Easter Vigil Homily

Pope Benedict XVI in his second volume of Jesus of Nazareth, commented on how the resurrection utterly exceeded the disciples’ expectations. The fact was clear. He was alive. They had heard him, seen him, looked upon him and touched him with their hands; this they could not deny. But they still struggled to express and make sense of their experience. However, little by little they could pick up resonances with the Scriptures, most especially, the fact that he did not experience corruption in the grave and that the suffering servant of Isaiah seemed to correspond exactly with what happened to him. The more they returned to the Scriptures and re-read them, and the more they kept his memorial in the breaking of the bread, the more they understood the immensity of the mystery. Our vigil this morning is intended to help us move through this same progression. We, too, by listening to the Scriptures and by gathering for the memorial of what Jesus did in the breaking of the bread, will recognize the risen Lord in our midst. 

I mention this, because we can become all too familiar with the Easter story and take it for granted. The newness and amazement can wear off. Take this example: the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus. How many times have we heard this story? We know all the punch lines. But can we really imagine the scene? We have a group of women traveling early at the break of dawn to the tomb of a convicted and crucified enemy of the state and, apparently, of their own religion. Any association with Jesus could put them at risk for harassment, including the suspicion of trying to steal his body, and for this be severely punished. But they were not intimidated. 

Then they had their encounter with a young man in the tomb. Of all things, a man sitting there, seemingly waiting for their arrival. His clothing was enough to make him suspect—a white robe in a dark tomb. But his announcement was even more disturbing. He knew exactly why they had come. He gave them no polite welcome, just an abrupt statement, as though he had read their minds: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has risen; he is not here.” Is it any wonder that the women were not only amazed but trembling and bewildered? Tell me: how often have you run into an angel at the break of dawn who read your thoughts and questions and supplied an answer…not to mention sending you on a mission to tell others about something that totally transcended human experience. 

The resurrection is the ultimate overflowing of Jesus’ self-gift for his Church. We will always have trouble expressing all that is contained in this reality. The resurrection of Jesus is like the water flowing down from the right side of the temple in Ezekiel’s vision, gathering depth and width, creating first a stream, then a river, then a fresh water sea where the fish and the birds and the humans can refresh themselves. It is the source of our hope and the basis of our religion. Tonight, the Risen One will set our hearts on fire as he opens the Scriptures for us and breaks the bread. Let us follow him on the way.

The Consummation of the Cross

Through Christ dying on the cross, the humanity which he bore whole and entire in his own person renounces itself and dies. But the mystery is deeper still. He who bore all men in himself was deserted by all. The universal man died alone…. This is the mystery of solitude and the mystery of severance, the only efficacious sign of gathering together and of unity: the sacred blade piercing indeed so deep as to separate soul from spirit [Heb. 4:12], but only that universal life might enter.

HENRI DE LUBAC Catholicism

The Crucifixion Disintegrates the Forces of This World

There is no common ground between what happens in the Gospels and what happens in myths, particularly the more developed myths. Later religions diminish, minimize, soften, and even totally eliminate sacred guilt as well as any trace of violence; but these are minor dissimulations and bear no relation to the system of representing persecution. This system collapses in the world of the Gospels. There is no longer any question of softening or sublimation. Rather, a return to truth is made possible by a process which, in our lack of understanding, we consider primitive simply because it reproduces the violent origin once more, this time in order to reveal it and thus make it inoperative.

[Peters denial, the murder of John the Baptist, and the Passion itself] are all examples of this process. They correspond perfectly to the way in which Jesus himself, and after him Paul in the epistles, defines the effect of disintegration that the crucifixion had on the forces of this world. The Passion reveals the scapegoat mechanism, i.e., that which should remain invisible if these forces are to maintain themselves.

RENÉ GIRARD The Scapegoat

Holy Thursday Homily

On Palm Sunday I spoke about the scene from Mark’s gospel in which an unnamed woman poured out costly perfume on the head of Jesus. It was an extravagant gesture, described by Jesus as her anointing of his body for burial. Today we focus more closely on Jesus’ extravagant gesture—pouring himself out as food for the Church. He had already set aside his honors by washing the feet of his disciples. Then he patiently endured the presence Juda at table plotting to betray even as they ate. What more could Jesus do? Could he humble himself any further? 

Well, of course, the answer is yes. His love always reaches deeper. He always takes a lower place so that whatever depths we find ourselves in, he has already gone lower to meet us there. This is what we celebrate today. Our Lord pours himself out further to draw us closer to himself: first, by pouring out his very self into a bit of bread and wine; and second, by manifesting how close God is to us by revealing his holy name. 

Today’s responsorial psalm points to these two outpourings: “I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.” The cup of salvation that the psalmist refers to is the blessing cup offered in thanksgiving for the mighty works of God. Jesus prays this psalm with the same sentiments—gratitude for the mighty works of his Father. At the same time, I think Jesus has another cup in mind: namely, the cup that led him to say, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” He takes up this cup of suffering for our sakes. We, too, must take up this cup, both the cup of gratitude for God’s mighty works and the cup that shares in Christ’s sufferings.

The psalmist then goes on to say, “I will call on the Lord’s name.” Pope Benedict comments that when the Scriptures refer to the name of the Lord, it is a way of speaking about God’s nearness. Knowing the name of someone, calling the name of someone brings that person near. Jesus reveals the nearness of God. He and the Father are one. He emphasizes this in his final discourse to his disciples, saying things like: “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.” “Holy Father keep them in your name which you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” “I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” Jesus pours out the store of his most intimate knowledge and relationship with the Father and the Spirit so that we, too, can speak familiarly with the Lord. 

On this day of the institution of the Eucharist, we are witnessing how far Jesus will go to draw us into the mystery God’s nearness. It is an extravagant gesture. He will stop at nothing to pour himself out on our behalf. 

The Eucharist

The miracle of [Jesus’] Eucharist: he is in you and you are in him—a wedding-feast without end between you and him, compared with which the union of man and wife is but a brief and poor effort.

HANS URS VON BALTHASAR Heart of the World, 128 

Faith is the Cross

What people don't realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross.

FLANNERY O’CONNOR The Habit of Being

The Example of Christ's Suffering

Christ wished to suffer for us. The Apostle Peter says, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.” He taught you how to suffer, and he taught you by suffering. Words would not be enough, unless example were added. And how, precisely, did he teach us, brothers and sisters? He was hanging on the cross…. He was hanging by the harsh nails, but he never lost his gentleness. They were raging, they were barking and  snarling all round him, they were jeering at him as he hung there. He was hanging there, and healing them. “Father,” he said, “forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). He was praying, and yet he continued to hang there; he would not come down, because with his blood he was making a medicine for the frenzied mob.

ST. AUGUSTINE Sermon 

Abbey Hermitage Refurbishing

This winter Br. Adam and Fr. Isaac have undertaken the renovation of the hermitage here at the abbey.  It was left vacant 10 years ago at the death of Fr. Edward Steriti of very happy memory.  Fr. Edward had been the resident hermit here at St. Joseph’s for many decades.  Happily, Fr. Isaac received permission to take up where Fr. Eddie left off to be our next resident hermit.  

The hermitage, built in the 1970s, had a good amount of wear and tear but the “bones” were good and the structure solid.  So, we began the process of deconstruction both inside and out.

The hermitage now has a new roof, new windows and an electrical upgrade, but a good amount of work is still to be done - plumbing upgrade, insulation, siding, dry wall and flooring – plus a heap of lesser things.

Many people have stepped up to help with labor, materials or donations which have greatly speeded up our progress. More is still to be done.

The Transitus of Saint Benedict

On March 21, Benedictines around the world celebrate the “transitus“ of St. Benedict, the day Benedict entered eternity. “Transitus” in Latin means passing from one state to the next—death is not the end of life, but the transition into eternity with God.  It is one of two days that St. Benedict is recognized on the Benedictine calendar. Since this feast day is always during Lent, another commemoration date was set when Pope Paul VI declared St. Benedict the Patron of Europe at the rededication of the Church at Monte Cassino on July 11, 1964. July 11 is the Feast of St. Benedict for the Universal Church. Only Mary, the mother of Jesus and John the Baptist are remembered with both their birthdays and their day of entry into heaven.

Homily for the Feast of St. Joseph

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Joseph and Mary are both people of extraordinary faith deeply rooted in the tradition of God’s covenant relationship with his people Israel. They are betrothed to one another as people who want to serve God and belong to one another. As pious Jews, this will-to-serve comes first. It is this divine service that forms the basis of their commitment. Their betrothal and their whole lives were consecrated to this service, and they entered into their betrothal with this awareness. The openness to one another in their gift to one another would have in no way displaced this primacy of the love of God in their hearts. It was only within this love for God that their love for one another would have been meaningful to them.  

For Mary, as a first-century Jew, marriage was a duty. In her betrothal to Joseph, she fulfills an obligation to God, a law, and through her betrothal she is bound more firmly to God. For Mary, surrender to God and surrender to her husband would have been a unity, not the same, but a unity. Due to her freedom from original sin, this surrender means that Mary’s whole being was caught up in the activity of discerning God’s will, this will was primary, its discernment, its acceptance and its implementation, over any specific expectations of what form her married life would take, children, how many, etc. All would have been joyfully left in God’s hands, in union with her bridegroom.

Joseph’s case is different. He is a just man, deeply rooted in the traditions of God’s covenant relation to his people Israel. He is chaste. But his is also subject to original sin. For him, the betrothal is the prelude to a normal earthly marriage. In his betrothal to Mary, he experiences real feminine love, and this love of his bride will enrich him as only a feminine love can fulfill a man. But since he is preparing for a normal human marriage, he will have to take a step back from his plans more than Mary. For Mary, being free from sin and thus always totally at the disposal of the divine will, although she was not expecting the angel’s appearance, and was “greatly troubled” by his message, his coming would have functioned more as a clarification of her mission, a determination of the purpose of her life, than as a going back on her plans. Joseph, on the other hand, had to forget his former ideas and begin anew. He will have to make a renunciation, but in doing so he will receive everything back many times over. He will receive the hundredfold Jesus will later promise his followers. Because Joseph makes his renunciation in faith and love, it will result in an openness toward the mysteries of God, which God will unfold for him.

We do not know when Joseph became aware of Mary’s pregnancy but at some point, it becomes clear that it can no longer be hidden from others and so he must come to a decision about what to do.  The Gospel tells us: “Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” This statement tells us a lot about Joseph. He is determined to act within the divine will and discerns this will by considering, at one and the same time, the divine law, its expressions in the traditions and customs that have been passed on, and the concrete situation itself with the persons involved, Mary and the history of their personal relationship. He recognizes that there is a mystery in his wife’s pregnancy that lies beyond his understanding. Free from judgment, self-righteousness, or the impulsive response of a wounded ego, and in great respect for her person, whom he loves, and from whom he has experienced nothing but love and full surrender, a person of extraordinary sincerity, genuineness and transparency, in whom he can discern no ill will, not even any fault, he decides that the best way to act and remain within God’s covenant is to divorce her quietly. He is firmly rooted in the Old Covenant but is about to be brought over into the New.

At this point, God sends his angel to Joseph in a dream. The angel encourages him to take Mary as his wife, because it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived, and in the process, he reveals to Joseph his mission. As son of David, his task is to name the child. Everything hinges on his response. For by naming the child, he claims it as his own. As his legal son, he would have all the hereditary rights of a son, including Joseph’s royal Davidic descent. He would make this child a legal heir to David, he would pass on to him his own royal lineage. Much is at stake if Joseph leaves Mary and does not accept this child. God takes a risk here. God gives Joseph an extraordinary task, but he leaves Joseph the full freedom to make a choice, to give his assent or not. God needs this “yes” from Joseph but there is no coercion, no threat, no compulsion. Simply the presentation of the mission. 

Nevertheless, Joseph did not just happen to be the one who was betrothed to Mary. He was chosen. God selected him from all eternity for this commission. The Spirit of God was present to Joseph from the beginning, accompanying him and those around him, preparing him for this moment, as a culmination of all that went before. At the same time, his consent will mean a binding to the divine will that will determine the whole of the rest of his life; all else will flow forth from this revelation of his mission and going forward it will always remain his point of reference. 

Joseph, for his part, did not just now begin to assent to the divine will. Throughout his life he has been cooperating with this shaping power of the Spirit. From the beginning there has been this fruitful interplay between God’s divine freedom and Joseph’s created, human freedom. With each discernment of the divine will and with each ‘yes’, Joseph grew in his capacity to trust and surrender to God. He learned to see the rewards of an obedient faith and to experience its fruits. He learned that although things did not always turn out the way he had expected, what God had in mind was always greater than what he had imagined. In this way, the original freedom that had been bestowed on him by virtue of his dignity of being made in God’s image began to grow into a deep personal freedom that expanded into ever-greater knowledge of God and his ways and a fundamental interior accord with God’s freedom. So when the angel approached Joseph, he found a man already deeply attuned to the divine will, open and ready to receive it in whatever way it should make itself known. 

The angel presented Joseph with a definite task: to be faithful to this woman, to care for this child as a father, and to remain so completely at God’s disposal that all that he does is for the sake of this task. In a sense he has certain insight into how his life is to unfold. But at the same time the angel has presented him with a great mystery that lay way beyond his comprehension, and with a great responsibility – to be guardian of the mystery of God. 

His wife has conceived by the Holy Spirit, her son is destined to be a king, but not just any king but one with a very particular mission: to save his people from their sins. Joseph cannot possibly acquire an overview of a mission of such vast dimensions. Its implications lie beyond him. They must unfold over time. Much of his responsibility will consist of providing a home for his wife and her child, for this he will plie his trade, but he will also have some share in her task of initiating him into the traditions of Israel. For guidance he will certainly look to the Scriptures and to the law and traditions of Israel. And he will strive to serve his family by means of its teaching. But how to interpret them in accord with this extraordinary new thing that God is bringing about?

Once the angel ceases to appear, he will look to the Son and his Mother. As the Word Incarnate, the Son is from the beginning Scripture’s definitive interpretation. In him, Joseph will see the face of the Father.  In Mary, Joseph will see pure readiness to receive and to respond to this mystery. In them he will find the deepest meaning of the Scriptures break open and his path made clear as guardian of the mystery of God. Through them he will learn what it is to be totally at the disposal of God and in them he will discern his will. Joseph will lead by being led.

Today it is no different. St. Joseph is our patron. He is the guardian of the mystery of God as God wishes it to unfold at St. Joseph’s Abbey. He is our protector. As such he offers us Mary as our Mother and Jesus her Son in whom we are to be led to the Father. Let us open our hearts and minds to receive this gift as we celebrate this sacred Eucharist. 

Saint Joseph – Patron of Our Monastery

Saint Joseph Holding the Infant Christ

Anonymous

After Guido Reni

Italian, 17th century

From the Met Collection, used with permission

Joseph is portrayed in works of art with grey hair and a beard, an older figure next to Mary and Jesus, and often in the background. In the pope’s Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde, he wrote, “In his relationship to Jesus, Joseph was the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father. He watched over him and protected him, never leaving him to go his own way. We can think of Moses’ words to Israel: ‘In the wilderness … you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled’ (Deuteronomy 1:31). In a similar way, Joseph acted as a father for his whole life.”

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent

Just two days ago we heard these words in John’s Gospel, fromchapter 7: They were trying to arrest Jesus, but no one could lay hands on him, because his hour had not yet come (7.30). Here John gives us a historical fact with its theological explanation. But today it seems that everything has changed. From the lips of Jesus himself we hear, with somewhat trembling hearts, these solemn words from John’s chapter 12 that with great urgency immerse us into the full Paschal Mystery: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  These words, and the crucial shift they proclaim, are very important. They call our attention to a vital aspect of Jesus’ Passion and Death. 

The statement, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, announces to us three capital realities: 1. God’s freedom as the driving force behind the Passion of the Messiah; 2. God’s sovereignty as Lord of all history; and 3. God’s glorification through the Death of the Messiah. 

Jesus does indeed approach step by step a Passion full of suffering; but we should not overlook the fact that he does so with full freedom, in a totally free, voluntary, and intentional way. In other words, the only force that drives Jesus into it is his Father’s will to save. Because Jesus is impelled into the Passion by the force of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ own will is in perfect harmony with the Father’s. We cannot speak here of simple “blind” or “accidental” suffering, or of “suffering for suffering’s sake”. Otherwise we could not speak of a passion of love, or of a life poured out voluntarily— not as a result of unfortunate circumstances, but poured out as a voluntary libation, as a gift of self. Love always demands freedom in the giving of the heart. No one could lay hands on Jesus until his hour had come in keeping with the Father’s saving plan. 

This means that God’s vulnerability in Christ Jesus is the greatest sign of the omnipotence of a God who is love and who wants to save humankind by giving his divine life for mortals. God’s vulnerability in Jesus is a weakness freely chosen and accepted by God as the most effective means of communicating his love and life to the world. It is precisely by means of Jesus’ voluntary Passion that God has placed his law of love within us, inscribing it deep within the flesh of our hearts.

So now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified: this declaration of Jesus reveals the absolute sovereignty of God. It is the Father who decides when and how his Son will give his life. Without this decision, humans are powerless to take any initiative. Their hands are tied and their own wickedness can do nothing.  The Lover of the human race will hand himself over into the hands of those who hate God only when his loving heart has decided that the perfect time has come. He exclaims: For this very reason I have come to this hour! Father, glorify your Name. Here again we see that what is involved is sovereignty, but not the arbitrary autonomy of a tyrant god but the majestic supremacy of a Creator and Redeemer God, who uses all his wisdom and all his Trinitarian power only to foster and increase life, never to destroy it.  

And such is also the glory of love: God is truly glorified not by triumphing over mortals and crushing them, but by overcoming the Prince of this world who is the beginning of all evil and the enemy of both God and man. This divine victory happens without the noise of weapons, and it takes place precisely when Jesus dies obediently on the Cross: Because of his full surrender to God, Jesus was heard, and ... being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. In this way, Jesus shows that his faithful love to the Father—not only as divine Son but also as human Servant—is stronger than the Adversary’s hatred, stronger than human infidelity. The Father is fully glorified by the Son when, by dying freely and sovereignly, the Son reveals who the Father is: none other than the one who sent him to give his life and bring eternal salvation to all. In Christ, on Calvary, divine Glory and human Passion become one.  

But love does not want to be alone; love always wants to share in its redemptive adventure. Therefore, Jesus further tells us: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself. Jesus is lifted up to heaven, paradoxically, at the very moment when he descends into death. For him, to descend into death is the same as to ascend to glory. Such is the logic of divine love, so different from ours!  And Jesus ascends upward, toward Life, not to remain alone but to draw all to himself in his trajectory back to the Father. The glory of love is to die to self in order to multiply love as much as possible, for if the grain of wheat dies, it produces much fruit.  

This spreading of love, moreover, is not automatic. Just as the Messiah’s giving of his life had to happen in complete freedom, so too must we accept Jesus’ giving of his life in complete freedom. Indeed, we must allow ourselves to be drawn by Jesus to his throne of glory on the cross! Where I am, there will my servant also be, he says. Where love truly exists, there also is the burning desire for union, for intensely shared life. Love never asks itself in what kind of situation—whether of joy or suffering—the beloved might be, before reaching out to her. Love only asks where the beloved is in order to reach him as soon as possible, exactly as Mary Magdalen magnificently asked the supposed gardener concerning her beloved Jesus, whom she thought dead: If you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away (Jn 20:15).  

We who have gathered in this chapel this morning, eager to receive the Body and Blood of Christ: Will we be among the blessed who joyfully allow themselves to be drawn toward Jesus crucified no matter what? Shall we say to him, Here we come, Lord!, even knowing that his soul is now beginning to be troubled unto death—even knowing that, in order to produce much fruit together with Jesus, we must die to ourselves? And yet, what could be clearer and more piercing than the following words of his intimate invitation to us, his professed disciples, words so brimming with yearning and full of promise: If anyone wishes to serve me, let that person follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant also be. 

Why the End Time is Unknown

Not to know when the end is, or the day of the end, is good for people, lest knowing, they might become negligent of the time between, awaiting the days near the end. For then they would argue that they must only attend to themselves. Therefore, too, [Christ] has been silent about the time when each shall die, lest men, being elated because of this knowledge, should immediately neglect themselves for the greater part of their time. Both the end of all things and the end of each of us, then, has been concealed from us by the Word (for in the end of all is the end of each, and in the end of each the end of all is comprehended), so that since it is uncertain and always in the future, we may advance day by day as if summoned, reaching forward to the things in front of us and forgetting the things behind.

SAINT ATHANASIUS Discourses Against the Arians

Saint Ephraim’s Prayer

Lord and Master of my life,

take far from me the spirit of laziness, discouragement, domination, and idle talk; 

grant to me, thy servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience, love;

yea, my Lord and King, grant me to see my sins, and not to judge my neighbor,

for thou are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

EPHRAIM OF SYRIA Prayer for the Season of Lent in the Byzantine Rite

Devote Yourselves to Prayer

You must not break away from holy prayer for any reason except obedience or charity. For often during the time scheduled for prayer the devil comes with all sorts of struggles and annoyances—even more than when you are not at prayer. He does this to make you weary of holy prayer. Often he will say: “This sort of prayer is worthless to you. You should not think about or pay attention to anything except vocal prayer.” He makes it seem this way so that you will become weary and confused and abandon the exercise of prayer. But prayer is a weapon with which you can defend yourself against every enemy. If you hold it with love’s hand and the arm of free choice, this weapon, with the light of most holy faith, will be your defense.

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA The Dialogue

Persevering in Prayer

We must be firmly convinced from the start that, if we fight courageously and do not allow ourselves to be beaten, we shall get what we want, and there is no doubt that, however small our gains may be, they will make us very rich. Do not be afraid that the Lord Who has called us to drink of this spring will allow you to die of thirst. This I have already said and I should like to repeat it; for people are often timid when they have not learned by experience of the Lord’s goodness, even though they know of it by faith. It is a great thing to have experienced what friendship and joy He gives to those who walk on this road and how He takes almost the whole cost of it upon Himself. I am not surprised that those who have never made this test should want to be sure that they will receive some interest on their outlay. But you already know that even in this life we shall receive a hundredfold, and that the Lord says: “Ask and it shall be given you.” If you do not believe His Majesty in those passages of His Gospel where He gives us this assurance, it will be of little help to you, sisters, for me to weary my brains by telling you of it. Still, I will say to anyone who is in doubt that she will lose little by putting the matter to the test; for this journey has the advantage of giving us very much more than we ask or shall even get so far as to desire. This is a never-failing truth: I know it; though, if you do not find it so, do not believe any of the things I tell you. I can call as witnesses those of you who, by God’s goodness, know it from experience.

SAINT TERESA OF AVILA The Way of Perfection, CH. 23

Seeking God Aright

We only deceive ourselves by seeking or loving God for any favors which He has or may grant us. Such favors, no matter how great, can never bring us as near to God as can one simple act of faith. Let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us. Seek Him not elsewhere.

BROTHER LAWRENCE OF THE RESURRECTION The Practice of the Presence of God, Letter 15

St. Teresa on Praying the Our Father

I want you to understand that, if you are to recite the Paternoster well, one thing is needful: you must not leave the side of the Master Who has taught it to you. You will say at once that this is meditation, and that you are not capable of it, and do not even wish to practice it, but are content with vocal prayer. For there are impatient people who dislike giving themselves trouble, and it is troublesome at first to practice recollection of the mind when one has not made it a habit. So, in order not to make themselves the least bit tired, they say they are incapable of anything but vocal prayer and do not know how to do anything further. You are right to say that what we have described is mental prayer; but I assure you that I cannot distinguish it from vocal prayer faithfully recited with a realization of Who it is that we are addressing. Further, we are under the obligation of trying to pray attentively: may God grant that, by using these means, we may learn to say the Paternoster well and not find ourselves thinking of something irrelevant. I have sometimes experienced this myself, and the best remedy I have found for it is to try to fix my mind on the Person by Whom the words were first spoken. Have patience, then, and try to make this necessary practice into a habit, for necessary it is, in my opinion, for those who would be nuns, and indeed for all who would pray like good Christians.

ST. TERESA OF AVILA The Way of Perfection 

The Blessed Sacrament

During the days of His mortal life Jesus was present in one place only; He dwelt in one house only. Few persons were privileged enough to enjoy His presence and listen to His words. But today in the Most Blessed Sacrament, He is, so to speak, present everywhere at one and the same time. In a way His humanity shares the prerogative of His Divine immensity which fills all things. Jesus is present in His entirety in an infinite number of temples and in each one of them; Since all the Catholics scattered throughout the world are members of His Mystical Body, it does seem necessary that He, as the soul of it, should be everywhere, present throughout the whole body, giving it life, and sustaining it in each one of His members.

ST. PETER JULIAN EYMARD The Real Presence

Apprehending God in Creation

In regard to the making of the universe and the creation of all things there have been various opinions, and each person has propounded the theory that suited his own taste. For instance, some say that all things are self-originated and, so to speak, haphazard. The Epicureans are among these; they deny that there is any Mind behind the universe at all. This view is contrary to all the facts of experience, their own existence included. For if all things had come into being in this automatic fashion, instead of being the outcome of Mind, though they existed, they would all be uniform and without distinction. In the universe everything would be sun or moon or whatever it was, and in the human body the whole would be hand or eye or foot. But in point of fact the sun and the moon and the earth are all different things, and even within the human body there are different members, such as foot and hand and head. This distinctness of things argues not a spontaneous generation but a prevenient Cause; and from that Cause we can apprehend God, the Designer and Maker of all.

SAINT ATHANASIUS On the Incarnation, Ch. 1

One Simple Act of Faith

We only deceive ourselves by seeking or loving God for any favors which He has or may grant us. Such favors, no matter how great, can never bring us as near to God as can one simple act of faith. Let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us. Seek Him not elsewhere.

BROTHER LAWRENCE OF THE RESURRECTION The Practice of the Presence of God, Letter 15

Who Are You to Judge Your Neighbor?

None of us has the right to condemn anyone. Even when we see people doing bad and we don't know why they do it. Jesus invites us not to pass judgment. Maybe we are the ones who have helped make them what they are. We need to realize that they are our brothers and sisters. That leper, that drunkard, and that sick person are our brothers because they too have been created for a greater love. This is something that we should never forget. Jesus Christ identifies himself with them and says, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matt.25:40). Perhaps it is because we haven't given them our understanding and love that they find themselves on the streets without love and care.

SAINT TERESA OF KOLKATA No Greater Love

Draw Near to God

Draw near to the Lord by following his footsteps through humility, and he will draw near to you by freeing you from your difficulties through his mercy. For not everyone is far from God by distances but by dispositions. For both he who is inclined to virtues and he who falls away in the filth of vices dwell in one place on the earth, the one is far from God, the other has God near.

SAINT BEDE Commentary on James