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
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
The Great Humiliation
16 August 2023
You should continually keep in mind the great humiliation which the Lord took upon Himself in His ineffable love for us: how the divine Logos dwelt in a womb; how He took human nature upon Himself; His birth from a woman; His gradual bodily growth; the shame He suffered, the insults the vilification, ridicule and abuse; how He was scourged and spat upon, derided and mocked; the scarlet robe, the crown of thorns; His condemnation by those in power; the outcry of the unruly Jews, men of His own race, against Him: ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him’ (Jn. 19:15); the cross, the nails, the lance, the drink of vinegar and gall; the scorn of the Gentiles; the derision of the passers-by who said: ‘If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe you’ (cf. Mt. 27:39-42); and the rest of the sufferings which He patiently accepted for us: crucifixion; death; the three-day burial; the descent into hell. Then keep in mind all that has come from these sufferings. See to what a height of glory the Lord’s human nature was raised up by God’s justice through these sufferings and humiliations.
Saint Mark the Ascetic
You should continually keep in mind the great humiliation which the Lord took upon Himself in His ineffable love for us: how the divine Logos dwelt in a womb; how He took human nature upon Himself; His birth from a woman; His gradual bodily growth; the shame He suffered, the insults the vilification, ridicule and abuse; how He was scourged and spat upon, derided and mocked; the scarlet robe, the crown of thorns; His condemnation by those in power; the outcry of the unruly Jews, men of His own race, against Him: ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him’ (Jn. 19:15); the cross, the nails, the lance, the drink of vinegar and gall; the scorn of the Gentiles; the derision of the passers-by who said: ‘If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross and we will believe you’ (cf. Mt. 27:39-42); and the rest of the sufferings which He patiently accepted for us: crucifixion; death; the three-day burial; the descent into hell. Then keep in mind all that has come from these sufferings. See to what a height of glory the Lord’s human nature was raised up by God’s justice through these sufferings and humiliations.
Saint Mark the Ascetic
The Contemplative Life
15 August 2023
The pursuit of the contemplative life is something for which a great and sustained effort on the part of the powers of the soul is required: an effort to rise from earthly to heavenly things, an effort to keep one’s attention fixed on spiritual things, an effort to pass beyond and above the sphere of things visible to the eyes of flesh.
Saint Gregory the Great
The pursuit of the contemplative life is something for which a great and sustained effort on the part of the powers of the soul is required: an effort to rise from earthly to heavenly things, an effort to keep one’s attention fixed on spiritual things, an effort to pass beyond and above the sphere of things visible to the eyes of flesh.
Saint Gregory the Great
The Mercy of God
14 August 2023
The mercy of God has no limits, nothing is too great for it. That is the
reason why anyone who despairs of it is the author of his own death.
Saint John Climacus
Holy Scripture
12 August 2023
As in paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man.
St. Ambrose of Milan
As in paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man.
St. Ambrose of Milan
The Eucharist
11 August 2023
If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste.
St. Cyril of Alexandria
If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste.
St. Cyril of Alexandria
On Prayer
10 August 2023
Do not be either astonished or discouraged at the difficulties you find in prayer. Only be constant and submissive, and God will be pleased with you.
Saint Claude de la Colombiere
Do not be either astonished or discouraged at the difficulties you find in prayer. Only be constant and submissive, and God will be pleased with you.
Saint Claude de la Colombiere
Material Things
9 August 2023
Solicitude for material things distracts the soul and divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and drags it to hell.
Saint Anthony of Padua
Solicitude for material things distracts the soul and divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and drags it to hell.
Saint Anthony of Padua
On Prayer
8 August 2023
If, in the course of your prayers, you feel a special joy or are moved in the heart by something, then stay with it for a while.
Saint John Climacus
If, in the course of your prayers, you feel a special joy or are moved in the heart by something, then stay with it for a while.
Saint John Climacus
On the Psalms
7 August 2023
Without effort, even in the most painful hours of life, we can taste the admirable poetry of the psalms and find in them light, rest, strength, renewal of all energies.
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
Without effort, even in the most painful hours of life, we can taste the admirable poetry of the psalms and find in them light, rest, strength, renewal of all energies.
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
Fasting
6 August 2023
Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. Are you fasting? Show me your fast with your works. Which works? If you see someone who is poor, show him mercy. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him!
Saint John Chrysostom
Fasting is the change of every part of our life, because the sacrifice of the fast is not the abstinence but the distancing from sins. Therefore, whoever limits the fast to the deprivation of food, he is the one who, in reality, abhors and ridicules the fast. Are you fasting? Show me your fast with your works. Which works? If you see someone who is poor, show him mercy. If you see an enemy, reconcile with him. If you see a friend who is becoming successful, do not be jealous of him!
Saint John Chrysostom
The Object of a New Year
5 August 2023
The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
G. K. Chesterton
The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
G. K. Chesterton
On Mercy
4 August 2023
So there is earthly and heavenly mercy: that is, human and divine. What is human mercy? Exactly this: to have care for the sufferings of the poor. What is divine mercy? Without doubt, to grant forgiveness of sins. Whatever human mercy gives away on the journey, divine mercy pays back when we arrive at last in our native land.
Saint Caesarius of Arles
So there is earthly and heavenly mercy: that is, human and divine. What is human mercy? Exactly this: to have care for the sufferings of the poor. What is divine mercy? Without doubt, to grant forgiveness of sins. Whatever human mercy gives away on the journey, divine mercy pays back when we arrive at last in our native land.
Saint Caesarius of Arles
The Eucharist
3 August 2023
As soon as Christ says: "This is my body," his body is there through the words and by the power of the Holy Ghost. If there is no word, then there is mere bread; but when the words come to it, that brings with them that which they speak.
Martin Luther
As soon as Christ says: "This is my body," his body is there through the words and by the power of the Holy Ghost. If there is no word, then there is mere bread; but when the words come to it, that brings with them that which they speak.
Martin Luther
On Virtue
2 August 2023
Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure; but if we cultivate it only for pleasure’s sake, we are selfish, not religious, and will never gain the pleasure, because we can never have the virtue.
John Henry Newman
Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure; but if we cultivate it only for pleasure’s sake, we are selfish, not religious, and will never gain the pleasure, because we can never have the virtue.
John Henry Newman
Achieving Happiness
1 August 2023
Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude.
Saint John Chrysostom
Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude.
Saint John Chrysostom
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