Words of Wisdom & Encouragement
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The day of our homecoming…
We ought never to forget, beloved, that we have renounced the world. We are living here now as aliens and only for a time. When the day of our homecoming puts an end to our exile, frees us from the bonds of the world, and restores us to paradise and to a kingdom, we should welcome it. What man, stationed in a foreign land, would not want to return to his own country as soon as possible? Well, we look upon paradise as our country, and a great crowd of our loved ones awaits us there, a countless throng of parents, brothers and children longs for us to join them.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
Reading the Bible
About the injunction of the Apostle Paul that women should keep silent in church? Don’t go by one text only.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
As a body….
As the body must be born after completing its development in the womb, so a soul, when it has reached the limit of life in the body allotted it by God, must leave the body.
–Saint Anthony of Egypt (c. 251-356)
How to die…
Everything seems to me to pass so quickly that we must concentrate on how to die rather than on how to live.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Desire the love….
I desire the love of God not because I am worthy, but because I am unworthy.
–Walter Hilton (1340-1396)
Quench your thirst…
Feed yourself on Jesus. Drink his Precious Blood. Quench your thirst from the chalice of Jesus. Yet, the more you drink, the more you will thirst.
–Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
Possibilities born…
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
It is easier…
It is easier to renounce worldly possessions than it is to renounce the love of them.
–Walter Hilton (1340-1396)
In detachment…
In detachment the spirit finds quiet and repose, for coveting nothing, nothing wearies it by elation, and nothing oppresses it by dejection, because it stands in the center of its own humility.
–Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)
Discernment is…
Discernment is — and is recognized to be — a solid understanding of the will of God in all times, in all places, in all things; and is found only among those who are pure of heart, and body and in speech.
— Saint John Climacus (c. 525-606)
When you intend…
When you intend to do something then see that your thought is perturbed, and if, after invoking God’s Name, it remains perturbed even buy a hair’s breadth, know from this that the action you mean to commit is from the evil one, and refrain from committing it.
–Saint Barsanuphius the Great (Sixth Century)
Joys and consolations…
Our soul can find in the Blessed Sacrament all the joys and consolations it desires.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Put on unity…
Let us put on unity of mind, thinking humble thoughts, exercising self-control, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being righteous in deed.
–Saint Clement (First Century)
Do nothing but…
Let us behave like temples of God, so that it may be clear that God dwells in us. Let our doings not fall away from the Spirit, but let us, who have begun to be heavenly and spiritual, consider and do nothing but heavenly and spiritual things.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
Love God with…
Fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved.
–Saint Louis IX (1214-1270)
Why we pray…
We pray, not for our own pleasure and entertainment, but to find the strength to serve God.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Believe in…
It is a fatal error to mistake mere historical belief for saving faith. A person may firmly believe in his or her religion historically, and yet have no part nor portion therein practically and savingly. He or she must not only believe this faith, but must believe IN his or her faith.
–Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)
Advance in virtue…
If we would advance in virtue, we must not neglect little things, for they pave the way to greater.
— Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
The more completely…
The more completely I am stripped of all sentiment, all relish, all repose in God, the more do I seem to gain strength and peace of soul, and the more clearly do I see that there is nothing to lean upon but God alone, purely and simply.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Love God and…
It is impossible to love God without loving the Cross.
–Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717)
Discern the providence…
In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.
— Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Pray and act and pray…
We must never act without praying – never. We also must not pray without acting, when we have the means to act.
–Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916)
Giving what one has…
The soul will bring forth fruit in exactly the measure in which the inner life is developed in it. If there is no inner life, however great may be the zeal, the lofty intention, the hard work, no fruit will come forth; it is like a spring that would give out sanctity to others but cannot, having none to give; one can only give that which one has.
–Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916)
Respond to God…
Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others.
–Pope Francis (1936-
A tiny spark burns…
If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat and grow cold. In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.
–Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
Determined determination…
We must have a determined determination to never give up prayer.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Find peace within…
What peace can we hope to find elsewhere if we have none within us.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Difficult to pray…
Since we find it difficult to pray because our souls are hard and dry and devotionless, then let us do as the parched earth does which yawns open and in a manner cries out for the rain. A humble recognition of our need is often more eloquent to the ears of God that many prayers.
–Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Everyone must do…
Everyone — whether kings, nobles, tradesmen, or peasants — must do all things for the glory of God and under the inspiration of Christ’s example.
–Saint Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
Asking for love…
So, since Christ died for us, out of love, it follows that when we offer the sacrifice in commemoration of his death, we are asking for love to be given us by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We beg and we pray that just as through love Christ deigned to be crucified for us, so we may receive the grace of the Holy Spirit; and that by that grace the world should be a dead thing in our eyes and we should be dead to the world, crucified and dead.
–Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (Fifth — Sixth Century)
Nothing so moves…
Nothing so moves a sinner to repentance as eternity, and nothing is so useful to every Christian as remembrance and contemplation of eternity. Eternity restrains a man from sin, calms his passions, turns him from the world and all its vanity, makes his heart contrite, gives birth to tears of repentance, incites him to prayer, and works true sighing of the heart.
–Saint Tikhon (1724-1783)
Restore spiritual strength…
Material food first changes into the one who eats it, and then, as a consequence, restores to him lost strength and increases his vitality. Spiritual food, on the other hand, changes the person who eats it into itself. Thus the effect proper to this Sacrament [of the Eucharist] is the conversion of a man into Christ, so that he may no longer live, but Christ lives in him; consequently, it has the double effect of restoring the spiritual strength he had lost by his sins and defects, and of increasing the strength of his virtues.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Whether weather…
There is no such thing as bad weather. All weather is good because it is God’s.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
It is foolish…
It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
The greatest pledge…
Do not think that because He ascended to heaven that you have been forgotten, because you cannot be both loved and forgotten. He left you the greatest pledge that He had when He ascended there, namely the canopy of his precious flesh in memory of His love.
–Saint John of Ávila (1500-1569)
The life of prayer…
The life of prayer is just love to God, and the custom of being ever with Him.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
When we accept…
When we accept what happens to us and make the best of it, we are praising God.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Life-giving prayer…
Perfume all your actions with the life-giving breath of prayer.
–Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)
Heavenly realities…
Tie the leg of a sparrow to the ground, and no matter how hard it tries to fly, it will be fastened to the earth. In the same way, if your intellect tries to fly up to the mystical knowledge of heavenly realities but has not yet been freed of obsessive passions, it will remain tied fast to the earth.
–Saint Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
With patient love…
With patient love, with self-abasement and humiliation, with the reiterated breathings of an ardent but peaceful affection, and with silence full of the most profound respect, you must await the return of the Beloved. Thus only you will demonstrate that it is Himself alone, and His good pleasure, that you seek; and not the selfish delights of your sensations.
–Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717)
Our Lord moves…
Know that even when you are in the kitchen, our Lord moves amidst the pots and pans.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
God dwells within…
God dwells within you, and there you should dwell with Him.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
In everything, ask…
In everything, ask yourself only what the Master would have done, and do that.
–Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)
Pray by enduring…
You adore Him better by your silence them by your speeches. If you are incapable of anything whatever, then suffer. If you cannot pray by effort, then you will pray by endurance.
–Saint Jane Francis de Chantal (1572-1641)
Prayer repairs…
Prayer is the means by which we can repair all that is broken.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582
Weariness of spirit…
If anyone of you be for a time cast down with weariness of spirit or afflicted with aridity of heart so that the torrent of devoted love seem to be dried up…. realize the Lord’s way. For a time, He will draw away from you that you may seek Him with greater ardor and, having sought, may find Him with greater joy and, having found, may hold Him with greater love and having held, may never let Him go.
–Blessed Jordan of Saxony (c. 1190-1237)
Envy is madness…
It is madness for a Christian to be envious. In Christ we have all received infinitely great blessings.
–Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)
Approaching God…
The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Building bridges…
A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.
–Pope Francis (1936
Life full of brokenness…
Our life is full of brokenness – broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God’s faithful presence in our lives.
–Henri Nouwen (1932–1996)
Never address…
Never address your words to God while you are thinking of something else.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Strive to know God…
We shall never completely know ourselves if we don’t strive to know God.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Our Lord wills…
Our Lord wills that you cling to Him alone! If your faith were greater how much more peaceful you would be even when great trials surround and oppress you.
–Saint Paola Frassinetti (1809-1892)
Most Important…
The most important thing in the life of every man and every woman is not that they should never fall along the way. The important thing is always to get back up, not to stay on the ground licking your wounds.
–Pope Francis (1936-
Sorrow comes from…
To trust God means that we must know that whatever comes to us comes from his hands. If we do not see that sorrow comes from his hand and cannot get the comfort of his love from it, it may be because we do not acknowledge our joys as his gifts.
–Caryll Houselander (1901-1954)
We have to be…
In this world, we have the task to be the lips of Christ, the heart of Christ, the prayer of Christ, because we have the Spirit of Christ.
–Jean-Marie Lustiger (1926–2007)
For the salvation…
For the salvation of all of us in general, our Lord could not have given Himself more than He did on the Cross; and He cannot give Himself to each one of us in particular more than He has done in the Eucharist.
–Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1877–1964)
The power of obedience…
I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
In communion…
In Communion, the Savior draws us and gives Himself, not only to humanity in general, but to each one of us if we wish it, and in an ever more intimate manner if we are faithful.
–Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
Communion ought to….
Communion ought to incorporate us more and more into Christ, by increasing our humility, faith, confidence, and especially our charity, in order to make our hearts like to that of the Savior who died out of love for us.
— Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP (1877–1964)
Always available…
The [spiritual] director closest to us is Jesus himself in the tabernacle. We need to go to him and ask him how to sort out the messes that we’re in. And if that it not possible, we need to approach him in thought and heart, and ask for the light of grace.
–Marcel Nguyễn Tân Văn (1928–1959)
Trust God…
Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
One who perseveres…
God withholds Himself from no one who perseveres.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Let your words…
Let your words be few when in the midst of many.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Begin in silence…
I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence, so we need to listen. For, it is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us that matters. Prayer feeds the soul — as blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul — and it brings us closer to God.
–Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
God is happiness…
We must acknowledge that God is happiness itself or we will never know what true happiness is!
–Saint Servinus (c. 410 – 482)
Signs of Grace…
The signs accompanying grace are much joy, peace, love, and truth. Such signs impel us to seek truth. But the signs of sin are accompanied by turmoil, not joy and love toward God.
–Saint Macarius the Great (c. 300-391)
We feed on the food of life..
We feed as on the food of life, we constantly refresh our souls with his precious blood, as from a fountain. Yet we are always thirsting, burning to be satisfied. But he himself is present for those who thirst and in his goodness invites them to the feast day. Our Savior repeats his words: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” He quenched the thirst not only of those who came to him then. Whenever anyone seeks him he is freely admitted to the presence of the savior. The grace of the feast is not restricted to one occasion. Its rays of glory never set. It is always at hand to enlighten the mind of those who desire it.
–Saint Athanasius the Great (c. 296-373)
How to profit by…
Not one of this world’s blessings belongs to its owner securely enough to prevent time destroying it, or envy transferring it elsewhere…Let us profit by them in the only good way we can, that is, let us gain possession of our souls by giving alms, and share our earthly goods with the poor so as to enrich ourselves with the wealth of heaven.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Oblivious of self…
It seems to me that the saints are souls completely oblivious of self, lost in Him Whom they love, with never a thought of self or of creatures, so that they are able to say with St. Paul: “I live, yet not I, but Jesus Christ lives in me.”
–Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
The hidden ladder…
The ladder unto the Kingdom is hidden within you and within your soul. Dive into yourself, freed from sin; there you wilt find steps along which you can ascend.
–Saint Isaac of Syria (Seventh Century)
The more you pray…
The more you pray, the more you will be illumined; the more you are illumined, the more profoundly and intensely you will see the Supreme Good, the supremely good Being. The more profoundly and intensely you see him, the more you will love him; the more you love him, the more he will delight you. And the more he delights you, the more you will understand him and become capable of understanding him. You will arrive successively to the fullness of light, because you will understand that you cannot understand.
–Saint Angela of Foligno (1248-1309)
Trust in the slow work of God…
Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability— and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on,as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
Be silent and Christian…
It is better for a man to be silent and be a Christian, than to talk and not to be one. It is good to teach, if he who speaks also acts. There is then one Teacher, who spake and it was done; while even those things which He did in silence are worthy of the Father.
–Saint Ignatius of Antioch (First Century)
Why we venerate the Saints…
Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning.
Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church of all the first followers of Christ awaits us, but we do nothing about it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.
Come… let us at length spur ourselves on. We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory.
When we commemorate the saints we are inflamed with another yearning: that Christ our life may also appear to us as he appeared to them and that we may one day share in his glory. Until then we see him, not as he is, but as he became for our sake. He is our head, crowned, not with glory, but with the thorns of our sins. As members of that head, crowned with thorns, we should be ashamed to live in luxury; his purple robes are a mockery rather than an honor. When Christ comes again, his death shall no longer be proclaimed, and we shall know that we also have died, and that our life is hidden with him. The glorious head of the Church will appear and his glorified members will shine in splendor with him, when he forms this lowly body anew into such glory as belongs to himself, its head.
Therefore, we should aim at attaining this glory with a wholehearted and prudent desire. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness, we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond our own powers to obtain will be granted through their intercession.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Patient and generous is God’s mercy…
It is customary for those in sorrow or adversity to tear their garments…. I bid you not to tear your garments but rather to rend your hearts which are laden with sin. Like wine skins, unless they have been cut open, they will burst of their own accord. After you have done this, return to the Lord your God, from whom you had been alienated by your sins. Do not despair of his mercy, no matter how great your sins, for great mercy will take away great sins. For the Lord is gracious and merciful and prefers the conversion of a sinner rather than his death. Patient and generous in his mercy, he does not give in to human impatience but is willing to wait a long time for our repentance.
–Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
Remain permanently and habitually…
“Remain in Me.” (Jn. 15:4) It is the Word of God who gives this order, expresses this wish. Remain with Me, not for a few moments, a few hours which must pass away, but “remain…” permanently, habitually, Remain in Me, pray in Me, adore in Me, love in Me, suffer in Me, work and act in Me. Remain in Me so that you may be able to encounter anyone or anything; penetrate further still into these depths.
–Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)
For beginners, prayer is…
For beginners prayer is like a joyous fire kindled in the heart; for the perfect it is like a vigorous sweet-scented light. –Saint Gregory of Sinai (c. 1295-1346)
Let your prayer be…
Let your prayer be completely simple. For both the publican and the prodigal son were reconciled to God by a single phrase… Before all else let us list sincere thanksgiving first on our prayer-card. On the second line we should put confession, and heartfelt contrition of soul. Then let us present our petition to the King of all… This is the best way of prayer, as it was shown to one of the brethren by an angel of the Lord. Do not be over-sophisticated in the words you use when praying, because the simple and unadorned lisping of children has often won the heart of their heavenly Father… If you feel sweetness or compunction at some word of your prayer, dwell on it; for then our guardian angel is praying with us.
–Saint John Climacus (c. 525-606)
What humility is…
Complete trust in God – that’s what holy humility is. Complete obedience to God, without protest, without reaction, even when some things seem difficult and unreasonable. Abandonment to the hands of God.
–Saint Porphyrios (1906-1991)
The Holy Spirit will…
He is not just everywhere, but also above all, not just in every age and time, but before them all. And, according to the promise, the Holy Spirit will not just be with us until the end of the age, but rather will stay with those who are worthy in the age to come, making them immortal and filling their bodies as well with eternal glory, as the Lord indicated by telling His disciples, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16)
–Saint Gregory Palamas (1296-1359)
The Holy Spirit is…
It is the Holy Spirit who is the river of peace, the torrent of wealth, the river of gladness, the flowing stream of delight, and the abundance of God’s house. For he is himself the love that unites bride and Bridegroom in the city of glory and constitutes the entire happiness of all who live there. That love which is the Holy Spirit is the life of the holy angels and of all saintly souls.
–Rupert of Deutz (1075-1130)
We pray least…
We pray least when we say most.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
The river of God is brimming…
The river of God is brimming with water; that is to say, we are inundated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And from that fountain of life the river of God pours into us in full flood. We also have food prepared for us. And who is this food? It is he in whom we are prepared for life with God, for by receiving his holy body we receive a place in the communion of his holy body… These gifts enter us like a gentle rain, and once having done so, little by little, they bring forth fruit in abundance.
–Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 300-368)
Motivated by the love of Christ…
In everything we do God considers our disposition rather than our actions. And so, whether we retire mentally to God in earnest contemplation and remain at rest or whether we are intent on being of service to those around us with good works and worthy undertakings, let our object be that we are motivated only by love of Christ.
–Saint Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)
The thicket of much suffering…
Would that men might come at last to see that it is quite impossible to reach the thicket of the riches and wisdom of God except by first entering the thicket of much suffering, in such a way that the soul finds there its consolation and desire. The soul that longs for divine wisdom chooses first, and in truth, to enter the thicket of the cross.
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Dig deeply in Christ…
Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded by them, and even to be understood by them. We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides…
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)
God is always with us…
There is no other name by which we must be saved. That we may be able always to pay attention to Christ, and be zealous in this at all times, let us call on him who is the subject of our thoughts at every moment. And of course those who call upon him need no special preparation or special place for prayer, nor a loud voice. For he is present everywhere, and is always with us; he is even nearer to those who seek him than their very heart. It is fitting, then, that we should firmly believe that our prayers will be answered.
–Saint Nicholas Cabasilas (c. 1321–1392)
God’s house is…
God’s house is the whole world; God’s house is the Catholic Church; God’s house is also every faithful soul. But God inhabits the world in one way, the Church in another, and every faithful soul in yet a third. He is in the world as ruler of His kingdom; He is in the Church as head of the family in His own home; He is in the soul as the bridegroom in the wedding-chamber.
–Hugh of St. Victor (c. 1096–1141)
God is without beginning or end…
If nobody can count the sand of the sea or the raindrops or the days of eternity…, how can anyone probe the wisdom of God which exists without beginning and without end and abides forever, at once indescribable and immeasurable?
–Rabanus Maurus (c.780-856)
The oil of God’s mercy…
If a man has tar on his hands, he removes it with a little cleansing oil; how much more, then, can you be made clean with the oil of God’s mercy. You find no difficulty in washing your clothes; how much easier is it for the Lord to cleanse you from every stain, although you are bound to be tempted every day. When you say to the Lord, ‘I have sinned’, He answers: ‘Your sins are forgiven you; I am He who wipes them out and I will remember them no more’(Matt. 9:2; Isa.43:25); ‘as far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your sins from you; and as a father shows compassion to his sons, so will I show compassion to you’ (Ps.103:12-13).
–Saint John of Karpathos (Seventh Century)
Waves of distraction…
Those who are struggling in battle ought always to keep their souls free of the tumultuous waves of distraction. If they do this, the mind will be able to distinguish among the thoughts that come to it. The good thoughts, sent by God, they can store in the treasure-house of their memory. The evil thoughts, sent by the devil, they can throw out.
–Saint Diadochus of Photike (c. 400 – c. 486)
Five signs of spiritual growth…
Five Signs of Spiritual Progress and Growth
ONE: If we are discontented with our present state, whatever it may be, and want to be something better and higher, we have great reason to be thankful to God. For such discontent is one of His best gifts, and a great sign that we are really making progress in the spiritual life…
TWO: Again, strange as it may sound, it is a sign of our growth if we are always making new beginnings and fresh starts… .. For these new starts seen something higher, and therefore for the most part something arduous; whereas fickleness is tired of the yoke, and seeks ease and change…..
THREE: It is also a sign of progress in the spiritual life, when we have some definite thing in view: for instance, if we are trying to acquire the habit of some particular virtue, or to conquer some besetting infirmity, or to accustom ourselves to a certain penance. All this is a test of earnestness, and also a token of the vigor of divine grace within us..
FOUR: But it is a still greater sign that we are making progress, if we have a strong feeling on our minds that God wants something particular from us… To feel then, with all sober reverence, this drawing of the Holy Ghost, is a sign that we are making progress. Yet it must be carefully remembered that no one should be disquieted because of the absence of such a feeling. It is neither universal nor indispensable.
FIVE: I will venture also to add that an increased general desire of being more perfect is not altogether without its value as a sign of progress: and that, in spite of what I have said of the importance of having a definite object in view. I do not think we esteem this general desire of perfection sufficiently. Of course we must not stop at it nor be satisfied with it. It is only given us to go on with.
–Frederick Faber (1814-1863)
A journey called night…
We may say that there are three reasons for which this journey made by the soul to union with God is called night. The first has to do with the point from which the soul goes forth, for it has gradually to deprive itself of desire for all the worldly things which it possessed, by denying them to itself; the which denial and deprivation are, as it were, night to all the senses of man. The second reason has to do with the mean, or the road along which the soul must travel to this union — that is, faith, which is likewise as dark as night to the understanding. The third has to do with the point to which it travels — namely, God, Who, equally, is dark night to the soul in this life. These three nights must pass through the soul — or, rather, the soul must pass through them — in order that it may come to Divine union with God… And, when this third night is past, which is the complete accomplishment of the communication of God in the spirit, which is ordinarily wrought in great darkness of the soul, there then follows its union with the Bride, which is the Wisdom of God.
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Learn from the Cross…
Let us then learn from the Cross of Jesus our proper way of living.
Should I say ‘living’ or, instead, ‘dying’? Rather, both living and dying.
Dying to the world, living for God.
Dying to vices and living by the virtues.
Dying to the flesh, but living in the spirit.
Thus in the Cross of Christ there is death and in the Cross of Christ there is life.
The death of death is there, and the life of life.
The death of sins is there and the life of the virtues.
The death of the flesh is there, and the life of the spirit.
But why did God choose this manner of death?
He chose it as both a mystery and an example.
In addition, he chose it because our sickness was such as to make such a remedy appropriate.
It was fitting that we who had fallen because of a tree might rise up because of a tree.
Fitting that the one who had conquered by means of a tree might also be conquered by means of a tree.
Fitting that we who had eaten the fruit of death from a tree might be given the fruit of life from a tree.
And because we had fallen from the security of that most blessed place on earth into this great, expansive sea, it was fitting that wood should be made ready to carry us across it.
For no one crosses the sea except on wood, or this world except on the Cross.
–Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)
The mystery of Christ crucified….
He received the spittings of insulters, who with His spittle had a little before made eyes for a blind man.
And He in whose name the devil and his angels is now scourged by His servants, Himself suffered scourgings!
He was crowned with thorns, who crowns martyrs with eternal flowers.
He was smitten on the face with palms, who gives the true palms to those who overcome.
He was despoiled of His earthly garment, who clothes others in the vesture of immortality.
He was fed with gall, who gave heavenly food.
He was given to drink of vinegar, who appointed the cup of salvation.
That guiltless, that just One—nay, He who is innocency itself and justice itself—is counted among transgressors, and truth is oppressed with false witnesses.
He who shall judge is judged; and the Word of God is led silently to the slaughter.
And when at the cross, of the Lord the stars are confounded, the elements are disturbed, the earth quakes, night shuts out the day, the sun…He speaks not, nor is moved, nor declares His majesty even in His very passion itself.
Even to the end, all things are borne perseveringly and constantly, in order that in Christ a full and perfect patience may be consummated.
And after all these things, He still receives His murderers, if they will be converted and come to Him.
And with a saving patience, He who is benignant to preserve, closes His Church to none.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
Candles are a sign…
Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor of the one who comes to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show how bright our souls should be when we go to meet Christ.
–Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem (560-638)
There is no place Christ will not come….
Christ who has been sacrificed on the altar is laid in the tomb of their hearts. There is no place where he will not come: prisons, hospitals, schools, camps, ships at sea, cathedrals and little tin churches; he comes to them all. He comes into the houses of the sick and the dying, regardless whether they are mansions or slums.
He comes to all kinds of people, from little children at First Communion, who bring him their first tender acts of love and reparation to be myrrh and aloes on his wounds, to old sinners who open their empty hearts to him hurriedly, at the last minute, just as Joseph of Arimathea’s empty tomb was opened hurriedly, at the last minute before the feast, to receive his crucified body.
Every day crowds of unknown people come to him, who feel as hard, as cold, as empty as the tomb. They come with the first light, before going to the day’s work, and with the grey mind of early morning, hardly able to concentrate at all on the mystery which they themselves are part of: impelled only by the persistent will of love, not by any sweetness of consolation, and it seems to them as if nothing happens at all. But Christ’s response to that dogged, devoted will of a multitude of insignificant people is his coming to life in them, his Resurrection in their souls.
–Caryll Houselander (1901-1954)
Had there been no Cross…
Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life, and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled. –Saint Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)
Let God see you are thankful…
Only let God see you are thankful for what he has given you, and he will bestow more and better gifts upon you.
–Saint Lawrence Justinian (1381-1456)
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