Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

[What follows is just one of 150 thought-provoking quotations you will encounter in Pondering Tidbits of Truth, Volume 6. ] Venerable Bruno Lanteri  "Do you find yourself turning inward, preoccupied by your anxieties and burdened by your failings? 'Instead of turning in on yourself, lift your gaze often with peace and love to God.' Often. With peace. With love. The less you focus on your failures and the more you gaze on the Lord with peace and love, the more your heart will lift, the stronger you will become, the more joy you will find. Tell Him that 'you want to be totally His' and, with boldness, tell Him that 'it is His to make you become better'!  (From Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement - The Wisdom and Spiritual Power of Venerable Bruno Lanteri)  PAUSE AND PONDER : Is my first inclination when troubled and challenged to turn to God and ask for His assistance? If not, why am I hesitant to do so? Do I believe God can change me? Have I ever asked Him ...

We live in a time and culture where many children give little or no thought to the loving Lord who lives physically among us. Most of them spend a good portion of their free time glued to some type of screen - a tablet, a phone, or a television. For hours they watch or play bizarre and often violent videos and games. These diversions never provide any lasting satisfaction.  Author Janeen Zaio wants them to put down their screens, pick up a copy of her book, The Treasure Within a Face, and accompany twelve year-old Eli on a fascinating, suspenseful and life changing quest to find the Treasure of all treasures. This captivating adventure tale takes us back to the time of Jesus in a small village some distance from Jerusalem. There we meet Eli, who with his mother, lives with his uncle Sham - an irascible, difficult and unappreciative man. Eli and his friend Abe dream of leaving this tiny town in search of the lost Arc of the Covenant.   When Uncle Sham asks Eli to deliver a...