7 August 2021

Long for God

Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God’s love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it.

      Saint John Chrysostom

6 August 2021

Seeking Christ

Our Savior repeats his words: ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.’ He quenched the thirst not only of those who came to him then. Whenever anyone seeks him he is freely admitted to the presence of the Savior. The grace of the feast [Easter] is not restricted to one occasion. Its rays of glory never set. It is always at hand to enlighten the mind of those who desire it. Its power is always there for those whose minds have been enlightened and who meditate day and night on the holy Scriptures.

        Saint Athanasius the Great

5 August 2021

On Receiving Repentance

Whoever offers repentance ought not only to wash his sin with tears, but ought to cover his former transgressions with better deeds, lest the sin be imputed to him.

        Saint Ambrose of Milan

4 August 2021

On Receiving Christ

Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says, “Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me.”

        Saint Augustine

3 August 2021

On Forgiveness

Do we refuse to forgive? God, too, will refuse to forgive us. As we treat our neighbors, so also does God treat us. The forgiveness or unforgiveness of your sins, then, and hence also your salvation or destruction, depend on you yourself. For without forgiveness of sins there is no salvation. You can see for yourself how serious it is.

      Saint Tikhon (1724-1783)

2 August 2021

On the Church

It is highly significant that the wandering apostles, evangelists, prophets, and teachers of the earliest Christian era were very soon supplanted by a resident clergy: the bishops, presbyters, and deacons. The local congregation, i.e. primarily the city congregation [Stadtgemeinde], is the form in which the church of Christ appears in the world. To this day a Catholic bishop uses as his surname not his family name but the name of his diocese. The church of Christ, God’s wandering people, exists through all centuries in the churches of Antioch and Alexandria, Ephesus and Smyrna, Rome and Carthage, Lyons and Treves, Cologne and Canterbury. The city may be destroyed, the church building may fall into ruins, the shepherds may be killed, and the flock scattered. The church, however, endeavors to rise again even in such a place. The church in Treves died out as a Latin church, but it rose again as a German church.

         Hermann Sasse

1 August 2021

On Mercies

It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer.

       Saint Vincent de Paul