(A) February 02, 2015 Medjugorje Message to Mirjana: Comprehend that You are Worthy to Work for Heaven

"Dear children! I am here, I am among you. I am looking at you, am smiling at you and I love you in the way that only a mother can. Through the Holy Spirit who comes through my purity, I see your hearts and I offer them to my Son. Already for a long time I have been asking of you to be my apostles, to pray for those who have not come to know God's love. I am asking for prayer said out of love, prayer which carries out works and sacrifices. Do not waste time thinking about whether you are worthy to be my apostles. The Heavenly Father will judge everyone; and you, love Him and listen to Him. I know that all of this confuses you, even my very stay among you, but accept it with joy and pray that you may comprehend that you are worthy to work for Heaven. My love is upon you. Pray that my love may win in all hearts, because that is the love which forgives, gives and never stops. Thank you."

(B) February 02, 2014 Medjugorje Message to Mirjana: By Means of a Blessing, God's Grace Will Descend Upon You

"Dear children, with motherly love I desire to teach you sincerity, because I desire that, in your actions as my apostles, you be exact, resolute, and above all sincere. I desire that, by the grace of God, you be open for a blessing. I desire that by fasting and prayer you obtain from the Heavenly Father the cognition of what is natural and holy – Divine. Filled with cognition, under the shelter of my Son and myself, you will be my apostles who will know how to spread the Word of God to all those who do not know of it; and you will know how to overcome obstacles that will stand in your way. My children, by means of a blessing, God's grace will descend upon you and you will be able to retain it through fasting, prayer, purification and reconciliation. You will have the efficiency which I seek of you. Pray for your shepherds that the ray of God's grace may illuminate their ways. Thank you."

(C) March 18, 2014 Medjugorje Annual Apparition and Message to Mirjana: Open Your Heart and Put My Son in the First Place in it.

"Dear children! As a mother, I desire to be of help to you. With my motherly love, I desire to help you to open your heart and to put my Son in the first place in it. Through your love for my Son and through your prayer, I desire for God’s light to illuminate you and God’s mercy to fill you. In this way, I desire for the darkness, and the shadow of death which wants to encompass and mislead you, to be driven away. I desire for you to feel the joy of the blessing of God’s promise. You, children of man, you are God’s children - you are my children. Therefore, my children, set out on the ways on which my love leads you, teaches you humility and wisdom, and finds the way to the Heavenly Father. Pray with me for those who do not accept me and do not follow me - those who, because of hardness of their hearts, cannot feel the joy of humility, devotion, peace and love – the joy of my Son. Pray that your shepherds, with their blessed hands, may always give you the joy of God’s blessing. Thank you."

(1) February 02, 2013 Medjugorje Message to Mirjana: How Great is Your Love? You do not Have Real Love.

"Dear children, love is bringing me to you - the love which I desire to teach you also - real love; the love which my Son showed you when He died on the Cross out of love for you; the love which is always ready to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. How great is your love? My motherly heart is sorrowful as it searches for love in your hearts. You are not ready to submit your will to God's will out of love. You cannot help me to have those who have not come to know God's love to come to know it, because you do not have real love. Consecrate your hearts to me and I will lead you. I will teach you to forgive, to love your enemies and to live according to my Son. Do not be afraid for yourselves. In afflictions my Son does not forget those who love. I will be beside you. I will implore the Heavenly Father for the light of eternal truth and love to illuminate you. Pray for your shepherds so that through your fasting and prayer they can lead you in love. Thank you."

(2) February 02, 2012 Medjugorje Message to Mirjana: Pride has Come to Rule

"Dear children; I am with you for so much time and already for so long I have been pointing you to God’s presence and His infinite love, which I desire for all of you to come to know. And you, my children? You continue to be deaf and blind as you look at the world around you and do not want to see where it is going without my Son. You are renouncing Him - and He is the source of all graces. You listen to me while I am speaking to you, but your hearts are closed and you are not hearing me. You are not praying to the Holy Spirit to illuminate you. My children, pride has come to rule. I am pointing out humility to you. My children, remember that only a humble soul shines with purity and beauty because it has come to know the love of God. Only a humble soul becomes heaven, because my Son is in it. Thank you. Again I implore you to pray for those whom my Son has chosen - those are your shepherds."

(3) November 02, 2012 Medjugorje Message to Mirjana: Persevere as My Apostles

"Dear children, as a mother I implore you to persevere as my apostles. I am praying to my Son to give you Divine wisdom and strength. I am praying that you may discern everything around you according to God’s truth and to strongly resist everything that wants to distance you from my Son. I am praying that you may witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son. My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love. Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles. Through fasting and prayer you are opening the way for me to pray to my Son for Him to be beside you and for His name to be holy through you. Pray for the shepherds because none of this would be possible without them. Thank you."

(4) November 25, 2012 Medjugorje Message: Open Yourselves to the Way of Conversion and Holiness

“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call all of you to renew prayer. Open yourselves to Holy Confession so that each of you may accept my call with the whole heart. I am with you and I protect you from the ruin of sin, but you must open yourselves to the way of conversion and holiness, that your heart may burn out of love for God. Give Him time and He will give Himself to you and thus, in the will of God you will discover the love and the joy of living. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

(5) Hymn to Sing in Times of Temptation

Note: When temptation comes your way, be a vigilant doorkeeper of your soul and do not try to fight the temptation on your own. Be like a child, and in your mind's eye, run for shelter to the foot of the Cross at Calvary, and embrace your Savior Jesus Christ. Let His precious Blood flow down upon you, and hear His words of comfort: "Truly I tell you, this day you will be with Me in Paradise" (i.e. today and most probably immediately, you will be free from the temptation that is assailing you). The following hymn is best sung to the melody of: "Like A Shepherd He Feeds His Flock", a St. Louis Jesuits Hymn by Composer Bob Dufford, SJ. Chorus: Like a chi-ld who runs for help Into his mother's embrace, So I run to the foot of Your Cross, Embracing You Lord. Verse 1: As His Blood is flowing down Unto my head and my heart, Into m-y body, into my soul, It cleanses me, and gives me strength. Chorus Verse 2: Jesus Lord You conquered death, And all the powers of Hell, By Your fidelity to the Cross, And to- Your Fa-ther's Will. Chorus Verse 3: Jesus Lord remember me When-you come into Your kingdom. Truly I tell you this day My child, You'll be with Me in Pa-radise. Chorus

(6) In Christ the Fullness of Deity Resides in Bodily Form

Colossians 2:9, 12 In Christ the fullness of deity resides in bodily form. Yours is a share of this fullness. In baptism you were not only buried with him but also raised to life with him because you believed in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

(7) Life Offering Prayer

I am the Lord’s poor servant; to You alone, the living God, I have offered all in sacrifice; I have nothing else to give; I offer You myself.

(8) Longing for God

What I long for, I will one day see; what I hope for, I will one day possess; in Heaven I will be espoused to Him whom on earth I love with all my heart. Graciously hear us, Lord, for we seek only you. You are near to those whose heart is right. Open yourself to accept our sorrowful spirit; calm our bodies and minds with the peace which surpasses understanding. Psalm 142 You, Lord, are my refuge What is written in this psalm was fulfilled in our Lord’s passion(Saint Hilary). With all my voice I cry to the Lord, * with all my voice I entreat the Lord. I pour out my trouble before him; * I tell him all my distress while my spirit faints within me. * But you, O Lord, know my path. On the way where I shall walk * they have hidden a snare to entrap me. Look on my right and see: * there is not one who takes my part. I have no means of escape, * not one who cares for my soul. I cry to you, O Lord. † I have said: “You are my refuge, * all I have left in the land of the living.” Listen then to my cry * for I am in the depths of distress. Rescue me from those who pursue me * for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of this prison * and then I shall praise your name. Around me the just will assemble * because of your goodness to me.

(9) I am with you ALWAYS...

The last words of Jesus before He ascended into heaven as recorded in Matthew's Gospel were: "Behold, I am with you ALWAYS, until the end of the age.". Now I believe that Jesus deliberately saved His most comforting and powerful words on earth for the end, just before He ascended into heaven because if all we ever remember of what He said are these words, then mission accomplished!. He never wants us to feel like orphans, and He never wants us to feel alone as though we don't have a friend or someone who cares about us. To me, this is GREAT news, if only we would believe it with all our hearts. We must believe that Jesus loves us very much, and walks beside us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, until we die or until He returns again, whichever comes first. Let us tell everyone whom we meet and know about this GREAT news, let's even shout it from the rooftops, because there are too many lonely and brokenhearted people in our world! Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks. Will you let Him in?

(10) Prayer of Protection

Keep me safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, by relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, I may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(11) Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil; This will mean health for your flesh and vigor for your bones.

(12) Joy in the Lord Helps us to Reject Sin with its Sadness

Lord, be our great joy that no one can take from us, – so that we may reject sin with its sadness, and reach out to eternal life.

(13) Blind Obedience to the Lord

Master, I have worked all day and all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will lower my nets again.

(14) Victory in the Lord

Now have salvation and power come, † the reign of our God and the authority of his Anointed One. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, Who night and day accused them before God. They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb † and by the word of their testimony; Love for life did not deter them from death. So rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell therein!

(15) Whatever You do, Work at it with Your Whole Being

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord rather than for men since you know full well that you will receive an inheritance from him as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

(16) Charity Covers a Multitude of Sins - Pope St. Leo the Great

The faithful should therefore enter into themselves and make a true judgment on their attitudes of mind and heart. If they find some store of love’s fruit in their hearts, they must not doubt God’s presence within them. If they would increase their capacity to receive so great a guest, they should practice greater generosity in doing good, with persevering charity. If God is love, charity should know no limit, for God cannot be confined. Any time is the right time for works of charity, but these days of Lent provide a special encouragement. Those who want to be present at the Lord’s Passover in holiness of mind and body should seek above all to win this grace, for charity contains all other virtues and covers a multitude of sins.

(17) God Wants to Espouse You

Isaiah 61:10-62:5 No more shall men call you “Forsaken,” * or your land “Desolate,” but you shall be called “My Delight,” * and your land “Espoused.” For the Lord delights in you, * and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, * your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride * so shall your God rejoice in you.

(18) Draw Near to God and He WILL Draw Near to You

James 4:8 Draw Near to God and He WILL draw Near to You From an Easter letter by Saint Athanasius, Bishop 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.

(19) You Need Patience to do God’s Will

Hebrews 10:35-36 Do not surrender your confidence; it will have great reward. You need patience to do God’s will and receive what he has promised.

(20) The Need for Absolute Faith and Trust in God's Goodness

Psalm 78:1-39 When he heard this the Lord was angry. * A fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger rose against Israel † for having no faith in God; * for refusing to trust in his help. Despite this they went on sinning; * they had no faith in his wonders: so he ended their days like a breath * and their years in sudden ruin. When he slew them then they would seek him, * return and seek him in earnest. They would remember that God was their rock, * God the Most High their redeemer. But the words they spoke were mere flattery; * they lied to him with their lips. For their hearts were not truly with him; * they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he who is full of compassion * forgave them their sin and spared them. So often he held back his anger * when he might have stirred up his rage. He remembered they were only men, * a breath that passes never to return.

(21) Christ is my All - the Great I AM

Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you. I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover that brings you salvation. I am the lamb who was immolated for you. I am your ransom, your life, your resurrection, your light. I am your salvation and your king. I will bring you to the heights of heaven. With my own right hand I will raise you up, and I will show you the eternal Father.

(22) The Christian in the World

From a letter to Diognetus (Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401) Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign. And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred. To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments. Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.

(23) Pope St. Leo the Great on the Role of Every Christian as priest, prophet, and king

For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?

(24) St. John Eudes on the Meaning and Purpose of Suffering

We must strive to follow and fulfill in ourselves the various stages of Christ’s plan as well as his mysteries, and frequently beg him to bring them to completion in us and in the whole Church. For the mysteries of Jesus are not yet completely perfected and fulfilled. They are complete, indeed, in the person of Jesus, but not in us, who are his members, nor in the Church, which is his mystical body. The Son of God wills to give us a share in his mysteries and somehow to extend them to us. He wills to continue them in us and in his universal Church. This is brought about first through the graces he has resolved to impart to us and then through the works he wishes to accomplish in us through these mysteries. This is his plan for fulfilling his mysteries in us. For this reason Saint Paul says that Christ is being brought to fulfillment in his Church and that all of us contribute to this fulfillment, and thus he achieves the fullness of life, that is, the mystical stature that he has in his mystical body, which will reach completion only on judgment day. In another place Paul says: I complete in my own flesh what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. This is the plan by which the Son of God completes and fulfills in us all the various stages and mysteries. He desires us to perfect the mystery of his incarnation and birth by forming himself in us and being reborn in our souls through the blessed sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. He fulfills his hidden life in us, hidden with him in God. He intends to perfect the mysteries of his passion, death and resurrection, by causing us to suffer, die and rise again with him and in him. Finally, he wishes to fulfill in us the state of his glorious and immortal life, when he will cause us to live a glorious, eternal life with him and in him in heaven. In the same way he would complete and fulfill in us and in his Church his other stages and mysteries. He wants to give us a share in them and to accomplish and continue them in us. So it is that the mysteries of Christ will not be completed until the end of time, because he has arranged that the completion of his mysteries in us and in the Church will only be achieved at the end of time.

(25) What is the Sin Against the Holy Spirit?

Anthony Hadeed's Reflection: What is the sin against the Holy Spirit? Many people have wondered what Jesus meant when He said that all sins and offenses will be forgiven man but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven neither in this life nor in the life to come. Here is what the Sin against the Holy Spirit is: it is simply not believing that the love and mercy of God are infinite. When someone thinks that they have committed sins that cannot be forgiven by God, they are really saying that God's love and his mercy are not infinite. We know that the love of the Father and the Son IS the Holy Spirit . In other words, God is love and God is infinite. Therefore God is infinite love. So when someone says that God cannot possibly forgive their sins because their sins are too great, they are in essence saying that God's love is finite. What this means is that they are denying God's very nature, that is to say, they are implying that God is not infinite love. This is in essence the Sin against the Holy Spirit. Isn't this great news for us? All we have to do is simply to believe that God is infinite love! There is not a single sin that we can ever commit which God cannot forgive. As long as we are sorry for our sins, we confess them to God through his minister the priest, and make reparation for our sins, then we can be assured of God's mercy. There is no good reason to ever despair of God’s mercy. There are times in our lives where we can be in a state of despairing of God’s mercy, but as long as we do not die in this state, which is called final impenitence, then we have a chance to be saved. In the words of the late Pope John Paul II, a simple prayer at the time of death will suffice: “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus said to Saint Faustina (Diary 699): “Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy.”

(26) Blessed are the Poor in Spirit - An Excerpt from Pope Saint Leo the Great

Blessed, he says, are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It might have been unclear to which poor he was referring, if after the words "Blessed are the poor", he had not added anything about the kind of poor he had in mind. For then the poverty that many suffer because of grave and harsh necessity might seem sufficient to merit the kingdom of heaven. But when he says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, he shows that the kingdom of heaven is to be given to those who are distinguished by their humility of soul rather than by their lack of worldly goods.

(27) Fraternal Correction is our Duty

Ezekiel 2:17-21 If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil nor from his wicked conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life. If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death if you did not warn him. When, on the other hand, you have warned a virtuous man not to sin, and he has in fact not sinned, he shall surely live because of the warning, and you shall save your own life. Luke 17:1-4 Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you. In wisdom made perfect, instruct and admonish one another. Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs. From a Sermon On Pastors by Saint Augustine, Bishop Consider the nature of the clothing that the apostle Paul received from God’s good people. He said: You have received me like an angel of God. I testify that if it were possible you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Indeed great honor was shown to him. But did he then spare sinners because of that honor, perhaps out of fear that it would be refused and that he would receive less praise when he gave blame? Had he done so, he would be among those shepherds who feed themselves and not the sheep. He would then say to himself: “What has this to do with me? Let everyone do what he will; my sustenance is safe, and my honor too. I have enough milk and wool, so let each one do as he likes.” But then are things really secure for you if each one does as he pleases? I do not want to make you a leader over the people but one of them. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with him. Pope St. Felix III "Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it; and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them." Psalm 120 Long enough have I been dwelling * with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, * they are for fighting.

(28) Jeremiah under Persecution

Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people: “It was the Lord who sent me to prophesy against this house and city all that you have heard. Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the Lord your God, so that the Lord will relent of the evil with which he threatens you. As for me, I am in your hands; do with me what you think good and right. But mark well: if you put me to death, it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves, on this city and its citizens. For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you, to speak all these things for you to hear.” Jeremiah 15:19, 20; 2 Peter 2:1 "You will be my spokesman. I will make you a solid wall of brass to these people. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail, for I am with you." "False teachers will arise. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies and deny the master who saved them."

(29) The Prophet Jeremiah's Anxieties

Jeremiah 20:7-18 You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; The word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it. Yes, I hear the whisperings of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!” All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. “Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.” But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked! Cursed be the day on which I was born! May the day my mother gave me birth never be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, “A child, a son, has been born to you!” filling him with great joy. Let that man be like the cities which the Lord relentlessly overthrew; Let him hear war cries in the morning, battle alarms at noonday, because he did not dispatch me in the womb! Then my mother would have been my grave, her womb confining me forever. Why did I come forth from the womb, to see sorrow and pain, to end my days in shame?

(30) People will not Listen to the Prophet

Isaiah 30:8-14 "Now come, write it on a tablet they can keep, inscribe it in a record; That it may be in future days an eternal witness: This is a rebellious people, deceitful children, Children who refuse to obey the law of the Lord. They say to the seers, “Have no visions” to the prophets, “Do not descry for us what is right; speak flatteries to us, conjure up illusions. Out of the way! Out of our path! Let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you reject this word, And put your trust in what is crooked and devious, and depend on it, This guilt of yours shall be like a descending rift Bulging out in a high wall whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant. It crashes like a potter’s jar smashed beyond rescue, And among its fragments cannot be found a sherd to scoop fire from the hearth or dip water from the cistern."

(31) The Ungodly Deliberately Persecute the Godly Man

Wisdom 2 [1] For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, "Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. [2] Because we were born by mere chance, and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been; because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts. [3] When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air. [4] Our name will be forgotten in time and no one will remember our works; our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and be scattered like mist that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat. [5] For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because it is sealed up and no one turns back. [6] "Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to the full as in youth. [7] Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass by us. [8] Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither. [9] Let none of us fail to share in our revelry, everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment, because this is our portion, and this our lot. [10] Let us oppress the righteous poor man; let us not spare the widow nor regard the gray hairs of the aged. [11] But let our might be our law of right, for what is weak proves itself to be useless. [12] "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. [13] He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. [14] He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; [15] the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. [16] We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. [17] Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; [18] for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. [19] Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. [20] Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected." [21] Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, [22] and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls; [23] for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, [24] but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it. Wisdom 3 [1] But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. [2] In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, [3] and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. [4] For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. [5] Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; [6] like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. [7] In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. [8] They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. [9] Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones. [10] But the ungodly will be punished as their reasoning deserves, who disregarded the righteous man and rebelled against the Lord; [11] for whoever despises wisdom and instruction is miserable. Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable, and their works are useless. [12] Their wives are foolish, and their children evil; [13] their offspring are accursed. For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not entered into a sinful union; she will have fruit when God examines souls. [14] Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed, and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord; for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness, and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord. [15] For the fruit of good labors is renowned, and the root of understanding does not fail. [16] But children of adulterers will not come to maturity, and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish. [17] Even if they live long they will be held of no account, and finally their old age will be without honor. [18] If they die young, they will have no hope and no consolation in the day of decision. [19] For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.

(32) St. Anslem, Bishop on Desire for the Vision of God

Insignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labors. Make a little time for God and rest a while in him. Enter into your mind’s inner chamber. Shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek him; and when you have shut the door, look for him. Speak now to God and say with your whole heart: I seek your face; your face, Lord, I desire. Lord, my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you. Lord, if you are not here where shall I look for you in your absence? Yet if you are everywhere, why do I not see you when you are present? But surely you dwell in “light inaccessible.” And where is light inaccessible? How shall I approach light inaccessible? Or who will lead me and bring me into it that I may see you there? And then, by what signs and under what forms shall I seek you? I have never seen you, Lord my God; I do not know your face. Lord most high, what shall this exile do, so far from you? What shall your servant do, tormented by love of you and cast so far from your face? He yearns to see you, and your face is too far from him. He desires to approach you, and your dwelling is unapproachable. he longs to find you, and does not know your dwelling place. He strives to look for you, and does not know your face. Lord, you are my God and you are my Lord, and I have never seen you. You have made me and remade me, and you have given me all the good things I possess and still I do not know you. I was made in order to see you, and I have not yet done that for which I was made. Lord, how long will it be? How long, Lord, will you forget us? How long will you turn your face away from us? When will you look upon us and hear us? When will you enlighten our eyes and show us your face? When will you give yourself back to us? Look upon us, Lord, hear us and enlighten us, show us your very self. Restore yourself to us that it may go well with us whose life is so evil without you. Take pity on our efforts and our striving toward you, for we have no strength apart from you. Teach me to seek you, and when I seek you show yourself to me, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you and desire you in seeking you, find you in loving you.

(33) Bishop Diadochus of Photice: Treatise On Spiritual Perfection

All our love must be for God No one who is in love with himself is capable of loving God. The man who loves God is the one who mortifies his self-love for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of divine love. Such a man never seeks his own glory but only the glory of God. If a person loves himself he seeks his own glory, but the man who loves God loves the glory of his Creator. Anyone alive to the love of God can be recognized from the way he constantly strives to glorify him by fulfilling all his commandments and by delighting in his own abasement. Because of his great majesty it is fitting that God should receive glory, but if he hopes to win God’s favor it becomes man to be humble. If we possess this love for God, we too will rejoice in his glory as Saint John the Baptist did, and we shall never stop repeating: His fame must increase, but mine must diminish. I know a man who, though lamenting his failure to love God as much as he desires, yet loves him so much that his soul burns with ceaseless longing for God to be glorified, and for his own complete effacement. This man has no feeling of self-importance even when he receives praise. So deep is his desire to humble himself that he never even thinks of his own dignity. He fulfills his priestly duty by celebrating the Liturgy, but his intense love for God is an abyss that swallows up all consciousness of his high office. His humility makes him oblivious of any honor it might bring him, so that in his own estimation he is never anything but a useless servant. Because of his desire for self-abasement, he regards himself as though degraded from his office. His example is one that we ourselves should follow by fleeing from all honor and glory for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of God’s love, for he has loved us so much! Anyone who loves God in the depths of his heart has already been loved by God. In fact, the measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. When this awareness is keen it makes whoever possesses it long to be enlightened by the divine light, and this longing is so intense that it seems to penetrate his very bones. He loses all consciousness of himself and is entirely transformed by the love of God. Such a man lives in this life and at the same time does not live in it, for although he still inhabits his body, he is constantly leaving it in spirit because of the love that draws him toward God. Once the love of God has released him from self-love, the flame of divine love never ceases to burn in his heart and he remains united to God by an irresistible longing. As the Apostle says: If we are taken out of ourselves it is for the love of God; if we are brought back to our senses it is for your sake.

(34) Keep Your Eyes Fixed on Christ

We shall be blessed with clear vision if we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, for he, as Paul teaches, is our head, and there is in him no shadow of evil. Saint Paul himself and all who have reached the same heights of sanctity had their eyes fixed on Christ, and so have all who live and move and have their being in him. And so, without board or lodging, Paul traveled from place to place, destitute, naked, exhausted by hunger and thirst. When men saw him in captivity, flogged, shipwrecked, led about in chains, they could scarcely help thinking him a pitiable sight. Nevertheless, even while he suffered all this at the hands of men, he always looked toward the One who is his head and he asked: What can separate us from the love of Christ, which is in Jesus? Can affliction or distress? Can persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger or death? In other words, “What can force me to take my eyes from him who is my head and to turn them toward things that are contemptible?” He bids us follow his example: Seek the things that are above, he says, which is only another way of saying: “Keep your eyes on Christ.” As the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, – so our eyes are fixed on the Lord our God, as we wait for him to have mercy on us. I am the light of the world. No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness; but he will have the light of life. – So our eyes are fixed on the Lord our God, as we wait for him to have mercy on us. Be a rock where I can take refuge, * a mighty stronghold to save me; for you are my rock, my stronghold.† Free me from the hand of the wicked, * from the grip of the unjust, of the oppressor. It is you, O Lord, who are my hope, * my trust, O Lord, from my youth. On you I have leaned from my birth; * from my mother's womb you have been my help. My hope has always been in you.

(35) Think Always on Christ, and Wait for His Coming at Every Moment

From the book On Virginity by Saint Ambrose, bishop (Cap 12, 74-75): You light up your grace of body with the radiance of your mind. You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins; you light up your grace of body with your splendor of soul. More than others you can be compared to the Church. When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ, and wait for his coming at every moment. This is the person Christ has loved in loving you, the person he has chosen in choosing you. He enters by the open door; he has promised to come in, and he cannot deceive. Embrace him, the one you have sought; turn to him, and be enlightened; hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste, beg him not to leave you. The Word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take, for he is swift in his passing. What does his bride say? I sought him, and did not find him; I called him, and he did not hear me. Do not imagine that you are displeasing to him although you have called him, asked him, opened the door to him, and that this is the reason why he has gone so quickly; no, for he allows us to be constantly tested. When the crowds pressed him to stay, what does he say in the Gospel? I must preach the word of God to other cities, because I have been sent for that. But even if it seems to you that he has left you, go out and seek him once more. Who but holy Church is to teach you how to hold Christ fast? Indeed, she has already taught you, if you only understood her words in Scripture: How short a time it was when I left them before I found him whom my soul has loved. I held him fast, and I will not let him go. How do we hold him fast? Not by restraining chains or knotted ropes but by bonds of love, by spiritual reins, by the longing of the soul. If you also, like the bride, wish to hold him fast, seek him and be fearless of suffering. It is often easier to find him in the midst of bodily torments, in the very hands of persecutors. His bride says: How short a time it was after I left them. In a little space, after a brief moment, when you have escaped from the hands of your persecutors without yielding to the powers of this world, Christ will come to you, and he will not allow you to be tested for long. Whoever seeks Christ in this way, and finds him, can say: I held him fast, and I will not let him go before I bring him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me. What is this “house”, this “room”, but the deep and secret places of your heart? Maintain this house, sweep out its secret recesses until it becomes immaculate and rises as a spiritual temple for a holy priesthood, firmly secured by Christ, the cornerstone, so that the Holy Spirit may dwell in it. Whoever seeks Christ in this way, whoever prays to Christ in this way, is not abandoned by him; on the contrary, Christ comes again and again to visit such a person, for he is with us until the end of the world.

(36) Message from The Imitation of Christ - Seek Consolation only in Christ

From Imitation of Christ: Chapter 12 from Book 3 "My son, do not follow your lusts, and do not be self-willed. Delight in the Lord, and he will grant your heart's desire. If you would taste true pleasure and receive the fullness of My consolation, know this: that in the despising of worldly things and in the shunning of base delights shall be your blessing, and you shall win abundant consolation. The more you withdraw yourself from the comfort of creatures, the sweeter and more potent will be the consolations that you will find in Me. But you will not find these at once, or without sorrow, toil and effort. Old habits will stand in your way, but by better they will be overcome. The body will complain, but by fervor of the spirit it can be disciplined. The old Serpent will goad and disturb you, but by prayer he will be put to flight; and by profitable labour you will bar the wide path by which he comes to attack you." Psalm 73 What else have I in heaven but you? * Apart from you I want nothing on earth. My body and my heart faint for joy; * God is my possession for ever. All those who abandon you shall perish; * you will destroy all those who are faithless. To be near God is my happiness. * I have made the Lord God my refuge.

(37) The Lord has Saved me; He Wanted me for His Own.

Psalm 18 From on high he reached down and seized me; * he drew me forth from the mighty waters. He snatched me from my powerful foe, * from my enemies whose strength I could not match. They assailed me in the day of my misfortune, * but the Lord was my support. He brought me forth into freedom, * he saved me because he loved me. You, O Lord, are my lamp, * my God who lightens my darkness. With you I can break through any barrier, * with my God I can scale any wall. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; * hide not your face. Dismiss not your servant in anger; * you have been my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, * O God my help! Though father and mother forsake me, * the Lord will receive me. Claim me once more as your own, Lord, and have mercy on me.

(38) God is my Portion, my Inheritance

Psalm 16 Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. † I say to the Lord: “You are my God. * My happiness lies in you alone.” He has put into my heart a marvelous love * for the faithful ones who dwell in his land. Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows. † Never will I offer their offerings of blood. * Never will I take their name upon my lips. O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; * it is you yourself who are my prize. The lot marked out for me is my delight: * welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me! I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, * who even at night directs my heart. I keep the Lord ever in my sight: * since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm. And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; * even my body shall rest in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, * nor let your beloved know decay. You will show me the path of life, † the fullness of joy in your presence, * at your right hand happiness for ever.

(39) God is my Possession Forever

Psalm 73 What else have I in heaven but you? * Apart from you I want nothing on earth. My body and my heart faint for joy; * God is my possession for ever. All those who abandon you shall perish; * you will destroy all those who are faithless. To be near God is my happiness. * I have made the Lord God my refuge. I will tell of all your works * at the gates of the city of Zion.

(40) What Can Bring us Happiness, Many Say

Psalm 4 When I call, answer me, O God of justice; * from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me! O men, how long will your hearts be closed, * will you love what is futile and seek what is false? It is the Lord who grants favors to those whom he loves; * the Lord hears me whenever I call him. Fear him; do not sin: ponder on your bed and be still. * Make justice your sacrifice, and trust in the Lord. “What can bring us happiness?” many say. * Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord. You have put into my heart a greater joy * than they have from abundance of corn and new wine. I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once * for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.

(41) Taste and See that the Lord is Good

Psalm 34 I will bless the Lord at all times, * his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. * The humble shall hear and be glad. Glorify the Lord with me. * Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; * from all my terrors he set me free. Look towards him and be radiant; * let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called; the Lord heard him * and rescued him from all his distress. The angel of the Lord is encamped * around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. * He is happy who seeks refuge in him. Revere the Lord, you his saints. * They lack nothing, those who revere him. Strong lions suffer want and go hungry * but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.

(42) Do Not Defile Your Body - It is the Temple of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Leviticus 11:43, 44 Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you, whom God has given you. You are not your own any more; you were purchased at a great price. – You should then honor God in your body. You shall not defile yourselves; you shall be holy, for I am holy. – You should then honor God in your body.

(43) Assurance when Suffering as a Christian

1 Peter 4:12-19 [12] Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. [13] But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. [14] If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. [15] But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; [16] yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. [17] For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? [18] And "If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?" [19] Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

(44) On Doing God's Will

Colossians 1:9b-11 May you attain full knowledge of God’s will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight. Then you will lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way. You will multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God. By the might of his glory you will be endowed with the strength needed to stand fast, even to endure joyfully whatever may come.

(45) Expect Evil in Return for Doing Good to Others

Psalm 35 O Lord, plead my cause against my foes; * fight those who fight me. Take up your buckler and shield; * arise to help me. O Lord, say to my soul: * “I am your salvation.” But my soul shall be joyful in the Lord * and rejoice in his salvation. My whole being will say: * “Lord, who is like you who rescue the weak from the strong * and the poor from the oppressor?” Lying witnesses arise * and accuse me unjustly. They repay me evil for good: * my soul is forlorn. When they were sick I went into mourning, * afflicted with fasting. My prayer was ever on my lips, * as for a brother, a friend. I went as though mourning a mother, * bowed down with grief. Now that I am in trouble they gather, * they gather and mock me. They take me by surprise and strike me * and tear me to pieces. They provoke me with mockery on mockery * and gnash their teeth.

(46) Meditating on the Passion of our Lord - St. Paul of the Cross

From a letter by Saint Paul of the Cross, priest (Epist. 1, 43; 2, 440. 825): We preach Christ crucified It is very good and holy to consider the passion of our Lord and to meditate on it, for by this sacred path we reach union with God. In this most holy school we learn true wisdom, for it was there that all the saints learned it. Indeed when the cross of our dear Jesus has planted its roots more deeply in your hearts, then will you rejoice: “To suffer and not to die,” or, “Either to suffer or to die,” or better: “Neither to suffer, nor to die, but only to turn perfectly to the will of God.” Love is a unifying virtue which takes upon itself the torments of its beloved Lord. It is a fire reaching through to the inmost soul. It transforms the lover into the one loved. More deeply, love intermingles with grief, and grief with love, and a certain blending of love and grief occurs. They become so united that we can no longer distinguish love from grief nor grief from love. Thus the loving heart rejoices in its sorrow and exults in its grieving love. Therefore, be constant in practicing every virtue, and especially in imitating the patience of our dear Jesus, for this is the summit of pure love. Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy. For if a man is united inwardly with the Son of the living God, he also bears his likeness outwardly by his continual practice of heroic goodness, and especially through a patience reinforced by courage, which does not complain either secretly or in public. Conceal yourselves in Jesus crucified and hope for nothing except that all men be thoroughly converted to his will. When you become true lovers of the Crucified, you will always celebrate the feast of the cross in the inner temple of the soul, bearing all in silence and not relying on any creature. Since festivals ought to be celebrated joyfully, those who love the Crucified should honor the feast of the cross by enduring in silence with a serene and joyful countenance, so that their suffering remains hidden from men and is observed by God alone. For in this feast there is always a solemn banquet, and the food presented is the will of God, exemplified by the love of our crucified Christ.

(47) May I Die only for You, Jesus, who Willingly Died for me - St. Jean de Brebeuf

(The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, The Burrow Brothers C, Cleveland 1898, 164, 166) May I die only for you, Jesus, who willingly died for me. For two days now I have experienced a great desire to be a martyr and to endure all the torments the martyrs suffered. Jesus, my Lord and Savior, what can I give you in return for all the favors you have first conferred on me? I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name. I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier—in truth I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if some day you in your infinite mercy would offer it to me, your most unworthy servant. I bind myself in this way so that for the rest of my life I will have neither permission nor freedom to refuse opportunities of dying and shedding my blood for you, unless at a particular juncture I should consider it more suitable for your glory to act otherwise at that time. Further, I bind myself to this so that, on receiving the blow of death, I shall accept it from your hands with the fullest delight and joy of spirit. For this reason, my beloved Jesus, and because of the surging joy which moves me, here and now I offer my blood and body and life. May I die only for you, if you will grant me this grace, since you willingly died for me. Let me so live that you may grant me the gift of such a happy death. In this way, my God and Savior, I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! My God, it grieves me greatly that you are not known, that in this savage wilderness all have not been converted to you, that sin has not been driven from it. My God, even if all the brutal tortures which prisoners in this region must endure should fall on me, I offer myself most willingly to them and I alone shall suffer them all."

(48) Malachi: Do not Defy the Lord in Word, for the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord is Coming

You have defied me in word, says the Lord, yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, and going about in penitential dress in awe of the Lord of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity.” Then they who fear the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord listened attentively; And a record book was written before him of those who fear the Lord and trust in his name. And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; Between him who serves God, and him who does not serve him. For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall and tread down the wicked; They will become ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day I take action, says the Lord of hosts. Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I enjoined him on Horeb, The statutes and ordinances for all Israel. Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, Before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day, To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the land with doom.

(49) Hymn of Victory After the Crossing of the Red Sea

Those who had conquered the beast were singing the song of Moses, God’s servant (Revelation 15:2-3). Canticle: Exodus 15:1-4a, 8-13, 17-18 I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; * horse and chariot he has cast into the sea. My strength and my courage is the Lord, * and he has been my savior. He is my God, I praise him; * the God of my father, I praise him. Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant. The Lord is a warrior, * Lord is his name! Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea. * At a breath of your anger the waters piled up, the flowing waters stood like a mound, * the flood waters congealed in the midst of the sea. Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant. The enemy boasted, “I will pursue and overtake them; † I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them; * I will draw my sword; my hand shall despoil them!” When your wind blew, the sea covered them; * like lead they sank in the mighty waters. Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant. Who is like to you among the gods, O Lord? * Who is like to you, magnificent in holiness? O terrible in renown, worker of wonders, * when you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them! Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant. In your mercy you led the people you redeemed; * in your strength you guided them to your holy dwelling. Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant. And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance— * the place where you made your seat, O Lord, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands established. * The Lord shall reign forever and ever. Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be for ever. Amen. Refrain: I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant.

(50) If We are Sheep, We Overcome, if Wolves, We are Overcome - Homily by Saint John Chrysostum, Bishop

From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostum, Bishop (Homily 33:1,2: PG 57, 389-390) As long as we are sheep, we overcome and, though surrounded by countless wolves, we emerge victorious; but if we turn into wolves, we are overcome, for we lose the shepherd's help. He, after all, feeds the sheep not wolves, and will abandon you if you do not let him show his power in you. What he says is this: “Do not be upset that, as I send you out among the wolves, I bid you be as sheep and doves. I could have managed things quite differently and sent you, not to suffer evil nor to yield like sheep to the wolves, but to be fiercer than lions. But the way I have chosen is right. It will bring you greater praise and at the same time manifest my power.” That is what he told Paul: My grace is enough for you, for in weakness my power is made perfect. “I intend,” he says, “to deal the same way with you.” For, when he says, I am sending you out like sheep, he implies: “But do not therefore lose heart, for I know and am certain that no one will be able to overcome you.” The Lord, however, does want them to contribute something, lest everything seem to be the work of grace, and they seem to win their reward without deserving it. Therefore he adds: You must be clever as snakes and innocent as doves. But, they may object, what good is our cleverness amid so many dangers? How can we be clever when tossed about by so many waves? However great the cleverness of the sheep as he stands among the wolves—so many wolves!—what can it accomplish? However great the innocence of the dove, what good does it do him, with so many hawks swooping upon him? To all this I say: Cleverness and innocence admittedly do these irrational creatures no good, but they can help you greatly. What cleverness is the Lord requiring here? The cleverness of a snake. A snake will surrender everything and will put up no great resistance even if its body is being cut in pieces, provided it can save its head. So you, the Lord is saying, must surrender everything but your faith: money, body, even life itself. For faith is the head and the root; keep that, and though you lose all else, you will get it back in abundance. The Lord therefore counseled the disciples to be not simply clever or innocent; rather he joined the two qualities so that they become a genuine virtue. He insisted on the cleverness of the snake so that deadly wounds might be avoided, and he insisted on the innocence of the dove so that revenge might not be taken on those who injure or lay traps for you. Cleverness is useless without innocence. Do not believe that this precept is beyond your power. More than anyone else, the Lord knows the true natures of created things; he knows that moderation, not a fierce defense, beats back a fierce attack.

(51) Make Known His Deeds Among the Peoples, Proclaim that His Name is Exalted

While walking on the night of December 9, 2012, I was praying fervently and asking the Lord if He simply wanted me to suffer in silence for the rest of my life, or to proclaim His message of salvation to those who would listen. When I got home that night, I opened the Bible on Isaiah Chapter 12, and here is what the Lord was saying to me: Isaiah 12:1-6 [1] You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. [2] "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." [3] With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. [4] And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the Lord , call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. [5] "Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. [6] Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."

(52) I Have Never Seen the Just Man Forsaken nor his Children Begging for Bread

Psalm 37 The wicked man borrows without repaying,* but the just man is generous and gives. Those blessed by the Lord shall own the land,* but those he has cursed shall be destroyed. The Lord guides the steps of a man * and makes safe the path of one he loves. Though he stumble he shall never fall * for the Lord holds him by the hand. I was young and now I am old, † but I have never seen the just man forsaken * nor his children begging for bread. All the day he is generous and lends * and his children become a blessing.

(53) It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

Acts 20: 31-35 "Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." "

(54) God has Spoken to us Completely through Christ - Treatise by Saint John of the Cross

From a treatise on The Ascent of Mount Carmel, by Saint John of the Cross, priest (Lib.2 cap. 22) Under the ancient law prophets and priests sought from God revelations and visions which indeed they needed, for faith had as yet no firm foundation and the gospel law had not yet been established. Their seeking and God’s responses were necessary. He spoke to them at one time through words and visions and revelations, at another in signs and symbols. But however he responded and what he said and revealed were mysteries of our holy faith, either partial glimpses of the whole or sure movements toward it. But now that faith is rooted in Christ, and the law of the gospel has been proclaimed in this time of grace, there is no need to seek him in the former manner, nor for him so to respond. By giving us, as he did, his Son, his only Word, he has in that one Word said everything. There is no need for any further revelation. This is the true meaning of Paul’s words to the Hebrews when he urged them to abandon their earlier ways of conversing with God, as laid down in the law of Moses, and set their eyes on Christ alone: In the past God spoke to our fathers through the prophets in various ways and manners; but now in our times, the last days, he has spoken to us in his Son. In effect, Paul is saying that God has spoken so completely through his own Word that he chooses to add nothing. Although he had spoken but partially through the prophets he has now said everything in Christ. He has given us everything, his own Son. Therefore, anyone who wished to question God or to seek some new vision or revelation from him would commit an offense, for instead of focusing his eyes entirely on Christ he would be desiring something other than Christ, or beyond him. God could then answer: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear him. In my Word I have already said everything. Fix your eyes on him alone for in him I have revealed all and in him you will find more than you could ever ask for or desire. I, with my Holy Spirit, came down upon him on Mount Tabor and declared: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear him. You do not need new teachings or ways of learning from me, for when I spoke before it was of Christ who was to come, and when they sought anything of me they were but seeking and hoping for Christ in whom is every good, as the whole teaching of the evangelists and apostles clearly testifies.

(55) How do I Know When God is Speaking to me?

The following reflections represent the opinions of two mature Christians on the important question of discern the voice of God in the quiet of our hearts:

How do I know when it is God who is speaking to me? By testing the "message" against Christian tradition, Biblical understanding, and talking about it with trusted friends.
I can't tell you when you are hearing God's voice, but I can tell you when you are not. You are not hearing God's voice if it is leading you to thoughts or actions that are contrary to God's revealed truths. So one way is to make sure you know and are able to reference Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and that you always defer your knowledge to the authority of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

(56) History of Ecclesiastical use of the Term Catholic

Ignatius of Antioch The earliest recorded evidence of the use of the term "Catholic Church" is the Letter to the Smyrnaeans that Ignatius of Antioch wrote in about 107 to Christians in Smyrna. Exhorting Christians to remain closely united with their bishop, he wrote: "Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."[11][12][13] Of the meaning for Ignatius of this phrase J.H. Srawley wrote: This is the earliest occurrence in Christian literature of the phrase 'the Catholic Church' (ἡ καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία). The original sense of the word is 'universal'. Thus Justin Martyr (Dial. 82) speaks of the 'universal or general resurrection', using the words ἡ καθολικὴ ἀνάστασις. Similarly here the Church universal is contrasted with the particular Church of Smyrna. Ignatius means by the Catholic Church 'the aggregate of all the Christian congregations' (Swete, Apostles Creed, p. 76). So too the letter of the Church of Smyrna is addressed to all the congregations of the Holy Catholic Church in every place. And this primitive sense of 'universal' the word has never lost, although in the latter part of the second century it began to receive the secondary sense of 'orthodox' as opposed to 'heretical'. Thus it is used in an early Canon of Scripture, the Muratorian fragment (circa 170 A.D.), which refers to certain heretical writings as 'not received in the Catholic Church'. So too Cyril of Jerusalem, in the fourth century, says that the Church is called Catholic not only 'because it is spread throughout the world', but also 'because it teaches completely and without defect all the doctrines which ought to come to the knowledge of men'. This secondary sense arose out of the original meaning because Catholics claimed to teach the whole truth, and to represent the whole Church, while heresy arose out of the exaggeration of some one truth and was essentially partial and local.[14][15] By Catholic Church Ignatius designated the universal church. Ignatius considered that certain heretics of his time, who disavowed that Jesus was a material being who actually suffered and died, saying instead that "he only seemed to suffer" (Smyrnaeans, 2), were not really Christians.[16] Other second-century uses The term is also used in the Martyrdom of Polycarp (155) and in the Muratorian fragment (about 177). Cyril of Jerusalem As mentioned in the above quotation from J.H. Srawley, Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315–386), who is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion, distinguished what he called the "Catholic Church" from other groups who could also refer to themselves as an ἐκκλησία (assembly or church): Since the word Ecclesia is applied to different things (as also it is written of the multitude in the theatre of the Ephesians, And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the Assembly (Acts 19:14), and since one might properly and truly say that there is a Church of evil doers, I mean the meetings of the heretics, the Marcionists and Manichees, and the rest, for this cause the Faith has securely delivered to you now the Article, "And in one Holy Catholic Church"; that you may avoid their wretched meetings, and ever abide with the Holy Church Catholic in which you were regenerated. And if ever you are sojourning in cities, inquire not simply where the Lord's House is (for the other sects of the profane also attempt to call their own dens houses of the Lord), nor merely where the Church is, but where is the Catholic Church. For this is the peculiar name of this Holy Church, the mother of us all, which is the spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God(Catechetical Lectures, XVIII, 26).[17] Theodosius I Theodosius I, Emperor from 379 to 395, declared "Catholic" Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, declaring in the Edict of Thessalonica of 27 February 380: It is our desire that all the various nations which are subject to our clemency and moderation, should continue the profession of that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter, as it has been preserved by faithful tradition and which is now professed by the Pontiff Damasus and by Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, a man of apostolic holiness. According to the apostolic teaching and the doctrine of the Gospel, let us believe in the one Deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in equal majesty and in a holy Trinity. We authorize the followers of this law to assume the title Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since in our judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give their conventicles the name of churches. They will suffer in the first place the chastisement of the divine condemnation, and in the second the punishment which our authority, in accordance with the will of heaven, will decide to inflict.[18] Theodosian Code XVI.i.2 Augustine of Hippo Only slightly later, Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430) also used the term "Catholic" to distinguish the "true" church from heretical groups: In the Catholic Church, there are many other things which most justly keep me in her bosom. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep (Jn 21:15–19), down to the present episcopate. And so, lastly, does the very name of Catholic, which, not without reason, amid so many heresies, the Church has thus retained; so that, though all heretics wish to be called Catholics, yet when a stranger asks where the Catholic Church meets, no heretic will venture to point to his own chapel or house. Such then in number and importance are the precious ties belonging to the Christian name which keep a believer in the Catholic Church, as it is right they should ... With you, where there is none of these things to attract or keep me... No one shall move me from the faith which binds my mind with ties so many and so strong to the Christian religion... For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church. —St. Augustine (354–430): Against the Epistle of Manichaeus called Fundamental, chapter 4: Proofs of the Catholic Faith. — St. Augustine (354–430): Against the Epistle of Manichaeus called Fundamental, chapter 4: Proofs of the Catholic Faith.[19] St Vincent of Lerins A contemporary of Augustine, St. Vincent of Lerins, wrote in 434 (under the pseudonym Peregrinus) a work known as the Commonitoria ("Memoranda"). While insisting that, like the human body, church doctrine develops while truly keeping its identity (sections 54-59, chapter XXIII),[20] he stated: "In the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense 'catholic,' which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors" (section 6, end of chapter II).[21] Divergent usages Use by the Catholic Church In the English language, the first known use of the term is in Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, "He was a constant Catholic/All Lollard he hated and heretic."[22] The term "Catholic" is commonly associated with the whole of the church led by the Roman Pontiff, the Catholic Church, and whose over one billion adherents are about half of the estimated 2.1 billion Christians. Other Christian churches also laying claim to the description "Catholic" include the Eastern Orthodox Church and those churches possessing the historic episcopate (bishops), such as those of the Anglican Communion. Some of them claim to be the one true Catholic Church from which, in their view, other Christians, including those in communion with the Pope, have fallen away.[23][24] Many of those who apply the term "Catholic Church" to all Christians object to the use of the term to designate what they view as only one church within what they understand as the "whole" Catholic Church. However, the church in communion with the Bishop of Rome, both in its Western form and in that of the Eastern Catholic Churches, has always considered itself to be the historic Catholic Church, with all others as "non-Catholics" and regularly refers to itself as "the Catholic Church". This practice is an application of the belief that not all who claim to be Christians are part of the Catholic Church, as Ignatius of Antioch, the earliest known writer to use the term "Catholic Church", considered that certain heretics who called themselves Christians only seemed to be such.[25] Though normally distinguishing itself from other churches by calling itself the "Catholic Church", it also uses the description "Roman Catholic Church". Even apart from documents drawn up jointly with other churches, it has sometimes, in view of the central position it attributes to the See of Rome, adopted the adjective "Roman" for the whole church, Eastern as well as Western, as in the papal encyclicals Divini illius Magistri and Humani generis. Another example is its self-description as the "Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church"[26] in the 24 April 1870 Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith of the First Vatican Council. In all of these documents it also refers to itself both simply as the Catholic Church and by other names. The Eastern Catholic Churches, while united with Rome in the faith, have their own traditions and laws, differing from those of the Latin Rite and those of other Eastern Catholic Churches. Orthodox Christians See also: Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church also identifies itself as Catholic, as in the title of The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church. So does the Coptic Church, which, being part of Oriental Orthodoxy, is not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church and considers itself "the True Church of the Lord Jesus Christ".[27] After the East-West Schism, conventionally dated to 1054, a brief reunification was agreed to between the Pope and a number of Eastern Orthodox bishops at the Council of Florence. However, this agreement was denied by one of the Orthodox bishops present, namely Mark of Ephesus, and the common people of the Orthodox churches generally rejected the agreement as well. The present pope, Benedict XVI, has stated his wish to restore full unity with the Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church considers that almost all of the ancient theological differences have been satisfactorily addressed (the Filioque clause, the nature of purgatory, etc.), and has declared that differences in traditional customs, observances and discipline are no obstacle to unity.[28] Recent historic ecumenical efforts on the part of the Catholic Church have focused on healing the rupture between the Western ("Catholic") and the Eastern ("Orthodox") churches. Pope John Paul II often spoke of his great desire that the Catholic Church "once again breathe with both lungs",[29][30] thus emphasizing that the Roman Catholic Church seeks to restore full communion with the separated Eastern churches.[31]

(57) Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION ONE "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE" CHAPTER TWO GOD COMES TO MEET MAN ARTICLE 2 THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION

74 God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth":²⁹ that is, of Christ Jesus.³⁰ Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth:

God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations.³¹ I. THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION 75 "Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline."³² In the apostolic preaching. . . 76 In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways: - orally "by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit";³³ - in writing "by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing".³⁴ . . . continued in apostolic succession 77 "In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority."³⁵ Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time."³⁶ 78 This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it. Through Tradition, "the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes."³⁷ "The sayings of the holy Fathers are a witness to the life-giving presence of this Tradition, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life of the Church, in her belief and her prayer."³⁸ 79 The Father's self-communication made through his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains present and active in the Church: "God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world - leads believers to the full truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness."³⁹ II. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITION AND SACRED SCRIPTURE One common source. . . 80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."⁴⁰ Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".⁴¹ . . . two distinct modes of transmission 81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."⁴² "And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."⁴³ 82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."⁴⁴ Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions 83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition. Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium. III. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE HERITAGE OF FAITH The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church 84 The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),⁴⁵ contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."⁴⁶ The Magisterium of the Church 85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."⁴⁷ This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome. 86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."⁴⁸ 87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",⁴⁹ the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms. The dogmas of the faith 88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these. 89 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.⁵⁰ 90 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.⁵¹ "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."⁵² The supernatural sense of faith 91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them⁵³ and guides them into all truth.⁵⁴ 92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."⁵⁵ 93 "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life."⁵⁶ Growth in understanding the faith 94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church: - "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts";⁵⁷ it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".⁵⁸ - "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience",⁵⁹ the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."⁶⁰ - "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".⁶¹ 95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."⁶² IN BRIEF 96 What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory. 97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches. 98 "The Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8 § 1). 99 Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith, the People of God as a whole never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and to live more fully from the gift of divine Revelation. 100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

(58) Legitimacy of the Charismatic Renewal within the Catholic Church

EWTN Expert Answers by Colin B. Donovan, STL An often asked question in the Forums concerns the legitimacy of the Charismatic Renewal and the phenomena associated with it. In the interests of full disclosure let me start by saying that I have never been, nor am I now, a member of this movement. The Church has never lacked charisms to build it up, both ordinary and extraordinary. However, it is the widespread experience of the Holy Spirit's presence within Catholics and the manifestation of extraordinary charisms such as prophecy, speaking in tongues and healing, outside of those of evident great sanctity, which has characterized the Charismatic Renewal. This needs to be explained to understand what it means when the Church says that the Charismatic Renewal is an authentic movement of the Spirit in our times. Ecclesiastical Acknowledgements The Charismatic Renewal as a movement within the Catholic Church has been acknowledged by two Popes, Paul VI and John Paul II. Speaking to the International Conference on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal on May 19, 1975, Pope Paul VI encouraged the attendees in their renewal efforts and especially to remain anchored in the Church.

This authentic desire to situate yourselves in the Church is the authentic sign of the action of the Holy Spirit ... How could this 'spiritual renewal' not be a chance for the Church and the world? And how, in this case could one not take all the means to ensure that it remains so...

Pope John Paul II, for his part, has been more explicit. Speaking to a group of international leaders of the Renewal on December 11, 1979, he said,

I am convinced that this movement is a very important component of the entire renewal of the Church.

Noting that since age 11 he had said a daily prayer to the Holy Spirit he added,

This was my own spiritual initiation, so I can understand all these charisms. They are all part of the richness of the Lord. I am convinced that this movement is a sign of his action.

For his part, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has added his voice to the Pope's in acknowledging the good occurring in the Charismatic Renewal and providing some cautions. In a forward to a book by Cardinal Suenens, at that time the Pope's delegate to the Charismatic Renewal, the Prefect comments on the Post-Conciliar period stating,

At the heart of a world imbued with a rationalistic skepticism, a new experience of the Holy Spirit suddenly burst forth. And, since then, that experience has assumed a breadth of a worldwide Renewal movement. What the New Testament tells us about the charisms - which were seen as visible signs of the coming of the Spirit - is not just ancient history, over and done with, for it is once again becoming extremely topical.

Speaking of the book's subject, renewal and the powers of darkness, he says,

What is the relation between personal experience and the common faith of the Church? Both factors are important: a dogmatic faith unsupported by personal experience remains empty; mere personal experience unrelated to the faith of the Church remains blind.

Finally, he urges those who read the book to pay special attention to the author's double plea,

... to those responsible for the ecclesiastical ministry - from parish priests to bishops - not to let the Renewal pass them by but to welcome it fully; and on the other (hand) ... to the members of the Renewal to cherish and maintain their link with the whole Church and with the charisms of their pastors. [Renewal and the Powers of Darkness, Leo Cardinal Suenens (Ann Arbor: Servant Books, 1983)]

Charismatic Graces The Second Vatican Council affirmed the legitimacy of charisms, both ordinary and extraordinary. A charism is simply "a grace freely given by God to build up the Church," as opposed to the graces given to sanctify the individual. St. Paul gives a list of charisms in 1 Cor. 12. They include ordinary charisms like teaching and administration and extraordinary ones like healing, miracles, and tongues. These things by themselves don't make the person holier, rather they enable him or her to serve others. Finally, the authenticity of charisms must be discerned, since charisms are not necessarily from the spirit of God (1 John 4). The Council taught,

Whether these charisms be very remarkable or more simple and widely diffused, they are to be received with thanksgiving and consolation since they are fitting and useful for the needs of the Church. Extraordinary gifts are not to be rashly desired nor is it from them that the fruits of apostolic labors are to be presumptuously expected. Those who have charge over the Church should judge the genuineness and proper use of these gifts, through their office, not indeed to extinguish the Spirit but to test all things and hold fast to what is good (cf. 1 Thes. 5:12, 19- 21). [Lumen Gentium 12]

The Church clearly wishes to follow a middle course, between a rationalistic skepticism and a blind credulity in alleged workings of the Holy Spirit. In the past the Church had condemned what it called Pentecostalism, understood as the total dependence, even theologically, on the presence and manifestation of charisms. Such a dependence is blind, for it fails to allow itself to be guided by the full content of the faith and the judgement of the Church's teaching authority. It is total when such "gifts" displace the means of grace in the life of the Christian, such as the sacraments. On the other hand, the Church cannot condemn charisms, since they are part of the patrimony of our apostolic faith. What we have seen in our time is the appearance of the Charismatic Renewal, an apparent outpouring of the extraordinary charisms. This doesn't mean that one has to be a charismatic, that charismatics are better Catholics, or that every alleged charism is authentic. Yet, as the Council noted, the Church must respect the workings of God, discerning the authentic from the inauthentic. An authentic charism would not pull one away from the Church. If a Catholic leaves, seeking an emotional boost he no longer finds in the Church, he is seeking the gifts of the Giver and not the Giver of the gifts. Participation in the life of the Church should lead any Catholic (Charismatic, traditional, or ordinary) into a deeper relationship with the Eucharist, the Blessed Mother and the Pope. If it does not, something is spiritually wrong with that particular individual or with the guidance he is receiving within his group. Since a charism does not give the person any special infallibility or sanctity, given the extraordinary character of such gifts it is especially necessary for individuals possessing them to guard the purity of their faith, lest pride, self-seeking or emotionalism lead them astray, and they others. The reality that some have left the Church for Pentecostalism, or sought to create it within, points to the dangers. By contrast, the presence in the Church of a dynamic and faithful institution like the Franciscan University of Steubenville is evidence of the great good that can be done by those graced with authentic charismatic gifts exercised in union with the Church. All such authentic charisms, therefore, are at the service of the Body of Christ, the Church (1 Cor 12, 14). As gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are supernatural graces beyond the power of human striving and human nature (e.g. miracle working), though some may build upon the natural talents of the recipient (e.g. teaching). St. Paul contrasts these charismata with "the greater gifts" of Faith, Hope and Charity (1 Cor. 13), which he says have lasting value. These "theological virtues" unite the person's mind and will to God. As a consequence, the Church teaches that Faith, Hope and Charity are necessary for salvation but the charismata are not. St. Paul's experience at Corinth demonstrated rather early in the Church how susceptible these charisms are to exaggeration. In another context, he would even warn the Corinthians that the devil can appear as an angel of light (1 Cor 11:14). Similarly, both St. Peter and St. John (1 Pet 5:8-9; 1 John 4:1) warn us of this danger. St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae [ST II-II q172 a2] tells us that unless a charism requires the exercise of divine power the Holy Spirit accomplishes it through the mediation of the holy angels. When they are within the power of the angelic nature, they are also capable of demonic imitation. It is difficult to explain the "charismatic power of speech" of a Hitler, for instance, on purely natural grounds. It is for these reasons that most spiritual writers, especially the mystical doctor St. John of the Cross, warn us not to seek such extraordinary phenomenon. As noted earlier, Vatican II made this warning part of its teaching on the charismatic gifts. Thus the Church on the one hand recognizes that the Holy Spirit moves where He will, and so she does not want to oppose His working, and on the other, that the Church must discern the authenticity of each charism, lest it be a deception of the evil one. For this reason to say that the Charismatic Renewal is approved by the Church is not a blanket approval of every alleged charismatic gift or every charismatic group or individual within the Church. The discernment of the Holy Spirit's action is an ongoing necessity within the Church and within the Charismatic Renewal. Discernment of Charisms The Apostle John encourages us to test the spirits (1 John 4) and over the years the Church has developed criteria to determine whether the fruits are good or bad (Mt. 7:15-20). St. John teaches that if anyone denies Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:3) it is proof that the person does not have the Spirit of God. We can call this the doctrinal test of the fruit. The Spirit of God would never lead one away from the truth about Christ. Since the Church is an extension of the mystery of the Incarnation, the Spirit of God would never lead one away from the Catholic Church or Her teachings. Similarly, the Spirit of God would never lead one away from the practice of the faith (morally, devotionally, sacramentally). Christ has left us the means of salvation and His Spirit would never deprive us of them. This could be called the practical test of the fruit. "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Mt. 7:21-23). Positively said, the Holy Spirit's activity (including among non-Catholics) must necessarily tend toward Catholic truth and unity (doctrine and practice), no matter how remote that unity might appear. On the other hand, a spirit which acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh is of God (1 John 4:2). Such doctrinal correctness is a motive of credibility in the authenticity of a charism or event. Yet, a person may simply be operating by the human spirit fortified by Faith and may not be manifesting an extraordinary gift. To determine whether a given phenomenon exceeds human nature calls for a discernment beyond simple orthodoxy. For example, in the special case of an apparition, when a bishop declares an event to be "worthy of belief" or "not worthy of belief" he does so based upon both scientific (can it be explained?) and theological (is it from God?) criteria. So, orthodoxy is the necessary beginning of the discernment, not the end. There is yet another dimension of the discernment which needs to be considered. Since charisms are given to build up the Church, there is no necessary connection with personal sanctity. Saints, sinners and even unbelievers have manifested these gifts. The pagan prophet Balaam was given the Divine spirit of prophecy in order to authenticate Israel as the People of God (Num. 22). Thus the moral state of the recipient (good or bad) does not by itself indicate a true or false charism. When actually under the constraint of the Spirit of God, however, the true charismatic could not say or do anything contrary to that Spirit. No one could claim, for instance, that the Spirit of God led him to get drunk or do anything sinful, although he might at other times do such things. Practically speaking, therefore, the many instances of extraordinary charisms within the Charismatic Renewal will never come under the official scrutiny of the Church. Priests and Catholic laity associated with the Renewal will most likely have to discern each instance themselves, according to the theological criteria of Catholic theology and prudence. It is easier to dismiss a phenomenon as NOT from God than it is to determine its other possible sources (human or divine spirit). A basic question prayerfully asked must be "is this particular event a credible example of the action of the Spirit of God - a Spirit incapable of any lie or sin and which can only lead people (even non-Catholics) to a deeper Catholic faith and unity?" This should do much to protect us from the roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), even if it cannot produce the judgement that something is certainly from God - a fact which only the Holy See can ultimately state.

(59) Possible Dangers of the Charismatic Movement

By David Bennett February 22, 2010 http://www.ancient-future.net/chardangers.html

Before you read the title and think I am opposed to charismatic or pentecostal experiences, realize that I consider myself charismatic, in a limited sense (at least limited from the perspective of some Charismatics). I am not opposed to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit, and I believe that the Holy Spirit works in the Church and in the hearts of believers today. I have had experiences that I consider "charismatic." Please see my article I Can't Be Charismatic. I'm Catholic. However, I believe that all baptized Catholics are pentecostals in a sense, on account of having received the Holy Spirit at Baptism. While I was in the process of researching the charismatic movement in the Catholic Church, I came across a book entitled The Pentecostal Movement in the Catholic Church by Edward O'Connor, CSC. Written in the 1970s, Fr. O'Connor is a charismatic Catholic, but also seems to be a loyal Catholic, so he lists some dangers that may result from excesses related to the charismatic movement. These dangers and excesses seem to plague many charismatic churches, and are the main reason I am suspicious of purely charismatic churches. Here is his basic list of dangers and excesses, combined with my own contributions, and my explanations of Fr. O'Connor's ideas.

Illuminism - This is the tendency for folks to believe and emphasize that God is telling them something unique that nobody else knows. There is a need to feel "special" and if God isn't telling you something unique or even mildly provocative, your credibility as a leader/follower is called into question. In my parents' old Sunday school class, when I was in college, there were a few people who always said "God told me to..." whether it was which car to buy or even whether to get up in the morning. First, this mocks the free will God created us with. Does God really need to tell his intelligent creatures, created in his image, to carry out routine tasks? God gave us reason for a reason! Second, illuminist claims shut down any reasonable argument. After all, how can you possibly challenge someone who says "God told me..."?
Paraclericalism - This is a downplaying of the role of clergy, or even suggesting there is no need for the Church hierarchy that Christ established. I have seen this attitude even among charismatic clergy! There is such an emphasis on the experience of the individual that any kind of formality or hierarchy is looked down upon. The result for some Catholics is to downplay the role of the Holy Spirit acting in the Church, because the Church and her rules seem too "formal," and the hierarchy too "stifling." This leads some charismatic Catholics to become cafeteria Catholics, believing only in what gets them spiritually "excited." It leads others to seek out other churches, where they are more able to "do what they feel like doing."
Charismania - This is attributing excessive significance to certain charisms while downplaying other good spiritual acts. I have seen this, not so much firsthand, but from the testimony of others. Speaking in tongues or prophesying becomes the litmus tests for true spirituality, while feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc, are downplayed or even ignored. In some churches, the more outrageous the "charismatic" event, the more the Holy Spirit is deemed present. Unfortunately, this means the Holy Spirit is never allowed to work in a dignified and quiet manner.
Neglect of Traditional Spirituality - This happens when past spiritual experiences are downplayed or not even studied because one's faith is all about what "I" am experiencing "now." This can also be seen when the traditional liturgy is "suspended" when the Spirit leads, to be replaced by questionable pet projects of the pastor. Sometimes this manifests itself as a hostility to any kind of formality, and those suggesting that something be done a proper way (such as using proper clerical dress or properly executing an essential part of the liturgy) are viewed suspiciously. Some charismatics advocate jettisoning meaningful Catholic traditions, such as Gregorian Chant, in favor of doing what is "new" and trendy.
Tyranny of the Prophetic - This isn't on Fr. O'Connor's list, but is a term used by a good charismatic friend of mine from seminary. This means that the prophetic, in this case referring to the Illuminism mentioned above, trumps everything. In other words, if there is an objection to what an individual (often the pastor) is doing, then he just reminds the objectors that he has talked to Jesus, or received a special revelation, and "God told him..." and that settles everything. 2000 years of Spirit-guided Tradition is forced submit to the private revelation of one individual. Also, words of prophecy are placed on such a pedestal that very little can get done without prophetic impetus.
Cult of Personality - This is not on Fr. O'Connor's list, but I have added it after discussion surrounding the original blog post. One person involved in the discussion made a good point in that in some charismatic churches, and even charismatic movements, a cult of personality can develop around the pastor or leader. Despite a general suspicion of traditional hierarchy and church order, the pastor, who has been given special prophetic knowledge, is often viewed unrealistically and idealistically. The result is that he (or she) can do whatever he wants without discipline or question, including taking huge sums of money from the congregation. Why? Well it goes back to number 5. He has spoken with God and received special revelation. That settles it! I recall a local pastor, now deceased, who absolutely forbade members of his flock from getting a divorce. However, he left his wife and remarried. Why was he permitted to divorce while his parishioners were not? God told him personally that his situation was like that of Jacob in the Old Testament, and his old wife was his "Leah" and his new wife was his "Rachel." Surely attributing this hypocritical action to God himself violates the commandment that we shall not take God's name in vain!

Now, these six dangers are not reasons to give up on the charismatic movement in the Catholic Church; they are just a kind of friendly warning. I have provided a list of possible charismatic excesses that can occur when individual experiences are not kept in check by the Church. I mention in my article I Can't Be Charismatic...I'm Catholic that personal charismatic experiences must submit to the Teaching of Christ's Church, where the Holy Spirit objectively operates. While renewal movements often spiritually enliven the Church at times when she needs renewal, all renewal must be subject to the Teachings of Christ in His Church. What is the main thrust of this article? It is that the Holy Spirit operating in the individual will not contradict His operation in Christ's Church.

(60) On Correcting Stubborn People - St. John Bosco

From a Letter by Saint John Bosco, Priest

"My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten someone than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct others. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them... In serious matters it is better to beg God humbly than to send forth a flood of words that will only offend the listeners and have no effect on those who are guilty."

(61) May you be Filled to the Complete Fullness of Christ

From a homily by a spiritual writer of the fourth century (Hom. 18, 7-11: PG 34, 639-642) May you be filled to the complete fullness of Christ Those who have been considered worthy to go forth as the sons of God and to be born again of the Holy Spirit from on high, and who hold within them the Christ who renews them and fills them with light, are directed by the Spirit in varied and different ways and in their spiritual repose they are led invisibly in their hearts by grace. At times, they are like men who mourn and lament over their fellow men, and pouring forth prayers for the whole human race, they plunge into tears and lamentation, on fire with spiritual love for mankind. At other times they are enkindled by the Spirit with love and exultation that, were it possible, they would clasp in their embrace all mankind, without discrimination, good and bad alike. Sometimes they are cast down below all mankind in lowliness of spirit, so that they reckon theirs to be the lowest and most abject of conditions. And sometimes they are held by the Spirit in ineffable joy. At one time they are like a brave man who puts on the king’s full armor and goes down into battle; he fights bravely against the enemy and defeats them. In like manner, the spiritual man takes up the heavenly arms of the Spirit and marches against the enemy and engaging in battle tramples the foe beneath his feet. At another time the soul is at rest in deepest silence, tranquility and peace, existing in sheer spiritual pleasure and in ineffable repose and a perfect state. Again, the soul is instructed by grace in a certain understanding in the ineffable wisdom and the inscrutable knowledge of the Spirit on matters which neither tongue nor lips can utter. Then again, the soul becomes like any ordinary man. In such varied ways does grace work within them and many are the means by which it leads the soul, renewing it according to God’s will and training it in different ways so that it may be set before the heavenly Father pure and whole and blameless. We, too, therefore must make our prayer to God and entreat in love and in great hope that he may bestow upon us the heavenly grace of the gift of the Spirit. We pray that we, too, may be guided by that Spirit and that he may lead us into the fullness of divine will and refresh us with the varied kinds of his repose, that by the help of this guidance, exercise of grace and spiritual advancement, we may be considered worthy to attain to the perfection of the fullness of Christ, as the Apostle says: that you may be filled to the complete fullness of Christ.

(62) Forgetting What Lies Behind and Straining Forward to What Lies Ahead - St. Paul

Philippians 3:13, 14 "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

(63) May You Attain Full Knowledge of God’s Will

Colossians 1:9b-11 May you attain full knowledge of God’s will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight. Then you will lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way. You will multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God. By the might of his glory you will be endowed with the strength needed to stand fast, even to endure joyfully whatever may come.

(64) Believe in God's Love for You - Example from St. Paul

From a Homily by Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop The most important thing of all to him (St. Paul), however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all, or even to be among the damned, than to be without that love and be among the great and honored. To be separated from that love was, in his eyes, the greatest and most extraordinary of torments; the pain of that loss would alone have been hell, and endless, unbearable torture. So too, in being loved by Christ he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise and countless blessings. Apart from that love nothing saddened or delighted him; for nothing earthly did he regard as bitter or sweet.

(65) Christ Loved Me and Gave Himself for Me

Galatians 2:16-20 Knowing that a man is not justified by legal observance but by faith in Jesus Christ, we too have believed in him in order to be justified by faith in Christ, not by observance of the law; for by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we are shown to be sinners, does that mean that Christ is encouraging sin? Unthinkable! If, however, I were to build up the very things I had demolished, I should then indeed be a transgressor. It was through the law that I died to the law, to live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I will not treat God’s gracious gift as pointless. If justice is available through the law, then Christ died to no purpose!

(66) Do Not Doubt God's Love

Hebrews 3:15-19 Take care, my brothers, lest any of you have an evil and unfaithful spirit and fall away from the living God. Encourage one another daily while it is still “today,” so that no one grows hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ only if we maintain to the end that confidence with which we began. When Scripture says, “Today, if you should hear his voice, harden not your hearts as at the revolt,” who were those that revolted when they heard that voice? Was it not all whom Moses had led out of Egypt? With whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not those who had sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert? To whom but to the disobedient did he swear that they would not enter into his rest? We see, moreover, that it was their unbelief that kept them from entering.

(67) The Power and Necessity of Prayer - Tertullian, Priest

From the Treatise On Prayer by Tertullian, Priest Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good. Its only art is to call back the souls of the dead from the very journey into death, to give strength to the weak, to heal the sick, to exorcise the possessed, to open prison cells, to free the innocent from their chains. Prayer cleanses from sin, drives away temptations, stamps out persecutions, comforts the fainthearted, gives new strength to the courageous, brings travelers safely home, calms the waves, confounds robbers, feeds the poor, overrules the rich, lifts up the fallen, supports those who are falling, sustains those who stand firm. All the angels pray. Every creature prays. Cattle and wild beasts pray and bend the knee. As they come from their barns and caves they look out to heaven and call out, lifting up their spirit in their own fashion. The birds too rise and lift themselves up to heaven: they open out their wings, instead of hands, in the form of a cross, and give voice to what seems to be a prayer. What more need be said on the duty of prayer? Even the Lord himself prayed. To him be honor and power for ever and ever. Amen.

(68) You Have Drawn Near to...the Heavenly Jerusalem

Hebrews 12:17 You have drawn near to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels in festal gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

(69) Lord, Teach us Your Goodness, Discipline, and Wisdom

Lord, teach us your goodness, discipline, and wisdom, and these gifts will keep us from becoming hardened by evil, weakened by laziness, or ignorant because of foolishness.

(70) Do not Leave me to my Evil Thoughts

Sirach 23:4-6, 1, 3 Lord, Father and God of my life, do not leave me to my evil thoughts; never let me look down arrogantly on others; protect me from the lustful cravings of the flesh; – and preserve my soul from useless and shameful desire. Do not abandon me, O Lord, lest my failing increase and my sins be multiplied.

(71) Absolute Truth vs. Relative Truth - Humility vs. Pride

The proud man sees himself as the source of his own truth. He does not recognize that truth lies outside of himself, is absolute, and therefore must be discovered by work, study, and prayer. The humble man on the other hand sees truth as absolute and as something that lies outside of himself. He sees truth as absolute and as something that he must constantly seek to discover by study and by an earnest seeking after God. I dare say that this is the difference between somebody who is truly Catholic and someone who is not Catholic . The true Catholic is such in his soul and bows before the truth as revealed by God through His Church.

(72) Desiderata

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." Max Ehrmann, 1927.

(73) The Plans I Have for You

Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot;

(74) He Makes My Feet Swift as Those of Hinds

Habukkuk 3:18-19 Yet will I rejoice in the Lord * and exult in my saving God. God, my Lord, is my strength; † he makes my feet swift as those of hinds * and enables me to go upon the heights.

(75) Blessed are the Peacemakers: Sermon by Pope Saint Leo the Great

Pope Saint Leo the Great on The Beatitudes: Sermon 95, 8-9: PL 54, 465-466 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. This blessedness, dearly beloved, does not derive from any casual agreement or from any and every kind of harmony, but it pertains to what the Apostle says: Be at peace before the Lord,and to the words of the prophet: Those who love your law shall enjoy abundant peace; for them it is no stumbling block. Even the most intimate bonds of friendship and the closest affinity of minds cannot truly lay claim to this peace if they are not in agreement with the will of God. Alliances based on evil desires, covenants of crime and pacts of vice–all lie outside the scope of this peace. Love of the world cannot be reconciled with love of God, and the man who does not separate himself from the children of this generation cannot join the company of the sons of God. But those who keep God ever in their hearts, and are anxious to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, never dissent from the eternal law as they speak the prayer of faith. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. These then are the peacemakers; they are bound together in holy harmony and are rightly given the heavenly title of sons of God, co-heirs with Christ. And this is the reward they will receive for their love of God and neighbor: when their struggle with all temptation is finally over, there will be no further adversities to suffer or scandal to fear; but they will rest in the peace of God undisturbed, through our Lord who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

(76) Prayer to the Holy Spirit for Boldness

Based on Acts 4:24-30

We lift up our voices to You O Holy Spirit: “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against His Anointed’— for truly in this city there are gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, all types of evil as well as enemies of the cross. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

(77) Canticle of Revelation

Can be sung to the tune of "How Great Thou Art": Revelation 4:11;5-9, 10, 12 Redemption hymn Refrain: O Lord our God, you are worthy * to receive glory and honor and power. (x 2) For you have created all things; * by your will they came to be and were made. Worthy are you, O Lord, * to receive the scroll and break open its seals. Refrain: O Lord our God, you are worthy * to receive glory and honor and power. (x 2) For you were slain; * with your blood you purchased for God men from every tribe and tongue, * of every people and nation. Refrain: O Lord our God, you are worthy * to receive glory and honor and power. (x 2) You made them a kingdom, † and priests to serve our God, * and they shall reign on earth. Refrain: O Lord our God, you are worthy * to receive glory and honor and power. (x 2) Worthy is the Lamb that was slain * to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, * honor and glory and praise. Refrain: O Lord our God, you are worthy * to receive glory and honor and power. (x 2)

(78) St. Ignatius of Antioch - Why do we Perish in our Stupidity

Letter to the Ephesians by St. Ignatius of Antioch For the Lord received anointing on his head in order that he might breathe incorruptibility on the Church. Do not be anointed with the evil odor of the teachings of the prince of this world, that he may not lead you captive away from the life that is set before you. But why is it that we are not all wise when we have received the knowledge of God, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we perish in our stupidity, not knowing the gift the Lord has truly sent us?

(79) Only by Faith in Jesus Christ is a Man Made Holy in God’s Sight

Galatians 2:16 Only by faith in Jesus Christ is a man made holy in God’s sight. No observance of the law can achieve this.

(80) We Must be Ready to be Crucified - From a Homily by Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop

Oratio 45, 23-24: PG 36, 654-655

‎Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams, beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes toward the Holy of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honoring his blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified.

(81) There is Not a Good Man Left

Psalm 53 ‎God looks down from heaven * on the sons of men, to see if any are wise, * if any seek God. All have left the right path; * depraved, every one. There is not a good man left, * no, not even one.

(82) The Firstborn of the New Creation- From a Sermon by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop

Oratio 1 in Christi resurrectionem: Jaeger IX, 277-280, 305 The reign of life has begun, the tyranny of death is ended. A new birth has taken place, a new life has come, a new order of existence has appeared, our very nature has been transformed! This birth is not brought about by human generation, by the will of man, or by the desire of the flesh, but by God. If you wonder how, I will explain in clear language. Faith is the womb that conceives this new life, baptism the rebirth by which it is brought forth into the light of day. The Church is its nurse; her teachings are its milk, the bread from heaven is its food. It is brought to maturity by the practice of virtue; it is wedded to wisdom; it gives birth to hope. Its home is the kingdom; its rich inheritance the joys of paradise; its end, not death, but the blessed and everlasting life prepared for those who are worthy. This is the day the Lord has made—a day far different from those made when the world was first created and which are measured by the passage of time. This is the beginning of a new creation. On this day, as the prophet says, God makes a new heaven and a new earth. What is this new heaven? you may ask. It is the firmament of our faith in Christ. What is the new earth? A good heart, a heart like the earth, which drinks up the rain that falls on it and yields a rich harvest. In this new creation, purity of life is the sun, the virtues are the stars, transparent goodness is the air, and the depths of the riches of wisdom and knowledge, the sea. Sound doctrine, the divine teachings are the grass and plants that feed God’s flock, the people whom he shepherds; the keeping of the commandments is the fruit borne by the trees. On this day is created the true man, the man made in the image and likeness of God. For this day the Lord has made is the beginning of this new world. Of this day the prophet says that it is not like other days, nor is this night like other nights. But still we have not spoken of the greatest gift it has brought us. This day destroyed the pangs of death and brought to birth the firstborn of the dead. I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God. O what wonderful good news! He who for our sake became like us in order to make us his brothers, now presents to his true Father his own humanity in order to draw all his kindred up after him.

(83) God Guides the Humble in the Right Path

Psalm 25 ‎In you I hope all day long * because of your goodness, O Lord. Remember your mercy, Lord, * and the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth. * In your love remember me. The Lord is good and upright. * He shows the path to those who stray, he guides the humble in the right path; * he teaches his way to the poor. His ways are faithfulness and love * for those who keep his covenant and law. Lord, for the sake of your name * forgive my guilt, for it is great.

(84) PRIDE: The Sin Most Hated by God

Everyone, unfortunately, will probably see himself described somewhere in this article, since all human sins are traceable to Pride. It points out 15 different forms that pride can take, depending in part upon the particular temperament of the sinner. This short essay and ones like it are powerful tools in enabling us to understand the essence of our main human weaknesses and how we can wage successful warfare against them. Understanding our forms of pride is extremely important for it helps map out the struggle that we should all be engaged in for the rest of our lives, the battle that is necessary for each of us to wage if we are going to serve God and save our souls. Taken from the booklet The Seven Capital Sins Pride was the first sin committed. It was the sin of Lucifer. It was also the root of the Original Sin committed by Adam and Eve. Pride is the greatest of sins because it is the summit of self-love and is directly opposed to submission to God. It is, therefore, the sin most hated by God and the one He punishes most severely. The punishment of the angels, of Adam and Eve, of Nabuchodonosor (related in Daniel 4:27-30), bear witness to this. Pride is likewise, the greatest sin because it is the fountainhead of the self-love in which all other sins take root: "From pride all perdition took its beginning." (Tob. 4:14). There is a species of pride in every sin, whatever may be the individual nature of the sin itself. Pride is the most dangerous of sins, because it blinds our understanding, and unless something finally makes us realize the truth, we are liable to go on, day after day, in aspiritual self-delusion, imagining our acts to be good and virtuous when certain habits actually may be vicious. When we are blinded by pride, we do not consider our talents and abilities as God’s gifts to us, but attribute our good qualities to ourselves, with the right to use them as we see fit. Everybody is infected with the virus of pride! But there is a particular kind of pride in each individual; at least a particular kind dominates, though there may be several of its viruses in the same character. This pride determines our temperament or our type of character, or at least is intimately related to it. Searching into our type of pride is very important for obtaining a true knowledge of ourselves, and for making fruitful efforts to root out sin and vice from our life. Pride and Our Temperaments The following website link will help to determine what your predominant temperament is, and so will help you to understand your particular type of pride better: http://personality-testing.info/tests/4T.php. Sanguine: If we are of a sanguine temperament, our pride takes the form of self-centeredness. We want to be the "hub of the wheel"; we want others to notice us. We are touchy and easily offended. Our pride goads us to seek fame, praise, and admiration. We fall into vainglory. Choleric: If we have a choleric temperament, our pride is manifested in a strong self-will. We find it hard to submit to others or to yield to their opinions. We are often overbearing, critical, given to arguing, inflated with a sense of superiority, inconsiderate of the rights of others. Melancholic: If we are melancholic, our pride conceals itself under the garb of self-pity and oversensitiveness. Resentment, harboring grudges, suspicion, and unexpressed hostility are included in it. Often this pride is not recognized for what it is because it conceals itself as such, so we do not confess it as pride. Phlegmatic: If we have phlegmatic character, our pride inclines us to self-complacency and vanity. We are likely to be shocked by faults in others, but quite satisfied with our own selves. Various Kinds of Pride Pride of Superiority: Pride of superiority makes us want to control the lives of others, to impose ourselves on them, to "domineer" over them. It makes our will rigid and unbending when others assert authority. Self-Love: It is a self-will and obstinacy that sets us against the will of God, opposes our neighbor and makes us inflexible in carrying out the dictates of our own self-love. Anger, indignation, arrogance, the spirit of contradiction and haughtiness are some of its offspring. This pride is usually rooted in a strongly opinionated mind which makes us refuse to see the light of reason or the truth evidenced by principles of revealed Faith. This unwillingness actually fosters ignorance. It is the pride which keeps many from entering the Church, or returning to the practice of the Faith when they have fallen away. Pride of Independence: Closely connected with this kind of pride (self-love) — or perhaps we should say another name for it — is the pride of independence. This leads us to disobedience and insubordination, to contempt and arrogant contradiction, to refusal of advice and assistance, to resentment of reproof by lawful authority, to blasphemy against God, bitter cursing, oaths and irreverences in word and act. Pride of Intellect: Delusions in regard to our own defects, self-conceit, attributing to ourselves our good qualities of mind, of person or of fortune — rather than to God, reveal pride of intellect. Sins against Faith arise from this pride. Pride of Ambition: The pride of ambition leads us to seek positions or offices of honor Pride of Intellect: Delusions in regard to our own defects, self-conceit, attributing to ourselves our good qualities of mind, of person or of fortune — rather than to God, reveal pride of intellect. Sins against Faith arise from this pride. Pride of Ambition: The pride of ambition leads us to seek positions or offices of honor and dignity by which we prefer ourselves to others, however worthy they may be. It makes us dream up schemes and projects. And undertake things through presumption, even when we are ignorant of how to go about them. Excessive confidence makes us overestimate our abilities. Immoderate desires, vainglory, the desire for praise, ostentation and the immoderate use of necessities of life in order to be more highly thought of, stem from this pride. It leads to flattery and hypocrisy. Spiritual Vanity: We may have a pride of spiritual vanity, imagining ourselves to be perfect and our acts always virtuous or finding a thousand reasons to diminish their gravity or excuse our faults when we do acknowledge them. Naturalism: Our pride may dress itself in the guise of naturalism, in which case we practice no restraint in our behavior, no modesty in our language, no respect in our obedience; we are deceitful in our humility, caustic in our conversation, inveterate in our hatred, a foe to submission, greedy of power, desirous of supplanting others, indolent in action and work. We act through impulse and meddle in the affairs of others. We wish to know everything through unrestrained curiosity. We like to be always talking, even of what we do not understand. Cynicism: We may have a pride which makes us cynical. If so, we speak sarcastically and use cutting words. We ridicule others, scold and misjudge them. Pharisaical: This pride leads us to boastfulness and to criticism of others. It makes us over-talkative; it leads to lies and contradictions; to esteeming high birth or social rank above virtue. Haughtiness of manner, disdaining to associate with those we believe to be inferior, arise from it. It manifests itself by a legalism in our actions, causing us to fulfill our duties without spirit, but with hypocrisy. Self-pity: Our pride may hide itself in sensitiveness, or self-pity. In this case we are over-anxious about what others think of us. We brood over imagined wrongs and do not easily forgive others. Closely linked to this form of pride is the pride of timidity, which stems from unreasonable fear. It makes us fearful of others’ opinions, so that we cater to human respect. Under its impulse we fail to act when we should, because a groundless fear holds us in the bonds of a spiritual sloth that paralyzes our efforts and makes us incapable of determination, and so we let opportunities pass by unused. Scrupulosity: The pride of scrupulosity fixes our attention on wrong things, so that we pay exclusive attention to what does not merit such attention, while we are unscrupulous in things which ought to concern us. Pride of Prosperity: Our pride may be centered on our wealth and prosperity, our station in life, our fine clothes, our wit, beauty or strength. It may even grow out of our piety and good morals, as indicated by some of the above groupings. The Proud Person is in Great Danger Pride can ruin all the virtues and draw us into all kinds of disorders. The proud person is capable of any sin. "Pride goeth before destruction; and the spirit is lifted up before a fall." (Prov. 16:18). Therefore, it is most necessary in the spiritual life to fight this vice in whatever guise it presents itself. If we permit it to enter our heart, the germs of all the vices enter with it, and we soon find ourselves a slave of Satan. We must beware of being ensnared by it, for the end of the proud, unrepentant sinner, as revealed by God, is the everlasting fire of hell, in company with the demons. Remedies for Pride The only way to get the better of pride is to practice humility. It may sound like a contradiction but the humble man realizes that he is proud, and earnestly strives to overcome the manifestations of pride in his life. In striving for humility, we must always have before our eyes the example of Our Lord. We must keep in mind His promises in favor of the humble and the vengeance He reserves for the proud. We must cling to God and do His Will with all our soul. We must have recourse to prayer, again and again asking for this virtue. We must live in the presence of God, practice self-denial and the other Christian virtues, especially patience, forbearance, charity, meekness, submission, abandonment to God and conformity to His Will, sympathy, confidence in God, compunction for sin, modesty. We must not seek honors, but admit our nothingness and lack of virtue. We must be willing to accept humiliations and strive to seek God in all things.

(85) When Evil Days are Upon us...We Must Attend to our Own Souls

From a Letter of Barnabas When evil days are upon us and the worker of malice gains power, we must attend to our own souls and seek to know the ways of the Lord. In those times reverential fear and perseverance will sustain our faith, and we will find need of forbearance and self-restraint as well. Provided that we hold fast to these virtues and look to the Lord, then wisdom, understanding, knowledge and insight will make joyous company with them.

(86) The Lot of the Wicked and the Good

Psalm 37 Do not fret because of the wicked; * do not envy those who do evil: for they wither quickly like grass * and fade like the green of the fields. If you trust in the Lord and do good, * then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, * he will grant your heart’s desire. Commit your life to the Lord, * trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, * your cause like the noon-day sun. Be still before the Lord and wait in patience; * do not fret at the man who prospers; a man who makes evil plots * to bring down the needy and the poor. Calm your anger and forget your rage; * do not fret, it only leads to evil. For those who do evil shall perish; * the patient shall inherit the land. A little longer—and the wicked shall have gone. * Look at his place, he is not there. But the humble shall own the land * and enjoy the fullness of peace.

(87) Life to me Means Christ, and Death is Gain by Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop

From a homily by Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop (Ante exsilium, nn. 1-3; PG 52, 427*-430) The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it. I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence. Do you not hear the Lord saying: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst? Will he be absent, then, when so many people united in love are gathered together? I have his promise; I am surely not going to rely on my own strength! I have what he has written; that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbor. Let the world be in upheaval. I hold to his promise and read his message; that is my protecting wall and garrison. What message? Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world! If Christ is with me, whom shall I fear? Though the waves and the sea and the anger of princes are roused against me, they are less to me than a spider’s web. Indeed, unless you, my brothers, had detained me, I would have left this very day. For I always say: Lord, your will be done; not what this fellow or that would have me do, but what you want me to do. That is my strong tower, my immovable rock, my staff that never gives way. If God wants something, let it be done! If he wants me to stay here, I am grateful. But wherever he wants me to be, I am no less grateful. Yet where I am, there you are too, and where you are, I am. For we are a single body, and the body cannot be separated from the head nor the head from the body. Distance separates us, but love unites us, and death itself cannot divide us. For though my body die, my soul will live and be mindful of my people. You are my fellow citizens, my fathers, my brothers, my sons, my limbs, my body. You are my light, sweeter to me than the visible light. For what can the rays of the sun bestow on me that is comparable to your love? The sun’s light is useful in my earthly life, but your love is fashioning a crown for me in the life to come

(88) Prepare Your Soul for Temptation, by St. Augustine, Bishop

From a sermon On Pastors by Saint Augustine, Bishop: Prepare your soul for temptation You have already been told about the wicked things shepherds desire. Let us now consider what they neglect. You have failed to strengthen what was weak, to heal what was sick, and to bind up what was injured, that is, what was broken. You did not call back the straying sheep, nor seek out the lost. What was strong you have destroyed. Yes, you have cut it down and killed it. The sheep is weak, that is to say, its heart is weak, and so, incautious and unprepared, it may give in to temptations. The negligent shepherd fails to say to the believer: My son, come to the service of God, stand fast in fear and in righteousness, and prepare your soul for temptation. A shepherd who does say this strengthens the one who is weak and makes him strong. Such a believer will then not hope for the prosperity of this world. For if he has been taught to hope for worldly gain, he will be corrupted by prosperity. When adversity comes, he will be wounded or perhaps destroyed. The builder who builds in such manner is not building the believer on a rock but upon sand. But the rock was Christ. Christians must imitate Christ’s sufferings, not set their hearts on pleasures. He who is weak will be strengthened when told: “Yes, expect the temptations of this world, but the Lord will deliver you from them all if your heart has not abandoned him. For it was to strengthen your heart that he came to suffer and die, came to be spit upon and crowned with thorns, came to be accused of shameful things, yes, came to be fastened to the wood of the cross. All these things he did for you, and you did nothing. He did them not for himself, but for you.” But what sort of shepherds are they who for fear of giving offense not only fail to prepare the sheep for the temptations that threaten, but even promise them worldly happiness? God himself made no such promise to this world. On the contrary, God foretold hardship upon hardship in this world until the end of time. And you want the Christian to be exempt from these troubles? Precisely because he is a Christian, he is destined to suffer more in this world. For the Apostle says, All who desire to live a holy life in Christ will suffer persecution. But you, shepherd, seek what is yours and not what is Christ’s, you disregard what the Apostle says: All who want to live a holy life in Christ will suffer persecution. You say instead: “If you live a holy life in Christ, all good things will be yours in abundance. If you do not have children, you will embrace and nourish all men, and none of them shall die.” Is this the way you build up the believer? Take note of what you are doing and where you are placing him. You have built him on sand. The rains will come, the river will overflow and rush in, the winds will blow, and the elements will dash against that house of yours. It will fall, and its ruin will be great. Lift him up from the sand and put him on the rock. Let him be in Christ, if you wish him to be a Christian. Let him turn his thoughts to sufferings, however unworthy they may be in comparison to Christ’s. Let him center his attention on Christ, who was without sin, and yet made restitution for what he had not done. Let him consider Scripture, which says to him: He chastises every son whom he acknowledges. Let him prepare to be chastised, or else not seek to be acknowledged as a son.

(89) I Even Consider Everything as a Loss Because of the Supreme Good of Knowing Christ Jesus my Lord

Phillipians 3:5-16 ‎But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Let us, then, who are “perfectly mature” adopt this attitude. And if you have a different attitude, this too God will reveal to you. Only, with regard to what we have attained, continue on the same course.

(90) It is Better to Take Refuge in the Lord

Psalm 118 I called to the Lord in my distress; * he answered and freed me. The Lord is at my side; I do not fear. * What can man do against me? The Lord is at my side as my helper: * I shall look down on my foes. It is better to take refuge in the Lord * than to trust in men: it is better to take refuge in the Lord * than to trust in princes. Open to me the gates of holiness: * I will enter and give thanks. This is the Lord’s own gate * where the just may enter. I will thank you for you have answered * and you are my savior.

(91) We Must Carefully Seek After our own Salvation, by St. Barnabas

From a letter attributed to Barnabas: (Cap. 2, 6-10; 3, 1.3; 4, 10-14; Funk 1, 7-9. 13). The new law of our Lord. God has abolished the sacrifices of the old law so that the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ, which does not bind by slavish compulsion, might have an offering not made by man. On another occasion he says to them: When I brought your forefathers out of Egypt, I gave them no commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices. I said not a word about them. What I did command was this: Do not contrive any evil against one another, and do not love perjury. We are not stupid; surely we ought to understand our Father’s kindly purpose in this. He does not want us to go astray as they did, nor to ask how we are to approach him. Here is what he says to us: The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken heart; the fragrance pleasing to the Lord is a soul that gives glory to its Maker. You see, my brothers, we must carefully seek after our own salvation; otherwise, one who is bent on deceiving us will insinuate himself and turn us aside from the path that leads to life. God spoke of this once again when he said to them: On such a day you are keeping a fast that will not carry your cry to heaven. Is it that sort of fast that I require, a day of mortification like that? But to us he says: Is it not this that I demand of you as a fast—loose the fetters of injustice, untie the knots of all contracts that involve extortion, set free those who have been crushed, tear up every unjust agreement. Share your food with the starving; when you meet a naked man, give him clothing; welcome the homeless into your house. Accordingly, we must flee from all vanity and show an utter hatred for the deeds of the evil way. Do not turn inward and live only for yourselves as though already assured of salvation; join together rather and seek the common good. For, as Scripture says: Shame on those who are wise in their own judgment and think themselves clever. Rather, let us become spiritual; let us be a perfect dwelling place for God. As far as we can, we should dwell upon the fear of God and strive to keep his commandments, finding our delight in his observances. The Lord will judge the world without respect to persons; everyone will receive his just deserts; if he has been good, his good works will go before him; if wicked, the wages of sin will lie in wait for him. We must never relax our efforts as though our calling were already realized. Never let us fall asleep in a state of sin, lest the prince of wickedness gain power over us and snatch us away from the kingdom of the Lord. My brothers, grasp this further point: You see the Israelites rejected, even after the many signs and wonders worked among them; let us then see to it that we are not found among those of whom Scripture says: Many are called, but few are chosen.

(92) Praise is Fitting for Loyal Hearts

Psalm 33:1-3 "Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; for praise is fitting for loyal hearts. "Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp, with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs. O sing him a song that is new, play loudly, with all your skill."

(93) The Two Stages of Contemplation - St. Bernard

From a Sermon by Saint Bernard, Abbot (Sermo 5 de diversis, 4-5; Opera omnia. Edit. Cisterc. 6, 1 [1970] 103-104) "The whole of the spiritual life consists of these two elements. When we think of ourselves, we are perturbed and filled with a salutary sadness. And when we think of the Lord, we are revived to find consolation in the joy of the Holy Spirit. From the first we derive fear and humility, from the second hope and love."

(94) Woe to the Soul that does not have Christ Dwelling in it

From a homily attributed to Saint Macarius, Bishop - (Hom. 28: PG 34, 710-711) When God was displeased with the Jews, he delivered Jerusalem to the enemy, and they were conquered by those who hated them; there were no more sacrifices or feasts. Likewise angered at a soul who had broken his commands, God handed it over to its enemies, who corrupted and totally dishonored it. When a house has no master living in it, it becomes dark, vile and contemptible, choked with filth and disgusting refuse. So too is a soul which has lost its master, who once rejoiced there with his angels. This soul is darkened with sin, its desires are degraded, and it knows nothing but shame. Woe to the path that is not walked on, or along which the voices of men are not heard, for then it becomes the haunt of wild animals. Woe to the soul if the Lord does not walk within it to banish with his voice the spiritual beasts of sin. Woe to the house where no master dwells, to the field where no farmer works, to the pilotless ship, storm-tossed and sinking. Woe to the soul without Christ as its true pilot; drifting in the darkness, buffeted by the waves of passion, storm-tossed at the mercy of evil spirits, its end is destruction. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ to cultivate it with care to produce the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. Left to itself, it is choked with thorns and thistles; instead of fruit it produces only what is fit for burning. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ dwelling in it; deserted and foul with the filth of the passions, it becomes a haven for all the vices. When a farmer prepares to till the soil he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So Christ, our heavenly king, came to till the soil of mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his ploughshare, cultivated the barren soul of man. He removed the thorns and thistles which are the evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin. Into the fire he cast the straw of wickedness. And when he had ploughed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most pleasant fruit of every kind.

(95) Keep the Vision of the Joy of Heaven Clearly in Your Mind

From a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, Pope (Hom. 14, 3-6: PL 76, 1129-1130) Christ the Good Shepherd I am the good shepherd. I know my own—by which I mean, I love them—and my own know me. In plain words: those who love me are willing to follow me, for anyone who does not love the truth has not yet come to know it. My dear brethren, you have heard the test we pastors have to undergo. Turn now to consider how these words of our Lord imply a test for yourselves also. Ask yourselves whether you belong to his flock, whether you know him, whether the light of his truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know him, but by love; not by mere conviction, but by action. John the evangelist is my authority for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God without keeping his commandments is a liar. Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: As the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. Clearly he means that laying down his life for his sheep gives evidence of his knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of him. In other words, by the love with which he dies for his sheep he shows how greatly he loves his Father. Again he says: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them; they follow me, and I give them eternal life. Shortly before this he had declared: If anyone enters the sheepfold through me he shall be saved; he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture. He will enter into a life of faith; from faith he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation, and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life. So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground where all who follow him in simplicity of heart will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of heaven. There the elect look upon the face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life for ever more. Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith, and long eagerly for what heaven has in store for us. To love thus is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveler who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.

(96) Fulfilling God's Will

On the evening of 30 May 2016, I had finished praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet in front of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Ann’s Chapel, and my head was bowed in silent prayer. I felt Jesus nudge by chin upwards and say to me: “In the coming months, pray and ask the Father to reveal His will and plan for your life. He has a special mission for you, one of urgency to warn people of what is to come upon the world.” When I went back to my seat, I started praying the Vespers part of the Divine Office. I got to the following reading just before praying the Magnificat, which I firmly believe was a confirmation of the words I heard in my heart: READING from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians 1:9b-11 “May you attain full knowledge of God’s will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight. Then you will lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way. You will multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God. By the might of his glory you will be endowed with the strength needed to stand fast, even to endure joyfully whatever may come.” ......................................................................................................................................................................................................

On the evening of 11 June 2016, I was praying the Divine Office in front of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Ann’s Chapel, and was thinking about what the Lord revealed to me two weeks in the Chapel about accomplishing His will in my life in the near future. I noticed for the first time ever in this Chapel two beads, one on each alter cloth, flashing a light continuously which caught my eye. As you can see in the picture to the left, I was able to take a picture and catch the lighted bead on the alter cloth beneath the left candle near the Blessed Sacrament. I was then scheduled to pray the Office Readings and Vespers. Here are two confirmations that came to me from these two sections of the Divine Office for 11 June 2016: Office Readings: From a treatise on the Gospel of Saint Matthew by Saint Chromatius, bishop (Tract. 5, 1, 3-44; CCL 9, 405-407) You are the light of the world You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp only to put it under a bushel basket; they put it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. The Lord called his disciples the salt of the earth because they seasoned with heavenly wisdom the hearts of men, rendered insipid by the devil. Now he calls them the light of the world as well, because they have been enlightened by him, the true and everlasting light, and have themselves become a light in the darkness. Since he is the Sun of Justice, he fittingly calls his disciples the light of the world. The reason for this is that through them, as through shining rays, he has poured out the light of the knowledge of himself upon the entire world. For by manifesting the light of truth, they have dispelled the darkness of error from the hearts of men. Moreover, we too have been enlightened by them. We have been made light out of darkness as the Apostle says: For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light. He says another time: For you are not sons of the night and of darkness, but you are all sons of light and of the day. Saint John also rightly asserts in his letter: God is light, and whoever abides in God is in the light just as God himself is in the light. Therefore, because we rejoice in having been freed from the darkness of error, we should always walk in the light as children of light. This is why the Apostle says: Among them you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life. If we fail to live in the light, we shall, to our condemnation and that of others, be veiling over and obscuring by our infidelity the light men so desperately need. As we know from Scripture, the man who received the talent should have made it produce a heavenly profit, but instead he preferred to hide it away rather than put it to work and was punished as he deserved. Consequently, that brilliant lamp which was lit for the sake of our salvation should always shine in us. For we have the lamp of the heavenly commandment and spiritual grace, to which David referred: Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Solomon also says this about it: For the command of the law is a lamp. Therefore, we must not hide this lamp of law and faith. Rather, we must set it up in the Church, as on a lampstand, for the salvation of many, so that we may enjoy the light of truth itself and all believers may be enlightened. Vespers Reading: Hebrews 13:20-21 May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. Through Jesus Christ may he carry out in you all that is pleasing to him. To Christ be glory forever! Amen. GOSPEL CANTICLE Ant. Go, preach the good news of the kingdom; freely you have received, freely give, alleluia.

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