- St. Francis mentions two kinds of spiritual coldness: that which is caused by a slackening of good resolutions, and that which is due to simply weariness and heaviness. Can the second type lead to the first? How?
- What can we do to help ourselves not slip into a time of spiritual coldness? Or help ourselves out of it?
- How can we help/reach out to someone who has a “cold heart”?
- Why is it OK that God allows us to go through times like this without consolation? Does that seem unfair?
- St. Francis talks about the woman’s “feast day,” which no doubt is the feast day of the saint after whom she was named. Can we expect to have a special relationship with our patron saint? Should we ask for and expect, special graces by way of that saint on his or her feast day?
- What does it mean to be a servant of God?
- Carroll V (Guest): I am well… COVID is spreading like crazy among patients and staff, so I have been working every weekend… grateful to be well and available to be of service
- Aug 22, 7:31 PM
- VisitationSiste: Are they not protected?
- Aug 22, 7:31 PM
- VisitationSiste: and I hope you are wearing a mask too. But it is very hard I have a friend with it now
- Aug 22, 7:32 PM
- VisitationSiste: first q: 1. St. Francis mentions two kinds of spiritual coldness: that which is caused by a slackening of good resolutions, and that which is due to simply weariness and heaviness. Can the second type lead to the first? How?
- Aug 22, 7:33 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): Some are and some aren’t… We do wear N95 mask and face shield at all times in the facility, as well as gown and gloves in rooms of patients who are in isolation.
- Aug 22, 7:34 PM
- VisitationSiste: That’s very good!
- Aug 22, 7:37 PM
- VisitationSiste: I cAN SAY FOR MYSELF THAT WEARINESS CAN LEAD TO A SLACENING
- Aug 22, 7:38 PM
- VisitationSiste: slackening
- Aug 22, 7:38 PM
- VisitationSiste: and it is spiritually dangerous
- Aug 22, 7:38 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): I have certainly been living that out myself.
- Aug 22, 7:39 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): …and physical isolation creates added challenges
- Aug 22, 7:41 PM
- VisitationSiste: overwork too
- Aug 22, 7:41 PM
- VisitationSiste: a way to avoid it is internal and frequent prayer
- Aug 22, 7:41 PM
- VisitationSiste: and aspirations
- Aug 22, 7:43 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): When I was teaching religious ed. and working in the Sacristy it was easier to “pick myself up”… just passing by the chapel, Our Lord would ” reach out and grab” my heart… and YES, now I am more reliant on “touch stones” at home that are reminders and bring me back to prayer throughout the day.
- Aug 22, 7:44 PM
- VisitationSiste: That’s a good witness for us all!
- Aug 22, 7:44 PM
- VisitationSiste: 3. How can we help/reach out to someone who has a “cold heart”?
- Aug 22, 7:46 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): Gently listening… and sharing
- Aug 22, 7:47 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): …sometimes sharing little “treasures,” like a prayer card, for example… that might become a sort of ” touch stone” for them.
- Aug 22, 7:48 PM
- VisitationSiste: Yes warming their heart with little touches and glimpses of care or concern
- Aug 22, 7:48 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): … or sometimes sharing a little piece of my own experience…
- Aug 22, 7:49 PM
- Carol (Guest): Hello!
- Aug 22, 7:49 PM
- Carroll V (Guest): Hi Carol!
- , 7:51 PM 4. Why is it OK that God allows us to go through times like this without consolation?
- Carol (Guest): He wants to teach us to rely only on Him
- Aug 22, 7:51 PM
- VisitationSiste: Conolations are not everything- faith is
- PM
Carroll V (Guest): This is how we practice fidelity. 7:53 PM
VisitationSiste: Fidelity is a concept ery misunderstood these days
Aug 22, 7:53 PM
Carol (Guest): It is like in the Cloud of unknowing–He is always there but sometimes it is better for us not to see
PM
VisitationSiste: Great book!
Aug 22, 7:54 PM
Carroll V (Guest): I don’t know that one- I’ll look it up.
Aug 22, 7:55 PM
VisitationSiste: Yes it is one that eally touches the soul
Aug 22, 7:55 PM
VisitationSiste: 5. St. Francis talks about the woman’s “feast day,” which no doubt is the feast day of the saint after whom she was named. Can we expect to have a special relationship with our patron saint? Should we ask for and expect, special graces by way of that saint on his or her feast day?
PM
Carol (Guest): I think we should. Sometimes our given name is not for a Saint, but our confirmation name always is. We should be choosing the person who conquered our weakness and ask for help
Aug 22, 7:56 PM
VisitationSiste: I was just thinking about this today
:58 PM
Carol (Guest): I should connect more. Mine won a great battle through prayer–Genevieve
Aug 22, 7:59 PM
Carroll V (Guest): I’m not sure about ” expecting,” in the sense of feeling entitled in any way, but we can certainly cultivatea relationship with patron ( and other) Saints and be open to signs/ assistance/blessings
1 PM
Carroll V (Guest): I like your suggedtion, Carol, of adking one who has conquered our particular weakness for help
Aug 22, 8:02 PM
Carroll V (Guest): ( not good at typing on my phone)
Aug 22, 8:02 PM
Carol (Guest): Whatever we are facing, someone in heaven has beaten it
PM
Carroll V (Guest): Absolutely!
Aug 22, 8:03 PM
VisitationSiste: We shouls ask for special graces on their Feast Day and every Feast!
Aug 22, 8:04 PM
Carol (Guest): It is also encouraging to think about the va
number of saints akeasybin heaven. It is possible!
Aug 22, 8:05 PM
Carroll V (Guest): I’m glad to know that wouldn’t be considered ” self-centered.” I question myself sometimes about whether it’s o.k. for me to ask for grace for myself.
What does it mean to be a servant of God?
Aug 22, 8:09 PM
Carroll V (Guest): To renounce our own will and abandon ourselves to His Providence as we strive to make ourselves useful to others
Aug 22, 8:09 PM
Carol (Guest): We do not belong to ourselves. We belong to God. We were created for a specific purpose and we will not be happy unless that’s what we are doing
To be a creature is to be a servant in a way
Aug 22, 8:11 PM
VisitationSiste: Then also servants of God are also those on the way to beatification
Aug 22, 8:13 PM
Carol (Guest): We did not create ourselves. Just as a work of art belongs to the artist who created it, we belong to God. We do have free will and sometimes we get so caught up in that that we forget we are not in control
Aug 22, 8:13 PM
Carroll V (Guest): Nice analogy, Carol
2, 8:14 PM
Carol (Guest): Except Jesus doesn’t sell us the way an artist sells his work. We sold ourselves to sin and He boughtvus backPM
Carroll V (Guest): I think in this particular letter, Holy Father was also referring to the importance of accepting our weaknesses and ” starting again” …and again… and again… as a means of being a servant of God.
Aug 22, 8:18 PM
VisitationSiste: All the saints were servants of God each in his or her own way and inspired by the Spirit
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Carroll V (Guest): I think in this particular letter, Holy Father was also referring to the importance of accepting our weaknesses and ” starting again” …and again… and again… as a means of being a servant of God.
Aug 22, 8:18 PM
VisitationSiste: All the saints were servants of God each in his or her own way and inspired by the Spirit
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Aug 22, 8:19 PM
VisitationSiste: The courage needed to always start over!
Aug 22, 8:20 PM
Carol (Guest): Yes, because when you make the same mistake for the ninety-millionth time…
Aug 22, 8:20 PM
VisitationSiste: I also like the idea of being that “child servant” of God, not taking all in our own hands but depending on Him in our service
21 PM
Carroll V (Guest): … and the gift and grace of Reconciliation to enable us to do so! PM
Carroll V (Guest): ” child servant” of God- I like that.
Aug 22, 8:23 PM
VisitationSiste: I was thinking of St Therese and her little way
23 PM
Carol (Guest): We accept everything from God’s hand as a child, a like a child, we obey without question2, 8:24 PM
Carol (Guest): Well, most of the time! 25 PM
Carol (Guest): Thinking that children obey their parents without self will–that come later:25 PM
VisitationSiste: Sometimes even toddlers or infants have that gleam of mischievousness in their eyes26 PM
- VisitationSiste: innocence though!
We would like to add, thanks be to God for preserving the statue of his own mother. The storm hit on the eve of the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a church in Rome erected to honor Mary, the Mother of God.