Critical spirit

Young people should be critical: constructively critical (point to new paths). And allow themselves to be criticized. 

Fear is a dictatorial attitude and paralyzes.

We all make mistakes. That is normal.

A question: which is worse - make a mistake or not to do anything?

A young person who does not take risks has grown old.

-Pope Francis (Interreligious Meeting with Young People at CJC | Pope Francis Singapore, 13 September 2024)

Everyone has a vocation

"The garden of the Lord, brethren, includes – yes, it truly includes – includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people, and the violets of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, my dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation; Christ suffered for all. It was very truly written about him: who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth."

A sermon preached by St Augustine on the feast day of St Laurence

The true Church comes from the Apostles

 Our Lord Jesus Christ himself declared what he was, what he had been, how he was carrying out his Father’s will, what obligations he demanded of men. This he did during his earthly life, either publicly to the crowds or privately to his disciples. Twelve of these he picked out to be his special companions, appointed to teach the nations.

  One of them fell from his place. The remaining eleven were commanded by Christ, as he was leaving the earth to return to the Father after his resurrection, to go and teach the nations and to baptize them into the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

  The apostles cast lots and added Matthias to their number, in place of Judas, as the twelfth apostle. The authority for this action is to be found in a prophetic psalm of David. After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit which had been promised to them, so that they could work miracles and proclaim the truth, they first bore witness to their faith in Jesus Christ and established churches throughout Judaea. They then went out into the whole world and proclaimed to the nations the same doctrinal faith.

  They set up churches in every city. Other churches received from them a living transplant of faith and the seed of doctrine, and through this daily process of transplanting they became churches. They therefore qualify as apostolic churches by being the offspring of churches that are apostolic.

  Every family has to be traced back to its origins. That is why we can say that all these great churches constitute that one original Church of the apostles; for it is from them that they all come. They are all primitive, all apostolic, because they are all one. They bear witness to this unity by the peace in which they all live, the brotherhood which is their name, the fellowship to which they are pledged. The principle on which these associations are based is common tradition by which they share the same sacramental bond.

  The only way in which we can prove what the apostles taught – that is to say, what Christ revealed to them – is through those same churches. They were founded by the apostles themselves, who first preached to them by what is called the living voice and later by means of letters.

  The Lord had said clearly in former times: I have many more things to tell you, but you cannot endure them now. But he went on to say: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into the whole truth. Thus Christ shows us that the apostles had full knowledge of the truth, for he had promised that they would receive the whole truth through the Spirit of truth. His promise was certainly fulfilled, since the Acts of the Apostles prove that the Holy Spirit came down on them.

-From the treatise On the Prescription against Heretics by Tertullian, priest

Source: https://universalis.com/readings.htm 

Baptism and the triple munera

Baptism will also make you king, priest and prophet."

-St John Chrysostom, Homily 3, 5 on Second Corinthians

Repentance and confession

 Do not despair, do not despond, but renew your soul by repentance, and tears, and Confession, and by doing good things. And never cease doing this. For Christians above all men are forbidden to correct the stumblings of sinners by force.

St John Chrysostom

Your toothache can save a soul

 From a FB post

YOU CAN SAVE A SOUL A DAY or A SOUL AN HOUR

It is easy: the state of grace, Love of God in your heart, and a holy zest at making the most of a chain of circumstances and tasks that fill the day.

"My God, I offer up all my stems today in union with the sacred steps of Jesus; I ask for a soul (the soul of a non-Christian; the conversion of a sinner; a soul from purgatory).

"I offer You every breath I draw today; in union with Jesus; and I ask for another soul. I unite this headache, this heartache, this disappointment, this little sacrifice, this being patient when I am troubled, to the sacred sufferings of Jesus - and I ask a soul for each one."

Jesus is very good. He will be so happy to give grace for the asking. He is rich, too. He can pay you with souls for every coin of sacrifice. You may never know the souls you help: your good works may reach down to a soul in Russia, in Europe. You won't be able to count your trophies, for the work is hidden; but your guardian angels is a good secretary - he misses nothing.

Why we need vocal prayers

 "We need to use words so that we may remind ourselves to consider carefully what we are askng, not so that we may think we can instruct the Lord or prevail on him."

-St Augustinei, A Letter to Proba

The Sacraments (St Ephraem the Syrian)

  In your sacraments we welcome you every day and receive you in our bodies. Make us worthy to experience within us the resurrection for which we hope. By the grace of baptism we conceal within our bodies the treasure of your divine life. This treasure increases as we eat at the table of your sacraments. Let us rejoice in your grace. We have within us, Lord, a memorial of you, which we receive at your spiritual table; may we possess the full reality in the life to come.

  Let us appreciate the great beauty that is ours through the spiritual beauty that your immortal will arouses in our mortal nature.

(St Ephraem the Syrian)

Holy Spirit - Living Water

From the Instructions to Catechumens by St Cyril of Jerusalem
The living water of the Holy Spirit

The water I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life. This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.

  In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvellous.

  The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.

  The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.

  As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, things hitherto undreamed of.

Tempter's techniques

 "In every person who lives unrepentant in sin, there lives a demon, as if in a house, who takes charge over everything within him.  When by the grace of God such a sinner comes to contrition over his sins, repents, and ceases to sin - the demon is cast out from him.  At first the demon does not disturb the one who has repented because, in the beginning, there is much fervor within him which burns demons like fire and repulses them like an arrow.  But then, when fervor begins to grow cold, the demon approaches from afar with its suggestions, throws in memories about former pleasures, and calls the person to them.  If the penitent does not take care, his sympathy will soon pass to a desire for sin.  If he does not come to his senses and return to his former state of soberness, a fall is not far off.  The inclination for sin and the decision to commit it are born from desire - the inner sin is ready, and the outward sin is only waiting for a convenient occasion.  When an occasion presents itself, the sin will be accomplished.  Then the demon will enter again and begin to drive a person from sin to sin even faster than before.  The Lord illustrated this with the story about the return of the demon into the clean, swept house."

(St. Theophan the Recluse)

Man without God is ...

- When *GOD* wanted to create *fish*, he spoke to the *sea*.

- When *GOD* wanted to create *trees*, he spoke to *earth*

- But when *GOD* wanted to create *man*, he turned to *HIMSELF*.

- So *GOD* said: *"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. "* *Note.

Note:

- If you take a *fish out of the water, it will die*; and when you *remove a tree from the ground, it also dies*.

- Likewise, when *man* disconnects himself from *GOD, he dies*.

- GOD* is our *natural environment*. We were created to *live in HIS presence*.

- We must be connected to *HIM* because only with *HIM* does life exist.

- Let us remain *connected with GOD*.

- Let us remember that *water without fish is still water*, but *fish without water is nothing*.

- The *soil without the tree is still soil*, but the *tree without the soil is nothing*....

- *God* without *man is still God*, but *man without GOD is nothing*. 

-From FB post of Fr Abiyot Desaleng

Changing the world

 "When things change inside you,

things change around you."

(Fr Abiyot Desaleng)

Meditate before, during and after

  My brothers, you must realise that for us churchmen nothing is more necessary than meditation. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: I will pray, and then I will understand. When you administer the sacraments, meditate on what you are doing. When you celebrate Mass, reflect on the sacrifice you are offering. When you pray the office, think about the words you are saying and the Lord to whom you are speaking. When you take care of your people, meditate on how the Lord’s blood has washed them clean so that all that you do becomes a work of love.

- St Charles Borromeo, Sermon

Be kind, now

 Proverbs 3:27-28

The Lord blesses the home of the virtuous

My son, do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it, if it is in your power to perform it.

Do not say to your neighbour, ‘Go away! Come another time! I will give it you tomorrow’, if you can do it now.

Ministers of Reconciliation

 "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. "(II Corinthians 5:18)