NOT TO SEEK SOFT LIVING

Just like roses have thorns, so should our lives. If we accustom ourselves to soft living how are we to learn perseverance? In order to withstand trials, we must
practice mortification ... not just of the body, but in our lives. We must learn to do without.

Today's society is a "give me" society. We have grown to used to the finer things in life. We have to "keep up with the Jones" so to speak. They have the newest computers, the most up to date appliances, the most comfortable furniture and we so we think we need those things also. We don't want to do our own dishes ... We need a dishwasher for that. We want ready made food. We want big screen televisions and hundreds of channels to choose from. We want anything that doesn't make us appear poor or make us have to struggle.

We have grown soft and afraid to do a little hard work. We all want to have white collar jobs. We don't want to work the menial jobs. Those jobs that are necessary for our survival ... or at least we think they are. We don't want to get our hands dirty or make our muscles ache. We are surely better than that!

It isn't easy to detach from the finer things in life, but if you want to work towards holiness this is exactly what you must do. You can do many things to avoid soft living. Here is a short list and it is nothing that I have not done already or wouldn't do myself! And while you are giving up the soft way of life say "ALL FOR THEE" with all the love in your heart!

• Get rid of those knick knacks you don't need and that just gather dust.
• Trade your oh so comfy furniture in for less comfortable.
• Shut off the cable so you have more time for work and prayer.
• Scrub your floors with a mop instead of a machine.
• Cook meals from scratch rather than buying already prepared meals.
• Get rid of those things that distract you .
• Get up earlier in the morning and begin your day with prayer and daily Mass.
• Do things even though you don't want to and offer it to God as a suffering.
• Choose plain clothing and less expensive clothing.
• Cut down on your toiletries. You only need one shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.
• Stop carrying the phone with you. You don't need to be on it all day ... Talk to God instead!

These are only a few ways to help you get away from the softness today's living has brought us. Remember it is easier for a poor man to get to heaven than for rich man. God always takes care of us if we are willing to accept His love and to live as He asks us to.

ALL FOR THEE ... ALL FOR THEE!

THE NEXT TOOL ... TO CHASTISE THE BODY

When people think of chastising the body, they immediately think of pain. While this is true in some cases, chastising the body does not always have to be painful. Uncomfortable, hungry, tired, etc. are just some of the sensations that may accompany chastisement of our body.

If we are to grow spiritually we must become detached from worldly things. We must think less of ourselves and more of Christ. Chastisement of the body helps us to do this. There are two ways to mortify ourselves. These are interior mortification and exterior mortification. Interior is much more valuable and in my mind much harder. I will give a few examples of each.

Interior mortification involves keeping silent. For example if someone says something that hurts you, you could keep silent about it. Or if someone is doing something irritating you could keep your irritation to yourself. If you don't like what someone has served for a meal you could eat it anyway and again remain silent. We could also offer a silent prayer when we are tempted to fight back with words. These interior mortifications are excellent in helping us overcome complaining and harsh feelings towards others. We learn to endure things for the love of Christ and it is only Christ who knows you are doing it.

Exterior mortification or chastisement of the body is more noticeable at times. They should be done as privately as possible. For example wearing plain clothing at all times and only certain colors. Or there is fasting. This is an excellent way to bring the flesh under control. You could kneel on your fingers for 3 Hail Marys or some other prayer. You could scrub the floor on your hands and knees instead of using a mop. Anything that is hard and causes you discomfort is a chastisement of your body and they will help you to forget about yourself, focus on others and lead a life as Christ taught us.

Jesus withstood so much pain for us ... it is the least we can do for Him. Chastisement or mortification done for Jesus and offered to Him will lead straight to a life of holiness.

God Bless and have a wonderful week!

THE NEXT TOOL ...DENYING ONE'S SELF

TO DENY ONE'S SELF IN ORDER TO FOLLOW CHRIST

This is a really tough one in today's world. Today everything is designed to make life "easy" and to be able to cram more "stuff" into our homes and lives. We overeat, we overwork, we overdo everything we do. We want the biggest and the best ... most of all we want to be the boss and lord over our bodies, our homes, our lives, etc. Self denial is a thing of the past ... something we all need today. It is a huge part of "the way" Jesus gave us to live our daily lives ... not many these days even understand who Jesus is, leave alone what he taught us and why.

In the garden He prayed and He asked God His Father to "remove the cup from Him", but only if it was His (God's) will. This certainly was self denial. He was in fear. He was alone. He knew what was in store for Him but He denied Himself the relief of not going through with it in order to do the Father's will and in turn give us eternal life. Are we better than Him? If He who is our Savior ... who is God's son ... who is God Himself ... denied Himself for our sakes should we not deny ourselves for Him?

There are many ways in which to deny oneself, both large and small. God loves the sacrifices we make especially those small self denials. They are very valuable when striving toward holiness. Let's take a look at some ways we can show Jesus we appreciate what He did for us and that we want to be like Him. "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, only son of the living God, make my heart like unto Thine".

1. We can deny ourselves a favorite food

2. We can deny ourselves our coffee until after morning prayer

3. We can fast ... 2 small meals (just enough to sustain us) and one regular meal a day

4. We can deny ourselves new things

5. We can share what we have ... food, clothing, home, love, etc.

6. Cut out some TV

7. Do dishes by hand

8. Scrub the floor on your hands and knees

9. Give something you love to someone who needs it or doesn't have much

10. Take someone into your home who is disabled or homeless

11. Do something for nothing

12. Sit or sleep on the floor instead of your nice comfy sofa, chair, or bed

13. Leave your cell phone at home

14. Give your love and attention to someone you find it difficult to be around

15. Choose plain clothing of neutral colors

There are so many ways to deny ourselves and earn rewards to get us to heaven. It takes much prayer and the strength of Christ to be able to do these things, but you will find the benefit most rewarding. In denying one's self we begin to think of others. We begin to do works of mercy and in those we find joy and peace. It's not an easy life ... it is not for the faint of heart ... it takes much courage and love ... it takes a longing to be like Jesus! Do you have what it takes?

May our Lord and St. Benedict bless us all!