Comments on: Self-knowledge and the spiritual life – Part I

By: Are You Self-Aware? | Lisa Graas

Are You Self-Aware? | Lisa Graas — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:09:02 +0000

[...] Are all your lights working? <— Read that. Because of the effect of concupiscence (our inclination to sin) we are prone to self-deception and to fall prey to the lies of the world and the enemy of our souls. These deceptions are often subtle and have worked their way into our persons in such a way as to blind us to them. Our natural adaptation to ways of living, thinking, and acting become second nature and thus they disappear from our sight because they are familiar to us. These hidden faults might come from a series of choices we have made in life or they can come from patterns of behavior common to our families of origin. They can also come from the habitual clinging to imperfections or venial sins that provide some temporal benefit to us. Regardless of their source they are moral defects or patterns of sin and spiritually destructive behaviors that we are often unable to see without the help of others. They are the broken brake lights that significantly increase the probability of a serious spiritual crash. [...]

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:13:58 +0000

Dear Dan, I received encouragement just this morning in the reading from the Divine Office (Tobit 4: 15-19). It reads, in part, “Seek counsel from every wise man. At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him to make all your paths straight and to grant success to all your endeavors and plans.” Thank you, Dan, for being one of the wise men placed along my path while I am waiting for God to provide a spiritual director. Your encouragement and God's Word have spurred me on to make one more phone call today! To God be the Glory…

By: danburke

danburke — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:37:31 +0000

Dear Cynthia – you are exactly on target. Don't fret as you are searching. This is also part of His glorious work in us…

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:21:24 +0000

Dan,
Would you say that this necessity for self-knowledge and our natural tendency for self-deception is one of the primary reasons spiritual direction is so important in our spirtual journey? Since I still do not have a spiritual director, I'm hoping that your next post is very englightening!
Thanks very much for this post, Dan.

By: danburke

danburke — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:11:27 +0000

Dear Friend – check out this posts and the others on “Root Sins” – I think you will find some wisdom there. http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2010/04/26…

By: Elizabeth Mahlou

Elizabeth Mahlou — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:53:08 +0000

I conduct a periodic reverse evaluation among people who work for me. It reveals things that are sometimes painful to admit and other things that I was blithely unaware of. It would be great to have the outside “eyes” for the same kind of thing for spiritual feedback. I am looking forward to your next post.

By: Mary7Macharia

Mary7Macharia — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:29:10 +0000

Wow! Now, Dan, I can't wait for your next post on this subject. This is where, I feel, we always fail. Fear to delve into our inner selves only to discover that we are more imperfect than we care to admit. In this way, we cling to the comfort zone – self-delusion. I believe this is one area where we need a generous dose of God's Grace and total trust in Christ's Mercy to honestly peer into our real selves.

By: Ampm Molloy

Ampm Molloy — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:24:00 +0000

That’s really good advice…
How then do we start to tackle the faults and weaknesses we come across?