Tag: humility
To become ever fully human
I sense keenly how Your divine Blood is circulating in my heart; I have not the least doubt that Your most pure love has entered my heart with Your most sacred Blood. I am aware that You are dwelling in me, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, or rather I am aware that… Read More ›
Serving one another
Obedience is a blessing to be shown by all, not only to the abbot but also to one another as brothers, since we know that it is by this way of obedience that we go to God. Therefore, although orders of the abbot or of the priors appointed by him take precedence, and no unofficial… Read More ›
A conversation with a very humble woman
Breaking family cycles I was talking to one of our retreatants last evening. A very nice lady in her 40’s, who has been here a couple of times, has like most of us had some rough times in her life. She talked about her early years when she was an addict and how it affected… Read More ›
Have you turned a deaf ear?
We ought to have the humility to admit we do not know all about ourselves, that we are not experts at running our own lives. We ought to stop taking our conscious plans and decisions with such infinite seriousness. It may well be that we are not the martyrs or the mystics or the apostles… Read More ›
Psalm 51(50): God’s Spirit Purifies
Psalm 51 in which the Psalmist, repentant after his serious sin, implores God’s mercy and asks the Lord: “Do not deprive me of your holy spirit” (v. 13). The Psalm is the Miserere, a very well-known psalm which is often repeated in the liturgy, as well as in the devotion and penitential practices of Christian… Read More ›
Keep death before your eyes every hour
Therefore, brothers, let us strive with all our heart, bearing death before our eyes every hour, and every moment imagining the fearful punishment. But these things the mind comes to perception and the soul is weighed down weeping, but it is also made contemplative and prepared to be turned toward God, undistracted by earthly things…. Read More ›
Getting Our Act Together
I met Kay (not her real name) for the first time last night in the retreat house. She was very attractive, 62 years old, intelligent, and she lived a very busy life. One of the first things she said to me, which was something I could sympathize with was: “before I die I want to… Read More ›
Let us go to meet Christ
Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with… Read More ›
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
John Climacus became famous . . . through his work, entitled The Climax, in the West known as the Ladder of Divine Ascent (PG 88, 632-1164). Composed at the insistent request of the hegumen of the neighbouring Monastery of Raithu in Sinai, the Ladder is a complete treatise of spiritual life in which John describes the monk’s… Read More ›
Five Essentials for Discovering and Living God’s Will
This is part of a larger article on the Intergrated Catholic Life site written by Deacon Michael Bickerstaff. Let’s face it—not all of us have a prophet like Nathan living in our home and we are not likely to be visited by an Archangel. So how are we to discover God’s plan for us? I… Read More ›