tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771934.post115383153747103847..comments2024-02-22T22:16:29.435-05:00Comments on Bethune Catholic: SuburbiaJim Curleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02225590468579353857noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771934.post-1153846415960448512006-07-25T11:53:00.000-05:002006-07-25T11:53:00.000-05:00Good point about the different charisms; I guess n...Good point about the different charisms; I guess not everyone is called to wear a hairshirt!TShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17118362963139092279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771934.post-1153846376173064922006-07-25T11:52:00.000-05:002006-07-25T11:52:00.000-05:00Of course immediately after writing that I thought...Of course immediately after writing that I thought of St. Thomas More who wore a hairshirt much of the time, meaning he was literally embracing discomfort. So what do I know!TShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17118362963139092279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771934.post-1153838222541105022006-07-25T09:37:00.000-05:002006-07-25T09:37:00.000-05:00TS-I think I agree with you. Its not that sufferi...TS-I think I agree with you. Its not that suffering is intrinsically a holier condition (we don't expect to suffer in Heaven), it is just that a lot of us clods need suffering to make us rely more on God. <BR/><BR/>Comfort is not intrinsically evil (don't we expect comfort in Heaven?)-it just sometimes is cloudy in our minds if the comfort came from God's blessings or because we "pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps". <BR/><BR/>The problem is that some people say that "This (agrarian, missionary work, bible study, whatever) lifestyle worked (either honestly or because it makes them feel that way-as you say) for me: thus any other way is less good for everyone else. <BR/><BR/>Catholicism is so great because it allows (with orthodoxy) so many different charisms. Can't beat it.<BR/><BR/>Cheers!Jim Curleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02225590468579353857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8771934.post-1153835455776875722006-07-25T08:50:00.000-05:002006-07-25T08:50:00.000-05:00Comfort is not the mission of life nor the purpose...Comfort is not the mission of life nor the purpose of life, but it's a positive good. So the tricky thing is how not to either slide into: <BR/><BR/>a) comfort uber alles<BR/> <BR/>or <BR/><BR/>b) to equate Christianity with suffering, as if suffering is the end itself and not a means to an End. <BR/><BR/>I think the real trick is not to get hooked on feelings of holiness. I recall a long-distance runner saying that a good workout makes you feel holy. And yet there's nothing in a good workout that really makes you holier (look at our star athletes). <BR/><BR/>My beef with some of the Crunchy Con set is I think they get a high off the fumes of holiness. (NB: Not you!) Mother Teresa said that we should want to be good not to feel holy, but to please Christ. Difficult sometimes to discern but even more so to live up to. As you say, prayer is huge.TShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17118362963139092279noreply@blogger.com