This morning at Mass the priest said something that I thought was very interesting...
"Your heart can talk your mind into anything." He stopped there and asked very one to think about that for a moment before he continued.
If your intellect is seeking Truth, then your heart will follow (to KNOW, love, and serve the Lord). But if you become disordered, and go with feelings... allowing your heart, your feelings which are not informed, lead the way. By leading with your heart, and allowing your intellect to drag behind... what is going to do... rationalize the heart's choices. It is easy to rationalize sin when you become disconnected from God! This turns our relationship with God upside down. No longer are we seeking God, moving upward... we become our own god... with obvious backward direction!
The Lord certainly knows how to speak to you at the right moment in a homily doesn't He...
In my extended family (my parents and sibling), this very issue... leading with feelings, has caused a mountain of trouble. They have become so disconnected from the Will of the Father, that they've created an alternate reality. A reality that exists without objective Truth, purely driven on their personal will and completely self centered. As an outsider, called upon in time of utter crisis', it's usually too late to make any visible difference... no matter how I try.
Over the years, I've tried different methods in order to reach them... to help (because the current crisis is one of a long line that spans decades). Since they are so feelings oriented, I've tried appealing to their feelings. Other times I tried to help with their guilt, the financial burden, and even to their rationalizing intellect... to no avail. The alternate reality simply will not allow Truth in... not even from the loving voice of their daughter.
What has kept me up at night (last night til the single digit hours appeared on the clock) is what's my role? If I'm honestly seeking the will of the Father, informing my intellect...??? I guess the first answer would be to continue to pray for them.
My problem comes when I deconstruct what is asked of us... to Know, Love, and Serve the Lord...
-I'm informing my intellect - To Know
-I work diligently to love the Lord daily - To Love
Serving is the problem... that is the point I reach when my answers run short! It's not because of a lack of trying... simply because all service is met with a door in the face.
Life would be so much easier if people would just do the RIGHT THING!
"Your heart can talk your mind into anything." He stopped there and asked very one to think about that for a moment before he continued.
If your intellect is seeking Truth, then your heart will follow (to KNOW, love, and serve the Lord). But if you become disordered, and go with feelings... allowing your heart, your feelings which are not informed, lead the way. By leading with your heart, and allowing your intellect to drag behind... what is going to do... rationalize the heart's choices. It is easy to rationalize sin when you become disconnected from God! This turns our relationship with God upside down. No longer are we seeking God, moving upward... we become our own god... with obvious backward direction!
The Lord certainly knows how to speak to you at the right moment in a homily doesn't He...
In my extended family (my parents and sibling), this very issue... leading with feelings, has caused a mountain of trouble. They have become so disconnected from the Will of the Father, that they've created an alternate reality. A reality that exists without objective Truth, purely driven on their personal will and completely self centered. As an outsider, called upon in time of utter crisis', it's usually too late to make any visible difference... no matter how I try.
Over the years, I've tried different methods in order to reach them... to help (because the current crisis is one of a long line that spans decades). Since they are so feelings oriented, I've tried appealing to their feelings. Other times I tried to help with their guilt, the financial burden, and even to their rationalizing intellect... to no avail. The alternate reality simply will not allow Truth in... not even from the loving voice of their daughter.
What has kept me up at night (last night til the single digit hours appeared on the clock) is what's my role? If I'm honestly seeking the will of the Father, informing my intellect...??? I guess the first answer would be to continue to pray for them.
My problem comes when I deconstruct what is asked of us... to Know, Love, and Serve the Lord...
-I'm informing my intellect - To Know
-I work diligently to love the Lord daily - To Love
Serving is the problem... that is the point I reach when my answers run short! It's not because of a lack of trying... simply because all service is met with a door in the face.
Life would be so much easier if people would just do the RIGHT THING!
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3 comments:
Sometimes the only service we can offer in situations like what you describe is the service St. Monica offered on behalf of her wayward son--prayer and sacrifice.
Knowing that doesn't make it easier, of course; but if you have tried the direct approach and failed repeatedly to reach them, it may be the Father's will that you simply offer them and their situation to Him in prayer.
I'll pray for you!
Seriously, persuade your priest to make podcasts! :)
Like Red said, prayer sometimes is the only (hard to accept) recourse we have. For years I wanted my sister to come back to the Church. I knew talking about it wouldn't help though. So I started offering the grace of the Eucharist for her return. I also told her we would not ask her to be a godparent unless she was in communion with us. She eventually came around and is IndieGirl's godmother. Her views on some things are still different from mine, but it was so encouraging to see her return.
I hope you can have peace in the situation.
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