Comments for The Knitting Theologian

Comment on The rest of the conversion story by Dallas Hyland

Dallas Hyland — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:34:15 +0000

Julie,
As the years press on I find some things begin to fade in the memory. There are however some people who so profoundly influenced my life that I will remember them to the last. Such a wonderful surprise to find you out there in the world. I hope this finds you well. Do write if you wish.

Comment on The rest of the conversion story by Jack Murphy

Jack Murphy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:02:49 +0000

7-15-10 Julie…..dearest…I have just discovered the internet in a way, and so I was intrigued by your sharing….How are you? I must figure out way to print your comments…I think that anyonewho reads your sharing will be touched at your honesty and openess….blessings Jack sj

Comment on When God Goes Silent… by Dominic

Dominic — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:43:20 +0000

C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, Chapter VIII, pp. 38-9: “And that is where the troughs come in. You must have often wondered why the Enemy does not make more use of His power to be sensibly present to human souls in any degree He chooses and at any moment. But you now see that the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of His scheme forbids him to use. Merely to override a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them, will not serve. He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptations. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner of later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs–to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that is is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with, the better. He cannot “tempt” to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”
I love you, Julie.
D

Comment on My conversion story by Dominic (again)

Dominic (again) — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:21:45 +0000

I am so glad you have posted again. What you wrote is genuine and one test of that is that your experience strengthens my faith and my joy. I have been taken, recently, by the idea (in “The Shack” and in C.S. Lewis most recently, but I’ve encountered it elsewhere) that Jesus is not interested in mere followers or disciples (though that can be laudable). Rather, he wants to completely re-make us from the inside out, to transform us into himself. What we’re talking about is a whole new man or woman, not a merely improved version. A whole different order of creation. I guess that’s what is meant by all the Pauline references to the new creation, and groaning, etc. Anyway, it sounds wonderful and terrible, all at once. Letting go of myself entirely, losing myself in Christ, and yet, mysteriously, becoming even more myself than I was before. . .

Comment on Thanks for the prayers by Dominic

Dominic — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:25:56 +0000

Good gracious, that’s wonderful! When are you going to post again? Your vast audience is breathlessly waiting! Happy ongoing Easter culminating in Pentecost!!

Comment on The wrong map by An old Dog Lover

An old Dog Lover — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 06:49:22 +0000

I have read thru many of the postings and they have me quite reflective about my own faith.

While I am in the midst of my own spiritual journey, I have discovered that I need to let God control my life and to fully put my trust in him.
He does provide continous generous grace for us. two of favorites are 2 Cor 9:6 and 1 Cor 10:13. Pray hard and work hard. If you want to walk on water, you got to get out of the boat. I’m rambling now.

Altos are the not border-collies of choirs, they are the #3 hitter in the lineup usually the best athletes. Bless you.

Comment on The wrong map by Dominic

Dominic — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:37:16 +0000

My thoughts about what makes the novena irresistible are these: It’s not that God can’t resist it: of course he cannot be coerced. But I think what is irresistible is the effect such discipline has on the one undertaking it. I think it wears away the seeker’s resistance to the action of grace. So, I will pray for you, Julie, for courage, fortitude and perseverance. But I wonder if it’s possible that what is actually needed is surrender. On the other hand, voluntarily taking on such a practice as the novena entails a kind of surrender, I suppose. This morning, I left the house for my three Sunday masses in a cranky mood. Not enough sleep, an annoying note about car troubles J is having, and my craziness were for starters. Then it was colder than I was dressed for, and all my car windows were heavily covered with dew, and, as you know, only the front and rear have wipers. So I rolled down the side windows in order to see and found I had to make a number of maneuvers just to get away from the curb. Plus, Charlie had taken way too long to poop, so I was running late. By the time I finally was under weigh, I was growling and swearing. Pretty quickly I realized that I was in a crappy frame of mind for what I has about to do, so I asked God for help. I ranted a bit about my frustrations, and started to make a long litany of all the things that were bothering me and how much I needed Him to help me adjust my attitude, and all those things. When I paused for breath what came to me was the phrase “Be still and know that I am God.” I am certain it was given to me in response to my frantic outcry. I spent the rest of the drive trying to do just that: be still, and let God be God. Deo Gracias, by the time I got to PSP, I was in a completely different frame of mind and was able to do my job with joy and devotion. It was absolutely the action of grace. Julie: grace is working in you and has been for a long time. Trust God. Unclench a little. All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. Any impulse we have to move towards God always comes first from God himself. So, though you may be muddling around in the valley of the shadow, it is He who is beside you and will lead you to green pastures and still waters. Love, DM

Comment on The wrong map by Rick

Rick — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:13:05 +0000

My respect for you making it even this far in this journey can not be overstated….

Now, at the end of this valley was another, called the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and Christian must needs go through it, because the way to the Celestial City lay through the midst of it. Now, this valley is a very solitary place. The prophet Jeremiah thus describes it: “A wilderness, a land of deserts and of pits, a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, a land that no man” (but a Christian) “passed through, and where no man dwelt.” [Jeremiah 2:6]

Now here Christian was worse put to it than in his fight with Apollyon, as by the sequel you shall see.”

From “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan

Comment on Halfway Through by The Knitting Theologian » Blog Archive » The wrong map

The Knitting Theologian » Blog Archive » The wrong map — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:29:12 +0000

[…] The Knitting Theologian She knits. She studies theology. She writes about both. « Halfway Through […]

Comment on Halfway Through by Alice

Alice — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:49:16 +0000

You’re an inspiring example of perseverance! I remember, years ago, that Fr. Jack recommended what he called “the Rosary novena” for Michele who was wondering what direction her life was meant to take. I think he and Dad and I did a shorter version of the novena but it worked!