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"The Master now finds himself alone; his disciples no longer come to listen to the lessons he imparts, having abandoned him in the very moment when there was so much to learn. We should wish to accompany him in his sorrow and learn from him to have patience in the face of the small contradictions of each day, offering them up with love."
--from In Conversation With God, vol 2, p. 261
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Freedom
"Endeavor to be inclined always:
not to the easiest, but to the most difficult;
not to the most delightful, but to the most distasteful;
not to the most gratifying, but to the less pleasant;
not to what means rest for you, but to hard work'
not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling;
not to the most, but to the least;
not to the highest and most precious, but to the lowest and most despised;
not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing.
Do not go about looking for the best of temporal things, but for the worst, and, for Christ, desire to enter into complete nakedness, emptiness, and poverty in everything in the world."
--St, John of the Cross, "Ascent of Mt. Carmel", Book One chapter 13
not to the easiest, but to the most difficult;
not to the most delightful, but to the most distasteful;
not to the most gratifying, but to the less pleasant;
not to what means rest for you, but to hard work'
not to the consoling, but to the unconsoling;
not to the most, but to the least;
not to the highest and most precious, but to the lowest and most despised;
not to wanting something, but to wanting nothing.
Do not go about looking for the best of temporal things, but for the worst, and, for Christ, desire to enter into complete nakedness, emptiness, and poverty in everything in the world."
--St, John of the Cross, "Ascent of Mt. Carmel", Book One chapter 13
Sunday, April 17, 2011
What are we going to do?
"After 5 weeks of a catechesis on love that is the season of Lent...we have read about or heard of the many signs Jesus performed. Now, to enter fully into Holy Week, we need to answer for ourselves the question, "What are we going to do?"
Are we going to continue praying in such a way as to open the depths of our hearts to the communion God longs to share? Are we going to continue fasting in order to drive out the demons that prevent our being fully committed to the works Jesus performs? Are we going to continue giving the alms of charity, as we have received them from the One who completely spent himself in love for us?"
--taken from The Little Way of Lent -meditations in the spirit of St Therese of Lisieux, by Fr. Gary Caster
Are we going to continue praying in such a way as to open the depths of our hearts to the communion God longs to share? Are we going to continue fasting in order to drive out the demons that prevent our being fully committed to the works Jesus performs? Are we going to continue giving the alms of charity, as we have received them from the One who completely spent himself in love for us?"
--taken from The Little Way of Lent -meditations in the spirit of St Therese of Lisieux, by Fr. Gary Caster
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Lust
by Patrick Miller
Lust is an especially troublesome sin. After all, in the natural order, lust is often viewed as a virtue. In Greek mythology the lustful exploits of the gods were held in high esteem and represented the pinnacle of enjoyment of life and all pleasures. Even in the Old Testament, God allowed polygamy and other lustful practices until he could wean the chosen people away from those practices.
Lust is one of those sins which "cling so closely" that our only recourse is God's help and avoidance of situations which would tempt us to commit sin. Since we are naturally inclined to seek the earthy part of sexual pleasure, it is impossible for ourselves to be pure of thought.
When I feel tempted to lustful thoughts, I find it helpful to consider Mt 5:29: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." It is better to turn off the television set or change the station when some of those nearly pornographic commercials come on than to allow yourself to be tempted and come under the Lord's injunction in that passage. Likewise, it's usually better to avoid the R-rated movie than it is to put myself in an occasion of temptation.
Only with God's help, continual humble prayer and avoidance of situations that arouse us to lustful thought can we withstand the onslaught.
by Patrick Miller
Lust is an especially troublesome sin. After all, in the natural order, lust is often viewed as a virtue. In Greek mythology the lustful exploits of the gods were held in high esteem and represented the pinnacle of enjoyment of life and all pleasures. Even in the Old Testament, God allowed polygamy and other lustful practices until he could wean the chosen people away from those practices.
Lust is one of those sins which "cling so closely" that our only recourse is God's help and avoidance of situations which would tempt us to commit sin. Since we are naturally inclined to seek the earthy part of sexual pleasure, it is impossible for ourselves to be pure of thought.
When I feel tempted to lustful thoughts, I find it helpful to consider Mt 5:29: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." It is better to turn off the television set or change the station when some of those nearly pornographic commercials come on than to allow yourself to be tempted and come under the Lord's injunction in that passage. Likewise, it's usually better to avoid the R-rated movie than it is to put myself in an occasion of temptation.
Only with God's help, continual humble prayer and avoidance of situations that arouse us to lustful thought can we withstand the onslaught.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Avarice
by Ralph Rath
Do I have a problem with avarice? Well, I'm not rich and I don't even own a bomber jacket, but I am a pack rat. I don't like to throw anything away. All those things may come in handy someday. This, in a way, is avarice - the inordinate attachment to money or material things or the power and prestige that can go with them.
Like it or not, one day we will come before the judgment seat of God. We are going to go and we can't take anything material with us. Luke 12:15-21 tells of the rich man who decided to build larger barns to contain all his grain and goods. But he died that night. God called the man foolish "who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
A person who is good and cheerful and virtuous is so much happier than the rich person who treasures his worth by his possessions, and you can take your virtues with you into the next life.
"Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with riches that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail and where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Lk 12:33-34).
by Ralph Rath
Do I have a problem with avarice? Well, I'm not rich and I don't even own a bomber jacket, but I am a pack rat. I don't like to throw anything away. All those things may come in handy someday. This, in a way, is avarice - the inordinate attachment to money or material things or the power and prestige that can go with them.
Like it or not, one day we will come before the judgment seat of God. We are going to go and we can't take anything material with us. Luke 12:15-21 tells of the rich man who decided to build larger barns to contain all his grain and goods. But he died that night. God called the man foolish "who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
A person who is good and cheerful and virtuous is so much happier than the rich person who treasures his worth by his possessions, and you can take your virtues with you into the next life.
"Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with riches that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail and where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Lk 12:33-34).
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Gluttony
by Kay TePas
Gluttony is a disordered desire for food or drink; it diverts our love and affection from God and neighbor toward the pleasures food can bring us. We can be gluttonous without actually eating too much. We may just think and talk too much about food.
For instance, sometimes I catch myself anticipating he fresh-baked Easter coffee cake with more joy than I do the celebration of the feast with fellow Christians. Often my first thought in the morning is breakfast, instead of, Thank you, Jesus, for this new day! I may stop listening to the dinner conversation as I start thinking about the upcoming dessert.
I've found that the best way to fight gluttony is to redirect my affection away from food and back to God and others. Fasting is a powerful weapon against gluttony and a chance to save some money for those who are really hungry. (However I need to turn my mind to intercessory prayer for others when fasting, instead of calculations of calories saved.)
If possible, don't eat meals alone; when snacking, provide enough to share. Prepare others' favorite dishes and serve yourself last, being content with whatever (if anything) is left. A slow, heartfelt prayer before eating, thanking God for both the food and the blessing of being with others, is always helpful.
by Kay TePas
Gluttony is a disordered desire for food or drink; it diverts our love and affection from God and neighbor toward the pleasures food can bring us. We can be gluttonous without actually eating too much. We may just think and talk too much about food.
For instance, sometimes I catch myself anticipating he fresh-baked Easter coffee cake with more joy than I do the celebration of the feast with fellow Christians. Often my first thought in the morning is breakfast, instead of, Thank you, Jesus, for this new day! I may stop listening to the dinner conversation as I start thinking about the upcoming dessert.
I've found that the best way to fight gluttony is to redirect my affection away from food and back to God and others. Fasting is a powerful weapon against gluttony and a chance to save some money for those who are really hungry. (However I need to turn my mind to intercessory prayer for others when fasting, instead of calculations of calories saved.)
If possible, don't eat meals alone; when snacking, provide enough to share. Prepare others' favorite dishes and serve yourself last, being content with whatever (if anything) is left. A slow, heartfelt prayer before eating, thanking God for both the food and the blessing of being with others, is always helpful.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Anger
by Christine Ramsey
"Be angry, but sin not." (Ps 4:4) Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? Is it really possible to experience anger but not offend God?
Anger is a God-given emotion which is neither good nor evil. Ideally, its purpose is to motivate us to action so we can overcome obstacles or right some wrong. It is our instinctive reaction when our sense of justice or dignity is offended.
THere is such a thing as just anger, when, for example, Jesus drove the moneychangers from the Temple precincts. In fact, sometimes it might be wrong not to get angry.
Anger becomes a sin when it opposes love and justice. It can give us problems because of its intensity (growing andgrier than the situation warrants or losing control), its object (yelling at the kids when we are really angry at our neighbor), or its cause (getting angry when our boss corrects us for something we did wrong.)
We need to make a three-pronged attack on unjust anger. First, we should learn what sets us off, so we can anticipate difficulties and temptations before they're upon us. This way we can either avoid the situations that put us in danger of sinning or know how to handle ourselves when we can't avoid them. Second, because pride is often at the root of unjust anger, humility, patience and meekness cut it off at its source.
Growth in these three virtues provides a strong remedy for the vice of anger. Finally, we should fervently strive for love, for "Love is patient...and does not take offense." (1 Cor. 13:4)
by Christine Ramsey
"Be angry, but sin not." (Ps 4:4) Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? Is it really possible to experience anger but not offend God?
Anger is a God-given emotion which is neither good nor evil. Ideally, its purpose is to motivate us to action so we can overcome obstacles or right some wrong. It is our instinctive reaction when our sense of justice or dignity is offended.
THere is such a thing as just anger, when, for example, Jesus drove the moneychangers from the Temple precincts. In fact, sometimes it might be wrong not to get angry.
Anger becomes a sin when it opposes love and justice. It can give us problems because of its intensity (growing andgrier than the situation warrants or losing control), its object (yelling at the kids when we are really angry at our neighbor), or its cause (getting angry when our boss corrects us for something we did wrong.)
We need to make a three-pronged attack on unjust anger. First, we should learn what sets us off, so we can anticipate difficulties and temptations before they're upon us. This way we can either avoid the situations that put us in danger of sinning or know how to handle ourselves when we can't avoid them. Second, because pride is often at the root of unjust anger, humility, patience and meekness cut it off at its source.
Growth in these three virtues provides a strong remedy for the vice of anger. Finally, we should fervently strive for love, for "Love is patient...and does not take offense." (1 Cor. 13:4)
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