Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: freedom

If we do not think, we cannot act freely.

Well, the need has been desperately urgent, not for one year or ten, but for fifty, sixty, seventy, a hundred years. If, when thought is needed, nobody does any thinking, if everyone assumes that someone else is thinking, then it is clear that no one is thinking either for himself or for anybody else. Instead… Read More ›

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The struggle

I suppose one of my greatest struggles is to free myself from what others think or feel about me. This has been something that I have worked with from childhood and am not sure actually how much progress I have made in this matter. Like most people, I would like to be understood, my intentions… Read More ›

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Bridges

We are interior creatures. We interrupt what goes on around us. These interpretations are influenced by events that perhaps have taken place so far in the past that they are unconsciously forgotten, yet they still aid or hinder us in our everyday lives. For some people this can be a major hindrance if some sort… Read More ›

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Be honest, childlike, open, and fearless before God

Prayer is conversation with God, no matter what kind it is. It can be a wordless sharing, or thoughts can be present; in the end it is an actual being present to God, knowing that God is also present to you; more present actually, one with you, fused with your soul, holding you in existence… Read More ›

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The Annunciation:The Freedom of Religion

. . . She was planned for a role in the drama of redemption by God, as a child is planned for a musical career by his physical parents, but it was not fulfilled until this moment. The Holy Trinity never possesses a creature without the consent of His will. When, therefore, Mary had heard how… Read More ›

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St. Bernard on Free Choice

Free choice is something clearly divine which shines forth in the soul like a jewel set in gold. From it the soul derives its power of judgement, and its option of choosing between good and evil, between life and death, in fact between light and darkness, and any other concepts which are perceived by the… Read More ›

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Discover your own inner ground

The way to find the real ‘world’ is not merely to measure and observe what is outside us, but to discover our own inner ground. For that is where the world is, first of all: in my deepest self. This ‘ground,’ this ‘world’ where I am mysteriously present at once to my own self and… Read More ›

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A Chance to Choose

In our being there is a primordial yes that is not our own; it is not at our own disposal; it is not accessible to our inspection and understanding; we do not even fully experience it as real (except in rare and unique circumstances). And we have to admit that for most people this primordial… Read More ›

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Habits

Some habits are easy to come by and then can become compulsions draining the one chained to them of freedom and unable to have a real life.  Other habits lead to deeper inner freedoms which have a positive affect on life.  Study for instance can be a good habit that will benefit the one who… Read More ›

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True freedom is interior

Freedom is what makes man to be man.  Freedom is what distinguishes man from the rest of visible reality—sun, moon, stars, elements, plants and animals.  On the natural level, freedom is man’s greatest gift or quality. What is freedom?  Freedom is the ability to choose between various goods; it means that man is not determined… Read More ›

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