🧀The Cheese & Crackers = Quotes by Servant of God Romano Guardini,
Caryll Houselander, and St. Anthony of Padua
🌽The Veggies = My 2💰
🍟The Potatoes = “Your Guide to the Interior Life", by F. Douglas Kneibert (Part 2 of 3)
🍗The Meat = "“Practical Explanation and Application of Bible History – Cain and Abel”, by Fr. John J Nash, DD
🍰The Dessert = YouTube video: "His Mercy Endures Forever" , by Rev. Pawel Sass
🌽“It requires no courage to accept the fact that the joy of Christ’s love is given to us in the mystery of his Risen Life, which is now our life, and that the very meaning of Christianity is that we are to increase the life of the world, by giving this love to one another. But when we go on to consider how Christ loves, therefore how we are to love, then indeed courage is asked of us.” By Caryll Houselander
"🥦Just as gold is superior to other metals, so understanding is better than mere knowledge. A person who has no understanding of the deeper meaning of Scripture does not grasp even the literal sense properly". By St. Anthony of Padua
The Sacred Heart ~ An Allurement From Which You Will Never Want To Part ~
🍓That diagnosis is not in the least bit hazy
🍓The root cause is my love for Blessed Mary's baby
🍓True love & it's not even an if or a maybe
🍓Won't find my faith pushin up no daisy
🍓I'm going for it, goin to it, and going at it, anyway but lazy
🍓Militant, a bit radical
🍓Never ever want to take a sabbatical
🍓Plan on keeping it fanatical
🍓While traveling up the holy road with a reach that's in no way wide and lateral
🍓Pumped up by the mystical, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, now that's so not illogical
🍓Backed up by The blood, that's the collateral
🍓That might seem to you, a bit over the top
🍓But not so for me, so ain’t gonna stop
🍓That's one ball tryin so hard not to drop
🍓Even when things get rough & any minute it seems like the bubble might pop
🍓Not gonna fret, as Jesus is always near, like ready for a photo op
🍓So with Him I'm in training to become fearless, that's the attitude I've learned to cop
🍓Jesus got game, & He's my portion & lot
🍓Can't touch that, His Sacred Heart is burning with love, He's so hot, smoking hot
🍓By grace you figure that out as you begin to connect each dot
🍓In season & outta season, either you’re in or you're foolishly not
🍓Heart to heart, crazy in love & lovin it, you can believe that without a doubt
🍓Since He's the way, listen, obey & find out for yourself what He's really all about
🍓Don't expect me to any time be breaking
🍓Just gonna be keep on accelerating
🍓Revved up is the worshiping
🍓Want to be in the perpetual business of glorifying
🍓On top of my voice expect to hear the singing
🍓Got to spice it up with a whole lot of praising
🍓Raising His anthem in great jubilation
🍓An experience that produces much heartfelt elation
🍓May for God it cause a widespread sensation
🍓Affecting in a positive way all of creation
🍓From that one, you never need of a vacation
🍓Just think, it’s this good, & it’s only the beginning of a forever celebration
tmm/TruGIG
Info from this site:
www.newoxfordreview.org/documents/your-guide-to-the-interior-life/
"Among the many substitutes for Christ today is self-realization — the search for the “inner self,” where peace and contentment are said to be found. Thomas would have had none of it: “If you seek the Lord Jesus in all things you will truly find him, but if you seek yourself you will find yourself, and that will be to your own great loss.” Do other people have a way of irritating you? Thomas stresses forbearance and self-examination: “Be patient in bearing other men’s defects, for you have many in yourself that others suffer…and if you cannot make yourself be as you would, how may you then look to have another regulated in all things to suit your will?” Have you been putting off that end-of-life directive? Thomas is not so much concerned about how we die but that we be spiritually ready when the day arrives: “Blessed are those who have the hour of death ever before their eyes, and who every day prepare themselves to die…. In the morning, doubt whether you will live till night; at night, do not think yourself certain to live till morning. Be always ready, and live in such a manner that death may not find you unprepared.”
Thomas’s list of what can prevent us from drawing near to God is a long one. He condemns pride, self-centeredness, trust in ourselves, the search for recognition and acclaim, and worldly desires. As a master of the interior life, Thomas urges his readers to “serve God in the secret of their hearts.” For Thomas, the inner life isn’t a refuge from the world but the place where we encounter God most intimately. “A lover of Jesus and of the truth, a truly inward man devoid of inordinate affections, can freely turn to God, transcend himself in spirit, and enjoy delightful rest.” Inward is an important word for Thomas. His book is concerned almost exclusively with the interior life — that of the spirit and mind — as opposed to a preoccupation with outward things. He titles Book Three, by far the longest of the four, “The Inward Speaking of Christ to a Faithful Soul.” Here he speaks to us “without the sound of words”: Blessed is the man who hears Jesus speaking in his soul…. Blessed are those ears which hear the secret whisperings of Jesus, and give no heed to the deceitful whisperings of this world, and blessed are the…ears which heed not outward speech but what God speaks and teaches inwardly in the soul. Blessed are those eyes which are shut to the sight of outward vanities and give heed to the inward movings of God.
Interiority is a word seldom heard today outside of monasteries. As the world daily invents more ways to divert our attention, the Catechism of the Catholic Church echoes Thomas, stressing the importance of withdrawing into ourselves from time to time: “This requirement of interiority is all the more necessary as life often distracts us from any reflection, self-examination or introspection” (no. 1779). Prayer is the means by which we enter into this interior encounter with Christ, and the highest form of it is contemplative prayer, in which “the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his spirit…. There we come to ‘an interior knowledge of our Lord’” (nos. 2714-2715)". Thomas encourages us to venture into our own interior, which we may never have considered visiting without the services of such a trustworthy guide. It can be a mysterious place, but God is to be found there, if we seek Him out. The self-knowledge we can gain by doing so, which God reveals to us as we seek Him, differs markedly from any insights we might gain using natural means.
The cultivation of the inner life has been a tradition of Catholic spirituality since at least St. Augustine, and Thomas is one of its foremost proponents. Augustine held that only by turning inward can we come to know both ourselves and God. The Imitation is an invitation into the Kingdom of God, which Jesus says is “within” us
📖Luke 17:21 “Luke 17:21 and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is, ’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”
Even though peace is to be found there, we shouldn’t confuse drawing near to Christ with reclining on a religious bed of roses. As Thomas is quick to point out: “No man is worthy to receive heavenly rewards unless he has first learned to bear adversities for the love of Christ…. Our merit and our perfection in this life stand not in consolation and in sweetness, but in suffering great, grievous adversities and tribulations.” The first thing the reader notices about The Imitation of Christ is its sheer breadth.
🍇Are you unable to resist temptation? See Book One, chapter 13.
🍇Do you lack charity? Then Book One, chapter 15, is for you.
🍇Could you use a little more humility? Check out Book One, chapter 2.
Among its many virtues, the Imitation is an immensely practical book, for if we put Thomas’s admonitions into practice, we will surely succeed in deepening our spiritual life. There are many “how to” books on this subject, but if we want the definitive treatment, we must go to the Imitation.
📖Proverbs 18:15 "The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge"
Info from this site:https://catholicsaints.info/practical-explanation-and-application-of-bible-history-cain-and-abel/
📖 Genesis 4:1-16 "The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have produced a male child with the help of the LORD.” Next she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel became a herder of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground, while Abel, for his part, brought the fatty portion of the firstlings of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and dejected. Then the LORD said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why are you dejected? If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it. Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out in the field.” When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD asked Cain, Where is your brother Abel? He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God then said: What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are banned from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. If you till the ground, it shall no longer give you its produce. You shall become a constant wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the LORD: “My punishment is too great to bear. Look, you have now banished me from the ground. I must avoid you and be a constant wanderer on the earth. Anyone may kill me at sight.” Not so! the LORD said to him. If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged seven times. So the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one would kill him at sight. Cain then left the LORD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden."
"🌀What does this lesson relate?
It relates that Cain killed his brother Abel, and was punished for it by God.
🌀Who were Cain and Abel?
Cain and Abel were the oldest sons of Adam and Eve.
🌀What was Cain?
Cain was a farmer, a tiller of the soil.
🌀What was Abel?
Abel was a shepherd.
🌀Was Abel a just man?
Yes, because he adored God, and believed in the coming Kedeemer.
🌀What offering did Cain make to God?
Cain offered the fruits of the earth.
🌀What offering did Abel make?
Abel offered the firstlings of his flock.
🌀Was God pleased with the offering of Abel?
Yes, God was pleased with the offering of Abel.
🌀Was He pleased with the offering of Cain?
No, God was not pleased with the offering of Cain.
🌀Why was Cain’s offering displeasing to God?
Cain’s offering was displeasing to God because he did not have a good intention.
🌀What does God consider in all our good works?
God always considers the intention with which we perform our good works.
🌀What do we mean by “a good intention”?
By “a good intention” we mean a desire to do all things for the honor and glory of God.
🌀How did Cain act after God had refused his offering?
He became very angry, and jealous of his brother Abel.
🌀When do we sin by anger?
We sin by anger as often as we lose our temper, scold or curse, and give way to feelings of revenge.
🌀What did God do when He saw that Cain was angry and jealous?
When God saw that Cain was angry and jealous He said to him: ” Why art thou angry, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? but if ill, shall not sin forthwith be present at the door? but the lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it.”
🌀What did God express by these words?
By these words God expressed His willingness to receive Cain’s offering when he was free from sin, and warned him against further sin.
🌀Which attribute of God do these words manifest?
They manifest His mercy and forbearance.
🌀Did Cain heed the warning of God?
No, Cain did not heed the warning of God.
🌀What did his sinful thoughts lead to?
They led to a sinful act.
🌀What was the sinful act?
He slew his brother Abel.
🌀To what class of sins does murder belong?
Murder belongs to the class of sins that cry to heaven for vengeance.
🌀How many sins cry to heaven for vengeance?
There are four sins that cry to heaven for vengeance: Murder, sodomy, defrauding laborers of their wages, and oppression of the widow and orphan.
🌀How did Cain commit murder?
Cain said to Abel one day: “Let us go forth abroad.” And Abel, suspecting nothing, followed him, and when they were in the field together, Cain rose up and killed him.
🌀What did God do as soon as Cain had killed Abel?
God said to Cain, “Where is thy brother Abel?”
🌀What did these words contain?
They contained the grace of repentance.
🌀Did Cain accept the grace?
No, he remained stubborn and hardened in his sin.
🌀How do we know that Cain remained hardened in his sin?
We know this from the answer he gave Almighty God. He said: “I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”
🌀What did God do after Cain rejected His grace?
After Cain rejected His grace God punished him.
🌀How did God punish Cain?
God said to Cain: “Cursed shalt thou be upon the earth. When thou shalt till it it shall not yield to thee its fruit. A fugitive and vagabond shalt thou he upon the earth.”
🌀What effect did God’s curse have on Cain?
He began to despair.
🌀How do we sin by despair?
We sin by despair when we lose all hope in God’s mercy.
🌀How did God show His mercy towards Cain?
God set a mark on Cain that whosoever found him should not kill him. God said: ” Whosoever shall kill Cain shall be punished sevenfold.”
🌀Was Cain guilty of any other sins besides murder?
Yes, he was guilty of anger, stubbornness, and jealousy.
🌀Of whom is Abel a type?
Abel is a type of Jesus Christ. Abel offered sacrifice, Jesus sacrificed Himself; Abel was the victim of his brother’s jealousy, Jesus was the victim of the jealousy of the Pharisees; the blood of Abel cried to heaven for vengeance, the blood of Jesus cried to the Father for mercy.
🌀Of whom is Cain a figure?
Cain is a figure of the Jews. Cain was jealous of his brother, the Jews were jealous of Christ; Cain rejected God’s grace, so did the Jews; Cain killed the innocent Abel, the Jews put the innocent Jesus to death; Cain became a wanderer on the earth, so did the Jews.
🌀What should we learn from this lesson?
We should learn from it:
To make a good intention every morning;
To be kind to our brothers and sisters;
Not to reject the grace of God, but to repent of our sins."
Video link: https://youtu.be/_JCBV-CBWFQ