Detachment

One of the basic factors in spiritual growth is detachment, the stripping of anything that would impede our relationship with others or with God.  It sounds "old fashioned" and it is.  Certainly Jesus was an advocate of it as we read in today's Gospel from Mark 9:41-50.  He uses hyperbole to stress in importance of casting aside whatever causes us to lead others astray, into sin.  His gruesome images of cutting off hands or feet, plucking out eyes, or having millstones dragging us to the bottom of the sea are frightening enough to shock us into taking his teaching seriously. We commonly think of detachment as the shedding of THINGS, material goods, the emptying of closets and shelves, but more fundamentally, we need to ask what behaviors of our hands, feet, and eyes need to be eliminated, what thoughts, what attitudes need to be avoided?  How attached to "my way as the only way" am I?  Detachment covers many bases, material and spiritual; both requiring examination, evaluation,  motivation,  discipline and advice from our spiritual director or  good friend who can be honest with us.  If we feel bogged down and burdened by our attachments, it's time to take this teaching of Jesus to heart and put it into practice.
Bro. Rene