Blessed
John Henry Newman
"Never had a soul true happiness but in
conformity to God, in obedience to His will. We must become what we are not; we
must learn to love what we do not love, and practice ourselves in what is
difficult. We must have the law of the Spirit of life written and set up in our
hearts, that the righteousnesss of the law may be fulfilled in us, and that we
may learn to please and to love God."
(From
Parochial and Plain Sermons)
Bishop
Robert C. Morlino
"...To speak the truth requires courage. To
preach the saving truth of Jesus Christ has always required courage. But now
even to speak basic truths of human reason, of human nature, of human sanity -
even that requires courage. People today have been taught to be offended.
People live to be offended. That's why they need a 'safe space' and a 'cry
closet'. And what they mean by that seems to be a space where they can be safe
from hearing the voice of reason and truth.
If you speak the truth, you might not be safe. Those
who speak truth to a culture where everyone is looking to be offended will be
persecuted...The world has hated Christ because He gave testimony that its
works are evil (John 7:7). The world will also hate you if you speak out
against its evil works...
So if you're going to shine the light of reason in a
dark world, you are going to need courage. To quote St. Thomas [Aquinas] again,
'Courage denotes a certain firmness of mind in bearing and withstanding those
things wherein it is most difficult to firm.' In other words, courage makes you
discouragement-proof.
This is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which has
already been given to you in Baptism and Confirmation to make you courageous in
witnessing to the truth - the truth of Jesus Christ, which is known by faith;
and the truth of the human person and of human nature, which can also be known
by reason.
Courage is a gift infused by God. And it is also
acquired and perfected through practice. If you want to be courageous in
speaking the truth, you have to practice doing it precisely in those situations
where it is difficult."
(From
Commencement Address to St, Thomas Aquinas)
Thomas a Kempis
"It is a great thing, a very great thing, to be
able to do without all solace, both human and divine, and to be willing to bear
this exile of the heart for the honor of God and in nothing seek self, and not
to have regard to one's own merit. What a great thing is it to be cheerful and
devout when grace comes to thee! This is an hour desirable to all."
(From
Imitation of Christ)
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