In this the sixth chapter of Kelly’s Rediscovering Catholicism there are several headings that organize the segment entitled “What is the Authentic Life?”
Fostering the Inner Life
Modern Despair
Our essential purpose
What is Holiness?
The-best-version-of-yourself
Vatican II
The Depression
There is so much to me explore interiorly with this particular chapter. I am struck by a handful of ideas that I would like to ask the greater audience about, if anyone would be so kind as to attempt an answer for me.
1. If I try to live an “authentic” life, (see pg. 57) why is it so gosh darn hard for me to stop asking myself “What’s in this for me?” I can sometimes catch myself doing, this which is disturbing but even more distressful are the times when I with the retro-spectroscope realize that I have acted as though I was in the “what’s in it for me “ mindset when acting for the “good” of those around me. Bummer….
Why don’t I knee-jerk response just go for the “What’s God’s will for me?” attitude?
Kelly thinks it’s all about “control” issues. I don’t know. It drives me crazy. My heart and mind understand that He has designed my life perfectly to integrate needs, desires, and talents He has instilled in me. And yet…
2. So what does it mean when Kelly says, “Every honest work can be transformed into prayer.” (Refer pg 59). I like the idea that no action need ever be wasted but come on, folding clothes is a far cry from saying a rosary or is it? Mr. Kelly says that when work is tied to a prayer, it can actually be made into a prayer; work, then, becomes a privilege and no longer a drudgery and can even become a joy.
3. When Kelly touched on the issue of depression and despair that seem to be so prevalent in our culture, he introduces the notion of separation. Can people become separated from themselves i.e. separated for the knowledge of their essential purpose? Is it true that if a person becomes so distracted, so busy, so tired, that they can no longer recognize their purpose for being alive. Can whole generations of people really be so distracted from their essential purpose that they no longer even consider that they might have a reason for being here on this earth? This is a little hard to believe, but when I examine the last 24 hours in my life, maybe it’s not so hard to believe.
Is Satan that crafty that he has us so sidetracked that he wins without us even knowing he was on the playing field?.
4. Are the majority of Catholics not cognizant of the goal of Christian life or have we cast this goal aside believing that Christian life is not “conducive to modern living”? (pg. 62)
5. If Holiness is the goal of Christian life and our essential purpose, is it possible to become holy in today’s world in the year 2010? Would life be boring and tedious if we became holy? Can wealthy people be holy? Is it for an elite group of priest-like people or nuns or the like. If I were holy, would people look at me and say, “Oh, he could have been and done so much more. He had so much potential!” Kelly has interesting ideas to offer about the concept of holiness including that the most joyful people in the world throughout history have been holy people.
On page 68 Kelly makes this statement, The “discipline striving for virtue is the authentic life.” Does that mean I have to make myself practice virtue like I made myself practice the piano when I was a kid? If so, where is the Joy in that? I admit that sometimes after practicing a lot and I was finally pretty good a piece that I did enjoy playing the piano but , man, the practice stuff was brutal.
6. Finally, check out the statement Kelly makes on pg. 71. It s big one! It’s the one about activities pursued in the name of Christianity versus a “universal call to holiness”. Read that and tell me what you think That’s it for tonight.. My spouse is demanding I come to bed I’ll write more later. I hope this is coherent enough to not be confusing.
Love, St. Francis of Assisi
Lots to comment on here but I will start with the prayer piece. I tend (I think lots of us do) to think of prayer as something active that follows a particular form and involved particular postures and words. It's more than that. It's an awareness of God, a lifting of oneself to Him for union however brief.
ReplyDeleteModern man, especially the Western one, , has a fixation on the "best" ways, without realizing that that is relative to context and individual. Yes, saying a rosary is different than folding clothes, just as a rose is different from an onion. Is a rose better? Only if you are trying to make a floral arrangement. If you're making dinner, the onion serves better. Praying has become in some ways another activity at which we feel a need to excel, one that we wish to master without realizing it is a tool to help us master ourselves and be open to God. Martha
Another thought. There's a tendency to think that we have to DO something to become holy, as in Francis' musing that it must be something practiced like the piano. In some ways, certainly--that's what disciplines are for. But for those of us who tend to be over-disciplined--who tend to think that our activity is the key to any success, that if we just try harder, we'll get there, the key to holiness is not to DO more in the conventional sense but to get out of God's way (in a way, also an action, I guess, but not one we are too comfortable with), stop the frenetic activity, and learn to remove the things that separate us from Him in daily life. For me, that is all too often my determined striving. God will make me holy not because of that particular overblown trait of mine, but in spite of it. I need to learn, oddly, to sit down, shut up, and get out of His way. I'm loved as I am and I need to TRUST that HIS grace is enough for me to be what HE intends me to be--which can be very different than what I think I am supposed to be. I think I am not alone in this... and I think that is what Kelly's "classroom of silence"--very hard--is trying to teach us. Holiness is the gift of grace worked out in life, not the other way around....Martha
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right when you discerned the idea that "I"feel the need to do something to become holy. As a died-in-the-wool - many generations-in-the-making CONTROL FREAK, it is only right and just that I should make my own holiness but.....in this state of mind, my activities directed at becoming holy many many times end up as Kelly describes as a "collection of social welfare initiatives". Great insight Martha
ReplyDeleteI just ran across this quote, and thought it might address the folding clothes vs Rosary issue raised by St. Francis of Assisi:
ReplyDelete"Each small task of everyday life is part of the harmony of the universe."
-St. Therese
More later,
Luke
"the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through his transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself." - St Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd c)
ReplyDelete"God became Man, so that men could become gods" - St Athanasius
This chapter reminded me of an Eastern concept that is shared in the Roman Catholic Church, but perhaps doesn't as much attention as it should. "Theosis" is the transformation of someone into one's full humanity - that is the Image of God - by putting into practice His teachings through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Literally it means "to become God-like" or to become "in union with God"; to be conformed to God in His righteousness and holiness, and ultimately in all ways except His Essence Itself (by attaining Sainthood). As Kelly points out, this is the reason why we exist. He also points out correctly that there are myriad paths to Holiness/Theosis. a wise man once reminded me that even monks have to wash dishes!
So let yourself be purified; let yourself be illuminated; let yourself become holy (as stated above, by getting out of God's way!). Become as God, because that is the goal we all strive for.
Patrick
ps. partially plagiarized from Wikipedia...
Alright, to live an authentic life means a lot of things. It means:
ReplyDelete1. Our daily activities and endeavors become elevated to something greater than just what they are, they become a reflection of God's glorification by creation.
2. we become transformed into a celebration. We become what we celebrate.
3 We become holy - one moment at a time
4. We blossom, thrive, flourish.
5. We acknowledge and to choose to live humbly as though we are not in control and that God is and that is GOOD.
6. Our prayer life becomes like breathing, never contrived just natural response to being alive and staying alive.
7. We discipline our selves to the ways of virtue and we don't complain about it we really strive toward this like we strive toward making it home to a great dinner after a rough Thursday at work knowing that it's not our turn to clean the kitchen
8. We become truly joy filled, truly ourselves as we were created to be, truly Catholic.
OK , sign me up but how much is it going to cost?
Anonymous--it will cost your entire life and be worth every bit of it! Martha
ReplyDeleteRe. "Every honest work can be transformed into prayer".
ReplyDeleteAn offering: My father was a convert to Catholicism during his courtship of my mother. They brought nine children into an unusually loving and joyful marriage.
He taught us: "Everything -- from the dishcloth to the diaper -- can be a prayer."
He,they, lived it.
We found truth and reality in this simplicity.
And yes, joy.
MarieTherese
I have to say that this chapter has been (so far) the one that has got me really (and I mean... really) thinking.
ReplyDeleteHowever, before posting my own thoughts, I would like to comment on item 3 from St. Francis of Assisi's post.
I do believe that we are too distracted with everyday life and that we have lost good judgment about what's truly important. Lately more than ever, we tend to measure our success based on "things", what we have and more so what we don't have. Why do we do this? I'm not so sure... but we should remind ourselves (at least every now and then) that there is way more joy and success around us... in the way of family, friends, and of course faith & God.
Now, back to my thoughts... did anybody struggle with the statement Kelly makes regarding holiness? "Holiness is for you. Be all you can be" (pg.65). How do we know we are being all we can be? help anyone?
I think that Kelly's chapter on saints helps us understand how we do that. Holiness really is our call, and it really is accessible to us--but it does require our time, attention and surrender...and of course, God's grace! I am not sure we ever know we are being all we can be; certainly the saints often did not think much of themselves. What we must learn to do, I think, is trust that God will lead us there even when we don't especially see it ourselves. When we live a live of faith, and participate in the sacraments, and pray and do penance and give alms and learn to practice works of mercy and cultivate the cardinal virtues, and live for others, I think that is when holiness begins to happen.....Martha
ReplyDelete