Pondering Tidbits of Truth - September 12 , 2013

(St. Francis Xavier Church, Hyannis, MA)

Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time.

St. John Chrysostom 

“At times we dedicate all our efforts not only to what is superfluous but also to what is useless or even harmful, while we abandon the study of Sacred Scripture. Many people who are completely enthused over the horse races can quickly come up with the name, pedigree, race, nation, and training of the horses; their age, which horse would win the race against some other one, and an individual horse’s potential to pass the winning-post first, when mounted by a given rider, all spring immediately to mind…If, however, we ask them the number of St. Paul’s epistles, they are incapable of an answer.”

(Homilies on certain passages from the New Testament, I,1)

Dom Lorenzo Scupoli

“Although actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is limited [generally] to once a day, you are nevertheless at liberty to communicate in spirit every hour. And nothing except your own negligence can prevent you from receiving the inestimable benefits to be derived from such a union with Him. It is worth noting that spiritual communion is sometimes of greater benefit to the soul and more acceptable to God than sacramental communions received with little preparation and less affection.”

(The Spiritual Combat)

 Blessed Columba Marmion

 “Oh, if in prayer we could understand that for three hours Jesus cried out to His Father “If it be possible, Father, to let this chalice pass from me: and that the Father’s reply was “No!” – that Jesus had to pay our debt to the last drop of His blood, that despite His anguished cries and tears God did not spare Him. If we were able to understand that, we would have a horror – a holy horror – of sin. What a revelation of sin it is, that heap of obloquy, outrage and humiliation by which Christ was overwhelmed! How strong, therefore God’s hatred of sin had to be, for Him so to strike Jesus without measure, for Him to grind Jesus beneath suffering and ignominy!” 

(Christ, The Life of the Soul)