Pondering Tidbits of Truth - February 9, 2017

Photo©Michael Seagriff

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. Bernard

"O Jesus..., how consoling You are to those who invoke You! How good You are to those who seek You! What will You not be to those who find You! Only he who has felt it can know what it is to languish in love for thee, O Jesus!"

(From Sermons on the Canticles)

St. John Paul II

"...we must pray because we are fragile and culpable. We need to admit humbly and truly that we are poor creatures, with confused ideas...We are fragile and weak, and in constant need of interior strength and consolation. Prayer gives us strength for great ideals, for keeping our faith, charity, purity, generosity; prayer gives us strength to rise up from indifference and guilt, if we have had the misfortune to give in to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives us light by which to see and to judge from God's perspective and from eternity.  That is why you must not give up praying! Don't let a day go by without praying a little! Prayer is a duty, but is is also a joy because it is a dialogue with God through Jesus Christ!"

(From March 14, 1979 Audience with Young People)

St. Augustine

"Every age is an age of martyrdom. Don't say that Christians are not suffering persecution; the Apostles words are always  true...All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12). All, with no one being excluded or exempted. If you want to test the truth of this saying, you have only to begin to lead a pious life and you will see what good reason he had for saying this."

(From Sermon 6)