30 November 2020
Practice
Constant Recollection
There is a practice
that is most powerful in keeping us united with God. That practice is the
constant recollection of His presence.
28 November 2020
Confession of SinsWhen holy teachers give us instruction during the confession of our sins, they are touching the wounds of our hearts with their tongues. When they free us from our sins by speaking to us, it is as if they are restoring our health by touching our wounds.
Gregory the Great
26 November 2020
Why Bread and WineWhy did Our Blessed Lord use bread and wine as the elements of this Memorial? First of all, because no two substances in nature better symbolize unity than bread and wine. As bread is made from a multiplicity of grains of wheat, and wine is made from a multiplicity of grapes, so the many who believe are one in Christ. Second, no two substances in nature have to suffer more to become what they are than bread and wine. Wheat has to pass through the rigors of winter, be ground beneath the Calvary of a mill, and then subjected to purging fire before it can become bread. Grapes in their turn must be subjected to the Gethsemane of a wine press and have their life crushed from them to become wine. Thus, do they symbolize the Passion and Sufferings of Christ, and the condition of Salvation, for Our Lord said unless we die to ourselves we cannot live in Him. A third reason is that there are no two substances in nature which have more traditionally nourished man [and woman] than bread and wine. In bringing these elements to the altar, men [and women] are equivalently bringing themselves. When bread and wine are taken or consumed, they are changed into [one’]s body and blood. But when [Jesus] took bread and wine, He changed them into Himself.
Fulton J. Sheen
24 November 2020
The Spiritual LifeThe designs of God, the good pleasure of God, the will of God, the operation of God and the gift of His grace are all one and the same thing in the spiritual life. It is God working in the soul to make it like unto Himself. Perfection is neither more nor less than the faithful co-operation of the soul with this work of God, and is begun, grows, and is consummated in the soul unperceived and in secret.
Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
23 November 2020
Kindling the HeartGod is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is from the devil, – for the devil is cold – then let us call upon the Lord, and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him, but for our neighbor as well. And from the presence of warmth the coldness of the hater of good will be driven away.
Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833)
17 November 2020
Live By The SpiritYour brother does not cease to be your brother because he slips or offend you; that is when he has most need of your love. Loving your neighbor as yourself means that you should not obey the sinful nature, which, when it is offended, hates and bites and devours. Rather, you should wrestle against it by the Spirit and continue loving your neighbor, although you find nothing worthy of love in him. Our righteousness is much more abundant than our sins, because the holiness and righteousness of Christ our Mediator far exceeds the sin of the whole world, and the forgiveness of sins that have through him is so great that it easily swallows up all our sins, so long as we live by the Spirit.
Martin Luther
16 November 2020
Falling SeverelyAnd then he allows some of us to fall more severely and distressingly than before– at least that is how we see it. And then it seems to us, who are not always wise, that all we set out our hands to is lost. But it is not so. We need to fall, and we need to see that we have done so. For if we never fell we should not know how weak and pitiable we are in ourselves. Nor should we fully know the wonderful love of our maker.
Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
14 November 2020
Solitude with God
In order to find this delightful solitude [with God], it is not necessary to withdraw into a desert and live in a cave; you can find it in your home and in the midst of your family. Busy yourself with the outside world only in as far as the duties of your state, obedience, or charity require, and you will be living in that solitude that best accords with your circumstances and that God requires of you.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)13 November 2020
Becoming Sheep (Psalms 23)
In this way, [David, the author of the Psalm] teaches the church that you must first become a sheep of the good shepherd, led through the good catechesis to the divine pastures and the springs of the teachings, so that you may be with him through Baptism in his death and that you may not fear such a death; for this is not death, but the shadow and the replica of death. If I walk, he says, in the midst of the shadow of death, I will not fear when evil comes, for you are with me.Next he comforts with the staff of the Spirit (for the comforter is the Spirit) and spreads the mystical table that he has prepared in the presence of the table of the demons; for they were the ones who through idolatry oppressed the lives of men; in its presence is the table of the Spirit. Then he anoints the head with the oil of the Spirit; he adds to this wine that gladdens the heart and that produces sober inebriation in the soul, which raises the thoughts from what is temporal to what is eternal; for he who has tasted such inebriation completes that which is left unfinished through an untimely death, continuing the sojourn in the house of God for length of days.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
11 November 2020
Be Alert As You PrayFor if you spin out your words to any length you are often inattentive, and so give the devil freedom to approach and trip you up and divert your mind from what you are saying. But if you pray continuously and frequently, repeating your prayer at brief intervals, you can easily remain recollected and fully alert as you pray.
Saint John Chrysostom
10 November 2020
Lighten the BurdenKeep praising God with hymns, and meditating continually, and so lighten the burden of the temptations that attack you. A traveler carrying a heavy burden stops from time to time to take deep breaths, and so makes the journey easier and the burden light.
Abba Hyperichius (A Desert Father)
9 November 2020
Given Over to God’s WillThe Lord has given the Holy Spirit upon the earth, and in whomsoever He dwells, that one feels paradise within himself. You might say: why hasn’t this happened to me? Because you have not given yourself over to the will of God, but you live according to yourself. Look at the one who loves his own will. He never has peace in himself and is always displeased with something. But whoever has given himself over to God’s will perfectly has pure prayer. His soul loves the Lord, and everything is acceptable and good to him.
Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)
8 November 2020
On FamilyThe family is the most ancient institution which God founded in Paradise, when He called the first pair of human beings into existence. The first blessing which God gave was for the wellbeing of the family. With family life, the history of the world commences.
Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
7 November 2020
The Persecuted ChurchA church that suffers no persecution but enjoys the privileges and support of the things of the earth – beware! – is not the true church of Jesus Christ. A preaching that does not point out sin is not the preaching of the gospel. A preaching that makes sinners feel good, so that they are secured in their sinful state, betrays the gospel’s call.
Blessed Oscar Romero (1917-1980)
6 November 2020
Cherishing the Will of GodReflect every day on the fact that He Who has granted you the morning has not promised the evening, and, should He grant this, He gives no assurance of the following morning. Spend each day, therefore, as if it were the last; cherish nothing but the will of God, for you will have to render a strict account for every moment.
Lawrence Scupoli (1529-1610)
5 November 2020
Contemplating Heaven
From this valley of tears, turn your gaze continually to God, ever awaiting the moment when you will be united to Him in heaven. Often contemplate heaven, and fervently exclaim: What a beautiful abode there is above! It is destined for us! Sigh longingly after its possession. Sometimes say, while your eyes are moist with tears: Nothing in this world pleases me; I no longer care for anything but my God. Yes, I hope, yes, I wish to possess Him, and I hope this of the mercy of God, through the merits of my Savior’s Passion and the dolors of my good Mother Mary.
Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)4 November 2020
Patiently AcceptingIf we patiently accept through love all that God allows to happen, then we will begin to taste even here on earth something of the delights the saints experience in heaven. But for this we must serve God willingly and lovingly, seeking to obey the Divine Will rather than to follow our own inclinations and desires. For the perfection of love demands that we desire for ourselves only whatever God wills. Let us implore the good God unceasingly to grant us this grace!
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
3 November 2020
Our ExistenceFor what purpose does the Lord add day after day, year after year, to our existence? In order that we may gradually put away, cast aside, evil from our souls, each one his own, and acquire blessed simplicity; in order that we may become, for instance, gentle as lambs, simple as infants; in order that we may learn not to have the least attachment to earthly things, but like loving, simple children, may cling with all our hearts to God alone, and love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength, and all our thoughts, and our neighbor as ourselves.
Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)
2 November 2020
Praying From the HeartHere are 10 positive things that happen EVERY time we pray from the heart:
1. We Receive…
2. We Follow God’s Will…
3. We Profess Our Faith …
4. We Imitate Christ – …
5. We Enter Into A Relationship With God …
6. We Increase Our Chances For Salvation …
7. We Obtain What God Wants To Give Us…
8. We Practice Humility…
9. We Obtain Peace…
10. We Use Our Time Wisely…
Obviously, the prayer that I’m speaking of above is sincere, “from the heart” dialog with God. Going through the motions” or babbling rote phrases will not produce the above results. When we truly mean the words we pray, however, we can count on every one of these benefits. Remember this the next time you’re tempted to put off praying, thinking that it will do no good. There is no more productive activity we can do on this earth!
Gary Zimak
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