Saints' Discussion Forums

'The most important thing upon which to concentrate in order to mortify it and eradicate it entirely is our predominant passion, that is, that affection, desire, inclination, vice or bad habit which drags us down and most frequently causes us to fall into sin. Once this king of our faults has been conquered, the battle will be won.'

St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

 :D

Of course it's not always as obvious as what we think it might be. Sometimes there's a more fundamental fault behind the more obvious fault, that is not uncovered until you've struggled against the face of the fault.

At least that's what I think it can be like. It's like taking layer after layer off an onion, working towards the core. And often to defeat the outwards fault lastingly, you have to discover what is underneath it too.

Without encroaching on Baily's territory and getting too psychological I think that some faults can go back a long way and maybe the result of ingrained attitudes that are wrong but accepted as normal.

Sincere prayer can uncover many a fault and more importantly obtain the grace to eradicate them one by one.
As a saint said in another thread about living constantly in the presence of or the awareness of God and how this can make our thoughts, words and deeds stay in accord with His will.

No compromise with sin is the only way. Lord help us to be firm in our resolve to grow in holiness.  :+:

But winning the battle against pride won't be an easy task! :(

Amen.. I agree completely. . quite a long ways back!

We have to dig it out by the roots! :D

Back to the vegetables, eh Shin? ;D

Weeds.. vegetables.. yup..  ;D

Or wheat and tares?

No no, weeds and vegetables..  tares and tares!   :D

I know what you're going to spend your time in Purgatory doing, Shin. ;D

I think our Lord was talking more in terms of a plough rather than a hoe.  ;D

Where's the Doh! smilie when I need one?  :o  ;D

Eating vegetables. ;D

Brigid we're planning on evading purgatory all together. I know this may sound impossible but, Well with the Lord..
A few more dinosaur jokes might do it.  :D

 :happyroll:

Quote for the Minute: 'I decided that becoming a vegetarian was a missed steak..'  ;D

Ah, time for dinner for me.. I can no longer resist. This is all your fault.  :D

Don't you think a few more dinosaur jokes might lead to longer Purgatory? ;D And I'll ignore your steak joke, Shin. ::)

Back to a firm resolve to grow in holiness and root out those faults. I think my problem with uncharity has to do with my pride, but it seems to me that the Culture of Death may be riding on pride also. :-\

Yes Brigid,  When I see the work that needs doing in me I could almost dispair but that is just pride too thinking that I could change by my own power.
Refusing to believe that we can't become saints is an act of humility and a recognition that it is by the power of God only that this can be done.   :+:

The culture of death has to be based in the pride of the evil one. No mere human on his own could think up and carry out such evil.

That's why prayer to Mary - as The Immaculate Heart and as Our Lady of Guadelupe have such potency since "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel."    Genesis  3:15

Hail, then, O Immaculate Mary, living Tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men!
Hail, O Queen of Heaven and Earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God.
Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one.

My favorite part of the consecration prayer.