God alone suffices

Today is the Feast of Saint Teresa of Ávila

“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”

Harbouring Rancour

Resentment is linked with rancour. When the intellect forms the image of a brother's face with a feeling of resentment, it is clear that it harbours rancour against him. 'The way of the rancorous leads to death' (Prov. 12:28. LXX), because 'whoever harbours rancour is a transgressor' (Prov. 21:24. LXX).

If you harbour rancour against anybody, pray for him and you will prevent the passion from being aroused; for by means of prayer you will separate your resentment from the thought of the wrong he has done you. When you have become loving and compassionate towards him, you will wipe the passion completely from your soul. If somebody regards you with rancour, be pleasant to him, be humble and agreeable in his company, and you will deliver him from his passion.

St. Maximos the Confessor
Third Century on Love (from the Philokalia)

(Septuagint links here)

Learning Christ

Intending to go somewhere else, this morning, when I turned on the computer, I went straight to this bookstore's website and this prayer:

Teach me, my Lord,
to be sweet and gentle
in all the events of life -
in disappointments,
in the thoughtlessness of others,
in the insincerity of those I trusted,
in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.

Let me put myself aside,
to think of the happiness of others
to hide my little pains and heartaches,
so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering
that comes across my path.
Let me so use it that it may mellow me,
not harden nor embitter me;
that it may make me more patient,
not irritable.
That it may make me broad in my forgiveness,
not narrow, haughty and overbearing.

May no one be less good
for having come within my influence.
No one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble
for having been a fellow-traveler
in our journey toward ETERNAL LIFE.

As I go my rounds
from one distraction to another,
let me whisper from time to time,
a word of love to Thee.

May my life be lived in the supernatural,
full of power for good,
and strong in its purpose of sanctity.

Fasting from Anger

Being a lover of meekness no less than of wisdom, I determined within myself to spend some days without yielding to anger; just as I might have bound myself to abstain from drunkenness and wine, as is the custom in certain feasts, where the use of this drink is forbidden. I next continued to exert special efforts for one or two months, and made short trials of my strength. Thus, in course of time, I came to bear with greater troubles and annoyances, being able to maintain my mastery over myself, so as to remain calm, gentle, and devoid of all anger. By these means I kept myself unstained by evil words, debasing actions, and the shameless lusts which, for a passing gratification, leave the soul pierced through and through with deep remorse and poignant regrets.

- Plutarch (as quoted by Fr. John Baptist Scaramelli, S.J.)

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In my own eccentric and wavering path towards perfection, I hope to use Plutarch's example as a model; anger is my predominant fault and sin. When the anger of my heart is tamed, I hope next to cultivate a greater gratitude towards the Lord for the good things He has given me.

I went to confession today. I never mentioned ingratitude as a problem, but the priest taught me a little prayer for patience that included thanksgiving. I was pleased to see my current goal and next goal thus tied together, and the gift of that prayer in itself helped me a little towards gratitude.

Being not necessarily the sharpest tack in the box, I immediately forgot the prayer, but I remember the general idea.

Thank you God; I'm sorry for my sins. Please help me more.

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I hope the Holy Ghost guides you gently but irresistibly towards becoming the saint that you are meant to be, good reader.

Persevere in running the race

Today's reading:

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

The Letter to the Hebrews continues:

And you have forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? —

‘My son,
do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
or lose heart when you are punished by Him;
for the Lord disciplines him whom He loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.’

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled.

In this long wait for the restoration of the Traditional Mass, grant us, O Lord, patient and peaceful hearts.

St. Francis de Sales

The Feast of St. Francis de Sales was celebrated today, according to the traditional Calendar. It was celebrated last week, on the 24th, in the New Calendar.

A Thought from St. Francis de Sales:
Don't lose any opportunity, however small, of being gentle toward everyone. Don't rely on your own efforts to succeed in your various undertakings, but only on God's help. Then rest in His care of you, confident that He will do what is best for you, provided that you will, for your part, work diligently but gently. I say "gently" because a tense diligence is harmful both to our heart and to our task and is not really diligence, but rather over eagerness and anxiety... I recommend you to God's mercy. I beg Him, through that same mercy, to fill you with His love.


St. Frances has been named a doctor of the Church for the wisdom of his teaching. For anyone desiring to draw closer to God, Tan Books sells a helpful book he wrote: An Introduction to the Devout Life. No matter what job you hold, no matter what kind of life you have led in the past, you can follow Christ more faithfully, starting now.

The book describes how to avoid particular sins and how to strengthen particular virtues, with meditations to stir in the soul a love of its Creator. The book's chapters are short and self-contained, allowing you to jump in anywhere from the table of contents, to find advice on particular issues in your life. The brevity, clarity and sincerity of the chapters also make them suitable for evening devotional reading. It is a book that leads the reader directly to prayer and repentance.