Tag: temptation
Do twice as much for the sinner
A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, ‘If I see a brother whom I have heard is a sinner, I do not want to take him into my cell, but when I see a good brother I am happy to be with him.’ The old man said, ‘If you do a little good to the good… Read More ›
We must always remain vigilant
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – “We must always remain vigilant, on guard against deception, against the seduction of evil ” , because the devil , against whom Jesus truly fought and won , ” always tries to come back,” to “take possession of us. ” Today’s Gospel in which Jesus responds to some who accuse him… Read More ›
Many are the temptations of those who live among men
Abba Orsisius said, ‘If an unbaked brick is put in the foundations near to the river, it does not last for a single day, but baked, it lasts like stone. So the man with a carnal disposition of soul, who has not been in the fire through fear of God like Joseph, utterly disintegrates when… Read More ›
Resist ‘Idols’ of Money, Power, Pleasure
Aparecida, Brazil, Jul 24, 2013 / 08:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Openness to being surprised by God is an attitude which marks the life of a Christian, Pope Francis said in his homily at Brazil’s Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida during his first World Youth Day Mass. “God always surprises us, like the new wine… Read More ›
His incarnation was absolutely real
The evening before our Lord gave himself up to death he shared his own body with his Apostles and offered them his blood, with the command that they were to do what he had done in order to keep the memory of his Passion alive. Then a strange thing happened. Earlier Jesus had charged his… Read More ›
Everyday Christianity and the Spiritual Combat
For me, the real arena of spiritual combat is the everyday world. It occurred to me at my day job yesterday that it might in fact be sometimes easier to go and pray in secret than it is to live out the Christian calling in one’s everyday life in the world. When I close the… Read More ›
The Spirits Around Us: What are our access points?
We write about the spirits around us, and this is a time of the year important in that regard; there have been mystics who’ve said it’s on Christmas that the greatest number of souls are released. Apparently, like certain hours of the night, like three a.m., at Christmastime the veil seems to thin. Fortunately, more… Read More ›
The Eight Demons of St. John Cassian
My life, along with many others (though I forget this often), has been a continual struggle with sin. I am not alone in this, and there is a kind of comfort in that. I found this out especially when I stumbled upon some writings of St. John Cassian in the Philokalia, arguably the most important spiritual… Read More ›
Winning the Battle Against Temptation
Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich once quipped that if we could really see, that the fallen angels that surround us would blot out the sun. I am no skeptic – I believe it. Sometimes I wonder if we realize the real struggle going on in the spiritual realm in our day to day lives. Unlike monastics… Read More ›
Top Ten Saints For Sinners
If you’re struggling with sin, if temptations are half-killing you, if all seems lost – maybe have a word with one of the following in prayer, and ask for a little help. After all, as my parish priest always reminds me, we are a community. 1. St. Margaret of Cortona Formerly a mistress and rather… Read More ›