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.
Father Jean Nicholas Grou
“God wishes-us to fear His
justice, so that we may avoid sin, so that we may forsake it as soon as
possible, so that we may expiate it by penance, so that we may never think we
have expiated it sufficiently, and so that we may not lightly presume on the
hope of pardon. But at the same time He wishes us to trust in Him, to hope for
all things from His mercy, to return to Him through love rather than fear, and
never to allow ourselves to become the prey of a terror that is without foundation
and injurious to God, and that can have no other effect than to discourage
and dishearten us.
But how far are we to carry this
trust in God? As far as His power and His goodness; as far as our own weakness
and our own misery; that is to say, our trust is to be boundless.”
(From The Spiritual Life-A Comprehensive Guide for Catholics Seeking
Salvation)
[Almsgiving] is more useful for the one who practices it than for the one who receives it, for the man who makes a practice of almsgiving draws out a spiritual profit from his acts, whilst those who receive his alms receive only a temporal benefit.
(From Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corintihians)
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
“But whatever be the reason for these trying days, of this we may
be certain: The Christ Who suffered under Pontius Pilate signed
Pilate’s death warrant; it was not Pilate who signed Christ’s. Christ’s
Church will be attacked, scorned, and ridiculed, but it will never be
destroyed…. The bold fact the enemies of God must face is that modern
civilization has conquered the world, but in doing so has lost its
soul. And in losing its soul it will lose the very world it gained.
Even our own so-called liberal culture in the United States, which has
tried to avoid complete secularization by leaving little zones of
individual freedom, is in danger of forgetting that these zones were
preserved only because religion was in their soul. And as religion
fades so will freedom, for only where the spirit of God is, is there
liberty.”
(From Characters of Passion as quoted by Patti McGuire Armstrong in Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on Politics)
(From Characters of Passion as quoted by Patti McGuire Armstrong in Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on Politics)
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I love the quote from Venerable Sheen. He nails it every time with such clarity. What is lacking in so much Catholic writing today is simplicity and clarity.
ReplyDeleteFortunately Barb, he was a prolific writer and left us countless treasures. The problem is not enough bother to open and read them.
ReplyDelete