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Saints' Discussion Forums  |  Forums  |  Saints' & Spiritual Life General Discussion  |  Topic: Holy detachment 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. « previous next »
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Brigid
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« Reply #16 on: May 03, 2010, 09:47:58 PM »

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I don't believe God is competing with our loved ones for our love.


Wow! What a wonderful thing to say.
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For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.
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Therese
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« Reply #17 on: May 03, 2010, 11:40:50 PM »

The only people you have to detach yourself from are the people who do not let you stay attached to God. 

I don't believe God is competing with our loved ones for our love.  I believe I just recently read this in a Carmelite book of mine.

Therese if you can find that passage in that Carmelite book, I'd love you to post it somehow.  Thank you.

Dear Bailey2,

I am still looking for the passage you are interested in.  From what I am reading in my books we shouldn't be attatched to anyone or anything, but we should love others generously, as generously as possible without loving them more than God.

Peace and God bless!

Yours in Christ,
Therese
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Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matth. 6:33).
Bailey2
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« Reply #18 on: May 04, 2010, 09:00:00 AM »


I am still looking for the passage you are interested in.  From what I am reading in my books we shouldn't be attatched to anyone or anything, but we should love others generously, as generously as possible without loving them more than God.

Thank you Therese.  Hard to do, no?  At least for me with children and strong feelings about Church issues.  I take comfort that for most of her life, St Teresa Avila had this problem; attachment to friends. 
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Patricia
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« Reply #19 on: May 04, 2010, 09:59:14 AM »

'Detachment is a withdrawal from all evil desires.'

~~ St. John Climacus
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Therese
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« Reply #20 on: May 04, 2010, 10:12:14 AM »

Dear Bailey2,

I'm afraid I have been unsuccessful in locating the relevant passage in my Carmelite books.  I just left a message with one of my Secular Discalced Carmelite instructors who is going to call me back and let me know if the information we are interested in came from her notes.  I really believe it must have.  If it truly did, I can find out what book she got her information from.

I really do remember reading or hearing what I did  - or something very similar. 

People will know we are Christians by our love for each other.  The more we love our neighbor the more we show ourselves as true Christians. This love doesn't take away from our love for God, it just manifests it (in a different way).  By truly loving our neighbor we are not taking away from our love for God in the least, but are showing how we love Him.  The Bible tells us that you can't truly love God who you can not see if you have no love for your brother who you can see.  That, in a nutshell, might explain why God is not competing with our loved ones for our love.  We must love our loved ones unconditionally and deeply like Jesus loved us...we just can't inordinately cling to them and be attached.  We really shouldn't cling to anyone or anything but God in this life so we can totally be clung to him in the next life without any need for purification of ingrained inordinate attachments.

I hope this helps.  I'll get back in touch with you once I hear from my instructor.

Peace and God bless!

Yours in Christ,
Therese

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« Reply #21 on: May 04, 2010, 10:44:50 AM »

'Detachment is a withdrawal from all evil desires.'

~~ St. John Climacus


Yes, Patricia.
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« Reply #22 on: May 04, 2010, 11:05:27 AM »

Dear Theresa,  don't go out of your way for this; your words are enough wisdom and reflect all you have studied and how you are living.  It is enough. 

Patricia, that is a good sentence.  Then, it is good to love..... and being imperfect, it is inevitable we be attached somewhat in this life.  We can pray that we all can become detached, clinging to God only........ especially me!   Grin
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« Reply #23 on: May 04, 2010, 01:43:25 PM »

Thank you, Bailey2. Smiley
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Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matth. 6:33).
Brigid
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« Reply #24 on: May 04, 2010, 03:43:58 PM »

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People will know we are Christians by our love for each other.  The more we love our neighbor the more we show ourselves as true Christians. This love doesn't take away from our love for God, it just manifests it (in a different way).  By truly loving our neighbor we are not taking away from our love for God in the least, but are showing how we love Him.  The Bible tells us that you can't truly love God who you can not see if you have no love for your brother who you can see.  That, in a nutshell, might explain why God is not competing with our loved ones for our love.  We must love our loved ones unconditionally and deeply like Jesus loved us...we just can't inordinately cling to them and be attached. We really shouldn't cling to anyone or anything but God in this life so we can totally be clung to him in the next life without any need for purification of ingrained inordinate attachments.

Therese,

This is beautiful! As far as the bolded part - do you feel that praying for loved ones conversion of heart to Him means we aren't inordinately clinging to them and being attached to them?
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Therese
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« Reply #25 on: May 04, 2010, 05:50:44 PM »

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People will know we are Christians by our love for each other.  The more we love our neighbor the more we show ourselves as true Christians. This love doesn't take away from our love for God, it just manifests it (in a different way).  By truly loving our neighbor we are not taking away from our love for God in the least, but are showing how we love Him.  The Bible tells us that you can't truly love God who you can not see if you have no love for your brother who you can see.  That, in a nutshell, might explain why God is not competing with our loved ones for our love.  We must love our loved ones unconditionally and deeply like Jesus loved us...we just can't inordinately cling to them and be attached. We really shouldn't cling to anyone or anything but God in this life so we can totally be clung to him in the next life without any need for purification of ingrained inordinate attachments.

Therese,

This is beautiful! As far as the bolded part - do you feel that praying for loved ones conversion of heart to Him means we aren't inordinately clinging to them and being attached to them?

No way, praying (even all day) for a loved one's conversion of heart to God is loving one's neighbor exactly the way Christ wants us to and is not inordinate or a "clinging" in the least.  It's simply a form of loving the person, that's all...there is no danger in loving at all - only when we put the other person before God does our loving become inordinate or a form of clinging.  Remember, when you pray for another you are still clinging to God.

However, I have heard it said that some people when infatuated with someone will pray for the other person with a clinging and with an inordinate love, but that is just an exception.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2010, 06:17:27 PM by Therese » Logged

Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matth. 6:33).
Bailey2
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« Reply #26 on: May 04, 2010, 06:46:22 PM »

I bumped into a Carmelite book today; Of course I am in another room right now with this laptop on my lap so I'll get the title another time.  I think you would like it and if I can get to it, I'll quote some of it here.  It's lovely. 
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« Reply #27 on: May 04, 2010, 07:35:22 PM »

Dear Bailey2,

I just got off the phone with my Discalced Carmelite instructor and I discovered that what I had said to you about God not competing with our loved ones for our love actually came from her talk.  She said she either got the information from a priest's homily (Fr. Harrison from MA who has an excellent reputation) or from one of the books she read at his church called All for Jesus (she doesn't remember the author's name).  She repeated what I told you and said that as long as we love God first we will be able to love others well and she also said that when we love our neighbor we are loving Jesus in them.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to talk with her on the phone.  I'm glad I was able to get to the bottom of all this, too.  Sorry I couldn't give you the name of a book or author.

Peace and God bless!

Yours in Christ,
Kathryn 
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Therese
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« Reply #28 on: May 04, 2010, 07:37:17 PM »

I bumped into a Carmelite book today; Of course I am in another room right now with this laptop on my lap so I'll get the title another time.  I think you would like it and if I can get to it, I'll quote some of it here.  It's lovely. 

Excellent!
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Therese
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« Reply #29 on: May 04, 2010, 08:19:56 PM »

The Bible tells us that you can't truly love God who you can not see if you have no love for your brother who you can see.

To be more exact I believe the Bible says how can you say you love God who you can't see when you hate your brother who you can see.
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Patricia
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« Reply #30 on: May 05, 2010, 08:21:18 AM »

'We must detach ourselves from everything, and especially from ourselves, by continually thwarting our self-love. For example, a certain thing pleases us; we must leave it for the very reason that it pleases us. A certain person has injured us; we must do him good for this very reason. In a word, we must desire and not desire, exactly as God desires or does not desire, without inclination to any one thing; because we do not know that what we ourselves wish is the will of God.'

~~St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
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« Reply #31 on: May 05, 2010, 09:09:47 AM »

'We must detach ourselves from everything, and especially from ourselves, by continually thwarting our self-love. For example, a certain thing pleases us; we must leave it for the very reason that it pleases us. A certain person has injured us; we must do him good for this very reason. In a word, we must desire and not desire, exactly as God desires or does not desire, without inclination to any one thing; because we do not know that what we ourselves wish is the will of God.'

~~St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori


Wow, that's a great quote!
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