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. Vinny Flynn “The first level of contrition is a contrition of fear. It's called, "imperfect contrition" or "attrition," because it's motivated by awareness of the ugliness of sin and by fear of eternal damnation. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, it begins a process of inner conversion that disposes us to grace and is completed by sacramental absolution...The second level of contrition, called "perfect contrition," [is] motivated not by a self-oriented fear, but by love for God and the awareness of how good He is. This is much more personal, leading to a deeper relationship with God and a growing desire to avoid anything that might offend Him." (From 7 Secrets of Confession )   St. Teresa of Avila "I believe we shall never learn to know ...

  "The evil one sows fear; the angels of God dispel it." Father Jose Gonzalez

 

As I noted in a prior post , there are at least 107 times in the New Testament that Jesus tells us ‘fear not,” or “do not fear,” or “do not be afraid.” Could He be any clearer? Everything that He allows to happen in our lives is for our eternal benefit. So why do we refuse to believe Him? When we look at fear only through our earthly, human eyes, despair rushes to our side. However, if we look at fear from God's perspective, we find peace and resignation to whatever befalls us. A recent column by Father Denis Lemieux of Madonna House published in the May-June 2020 issue of Restoration , entitled Do Not Be Afraid, is a must read for all souls during these challenging times. Father's post is the best I have read on this subject. It should be circulated far and wide. You can read his column here . Let us pray for such faith! If you agree with my assessment, please pass this post on. [If interested, you can find Monday Musings Part I here] (Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unspl...

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 (Photo©Michael Seagriff) Father Dave Pivonka, TOR “The disciples saw Jesus raise someone from the dead, they were catechized by him, he taught them how to preach, how to forgive, how to love. Yet after his Resurrection and before the sending of the Holy Spirit, we find them in a locked room, filled with fear. That's where many people's spiritual lives are, too—trapped, dry, and stagnant. But on Pentecost, something happened that changed the disciples—and that same something has to happen to us. We can't live our spiritual lives in a locked room, but in front of the world, alive and full of joy.” (From The Wild Goose )   St. Charles Borromeo  "If we wish to make any progress in the service of God, we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as pos...