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.     Venerable Fulton J. Sheen   “The Christian soul knows it needs Divine Help and therefore turns to Him Who loved us even while we were yet sinners. Examination of conscience, instead of inducing morbidity, thereby becomes an occasion of joy.  There are two ways of knowing how good and loving God is. One is by never losing Him, through the preservation of innocence, and the other is by finding Him after one has lost Him. Repentance is not self-regarding, but God-regarding. It is not self-loathing, but God-loving. Christianity bids us accept ourselves as we really are, with all our faults and our failings and our sins. In all other religions, one has to be good to come to God—in Christianity one does not. Christianity might be described as a 'come as you are' party. It bids us stop worrying about ourselves, stop concentrating...

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.   Brother Lawrence "It is not necessary for being with God to always at church. We make an oratory of our heart wherein to retire from time to time to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love. Everyone is capable of such familiar conversation with God, some more, some less. He knows what we can do.Let us begin, then." (From The Practice of the Presence of God )

Today we remember St. Teresa of Avila , a 16 th century Carmelite nun, mystic, reformer and spiritual teacher par excellence. She and St. Catherine of Siena were the first two women named as Doctors of the Catholic Church.   One way of honoring this great saint this day would to be spend a few minutes reading and meditating on the great wisdom she has offered the Church and its members. The following gems, which are among the 1200 quotations included in my book, Forgotten Truths To Set Faith Afire! Words to Challenge, Inspire and Instruct , should provide much nourishment for fruitful meditation and reflection.     I am consoled to hear the clock strike, for at the passing away of that hour of life it seems to me I am drawing a little closer to the vision of God.   The Lord knows what he is doing better than [the soul] knows what it is desiring.   The person who knows God better does God’s work more easily.      Love ...