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. Thomas Aquinas, O.P. "As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary."  (From Mary: Mother of God by Chukwueloka Okolo) St. Rose of Lima " If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! Without doubt they would devote all their care and concern to winning for themselves pains and afflictions.  All men throughout the world would seek trouble, infirmities and torments, instead of good fortune, in order to attain the unfathomable treasure of grace. This is the reward and the final gain of patience.  No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that might happen to him if he...

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers . Here is my contribution:  Rosary Reflection - No Longer Relevant or Needed in Our Time? (Originally posted on October 10, 2015) There is confusion among some Catholics these days – no doubt planted by the Evil One, who fears the Blessed Mother and the power of her Rosary. Some would have us believe that recitation of the Rosary is an antiquated devotion no longer relevant or needed in current times. Nothing could be further from the truth as can be seen by the Blessed Mother’s promise to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de Roche and as she herself re-emphasized to the children at Fatima: - Whoever shall faithfully serve me  by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive powerful graces.  - I ...

"The persistency of the love of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament is another undeniable proof that He loves us. An almost incalculable number of Masses  are celebrated every day; they follow one another almost  without interruption. But how distressing it is for an understanding soul to realize that very often no one is present to hear or assist at these Masses in which Jesus offers Himself up for us! While Jesus is crying for mercy on this new Calvary, sinners are insulting God and His Christ. Why then does our Lord renew His sacrifice so often, since men do not profit by it? Why does our Lord remain day and night on so many altars to which no one comes to receive the graces He is offering so lavishly? He loves, He hopes and He waits." (St. Peter Julian Eymard from The Real Presence )

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) “In modern society, silence has come into disrepute; this is the symptom of a serious worrisome illness. The real questions of life are posed in silence. Our blood flows through our veins without making any noise, and we can hear our heartbeats only in silence.” ***** It does not matter how young or old one is. There is no better feeling than allowing one’s exhausted body to fall gently into the comforting embrace of a form fitting mattress and pillow. O night, what a gift from God you are! O darkness, how soothing and refreshing you can be! It may take some time to let the instant replays of the joys and tribulations and the successes and failures of the day rumble through our minds, but they will. Then in the din of darkness and the silence of the night, sleep arrives. For years, I treasured this great gift though sometimes fitfully so. I nary gave a thought to what might be happening while I slept.  But all ...

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You  and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for hosting Worth Revisiting each week. It is a privilege to share our work with you and your followers . This is the second week of 2019 Fall's 40 Days For Life campaign. I thought it appropriate to re-post this: Cold As Death (Originally published February 21, 2013) Yesterday was abortion day at our local Planned Parenthood center. Three of us were outside praying for the staff, the parents and the unsuspecting children encased in their mothers’ wombs. It was bitterly cold. In fact, this is the first time over the past four years when I ever felt cold enough to wear a hooded sweatshirt and gloves. But it was not just the physical cold and wind that was bothersome. It was the pervasive coldness emanating from this place of death on this particular day. If you ever reverently touched the hand of a loved one or friend while praying farewell at their cask...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) "The Blessed Sacrament is that Presence which makes a Catholic Church different from every other place in the world; which makes it, as no other place can be, holy." Blessed (soon to be Saint) John Henry Newman