[St. Augustine of Hippo – IV-V Century AD; born: Thagaste, Roman Empire/died: Hippo, Western Roman Empire; (aged 75) – Church Father – Doctor of the Church – Blessed; Resting Place – Pavia, Italy] Chapter VI 16. Hence there follows most justly the statement, "Ye are the salt of the earth;" showing that those parties are to be judged insipid, who, either in the eager pursuit after abundance of earthly blessings, or through the dread of want, lose the eternal things which can neither be given nor taken away by men. "But if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" i.e., If ye, by means of whom the nations in a measure are to be preserved [from corruption], through the dread of temporal persecutions shall lose the kingdom of heaven, where will be the men through whom error may be removed from you, since God has chosen you, in order that through you He might remove the error of others? Hence the savorless salt is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under …More
Fear of persecution: "Hence the savorless salt is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men." It is not therefore he who suffers persecution, but he who is rendered savorless by the fear of persecution that is trodden under foot of men."
Afraid of persecutions: "But if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" i.e., If ye, by means of whom the nations in a measure are to be preserved [from corruption], through the dread of temporal persecutions shall lose the kingdom of heaven, where will be the men through whom error may be removed from you, since God has chosen you, in order that through you He might remove the error of others?"
[Saint Albert the Great – Albertus Magnus – XIII Century AD; born: Duchy of Bavaria/died: Cologne, Holy Roman Empire; (Aged ca 80); German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop; one of the greatest medieval philosophers and thinkers; Doctor of the Church] Chapter 9 ~ How much the contemplation of God is to be preferred to all other exercises Now since all things other than God are the effect and work of the Creator himself, their having ability and being is a limited power and existence, and being as they are created out of nothing, they are circumscribed by the effects of their nothingness, while their tendency of themselves towards nothingness means that we receive our existence, preservation and activity moment by moment from the Creator himself, along with whatever other qualities created things may have, just as we receive their insufficiency to any action of themselves, both with regard to themselves and to others, in relation to him whose operation they are, they …More
Love over Intellect:"But the contemplation of the Saints, and of Catholics, is for the love of him that is of the God they are contemplating. As a result it is not confined in the final analysis to the intellect in knowledge, but crosses over into the will through love. That is why the Saints in their contemplation have the love of God as their principal aim, since it is more satisfying to know and possess even the Lord Jesus Christ spiritually through grace than physically or even really but without grace."
[Saint Catherine of Genoa ~ XV-XVI Century; born: Genoa, Republic of Genoa/ died: Genoa, Republic of Genoa; (aged 62-63); Mystic; Spiritual Writer] Chapter X ~ HOW GOD MAKES USE OF PURGATORY TO RENDER THE SOUL PERFECTLY PURE THE SOUL THERE ATTAINS SUCH PURITY, THAT WERE IT TO STAY AFTER BEING CLEANSED IT WOULD NO LONGER SUFFER AGAIN, I see that the love of God directs towards the soul certain burning rays and shafts of light, which seem penetrating and powerful enough to annihilate not merely the body, but, were it possible, the very soul itself. These work in two ways ; they purify, and they annihilate. Look at gold : the more it is melted, the better it becomes ; and it could be melted so as to destroy every single defect. Such is the action of fire on material things. Now the soul cannot be annihilated so far as it is in God, but only in itself ; and the more it is purified, so much the more it annihilates self, till at last it becomes quite pure and rests in God. Gold which has been …More
Great thought:"For a work to be perfect, it must be wrought in us, without our co-operation as principal agents ; it must be God's work, done in God, and man must not in any way take the lead."
"KNOW that what man deems perfection is in the sight of God a defect. All the things which have the appearance of perfection, so far as they come before the sight, the feeling, the understanding, the memory, or the will, are tainted and spoilt if not recognised as from God."
St. John Chrysostom ~~~ When you are weary of praying, and do not receive, consider how often you have heard a poor man calling, and have not listened to him...
"PSALM 36 Be not angry with the wicked, O Lady: sweeten their fury by thy grace. O ye religious and cloistered souls, hope in her: confide in her, ye priests and seculars. Take delight in her praises: and she will grant the petitions of your heart. Better is a little with her grace: than treasures of silver and precious stones. Glory be to thee forever, O Queen of Heaven: and never forget us at any time. Glory be to the Father, etc."
[Saint Bonaventure – XIII Century AD; born: Civita di Bagnoregio, Papal States/died: Lyon, Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles; (Aged 52-53); Cardinal; Teacher of the Faith; Seraphic Doctor; Doctor of the Church; Scholastic Theologian, Philosopher] PSALM 32 Rejoice, ye just, in the Virgin Mary: and in uprightness of heart praise ye her together. Draw near unto her with reverence and devotion: and let your heart be delighted in her salutation. Give unto her the sacrifice of praise: and be ye inebriated from the breasts of her sweetness. For she sheds upon you the rays of her loving kindness: and she will enlighten you with the splendors of her mercy. Her fruit is most sweet: it grows ever sweeter in the mouth and the heart of the wise. Glory be to the Father, etc. PSALM 33 I will bless Our Lady at all times: and her praise shall never fail in my mouth. Magnify her with me: all ye who are nourished with the milk and honey of her refreshment. In dangers and doubts invoke her: and in necessities you …More
"PSALM 32 Rejoice, ye just, in the Virgin Mary: and in uprightness of heart praise ye her together. Draw near unto her with reverence and devotion: and let your heart be delighted in her salutation. Give unto her the sacrifice of praise: and be ye inebriated from the breasts of her sweetness. For she sheds upon you the rays of her loving kindness: and she will enlighten you with the splendors of her mercy. Her fruit is most sweet: it grows ever sweeter in the mouth and the heart of the wise. Glory be to the Father, etc."
"It is natural for a man to desire what he reckons better than that which he has already, and be satisfied with nothing which lacks that special quality which he misses. Thus, if it is for her beauty that he loves his wife, he will cast longing eyes after a fairer woman. If he is clad in a rich garment, he will covet a costlier one; and no matter how rich he may be he will envy a man richer than himself. Do we not see people every day, endowed with vast estates, who keep on joining field to field, dreaming of wider boundaries for their lands? Those who dwell in palaces are ever adding house to house, continually building up and tearing down, remodeling and changing. Men in high places are driven by insatiable ambition to clutch at still greater prizes. And nowhere is there any final satisfaction, because nothing there can be defined as absolutely the best or highest."
[St. Bernard of Clairvaux – XI-XII Century AD; born: Burgundy, Kingdom of France/died: Clairvaux, Kingdom of France; (aged 62-63); Abbot; Mystic; Leader; co-founder of the Knights Templar; Last of the Fathers; Doctor Mellifluus] Chapter VII. Of love toward God not without reward: and how the hunger of man's heart cannot be satisfied with earthly things And now let us consider what profit we shall have from loving God. Even though our knowledge of this is imperfect, still that is better than to ignore it altogether. I have already said (when it was a question of wherefore and in what manner God should be loved) that there was a double reason constraining us: His right and our advantage. Having written as best I can, though unworthily, of God's right to be loved. I have still to treat of the recompense which that love brings. For although God would be loved without respect of reward, yet He wills not to leave love unrewarded. True charity cannot be left destitute, even though she is …More
"It is so that these impious ones wander in a circle, longing after something to gratify their yearnings, yet madly rejecting that which alone can bring them to their desired end, not by exhaustion but by attainment. They wear themselves out in vain travail, without reaching their blessed consummation, because they delight in creatures, not in the Creator. They want to traverse creation, trying all things one by one, rather than think of coming to Him who is Lord of all."
"34. There was once a sinner who was so abandoned, that he practiced no other devotion than that of reciting daily "To your patronage...," "Sub tuum presidium...." The Virgin one day so greatly enlightened him, that he abandoned his sins, entered religion, led for fifty years an exemplary life, and thus died."
[Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – XVII – XVIII Century AD: born: Marianella, Kingdom of Naples/died: Pagani, Kingdom of Naples; (aged 90); spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian, Founder, Bishop, Doctor of the Church] 25. A noble youth, named Eschylus, being sent by the prince, his father, to Hildesheim, a city of Saxony, to study, abandoned himself to a dissolute life. He fell ill, and was near dying, and while in that state he had a vision. He saw himself shut up in a furnace of fire, and believed himself to be already in hell; and then he escaped from it through a hole and took refuge in a great place, where he found the most holy Mary [695] in the hall, and she said to him: "Rash man, do you dare to appear before me? Depart from here and go to the flames which you merit." The young man besought the Virgin to have mercy on him, and then turned to some persons who were near, and implored them to recommend him to Mary. They …More
"28. A fisherman, belonging to the same confraternity in Naples, had been ill for several days through the severe discipline he had practised in the meeting of the confraternity. Being somewhat better, as he was poor and had a family, he returned to his fishing, saying to the most holy Virgin: "Oh, my Lady, for you I have suffered this evil, do help me;" and our blessed Lady allowed him to take as many fish as he would have taken in all the time he had lost."
St. Maximus the Confessor ~~~ Temptations come on some people for the cleansing of previous sins, on others for the beautification of their current perfection...
[Saint Bonaventure – XIII Century AD; born: Civita di Bagnoregio, Papal States/died: Lyon, Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles; (Aged 52-53); Cardinal; Teacher of the Faith; Seraphic Doctor; Doctor of the Church; Scholastic Theologian, Philosopher] PSALM 32 Rejoice, ye just, in the Virgin Mary: and in uprightness of heart praise ye her together. Draw near unto her with reverence and devotion: and let your heart be delighted in her salutation. Give unto her the sacrifice of praise: and be ye inebriated from the breasts of her sweetness. For she sheds upon you the rays of her loving kindness: and she will enlighten you with the splendors of her mercy. Her fruit is most sweet: it grows ever sweeter in the mouth and the heart of the wise. Glory be to the Father, etc. PSALM 33 I will bless Our Lady at all times: and her praise shall never fail in my mouth. Magnify her with me: all ye who are nourished with the milk and honey of her refreshment. In dangers and doubts invoke her: and in necessities you …More
"PSALM 36 Be not angry with the wicked, O Lady: sweeten their fury by thy grace. O ye religious and cloistered souls, hope in her: confide in her, ye priests and seculars. Take delight in her praises: and she will grant the petitions of your heart. Better is a little with her grace: than treasures of silver and precious stones. Glory be to thee forever, O Queen of Heaven: and never forget us at any time. Glory be to the Father, etc."
"PSALM 33 I will bless Our Lady at all times: and her praise shall never fail in my mouth. Magnify her with me: all ye who are nourished with the milk and honey of her refreshment. In dangers and doubts invoke her: and in necessities you will find sweet help and refreshment. Take example from her conversation: and be zealous to imitate her charity and humility. Because thou wast most humble, O Lady: thou hast induced the Uncreated Word to take flesh from thee. Glory be to the Father, etc."
[St. Bernard of Clairvaux – XI-XII Century AD; born: Burgundy, Kingdom of France/died: Clairvaux, Kingdom of France; (aged 62-63); Abbot; Mystic; Leader; co-founder of the Knights Templar; Last of the Fathers; Doctor Mellifluus] Chapter VII. Of love toward God not without reward: and how the hunger of man's heart cannot be satisfied with earthly things And now let us consider what profit we shall have from loving God. Even though our knowledge of this is imperfect, still that is better than to ignore it altogether. I have already said (when it was a question of wherefore and in what manner God should be loved) that there was a double reason constraining us: His right and our advantage. Having written as best I can, though unworthily, of God's right to be loved. I have still to treat of the recompense which that love brings. For although God would be loved without respect of reward, yet He wills not to leave love unrewarded. True charity cannot be left destitute, even though she is …More
"It is natural for a man to desire what he reckons better than that which he has already, and be satisfied with nothing which lacks that special quality which he misses. Thus, if it is for her beauty that he loves his wife, he will cast longing eyes after a fairer woman. If he is clad in a rich garment, he will covet a costlier one; and no matter how rich he may be he will envy a man richer than himself. Do we not see people every day, endowed with vast estates, who keep on joining field to field, dreaming of wider boundaries for their lands? Those who dwell in palaces are ever adding house to house, continually building up and tearing down, remodeling and changing. Men in high places are driven by insatiable ambition to clutch at still greater prizes. And nowhere is there any final satisfaction, because nothing there can be defined as absolutely the best or highest."
"On a lower plane of action, it is the reluctant, not the eager, whom we urge by promises of reward. Who would think of paying a man to do what he was yearning to do already? For instance no one would hire a hungry man to eat, or a thirsty man to drink, or a mother to nurse her own child. Who would think of bribing a farmer to dress his own vineyard, or to dig about his orchard, or to rebuild his house? So, all the more, one who loves God truly asks no other recompense than God Himself; for if he should demand anything else it would be the prize that he loved and not God."
[Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – XVII – XVIII Century AD: born: Marianella, Kingdom of Naples/died: Pagani, Kingdom of Naples; (aged 90); spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian, Founder, Bishop, Doctor of the Church] 25. A noble youth, named Eschylus, being sent by the prince, his father, to Hildesheim, a city of Saxony, to study, abandoned himself to a dissolute life. He fell ill, and was near dying, and while in that state he had a vision. He saw himself shut up in a furnace of fire, and believed himself to be already in hell; and then he escaped from it through a hole and took refuge in a great place, where he found the most holy Mary [695] in the hall, and she said to him: "Rash man, do you dare to appear before me? Depart from here and go to the flames which you merit." The young man besought the Virgin to have mercy on him, and then turned to some persons who were near, and implored them to recommend him to Mary. They …More
"34. There was once a sinner who was so abandoned, that he practiced no other devotion than that of reciting daily "To your patronage...," "Sub tuum presidium...." The Virgin one day so greatly enlightened him, that he abandoned his sins, entered religion, led for fifty years an exemplary life, and thus died."
"31. In Braganza there lived another youth who left the confraternity and abandoned himself to such vicious ways, that one day in despair he was going to throw himself into a river. But first he turned to our Lady and said: "Oh Mary, I have served you in the confraternity, will you help me?" The most holy Virgin appeared to him and said: "What are you doing? Do you wish to destroy both soul and body ? Go, make your confession, and return to the confraternity." The youth, encouraged by this, thanked the Virgin, and amended his life."
Great Saint Pancras ~~~ Though I am a child in body, my heart is old, and by the virtue of my Lord Jesus Christ, your threats and menaces move me no more...
Just have an exchange with Novus Ordo woman. She claims that the Holy Spirit is seen as feminine. This is close to be heretical. Here is the quote: "It's the Hebrew word for the creative force of the Breath of God in Genesis." and "Ruah is seen as feminine."/I think I lost a 'friend'/ Any thoughts? I ran AI on it. Here is what AI says /Dogma of catholic Church and Doctors of the Church/: Catholic Dogma on the Gender of the Holy Spirit According to official Catholic dogma, as defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the Nicene Creed professed at Mass, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity—fully God, co-equal with the Father and the Son. The Church does not dogmatically assign a biological sex (male or female) to the Holy Spirit, as divine Persons transcend human categories of gender. However, the Holy Spirit is consistently referred to with masculine pronouns (e.g., "He") in Scripture, liturgy, and magisterial documents, reflecting the masculine grammatical …More