Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: pleasure

One Mask

Self pity has many faces, the weary smile stating the so called fact that no one understands me, is just one mask that it wears. Feeling sorry for myself is ok, just give it a rest after a short time, melancholy pleasures can only do so much, then others get bored, eyes glaze over, blessed… Read More ›

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Origins of Evil Come from Within

The main sources of the Enemy from which every evil springs are threefold: desire, pleasure, and sadness. These are connected one from another, and one follows another. It is possible to control pleasure to some extent, but impossible to control desire; for the end of pleasure is achieved through the body, but that (of desire)… Read More ›

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The Value of Submitting to Necessity

Any prolonged exercise of self-will injures our intrigrity, whether its purpose is the direct pursuit of pleasure or, more indirectly, the avoidance of pain. To the extent that our will is concerned principally with pleasing ourselves, we can anticipate trouble. On the other hand, learning to live with situations that cannot be changed is a… Read More ›

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A Life Built on Radical Untruth

Many people regard religion as something foreign or even hostile to human na­ture. As a result, religion becomes a matter of social confor­mity, duty, and guilt: it is life-denying. There seems little in it that leads to the joyous fulfillment of natural aspirations. Any sort of religious activity can easily be seen as in some… Read More ›

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