Pondering Tidbits of Truth - December 31, 2015

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.

 

Cassian 

"The peace of our spirit does not depend on the good nature and kindness of other people. Our neighbors' good nature and kindness are in in no way subject to our control or opinion. That would be absurd. The tranquility of our heart depends on ourselves. The ability to avoid anger, with all its ridiculous effects, has to come from within ourselves and not be dependent on the nature of other people. The power to overcome the evil in our character must not depend on some perfection outside us, but on our own virtue."

(From Constitutions, 8)

Pope John Paul I

"His [the Lord's] day is Sunday. He wants it kept, not profaned in any case, both for His own external respect and for our own interest. When I say 'His day,' I don't mean only that fragment of a day spent hearing Mass. The Christian Sunday is a whole day, which includes a complex of things: it means Mass or Divine Sacrifice with active participation (not just heard passively); it means the care of one's own soul in calm, in reflection, in approaching the sacraments; it means religious instruction, through listening to the word of the priest and reading the Gospel or some other good book; it means making contact with the whole parish family; it means the practice of charity toward the poor and the sick, toward children; it means good example given and received; it means the reward and guarantee of our good life.

If we are able to live Sunday well it is almost certain, in fact, that we will live well for the rest of the week. This is why it means so much to the Lord; this is why we have to do everything to keep Sunday from degenerating. Tourism or not, holiday or not, our soul above all and before all!"

(From Illustrissimi - Letters from Pope John Paul I) 

Father Salvatore Canals

"Your ill-temper, your roughness, your unfriendliness, your rigidity (not very Christian) are the reasons why you find yourself alone, in the loneliness of someone who is selfish, embittered, eternally discontented or resentful; and they are also the reason why you are surrounded not by love but by indifference, coldness, resentment and lack of trust.

With your good humor, your understanding and your friendliness, with the meekness of Christ as part and parcel of your life, not only should you be happy, but you should bring happiness to everyone around you, to the people you meet on the road of your life."

(From Jesus as Friend)