Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

 

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. John Chrysostom "Even if you do not confess, God is not ignorant of the deed, since he knew it before it was committed. Why then do you not speak of it? Does the transgression become heavier by the confession? No, it becomes lighter and less troublesome. And this is why he wants you to confess: not that you should be punished, but that you should be forgiven; not that he may learn your sin—how could that be, since he has seen it?—but that you may learn what favor he bestows. He wishes you to learn the greatness of his grace, so that you may praise him perfectly, that you may be slower to sin, that you may be quicker to virtue. And if you do not confess the greatness of the need, you will not understand the enormous magnitude of his grace."                       ...

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. David G. Bonagura, Jr. "It has become fashionable in certain circles for parents to put off their child's baptism until he or she is older and can make a personal decision. This is a colossal mistake. To deprive a child of Baptism is akin to depriving him of an education or health care. Parents would never make teeth brushing handwashing or school optional for their children. Likewise, they should never make God and His grace optional. God is essential and Baptism is the means by which human beings begin to encounter God in His fullness.” (From 100 Tough Questions for Catholics -   Common Obstacles to Faith Today. )   St. Alphonsus Liguori "St. Augustine says, that to prevent the sheep from seeking assistance by her cries, the wolf seizes her by the neck, and thus securely carries her away and devours her. The Devil acts in...

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. Scott Hahn "There are many ways of looking at confession, and all of them are valid. You can look at it as a courtroom with a divine judge. You can look at it as an accounting of debts. I think it's most helpful to look at it as healing - as health care. Confession does for our souls what doctors, dieticians, physical therapists, and pharmacists do for our bodies. Think about all we do to keep our bodies in working order. We go for regular checkups with a primary-care physician, a dentist, an eye doctor. And no one has to remind us to brush our teeth, take a shower, and pop the pills for whatever ails us. All this is good for us, and it's good for everyone around us, too. No one wants to work beside us if we decide to stop showering. Well, if we spend so much effort on the care of our bodies, shouldn't we be spending more time on ou...

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...

 

In case this invitation was not extended to you today, close your eyes and listen to Jesus speaking directly to you - the one with whom He is in love: I am always here – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year - waiting for you. But generally I am alone, abandoned and ignored. So when I looked out from behind the closed doors this morning, I was overjoyed to see you - so many of you. While there were many familiar faces among those filling the pews, there were a good number whom I have not seen in some time. If you only knew the joy I experience when you come! I take delight in all My people, but I experience a special joy when those who stay away come to be with Me. I have so much to give each of you! How I hunger for your presence here every Sunday. How I want to be one with you and fill you will My graces. How I want to give you the spiritual nourishment you need to withstand the weekly onslaught and temptations that surround you. I offer you My Word and mo...

Advice from a wise confessor : (Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash ) Remember if Satan succeeds in keeping you in sin and despair, he has succeeded in preventing you from fulfilling God’s will for your life and the specific work God has delegated to you. Don’t give Satan that power over you.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "The first thing required for a worthy Communion is that one recognize, with great humility, that no human efforts will suffice to make this preparation if God does not assist him. As no one can dispose himself for an increase of grace without grace, so no one can prepare for the reception of God but God. Therefore, one should beg Him with humble and burning desires to cleanse and purify the house where He is going to dwell. To do this as we ought, the first thing required is freedom from mortal sin. The Apostle strongly said that whoever eats the bread or drinks the chalice of the Lord unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. In other words, those who approach Communion in the state of mortal sin commits a sin comparable to the sin of those who crucified Christ, because both are sins  against the body and blood of Jesus, although in different ways. Moreover, what can follow from the union of two different things such ...

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting .    It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers .  Stop by for a visit now .   Monday Musings - Which Kind of Soul Am I? - Part 2  (Originally posted October 16, 2017) (Image source:  Wikimedia Commons ) [In T he Golden Key to Heaven  –  An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, St.   Anthony Mary Claret discusses three distinct types of souls. Last week we looked at the first type (you can review that post here ).  If you did not recognize yourself then, maybe what follows will be a more accurate description. This one might really smart - the Truth does that you know.] "The second class of men consists of those who have a true will to aspire to perfection, but it is not ...

Thank you Allison Gingras and Elizabeth Riordan for another opportunity to re-publish our favorite posts on Worth Revisiting . Go there now (and every Wednesday) and be nourished spiritually. Be sure to v isit Allison at   Reconciled To You and Elizabeth at Theology Is A Verb during the rest of each week.   You will enjoy your visit.  If nothing else, I can be persistent. Every Christmas since 2014, I have urged all those who see this post and agree with its content to ask their pastors to include it as an insert in their Christmas bulletins. Nothing much has changed over the years. Few have accepted the invitation. This prompts me to paraphrase my Father Dominic's nightly plea: What will become of those lost souls whose ears are not permitted to hear and their eyes not allowed to see this essential, loving and truthful message? Do we even care? Who Will Step Up This Christmas and Speak the Truth in Love? (Originally posted 12/9/14) [Thi...

As our parish journeys through its fifteenth year of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, I marvel at, and give God thanks for, the hundreds of faithful Adorers who have spent time in His Presence over the years. It is hard to believe that sixty-seven of them have passed on into eternity.  Many of their names and faces pop into my consciousness from time to time – a reminder of the impact their lives and examples have had on me and countless others. With each passing year, I become increasingly aware of my own approaching death – at a time and under circumstances fully and solely in God’s hands. Although modern sensitivities discourage reflection on our immortality as a morbid and useless effort, nothing could be further from the truth , as you will glean from these words of Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. from his book, The Way of God: “So it is wise for me always to remember that I must die and that I ought always to be ready. This reminds me of a story told abou...