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. 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...

Most of us would prefer to avoid pain of any type - physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. But pain, suffering and tribulations are part and parcel of the human condition and an integral part of God's plan of salvation. St. Gregory reminds us that God "grants us a greater mercy when He gives us the strength to bear sufferings and tribulations than when He takes them from us". So as difficult and unwanted as suffering may be, may God grant us the grace to heed St. Pio's advice and embrace it as Jesus did His Cross:

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "My heart feels as if it were being drawn by a superior force each morning just before uniting with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. I have such a thirst and hunger before receiving Him that it's a wonder I don't die of anxiety. I was hardly able to reach the Divine Prisoner in order to celebrate Mass. When Mass ended I remained with Jesus to render Him thanks. My thirst and hunger do not diminish after I have received Him in the Blessed Sacrament, but rather, increase steadily. Oh, how sweet was the conversation I held with Paradise this morning. The Heart of Jesus and my own, if you will pardon my expression, fused. They were no longer two hearts beating but only one. My heart disappeared as if it were a drop in the ocean."  (St. Pio of Pietrelcina as quoted by Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament )

By means of the angels, Jesus calls the poor and simple shepherds, in order to manifest Himself to them.  He calls the learned men by means of their science. And all of them, moved by His inner grace,   hasten to adore Him.  He calls all of us by divine inspiration, and   communicates with us by means of His grace. How many times has He invited us, too?                               And how readily have we responded?  My God, I blush and become embarrassed   when I have to answer such a question." (St. Pio of Pietrelcina)

(Photography©Michael Seagriff) 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. A different twist this week - just one Christmas nugget:   “Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time. 

(Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center) 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.     Pope Francis “I have a dogmatic certainty: God is in every person’s life. God is in everyone’s life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else—God is in this person’s life. You can, you must try to seek God in every human life. Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.”    (Interview by Antonio Spadaro, SJ)

  Since the Catholic Church dedicates the month of October each year to the Most Holy Rosary, I thought I would share some weekly reflections this month on this great gift. What follows is the first installment.   “My son, if we do what we have always done, what our fathers did before us, we cannot go wrong. Satan wants to destroy this prayer, but in this he will never succeed. The Rosary is the prayer of those who triumph over everything and everyone. It was Our Lady who taught us this prayer, just as it was Jesus who taught us the Our Father.”   (St. Pio of Pietrelcina)