🧀The Cheese & Crackers = Quotes by Robert Royal, Fr. Leonardo Castellani, and Fr. Jean Pierre de Caussade
🥗The Veggies = My 2💰
🥔The Potatoes = “Treatise Written To A Devout Man”, by Walter Hilton
🥩The Meat = “Goodness and Peace in Man” , by Thomas A Kempis
🧁The Dessert = YouTube video: “Free will and the grace of God -St. Augustine”, by Institute of Catholic Culture
My soul hath desired thee in the night: yea, and with my spirit within me in the morning early I will watch to thee. Isaias speaks these words out of the desire that the ancient fathers had, as they sighed after the presence of Christ in the flesh. The whole time that passed from the dark sin of our first parents until the light that rose in the darkness for the upright of heart—as it is written, Unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings—this whole time, I say, is called one of deep darkness, since the light of evangelical truth was not yet shining save in the shadowy figures of the Law, and the light of grace and goodness was beclouded by the gloomy power of sin, so that all sat in darkness and in the shadow of the first death.
It was in this night, therefore, that Isaias declared, My soul hath desired thee in the night. Nor is this strange: for the light that sometimes gleams in the good words and deeds of the saints could not disperse that darkness, nor could its cold be warmed by their charity. So it is said, No power of fire could give them light, neither could the bright flames of the stars enlighten that horrible night, for even the brief sparkling of the saints was swallowed up after death by the darkness of the limbo beneath. And so the soul of Isaias and the souls of the other saints were sighing after Christ, the true light, who puts darkness to flight. Breathed upon by the Holy Ghost, the Church expresses this cry of the ancient fathers, yearning also for the coming of Christ. In that chant of the Mass which is called the Introit, she lifts up her voice, suddenly overcome by a feeling of desire. So begins the Mass, which is the coming of Christ in the sacrament. Crying out, then, with this love, the Church in her Introit seeks the coming of our Lord, remembering the desire of the fathers who longed for the coming of Christ in the flesh”
🍍"Modernism is the latest evolution of liberal Protestantism and is the most subtle and complex heresy that has existed and can exist, so it will undoubtedly be the religion of the Antichrist; because it reconciles in itself the two antagonistic notes with which St. Paul mysteriously describes the Man of Sin, and that until today seemed incompatible: first, he will be an adversary of all religion and worship; second, he will sit in the temple making himself worship as God. Modernism undoes all existing religion, appropriating their external forms, and emptying them of all content to finally fill them with the idolatry of Man”. By Father Leonardo Castellani
🥫“The soul that does not attach itself solely to the will of God will find neither satisfaction nor sanctification in any other means however excellent by which it may attempt to gain them. If that which God Himself chooses for you does not content you, from whom do you expect to obtain what you desire? . . . No soul can be really nourished, fortified, purified, enriched, and sanctified except in fulfilling the duties of the present moment.” By Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade
🙈And a very, very, sorrowful discovery
🙈When we finally realize
🙈All that darkness took the privilege to rob us of and craftily disguise
🙈An eye opener regarding the seriousness of the many errors we decided to entertain
🙈Innocence we will not be able to sheepishly feign
🙈In an instant after we die
🙈Our souls flying upwards, high in the sky
🙈God our creator we’ll most surely meet
🙈Face to face with Him at the judgment seat
🙈It could be found to be a “know it all” attitude or just plain complacency
🙈Maybe our downfall will be due to the sad plight of being plagued by obstinacy
🙈Whatever the cause
🙈You can rest assured that “straight into heaven” will be interrupted for some by a pause
🙈Whether it’s duration is long or whether it is short
🙈Depends on if repentance and reparation was headed south or north
🙈Now is the time to straighten up and fly in the right direction
🙈Letting the game plan be about perfection
🙈Pray for the grace to get a jump start
🙈Desire to develop a clean and pure heart
🙈Yes, so necessary it is to be transformed, a root cause for any significant change
🙈Authentic renewal, only by way of the Holy Spirit, who alone can flawlessly arrange or rearrange
🙈To skip out of class or not be enrolled in life’s spiritual school
🙈What else will be the results but becoming more and more of a real bonafide fool
🙈Study to show thyself approved
🙈Then from the summit of truth, thou shalt not at all be moved
🙈Be aware, the life we now live, it is death that marks it’s end
🙈Mercy nods, then gives way for justice to begin
🙈Forward march, there is no turning back
🙈Can’t make up for what one now badly needs and now being found in a permanent state of great lack
🙈All those imperfections
🙈Immature choices and bad selections
🙈For sure there is a debt to be paid, a very steep price
🙈At this point it will be nothing nice
🙈A Purgatorial increase
🙈Who wants a road block that inhibits one from quickly joining the great Divine Heavenly feast?
🙈So it’s up to me and it’s up to you
🙈To gomfor the gold, choosing always the right thing to do
What the Desire of God for Himself is and how that in Cleanness of Conscience is found true Comfort and Sweetness. Part II
“But thou wilt perhaps further ask me: Whether a man may continually have this desire in his heart? and thou perhaps thinkest that he cannot. As to that I will answer according to my opinion in it, which is, that thou mayest have this desire in thine heart and intention virtually or habitually, always and continually; but thou canst not so have it as to working or exercising upon it, as thou mayest better understand by this example. If thou wert sick, thou wouldst have, as every man in such a case hath, continually a natural desire in thine heart of bodily health; and this whether thou be asleep or awake, but art thinking of some worldly things; thou hast then such a desire only in intention or habit, and not in using or acting upon it. But when thou thinkest on thy bodily sickness or on thy health, then hast thou thy said desire of health in using and acting. Even so it is spiritually in the desire of God. He who by the gift of God hath this desire, though he sleep, or else thinketh not on God, but on some other worldly things, yet hath he this desire in his heart and soul till he commit some deadly sin. But as soon as he thinketh on God or purity of life or the joys of Heaven, then his desire to God worketh actually, as long as he keepeth his thought and intention to please God, either in prayers, meditations, or any other good action, so that all his endeavour be to excite this desire, and discreetly use it sometimes in one deed, sometimes in another, according as he is disposed and hath grace thereto.
This desire is the root of all thy actions that are rewardable. For whatever good deed thou doest for God's sake, whether it be bodily or spiritual, as when thou prayest or meditatest, it is an exercising and using of this desire. And therefore when thou doest any good work, scruple not whether thou desirest God or no, for thy deed showeth thy desire. Some ignorantly conceive that they desire not God except they be ever calling upon Him either with their mouths or their hearts; and therefore they are continually saying, Lord save me, or some such-like words; which words indeed are good, because they stir up the heart to a desiring of God. Yet nevertheless, without any such words, a pure thought of God, or any spiritual thing, or of virtue, or the humanity of Christ, or joys of Heaven, or understanding of the holy Scriptures, with love, may be better than such words. And the more spiritual thy thought is, the more is thy desire.
Be not, therefore, in doubt whether thou desirest God, when thou thinkest upon Him or doest any outward good work to thy neighbour, for thy deeds show it. Nevertheless, though all thy good actions, spiritual and corporal, are a demonstration of thy desire to God, yet is there a great difference between spiritual and corporal deeds, for deeds of a Contemplative life are not so outward as the other; and therefore when thou prayest unto, or meditatest upon God, thy desire to Him is more entire, more fervent, more spiritual than when thou doest external works of charity to thy neighbour. Now, if thou ask me by what means thou shalt keep this desire, and nourish it, I shall tell a little in that point, not with the meaning that thou shalt or must use the self-same form that I tell thee for it; but that thou thereby have some kind of general example, whereof thou shalt make use upon thy need and according to thy manner —not my manner, unless mine seem more for thy purpose, for I neither may nor can tell thee fully what is best for thee to use; but I shall tell thee somewhat according to what I think.
📖Zechariah 4:6 “And he answered, and spoke to me, saying: This is the word of the Lord to Zorobabel, saying: Not with an army, nor by might, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts”
📖 1 Samuel 17:47 “And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give all of you into our hand”
📖 Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all”
“First keep peace with yourself; then you will be able to bring peace to others. A peaceful man does more good than a learned man. Whereas a passionate man turns even good to evil and is quick to believe evil, the peaceful man, being good himself, turns all things to good. The man who is at perfect ease is never suspicious, but the disturbed and discontented spirit is upset by many a suspicion. He neither rests himself nor permits others to do so. He often says what ought not to be said and leaves undone what ought to be done. He is concerned with the duties of others but neglects his own. Direct your zeal, therefore, first upon yourself; then you may with justice exercise it upon those about you. You are well versed in coloring your own actions with excuses which you will not accept from others, though it would be more just to accuse yourself and excuse your brother.
If you wish men to bear with you, you must bear with them. Behold, how far you are from true charity and humility which does not know how to be angry with anyone, or to be indignant save only against self! It is no great thing to associate with the good and gentle, for such association is naturally pleasing. Everyone enjoys a peaceful life and prefers persons of congenial habits. But to be able to live at peace with harsh and perverse men, or with the undisciplined and those who irritate us, is a great grace, a praiseworthy and manly thing.
Some people live at peace with themselves and with their fellow men, but others are never at peace with themselves nor do they bring it to anyone else. These latter are a burden to everyone, but they are more of a burden to themselves. A few, finally, live at peace with themselves and try to restore it to others. Now, all our peace in this miserable life is found in humbly enduring suffering rather than in being free from it. He who knows best how to suffer will enjoy the greater peace, because he is the conqueror of himself, the master of the world, a friend of Christ, and an heir of heaven.”
Video Link:
s3.amazonaws.com/2013ICCLectures/St_Augustine_Free+Will_Dr_William_Marshner.mp3