Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Seventy-Seven, Part II

Tonight we concluded letter 77 and went on to read letter 78. As we have seen in past weeks, Theophan is much more direct with Anastasia now that she has made her decision to enter into the religious life. In multiple ways, she has been tempted either by those who have no faith, by her fear of injustice and false accusation, or her desire to express and pursue her own freedom. Theophan warns her against all these things and the kind of false freedom especially that we cling to that offers no hope. In fact, Theophan refers to it as an “evil impulse that is evil”. We are called to walk the path of the cross; to die to self and to self-will and to live for Christ. We have not been promised the love of the world. Rather, we have been promised just the opposite - its hatred. Why would she want to flee her parents house when in reality it is a protective environment for her? It is there that she can learn the life of a obedience at the hand of those who love her the most. What greater opportunity is there to be formed for the religious life than this? Don’t chase false freedoms, he warns her. The impulse to freedom is like chasing rainbows or desiring to catch shadows. When we look at the world we see unhappy people desperately seeking to assert themselves -  often at the cost of others. She must learn to look at her life in the light of Christ and her freedom in light of the communion of love in which she exists with God. Anything else is an illusion.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:06:03 Art: Posting a follow up to Eric C’s question from last week.  While he was asking I was reminded of one possible answer to the dilemma whether to obey the Church 10 years ago or the Church one month ago.  Rather than butcher the response, I’ve included the actual source.  It begins around 15:28 and ends around 20:50

 

Two points I found helpful were the comments that in a crisis there is an objectively right thing to do. “You hold on to what was always believed everywhere by everybody.”  “What has the Church always believed?  That is what I must continue to believe.”  And 

 

“The faith does not change.  What was once true is still true. Either it was false then, in which case it is false now.  Or else it was true then and it’s true now.”  The speaker is Fr. David Sherry SSPX. 

 

Hopefully you find it helpful.

 

http://sspxpodcast.com/2021/12/crisis-series-49-father-what-can-i-do-about-the-crisis-in-the-church/

 

00:32:13 Anthony: I've wondered if this applies to legal processes such as the cases for freedom to act according to a well formed conscience.  OK, suppose you lose the case....would that change your acting according to a well formed conscience?  We are called to accept persecutions.

 

00:35:35 Anthony: Would the truth of the cross apply to suffering under the English "Reformation," the French Revolution and the Vendee, the American Revolution....and current events like in Eastern Europe?

 

00:40:30 John Clark: I once had to confront an office bully…It was a good outcome

 

00:43:00 Lyle: Today, some of us were meditating on the Office of Readings regarding St. Polycarp's

martyrdom.  His last words brought tears to my eyes.  “I praise you for all things, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal priest of heaven, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him be glory to you, together with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen”.

 

00:43:21 Lyle: Surrounded by the fire, his body was like bread that is baked, or gold and silver white-hot in a furnace, not like flesh that has been burnt. So sweet a fragrance came to us that it was like that of burning incense or some other costly and sweet-smelling gum.

 

00:44:18 Carol Nypaver: Amen!  St. Polycarp, pray for us!

 

00:46:48 Erick Chastain: you get an academic department at a major public university

 

00:47:22 Erick Chastain: 😅

 

00:59:53 Eric Williams: I was bullied every year of my public education. Hardly a desirable kind of socialization.

 

01:05:21 Ren: Booooooo ;-)

 

01:05:29 Cathy: I am offended

 

01:05:49 Carol Nypaver: 🤣

 

01:06:22 Ren: Suffragette #1 over here :-D

 

01:06:36 Ashley Kaschl: 😂😂😂

 

01:09:59 Lyle: Too many times MY exercise of freedom led me FROM the LIGHT (My Lord) to DARKNESS (Rebellion and sin.)

 

01:13:06 Eric Williams: seen on a bumper sticker: “Teenagers, quick, leave home while you still know everything!”

 

01:18:49 Edward Kleinguetl: His book, Tattoos on the Heart, is amazing!

 

01:19:26 Marylouise Lambert: Homeboy Industries

 

01:20:49 Anthony: We (the Church) were helped along in our deplenishment by Josephism, Jansenism, Americanism.

 

01:21:53 Anthony: Febronianism....all worked to diminish our unified spiritual/social role

 

01:22:46 Erick Chastain: actually... I think it was 1 year ago

 

01:22:54 Miron Kerul Kmec: Thank you!

 

01:23:03 Cathy: Good for you Eric!!

 

01:23:13 Mitchell Hunt: Thank you Father David

 

01:23:16 Erick Chastain: It was this podcast that told me about grace

 

01:23:22 Anne Barbosa: Thank you!

 

01:23:26 Cathy: Thank you Father!

 

01:23:43 Cathy: Bring snacks!