St. Francis says that everyone should pursue the “perfect life.” How can this harmonize with what St. Mother Teresa famously said: “God doesn’t require us to succeed, he only requires that you try”?A part of pursuing holiness is self-denial. Does God just want us to be miserable, selfless people?Related to that question, consider this verse: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39, Leviticus 19:18).Why is it so important to emphasize that holiness is for everyone? Why do you think it becam
Nov 12, 1:30 PM
VisSr (Guest): Why do you think it became something reserved for priests and religious?Why was it so important/exciting to St. Francis to find someone worth to hand his order onto? Shouldn’t we just rely on God alone?St. Francis was born into a noble family, and St. Vincent into humble circumstances. And yet they became the closest of friends. What does this say about theories of class struggle – that different classes tend to war against each other? Have you ever been close friends with someone outside of your station in
Nov 12, 1:31 PM
VisSr (Guest): Have you ever been close friends with someone outside of your station in life? Did you share a common religious faith?
At the death of St. Jane de Chantal, St. Vincent de Paul saw a vision of both her soul and that of St. Francis as globes of fire. Will our friendships on earth continue in some way in heaven? Will we have unique relationships with others in heaven whom we have loved on earth?
Nov 12, 1:31 PM
VisSr (Guest): Sun chat Nov 13 730pm est newsletter for chat http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=1029793&f=1988&s=2046&m=645013&t=44f0d18c19339967b1be43b205c1596fa07d3b2574e5f4560987969cb886fdda
Nov 12, 1:31 PM
VisSr (Guest): Sr Susan May be late Sun
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Nov 13, 7:10 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Hi Elena
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Vis Sr (Guest): q1 St. Francis says that everyone should pursue the “perfect life.” How can this harmonize with what St. Mother Teresa famously said: “God doesn’t require us to succeed, he only requires that you try”?
Nov 13, 7:29 PM
Elena (Guest): Perfection isn’t in the outcome we see. It’s in being constant and open to God’s movements in our lives, to do what he asks us to do.
Nov 13, 7:30 PM
Elena (Guest): Which is hard for perfectionists — just thinking about this today. I learned that perfectionism and it gets in the way – a lot!
Nov 13, 7:30 PM
Carol (Guest): Whatever He asks us to do, it is really His work. ;Success is by His effort
3, 7:30 PM
Elena (Guest): Oh yes, Carol. Success is due to Him, not us. 3, 7:31 PM
Carol (Guest): So if we fail in a step, the project is not delayed 3, 7:31 PM
Carol (Guest): So if we fail in a step, the project is not delayed
Nov 13, 7:32 PM
Elena (Guest): Correct… it’s so easy to be hard on ourselves when things don’t go according to our plan.
7:34 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): The other day I read what perfection really means- I think it was true humility but I am not sure 3, 7:34 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): q2 A part of pursuing holiness is self-denial. Does God just want us to be miserable, selfless people?
Nov 13, 7:35 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Hi Simone!
13, 7:35 PM
Elena (Guest): Simone!!
Nov 13, 7:35 PM
Carol (Guest): That sounds right though. Heaven’s standard is not ours
Nov 13, 7:35 PM
Carol (Guest): Simone!
ov 13, 7:35 PM
Elena (Guest): Yes, humility as perfection is a much better outlook. 36 PM
Elena (Guest): This question I ask a lot, Sister. Sometimes I don’t understand how self-denial works when it seems there is so much suffering in a day. Is that what God really wants? Hmmmmm
Nov 13, 7:36 PM
Simone (Guest): Hi everyone! Thank you for all your prayers. The operation went very well – and although the pathology report isn’t here yet – it is pretty clear I do not need chemo. hallelujah!
Nov 13, 7:36 PM
Elena (Guest): Praised be Jesus Christ!!
7:36 PM
Simone (Guest): As for perfection – not sure where I am jumping in into the discussion – but I translated perfection always with “holiness”. 37 PM
Simone (Guest): Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect
Nov 13, 7:38 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): self-denial is putting others ahead of oneself in one way
13, 7:38 PM
Elena (Guest): Yeah but how do we be perfect like God? I think that humility is a perfect way to think about it, because then we’re being honest about who we are and who God is. 13, 7:38 PM
Simone (Guest): I think so too Elena. 7:38 PM
Elena (Guest): Putting others ahead of oneself.. okay. What about when the “others” are a room full of misbehaving 8th graders? haha 3, 7:38 PM
Elena (Guest): Putting others ahead of oneself.. okay. What about when the “others” are a room full of misbehaving 8th graders? haha
Nov 13, 7:39 PM
Simone (Guest): Then you RUUUUUUNNN
Nov 13, 7:39 PM
Elena (Guest): HAHAHAHAHA
Nov 13, 7:39 PM
Carol (Guest): This is going to sound weird…humility is knowing and accepting th truth about yourself. God is all truth. Is He humble?
Nov 13, 7:39 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Yes at least Jesus was
Nov 13, 7:39 PM
Simone (Guest): What an interesting question
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13, 7:40 PM
Elena (Guest): Ooo that’s awesome, Carol. Yes, I’d say God has to be humble. right, Sister, Jesus was humble. 13, 7:40 PM
Carol (Guest): I dont know where I get this stuff.
Nov 13, 7:40 PM
Elena (Guest): The Holy Spirit!
, 7:40 PM
Simone (Guest): God is love – and humility is rooted in charity – so he has to be humble
Nov 13, 7:41 PM
Carol (Guest): I mean, we tend to mis-equate humility and humiliation a lot, so humility can be,misunderstood
, 7:41 PM
Elena (Guest): Very logical, Simone!
Nov 13, 7:41 PM
Elena (Guest): Oh yeah not humiliation. Not at all the same. 7:41 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): q3 , consider this verse: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39, Leviticus 19:18).Why is it so important to emphasize that holiness is for everyone?
Nov 13, 7:43 PM
Carol (Guest): So humility is often perceived in the negative 7:44 PM
Carol (Guest): Because we are all created in God image and He wants us to be like Him3, 7:44 PM
Simone (Guest): As for holiness for everyone- temptation would be to delegate it to religious only – and settle for a luke warm spiritual life
:45 PM
Elena (Guest): True, Carol. Loving our neighbor as ourselves indicates we also do love ourselves, but not in a selfish way. Honoring others as God’s children puts us on equal footing – not above. 13, 7:46 PM
Elena (Guest): I agree, Simone. St. Francis de Sales really drives it home for us – we are all called to holiness. 7:47 PM
Carol (Guest): We also confuse self love with the new term self esteem–to think highly of oneself, but that’s missing the mark of the virtue13, 7:47 PM
Carol (Guest): We also confuse self love with the new term self esteem–to think highly of oneself, but that’s missing the mark of the virtue
Nov 13, 7:48 PM
Elena (Guest): Oh yeah, the pop psychology version of self-love is a bit twisted.
:49 PM
Simone (Guest): The pop – psychology wants to polish the fallen nature – divine self – love focuses on the new nature
Nov 13, 7:49 PM
Elena (Guest): I think self-care is very important, but some of the thinking takes things too far and pulls down the commitment to others.
13, 7:49 PM
Elena (Guest): Ooo very true, Simone. , 7:50 PM
Carol (Guest): The Divine wants to transform us from within51 PM
Simone (Guest): Ladies – I think I have to step out for tonight. I am still quite in pain from surgery – and writing in bed is hard. Cannot wait to see you all next week again. Sending my love. And maybe keep me a bit in prayer still – so there won’t be any infection. Thanks.
Nov 13, 7:52 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Thank you for being here as you recover!
Nov 13, 7:52 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Prayers for you.
, 7:52 PM
Carol (Guest): We will keep praying for you! :53 PM
Elena (Guest): Love you, Simone! Prayers continue!! PM
Vis Sr (Guest): q Why was it so important/exciting to St. Francis to find someone worth to hand his order onto? Shouldn’t we just rely on God alone?St.
Nov 13, 7:57 PM
Elena (Guest): Who doesn’t want a partner to share the vision and the work? We pray the Lord to send more workers into the vineyard .. that’s what He wants us to pray for.
13, 7:58 PM
Elena (Guest): being so new, I’d assume the nuns really needed a confessor to provide stable presence in the spirit that St. Francis had begun with St. Jane.
Nov 13, 7:58 PM
Carol (Guest): We also want to know that what we started will continue
3, 8:00 PM
Carol (Guest): Was it for after their passing?
Nov 13, 8:00 PM
Elena (Guest): It seems more like St Francis entrusted the spiritual life of the sisters to St. Vincent, to take his place as it were.
Nov 13, 8:00 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): It ontinued naturally, with successors
Nov 13, 8:01 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): True about St Vincent, he became St Jane’s spiritual director after St Francis :03 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): and maybe St Francis did rely on God alone andf God pointed out St Jane and St Vincent to him v 13, 8:03 PM
Elena (Guest): Sure, it was God’s work there. 13, 8:04 PM
Carol (Guest): It is hard to admit sometimes that we will notvgo on forever, even though we know we won’t
PM
Vis Sr (Guest): q St. Francis was born into a noble family, and St. Vincent into humble circumstances. And yet they became the closest of friends. What does this say about theories of class struggle – that different classes tend to war against each other? Have you ever been close friends with someone outside of your station in
Nov 13, 8:05 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): life
Nov 13, 8:06 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Did you share a common religious faith?
6 PM
Carol (Guest): Sure! Class struggle is really a stereotype-a theory-that is meant for classroom discussions, not individual lives
Nov 13, 8:07 PM
Elena (Guest): I love this question – it hits at the heart of the Marxist proposition. In Christianity, there is no slave or free, Gentile or Jew… this is why Marxism opposes Christianity.
8:05 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): q St. Francis was born into a noble family, and St. Vincent into humble circumstances. And yet they became the closest of friends. What does this say about theories of class struggle – that different classes tend to war against each other? Have you ever been close friends with someone outside of your station in
Nov 13, 8:05 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): life
Nov 13, 8:06 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Did you share a common religious faith?
Nov 13, 8:06 PM
Carol (Guest): Sure! Class struggle is really a stereotype-a theory-that is meant for classroom discussions, not individual lives
Nov 13, 8:07 PM
Elena (Guest): I love this question – it hits at the heart of the Marxist proposition. In Christianity, there is no slave or free, Gentile or Jew… this is why Marxism opposes Christianity.
Nov 13, 8:07 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): was this the favorite question Elena
Nov 13, 8:08 PM
Elena (Guest): I’ve had several friends over the years from various socio-economic levels, cultures, etc. It’s poppycock that the classes will always war against each other. They only do this if they’re incited to!
Nov 13, 8:08 PM
Elena (Guest): Yes!! This and the next. 
Nov 13, 8:08 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): Ever since I started to work I got to know people who were outside my working class life and became more comfortable with the middle and even upper classes
Nov 13, 8:08 PM
Carol (Guest): Becausevits about who you are, not what you make
Nov 13, 8:09 PM
Elena (Guest): Were they comfortable with you, Sister?
Nov 13, 8:09 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): oh yes and by now I identify differently than when I waas growing up
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11 PM
Elena (Guest): How awesome. I never even realized there were such things as class distinctions until I got to high school. Then I saw the wealthy students and not wealthy students and the divide. I think the divide can be real if people ascribe to the theory that being wealthier makes you more worthy of love, admiration, the best in life. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Nov 13, 8:13 PM
Carol (Guest): Yes, Elena. High school is such a trying time anyway, and now you realize what you have and dont have
Nov 13, 8:14 PM
Elena (Guest): I never felt like I didn’t have, but I was bullied because I wan’t in the “in” crowd and felt that keenly. It didn’t make me hate wealthy people, though.
Nov 13, 8:15 PM
Carol (Guest): No, just bullies! But I never wanted to be them
Nov 13, 8:15 PM
Elena (Guest): Exactly!
Nov 13, 8:16 PM
Elena (Guest): I wonder why people bully. It’s not just kids that do it, either.
Nov 13, 8:17 PM
Carol (Guest): Because they feel small and unworthy
Nov 13, 8:17 PM
Carol (Guest): Unless they drive an expensive sports car and dont believe in speed limits, lol
Nov 13, 8:17 PM
Elena (Guest): Yeah… and where does that come from. Bad parenting I suppose.
Nov 13, 8:17 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): have to go feed the Sr and it is taking longer
Nov 13, 8:17 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): At the death of St. Jane de Chantal, St. Vincent de Paul saw a vision of both her soul and that of St. Francis as globes of fire. Will our friendships on earth continue in some way in heaven? Will we have unique relationships with others in heaven whom we have loved on earth?
13, 8:18 PM
Elena (Guest): No problem, Sister! I just heard a homily about this – that in heaven relationships will continue in some form. Particularly the homily was on husbands and wives, that although it won’t be the same as earthly marriage, their connection will be undeniable in the perfection of Love that is the Beatific Vision.
Nov 13, 8:18 PM
Carol (Guest): I hope so!
Nov 13, 8:19 PM
Elena (Guest): If God is communal, of course we would continue in some sort of perfected relationship with those we love on earth.
Nov 13, 8:19 PM
Elena (Guest): Stands to reason, anyway.
Nov 13, 8:20 PM
Carol (Guest): Yet He sees each of us as though we are the only one
Nov 13, 8:20 PM
Elena (Guest): And the reality that we are ourselves – we don’t “dissolve” like Buddhists think about in their “enlightenment.”
Nov 13, 8:20 PM
Elena (Guest): How beautiful, Carol!
Nov 13, 8:21 PM
Elena (Guest): I’m so sorry but I have to duck out early. In the last hour a headache has come on – I am going to take care of that and go to bed. Tomorrow’s onslaught begins early. Carol, God bless you! Sister, bless you and your Sisters!
Nov 13, 8:21 PM
Elena (Guest): Good night!
Nov 13, 8:22 PM
Carol (Guest): Ood
Nov 13, 8:22 PM
Carol (Guest): Good night Elena!
Nov 13, 8:22 PM
Elena (Guest):
Nov 13, 8:35 PM
Vis Sr (Guest): good night!
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