Daily Meditations Archives - Page 173 of 333

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

Thursday of the First Week of Great Lent: All the Limbs Begin to Tremble. The Power of Faith

02/22/2018

All the Limbs Begin to Tremble To fear God is not simply to say: ‘I fear God,’ as some who seem to fear God suggest. It is a fear that arises naturally in the soul and causes it to tremble, to such an extent that it makes the body tremble too. The body is afraid of what can make it suffer; the soul is afraid of what can cause its death. The body is afraid

Wednesday of the First Week of Great Lent: One Route but so Many By-Ways. The Spiritual Pilgrim’s Guidebook.

02/21/2018

One Route but so Many By-Ways Jerome said: ‘There are many virtues which lead those who practice them to the kingdom of heaven. There is only one route but there are many by-ways. ‘Whoever is anxious to make progress, even if he reaches a certain degree of perfection, can always find some need for improvement and become more proficient day by day. ‘No one can enjoy a good reputation both for virtue and for a

Tuesday of First Week of Great Lent: Tackle your Fears Head-On. Reach out to the Good in the Freedom of Love.

02/20/2018

Tackle your Fears Head-On Fear is a childish feeling of the adult but empty soul. Fear is really a lack of faith that becomes obvious when we think of what unforeseen things might happen. It is lack of trust in God. The proud soul is a slave to fear precisely because it trusts in itself and so shudders at any noise or any shadow. Those who are contrite for their sins have no fear. So

Monday (Clean) of the First Week of Great Lent: The Attainment of Perfect Freedom. Let us Glory in Temptation.

02/19/2018

The Attainment of Perfect Freedom What are the external objects which rouse the passions in us? Chiefly the opposite sex, material possessions and fame. To avoid being overwhelmed by these passions, there are certain steps we can take. As far as the opposite sex is concerned, it is enough to gain control of our own bodies by mortification. With respect to material possessions we must make a resolution to be content with the bare necessities.