Following is a prayer by Thomas Merton (OSB) asking for deliverance from these 7 illusions.

Thomas Merton, Trappist Monk, 20th Century

The following prayer is from his book, “New Seeds of Contemplation.” It is widely available. For Merton, the word illusion could be substituted freely for sin. This makes sense in many ways: we often lament our past sins and say, “How could I have not seen how horrible this was?” or “What was I thinking of?” Here is a prayer from his book:

Let me use all things for one sole reason: to find my joy in giving You glory.

Therefore, keep me, above all things, from sin. Keep me from the death of deadly sin which puts hell in my soul. Keep me from the murder of lust that blinds and poisons my heart. Keep me from the sins that eat a man’s flesh with irresistible fire until he is devoured. Keep me from loving money in which is hatred, from avarice [greed] and ambition that suffocate my life. Keep me from the dead works of vanity and the thankless labor in which artists destroy themselves for pride and money and reputation, and saints are smothered under the avalanche of their own importunate zeal. Staunch in me the rank wound of covetousness and the hungers that exhaust my nature with their bleeding. Stamp out the serpent envy that stings love with poison and kills all joy.

Untie my hands and deliver my heart from sloth. Set me free from the laziness that goes about disguised as activity when activity is not required of me, and from the cowardice that does what is not demanded, in order to escape sacrifice.

But give me the strength that waits upon You in silence and peace. Give me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens. And possess my whole heart and soul with the simplicity of love. Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love, that I may love not for the sake of merit, not for the sake of perfection, not for the sake of virtue, not for the sake of sanctity, but for You alone.

Thomas Merton, 1961, Gethsemani. Imprimatur Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York

The Seven Deadly Sins – A List of Capital Sins
(for more visit:  http://whitestonejournal.com/index.php/seven-deadly-sins)

The table below lists The Seven Deadly Sins (vices) in the traditional order with the virtues against which they are sins. The history of this list goes back at least to Pope St. Gregory the Great and St. John Cassian, but while the list itself is not strictly biblical, the Bible proscribes all seven. If one or more of these doesn’t seem like a big sin to you, it almost certainly means you have already rationalized it. Work on that one first. By the way, there is no set list of virtues corresponding to these, what follows below reflect our choices.

If you need additional information on Dante’s views of these, it is after the table.

Why have Purgatory? Most people will continue sinning in the course of the human condition, even if they try everything to stop it or avoid it. Yes Jesus did die for our sins. But we need to satisfy the debt because of the ongoing sinful nature we perpetuate through our imperfect nature. Jesus is like the dad who pays for the window broken by his son’s baseball gone astray. Jesus paid for the damage and debt, but like any loving father he wants us to ‘settle up’ with him to satisfy the debt he cleared for us. But Jesus died for me and he is my personal savior! I thought I was saved!? Well, what if you never paid your dad back or served some sort of justice to make it right? You would not truly appreciate what he did for you.

While on earth we have no certainty of even making it to purgatory -because we have free will. Those in purgatory at least have the certainty of being released to enter heaven. The others not capable of choosing to be with God, at any expense, will truly go to hell with no hope of ever completing the journey to God’s perfect and spotless presence.

I would choose purgatory any day over reincarnation, as I am closer to settling up there than in an unPredictable next life. Because Jesus HAS saved those who have chosen him, we are on the right path. Through his love and continual offering of himself for us, we too, can have the certainty of the future promise of heaven. Without his self sacrifice, we would not have the door opened as such for us.

Jesus’ holy mother Mary consoles the suffering souls in purgatory and asks for us still in a body on this earth to pray for them. Such sacrifices accrue to our credit, along with any suffering of our own that we offer up as an offering for those souls in purgatory. So we can actually use our earthly lives to help others already passed on, as well as expand our own growth. Sure we will fall, and sin again, but as any good sportsman knows, you must get up again to master the game. Jesus showed us that mastery can be achieved. So, if we haven’t totally mastered it by the time we die, we still have the opportunity to satisfy our final judgement. Hopefully, we will have chosen to take every opportunity to earn a lighter debt, or skip it altogether by the graces from loving all, and selfless service and sacrifice.

I know all this sound rather strict and un-warm and fuzzy. Jesus never promised us warm and fuzzy. He said many would be called, but few would be chosen. What do you think would help to make you be chosen?

Are you starting to get the picture? We should learn about this subject early on, but sadly most don’t want to discuss it, or take the belief that it is all worked out for us, or don’tbelieve anything at all.

For me, now that I have begun to learn about purgatory, I understand what it is and how to prepare for it. I am grateful for Gods grace to have led me to question, have the curiosity and desire to learn what it is and how I can help myself and others too.

Prayer for our loved ones is needed. The Rosary can be said for great results for those in Purgatory, as are Masses said specifically for named deceased.

My prayer journey just amped up because of this understanding. There are many good writings about purgatory. I encourage you to check them out. Just do a search on the Internet. You will find plenty, as did I.

If you like ‘The Dark Night of the Soul’ and all that it implies, you should look into reading ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ by an anonymous author in 1375.   There are more than a few present day English translations that make for a bit more easy reading than the 14th century English in which it was written.  It speaks of the apophatic approach to ‘knowing’, trusting and allowing God.  It is precisely pursuit of the internal mystical relationship with God via the path of allowing and consenting to God being with you through the vehicle of trust.  The Dark Night of the Soul will make more sense after reading this!  I have the olde english version here as a free download, and it can be bought on some of the web bookstores for only a few dollars.  I am re-reading it after many times.

God loves us so much that he gives us free will.  Duly so, he will never intrude upon our own free will.   We think we are free because we have free will.  We are right… free to choose our destiny, free to choose as we please, and God loves us any way we choose.

God’s will is grand, ultimate, absolute and infinite.  Why do we resist God’s will?  We are afraid of what will happen to us.  We are afraid because we do not have the faith or the trust to completely allow God’s will to have ascendency in our lives.

My challenge to you is to give your will up to God’s will.  The gift of our own free will is the ultimate gift of faith and trust, as well as being the most powerful and humbling gift we can give.  

What happens when you invite God’s will?  Did you think you could plan things any better?  What would you worry about, that it might not turn out the way you wanted it to?  If you are still wrestling with this, you have not ever fully released your will to will God’s will.

If you have ever given your will up to God’s will you know that what happens when God’s will is moving – - it  is infinitely more potent that any plans you could make.   The movement and manifestation of his will is like a huge cosmic mosaic that moves like a fine watch – moving each piece into place so elegantly and smoothly,  that when you experience it, you are awestruck.  So there is no place for fear, only trust.  Just know that the One who created all the infinitude of the universe, is so willing to love you, and overcome your every trial – just for receiving your consent to allow His will in your world!

I challenge you to walk the walk of trust in the power of God’s will which will lay the road down before you, and move events around you so smoothly you will forget it is God’s will.  Stay in tune with God’s will simply by offering freely your will to will God’s will.

The Interior Castle by St. Theresa of Avila seems as if it were written yesterday, instead of 1583.  Her metaphors and descriptions of one’s various stages of spiritual capacity (mansions) are well done, and brilliantly illustrate the spiritual light and passion to which she is so well attuned.

Please pick this book up for free or download it for free (or PDF).  If you have a nook, it can be downloaded to your My B&N folder on your computer from http://www.ccel.org and next time you update your nook, you can copy it over.  OR you can download a free e-reader from Barnes and Noble and read the text version which is free.

This book is worth your time and investment of it, much the same as The Cloud of Unknowing.  It is one of the mystical classics.

from Chris Erdman’s website

The Prayer of the Heart

Carl,

You are right.  While Community appears to be antithetical to Mysticism, the two are inexorably entertwined.  As much as I like a simply said and intimate mass, I admit that I get impatient at the more elaborate masses that seem ponderous, with the somtimes lame and often repeated sermons.  Some sermons actually energize me, some services are consistent, others are all over the place.

I know I can count on my own stillness to be the gateway to my relationship to the Holy Trinity.

I still believe we need community because none of us holds all the pieces of the Christian spirituality.   We each of us pray for those and hold those up who do not hold our piece, and vice versa.  (I got this one from a sermon on Sunday).

We have to realize that surrender also means being willing to depend on others, trust that the greater community actually binds us and makes us holy, as you said.

This is a point with which I have struggled in my studies and mystical understandings and practice.  In the end a true mystic is humble, willing to surrender to the lower self,  and can still participate and contribute to the community.  Padre Pio comes to mind.  What a great example to illustrate this point!

Bill