What is happenstance or serendipity? Are these just life’s happy little moments, or is there an element of “divine coincidence” (providence)?How can we strike the balance of being friends or friendly with someone in a place of stature, power, or fame? Should we just avoid relationships with them since we might risk wanting a relationship because of their status instead of for them?Saint Francis exhibited much humility in his role as bishop. Why is this paramount for a bishop or a priest?Why is discernment in all things, not just our vocations, important?How can we, as Saint Francis instructs, to know that we can trust our inclinations and go with them? And does his advice about not asking for the suffering that Our Lord endured seem contrary to his advice from other letters to embrace suffering?When St. Francis talks about seeking “people of all-round discernment” and a bee taking honey from many flowers, he seems to say that we can seek advice from many others. Do you seek out priests or others with a good sense of discernment? What kind of persons would be good for such purposes?
eb 16, 4:34 PM
SrSusan (Guest): can we have happenstance or serendipity in this snow situation?
Feb 16, 4:34 PM
Simone (Guest): LOL.. good one Sister
Feb 16, 4:36 PM
Simone (Guest): well.. I was just walking the dog.. ( against his will.. cause he hates the high snow banks).. but I thought to myself.. it was kind of nice that we all were on the street shovelling snow.. it was a nice experience as a family – but also chatting with the neighbours…
eb 16, 4:37 PMSimone (Guest): if my husband’s snow blower – which is brand-new.. and was more expensive that most things in our house – would not have quit on Friday morning.. we would all stayed in the house.. no need for shovelling.. so I guess.. this was kind of “happenstance”
Feb 16, 4:38 PM
Carol (Guest): Connection wins over convenience
Feb 16, 4:38 PM
Simone (Guest): that’s a great sentence Carol
eb 16, 4:39 PM
SrSusan (Guest): q Are these just life’s happy little moments, or is there an element of “divine coincidence” (providence)?
Feb 16, 4:40 PM
Carol (Guest): I vote for divine coincidence
Feb 16, 4:40 PM
Simone (Guest): As I am thinking back.. on these moments.. where there were “divine coincidences”… then I notice that they all have one thing in common.. They just happened.. without me – pleading for them..
Feb 16, 4:40 PM
Ruth (Guest): Wow! I missed a lot. Guess I should have stayed put.
Feb 16, 4:41 PM
Simone (Guest): so.. what I want to say is.. when we are close to God’s heart.. then we are in a stream of ” divine coincidences” .. in a way.. I guess
16, 4:41 PMSimone (Guest): what that means for me then.. I can trust.. that God is leading my ways..
Feb 16, 4:42 PMCarol (Guest): Yes, and because we received the grace to have our eyes open looking for Him
Feb 16, 4:43 PMSrSusan (Guest): to live from moment to moment with God’s ways and surprises, so beautiful
Feb 16, 4:44 PMSimone (Guest): Life can become pretty easy.. if we truly fully allow ourselves to fall into God’s hands.. and trust His ways
16, 4:45 PMCarol (Guest): He is always surprising me, with sunsets, with cloud art. With people who let me talk about Him
Feb 16, 4:46 PMCarol (Guest): And since I’m on the road a lot, those couple minute delays that keep me out of trouble
Feb 16, 4:46 PMRuth (Guest): Beautiful!
Feb 16, 4:47 PMSimone (Guest): Yes, Carol… I can see how he guides your steps.. one by one.. lovely
eb 16, 4:48 PMSrSusan (Guest): Sometimes what seems like trouble can be His guidance
Feb 16, 4:48 PM
Ruth (Guest): Even the surprise “mistake” call I got from you, Carol. How good to hear your voice!
Feb 16, 4:48 PM
Simone (Guest): good point.. not every happenstance.. is necessarily happy at first glance
Feb 16, 4:49 PM
Carol (Guest): Yes, He helps me tiptoe through the minefield of ingrained sin/flaws
eb 16, 4:50 PM
Carol (Guest): That was pretty funny, Ruth. The company I was supposed to be calling is right above you in my contact list. Ghat’s why I was so confused
Feb 16, 4:50 PM
Ruth (Guest): “Tiptoe through the minefields”. Interesting expression.
eb 16, 4:51 PM
SrSusan (Guest): q How can we strike the balance of being friends or friendly with someone in a place of stature, power, or fame? Should we just avoid relationships with them since we might risk wanting a relationship because of their status instead of for them?
Feb 16, 4:51 PM
Carol (Guest): Sometimes I don’t hear Him right and one of them explodes in my face.
Feb 16, 4:51 PM
Simone (Guest): I have to step out for a moment.. a friend called.. who is in crisis
Feb 16, 4:53 PMRuth (Guest): I guess I would need more feedback — more people in my life — to get me to work on my flaws — like not doing much of anything in a timely fashion. Lord have mercy!
Feb 16, 4:54 PMCarol (Guest): This is hard to discern. I was very close with my first boss out of college. Others bosses have complained that I treat everyone the same without regard for their authority
eb 16, 4:54 PMCarol (Guest): People are only too happy to point out what they think my flaws are
Feb 16, 4:55 PMSrSusan (Guest): I would say being friendly but not being friends would be more comfortable for me with an authority
Feb 16, 4:56 PMRuth (Guest): I think that is good, treating people the same – with respect – whether in authority or “below” you in the human pecking order.
eb 16, 4:57 PM
Carol (Guest): It was many years ago…lokking back I wonder if it touched me with an air of disobedience
Feb 16, 4:58 PM
Ruth (Guest): I guess that it is just certain people in authority who might have a problem with that.
Feb 16, 4:59 PM
SrSusan (Guest): Saint Francis exhibited much humility in his role as bishop. Why is this paramount for a bishop or a priest?
Feb 16, 5:00 PM
Carol (Guest): They are responsible for other peoples souls so they have to know their own
Feb 16, 5:00 PM
Ruth (Guest): If your first, foremost, allegiance to Authority is to the ONE, then in some circumstances, disobedience can be a virtue!
Feb 16, 5:01 PM
SrSusan (Guest): true in some cases
Feb 16, 5:01 PM
Carol (Guest): Thats true
Feb 16, 5:01 PM
SrSusan (Guest): humility is paramount for all of us as well
eb 16, 5:01 PMRuth (Guest): Jesus was humble and priests & bishops are “other” Christs.
eb 16, 5:03 PMCarol (Guest): And we must know our strengths and weakness to serve properly
eb 16, 5:03 PM
SrSusan (Guest): heaven is filled with the humble
Feb 16, 5:03 PM
Ruth (Guest): And people generally will not share their hearts with an arrogant “superior.”
Feb 16, 5:04 PM
Ruth (Guest): Many medical mistakes come about because a nurse or a patient is unwilling to point out a problem.
Feb 16, 5:05 PM
Carol (Guest): Its a total turnoff
Feb 16, 5:05 PMSrSusan (Guest): probably goes for every field Ruth
Feb 16, 5:06 PM
SrSusan (Guest): Why is discernment in all things, not just our vocations, important?
Feb 16, 5:06 PM
Carol (Guest): To be as sure as we can we are following Gods will always
Feb 16, 5:08 PMRuth (Guest): To be obedient to God, one needs to know what God wishes of us SPECIFICALLY.
eb 16, 5:08 PMSrSusan (Guest): or of a situation, or even a community’s choice
Feb 16, 5:09 PMRuth (Guest): Yes.
eb 16, 5:09 PMCarol (Guest): There is not one aspect of our lives He does not know and care about
Feb 16, 5:10 PMRuth (Guest): And it can be very helpful to get the opinion of others, or another as long as that other has the same set of. Aloes
eb 16, 5:11 PM
SrSusan (Guest): How can we, as Saint Francis instructs, to know that we can trust our inclinations and go with them?
Feb 16, 5:11 PM
Ruth (Guest): Last word there, VALUES.
Feb 16, 5:12 PMCarol (Guest): That is hard for me. Sometimes I just say a prayer and go
eb 16, 5:12 PMSrSusan (Guest): I am a slow decider
Feb 16, 5:15 PM
Ruth (Guest): If the choice is in itself good or at least morally indifferent, if we are seeking God’s will in all things. Sometimes it is sufficient to say one quick prayer and GO, even if the outcome appears to be a mistake.
Feb 16, 5:15 PM
Simone (Guest): hi.. I am back…
eb 16, 5:19 PMSrSusan (Guest): q And does his advice about not asking for the suffering that Our Lord endured seem contrary to his advice from other letters to embrace suffering?
eb 16, 5:20 PM
Carol (Guest): I think God allows the suffering that will bring us salvation, and every person is different
Feb 16, 5:20 PM
Ruth (Guest): That is one of the reasons I am considering a new retirement “vocation”
Feb 16, 5:20 PM
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Feb 16, 5:21 PM
Simone (Guest): I agree Carol
Feb 16, 5:21 PM
Simone (Guest): and Ruth.. that sounds intriguing – anything you can share about your new retirement vocation?
Feb 16, 5:21 PMRuth (Guest): Embracing the suffering that is “given” to us is very different from looking for suffering!
eb 16, 5:22 PMCarol (Guest): And asking for someone else’s suffering–we cannot take their pain away
eb 16, 5:22 PMSimone (Guest): I just wanted to write the same Ruth.. There is a big difference.. to ask for suffering.. than to accept suffering from the Lord’s hand
eb 16, 5:24 PM
Ruth (Guest): It is one thing to do little penances; that can is like
Feb 16, 5:24 PM
Simone (Guest): I do not doubt.. that some were called to glorify God with active suffering.. in a way every martyr did this… but if we are not clearly CALLEd to this.. then I think it is actually sinful to do this.. and violates God’s intention of goodness to our life
eb 16, 5:24 PMSimone (Guest): again.. I am speaking about actively inviting suffering – not just accepting suffering in our lives
eb 16, 5:25 PM
Carol (Guest): Its a little vain
Feb 16, 5:26 PM
Ruth (Guest): Y likely good. But God wants his children to be happy, AND wants to forgive; people who go looking for suffering are often trying to punish themselves. Even wrist skitters feel a sense that they are letting something bad out.
Feb 16, 5:26 PM
Simone (Guest): you mean.. like feeling so holy that we think we can handle more suffering than the portion that is given to us through life?
Feb 16, 5:26 PM
Simone (Guest): is that the vanity you meant Carol?
Feb 16, 5:26 PM
Carol (Guest): Yes
Feb 16, 5:26 PM
Simone (Guest): I agree
Feb 16, 5:27 PMSrSusan (Guest): last q When St. Francis talks about seeking “people of all-round discernment” and a bee taking honey from many flowers, he seems to say that we can seek advice from many others. Do you seek out priests or others with a good sense of discernment? What kind of persons would be good for such purposes?
Feb 16, 5:28 PMCarol (Guest): Yes, I ask my director, old friends, and some in my community as well as everyone here
b 16, 5:29 PMSimone (Guest): I love to meet with people.. who are close to God’s heart.. and can hear it in my voice.. when I stray away from thoughts and discernments towards God. people.. where just speaking my honest thoughts out loud..are actually making things clearer to me.. even if they do not answer.. having said them in the presence of a god fearing person.. often clarifies a lot
Feb 16, 5:29 PMSimone (Guest): a Spiritual Director should be a person like this for his directees