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. Servant of God, Madeleine Delbrel "The basic revelation of the Gospel is the overwhelming, penetrating presence of God. It is a call to encounter God, and God allows Himself to be encountered only in solitude." (From We, the Ordinary People of the Streets ) John of Kronstadt, a Russian Orthodox priest and saint "What would happen, O my Lord God, Jesus Christ, if You made the light of Your divinty to shine from Your most Holy Sacrament, when the priest brings It in his hands to a sick person? Before this light, all who would encounter It or see It would fall prostrate on the groune spontaneously, just as the angels cover their faces before this Sacrament. While on the other hand, so many treat this heavenly Sacrament with indifference." (From Dominus Est - It Is The Lord! by Most Rev. Athansius Schneid...

I had intended to write a brief post about the humility of this great Dominican, saint and theologian but misplaced my notes. Instead, I will share a quote, a video and a prior post.     From In Conversation With God by Father Francis Fernandez : "It is said of St. Thomas Aquinas that he was a man of few words. One day his sister asked him what was needed in order to be a saint. Without pause, he answered: To want it!" From Doctor Peter Kreeft : a video "12 Stories About St. Thomas Aquinas"       Last year's post, " Remembering St. Thomas Aquinas ".       

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at  RAnn's Place  for Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival where we share posts from the previous week. May something you read touch your heart and stir your soul: The Example of Altar Servers Can Lead Us to Greater Reverence and Appreciation for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Check Out My Interview on My Catholic Blog Monday Musings - "Holy Spirit" vs. "Spirit of Vatican II" The Wisdom of St. Frances de Sales Abortion and Adoration

As we continue fighting to protect life from the moment of conception to natural death, I thought today – a day when tens of thousands will be publicly standing up for life and protesting the horror and slaughter of millions of innocent lives in this nation facilitated by the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973   - would be an appropriate time to share one woman’s example of God’s healing touch to those who come into His Presence. Several years ago, a dear friend, who has tirelessly labored for more than two decades to promote Eucharistic Adoration, gave me a copy of the journal entry set forth below with permission to share it widely. You are certainly not required to believe this woman's story. I suspect more than a few will. What no one you should ever doubt, however, is that our Lord continues to physically and spiritually heal countless souls who either humble themselves and spend time in His Eucharistic Presence, or who have asked others who do to intercede...

On this great teacher's feastday, I thought I would share one of his prayers: “The Everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His innermost heart. This cross He now sends you is considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands, to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His Holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last look at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God.”  

If God used Balaam’s donkey to get that prophet’s attention, I guess he can use me to get yours. May these periodic Monday postings (God willing) generate fruitful discussion and faithful change. (Image from Biblebios.com)   I have made a commitment during this Year of Faith to do a number of things, including reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Vatican II Documents. Both exercises have been worthwhile. From time to time I hope to share the fruits of my efforts. Today I will start with a few questions. Did you know that at the time of Vatican II the vast majority of Catholic Bishops in the world were opposed to permitting reception of Holy Communion in the hand and that as a result our Holy Father decided not to change the manner in which Communion was administered? ( See Instruction On The Manner of Distributing Holy Communion )   They feared then (and I would argue the resulting realty became) a widespread loss of reverence fo...

How blessed am I to have been interviewed twice in the same week. The most recent interview was posted by Brendan at mycatholic blog.com .  Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle conducted the other.   I am indebted to both for their kindness and generosity. I think the two interviews complement each other. What do you think?