Married to Christ
Mortification
Eileen Renders
Dictionary taken from Oxford Languages
1. Great embarrassment and shame. “They mistook my mortification for an admission of guilt.
2. The action of subduing one’s bodily desires. “Mortification of the flesh has a long tradition in some religions.”
Corinthians 1-9 St. Paul said; “I pummel my body and subdue it.” To answer, I quote FR. John Bartunek, LC explains (from SpiritualDirection.com) “The root word for “mortification” comes from the Latin, mors and mortis, and it translates as “death” in the spiritual life, therefore, mortification refers to voluntary actions by which we gradually “put to death” all our vices, and sinful habits, and self-centeredness tendencies that lurk beneath them. Spiritual writers use terms like abnegation, sacrifice, self-sacrifice, and self-denial to refer to the same thing.
Jesus spoke about mortification as an absolute necessity for growth into Christian maturity. Here are some of the better-known passages: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Also: “In all truth I tell you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. (John 12:24}
And “anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
“You must see yourselves as being dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)
According to Catholic Answers, mortification is a Christian ascetic practice that involves self-denial and self-mastery as a way to train the soul to live virtuously and holily.
It’s a voluntary action that gradually eliminates vices, sinful habits, and self-centered tendencies. Mortification can come in many forms, including denying yourself something you want to be doing or something you don’t want to do.