Tag: humility
Chose to Ignore the Negative — and Pray
Do you know when to “ignore” others? Can you shut off what other people think (especially when it’s unfair)? Or are you bogged down in the thought processes of others? Hopefully not. You can become a slave to telepathy! Let God define you, not humans. What about the word, “ignore.” It sounds so harsh. Is… Read More ›
Pope stresses need for ‘fraternal correction’ in Christian life
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sep 4, 2011 / 01:42 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Correcting the behavior of those gone astray is an essential part of Christian life, said Pope Benedict XVI in his Sunday Angelus address Sept. 4. “This approach is called fraternal correction: it is not a reaction to injury suffered, but is moved by love… Read More ›
The one who is displeasing to himself is pleasing to God
Let the soul harken to the divine voice, and to her own amazement and wonder she will hear it say, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’. Who is poorer in spirit than the person whose spirit finds no rest and who has nowhere to lay his head? This… Read More ›
The old things are passing away
For to despise the present age, not to love transitory things, unreservedly to stretch out the mind in humility to God and our neighbor, to preserve patience against offered insults and, with patience guarded, to repel the pain of malice from the heart, to give one’s property to the poor, not to covet that of… Read More ›
Humility Enhances Humanity
Far from being demeaning or dehumanizing, true humility is a quality that enhances humanity. In Saint Benedict's view a monk is humble if meets the following criteria: He is serious in his commitment He is free enough of inner conflict to be able to follow the way of Christ He is able to endure the… Read More ›
The aim of humility
At the heart of Christian anthropology is the conviction of a deep affinity between human nature and spiritual life. The difficulties of living spiritually do not come from our nature, as such, but from the deformation of our nature through selfishness and pride. Humility aims to eliminate the phony aspects of our life and to… Read More ›
Who is pleasing to God?
Let the soul harken to the divine voice, and to her own amazement and wonder she will hear it say, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’. Who is poorer in spirit than the person whose spirit finds no rest and who has nowhere to lay his head? This… Read More ›
Benedictine Spirituality: Peace in the Monastery of the Heart
Turn away from evil and do good; let peace be your quest and aim.” Over the archway of medieval monasteries were commonly carved the words Pax Intrantibus, “Peace to those who enter here.” These words were both a hope and a promise. Benedict’s vision of the peaceable kingdom was a real one. In a society… Read More ›
Humility is victorious over the demons
Amma Theodora said that neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering are able to save, only true humility can do that. There was an anchorite who was able to banish the demons; and he asked them, “What makes you go away? Is it fasting?” They replied, “We do not eat or drink.” “Is… Read More ›
Maturity in Relationships and Prayer
Several years ago, a friend shared this story with me: Raised a Roman Catholic and essentially faithful in going to church and in trying to live an honest moral life, he found himself, in his mid-forties, plagued by doubts, unable to pray, and unable (when he was honest with himself) to even believe in the… Read More ›