Why is it important to find a balance in our spiritual life (e.g., fasting)? Shouldn’t we just be extreme and go all in?Why is education important beyond mere knowledge?Why is the connection between the interior and the exterior so important. Why should they not be seen as mutually exclusive?Why is following rules important? But why is it also important to not let our spiritual life be reduced to just following rules?In relation to this reading, reflect on these words from Jesus: “It is not what enters one’
Sep 15, 9:23 AM
one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one” (Matthew 15:11). Does this mean we shouldn’t have concern for what we put in our bodies and our brains?
If you were a teacher or parent, how would this essay change your way of going about the education of the young?
Sep 15, 9:23 AM
Visitation Sr (Guest): Sun chat Sept 18 at 730pm est newsletter for chat: http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=1029793&f=1988&s=2046&m=642246&t=44f0d18c19339967b1be43b205c1596fa07d3b2574e5f4560987969cb886fdda
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37 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): So first q: Why is it important to find a balance in our spiritual life (e.g., fasting)? Shouldn’t we just be extreme and go all in? 7:38 PM
Simone (Guest): extreme things are often born of “our need” to accomplish something. The Lord hardly ever asks of extreme things I found. The mediocre ones are hard enough if we do them out for love for him
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7:39 PM
Simone (Guest): my opinion – not a doctrine
Sep 18, 7:39 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): yes St Francis de Sales was for moderation
39 PM
Simone (Guest): we have a God of order. And moderation is much better to be lived in order than extremes
Sep 18, 7:40 PM
Simone (Guest): that said.. we should always be open and available for the ultimate.. if GOD wishes so . He will give Grace for that too
18, 7:40 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): true- some saints did extrmee things, the desert dwellers etc7:41 PM
Simone (Guest): I actually like extreme – but I am not sure if that is always born of GOD’s will
Sep 18, 7:41 PM
Simone (Guest): more my personality
8, 7:42 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): like St Louis de Montfort, not a moderate at all
Sep 18, 7:42 PM
Dawn (Guest): he says- our life proceeds from our heart like the almond tree from its core.
PM
Simone (Guest): isn’t that a beautiful line? Thanks for writing the quote Dawn
Sep 18, 7:43 PM
Dawn (Guest): it is beautiful, in its simplicity and clarity
Sep 18, 7:43 PM
Simone (Guest): Hi Ruth1
Sep 18, 7:44 PM
Dawn (Guest): I hadnt given this a thought before
7:44 PM
Simone (Guest): what do you mean Dawn? That our life proceeds from our heart? or that it is like the almond tree? 7 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): q: Why is education important beyond mere knowledge?
Sep 18, 7:47 PM
Simone (Guest): you know …. that question really made me think. I was like “wait.. WHAT?”
Sep 18, 7:47 PM
Dawn (Guest): StF refers,, to Jesus saying its not what enters ones mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth. this being so, it is good to begin interiorly? where our heart is….Im considering this
:48 PM
Simone (Guest): education is in some way – fine tuning – the gift of intellect – or mind..
Sep 18, 7:49 PM
Ruth (Guest): Thanks, Simon ; j
Sep 18, 7:49 PM
Simone (Guest): every gift should be treated in the best way. So, education – if not used to puff yourself up – is in some way this fine tuning maybe
:49 PM
Simone (Guest): every gift should be treated in the best way. So, education – if not used to puff yourself up – is in some way this fine tuning maybe
Sep 18, 7:50 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): education is for the whole person and even for the soul
8, 7:51 PM
Ruth (Guest): amen, Sister, or at least it should be.
Sep 18, 7:51 PM
Simone (Guest): I also think – that education is in a way more than accumulating knowledge. For me – Education – is something passed down.. it implies an educator – and this is when the whole person is reached..
1 PM
Simone (Guest): Reading information – is not education necessarily
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1 PM
Simone (Guest): becoming – is the result of education —— knowing is the result of knowledge
Sep 18, 7:52 PM
Ruth (Guest): Education e ducerae.= to lead out of ( oneself)
7:52 PM
Simone (Guest): that’s great Ruth.. I love this
Sep 18, 7:53 PM
Dawn (Guest): thank you Ruth
54 PM
Ruth (Guest): In the early days in the USA most schooling was based upon the Bible young people were encouraged to learn to read so that they could read the Bible. And who is the chief textbooks.
Sep 18, 7:54 PM
Simone (Guest): People like you Ruth – and also my husband – who have been gifted with such a special mind – can truly serve the Lord by giving yourself over to education. God’s love can flow through that – and other people will feel loved when they are reached by the sharing of your studies
Sep 18, 7:54 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): Why is the connection between the interior and the exterior so important. Why should they not be seen as mutually exclusive?
, 7:55 PM
Ruth (Guest): Not who is it was PM
Ruth (Guest): Voice recognition has never been kind to me.
Sep 18, 7:55 PM
Simone (Guest):
Sep 18, 7:55 PM
Simone (Guest): Have you been kind to voice recognition Ruth
Sep 18, 7:57 PM
Simone (Guest): I am not sure if I even understand the question Sister. Is it meant – the exterior of ourselves and the interior? Like the physical life and the Spiritual?
Sep 18, 7:57 PM
Ruth (Guest): Simone, I was a teacher as a researcher before I became of physician.
cian.
Sep 18, 7:57 PM
Ruth (Guest): And after.
Sep 18, 7:57 PM
Simone (Guest): ohh.. I totally can see that Ruth
Sep 18, 7:57 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): interior life vs exterior life
Sep 18, 7:58 PM
Simone (Guest): I love teaching too. It is my love language in some ways
59 PM
Simone (Guest): ok.. back to the question. I mean.. we are both.. We are “exterior” and “interior”. Why would we try to separate that drastically?
Sep 18, 7:59 PM
Ruth (Guest): And a researcher, not so much AS a researcher. A little.
Sep 18, 8:00 PM
Ruth (Guest): I got it Simone.
Sep 18, 8:00 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): For him, there is no question of separating the inside and the outside, as if only our heart mattered, not our actions. There is a connection between inside and outside. In his correspondence as in his conversations with the Visitandines, Francis de Sales regularly emphasizes this link: his advice is very concrete, while at the same time aiming for spiritual depth. To maintain the fire of love in the heart, acts and gestures are necessary. The whole art of the educator is to favor a process of unification o
Sep 18, 8:01 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): of being, so that heart and deeds are in harmony.
Sep 18, 8:01 PM
Dawn (Guest): a process of unification of being, so that heart and deeds are in harmony :04 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): Why is following rules important? But why is it also important to not let our spiritual life be reduced to just following rules? 8:04 PM
Simone (Guest): I had a little postcard for a looooong time. It was a quote apparently from Johann Wolfgang Goethe.. a famous German writer… Anyways.. it said ” We only learn from them one we love”… I remember that I glued a picture of Jesus on the card. It reminded me – as longs as I do not LOVE Jesus – I will not learn from him
Sep 18, 8:05 PM
Simone (Guest): I am sad, that I cannot find this postcard anymore.
Sep 18, 8:05 PM
Dawn (Guest): it is in following rules that our spiritual life can flourish, perhaps seeing what those before have learned
Sep 18, 8:05 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): Beautiful!
, 8:05 PM
Dawn (Guest): thank you Simone!
Sep 18, 8:06 PM
Dawn (Guest): maybe make another?
Sep 18, 8:07 PM
Simone (Guest): ooh.. the word “rules” can give me the shiver. It is so hard for me to follow rules. For some people rules are in some ways ‘safety” or stability — I always feel “imprisoned” by rules. And yet.. I know they are the tools – to lead me into a deeper life with GOD. not following all my spontaneous likings -but put HIM and His desire first..
Sep 18, 8:07 PM
Ruth (Guest): And even in tea h facts such as in biology class, or physics, our aim was to teach HOW to discover — Scientific Method. Interestingly at avout age 12 to 15 the “ scientific method” lead me to Faith in God, and the clarity that my whole life was to belong to God. It was much later, however, that I realized that even my longing for THE TRUTH and my ise of the Scientific Method was GIFT entirely gift.
Sep 18, 8:07 PM
Simone (Guest): Dawn.. you are actually right. I really could do another one.
Sep 18, 8:07 PM
Simone (Guest): strange .. that I never thought of that.
, 8:08 PM
Simone (Guest): As much as I dislike rules — I am longing to be allowed to live according to A RULE. In fact, I talked with my Spiritual Director this afternoon about this very topic.
Sep 18, 8:08 PM
Dawn (Guest): what do we have that we have not received from God?
18, 8:08 PM
Simone (Guest): Really good question. Dawn.. Really good. , 8:09 PM
Simone (Guest): Have you heard this one? Imagine waking up tomorrow morning – and everything is gone for which you were not thankful today.”.. 8, 8:10 PM
Dawn (Guest): oh my… 18, 8:10 PM
Simone (Guest): I think.. I only would have the fridge left 8, 8:11 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): reflect on these words from Jesus: “It is not what enters one’
Sep 15, 9:23 AM
one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one” (Matthew 15:11). Does this mean we shouldn’t have concern for what we put in our bodies and our brains?
Sep 18, 8:12 PM
Dawn (Guest): we could be thankful for that which sanctifies us, I am trying
Sep 18, 8:12 PM
Ruth (Guest): By no means but what comes out of our mouths does reveal what is in the heart.
, 8:12 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): very true!
Sep 18, 8:12 PM
Simone (Guest): I think – in the context – that meant – that if you follow all the rules of proper eating – and maybe proper “lifestyle”…. and your heart is not feeding this behaviour – it is just an exterior motion – it is not cleansing our souls and preparing it for union with God.
18, 8:12 PM
Simone (Guest): I think – in the context – that meant – that if you follow all the rules of proper eating – and maybe proper “lifestyle”…. and your heart is not feeding this behaviour – it is just an exterior motion – it is not cleansing our souls and preparing it for union with God.
Simone (Guest): the “eating rules” etc… could be very extreme at the time of Jesus.
Sep 18, 8:14 PM
Simone (Guest): it’s like doing all the prayers – and wearing a veil to church maybe – but deep inside you rely on “self made” holiness – instead of offering your heart for cleansing to God
Sep 18, 8:14 PM
Ruth (Guest): And yet, Living as we imagine God would ask us to live can help us come to having a heart like his. That whole “what would Jesus do” movement.
18, 8:15 PMDawn (Guest): I thought Jesus wanted to shift focus from a tangible act to self exam
:16 PMSimone (Guest): I agree. Our external motions can support internal movements towards God. Sometimes – we just do with our bodies what our soul cannot offer – and God sees that too – But the danger is to rely on this I think.
ep 18, 8:16 PMSimone (Guest): Yes Dawn.. totally agree
:17 PM
Simone (Guest): I see a lot of “cradle Catholics” .. who after 40 years in the church. still think – it is enough to go to Mass every Sunday. Sanctification – is something they hardly every heard or were even taught
Sep 18, 8:17 PM
Dawn (Guest): beyond what comes out of our mouth ( speaking) but what is interior
18, 8:17 PMSimone (Guest): that said.. of course it is good that they go to Mass..
:18 PMVisitationSr (Guest): they need a “conversion” experieince otherwise one does not go deeper
8:19 PM
Dawn (Guest): it does seem there was a lack of catechesis…I do not mean for all. yes Sr! there is a great book by Fr Haggerty titles Conversions
Sep 18, 8:19 PM
Simone (Guest): But I also think, that we should encourage in the church more – to be open to a conversion experience…
Sep 18, 8:19 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): yes, that it is possible!
Sep 18, 8:19 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): If you were a teacher or parent, how would this essay change your way of going about the education of the young?
:21 PMDawn (Guest): no, I would say more spiritual direction and describing what a conversion is like, how it affects one
1 PM
Simone (Guest): oooh.. I like that.. I want to read this book. Thanks Dawn..
Sep 18, 8:21 PM
Ruth (Guest): I feel quite certain that my friend RoseAnn made it to heaven mostly by the merits of her many good deeds. She had her mother’s Rosary in her hand or nearby most every time she could be seen, but speculation, even mentioning the mysteries of the Rosary when we prayed it together was far too complicated for her. I had the distinct impression that holiness had been passed down to her whole.
18, 8:22 PMSimone (Guest): good deeds often come as an overspill of a “good heart”.
8:22 PMSimone (Guest): you cannot have a sanctified heart – and no good deeds
18, 8:22 PMSimone (Guest): as the Apostel James says ‘faith and good works go together”
:24 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): as for education of the young, we used to do a mediattaion with 2nd graders by going into their “heart room” They loved it
Sep 18, 8:24 PM
Simone (Guest): in regards to our question. I think it is so important.. that people – and even very young ones – know WHY they learn something – that the information enters their mind – knowing how they want to integrate it. That their knowing helps them to become the person who they are.
18, 8:24 PMDawn (Guest): learning how to suffer offering to Jesus can sanctify ones soul
25 PMDawn (Guest): love *heart room*
, 8:25 PM
Simone (Guest): I think – knowledge is a responsibly. I still remember my graduation after my Masters in Psychology. I almost did not go – because the date was not convenient. But – the speech that was given – that we are responsible for our knowledge and have to serve with it – stayed with me until today.
Sep 18, 8:25 PM
Simone (Guest): I also love “heart room”
p 18, 8:26 PM
Simone (Guest): unfortunately a lot of people nowadays have a “heart tomb”.. but the good news is that Jesus opened the door of the tomb.. and he can do that again .. with hearts
Sep 18, 8:26 PM
Dawn (Guest): you serve in here Simone, and thankyou for the many insights
Sep 18, 8:26 PM
Ruth (Guest): 2nd graders usually have an unspoiled sense of what belongs in the “heart room”
8, 8:27 PM
Simone (Guest): well said Ruth
Sep 18, 8:27 PM
Simone (Guest): and thanks Dawn
8:27 PMSimone (Guest): When I pray .. I often go into my Heart room.. My private little chapel within me
8, 8:28 PM
VisitationSr (Guest): Emergency have to go- no aide coming in for 3 sisters God bless you all
Sep 18, 8:28 PM
Simone (Guest): absolutely – and they are eager to learn. Really eager often.
Sep 18, 8:28 PM
Ruth (Guest): Especially quite young!