tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post3326351879305014236..comments2024-03-09T00:51:33.602-07:00Comments on Little Catholic Bubble: Fearful? Surrender your will. Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-76736786236731412022015-03-16T22:48:35.825-07:002015-03-16T22:48:35.825-07:00Ellyn, I pray that it will! And when she is tryin...Ellyn, I pray that it will! And when she is trying to make a big decision, have her go with the one that gives her more interior peace (not necessarily the easier choice externally). <br /><br />Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-29317137616458615102015-03-16T08:29:48.514-07:002015-03-16T08:29:48.514-07:00thank you for this post, Leila! I just sent the li...thank you for this post, Leila! I just sent the link to my college freshman daughter who is struggling with her choice of major. She so badly wants to discern God's will for her-and right now!! And that's not always an easy thing to do. I hope your post begins to give her some peace. Ellynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16183942275206709158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-28389526965418325092015-03-13T17:49:40.681-07:002015-03-13T17:49:40.681-07:00Yes,Leila, it does help, very much so. Thanks!Yes,Leila, it does help, very much so. Thanks!Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08013142402527598378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-13654889027886898412015-03-12T14:13:55.867-07:002015-03-12T14:13:55.867-07:00Thank you for the advice, Connie! Yes, I saw a si...Thank you for the advice, Connie! Yes, I saw a similarity in our way of dealing with things in at least a couple of passages in your book. I see you have contact information in the book so I will have to follow up with you on Facebook! :) Thanks again!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-66944415514867432702015-03-11T14:04:12.305-07:002015-03-11T14:04:12.305-07:00Thank You.Thank You.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-46480944761659689012015-03-11T12:22:58.312-07:002015-03-11T12:22:58.312-07:00JoAnna, thank you!!
JoAnna, thank you!!<br />Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-50846725213641323602015-03-11T12:16:56.040-07:002015-03-11T12:16:56.040-07:00Well, Night Cruller, that's not what "sur...Well, Night Cruller, that's not what "surrender" means in this context. Surrendering into the arms and heart of One who loves you is quite different from surrendering to meaninglessness and ultimate annihilation. If I surrendered to the latter, then I'd go ahead and kill myself, probably. And I'd make it as painless as possible, and I would actually wish I had never been born in the first place. Being born for glory and love eternal is quite different from being born for nothing at all. <br /><br /><i>Nobody ever presents this "evidence".</i> <--<-- Well, the hundreds of thousands of books and writings (Aquinas? Chesterton? Lewis? to name three), and the countless lives of the saints and the evidence of miracles and all the millions of words on the internet.... It's all there. Open your heart and dive in. Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-690791535264284792015-03-11T12:16:11.238-07:002015-03-11T12:16:11.238-07:00Quite obviously, you haven't been looking. Her...Quite obviously, you haven't been looking. Here are a few resources to get you started:<br /><br />Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God by Peter Kreeft http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/20_arguments-gods-existence.htm<br /><br />Can You Prove that God Exists? by Peter Kreeft http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/gods-existence.htm<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-Lewis-Signature-Classics-ebook/dp/B002BD2UR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426101094&sr=1-1&keywords=mere+christianity" rel="nofollow">Mere Christianity</a> by C.S. Lewis<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-G-K-Chesterton/dp/1493508075/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426101042&sr=8-1&keywords=orthodoxy+chesterton" rel="nofollow">Orthodoxy</a> by G.K. Chesterton<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Something-Other-Than-God-Passionately/dp/1586178822/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426101115&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=somethiing+other+than+god" rel="nofollow">Something Other Than God</a> by Jennifer Fulwiler<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Atheism-Catholicism-Kevin-Vost-ebook/dp/B007QXHAI4/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426101157&sr=1-7&keywords=kevin+vost" rel="nofollow">From Atheism to Catholicism: How Scientists and Philosophers Led Me to the Truth</a> by Kevin Vost<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Answering-New-Atheism-Dismantling-Dawkins/dp/1931018480/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426101254&sr=1-1&keywords=Answering+The+New+Atheism" rel="nofollow">Answering the New Atheism</a> by Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wilker<br /><br />There are many, many, many, many, <i>many</i> others. Your reluctance to seek it out doesn't mean that it hasn't been presented. People have presented this evidence IN SPADES. JoAnna Wahlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09942928659520676271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-11667532290430655902015-03-11T11:52:55.536-07:002015-03-11T11:52:55.536-07:00Nobody ever presents this "evidence".Nobody ever presents this "evidence".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-52884484719035826242015-03-11T11:33:12.794-07:002015-03-11T11:33:12.794-07:00"Opinion" is not "fact," Night..."Opinion" is not "fact," Night Cruller. I see far more evidence to the contrary.JoAnna Wahlundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09942928659520676271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-41991847089072170242015-03-11T11:28:36.295-07:002015-03-11T11:28:36.295-07:00Does one really need religion to "surrender&q...Does one really need religion to "surrender"? Can't one simply stop worrying about the past and the future and surrender to the fact that we live in an indifferent universe and that life is meaningless?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-61169306226969942542015-03-10T23:41:56.648-07:002015-03-10T23:41:56.648-07:00Connie, this:
"Surrender is not so much pass...Connie, this:<br /><br />"Surrender is not so much passivity as an attitude."<br /><br />Yes! Everyone needs to memorize this!Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-92005416801841203372015-03-10T17:05:02.956-07:002015-03-10T17:05:02.956-07:00Well, I just returned here after a couple of days ...Well, I just returned here after a couple of days and got my ego boost for the week. Thanks, gals! <br /><br />Sharon, I know about the temptation to passivity, because my primary temperament is phlegmatic. When I was reading about anger management (as I mention in the book), the authors said that people who were used to suppressing their anger until they blew up should practice voicing it, even if at times that means they do it badly. Other people should try to just let their anger go, but not them. They will think they're letting it go when they're just hiding it. I think you're working with a similar dynamic on surrender. If you have done everything you can to further God's will, then you can sit back and wait. Surrender is not so much passivity as an attitude. Use that phlegmatic part of you that tends not to care too much about things to say, "I'll accept God's will, no matter what it is." But once you know what it is, be prepared to act on it. <br /><br />Isn't life always a challenge?Connie Rossinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16167873116105163091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-8788548774637786182015-03-09T19:29:14.756-07:002015-03-09T19:29:14.756-07:00Love this Leila!! I just read it and man... Do we ...Love this Leila!! I just read it and man... Do we have things in common! Haha. Control. What a tough one. Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593590679118748526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-33514759019418611682015-03-08T17:52:06.879-07:002015-03-08T17:52:06.879-07:00Sharon, what an awesome reflection! Yes, "sur...Sharon, what an awesome reflection! Yes, "surrender" is not just passivity. We still must live our lives, purposely, and be virtuous in whatever he sends us that day. But we may surely decide to move, or go to school, or paint our house, or marry, or have children, etc.... We have the freedom to choose what is good and what will bring us interior peace, but we also will accept and surrender to whatever suffering we encounter, or whatever monkey wrench (seems) to mess up our plans.... <br /><br />Connie is amazing, no?!Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-42485632212549731312015-03-08T16:57:37.971-07:002015-03-08T16:57:37.971-07:00Leila, God keeps putting this idea of surrender in...Leila, God keeps putting this idea of surrender in my path. I have "Into Your Hands, Father" in my cart at Amazon but I decided first to finish reading Connie's book which I dipped into a few months ago. I love this from her book, which I read just before Mass this morning: "God knows what he is doing in our lives. Our circumstances have not gotten the better of him. The only <i>what if?</i> we should consider asking is, <i>What if I were to give myself totally to God?</i> But better than asking it would be choosing to do it." <br /><br />My difficulty in thinking of surrender, of "letting go and letting God", is that I know that passivity can be one of my weaknesses. Let God do everything? Sounds good to me! Wake me up when everything's in place! Obviously, I have to be careful not to take the concept too far. I have to be able to discern where my effort is required and where I need to let God take over. This has been especially important to me since I have to make major life decisions over the next few months, and I honestly do not know what the best choices for me are. I will need to prepare my youngest boys for the changes, but don't want to say anything until I have a good idea of the path I need to take. There are paths that "seem" to be the most logical, but something in me keeps saying no. I haven't known whether the "no" was coming from me or from God, but I think I was sent an answer this week when I was at a First Friday event for my kids. I was flipping through a booklet that had been on a table in the church hall and came across a passage that jumped off the page: "When the time is ready, you will receive direction and you will know clearly where to go." I feel now that my job is to just focus on the things you mention above, finding God's will in "the people you are in contact with today, the work you are doing today, the cross you are carrying today." God can use those things to prepare me for whatever plans he knows are best for my family.<br /><br />Count me in as another one who is looking forward to reading the full story of your spiritual awakening!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-42445532237854858032015-03-07T18:56:15.387-07:002015-03-07T18:56:15.387-07:00Becky, thank you for that! Yes, it can be harmful,...Becky, thank you for that! Yes, it can be harmful, more than just a weight on our shoulders. What a grace to recognize that! And I know how amazing you are at reaching out to help people in need. I have seen it in action so many times. :)Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-91679778735728581542015-03-07T11:44:46.482-07:002015-03-07T11:44:46.482-07:00I thought I would also put in that I have recently...I thought I would also put in that I have recently discovered the truth of what harm can come from trying to "save the world". I'm all about helping people, doing what we can. I get irritated with sloth and lukewarm behavior which overall is a good thing, but I've learned that worrying about these things can be just as harmful! Learning about my own human limitations has been very humbling for me, but it's been a really great thing. I learned that what "Becky" cannot do, God can, and even better. It's been good to learn when to step up when God calls us but also when to step back and watch from the sidelines. Definitely the more humble place but it's a place that God asks me to be, most of the time. :-)Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10451590537173713861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-19753023774842427362015-03-06T20:02:44.134-07:002015-03-06T20:02:44.134-07:00Jenn-Henn, great question! We are certainly not re...Jenn-Henn, great question! We are certainly not required to stay in a suffering that we can alleviate. If there is a cure, if there is a treatment, if there is a way to get out of the situation, <i>morally</i>, that will relieve our sufferings and/or our illnesses, we certainly may avail ourselves. But when suffering comes to us (as it always will), and there is no moral solution to that suffering, we accept it and surrender to the cross that has been given to us. We carry the cross with grace and peace knowing that it came to us from a loving and trustworthy Father, for our eternal good. And even if we can alleviate the suffering, at the point where we are still undergoing the suffering, we don't rail against it, but we surrender to it, even as we may legitimately be working to overcome it.<br /><br />I hope that makes sense and that it helps answer the question.Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-50191915862819948172015-03-06T19:03:52.545-07:002015-03-06T19:03:52.545-07:00:)
I look forward to reading about your experien...:) <br />I look forward to reading about your experience, Leila! It's sort of ironic, but not really I guess, how often what seems like a tragic breakdown really turns out to be a 2x4 that we need spiritually. <br />I got "Into Your Hands" for my Lenten reading as well, because of your recommendation, but I'm not sure all of it is quite what I need right now; though the emphasis on acceptance and living in the present is something I need to work on. <br />I'm not finished with it, but does it mention anything about actively doing things when one's circumstances are undesirable? For instance, in the case of cancer or a disease - one must accept what has been "given", but it seems contradictory to acceptance to try and change the circumstance. Just something that's been bugging me. Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08013142402527598378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-69332759465204686702015-03-06T17:26:47.711-07:002015-03-06T17:26:47.711-07:00Yes, Leila, and he has given contemplative prayer ...Yes, Leila, and he has given contemplative prayer a bad name. Many Protestants now equate contemplative prayer with eastern meditation. You'll find sources all over the internet that call contemplation "New Age," when it is actually the goal of the spiritual life (union with God), and has always been so.Connie Rossinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16167873116105163091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-15130237108737193972015-03-06T16:50:18.876-07:002015-03-06T16:50:18.876-07:00Connie, yikes! That is a scary interview. He actua...Connie, yikes! That is a scary interview. He actually equates Eastern meditation and Christian contemplative prayer! Whoa....Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-38921479257620346372015-03-06T15:19:20.115-07:002015-03-06T15:19:20.115-07:00I just want to add one more thing. If anyone has a...I just want to add one more thing. If anyone has any doubts about Fr. Keating's orthodoxy, just read this interview. It is astonishingly bad in its theology. http://www.garrisoninstitute.org/an-interview-with-father-thomas-keatingConnie Rossinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16167873116105163091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-27638886931955825552015-03-06T10:15:28.465-07:002015-03-06T10:15:28.465-07:00Yeah, that bothers me too, Leila. The real Dark Ni...Yeah, that bothers me too, Leila. The real Dark Nights are not natural--they are supernatural. Even spiritual suffering is not necessarily a Dark Night. Spiritual darkness can have many causes.Connie Rossinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16167873116105163091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-35196186264046613952015-03-06T09:33:00.790-07:002015-03-06T09:33:00.790-07:00Connie, you have no idea how much I love reading t...Connie, you have no idea how much I love reading this stuff. I just love it, and I am so glad you are so knowledgeable about it. One thing that frustrates me is when people who are experiencing clinical depression declare that they are going through a "Dark Night", when in fact the two things are completely different! So much to learn. Thank you!Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.com