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Thursday of the Third Week of Great Lent: Persevering is More Important than Beginning. Hunger for Righteousness.

03/08/2018

Persevering is More Important than Beginning Jerome said: ‘Christians will not be asked how they began but rather how they finished. St Paul began badly but finished well. Judas’s beginning was praiseworthy but his end was despicable. ‘Many start the climb but few reach the summit.’ Gregory said: ‘The value of good work depends on perseverance. ‘You live a good life in vain if you do not continue it until you die.’ Isidore said: ‘Our

Wednesday of the Third Week of Great Lent: Sobriety, the Guardian of the Spirit. Let your Soul keep a Good Look-Out.

03/07/2018

Sobriety, the Guardian of the Spirit Sobriety is a guardian of the spirit. It stands on guard day and night at the gates of the heart, to sort out the thoughts that present themselves, to listen to their suggestions and to observe their intrigues. In the first place, control the imagination strictly: it is the only route by which Satan can slip thoughts into the mind to deceive it. Then preserve in your heart a

Tuesday of the Third Week of Great Lent: To Rise You Must Go Downward. Have You Ever Seen the Snow Catch Fire?

03/06/2018

To Rise You Must Go Downward Origen said: ‘If you are not humble and serene, it is impossible for the grace of the Holy Spirit to dwell in you.’ Augustine said: ‘God humbled himself: human beings should blush to be proud.’ Gregory the Great said: ‘The more humility aims at the depths, the higher it climbs on the path to the summit. ‘Humility in listening to the Word of God makes the path ready for

Monday of the Third Week of Great Lent: Obedience is the Child of Trust. If You Think You Are Humble that Means You Are Not.

03/05/2018

Obedience is the Child of Trust Obedience is the complete renunciation of one’s own soul, demonstrated, however, by actions. More exactly, it is the death of the senses in a living soul. Obedience is a freely-chosen death, a life without cares, danger without fears, unshakeable trust in God, no fear of death. It is a voyage without perils, a journey in your sleep. Obedience is the burial of the will and the resurrection of humility.

Friday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Uphold the Living Rather than Hold the Dead. Patience is our Martyrdom.

03/02/2018

Uphold the Living Rather than Hold the Dead A monk, seeing two men carrying a dead body on a stretcher, said to one of them: ‘Are you holding the dead? Go and uphold the living!’ An old monk received a visit from some thieves one day: ‘We’ve come to strip your cell.’ He answered: ‘My children, all you like to take is yours.’ The thieves cleared the place out and left. They forgot, however, a

Thursday of the Second Week of Great Lent: The New People are a People of Children. Gentleness, the Face of Love.

03/01/2018

The New People are a People of Children Paul shows great wisdom when he says: ‘We never sought glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were babes among you.’ [1 Thess. 2:7] A child is charming, gentle, simple-minded, without cunning or hypocrisy, in short, straightforward in thought and speech. He is therefore the personification of simplicity. A child has a sensitive

Wednesday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Weighing up our Actions. Simplicity a Name for God.

02/28/2018

Weighing up our Actions The Abbot Germanus said: ‘We are perfectly convinced that the right judgment of our thoughts is the spring and the root of all the virtues. But we would like to know how to acquire that judgment, and also how it is possible to recognize its authenticity, that is to say, whether it comes from God.’ The Abbot Moses replied: ‘Only by humility can true judgment be acquired. And the first test

Tuesday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Purify the Roots and You will be Entirely Pure. The Perfect Person’s Rule of Life

02/27/2018

Purify the Roots and You will be Entirely Pure Discipline of the body, if it is combined with peace of mind, purifies it from all material tendencies. Discipline of the soul makes it humble and purifies it from the impressions that push it in a material direction. Discipline effects the transition from the emotions of passion to the activity of contemplation, or, better, it raises the soul above all terrestrial objects and feeds it on

Monday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Prove your Faith by Your Trust. Let Nothing Discourage You: Have no Fear!

02/26/2018

Prove your Faith by Your Trust ‘Look at the birds of the air,’ says Jesus. [Luke 12:24] What a splendid example for our faith to follow! If God’s providence bestows an unfailing supply of food on the birds of the air who neither sow nor reap, we ought to realize that the reason for people’s supply running short is human greed. The fruits of the earth were given to feed all without distinction and nobody

Friday of the First Week of Great Lent: If You Believe, He Who Welcomed the Thief Will Welcome You Also. Faith without Works is Dead.

02/23/2018

If You Believe, He Who Welcomed the Thief Will Welcome You Also Faith is the assent of the soul to a truth. If you want to know what advantage the soul gains from it, listen to what the Lord says: ‘Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.’ [John 5:24] How truly great is the goodness of

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Thursday of the Third Week of Great Lent: Persevering is More Important than Beginning. Hunger for Righteousness.

Wednesday of the Third Week of Great Lent: Sobriety, the Guardian of the Spirit. Let your Soul keep a Good Look-Out.

Tuesday of the Third Week of Great Lent: To Rise You Must Go Downward. Have You Ever Seen the Snow Catch Fire?

Monday of the Third Week of Great Lent: Obedience is the Child of Trust. If You Think You Are Humble that Means You Are Not.

Friday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Uphold the Living Rather than Hold the Dead. Patience is our Martyrdom.

Thursday of the Second Week of Great Lent: The New People are a People of Children. Gentleness, the Face of Love.

Wednesday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Weighing up our Actions. Simplicity a Name for God.

Tuesday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Purify the Roots and You will be Entirely Pure. The Perfect Person’s Rule of Life

Monday of the Second Week of Great Lent: Prove your Faith by Your Trust. Let Nothing Discourage You: Have no Fear!

Friday of the First Week of Great Lent: If You Believe, He Who Welcomed the Thief Will Welcome You Also. Faith without Works is Dead.

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