31 December 2023
O the wise invention of the teacher who contrives that in our singing we
learn what is profitable, and that thereby doctrine is somehow more deeply
impressed upon our souls! What is learned under duress tend not to be retained,
but suavely ingratiates itself somehow abides our soul more steadfastly.
St. Basil the Great
Divine ove
29 December 2023
By a beautiful paradox of Divine love, God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and our life. We have slain Him; we have nailed Him there and crucified Him; but the Love in His eternal heart could not be extinguished. He willed to give us the very life we slew; to give us the very Food we destroyed; to nourish us with the very Bread we buried, and the very Blood we poured forth. He made our very crime into a happy fault; He turned a Crucifixion into a Redemption; a Consecration into a Communion; a death into Life Everlasting.
Blessed Fulton Sheen
By a beautiful paradox of Divine love, God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and our life. We have slain Him; we have nailed Him there and crucified Him; but the Love in His eternal heart could not be extinguished. He willed to give us the very life we slew; to give us the very Food we destroyed; to nourish us with the very Bread we buried, and the very Blood we poured forth. He made our very crime into a happy fault; He turned a Crucifixion into a Redemption; a Consecration into a Communion; a death into Life Everlasting.
Blessed Fulton Sheen
Blood and Water
28 December 2023
Do you want to learn the power of this blood from another source? Look from where it flowed initially and from where it had its source, from above the cross, from the side of the Lord. For, it is said, ‘When Jesus was dead but still hanging on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. This was the symbol of baptism and of the mysteries. Therefore, it did not say, ‘Blood came out,’ but ‘Blood and water.’ Why? Because, from both of these, the Church is born, ‘the water, for regeneration, and the blood, for sanctification, the Spirit’s manifestation.’ And the symbols of the baptism and the mysteries came from the side. From the side, therefore, Christ formed the Church, just as He formed Eve from the side of Adam.
St. John Chrysostom
Do you want to learn the power of this blood from another source? Look from where it flowed initially and from where it had its source, from above the cross, from the side of the Lord. For, it is said, ‘When Jesus was dead but still hanging on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. This was the symbol of baptism and of the mysteries. Therefore, it did not say, ‘Blood came out,’ but ‘Blood and water.’ Why? Because, from both of these, the Church is born, ‘the water, for regeneration, and the blood, for sanctification, the Spirit’s manifestation.’ And the symbols of the baptism and the mysteries came from the side. From the side, therefore, Christ formed the Church, just as He formed Eve from the side of Adam.
St. John Chrysostom
Avoid the Deadly Errors of the Docetae
27 December 2023
Flee, therefore, those evil offshoots [of Satan], which produce death bearing fruit, whereof if any one tastes, he instantly dies. For these men are not the planting of the Father. For if they were, they would appear as branches of the cross, and their fruit would be incorruptible. By it He calls you through His passion, as being His members. The head, therefore, cannot be born by itself, without its members; God, who is [the Saviour] Himself, having promised their union.
Ignatius of Antioch
Flee, therefore, those evil offshoots [of Satan], which produce death bearing fruit, whereof if any one tastes, he instantly dies. For these men are not the planting of the Father. For if they were, they would appear as branches of the cross, and their fruit would be incorruptible. By it He calls you through His passion, as being His members. The head, therefore, cannot be born by itself, without its members; God, who is [the Saviour] Himself, having promised their union.
Ignatius of Antioch
Adoring God
26 December 2023
If we really loved the good God, we should make it our joy and happiness to come and spend a few moments to adore Him, and ask Him for the grace of forgiveness; and we should regard those moments as the happiest of our lives.
Saint John Vianney
If we really loved the good God, we should make it our joy and happiness to come and spend a few moments to adore Him, and ask Him for the grace of forgiveness; and we should regard those moments as the happiest of our lives.
Saint John Vianney
On the Nativity
24 December 2023
Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole
chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil
confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise
is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out,
truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on
every side, a heavenly way of life has been implanted on the earth, angels
communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.
St. John Chrysostom
On Prayer
22 December 2023
The prayer of the heart is the source of all good, which refreshes the soul as if it were a garden.
Saint Gregory of Sinai
The prayer of the heart is the source of all good, which refreshes the soul as if it were a garden.
Saint Gregory of Sinai
God's Will
19 December 2023
God’s will is like the sun whose rays are like his will for each one of
us. Each of us walks along a ray, distinct from the ray of the person next to
us, but always along a ray of the sun. The closer the rays get to the sun, the
closer they get to each other. For us too, the closer we come to God, by
carrying out the divine will, more and more, the closer we draw to each other.
Chiara Lubich
Season of Advent
6 December 2023
If there is a time that people consecrated to God love to spend in devotion, it is certainly the time of the holy festivals on which the Christian Church contemplates the mercies of God. True, many who are Christian only in name spend the holy festival seasons partly in high living and luxury, partly in pride and in parading new clothes, partly in idleness and unbecoming talk. Because of this, they do not take the love and grace of the Most High to heart. But believing children of God have an altogether different mind. For they hail with joy each coming festival season because in their devotions they are going to place before their mind the gift that the goodness of God has given them.
During the holy season of Advent, they meditate on the love of their heavenly Father, who spared not His only Son but sent Him into the world to suffer and die, and thus acquire salvation for all people. They consider the ardent love of Jesus, who was clothed with our flesh and blood in order that He might bring us to heaven and give us unending happiness. They give praise for the grace of the Holy Spirit, who has placed the gifts lavished on our human race before the souls of believers, who has made them their own, and who causes them to recognize these gifts in such a vivid and effectual manner that they seem to have been given this very day. Accordingly, they make this holy season a time of devotion and prayer, and begin and end it with hearing and meditating on the Word of God, with singing festival hymns, and with a quiet and godly way of living.
Johan Starck
If there is a time that people consecrated to God love to spend in devotion, it is certainly the time of the holy festivals on which the Christian Church contemplates the mercies of God. True, many who are Christian only in name spend the holy festival seasons partly in high living and luxury, partly in pride and in parading new clothes, partly in idleness and unbecoming talk. Because of this, they do not take the love and grace of the Most High to heart. But believing children of God have an altogether different mind. For they hail with joy each coming festival season because in their devotions they are going to place before their mind the gift that the goodness of God has given them.
During the holy season of Advent, they meditate on the love of their heavenly Father, who spared not His only Son but sent Him into the world to suffer and die, and thus acquire salvation for all people. They consider the ardent love of Jesus, who was clothed with our flesh and blood in order that He might bring us to heaven and give us unending happiness. They give praise for the grace of the Holy Spirit, who has placed the gifts lavished on our human race before the souls of believers, who has made them their own, and who causes them to recognize these gifts in such a vivid and effectual manner that they seem to have been given this very day. Accordingly, they make this holy season a time of devotion and prayer, and begin and end it with hearing and meditating on the Word of God, with singing festival hymns, and with a quiet and godly way of living.
Johan Starck
On Love
4 December 2023
Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.
Saint Augustine
Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.
Saint Augustine
On Ingratitude
28 November 2023
Death is the gate of life. Ingratitude is the soul's enemy... Ingratitude is a burning wind that dries up the source of love, the dew of mercy, and the streams of grace. You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you will never learn from masters.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Death is the gate of life. Ingratitude is the soul's enemy... Ingratitude is a burning wind that dries up the source of love, the dew of mercy, and the streams of grace. You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you will never learn from masters.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Short and Fleeting
26 November 2023
Short and fleeting are the joys of this world’s pleasures which endeavors to turn aside from the path of life those who are called to eternity. The faithful and religious spirit, therefore, must desire the things which are heavenly, and being eager for the Divine promises, lift itself to the love of the incorruptible Good and the hope of the true Light.
Saint Leo the Great
Short and fleeting are the joys of this world’s pleasures which endeavors to turn aside from the path of life those who are called to eternity. The faithful and religious spirit, therefore, must desire the things which are heavenly, and being eager for the Divine promises, lift itself to the love of the incorruptible Good and the hope of the true Light.
Saint Leo the Great
Sing to the Lord
25 November 2023
Theology is doxology. Theology must sing… The song of the church must be an unending song. The church must cherish the best, but its song should not be a mere repetition of the song of the past. Then shall we sing with grace, with all the emphasis on God and a most unsentimental subordination of ourselves. We shall sing to the Lord. With our song we shall guide one another continually to the center and fountain of the Christian’s life and thus really teach and admonish one another. We shall sing in our hearts; the whole man will sing. We shall see then realized the ideal of all Christian song: the whole man with all his powers, with all the skills and gifts that God has bestowed upon him wholly bent on giving utterance to the peace that rules within him, wholly given to the purpose of letting the Word of Christ that dwells in him richly become articulate and audible through him to the upbuilding of the church and the glory of God. Then shall our theology be doxology.
Martin H. Franzmann
Theology is doxology. Theology must sing… The song of the church must be an unending song. The church must cherish the best, but its song should not be a mere repetition of the song of the past. Then shall we sing with grace, with all the emphasis on God and a most unsentimental subordination of ourselves. We shall sing to the Lord. With our song we shall guide one another continually to the center and fountain of the Christian’s life and thus really teach and admonish one another. We shall sing in our hearts; the whole man will sing. We shall see then realized the ideal of all Christian song: the whole man with all his powers, with all the skills and gifts that God has bestowed upon him wholly bent on giving utterance to the peace that rules within him, wholly given to the purpose of letting the Word of Christ that dwells in him richly become articulate and audible through him to the upbuilding of the church and the glory of God. Then shall our theology be doxology.
Martin H. Franzmann
Animosity
24 November 2023
If we look inside our hearts and find there even a trace of animosity toward others for the wrongs they have done to us, then we should realize that we are still far removed from the love of God. The love of God absolutely precludes us from hating any human being.
Saint Maximos the Confessor
If we look inside our hearts and find there even a trace of animosity toward others for the wrongs they have done to us, then we should realize that we are still far removed from the love of God. The love of God absolutely precludes us from hating any human being.
Saint Maximos the Confessor
Concerning Thanksgiving
23 November 2023
When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.
St. Basil the Great
When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator.
St. Basil the Great
On Human Dignity
22 November 2023
People are equal in one sense only, but it's a decisive sense deeper than any simple equations of worth. Think of it this way: Does a mother really love each irreplaceable child she bears "equally" - or in some much more profound and intimate way? Can a good father really weigh the "comparative value" of the young lives that come from his own flesh and blood? Our dignity is rooted in the God who made us. His love, shared in every parent's experience, is infinite and unique for each of us as individual persons - because each son and daughter is unrepeatable. Only God's love guarantees our worth. And therein lies our equality. Nothing else has God's permanence. In him, our inequalities become not cruelties of fate, but openings to love, support, and "complete" each other in his name.
Charles J. Chaput
People are equal in one sense only, but it's a decisive sense deeper than any simple equations of worth. Think of it this way: Does a mother really love each irreplaceable child she bears "equally" - or in some much more profound and intimate way? Can a good father really weigh the "comparative value" of the young lives that come from his own flesh and blood? Our dignity is rooted in the God who made us. His love, shared in every parent's experience, is infinite and unique for each of us as individual persons - because each son and daughter is unrepeatable. Only God's love guarantees our worth. And therein lies our equality. Nothing else has God's permanence. In him, our inequalities become not cruelties of fate, but openings to love, support, and "complete" each other in his name.
Charles J. Chaput
On Prayer
21 November 2023
Prayer is the deliberate and persevering action of the soul. It is true and enduring, and full of grace. Prayer fastens the soul to God and makes it one with his will, through the deep and wide working of the Holy Spirit.
Saint Julian of Norwich
Prayer is the deliberate and persevering action of the soul. It is true and enduring, and full of grace. Prayer fastens the soul to God and makes it one with his will, through the deep and wide working of the Holy Spirit.
Saint Julian of Norwich
Recollection of Injuries
20 November 2023
The recollection of an injury is itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin, and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. It puts all virtue to flight. It is like a worm in the mind: it confuses our speech and tears to shreds our petitions to God. It is foreign to charity: it remains planted in the soul like a nail. It is wickedness that never sleeps, sin that never fails. It is indeed a daily death.
Saint Francis of Paola
The recollection of an injury is itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin, and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. It puts all virtue to flight. It is like a worm in the mind: it confuses our speech and tears to shreds our petitions to God. It is foreign to charity: it remains planted in the soul like a nail. It is wickedness that never sleeps, sin that never fails. It is indeed a daily death.
Saint Francis of Paola
On Prayer
19 November 2023
Stand patiently and pray steadfastly, brushing off the impacts of worldly cares and all thoughts; for they distract and worry you in order to disturb the impetus of your prayer.
Saint Nilus of Sinai
Stand patiently and pray steadfastly, brushing off the impacts of worldly cares and all thoughts; for they distract and worry you in order to disturb the impetus of your prayer.
Saint Nilus of Sinai
Christian Duty
15 November 2023
The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny oneself. To deny oneself means: to give up one’s bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world… to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God. A Christian’s second duty is to take up one’s cross. The word “cross” means sufferings, sorrows and adversities. To “take up one’s cross” means to accept without complaint everything unpleasant, painful, sad, difficult and oppressive that may happen to us in life. In other words, to bear all laughter, scorn, weariness, sorrow and annoyance from others; to bear all poverty, misfortune, illness, without regarding yourself as offended.
Saint Innocent of Alaska
The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny oneself. To deny oneself means: to give up one’s bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world… to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God. A Christian’s second duty is to take up one’s cross. The word “cross” means sufferings, sorrows and adversities. To “take up one’s cross” means to accept without complaint everything unpleasant, painful, sad, difficult and oppressive that may happen to us in life. In other words, to bear all laughter, scorn, weariness, sorrow and annoyance from others; to bear all poverty, misfortune, illness, without regarding yourself as offended.
Saint Innocent of Alaska
On Falsehood
14 November 2023
In the Scriptures it is written that falsehood is from the evil one, and that He is the "Father of Lies" (John 8:44), while God is truth, for He Himself says, "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6). Thus you see from whom we estranged ourselves and to whom we are united by a lie. So then, if we really want to be saved, we must love truth with our whole hearts and guard ourselves from all falsehood. There are three different types of lies: in thought, in word, and in life itself. A man lies in thought when he accepts as true his own imaginations, that is his vain despite of his neighbor. Such a one, when he sees that someone is conversing with his neighbor, makes his own estimation and says, "They are talking about me." If someone say a word, he considers that it was said to grieve him. Never believe your own guesses and interpretations, for a crooked measurement makes even the straight to be crooked. Human opinion is false and harms those who are given to it. The one who sins in word is one who, for example, when out of despondency he has not gotten up for the service, does not say, "Forgive me, I was too lazy to get up," but says, "I had a fever, I had too much work, I hadn't the strength to get up, I was sick," and says ten false statements, rather than make a single prostration and be humbled. And if he should be rebuke is such a situation, he changes his words and argues, in order not to be rebuked. One who lies by his life is one who, if he is defiled, pretends to be chaste, or if he is avaricious, praises almsgiving, or if he is proud praises humility. Thus, in order to escape falsehood and be delivered from the part of the evil one, let us strive to appropriate truth, in order to have union with God.
St. Abba Dorotheos
In the Scriptures it is written that falsehood is from the evil one, and that He is the "Father of Lies" (John 8:44), while God is truth, for He Himself says, "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6). Thus you see from whom we estranged ourselves and to whom we are united by a lie. So then, if we really want to be saved, we must love truth with our whole hearts and guard ourselves from all falsehood. There are three different types of lies: in thought, in word, and in life itself. A man lies in thought when he accepts as true his own imaginations, that is his vain despite of his neighbor. Such a one, when he sees that someone is conversing with his neighbor, makes his own estimation and says, "They are talking about me." If someone say a word, he considers that it was said to grieve him. Never believe your own guesses and interpretations, for a crooked measurement makes even the straight to be crooked. Human opinion is false and harms those who are given to it. The one who sins in word is one who, for example, when out of despondency he has not gotten up for the service, does not say, "Forgive me, I was too lazy to get up," but says, "I had a fever, I had too much work, I hadn't the strength to get up, I was sick," and says ten false statements, rather than make a single prostration and be humbled. And if he should be rebuke is such a situation, he changes his words and argues, in order not to be rebuked. One who lies by his life is one who, if he is defiled, pretends to be chaste, or if he is avaricious, praises almsgiving, or if he is proud praises humility. Thus, in order to escape falsehood and be delivered from the part of the evil one, let us strive to appropriate truth, in order to have union with God.
St. Abba Dorotheos
Man's Anger
13 November 2023
We must, with God’s help, eradicate the deadly poison of the demon of
anger from the depths of our souls. So long as he dwells in our hearts and
blinds the eyes of the heart with his somber disorders, we can neither
discriminate what is for our good, nor achieve spiritual knowledge, nor fulfill
our good intentions, nor participate in true life; and our intellect will
remain impervious to the contemplation of the true, divine light; for it is
written, “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God” (Jms.
1:20).
Saint John Cassian
Love the Lord
12 November 2023
Let us all love the Lord God with all our heart, all our soul, with all
our mind and all our strength and with fortitude and total understanding, with
all of our powers, with every effort, every affection, every emotion, every
desire, and every wish. He has given and gives to each one of us our whole
body, our whole soul, and our whole life. He created us and redeemed us, and
will save us by his mercy alone. He did and does every good thing for us who
are miserable and wretched, rotten and foul-smelling, ungrateful and evil. Therefore
let us desire nothing else let us wish for nothing else, let nothing else
please us and cause us delight except our Creator and Redeemer and Savior, the
one true God…Therefore, let nothing hinder us, nothing separate us or nothing
come between us. Let all of us wherever we are, in every place, at every hour,
at every time of day, every day and continually believe truly and humbly and
keep in our heart, and love, honor, adore, serve, praise and bless, glorify and
exalt, magnify and give thanks to the most high and supreme eternal God,
Trinity and Unity: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Saint Francis of Assisi
On Prayer
11 November 2023
The purpose of prayer is not to inform our Lord what you desire, for He
knows all your needs. It is to render you able and ready to receive the grace
which our Lord will freely give you. This grace cannot be experienced until you
have been refined and purified by the fire of desire in devout prayer. For
although prayer is not the cause for which our Lord gives grace, it is
nevertheless the means by which grace, freely given, comes to the soul.
Walter Hilton
The Fruit of Grace
10 November 2023
The mysterious growth of Jesus Christ in our heart is the accomplishment of God’s purpose, the fruit of his grace and divine will. This fruit, as has been pointed out, forms, grows, and ripens in the succession of our duties to the present which are continually being replenished by God, so that obeying them is always the best we can do. We must offer no resistance and blindly abandon ourselves to his divine will in perfect trust.
Jean-Pierre de Caussade
The mysterious growth of Jesus Christ in our heart is the accomplishment of God’s purpose, the fruit of his grace and divine will. This fruit, as has been pointed out, forms, grows, and ripens in the succession of our duties to the present which are continually being replenished by God, so that obeying them is always the best we can do. We must offer no resistance and blindly abandon ourselves to his divine will in perfect trust.
Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Praying the Psalms
8 November 2023
If any oppressive sorrow has come upon you, either by an injury bought on by others, or by a besetting fault, or by overwhelming, domestic loss or if you have been made sad for any reason at all, you should by no means gather at that hour to murmur against one another and place the blame on God's judgments but rather come together at the church and on bended knee pray to the Lord that he may send the grace of his consolation, lest the sadness of the world which brings death swallow you up. You yourselves also drive away the harmful disease of sadness from your heart by the frequent sweetness of psalm-singing.
The Venable Bede
If any oppressive sorrow has come upon you, either by an injury bought on by others, or by a besetting fault, or by overwhelming, domestic loss or if you have been made sad for any reason at all, you should by no means gather at that hour to murmur against one another and place the blame on God's judgments but rather come together at the church and on bended knee pray to the Lord that he may send the grace of his consolation, lest the sadness of the world which brings death swallow you up. You yourselves also drive away the harmful disease of sadness from your heart by the frequent sweetness of psalm-singing.
The Venable Bede
Be Humble
7 November 2023
Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.
Saint Andrew of Crete
Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.
Saint Andrew of Crete
On Truth
6 November 2023
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
Flannery O’Connor
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
Flannery O’Connor
Tranquil Heart
4 November 2023
Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.
Thomas à Kempis
Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.
Thomas à Kempis
God is Marvelous
3 November 2023
God… is marvelous in all His works, but still more marvelous in His mercies.
Saint John of Avila
God… is marvelous in all His works, but still more marvelous in His mercies.
Saint John of Avila
On Prayer
2 November 2023
Seven characteristics are required in prayers. Prayer should be faithful, in accordance with the scripture: “Whatever you pray for, believe that you already have it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24) then prayer should be pure, after the example of Abraham, who drove the birds away from his sacrifice. (Genesis 15:11) Third, it should be just. Fourth, it should be heartfelt, since “the heartfelt prayer of a just person works very powerfully.” (James 5:16) fifth, it should be humble. Sixth, it should be fervent (these last two characteristics you see in the mustard seed.) And seventh, it should be devout.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Seven characteristics are required in prayers. Prayer should be faithful, in accordance with the scripture: “Whatever you pray for, believe that you already have it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24) then prayer should be pure, after the example of Abraham, who drove the birds away from his sacrifice. (Genesis 15:11) Third, it should be just. Fourth, it should be heartfelt, since “the heartfelt prayer of a just person works very powerfully.” (James 5:16) fifth, it should be humble. Sixth, it should be fervent (these last two characteristics you see in the mustard seed.) And seventh, it should be devout.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Grace of Devotion
1 November 2023
Anyone, therefore, who shall with simplicity of heart direct his intention to God and free himself from all inordinate love or dislike for any creature will be most fit to receive grace and will be worthy of the gift of devotion. For where the Lord finds the vessel empty He pours down His blessing.
Thomas à Kempis
Anyone, therefore, who shall with simplicity of heart direct his intention to God and free himself from all inordinate love or dislike for any creature will be most fit to receive grace and will be worthy of the gift of devotion. For where the Lord finds the vessel empty He pours down His blessing.
Thomas à Kempis
Grace
30 October 2023
At the center of what we believe is the assurance that salvation is based on the unearned free gift of God's grace. What is so amazing about grace is that we are sinful by nature and deserve God's anger, we receive the riches of his love. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
At the center of what we believe is the assurance that salvation is based on the unearned free gift of God's grace. What is so amazing about grace is that we are sinful by nature and deserve God's anger, we receive the riches of his love. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Luther
29 October 2023
So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!
Martin Luther
So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!
Martin Luther
Venerate the Martyrs, but...
27 October 2023
Venerate the martyrs, praise, love, proclaim, honor them. But worship the God of the martyrs.
Saint Augustine
Venerate the martyrs, praise, love, proclaim, honor them. But worship the God of the martyrs.
Saint Augustine
Dawn of Redemption
26 October 2023
Today is the dawn of the new redemption, of the old restoration, of eternal happiness. Today the heavens have distilled honey throughout the whole world. Then, O my soul, kiss this divine manger, press your lips to the Infant’s feet and embrace them. Meditate on the shepherds watching their flocks, contemplate the angelic hosts, prepare to join the heavenly melody, singing with your lips and with your heart: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will.’
Saint Bonaventure
Today is the dawn of the new redemption, of the old restoration, of eternal happiness. Today the heavens have distilled honey throughout the whole world. Then, O my soul, kiss this divine manger, press your lips to the Infant’s feet and embrace them. Meditate on the shepherds watching their flocks, contemplate the angelic hosts, prepare to join the heavenly melody, singing with your lips and with your heart: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will.’
Saint Bonaventure
God’s Providence
24 October 2023
God’s Providence governs all things, provides for everything, arranges everything, and turns everything to good.
Blessed John Martin Moye
God’s Providence governs all things, provides for everything, arranges everything, and turns everything to good.
Blessed John Martin Moye
God's Children
23 October 2023
There are people who think it's obvious that we are all God's children. They have never thought about how much separates us from God. But when the Spirit convinces us of our sin, it's possible that our own conscience, which is the law's voice in our own heart, can pronounce such an irrevocable judgment on us for all our egoism and impurity that we no longer dare to believe that we can be God's children. Only then can the Holy Spirit show us the truth, the great truth that Christ has died for sinners like us and that it's possible even for us to be God's beloved children. He alone, the Spirit of childhood, can convince us of this.
Bishop Bo Giertz
There are people who think it's obvious that we are all God's children. They have never thought about how much separates us from God. But when the Spirit convinces us of our sin, it's possible that our own conscience, which is the law's voice in our own heart, can pronounce such an irrevocable judgment on us for all our egoism and impurity that we no longer dare to believe that we can be God's children. Only then can the Holy Spirit show us the truth, the great truth that Christ has died for sinners like us and that it's possible even for us to be God's beloved children. He alone, the Spirit of childhood, can convince us of this.
Bishop Bo Giertz
Sign of the Cross
22 October 2023
When, then, you make the sign of the cross on the forehead, arm yourself with a saintly boldness, and reinstall your soul in its old liberty; for you are not ignorant that the cross is a prize beyond all price. Consider what is the price given for your ransom, and you will never more be slave to any man on earth. This reward and ransom is the cross. You should not then, carelessly make the sign on the forehead, but you should impress it on your heart with the love of a fervent faith. Nothing impure will dare to molest you on seeing the weapon, which overcometh all things.
St. John Chrysostom
When, then, you make the sign of the cross on the forehead, arm yourself with a saintly boldness, and reinstall your soul in its old liberty; for you are not ignorant that the cross is a prize beyond all price. Consider what is the price given for your ransom, and you will never more be slave to any man on earth. This reward and ransom is the cross. You should not then, carelessly make the sign on the forehead, but you should impress it on your heart with the love of a fervent faith. Nothing impure will dare to molest you on seeing the weapon, which overcometh all things.
St. John Chrysostom
On Temptations
21 October 2023
If a man tries to overcome temptations without prayer and patient endurance, he will become more entangled in them instead of driving them away.
Saint Mark the Ascetic
If a man tries to overcome temptations without prayer and patient endurance, he will become more entangled in them instead of driving them away.
Saint Mark the Ascetic
Food of Grown Men
20 October 2023
O Truth Who art Eternity! and Love Who art Truth! and Eternity Who art Love! Thou art my God, to Thee do I sigh night and day. Thee when I first knew, Thou liftedst me up, that I might see there was what I might see, and that I was not yet such as to see. And Thou didst beat back the weakness of my sight, streaming forth Thy beams of light upon me most strongly, and I trembled with love and awe: and I perceived myself to be far off from Thee, in the region of unlikeness, as if I heard this Thy voice from on high: “I am the food of grown men, grow, and thou shalt feed upon Me; nor shalt thou convert Me, like the food of thy flesh into thee, but thou shalt be converted into Me.” And I learned, that Thou for iniquity chastenest man, and Thou madest my soul to consume away like a spider. And I said, “Is Truth therefore nothing because it is not diffused through space finite or infinite?” And Thou criedst to me from afar: “Yet verily, I AM that I AM.” And I heard, as the heart heareth, nor had I room to doubt, and I should sooner doubt that I live than that Truth is not, which is clearly seen, being understood by those things which are made. And I beheld the other things below Thee, and I perceived that they neither altogether are, nor altogether are not, for they are, since they are from Thee, but are not, because they are not what Thou art. For that truly is which remains unchangeably. It is good then for me to hold fast unto God; for if I remain not in Him, I cannot in myself; but He remaining in Himself, reneweth all things. And Thou art the Lord my God, since Thou standest not in need of my goodness.
Saint Augustine
O Truth Who art Eternity! and Love Who art Truth! and Eternity Who art Love! Thou art my God, to Thee do I sigh night and day. Thee when I first knew, Thou liftedst me up, that I might see there was what I might see, and that I was not yet such as to see. And Thou didst beat back the weakness of my sight, streaming forth Thy beams of light upon me most strongly, and I trembled with love and awe: and I perceived myself to be far off from Thee, in the region of unlikeness, as if I heard this Thy voice from on high: “I am the food of grown men, grow, and thou shalt feed upon Me; nor shalt thou convert Me, like the food of thy flesh into thee, but thou shalt be converted into Me.” And I learned, that Thou for iniquity chastenest man, and Thou madest my soul to consume away like a spider. And I said, “Is Truth therefore nothing because it is not diffused through space finite or infinite?” And Thou criedst to me from afar: “Yet verily, I AM that I AM.” And I heard, as the heart heareth, nor had I room to doubt, and I should sooner doubt that I live than that Truth is not, which is clearly seen, being understood by those things which are made. And I beheld the other things below Thee, and I perceived that they neither altogether are, nor altogether are not, for they are, since they are from Thee, but are not, because they are not what Thou art. For that truly is which remains unchangeably. It is good then for me to hold fast unto God; for if I remain not in Him, I cannot in myself; but He remaining in Himself, reneweth all things. And Thou art the Lord my God, since Thou standest not in need of my goodness.
Saint Augustine
Divine Scripture
19 October 2023
Great is the profit of the divine Scriptures, and all-sufficient is the aid which comes from them…. For the divine oracles are a treasury of all manner of medicines, so that whether it be needful to quench pride, to lull desire to sleep, to tread underfoot the love of money, to despise pain, to inspire confidence, to gain patience, from them one may find abundant resource.
Saint John Chrysostom
Great is the profit of the divine Scriptures, and all-sufficient is the aid which comes from them…. For the divine oracles are a treasury of all manner of medicines, so that whether it be needful to quench pride, to lull desire to sleep, to tread underfoot the love of money, to despise pain, to inspire confidence, to gain patience, from them one may find abundant resource.
Saint John Chrysostom
Peace and Tranquility
18 October 2023
If you seek peace and tranquility, you will certainly not find them so long as you have a cause of disturbance and turmoil within yourself.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
If you seek peace and tranquility, you will certainly not find them so long as you have a cause of disturbance and turmoil within yourself.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Prayer and Humidity
17 October 2023
And pray ye without ceasing in behalf of other men. For there is in them, hope of repentance that they may attain to God. See, then, that they be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be ye meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting: to their blasphemies return your prayers; in contrast to their error, be ye steadfast in the faith; and for their cruelty, manifest your gentleness. While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all true kindness; and let us seek to be followers of the Lord (who ever more unjustly treated, more destitute, more condemned?), that so no plant of the devil may be found in you, but ye may remain in all holiness and sobriety in Jesus Christ, both with respect to the flesh and spirit.
Saint Ignatius
And pray ye without ceasing in behalf of other men. For there is in them, hope of repentance that they may attain to God. See, then, that they be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be ye meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting: to their blasphemies return your prayers; in contrast to their error, be ye steadfast in the faith; and for their cruelty, manifest your gentleness. While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all true kindness; and let us seek to be followers of the Lord (who ever more unjustly treated, more destitute, more condemned?), that so no plant of the devil may be found in you, but ye may remain in all holiness and sobriety in Jesus Christ, both with respect to the flesh and spirit.
Saint Ignatius
Angry People
16 October 2023
From what does such contrariness arise in habitually angry people, but from a secret cause of too high an opinion of themselves so that it pierces their heart when they see any man esteem them less than they esteem themselves? An inflated estimation of ourselves is more than half the weight of our wrath.
Saint Thomas More
From what does such contrariness arise in habitually angry people, but from a secret cause of too high an opinion of themselves so that it pierces their heart when they see any man esteem them less than they esteem themselves? An inflated estimation of ourselves is more than half the weight of our wrath.
Saint Thomas More
On the Misery of Man
14 October 2023
WHEREVER you are, wherever you go, you are miserable unless you turn to God. So why be dismayed when things do not happen as you wish and desire? Is there anyone who has everything as he wishes? No—neither I, nor you, nor any man on earth. There is no one in the world, be he Pope or king, who does not suffer trial and anguish. Who is the better off then? Surely, it is the man who will suffer something for God. Many unstable and weak-minded people say: “See how well that man lives, how rich, how great he is, how powerful and mighty.” But you must lift up your eyes to the riches of heaven and realize that the material goods of which they speak are nothing. These things are uncertain and very burdensome because they are never possessed without anxiety and fear. Man’s happiness does not consist in the possession of abundant goods; a very little is enough. Living on earth is truly a misery. The more a man desires spiritual life, the more bitter the present becomes to him, because he understands better and sees more clearly the defects, the corruption of human nature. To eat and drink, to watch and sleep, to rest, to labor, and to be bound by other human necessities is certainly a great misery and affliction to the devout man, who would gladly be released from them and be free from all sin. Truly, the inner man is greatly burdened in this world by the necessities of the body, and for this reason the Prophet prayed that he might be as free from them as possible, when he said: “From my necessities, O Lord, deliver me.” But woe to those who know not their own misery, and greater woe to those who love this miserable and corruptible life. Some, indeed, can scarcely procure its necessities either by work or by begging; yet they love it so much that, if they could live here always, they would care nothing for the kingdom of God. How foolish and faithless of heart are those who are so engrossed in earthly things as to relish nothing but what is carnal! Miserable men indeed, for in the end they will see to their sorrow how cheap and worthless was the thing they loved. The saints of God and all devout friends of Christ did not look to what pleases the body nor to the things that are popular from time to time. Their whole hope and aim centered on the everlasting good. Their whole desire pointed upward to the lasting and invisible realm, lest the love of what is visible drag them down to lower things. Do not lose heart, then, my brother, in pursuing your spiritual life. There is yet time, and your hour is not past. Why delay your purpose? Arise! Begin at once and say: “Now is the time to act, now is the time to fight, now is the proper time to amend.”
Thomas à Kempis
WHEREVER you are, wherever you go, you are miserable unless you turn to God. So why be dismayed when things do not happen as you wish and desire? Is there anyone who has everything as he wishes? No—neither I, nor you, nor any man on earth. There is no one in the world, be he Pope or king, who does not suffer trial and anguish. Who is the better off then? Surely, it is the man who will suffer something for God. Many unstable and weak-minded people say: “See how well that man lives, how rich, how great he is, how powerful and mighty.” But you must lift up your eyes to the riches of heaven and realize that the material goods of which they speak are nothing. These things are uncertain and very burdensome because they are never possessed without anxiety and fear. Man’s happiness does not consist in the possession of abundant goods; a very little is enough. Living on earth is truly a misery. The more a man desires spiritual life, the more bitter the present becomes to him, because he understands better and sees more clearly the defects, the corruption of human nature. To eat and drink, to watch and sleep, to rest, to labor, and to be bound by other human necessities is certainly a great misery and affliction to the devout man, who would gladly be released from them and be free from all sin. Truly, the inner man is greatly burdened in this world by the necessities of the body, and for this reason the Prophet prayed that he might be as free from them as possible, when he said: “From my necessities, O Lord, deliver me.” But woe to those who know not their own misery, and greater woe to those who love this miserable and corruptible life. Some, indeed, can scarcely procure its necessities either by work or by begging; yet they love it so much that, if they could live here always, they would care nothing for the kingdom of God. How foolish and faithless of heart are those who are so engrossed in earthly things as to relish nothing but what is carnal! Miserable men indeed, for in the end they will see to their sorrow how cheap and worthless was the thing they loved. The saints of God and all devout friends of Christ did not look to what pleases the body nor to the things that are popular from time to time. Their whole hope and aim centered on the everlasting good. Their whole desire pointed upward to the lasting and invisible realm, lest the love of what is visible drag them down to lower things. Do not lose heart, then, my brother, in pursuing your spiritual life. There is yet time, and your hour is not past. Why delay your purpose? Arise! Begin at once and say: “Now is the time to act, now is the time to fight, now is the proper time to amend.”
Thomas à Kempis
On Virtue
13 October 2023
Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.
Saint Leo the Great
Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.
Saint Leo the Great
On Temptation
12 October 2023
If temptation comes upon you in the place where you are living, do not abandon the place where temptation came upon you; otherwise, no matter where you go, you will be confronted there by that from which are fleeing.
The Desert Fathers
If temptation comes upon you in the place where you are living, do not abandon the place where temptation came upon you; otherwise, no matter where you go, you will be confronted there by that from which are fleeing.
The Desert Fathers
The Divine Service
11 October 2023
This is the function of the Divine Service in the Christian life: to be taken out of ourselves and into the life of God. At the core, the problem of our anxiety is the problem of our constantly drifting away from the center of our lives, which is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Under the pressures of daily living we wander and sometimes run to the edges of life, where we eventually come face-to-face with our own anxiety. This anxiety is a warning sign that we have drifted far. We begin grasping for a secure place to hang on that will prevent us from falling over the mind’s edge into the abyss of despair. […] We tell ourselves all we need to do is try harder or its opposite, relax more. We try to discover some new technique or lifestyle that will resolve the tension. The farther we drift from God, the more we are doomed to our own failing resources. In the end this destroys us both physically and spiritually. God’s response to our drifting is dealt with in the liturgy of public worship, and He begins by giving us a password by which to enter into His presence. That password, given us in the Invocation, is His holy name of “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” In the Invocation, in the Benediction, and when we speak or sing in praise saying, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” we call on God to lift us out of ourselves and into His healing presence. There, our vision of life is broadened and the air becomes fresh once again. It is there, in the presence of God and lifted out of ourselves by God, that we find healing for all our anxieties, worries, and fears. And if we are willing, they can all be left behind so that we may return to our homes in peace.
Richard C. Eyer, “They Will See His Face”
This is the function of the Divine Service in the Christian life: to be taken out of ourselves and into the life of God. At the core, the problem of our anxiety is the problem of our constantly drifting away from the center of our lives, which is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Under the pressures of daily living we wander and sometimes run to the edges of life, where we eventually come face-to-face with our own anxiety. This anxiety is a warning sign that we have drifted far. We begin grasping for a secure place to hang on that will prevent us from falling over the mind’s edge into the abyss of despair. […] We tell ourselves all we need to do is try harder or its opposite, relax more. We try to discover some new technique or lifestyle that will resolve the tension. The farther we drift from God, the more we are doomed to our own failing resources. In the end this destroys us both physically and spiritually. God’s response to our drifting is dealt with in the liturgy of public worship, and He begins by giving us a password by which to enter into His presence. That password, given us in the Invocation, is His holy name of “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” In the Invocation, in the Benediction, and when we speak or sing in praise saying, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” we call on God to lift us out of ourselves and into His healing presence. There, our vision of life is broadened and the air becomes fresh once again. It is there, in the presence of God and lifted out of ourselves by God, that we find healing for all our anxieties, worries, and fears. And if we are willing, they can all be left behind so that we may return to our homes in peace.
Richard C. Eyer, “They Will See His Face”
Forgiven Sinners
10 October 2023
In heaven, there are only forgiven sinners. There are no good guys, no upright, successful types who, by dint of their own integrity, have been accepted into the great country club in the sky. There are only failures, only those who have accepted their deaths in their sins and who have been raised up by the King who himself died that they might live.
Robert Farrar Capon
In heaven, there are only forgiven sinners. There are no good guys, no upright, successful types who, by dint of their own integrity, have been accepted into the great country club in the sky. There are only failures, only those who have accepted their deaths in their sins and who have been raised up by the King who himself died that they might live.
Robert Farrar Capon
Expectation and Perfect Joy
9 October 2023
Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our lives. It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness . . . But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us.
Henri Nouwen
Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our lives. It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness . . . But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us.
Henri Nouwen
The Church
8 October 2023
The Church is a hospital, and not a courtroom, for souls. She does not condemn on behalf of sins, but grants remission of sins. Nothing is so joyous in our life as the thanksgiving that we experience in the Church. In the Church, the joyful sustain their joy. In the Church, those worried acquire merriment, and those saddened, joy. In the Church, the troubled find relief, and the heavy-laiden, rest.
Saint John Chrysostom
The Church is a hospital, and not a courtroom, for souls. She does not condemn on behalf of sins, but grants remission of sins. Nothing is so joyous in our life as the thanksgiving that we experience in the Church. In the Church, the joyful sustain their joy. In the Church, those worried acquire merriment, and those saddened, joy. In the Church, the troubled find relief, and the heavy-laiden, rest.
Saint John Chrysostom
Life
7 October 2023
Our life is a short opportunity to say yes to God's love. Our death is a
full coming home to that love. Do we desire to come home? It seems that most of
our efforts are aimed at delaying this homecoming as long as possible.
Henri Nouwen
On Baptism
6 October 2023
I say this in order that we may not adopt the opinion that long prevailed among us, that our Baptism is past and can never be used after we have fallen into sin, The reason for a notion of this sort is that one looks upon Baptism in its aspect of a one-time action. Indeed, the idea goes back to St. Jerome, who wrote, “Repentance is the second plank on which we must swim ashore after the sinking of the ship” in which we embarked and sailed forth when we entered the Christian church at Baptism. The view deprives us of the use of Baptism, so that it can no longer benefit us. Jerome’s statement is not correct, for the ship, Baptism, cannot be shipwrecked because, as we said, it is God’s ordinance and not something of ours. It can happen, however, that we slip and fall out of the ship. But when this happens and someone does fall out, he should at once swim for the ship again and cling to it until he can climb back on deck and sail forward as he had earlier begun to do. Thus we see how splendid a thing Baptism is. It snatches us out of the devil’s jaws, makes God our own, defeats and puts away sin, daily strengthens the new man in us, keeps functioning, and remains with us until we leave our present troubles to enter glory everlasting. Everyone should therefore look upon his Baptism as his everyday wear, to be worn constantly. He should at all times be found in faith and surrounded by its fruits. He should every day suppress the old man and grow toward maturity in the new man. For if we want to be Christians, we must carry on in the word that makes us Christians. But if someone falls away from it, let him come back to it again. For just as Christ, the throne of divine mercy, does not withdraw from us nor prevent us from coming back again to Him, though we sin, so also all His treasures and gifts remain. As we once obtained forgiveness of sins in Baptism, so that forgiveness continues for us as long as we live, that is to say, for as long as we have the old Adam hanging about our necks.
Martin Luther
I say this in order that we may not adopt the opinion that long prevailed among us, that our Baptism is past and can never be used after we have fallen into sin, The reason for a notion of this sort is that one looks upon Baptism in its aspect of a one-time action. Indeed, the idea goes back to St. Jerome, who wrote, “Repentance is the second plank on which we must swim ashore after the sinking of the ship” in which we embarked and sailed forth when we entered the Christian church at Baptism. The view deprives us of the use of Baptism, so that it can no longer benefit us. Jerome’s statement is not correct, for the ship, Baptism, cannot be shipwrecked because, as we said, it is God’s ordinance and not something of ours. It can happen, however, that we slip and fall out of the ship. But when this happens and someone does fall out, he should at once swim for the ship again and cling to it until he can climb back on deck and sail forward as he had earlier begun to do. Thus we see how splendid a thing Baptism is. It snatches us out of the devil’s jaws, makes God our own, defeats and puts away sin, daily strengthens the new man in us, keeps functioning, and remains with us until we leave our present troubles to enter glory everlasting. Everyone should therefore look upon his Baptism as his everyday wear, to be worn constantly. He should at all times be found in faith and surrounded by its fruits. He should every day suppress the old man and grow toward maturity in the new man. For if we want to be Christians, we must carry on in the word that makes us Christians. But if someone falls away from it, let him come back to it again. For just as Christ, the throne of divine mercy, does not withdraw from us nor prevent us from coming back again to Him, though we sin, so also all His treasures and gifts remain. As we once obtained forgiveness of sins in Baptism, so that forgiveness continues for us as long as we live, that is to say, for as long as we have the old Adam hanging about our necks.
Martin Luther
On Compassion
4 October 2023
Compassion is an inward movement of the heart, stirred by pity for the bodily and ghostly griefs of all men. This compassion makes a man suffer with Christ in His passion… Compassion makes a man look into himself, and recognize his faults, his feebleness in virtues and in the worship of God, his lukewarmness, his laziness, his many failings, the time he has wasted and his present imperfection in moral and other virtues; all this makes a man feel true pity and compassion for himself. Further, compassion marks the errors and disorders of our fellow-creatures, how little they care for their God and their eternal blessedness, their ingratitude for all the good things which God has done for them, and the pains He suffered for their sake; how they are strangers to virtue, unskilled and unpracticed in it, but skillful and cunning in every wickedness; how attentive they are to the loss and gain of earthly goods, how careless and reckless they are of God, of eternal things, and their eternal bliss. When he marks this, a good man is moved to compassion for the salvation of all men. Such a man will also regard with pity the bodily needs of his neighbors, and the manifold sufferings of human nature; seeing men hungry, thirsty, cold, naked, sick, poor, and abject; the manifold oppressions of the poor, the grief caused by loss of kinsmen, friends, goods, honor, peace; all the countless sorrows which befall the nature of man.
Blessed John Ruysbroeck
Compassion is an inward movement of the heart, stirred by pity for the bodily and ghostly griefs of all men. This compassion makes a man suffer with Christ in His passion… Compassion makes a man look into himself, and recognize his faults, his feebleness in virtues and in the worship of God, his lukewarmness, his laziness, his many failings, the time he has wasted and his present imperfection in moral and other virtues; all this makes a man feel true pity and compassion for himself. Further, compassion marks the errors and disorders of our fellow-creatures, how little they care for their God and their eternal blessedness, their ingratitude for all the good things which God has done for them, and the pains He suffered for their sake; how they are strangers to virtue, unskilled and unpracticed in it, but skillful and cunning in every wickedness; how attentive they are to the loss and gain of earthly goods, how careless and reckless they are of God, of eternal things, and their eternal bliss. When he marks this, a good man is moved to compassion for the salvation of all men. Such a man will also regard with pity the bodily needs of his neighbors, and the manifold sufferings of human nature; seeing men hungry, thirsty, cold, naked, sick, poor, and abject; the manifold oppressions of the poor, the grief caused by loss of kinsmen, friends, goods, honor, peace; all the countless sorrows which befall the nature of man.
Blessed John Ruysbroeck
On Our Labor
3 October 2023
Our labor here is but brief, but the reward is eternal. Do not be disturbed by the clamor of the world, which passes like a shadow. Do not let the false delights of a deceptive world deceive you.
Saint Clare of Assisi
Our labor here is but brief, but the reward is eternal. Do not be disturbed by the clamor of the world, which passes like a shadow. Do not let the false delights of a deceptive world deceive you.
Saint Clare of Assisi
On Discernment
2 October 2023
How, then, should the person worthy of Christ’s great name behave? What can he do except to always discern his thoughts, words and deeds, and to see whether or not they are of Christ or are alien to him? Much skill is needed here for discernment. Anything effected, thought or said through passion has no association with Christ but bears the adversary’s mark; smearing the soul’s pearl with passion as if with mud, it corrupts the precious stone’s brightness. But a state free from every passion looks to the author of detachment, Christ. He who draws to himself thoughts as from a pure, incorruptible fountain will resemble the prototype as water drawn into a jar resembles water gushing from a fountain.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
How, then, should the person worthy of Christ’s great name behave? What can he do except to always discern his thoughts, words and deeds, and to see whether or not they are of Christ or are alien to him? Much skill is needed here for discernment. Anything effected, thought or said through passion has no association with Christ but bears the adversary’s mark; smearing the soul’s pearl with passion as if with mud, it corrupts the precious stone’s brightness. But a state free from every passion looks to the author of detachment, Christ. He who draws to himself thoughts as from a pure, incorruptible fountain will resemble the prototype as water drawn into a jar resembles water gushing from a fountain.
Saint Gregory of Nyssa
Christ Crucified
1 October 2023
True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart
on Jesus crucified… No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of
the cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His prayer
brought benefit to the multitude that raged against him. How much more does it
bring to those who turn to him in repentance. Ignorance has been destroyed,
obstinacy has been overcome. The sacred blood of Christ has quenched the
flaming sword that barred access to the tree of life. The age-old night of sin
has given place to the true light. The Christian people are invited to share
the riches of paradise.
Saint Leo the Great
Sacred Utterances
30 September 2023
The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is tilled, the richer the harvest.
Saint Isidore of Seville
The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is tilled, the richer the harvest.
Saint Isidore of Seville
The Look of Love
29 September 2023
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.
Saint Augustine
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.
Saint Augustine
On Solitude
28 September 2023
Souls that love God feel a strong attraction for solitude, for they know that God converses familiarly with those who shun the noise and distractions of the world… God speaks to the soul in solitude, and by his words the soul is inflamed with divine love: “My soul melted when my beloved spoke.” (Sgs 5:6).
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Souls that love God feel a strong attraction for solitude, for they know that God converses familiarly with those who shun the noise and distractions of the world… God speaks to the soul in solitude, and by his words the soul is inflamed with divine love: “My soul melted when my beloved spoke.” (Sgs 5:6).
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Repentance
27 September 2023
Are you a sinner? Do not despair; rather, enter, presenting repentance. Have you sinned? Tell God, “I have sinned.” What is the labor, what the period of time, what the expense? What kind of hardship is it to say, “I have sinned”? You have an advocate with the Father who said, “Be the first to confess your sins so you may be justified.” Say the sin to obliterate it. For this, there is no toil, no expense, no need of deep arguments, no need of philosophical reasoning, say, “I have sinned.”
St. John Chrysostom
Are you a sinner? Do not despair; rather, enter, presenting repentance. Have you sinned? Tell God, “I have sinned.” What is the labor, what the period of time, what the expense? What kind of hardship is it to say, “I have sinned”? You have an advocate with the Father who said, “Be the first to confess your sins so you may be justified.” Say the sin to obliterate it. For this, there is no toil, no expense, no need of deep arguments, no need of philosophical reasoning, say, “I have sinned.”
St. John Chrysostom
Wisdom
25 September 2023
Wisdom. The first point of wisdom is to discern that which is false; the second to know that which is true.
Lactantius
Wisdom. The first point of wisdom is to discern that which is false; the second to know that which is true.
Lactantius
Lament and Grieve
24 September 2023
Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so passionate and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in guarding the external senses, so often occupied in many vain fancies, so inclined to exterior things and so heedless of what lies within, so prone to laughter and dissipation and so indisposed to sorrow and tears, so inclined to ease and the pleasures of the flesh and so cool to austerity and zeal, so curious to hear what is new and to see the beautiful and so slow to embrace humiliation and dejection, so covetous of abundance, so niggardly in giving and so tenacious in keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in silence, so undisciplined in character, so disordered in action, so greedy at meals, so deaf to the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to labor, so awake to empty conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred vigils and so eager to end them, so wandering in your attention, so careless in saying the office, so lukewarm in celebrating, so heartless in receiving, so quickly distracted, so seldom fully recollected, so quickly moved to anger, so apt to take offense at others, so prone to judge, so severe in condemning, so happy in prosperity and so weak in adversity, so often making good resolutions and carrying so few of them into action.
Thomas à Kempis
Lament and grieve because you are still so worldly, so carnal, so passionate and unmortified, so full of roving lust, so careless in guarding the external senses, so often occupied in many vain fancies, so inclined to exterior things and so heedless of what lies within, so prone to laughter and dissipation and so indisposed to sorrow and tears, so inclined to ease and the pleasures of the flesh and so cool to austerity and zeal, so curious to hear what is new and to see the beautiful and so slow to embrace humiliation and dejection, so covetous of abundance, so niggardly in giving and so tenacious in keeping, so inconsiderate in speech, so reluctant in silence, so undisciplined in character, so disordered in action, so greedy at meals, so deaf to the Word of God, so prompt to rest and so slow to labor, so awake to empty conversation, so sleepy in keeping sacred vigils and so eager to end them, so wandering in your attention, so careless in saying the office, so lukewarm in celebrating, so heartless in receiving, so quickly distracted, so seldom fully recollected, so quickly moved to anger, so apt to take offense at others, so prone to judge, so severe in condemning, so happy in prosperity and so weak in adversity, so often making good resolutions and carrying so few of them into action.
Thomas à Kempis
On Prayer
23 September 2023
Length of prayer consists, not in praying for many things, but in the
affections persisting in the desire of one thing.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Holy Scripture
22 September 2023
Of all the afflictions that burden the human race, there is not one,
whether spiritual or bodily, that cannot be healed by the Holy Scriptures.
Saint John Chrysostom
The Holy Spirit
21 September 2023
But the Holy Spirit does not speak His own things, but those of Christ, and that not from himself, but from the Lord; even as the Lord also announced to us the things that He received from the Father. For, says He, “the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s, who sent Me.” And says He of the Holy Spirit, “He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever things He shall hear from Me.” And He says of Himself to the Father, “I have,” says He, “glorified Thee upon the earth; I have finished the work which, Thou gavest Me; I have manifested Thy name to men.” And of the Holy Ghost, “He shall glorify Me, for He receives of Mine.”
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
But the Holy Spirit does not speak His own things, but those of Christ, and that not from himself, but from the Lord; even as the Lord also announced to us the things that He received from the Father. For, says He, “the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s, who sent Me.” And says He of the Holy Spirit, “He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever things He shall hear from Me.” And He says of Himself to the Father, “I have,” says He, “glorified Thee upon the earth; I have finished the work which, Thou gavest Me; I have manifested Thy name to men.” And of the Holy Ghost, “He shall glorify Me, for He receives of Mine.”
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
On Humble Souls
20 September 2023
It is on humble souls that God pours down His fullest light and grace. He teaches what scholars cannot learn, and mysteries that the wisest cannot solve He can make plain to them.
Saint Vincent de Paul
It is on humble souls that God pours down His fullest light and grace. He teaches what scholars cannot learn, and mysteries that the wisest cannot solve He can make plain to them.
Saint Vincent de Paul
Despising All Earthly Vanities
19 September 2023
This is the greatest wisdom—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.
Thomas à Kempis
This is the greatest wisdom—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.
Thomas à Kempis
The Body and Blood of Christ
18 September 2023
Therefore with the fullest assurance let us partake as of the Body and Blood of Christ: for in the figure of Bread is given to you His Body, and in the Figure of Wine His Blood; that you, by partaking of the body and blood of Christ, might be made of the same body and the same blood with Him. For thus we come to bear Christ in us, because His Body and Blood are diffused through our members; thus it is that, according to the blessed Peter, “we become partakers of the divine nature.” [2 Peter 1:4].
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Therefore with the fullest assurance let us partake as of the Body and Blood of Christ: for in the figure of Bread is given to you His Body, and in the Figure of Wine His Blood; that you, by partaking of the body and blood of Christ, might be made of the same body and the same blood with Him. For thus we come to bear Christ in us, because His Body and Blood are diffused through our members; thus it is that, according to the blessed Peter, “we become partakers of the divine nature.” [2 Peter 1:4].
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
The Soul Immortal Self
17 September 2023
A soul can’t live in this world without a body for it is considered as a unity of body and self. It is an important element of man which governs and defines himself. We all know that we are created in the image and likeness of God for we are geared towards the good. For example, as we are living in this world, we should take good care of our body not just physically as well as mentally for it is the house of our soul and when the right time comes, we won’t regret anything for it has been useful.
Saint Augustine
A soul can’t live in this world without a body for it is considered as a unity of body and self. It is an important element of man which governs and defines himself. We all know that we are created in the image and likeness of God for we are geared towards the good. For example, as we are living in this world, we should take good care of our body not just physically as well as mentally for it is the house of our soul and when the right time comes, we won’t regret anything for it has been useful.
Saint Augustine
Faith, Hope, Love
16 September 2023
Faith is what gets you started. Hope is what keeps you going. Love is what brings you to the end.
Mother Angelica
Faith is what gets you started. Hope is what keeps you going. Love is what brings you to the end.
Mother Angelica
Walk By the Spirit
15 September 2023
As long as a man lives in sin, having no power to hate it and to fight against it, the Spirit is not in him and he walks according to the flesh on the way to hell. Whoever walks by the Spirit still has fleshly desires within him, but he is also empowered to hate sin and fight against it so that it does not gain dominion over him. If someone sins because he wants to, he walks according to the flesh. If someone walks in the Spirit, he, too, commits sin, but this is not what he wants to do and he abhors what he has done.
C. F. W. Walther
As long as a man lives in sin, having no power to hate it and to fight against it, the Spirit is not in him and he walks according to the flesh on the way to hell. Whoever walks by the Spirit still has fleshly desires within him, but he is also empowered to hate sin and fight against it so that it does not gain dominion over him. If someone sins because he wants to, he walks according to the flesh. If someone walks in the Spirit, he, too, commits sin, but this is not what he wants to do and he abhors what he has done.
C. F. W. Walther
Mary Mother of God
9 September 2023
In her manner she showed that she was not so much presented into the Temple, but that she herself entered into the service of God of her own accord, as if she had wings, striving towards this sacred and divine love. She considered it desirable and fitting that she should enter into the Temple and dwell in the Holy of Holies. Therefore, the High Priest, seeing that this child, more than anyone else, had divine grace within her, wished to set her within the Holy of Holies. He convinced everyone present to welcome this, since God had advanced it and approved it. Through His angel, God assisted the Virgin and sent her mystical food, with which she was strengthened in nature, while in body she was brought to maturity and was made purer and more exalted than the angels, having the Heavenly spirits as servants. She was led into the Holy of Holies not just once, but was accepted by God to dwell there with Him during her youth, so that through her, the Heavenly Abodes might be opened and given for an eternal habitation to those who believe in her miraculous birthgiving.
St. Gregory Palamas
In her manner she showed that she was not so much presented into the Temple, but that she herself entered into the service of God of her own accord, as if she had wings, striving towards this sacred and divine love. She considered it desirable and fitting that she should enter into the Temple and dwell in the Holy of Holies. Therefore, the High Priest, seeing that this child, more than anyone else, had divine grace within her, wished to set her within the Holy of Holies. He convinced everyone present to welcome this, since God had advanced it and approved it. Through His angel, God assisted the Virgin and sent her mystical food, with which she was strengthened in nature, while in body she was brought to maturity and was made purer and more exalted than the angels, having the Heavenly spirits as servants. She was led into the Holy of Holies not just once, but was accepted by God to dwell there with Him during her youth, so that through her, the Heavenly Abodes might be opened and given for an eternal habitation to those who believe in her miraculous birthgiving.
St. Gregory Palamas
God's Mercy
8 September 2023
Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God.
Saint Isidore of Seville
Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God.
Saint Isidore of Seville
The Bread of Life
7 September 2023
He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.
St. Peter Chysologus
He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.
St. Peter Chysologus
Desiring God
6 September 2023
O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart; that, so desiring, we may seek, and seeking find Thee; and so finding Thee may love Thee; and in loving Thee, may hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us.
St. Anselm
O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our whole heart; that, so desiring, we may seek, and seeking find Thee; and so finding Thee may love Thee; and in loving Thee, may hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us.
St. Anselm
Sinners
5 September 2023
Sinner one may indeed be, but no one must despair of pardon on this day which is so highly privileged. For if a thief could receive the grace of Paradise, how could a Christian be refused forgiveness?
Saint Maximus of Turin
Sinner one may indeed be, but no one must despair of pardon on this day which is so highly privileged. For if a thief could receive the grace of Paradise, how could a Christian be refused forgiveness?
Saint Maximus of Turin
Repent
3 September 2023
To Repent means both to lament the sins we have committed and to refrain from the sins we lament.
St. Gregory the Great
To Repent means both to lament the sins we have committed and to refrain from the sins we lament.
St. Gregory the Great
Repentance
2 September 2023
When the profligate returned after going to a foreign country and finding out by experience what a great sin it is to leave the father’s house, the father did not remember past injuries but welcomed him with open arms. Why? Because he was a father and not a judge. And there were dances and festivities and banquets and the whole house was full of joy and gladness. Are you asking: “Is this what he gets for his wickedness?” Not for his wickedness, but for his return home; not for sin, but for repentance; not for evil, but for being converted.
Saint John Chrysostom
When the profligate returned after going to a foreign country and finding out by experience what a great sin it is to leave the father’s house, the father did not remember past injuries but welcomed him with open arms. Why? Because he was a father and not a judge. And there were dances and festivities and banquets and the whole house was full of joy and gladness. Are you asking: “Is this what he gets for his wickedness?” Not for his wickedness, but for his return home; not for sin, but for repentance; not for evil, but for being converted.
Saint John Chrysostom
Distractions and Desires
1 September 2023
The dark powers are sick with envy against us when we pray, and they will use every conceivable trick to frustrate us spiritually. They endlessly stir up our inner memories to distract us into thoughts and will try to stir our flesh to all kinds of desires, for in this way they think they can hinder the soul’s glorious ascent and its journey to God.
Evagrius Ponticus
The dark powers are sick with envy against us when we pray, and they will use every conceivable trick to frustrate us spiritually. They endlessly stir up our inner memories to distract us into thoughts and will try to stir our flesh to all kinds of desires, for in this way they think they can hinder the soul’s glorious ascent and its journey to God.
Evagrius Ponticus
Nourish the Soul
31 August 2023
One should nourish the soul with the word of God: for the word of God, as St. Gregory the Theologian says, is angelic bread, by which are nourished souls who hunger for God. Most of all, one should occupy oneself with reading the New Testament and the Psalter, which one should do standing up. From this there occurs an enlightenment in the mind, which is in the mind, which is changed by a Divine change.
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
One should nourish the soul with the word of God: for the word of God, as St. Gregory the Theologian says, is angelic bread, by which are nourished souls who hunger for God. Most of all, one should occupy oneself with reading the New Testament and the Psalter, which one should do standing up. From this there occurs an enlightenment in the mind, which is in the mind, which is changed by a Divine change.
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
True Freedom
30 August 2023
Some people by the word freedom understand the ability to do whatever one wants … People who have the more allowed themselves to come into slavery to sins, passions, and defilements more often than others appear as zealots of external freedom, wanting to broaden the laws as much as possible. But such a man uses external freedom only to more severely burden himself with inner slavery. True freedom is the active ability of a man who is not enslaved to sin, who is not pricked by a condemning conscience, to choose the better in the light of God’s truth, and to bring it into actuality with the help of the gracious power of God. This is the freedom of which neither heaven nor earth is restricted.
Saint Philaret of Moscow
Some people by the word freedom understand the ability to do whatever one wants … People who have the more allowed themselves to come into slavery to sins, passions, and defilements more often than others appear as zealots of external freedom, wanting to broaden the laws as much as possible. But such a man uses external freedom only to more severely burden himself with inner slavery. True freedom is the active ability of a man who is not enslaved to sin, who is not pricked by a condemning conscience, to choose the better in the light of God’s truth, and to bring it into actuality with the help of the gracious power of God. This is the freedom of which neither heaven nor earth is restricted.
Saint Philaret of Moscow
Belief
28 August 2023
Those who believe that they believe in God, but without passion in their hearts, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, without an element of despair even in their consolation, believe only in the God idea, not in God himself.
Miguel de Unamuno
Those who believe that they believe in God, but without passion in their hearts, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, without an element of despair even in their consolation, believe only in the God idea, not in God himself.
Miguel de Unamuno
God's Plan
27 August 2023
God knows what is suitable for everyone. God has a reason for giving one less and another more. This is not for us to figure out.
Thomas à Kempis
God knows what is suitable for everyone. God has a reason for giving one less and another more. This is not for us to figure out.
Thomas à Kempis
Speech
26 August 2023
One man speaks the truth and is hated for it by the foolish; another speaks hypocritically and for this reason is loved. But in both cases their reward is not long delayed, for at the appropriate moment the Lord renders to each his due.
Saint Cosmas Aitolos
One man speaks the truth and is hated for it by the foolish; another speaks hypocritically and for this reason is loved. But in both cases their reward is not long delayed, for at the appropriate moment the Lord renders to each his due.
Saint Cosmas Aitolos
Lift Up Your Hearts
24 August 2023
"Lift up your hearts." For truly ought we in that most awful hour to have our heart on high with God, and not below, thinking of earth and earthly things. In effect therefore the Priest bids all in that hour to dismiss all cares of this life, or household anxieties, and to have their heart in heaven with the merciful God.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
"Lift up your hearts." For truly ought we in that most awful hour to have our heart on high with God, and not below, thinking of earth and earthly things. In effect therefore the Priest bids all in that hour to dismiss all cares of this life, or household anxieties, and to have their heart in heaven with the merciful God.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Prayer and Communion
22 August 2023
Prayer and communion are not to be made or desired for the sake of the devotion we feel in them, for that is seeking self, and not God; but we must be frequent in both the one and the other in order to become humble, obedient, gentle, and patient.
Saint Philip Neri
Prayer and communion are not to be made or desired for the sake of the devotion we feel in them, for that is seeking self, and not God; but we must be frequent in both the one and the other in order to become humble, obedient, gentle, and patient.
Saint Philip Neri
On Prayer
19 August 2023
The purpose of prayer is not to inform our Lord what you desire, for He knows all your needs. It is to render you able and ready to receive the grace which our Lord will freely give you. This grace cannot be experienced until you have been refined and purified by the fire of desire in devout prayer. For although prayer is not the cause for which our Lord gives grace, it is nevertheless the means by which grace, freely given, comes to the soul.
Walter Hilton
The purpose of prayer is not to inform our Lord what you desire, for He knows all your needs. It is to render you able and ready to receive the grace which our Lord will freely give you. This grace cannot be experienced until you have been refined and purified by the fire of desire in devout prayer. For although prayer is not the cause for which our Lord gives grace, it is nevertheless the means by which grace, freely given, comes to the soul.
Walter Hilton
Nourishing Internal Resentment
18 August 2023
I have seen people preserving a calm exterior . . . while beneath an appearance of quiet they are nourishing internal resentment. I regard them as more pitiable than those who give vent to their feelings. Their dreary character puts the Dove, the Holy Spirit, to flight.
Saint John Climacus
I have seen people preserving a calm exterior . . . while beneath an appearance of quiet they are nourishing internal resentment. I regard them as more pitiable than those who give vent to their feelings. Their dreary character puts the Dove, the Holy Spirit, to flight.
Saint John Climacus
The Lord's Supper
17 August 2023
Therefore, in order that we might be able to lay hold on Christ more intimately and retain Him more firmly, not only did He assume our nature but He also restored it again for us by distributing His body and blood to us in the Supper, so that by this connection with His humanity, which has been assumed from us and is again communicated back to us, He might draw us into communion and union with the deity itself.
Martin Chemnitz
Therefore, in order that we might be able to lay hold on Christ more intimately and retain Him more firmly, not only did He assume our nature but He also restored it again for us by distributing His body and blood to us in the Supper, so that by this connection with His humanity, which has been assumed from us and is again communicated back to us, He might draw us into communion and union with the deity itself.
Martin Chemnitz
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