Spiritual Growth at Work: Mortification, Part 3
We've been taking a kind of deep dive into the concept of mortification, led by Father Edward Leen. As we've seen, Father provides a serious analysis which, while crystal clear, assumes a basic understanding of our Holy Faith. Also, in an age of "sound bites" and 7-second attention spans, Father's writing reminds us that the study of our Holy Faith requires time and attention. That's why even us busy Catholic men need to develop the habit of spending 10 or 15 minutes (at least!) each day studying our Faith, despite being pressed as we are by the demands of our personal lives and our work. I don't know about you, but the richness of great spiritual teachings like Father Leen's make that time and attention worthwhile. A deeper knowledge and understanding of our Catholic Faith is its own reward.
Getting back to mortification, I hope you understand by now that it serves as a kind of basic exercise in strengthening our spiritual "muscle." We might compare it to regular physical exercise to keep ourselves in shape.
But lest we think that mortification is somehow a strictly optional practice of our Holy Faith, Father Leen sets the record straight about the central role of mortification in the life of a faithful Catholic:
A favorite mortification of mine is to delay eating my meals. So, for example, I might wait a minute or two after saying grace to actually eat. I remember when I first started this practice how hard it was to delay for even a minute (I'm embarrassed to say!). Now it's not so hard. On a good day, I can get to two minutes. (Three I reserve for Lent!) Maybe some of you think this a bit silly, but it's really not. Try it and you'll see.
Use your imagination and you'll be able to come up with appropriate practices of mortification that make sense to you. To help you develop your own practice of mortification you may want to remember that unless you develop self-control you expose yourself to the work of the devil, who, I suspect, finds our physical senses and desires the perfect target for his wiles.
Finally, mortification works perfectly in just about any work environment. While many other spiritual practices (meditation, spiritual reading, doctrinal study for example) may not really be possible in the typical work place, mortification works just fine. You can practice just about any time, in any place.
I hope Father Leen's explanation of mortification increased your understanding of this "essential law of Christianity" such that you will practice it every day. Mortification will help you build those spiritual muscles. And by the grace of God, you will grow stronger in your Faith.
Getting back to mortification, I hope you understand by now that it serves as a kind of basic exercise in strengthening our spiritual "muscle." We might compare it to regular physical exercise to keep ourselves in shape.
But lest we think that mortification is somehow a strictly optional practice of our Holy Faith, Father Leen sets the record straight about the central role of mortification in the life of a faithful Catholic:
"Mortification is an essential law of Christianity, a consequence of our incorporation with Christ. There is no possibility of receiving His life in our members, unless the activity of corrupt nature in those members is paralyzed by self-inflicted privation. For mortification in its exercise involves the privation not only of unlawful satisfaction but even of those which in themselves are reasonable and legitimate."Those "reasonable and legitimate" satisfactions might include simple things like the salt you sprinkle on your meat, or the butter you spread on your bread. If you forgo these from time to time in a prayerful generous manner, over time you will develop better self-control. You will not be subject to your emotions all the time, but rather will act more under the influence of your reason.The idea of subduing the urges of the senses and acting consistent with right reason signifies personal maturity.
A favorite mortification of mine is to delay eating my meals. So, for example, I might wait a minute or two after saying grace to actually eat. I remember when I first started this practice how hard it was to delay for even a minute (I'm embarrassed to say!). Now it's not so hard. On a good day, I can get to two minutes. (Three I reserve for Lent!) Maybe some of you think this a bit silly, but it's really not. Try it and you'll see.
Use your imagination and you'll be able to come up with appropriate practices of mortification that make sense to you. To help you develop your own practice of mortification you may want to remember that unless you develop self-control you expose yourself to the work of the devil, who, I suspect, finds our physical senses and desires the perfect target for his wiles.
Finally, mortification works perfectly in just about any work environment. While many other spiritual practices (meditation, spiritual reading, doctrinal study for example) may not really be possible in the typical work place, mortification works just fine. You can practice just about any time, in any place.
I hope Father Leen's explanation of mortification increased your understanding of this "essential law of Christianity" such that you will practice it every day. Mortification will help you build those spiritual muscles. And by the grace of God, you will grow stronger in your Faith.
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