{"id":21730,"date":"2022-10-13T09:46:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T13:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=21730"},"modified":"2022-10-13T09:53:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T13:53:35","slug":"discovering-the-right-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=21730","title":{"rendered":"Discovering the Right Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cJ-IBr8bsfs\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-zlthdut-tlkrijkrdu-y\/\"><em>Sixth Core Principle<\/em><\/a><em> of the CAC: <\/em><strong>Life is about discovering the right questions more than having the right answers<\/strong>. <em>Father Richard expands on this counterintuitive wisdom:<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This principle keeps us on the path of ongoing discernment, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10). The key concept here is the contrast between the words \u201cdiscovering\u201d and \u201chaving.\u201d <strong>A discerning and inquiring spirit will make us discoverers in touch with our hidden unconscious and the deeper truth. A glib \u201cI have the answers\u201d spirit makes us into protectors of clich\u00e9s.<\/strong> Answers are wonderful when they are true and keep us on the human and spiritual path. But <strong>answers are not wonderful when they become something we hold as an ego possession, <\/strong>allowing us to be arrogant, falsely self-assured, and closed down individuals.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways. . . . As high as the heavens are from the earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts\u201d (Isaiah 55:8\u20139). <strong>The depth and mystery of God leaves all of us as perpetual searchers and seekers, always novices and beginners.<\/strong> It is the narrow and dark way of faith. \u201cSearch and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you,\u201d says Jesus (Luke 11:9). <strong>There is something inherently valuable about an attitude of spiritual curiosity and persistent \u201cknocking.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The ego is formed by contraction; the soul is formed by expansion.<\/strong> <strong>The ego pulls into itself by comparing, competing, and separating itself from others: \u201cI am not like that,\u201d it says. The soul, however, does exactly the opposite: \u201cI am that.<\/strong>\u201d (<em>Tat Tvam Asi<\/em>, as the Hindus say). It sees itself in God, the other, flowers and trees, animals, and even the enemy: similarity instead of separateness. It participates in the human dilemma instead of placing itself above and beyond all tensions. <strong>The long journey of transformation leads us to ask new questions about our own goodness, and where goodness really lies; to recognize our own complicity with evil, and where evil really lies. It is humiliating.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Only those led by the Spirit into ever deeper seeing, hearing, and surrendering\u2014spiritual seekers and self-questioners\u2014will fall into the hands of the living God.<\/strong> This will always be \u201ca narrow gate and a hard road\u201d that \u201conly a few will walk\u201d (Matthew 7:14).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We want to encourage those few and invite many more on a journey of seeking God. In the sixth century, <strong>St. Benedict said the only requirement for a monk\u2019s admission is that they \u201ctruly seek God.\u201d [1] Not security or status, not education, not roles and titles, not a portfolio of answers, but simply and humbly seeking God. Spiritual seeking will make a person be a perpetual and humble student instead of a contented careeris<\/strong>t, a quester rather than a settler, an always impatient, yearning, and desirous lover. <strong>I will bet on such spiritual seekers any day. They are on the real and only quest. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>______________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Young&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take time to be still in My presence. The more hassled you feel, the more you need my peace. My peace is an inner treasure growing as you surrender and trust in Me. Circumstances cannot touch the peace you receive when you surrender, connect and live out of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Psalm 46:10  <br>Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Numbers 6:25-26  <br>The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The Lord lift<strong>&nbsp;up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John 14:27  <br><strong>\u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give you<\/strong>. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Sixth Core Principle of the CAC: Life is about discovering the right questions more than having the right answers. Father Richard expands on this counterintuitive wisdom:&nbsp; This principle keeps us on the path of ongoing discernment, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10). The key concept here is the contrast [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21730"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21734,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21730\/revisions\/21734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}