Response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a doubt regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Artistic rendering of Adam and Eve

Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a dubium

regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex 

March 15, 2021

TO THE QUESTION PROPOSED: 

Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?

RESPONSE:

Negative.

Go here to read the concise and articulate Explanatory Note 

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Article of Commentary on the Responsum ad dubium, 15.03.2021

The new statement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is a response to a question – in classical terms, to a dubium – occasioned, as is normally the case, by pastors and faithful who require clarification and guidance concerning a controversial issue. When questions are triggered by problematic assertions or practices in important areas of Christian life, an affirmative or negative response is provided, along with a statement of the reasoning that supports the response presented. The purpose of such interventions is to help the universal Church to respond better to the demands of the Gospel, to settle disputes, and to foster healthy communion among the holy people of God.

In the present case, a disputed question has arisen in the framework of the “sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexual persons, to whom are proposed paths of growth in faith” (Explanatory Note), as indicated by the Holy Father Pope Francis at the conclusion of two Synodal Assemblies on the family: “so that those who manifest a homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God’s will in their lives” (Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, n. 250). These words are an invitation to evaluate, with appropriate discernment, projects and pastoral proposals directed to this end. Among these are blessings given to the unions of persons of the same sex. It is therefore asked whether the Church has the power to impart her blessing: this is the formula contained in the quaesitum.

The answer - the Responsum ad dubium – is explained and motivated in the attached Explanatory Note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated February 22, 2021, to the publication of which Pope Francis himself has given his assent.

The Note is centered on the fundamental and decisive distinction between persons and the union. This is so that the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.

Go here to read the brief Commentary on the Responsum ad dubium 

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CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS

TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION

TO UNIONS

BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS

June 3, 2003 

INTRODUCTION

1. In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See.(1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant – legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children. The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present Considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience.(2) Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society.

... text continues... 

Go here to read the complete text of these Considerations  

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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"Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD IS WITH THEE..."

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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"THE LORD IS WITH THEE!"

 It was the Archangel Gabriel who came from Heaven to the young maiden Myriam of Nazareth - she who would come to be known to us as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Mother of Jesus and of his Church and of all Christians - and in bringing her his "Annunciation", Gabriel announced something of the Divine Will and of Divine Revelation. Gabriel declared to Mary, in current commun English usage: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee (you)...." So what did it mean, exactly, that the Lord is with her?

"26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[b] 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[c] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her."         Luke 1:26-38 (All quotes from NRSVCE) 

God our Creator is present and active at human conception. 

God Himself has revealed to us what happens at the moment of our conception in our mother's womb, and this is true for every human being, found in Jeremiah 1:4-5:

"4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

We know that we are conceived in the moment of union by our mother with our father, and this Word of the Lord gives us a glimpse at the moment our immortal soul is created by the hand of our Creator God.... We owe our existence as an invaluable gift to the planned cooperation between God our Creator and our human parents. This means that we are all intimately related to God our Creator even from before we are conceived in that God loves us and desires that we come into existence even before we do so. We already have a Father in Heaven who loves us and desires us. This is no negligible matter but a wondrous one.

However, we must all contend with the "original sin"

While it remains true that we have a loving Father in Heaven, we must all of us contend with the disastrous consequences of the original sin. We are not conceived into a perfect and harmonious relationship with our Creator God, but in a state of rebellion and distrust. As we grow up and older we do not spontaneously trust in God and love Him but instead we spontaneously distrust God or are afraid of Him or simply ignore Him at best or hate and despise Him at worst. Actually, perhaps being indifferent to Him is much worse. In any event, it is because our Creator God is our loving Father that He has not abandoned us but has sent his only-begotten Son into the world as one among us in order to be our Saviour.

In the case of Mary, we know through Divine Revelation and the teaching of our Church that at the moment of her conception she was granted the privilege of exemption from the dark consequences of the original sin committed by our first parents, the first human couple Adam and Eve. This divine privilege was granted by God to Mary in anticipation of her vocation, her future role and mission as Mother of God, and this gift has been called the "Immaculate Conception" by Pope Blessed Pius IX December 8th, 1854 in his Encyclical "Ineffabilis Deus" and then less than four years later at Lourdes the Blessed Virgin Mary confirmed this privilege when she identified herself, saying, "I am the Immaculate Conception." This statement caused clerics of the day to become distraught as they failed to understand how Mary seemed to confuse her identity with the privilege granted her by God. So this means then that Mary from even before her conception was granted by God a very special and privileged relationship of intimate love with our Heavenly Father. The Lord, our Father, was truly "with her" all along and continued to be "with her" even until now. Pope Saint Pius X reaffirmed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception 50 years later in his Encyclical "Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum." 

"Venerable Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Blessing. An interval of a few months will again bring round that most happy day on which, fifty years ago, Our Predecessor Pius IX., Pontiff of holy memory, surrounded by a noble crown of Cardinals and Bishops, pronounced and promulgated with the authority of the infallible magisterium as a truth revealed by God that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instant of her conception was free from all stain of original sin. All the world knows the feelings with which the faithful of all the nations of the earth received this proclamation and the manifestations of public satisfaction and joy which greeted it, for truly there has not been in the memory of man any more universal or more harmonious expression of sentiment shown towards the august Mother of God or the Vicar of Jesus Christ."

Clerics wondered "How can Mary say she is conception?"

When Bernadette Soubirous reported to the clergy the name that her "Lady" had given herself, they were perplexed. Their first and most obvious objection was that conception is an action; so the lady could not possibly take the name of an action. In his final writings before his arrest by the Nazis on February 17, 1941, Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM continued his long reflection on Mary, who identified herself to Saint Bernadette as "The Immaculate Conception". His insight was about the unique and God-given relationship between the Holy Spirit - "Uncreated, Eternal Immaculate Conception" between the Eternal Father and the Eternal Son in the Most Holy Trinity - on one hand, and on the other hand, Mary of Nazareth as the "created Immaculate Conception". He saw this relationship as a spousal relationship, in which Mary was granted as a privilege the name of her Spouse.

From the very beginning, then, Mary was a privileged "work of the Holy Spirit" from the moment of her own conception immaculately in the womb of her mother Saint Anne. The Holy Spirit continued to dwell in Mary as in a Temple made "by God's hands" and so God was "with Mary" all along. It is our understanding from Jesus' own testimony and teaching that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are always one in all things. So, God was "with Mary" all along; while particular "roles" of each Divine Person were highlighted at different moments in Mary's life. Mary existed in the love of the Father from all eternity. She came into existence "under the bright shadow" of the Holy Spirit who remained with her; until the moment of this Annunciation, when the Son of God became more manifest.

The Father, the Holy Spirit, and now, the Son Eternal Word

So, we now see how the Father was always "with Mary", and the Holy Spirit was also always "with Mary", and now, finally, the Eternal Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father, also came to be "with Mary" at the moment she gave her affirmative reply to the Archangel Gabriel: 

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

The extravagant generosity of Almighty God to humanity

This reflection brings us to realize that humanity stands abundantly blessed in the presence of Almighty God our Creator. Not only do we have an Eternal loving Father in the Heavens, but we also have a brother and Saviour in his only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ; moreover, since the day of Pentecost, we have all been brought - along with Blessed Mary the Immaculate Conception - into the Family of God the Most Holy Trinity by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into all those who believe in God and in the One whom He has sent into the world. In addition, in the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, of Fatima, and of many other places of her visitations as decreed by God, in Mary then, we also have a Mother, we continue to receive her as a gift from God, Queen of the Apostles, of Martyrs, and of all the Saints, the "Women clothed with the sun..." as she appeared to Saint Juan Diego on the outskirts of Mexico City in December, 1531.

"12 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." Rev 12:1

Here are only a few of the gentle, gracious, and heart-rending words addressed by Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego:

“Know for certain, least of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of heaven and earth. It is my earnest wish that a temple be built here to my honor. Here I will demonstrate, I will exhibit, I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the merciful mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have condfidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes.” 

https://queenoftheamericasguild.org/history-of-the-apparitions/

Benedict XVI stated: “When the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to the native Indian Saint Juan Diego, she spoke these important words to him: “Am I not your mother? Are you not under my shadow and my gaze? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not sheltered underneath my mantle, under the embrace of my arms?” Shrine of the Aparecida, Brazil, May 13th, 2007

So, the Lord is "truly with Mary"

The Most Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit genuinely also want to be "with us" as well. To this end, God sends Mary, now and again, to Earth with the same simple message of God's invitation to us human beings to open our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies to the loving, forgiving, merciful, life-giving presence and action of God within us; so that, "with God", we may work together to advance God's work of salvation among human society, from one person to another, one family to another. 

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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The wonder of our vital human strengths

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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It is truly a wonder that we human beings have what are called VITAL HUMAN STRENGTHS. These are innate capacities which we have and are able to mobilize in the pursuit of our life as we try to give meaning and purpose to our lives in accord with our chosen values and way of life. Just as there is a logical network of laws and principles at work in the physical or tangible universe; so there is a similar logical network of laws and principles at work in the spiritual or intangible realm, which is also called the Kingdom of God.

One agency which offers formation in the "Actualization of our Vital Human Strengths" is IFHIM - the Institut de Formation Humaine Intégrale de Montréal - which you can tell by its title operates mostly in French. However they have at times in the past offered formation in English. The founder was psychotherapist Dr. Jeannine Guindon who, as a young woman, made discoveries in her attempts to help young delinquents to see and understand themselves. She went on to acquire university degrees while continuing her work with people and, in time, founded this formation institute. 

We human beings, in accord with this perspective on human existence, have six "vital human strengths", which are so many abilities:

    Ability to choose and accomplish one goal at a time = Self-esteem.
    Ability to choose effective means and renounce others = Self-confidence.
    Ability to take sufficient time and live past and future time freely = Hope.
    Ability to repeat accomplishments, learn from mistakes, and improve = Competence.
    Ability to consistently overcome obstacles and accomplish one's goal = Fidelity.
    Ability to persevere in developing all these abilities to accomplish the goals one chooses to freely give meaning and purpose to one's life = Love of self.

© Dr. Jeannine Guindon, IFHIM, 55 Gouin Ouest, Montréal, Québec, H3L 1H9 Canada  514-331-6861

TRY IT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF - CHOOSING A GOAL

Dear Reader, if you are interested and would like to investigate this perspective on human vitality, then I'd like you to freely choose to do a physical activity, a gratuitous physical activity such as a walk or exercise session at home or at a gym, or a swim... the purpose of which would be to freely choose to give yourself a GRATUITOUS GOAL: to change your mood for the better or to dispel tension you might be feeling. Depending on your condition, there may be some discomfort or even pain involved in setting your whole body into motion, but whatever resistance you may experience, you have within you a capacity to forge ahead in the pursuit of this good goal of feeling better.

It is to be expected that at some point during the physical activity that you will have some enjoyment, fun, satisfaction, good sensations, or simple gladness to be alive. Little pleasures are good as acknowledged by Jesus when He walked this Earth. If this visceral experience of goodness is not evident the first time, it will come, because such goodness has been built into us by our Creator. Even severely handicapped people come to experience satisfaction as they do something to be active and care for themselves.

Now it is important that you personally want to do it, perhaps because I ask it, but actually for the purpose I suggest, namely, to choose to do a physical activity so that by means of it you might come to feel better, even if only a little better. The best means would often be one that is most readily accessible: closest to hand, least expensive, one that would not involve too many obstacles or generate the least distractions along the way. This is because the sole purpose is to allow yourself to hopefully feel better.

Now this is a simple thing to do - to want to feel better and to do something in order to achieve this goal of feeling better. It is a simple thing to give oneself a gratuitous walk or other physical activity. The purpose of your chosen physical activity will be to get the whole body in motion, a continuous motion of your whole body, because God our Creator designed the human body for motion, and during sustained motion of the whole body, our whole living organism goes through a process that could be called "RESET" by which the diverse parts of us converge and coalesce in a kind of "hum" to restore proper functioning of the whole in equilibrium and harmony.

However, we human beings are not entirely simple and we live on simultaneous levels of complexity, or to put it differently, we observe at times very complex movements unfolding simultaneously within us in our body, mind, heart, psyche, and soul. For the simple reason of our human complexity, and in order to help you experience the wonder of a gratuitous physical activity, I offer you the following suggestions or instructions or "mini course". Please receive these instructions in the spirit with which I offer them, that is, simply to help you enter into these helpful dispositions no matter what may happen within you in the course of your freely chosen physical activity the purpose of which is simply to feel better as a result of doing it. Don't let yourself get caught up or worry or be afraid. Simply notice these instructions now and take them in, and trust yourself to remember enough of them to do you good as you pursue your goal and accomplish it.

CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE MEANS TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOAL

So the activity will be your chosen MEANS to obtain this good outcome for yourself: to feel better. God is not cruel but good and the Holy Trinity very much want all human beings to experience the goodness of life and to feel well and grateful to be alive as much as possible at any given moment. This is a universal truth and principle, and a major corollary is that in times of trouble, God wants us to face and handle the trouble - with divine help - to endure the trouble as long as it lasts and with as much serenity as possible, and to get over the trouble as soon as possible so as to return to a state of goodness in love, peace and joy in God. Why? So that we may be free to give meaning and purpose to our lives in accord with the universal transcendental principles put in place in the universe by the Creator: truth, goodness, and beauty.

To accomplish any goal, we need to give ourselves the proper means. This requires that we choose one means out of many possibilities and, in choosing this particular means, we must necessarily renounce any other possible means. In order to choose one means, one way to achieve your goal by engaging in this particular physical activity, you will need to renounce other possible means and be free to invest in this chosen one. It will be a gratuitous physical activity in that you will not accumulate any other ends to the activity: no mailing of letters or picking up of groceries or any other practical thing or conversations with anyone along the way.

GIVING YOURSELF THE APPROPRIATE TIME

Having chosen a particular physical activity to get your whole body into sustained motion, you then will need to chose an appropriate TIME and also to allot yourself "sufficient time" in order to accomplish your chosen goal, which is to change your mood and to feel better. This also means letting go of any thoughts that may come to you about past time, for the past has passed and you can no longer do anything to change it. In order to be fully available to yourself in the present moment for this physical activity it is important that you leave all the past behind in order to be fully in the present. Similarly, it is important that you simply let go of any thoughts or considerations about future time - the near future or the far future or any future - that may at any moment come to you. Notice such thoughts and let them go... return to walking or.... Notice... let it go... keep walking... breathing....

The human mind and imagination and memory are busy faculties that can generate considerable activity... please resist any dark temptation to berate yourself or judge yourself or be harsh to yourself over any such thoughts about the past or the future... you are only human and such thoughts naturally come in due course until the day we die. That you may have such thoughts is no big deal... I only ask that, if and when such thoughts that are not about the present might come to you, that you simply acknowledge them - just notice them - and immediately put them aside, let them go, refocus on the present and your physical activity which you continue to freely choose to do because you would like to feel better. These and any other "distractions" that may "flow" within you are merely functions of being a living human being, and the wonder of it is that we all have within us an amazing capacity to "manage" all this "traffic" within us and allow much of it to gently "slip into the background" by acknowledging it and gently letting it go by refocusing our whole attention on our present freely chosen activity, this walk or... whatever it is. This is actually much easier to do when I allow myself to enjoy my walk or other physical activity.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES ALONG THE WAY

It is truly a wonder that we human beings have an innate capacity to overcome obstacles in the pursuit of our goals. If someone greets or engages you in any way, you may gently acknowledge them but not slow down or stop your activity, perhaps thanking them but letting them go with a "See you later" or "have to let you go" or other such "goodbye phrase". This physical activity will be for your good alone and for your good only. In your value and dignity as a human being created in the image and likeness of God, you have the right to keep your own company and to put others off entirely or until another time. You have the right to defer to another time any obligations you may have to others whether they like this or not. Their reactions are their own and you are not responsible for them.

IMPROVING TOWARDS COMPETENCE and PERSEVERING TOWARDS APPROPRIATE LOVE OF SELF

Overcoming obstacles in the pursuit of our goals is a human vital strength which brings profound satisfaction the more we exercise this function and actually overcome obstacles and go on pursuing our goals or, in this case, our singular goal.

So, to the extent possible for you, all I need to add is ENJOY, HAVE FUN, no matter what "dark thoughts" may come within you or cause resistance in giving yourself permission to do this, or to even think of feeling better.... If nothing else works, then please trust me, and just decide to do it for your own good.

Reader, if you wish, you can invite someone to freely to engage in a similar exercise for themselves, for their own good. Of course, if you do, then this would add a dimension of solidarity for you with each other, but your motivation would be to do it for your own good first of all, to change your mood and / or to feel better, such as to feel better after feeling stressed or emotional in any other way or agitated or worried, etc. It may be too distracting initially to do the same activity together at the same time, unless of course you are already accustomed to doing so. However, if running or swimming or walking has been part of a "training mode"; then this would be entirely different. In training you are setting a specific time or distance for yourself, which is a completely different motive. This time, the duration or distance are not at all the goal, but simply "to feel better". So you may want to do it is such a way that, once you do realize you have come to feel better, you won't have to far to go to return home; lest you overexert, get tired, and unravel your benefit of "feeling better".

As you pursue this course and actualize your vital human strengths, you will find yourself learning, improving, and achieving levels of competence. In time and as you persevere in the pursuit of your goals in efforts to give meaning and purpose to your life in accord with your chosen values, you will experience within you an authentic love of self, which is a visceral conviction that you are doing all you can to welcome and embrace the gift of your life and to live your life as fully as you can for your own good and the good of all. There is no greater goal than to live your life as a gift of love. There is no greater love than to give one's life that others may also live.

THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-REPRESENTATION

While we all have these vital human strengths, in order to actualize and develop them fully, it helps to become more aware of our use of them. One way to do this is for an interested person whom you trust to take interest in your experience and engage in conversation with you about a specific activity, such as the walk or swim or cycle you chose in order to change your mood and feel better. As this interested person asks you specific questions about your decision and activity, your desire to answer them will cause you to go back into your memory of the activity. As you recall your experience and hear yourself relate elements of the experience in order to reply to your friend's questions, hearing yourself in the telling will cause you to REPRESENT YOURSELF TO YOURSELF, in other words, you will bring to full awareness in the present what you did, how you did it, why you did it, what obstacles you overcame, and so on.... 

This is a practical and effective method of coming to know yourself, which has long been a fundamental principle of wisdom in the western world, but also in other cultures. The better I can know myself, this helps me to distinguish myself from others. It is not about discrimination in the bad sense this word is usually used today. Basically, to discriminate is to be able to tell the difference between one thing and another, such as the difference between another person and myself. Another person's feelings, experience, and perspective are their own, and not mine. I have my own feelings, experience, and perspective, and the two may be very different or similar, or even the same, as the case may be.

When we are unable or unwilling to take note of these differences, then we are at risk to become "enmeshed" with that other person. Being unable to tell what is me from what is not me brings me into confusion, which is very distressing, like the blind leading the blind. They are both in trouble and at risk of even greater trouble. This truth applies to everyone, to every human being on planet Earth. So, let everyone be warned.... In the meantime, as you try to apply these principles.... 

HAVE FUN....

Peace to you and to your families....

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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God's plan to bring us into abundance of life

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Dear Reader and Fellow Pilgrim on the Journey of Human Life,

The 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time will be, beginning with this New Year 2020, The Sunday of the Word of God. In the Gospels especially we meet Jesus who found so many creative ways of describing the Father's will for us to have life in abundance now and in eternity. One day Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

So, we can truthfully say that the Word of God, the Bible, is "God's plan to bring us into abundance of life on Earth and in eternity". This sounds wonderful, but on considering who and what we are, and into which state of awareness and condition of living we are hearing these words and "taking them in" to consider them; we begin to make some difficult observations....

1.  There is a big "hole" in the middle of the human heart which no one call fill except God the Father with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When we expect other human beings to fill this empty place - which makes us feel isolated, alone, lonely, abandoned - it never works, because only God can fill our empty heart, mind, and soul.

2. This is not bad news or a tragedy... it is really good news... because God fully intends to "move in with us" if only we let Him, if we let Them, the Holy Trinity, make themselves at home in us. God made us this way so that we would become motivated to pay more attention to God and welcome the divine presence within us.

To this end there are many ways God has given us to help us open the doors of our mind, heart, soul, and body to the divine presence: in what comes next you will see words highlighted in blue and underlined - these are called "hot links" that when you click on them with the mouse pointer, they open up your browser which lets you go on the Internet to other websites, where you will find teachings and instructions useful for you:

See these links: the Holy Mass, praying with the Word of God in the Bible, the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Liturgy of the Hours, contemplating God and in silence "visiting with Him", praying in front of a beautiful holy image or statue, going for a contemplative walk, and much more about prayer and God.

3. We are also made for human companionship, but this doesn't work very well when we go out looking for companions, just like we do when we go shopping for things we need for ourselves or our home. People are not things that we can go looking for in order to find them. The opposite is true: we are the ones that others can find.

4. God's plan for companions to find one another is really quite simple... it is like fruit growing on trees. When the fruit become ripe, all living things are attracted: people, birds, animals, and insects. The goodness of the ripe fruit makes the fruit attractive. It is the same with us. We need to do what the fruit does - we need to welcome God's vitality and grace in order to grow, mature, and ripen. That we grow and become ripe is God's affair, his work, his worry, and sometimes his problem. Our part is to keep paying attention to God and all day long to make room for God and his love inside of us.

5. If we do this and do our best to put God first all day long and every day, then in time we will become "ripe" and others will be attracted to us and companionship will become possible between us and them. It is important not to worry or obsess about "getting" a companion; instead, we need to look around and begin to notice others more, to see what is happening to others around us, to notice when they are in need, and each day not to close our heart to others in their need, but rather to consider what we might do to help them or lighten their load, such as: to offer a sincere and heartfelt smile, to offer assistance, to get their groceries along with our own for a person that is house bound, and so on....

6. In the meantime, Dear Reader, you can look for opportunities to meet other people, such as "Singles for Christ" in the "Couples for Christ" movement. If you decide to check out this movement or any other, go just for the sake of finding out what is their purpose, and simply to meet other people who love God or, like you, may be searching for God. Whether being already with God intentionally or still searching, we all belong in community, and when others welcome us, it is a good thing. Just be careful not to allow any lonely feelings to push you to "go shopping" for companionship. Instead, do your best each day to live the five points listed above this one, and God will guide you even in your relations with others. 

Another great movement specifically for married couples of husband and wife - especially if just starting your family or already with young children - is "Teams of Our Lady" - an international movement of mutual support for married couples and priests. A "Team" consists of 5 to 7 married couples and one priest, who journey together and meet once a month in each other's homes. They have the benefit of a "script", a "study theme", to help them during the month and to prepare for the next meeting. There are also six "endeavours" or Christian practices designed to help each one to continue growing and developing in their vocation. Here are a few links. 

Teams of Our Lady Canada - https://teamsofourlady.ca

Teams of Our Lady - International Catholic Movement for Christian Married Couples - https://equipes-notre-dame.com/en/

Canada East Montreal Sector - https://teamsofourlady.ca/sectors/montreal-sector/

Please take this to heart and try doing these things, and then let me know how it goes....

Peace to you and your family.... Happy New Year!

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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Not every human relation or attraction need be sexual

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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It is a good thing and also just that since the civil rights movements in the U.S.A. in the mid-twentieth century other situations of unjust discrimination and twisted relations biased by various forms of prejudice have been brought into the public forum for discussion and remedial action. In the course of various public initiatives to correct unjust treatment of human persons by other individuals, organization, or agencies, much public attention has been drawn to the sufferings of individuals and groups. Our eyes and ears have been flooded with images, sounds, and messages which have tried to raise a positive profile for those deemed to have suffered from prejudice and persecution. That is all to the good. 

Unfortunately we human beings not only accomplish what we intend, but all too often we also bring about unintended consequences and undesirable results. What came to be known as the "sexual revolution" of the post WW II era was intended to remove from human sexuality the negative stigma and heavy charges of guilt that in many circles had besmirched the authentic meaning and purpose of human sexuality, making what the Creator made very good and beautiful into something dirty and altogether evil.

In many ways, an in large part thanks to the contribution of Roman Catholic and Orthodox theologians, we now have a wonderful body of literature which brings into the public domain all the beauty, meaning, purpose, and power of human sexuality under the identifier of "Theology of the Body" which we owe to Saint Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla. Young people from many and no religious traditions are being drawn to many variations on this theme currently drawing more and more attention. That is all to the good.

However, our society has also produced a culture which tends to give such emphasis to sexual expression that we cannot blame children and youth who acquire the impression that all roads, all situations, and all circumstances must necessarily lead to sexual expression; otherwise they will never be able to live a fully actualized existence or know happiness or fulfillment. This is not reality, and the current situation could not be farther from the truth.

Not every human relation or attraction need become sexual. In fact, the wide gamut of human literature is replete with themes indicating any number of ways human beings inevitably suffer when the life is improperly or inopportunely sexualized. Sex is a little bit like sugar. Most of the time it is best left unused, allowing each food item to manifest its own natural flavor, but when you add sugar, it is likely that each food's natural flavor will be camouflaged and lost. While sugar is pleasant and does bring pleasure, it tends to override all other flavors, as if all other flavors were forbidden.

In that sense, sex is like a bully. A bully suffers from insecurity in his or her sense of identity and is afraid that, upon entering into relations with others, they will discover the bully's inadequacies and faults and reject him or her. The bully's fear of rejection is so great that he or she adopts a policy of defense by aggression, in a desperate bid to preclude rejection through violent intimidation. Bullies tend to be loud and pushy, taking over and then dominating any situation; as though in their presence no one has any right to exist, or be seen or heard, because everyone else is a potential threat.

Human sexuality is indeed a beautiful, wondrous, and powerful dimension of our being, which is all the more reason for it to be surrounded with safeguards. The Creator designed human beings in two distinct but related genders; so that in relating to each other they might come to experience their complementarity and, under the right circumstances, they might come together in marriage and - bearing and raising children - they might build a family. Within this context the full depth of beauty and meaning of human sexuality can be deployed and developed in the service of their mutual love and service, and the power of their mutual gift in sexual union unfolds in a healthy manner at the service of their union and loving service.

No other situation contains all the safeguards to be found in the marriage of one man and one woman; so that the recourse to human sexual expression in all other situations tends to draw attention to itself rather than to the other. Human sexual pleasure qualifies as an intoxicant, and human history clearly shows that people can easily become addicted to and obsessed with sexual pleasure as much as with any alcohol, drug, or other stimulant.

It is normal that children and youth - who are in the difficult and lengthy process of developing their sense of identity as human beings - it is normal I say for children and youth to be drawn or attracted to others - to individuals of both genders - because what is happening is not sexual at all. Rather, they are being drawn and attracted to particular qualities and traits in other people either because they sense they don't have that quality and want it, or don't have it enough and want more, or think they don't have it or that it is insufficiently developed and they want more of it.

By associating in simple human ways and on simple human terms with others whose qualities we emulate, by the mere association and relationship, we slowly or more rapidly acquire for ourselves something of those qualities and traits. It is as though we graft onto ourselves something of the other that we so admire and desire. It would not only be a mistake to prematurely sexualize such relations, but it would be counter productive and it would all too often short circuit the normal human processes of personality and character development.

Take for example a child or youth who loves the color red. That is all to the good, but it would be ridiculous, infantile, and probably violent for that young individual to go around spraying red paint on every stone, plant, animal, and any other object; as if no other color could be allowed to continue to exist. Red, like every other color, is fine whenever and wherever it naturally occurs, and in harmony with all the other colors.

In like manner, all the sensations and pleasure associated with human sexuality are right and good in their proper context, and provided they don't obstruct or short circuit, or overwhelm any of the many other dimensions of human being, identity, living, and experience.

Many cultures over the millennia of human history have developed rites of passage from childhood or adolescence to adulthood. Most if not all of these rites of passage tend to orient human sexuality towards marriage and family life not only for the perpetuation of the species but also for the good of the individual, of the family, and of the greater clan or tribe or nation.

Any other uses of human sexuality tend to draw attention to sexual pleasure for its own sake by drawing attention away from marriage, family, and the sense of common purpose and meaning in the mutual love, service, and caring inherent in any society. When people stop opening themselves up to the service of the common good, they tend to want to draw all things and all people to themselves, and such movements tend to incite divisions, wars, exploitation, conquest, misery, and death.

If human sexual pleasure could actually satisfy the human being - body, mind, heart, psyche, and spirit / soul - then we could understand giving oneself over to it, but there is overwhelming evidence that human sexual pleasure is at best ephemeral, and because it is so fleeting, no amount of it can ever satisfy. On the contrary, the only way human sexual pleasure can truly satisfy is by employing it the way it was meant to be employed in accord with the design inscribed into our DNA by the Creator.

Human sexual pleasure is intended to draw us away from ourselves towards the other, and upon arriving at the other, to lay our life down in loving service to the other. This mutual self-giving is most eloquent, most complete, most powerful, and most fertile between one man and one woman, because between them, they have all they need to build a life together, to create new life, and to achieve their ultimate purpose and meaning.

A married man and woman practice chastity be reserving the gift of their human sexuality for each other, the man primarily by forgetting himself in the giving of pleasure to his wife as he seeks only to delight in her pleasuring, and the woman primarily by accepting to be cherished only by her husband in the receiving of pleasure from his sustained attention to her, associating her pleasure with his giving of himself to her in such a selfless way on his part.

Celibate men - either religious or priests as in the Roman and Eastern Catholic Christian traditions, but also in other Christian traditions such as in the Orthodox churches - as well as celibate women deprive their human sexual attractions and drives of their attention by simply choosing to refocus their attention and energies to the practice of loving service to others and to God in accord with their proper vocation or chosen way of life. Celibates are freed from the intoxicating powers of their human sexuality, for the most part, and enjoy the freedom to apply all this energy to the other dimensions of their human living and existence.

As in the case of people who refrain from the consuming of refined sugars, celibates develop far more refined capacities to enjoy the subtle differences in the natural flavors of the wide range of human experiencing and living.

Children and youth should be protected in their innocence and allowed all the time they need to develop more fully the wide range of human living, experiences, and relating without the overbearing influence of human sexual expression and hormones attendant on all things sexual. They will be better equipped to understand their human sexuality upon having first developed more fully their human personality and character, freely and without the "polluting effects" of premature sexual expression. Let's put the "bully" of sex away and allow "everyone else in the room" freedom to live and breathe and develop fully.

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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You are Unique - God has a mission for you

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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This reflection was first posted in October 2014

You are UNIQUE
 
From the world’s beginning there has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone like you. No one else has your eyes, your smile, your hands or hair. Nobody in the whole universe can see things like you. You are unique.

Blessed be God our Creator who formed you from the first moment you existed in your mother’s womb. He knew half of you when your mother was being formed with all her eventual eggs in her mother’s womb – at her birth your mother already carried millions of eggs – these diminished to 40,000 by her puberty of which only 400 matured from puberty till menopause, and among them all, God picked you.

God knew the other half of you among the millions of spermatozoa – each existing for only 60 days before being reabsorbed – developed and carried over and over since puberty by your father. One unique egg developed since conception by your mother and one unique sperm briefly existing among millions in your father – each containing 23 unique chromosomes, half of you – had only 60 days to join. God saw them, He wanted you, and He brought them together to make you.

You are different from any other person who ever lived in the history of the world; you are the only person on this earth who has your specific collection of abilities.

In the whole world there will be nobody who can walk, speak, think or do things like you can. Your need to imitate somebody else is absolutely wrong because you are rare and this is your value, to be you, and with God, to become you fully.

You are unique and your life was not a mistake; please realize that God created you for a specific reason – for your own good, for the good of others, and for God.

He has a mission for you, which nobody can do as well as you can.

There are millions of activities which can be done in this world, but God has the right one for you. This is because you are unique and have the right combinations which God needs. Your life – your suffering, your love, your joy – is all in God.

That is you, an outstanding person created by an outstanding God. Love Him.

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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Jesus the spiritual teacher opens our mind to the spirit realm, away from the traffic of the senses - "Spiritual Development and the Gospel Narratives 8" by John Shea

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Our professor John Shea explained to the class that, like Jesus, we too must practice spiritual disciplines, if we are to become conscious of the presence of God all around us and in creation, as well as within us. Moreover, because our mind tends not to be spiritual and to go with all that we take in through our senses, spiritual disciplines and pondering the Word of God draws our mind beyond the limited vision and realities of the physical world in order to catch a glimpse of the "bigger picture". One such spiritual discipline is the practice of meditation, or of stilling the body, the mind, and the heart, so that we can find our way within to the place of our soul or spirit, which has been created by God with a capacity to be in union with Him.

To become conscious of my inner self, and get out of the heavy traffic of the senses, I pull in my consciousness and immediately become aware of my body in a way I wasn’t until now; so I may suddenly realize I have an ache in my leg, or that I am cold, and so on. I acknowledge the body - make any necessary adjustments to my posture to put the body at ease so it won't need to continue to seek my conscious attention - and pull my consciousness in further, and become aware of the mind, whose every thought wants me to identify with it, give it my full attention, or resist it.

I do none of that, but acknowledge each thought, and then simply let it go, and pull in further to the place between my thinking apparatus and my deep inner self, where there is contact between my spirit and the Spirit of God. Now this sounds simple, and in reality it really is, but it is not so easy to actually do. That's why it is called a spiritual discipline, requiring steady efforts to do it, without much regard for success or failure, but just to do it and be there, with trust that God is faithful and always keeps his appointments. Whether or not we actually sense anything go on within us really doesn't matter, since the Scriptures make it clear that God prefers to come in a silence and stillness in which we cannot lay hold of Him or manipulate Him the way we tend to do with things and people in the physical world. God is great and will not be used by us. He is sovereign and decides what is best for us. He loves us too much to allow us to sink into the illusion of  manipulating or having any "control" over Him. Seeking or taking control shuts down freedom, relationship, and any possibility of love. 

Normally, the mind wants to take hold of such a spiritual discipline and control everything about it in the same way it controls much of what we do all day long, with thoughts about what to do to prepare, what to do during, and what to do after, and more thoughts on how things seem to be progressing. None of that is relevant in the realm of the spirit. Whatever God wants us to know He will allow to stay with us afterwards as a lingering impression that won't go away. That is one way we can know what was real and from God, by what lingers persistently and remains for us to notice. Some of that may still be just from our own mind, heart, psyche, or body; so we need to learn and we can learn to distinguish where each thought, sentiment, or impression really comes from over time.

As I try to enter into this meditation and try to be still, the mind lets me release its many thoughts that come to me by the Word of God that I take in, which gives the mind truths to consider that capture its interest and stimulate it to open itself to more depth and abundance that it will find within, in the realm of spirit. As I employ this discipline regularly my mind opens more readily to my own spirit within, where it can draw Living Waters from the deep wells of Spirit within, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman He met at Jacob's well.

The Pharisees exemplify people with minds closed to spirit. They are so identified with closed worldly thoughts of fear, insecurity, competition, influence, keeping records of sins and wrongs, and of course domination, that they cannot open themselves to the Spirit. Jesus calls their attention to their thoughts and offers them a more helpful set of thoughts. Much of our pain is self-inflicted from the deadly thoughts to which we give our whole attention, such as all the many considerations around providing a life for ourselves and our families, and all that is within us concerned about how we are doing or what people think of us, and so on. Spiritual teachers always situate themselves in tension with the person, to intrigue, shock, or cajole the mind to give its attention instead to a spiritual set of thoughts capable of drawing the mind inwards to the spirit place, whence it might draw from the wellsprings of spirit and life. The spiritual teacher Jesus doesn’t focus on what a person says, but on the person itself, and is always trying to open the mind to the spirit within.

Jesus knows what is happening, when we are into “mob think” and caught up in shallow worldly ways of self-sufficiency, power, initiative, competition, and domination. Jesus hears our unproductive thoughts and calls us beyond that limited mind (meta-noia) into the “game” of repentance and life. He acknowledges our painful situation or struggle and calls us to go beyond it into mission and bear fruit. Jesus cursed the fig tree without fruit and it withered, even though it wasn’t the season for fruit, to get everyone's attention with a clear statement that He, Jesus, is the gardener and also the season for fruit – with Jesus, the time to bear fruit is always now, today. He digs up our roots to manure them, but we must be aware that our time for bearing fruit is limited – we don’t have unlimited time - we need to wake up now to what the Spirit is saying to us in the depths of our soul.

There is only so much space in our consciousness; speculation, idle amazement, chronic worry about life or excessive fear block out thoughts that can lead to conversion and openness to spirit. As spiritual teacher, Jesus tries to wake us up, using whatever we are experiencing: troubles, illness, or even death, to supplant unproductive, closed minded worldly thoughts with productive, open minded spiritual ones. It's not that the world is bad, after all, it is God's own creation and handiwork. It's simply that there is the realm of spirit that suffuses and radiates from within all that God the Father sustains in being, and He has created us with an inner capacity to recognize the inner spiritual radiance of his presence in all creatures. St. Francis of Assisi was sensitive to this presence of God in creatures and called them "Sister" and "Brother".

Spiritual teachers either love the teaching and give it to us, or else they love us and set the conditions for us to discover the teaching for ourselves – Jesus uses both tracks. In this way we can understand Jesus’ “dueling of words” in the Gospels, especially with the Pharisees, at the service of waking people’s consciousness to truth and to his guidance to life in the Spirit. He draws us away from our inner web of anxious thoughts in the project of survival towards faith in our Father's love and confidence that God cares for us, notwithstanding the sensory “evidence” to the contrary, erroneously filling us with thoughts like "It's a jungle out there. It's every man for himself."

God is always present, the Spirit / wind always blowing, but we have to put up our sails to catch it. The open sail is deliberate, trusting prayer. In Matthew, prayer isn’t telling God our needs, since He already knows even more than we do about what we need, but consciousness of God’s graciousness. We draw our mind away from tomorrow thinking by meditating on the gift of being alive today, now. In God we draw from a fullness of abundance - the divine abundance that gives meaning and purpose to our spirit - even in the midst of poverty, pain, mourning or persecution; as Jesus taught in the "beatitudes" portion of his sermon on the mount. It is only by receiving from this abundance that we can engage in Christian ministry, because the ministry Jesus began and then entrusted to his disciples to carry on is a ministry drawing from the abundance of the Father's love for his children.

The spiritual teacher frees us from the domination and tyranny of our senses, which keep insisting that we are separate beings and that life is a competition for limited resources. As our spiritual teacher, Jesus shows us how to glide - buoyed up by grace like the swan once it hobbles off the land into the water - by freely choosing to waddle with difficulty off the land into the water of God's presence all around us.

Today is the time of beginning again, and we can recommit ourselves to the practice of various useful Christian disciplines like (1) observing the Lord’s Day as a Sabbath rest and celebration and letting this rest filter into each day, month, and year; (2) stopping the impulse to possess by actively receiving spirit from Jesus and practicing fasting and almsgiving; and (3) practicing meditation and prayer to seek the Spirit within, to be drawn where the Spirit wills, and to draw from the font of Living Water.

to be continued....

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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