Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

 

  "You who only communicate rarely are like someone between two sleeps. You know that Jesus Christ is truly in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, that this food is absolutely necessary for your poor soul. Nevertheless, one sees in you little desire. There are long intervals between your Confessions and Communions.  You decide to go because of a great feast or a jubilee or a mission, or because others are going, and not because your poor soul needs it. Not only do you not try to merit this happiness, but you do not even envy those who taste it more often. Thus you imitate the Jews. They are reproached for refusing shelter to Jesus Christ on the first Christmas night although they did not know Him. You treat Him with the same discourtesy, you who neglect to receive Him into your hearts in Holy Communion. Do not forget that at the Particular Judgment Jesus Christ will judge us on all the good we could have done. He will show you all the sacraments that you could have received during...

"Jesus gave sight to a blind man, and He wishes to give insight and vision to you.  (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Wisdom is cultivated by means of your relationship with God. The more intimate your union with Him, the more He will reveal to you new knowledge that is forever old, and vast landscapes that have been hidden in plain sight.  King Solomon prayed for wisdom above all else and received 'her'. Have you asked for this gift?" (From Mary's Mantle Consecration by Christine Watkins)

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. Vincent de Paul   "I am sent not only to love God but to make Him loved. It is not enough for me to love God, if my neighbor does not love Him." (From Always a Joy Blogpost ) St. John Bosco "Health is God’s great gift, and we must spend it entirely for Him. Our eyes should see only for God, our feet walk only for Him, our hands labor for Him alone; in short, our entire body should serve God while we still have the time. Then, when He shall take our health and we shall near our last day, our conscience will not reproach us for having misused it." (From  Christian Quotations by Don Bosco )    St. Pio of Pietrelcina “Confession is the soul’s bath. You must go at least once a week. I do not want souls to stay away from confession more than a week. Eve...

(Photo©Father Lawrence Lew, O.P. - Used With Permission) “O my most amiable, most sweet, most beloved Jesus, my life, my hope, my treasure, the only love of my soul; oh, what has it cost Thee to remain thus with us in this Sacrament! Thou had to die, that Thou might thus dwell amongst us on our altars; and then, how many insults hast Thou not had to endure in this Sacrament, in order to aid us by Thy presence! Thy love, and the desire which Thou hast to be loved by us, have conquered all. Come then, O Lord ! come and take possession of my heart; close its doors forever, that henceforward no creature may enter there, to divide the love which is due to Thee, and which it is my ardent desire to bestow all on Thee. Do Thou alone, my dear Redeemer, rule me; do Thou alone possess my whole being; and if ever I do not obey Thee perfectly, chastise me with rigor, that thenceforward I may be more watchful to please Thee as Thou wiliest.  Grant that I may no longer seek for any other pleasure...

"When you have had the happiness of receiving the good God [in Holy Communion], you feel, for some time, a joy and comfort in your heart. Pure souls are always in that state, this union is their strength and their happiness. Oh! how sweet is this life of union with the good God! It is heaven on earth. There are no more troubles, no longer any crosses! Without the Blessed Eucharist there would no longer be any happiness in this world, life would be unbearable. When we receive Holy Communion we receive our joy and all our good.  O, my children! the Blessed Victoire used to say why do you crawl along in the way salvation? Why have you so little courage to work to merit the great happiness of going to the Holy Table, and to eat there the Bread of Angels, which gives such strength to the weak. Oh! if you knew how this heavenly Bread sweetens the sorrows of life! Oh! If once you had tasted how kind and generous Jesus Christ is to those who receive Him in Holy Communion! . . . Go, my...

 

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. Cardinal Francis Arinze   “The lay faithful as parishioners are the people who are called upon to witness to Christ at the level of the family, the place of work or recreation, in trade and commerce, in politics and government, and in other social areas of daily life. From them, people in society see what the parish is or should be.”  (From  The Evangelizing Parish ) St. John Marie Vianney “If a priest is determined not to lose his soul as soon as any disorder arises in his parish, he must trample underfoot all human considerations as well as the fear of contempt and hatred of his people. He must not allow anything to bar his way in the discharge of duty, even were he certain of being murdered on coming down from the pulpit.” (From  The Curé d’Ars  by François Trochu   Saint Philip Neri  “If a ma...

"The Eucharist is the secret of my day. It gives strength and meaning to all my activities or service to the Church and to the whole world...Let Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament speak to your hearts. It is He who is the true answer of life that you seek. He stays here with us: He is God with us. Seek Him without tiring , welcome Him without reserve , love Him without interruption : today, tomorrow, forever." (St. John Paul II  —  Address to young people of Bologna , Italy, Sept. 27, 1997)