to get something DONE, asking someone who is already busy does seem to “work” more effectively.
Jan 13, 8:03 PM
Carol Ann: Sometimes I have to remind myself to back away from all that I could do to give others a chance
Jan 13, 8:06 PM
Ruth (Guest): I think we started with the last question. What do you think of this: Saint Francis talks about ordinary Christian exercises being done with “extraordinary perfection,” as seen in the examples of the saints. Are we all called to this perfection? Is it a specific calling for an individual or an expectation of every Christian?
Jan 13, 8:07 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Good Point earlier Caroll V about people identifying themselves by what they do some people hang onto positions in the church too long and don’t allow others opportunity too lead can be destructive over time .
Jan 13, 8:08 PM
Carol Ann: Our local parishes can suffer from this–one has not had change in the flat leadership for more than 10 years. The peop,e are good, but aren’t they getting tired?
Jan 13, 8:08 PM
Carol Ann: What’s going to happen when they can no longer lead?
Jan 13, 8:09 PM
Ruth (Guest): Maybe that is why many religious communities vote for a new leader, prioress, Abbott, at fixed intervals. And thanks be to God there will be a ”
Jan 13, 8:09 PM
Ruth (Guest): referendum” within 4 years, regarding the US President.
Jan 13, 8:09 PM
Carol Ann:
Jan 13, 8:11 PM
Ruth (Guest): There are pluses and minuses to these transitions of leadership: there is typically a “lag phase” when a tree is transplanted, and even more so when a human has to “learn the ropes” of a new job.
Jan 13, 8:12 PM
Carol Ann: And people expect instant perfection nowadays….Just as t
Jan 13, 8:12 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): It is another form of discipleship giving others an opportunity to lead or preparing them for leadership . This should be constant and I believe we can do this better than anybody but it has to be a focus in the Church !!!
Jan 13, 8:13 PM
Dawn (Guest): re: identifying by what one does rather than learning to see your identity is in Christ, on this note I was observing the core group at the parish,breakfast after Mass, they are so strongly attached to what they do and are protective
Jan 13, 8:13 PM
Carol Ann: And peop,e expect instant perfection these days…..Just as long as the new people do things the way we think is perfect. But by whose standards are we measuring perfect?
Jan 13, 8:14 PM
Dawn (Guest): over their positions.
Jan 13, 8:14 PM
Ruth (Guest): I’ve noted that many of the “leaders” in our local churches — lay people — are retired teachers. They’ve typically “practiced” training others for leadership throughout their professional careers/
Jan 13, 8:17 PM
Carol Ann: Dawn, I’ve noticed this protectiveness too, everywhere I go. Sometimes I am the protective one, as though if I don’t do this what is my place?
Jan 13, 8:17 PM
Ruth (Guest): and yet, even they are rather inclined to identify with their new roles. Perhaps we all are. Instead of human beings we see ourselves as human doings, and their comes a time when DOING becomes, of necessity, a lesser part of our being. If I asked each one of you, “Who are you?” I wonder what kind of answers we’d give/get.
Jan 13, 8:18 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Dawn that’s what Caroll V was mentioning earlier that her Priest mentioned today
Jan 13, 8:18 PM
Dawn (Guest): I was a bit overwhelmed….I do not know much about what they do and I thought myself being judgmental. I don;t understand the gossip and the almost trick questions asked. I am reminded of Sr Susan comment last week that the spiritual life is a spiritual battle!
Jan 13, 8:18 PM
Ruth (Guest): there comes a time ‘ ‘
Jan 13, 8:20 PM
Carol Ann: Dawn, I think people don’t always realize what the true battle is, and so we battle each other instead
Jan 13, 8:21 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Dawn my Sisters Church got soo bad with this entrenchment in certain positions when new Priest came in he eventually had to dismiss most of them and start fresh . The Parish is doing much bettter now
Jan 13, 8:22 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, Carol Ann, the hardest battle may be with ourselves. How do we become who God wants us to be? And God wants each of us — ALL of his children — to become SAINTS each in a particular way.
Jan 13, 8:22 PM
Carol Ann: Ooh, poor new priest, I’ll bet it was so hard for him
Jan 13, 8:22 PM
Dawn (Guest): Good he had the courage to do this!
Jan 13, 8:23 PM
Dawn (Guest): so true Carol Ann!
Jan 13, 8:24 PM
Dawn (Guest): about not realizing what the true battle is.
Jan 13, 8:24 PM
Carol Ann: We have lost flexibility in secular life, it’s no wonder we’ve lost it in the parish too
Jan 13, 8:25 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): He was returning too Parish he grew up in Soo it was very difficult but God had prepared him too be able to make those difficult decisions
Jan 13, 8:26 PM
Dawn (Guest): The battle is interior. I thought the first part of the writings spoke well about how the deceiver works….he never tires!
Jan 13, 8:27 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): We have to be open too what God wants us to do . We don’t want to miss out on God’s Plan !!!
Jan 13, 8:28 PM
Carol Ann: Which brings us back to quiet and so,it use so that we can listen for His voice
Jan 13, 8:28 PM
Dawn (Guest): Brian, the parish priest this is a good example of doing God’s will …alone. because sometimes, God does call us to do something alone, with him so we are not truely alone, but alone
Jan 13, 8:28 PM
Carroll V (Guest): When I reflect on my own life, it seems clear that inflexibility has stemmed from inordinate attachments, which have stemmed from fear and/or the lack of true realization of my identity in Christ. I pray this recognition will help me be more compassionate and gentle with others.
Jan 13, 8:29 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, Dawn, and that makes the challenge of “perfection” even greater. We are, I think ALL called to perfection — that is, to become more perfectly who we are as children of God, but “perfectionism” CAN get in the way of perfection.
Jan 13, 8:29 PM
Carol Ann: Oh, Carroll, that is beautiful
Jan 13, 8:29 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): The Great Thing is that when God really wants you to do something He will constantly remind you of it through others !!! He always confirms what He wants you to do !!!
Jan 13, 8:30 PM
Carroll V (Guest): Beautiful reminder, Brian!
Jan 13, 8:33 PM
Ruth (Guest): Maybe the BIG things Brian, but if we waited for “confirmation” in the day-in-day-out activities, we might spend our lives in indecision. But maybe that’s where a spiritual director, a mother superior, a spouse, or even children might point out what is truly important, what to do first.
Jan 13, 8:33 PM
Ruth (Guest): Or what to invest most of our energy in.
Jan 13, 8:34 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): There was a scene in St Peter Movie where St Peter keeps giving the other Disciples an opportunity to steer the ship . The Joy on his face seeing the others have opportunity to steer . That’s what we experience when we help others to be the leaders God created them to be !!!!
Jan 13, 8:34 PM
Carol Ann: Do whgat is necessary in each moment
Jan 13, 8:35 PM
Ruth (Guest): You’ve had some wonderful experiences, Brian. I am happy for you, and for all those you’ve helped to come to the Lord.
Jan 13, 8:36 PM
Carroll V (Guest): On that note: I am so grateful for this hour with you all tonight. Thank you for your fidelity to this group and for sharing your journeys. I better get back to my duties for now… Good Night.
Jan 13, 8:36 PM
Carol Ann: Have a blessed week, Carroll
Jan 13, 8:36 PM
Dawn (Guest): Thank you for coming Carroll V ! God bless you
Jan 13, 8:37 PM
Carroll V (Guest): Thx!
Jan 13, 8:38 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): You all are an inspiration too me !!! Your Great Faith in God has helped me through the most difficult of times !!! God Bless You All !!!! Brian
Jan 13, 8:39 PM
Carol Ann: Please pray for us to be safe. We have bad three good strong storms in the last t days and are expecting 3 more. Evacuation Roulette… The wheel is spinning
Jan 13, 8:39 PM
Ruth (Guest): Brian, I have thought about the “religious life” for over sixty years, done a little in the direction of moving toward it, from time to time more. I even once had a Jewish woman in a research foundation we both worked in ask me, “How come you never became a nun? When I started to answer I realized that all my responses were pre-vatican II. And then I started seriously considering, exploring again. . . Confirmation, though, never came.
Jan 13, 8:39 PM
Dawn (Guest): And to you Brian, thank you for all your insight and inspiration! God be with you, your family and be well soon!
Jan 13, 8:39 PM
Carol Ann: You and me both, Ruth
Jan 13, 8:40 PM
Ruth (Guest): Saint Francis say that we should make a “speedy and solid resolution” when discerning a religious order, Christian service, or the like
Jan 13, 8:40 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Many Prayers for you Carol Ann !!!
Jan 13, 8:40 PM
Ruth (Guest): Of course I only THIS week read that.
Jan 13, 8:41 PM
Carol Ann: Lol Ruth
Jan 13, 8:42 PM
Dawn (Guest): And I also have this desire yet I know Gods bigger plan he has put me in. And I thank him! yet…do you ever wonder what the deeper calling is? I may say it is to be a sister..well, I have something else to ponder!
Jan 13, 8:43 PM
Carol Ann: I it seems that many are being called to be brothers and sisters right where they are
Jan 13, 8:43 PM
Guest3388 (Guest): Amen Carol Ann !!!
Jan 13, 8:44 PM
Carol Ann: It is the consecrated life St Francis speaks about that all Christians are called to
Jan 13, 8:44 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, we are on “overtime” again. Carol Ann. Tomorrow night is another board meeting of Our Lady of the Adirondacks House of Prayer. I know you are in a very stressful situation right now with all those storms, but if your telephone service is working and you would like to chat with “the board” about becoming a House Director try calling the # on the website between 7 and 8:30 PM — preferably the earlier time, just as we are starting the meeting EST.
Jan 13, 8:45 PM
Carol Ann: I can try. I will be at work still at the beginning and cell group at 6. Better get my reading done!
Jan 13, 8:47 PM
Dawn (Guest): I thank God for all of you! Goodnight +++
Jan 13, 8:48 PM
Carol Ann: God bless us every one!
Jan 13, 8:48 PM
Ruth (Guest): In the question, he the author/commentator uses the expression “religious ORDER” though. We are all consecrated — we become children of God and heirs — at Baptism.
Jan 13, 8:49 PM
Dawn (Guest): thank you Ruth!
Jan 13, 8:49 PM
Carol Ann: True. By Order I think he means the traditional ones extant at the time. I mean my BSCD cell group meets tomorrow night, they are my order
Jan 13, 8:50 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, time to say Good Night. Good Night; have a blessed week!
Jan 13, 8:51 PM
Ruth (Guest): Will I find BSCD by googling it?
Jan 13, 8:51 PM
Carol Ann: Good night, God Bless you!
Jan 13, 8:52 PM
Ruth (Guest): Yes, got it (BSCD). Good night.