Monthly Archives: August 2020
Simple Language
The path of self-mastery is not easy, especially for a person who has grown accustomed to giving in to his impulses rather than controlling them. If he perseveres, though, such a person will feel a growing sense of his own dignity. He will begin to experience the body as a gift, and sexuality as a sign of communion—a reflection of God’s love. Freedom, the fruit of self-control, is the foundation for love between persons. This is why love can only flourish where there is purity of heart. –John Paul II “Theology of the Body”
Holy Spirit: ‘He spoke through the prophets’
The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, “Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us?”
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.
Prophet Ezekiel
My Spiritual Life
As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut;
you were neither washed with water nor anointed,
nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.
No one looked on you with pity or compassion
to do any of these things for you.
Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,
the day you were born.
Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.
I said to you: Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.
You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty;
your breasts were formed, your hair had grown,
but you were still stark naked.
Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.
So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;
you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with an embroidered gown,
put sandals of fine leather on your feet;
I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms,
a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,
pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver;
your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food.
You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was,
because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you,
says the Lord GOD.
But you were captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,
and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,
whose own you became.
Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.
Prophet Ezekiel
God works for good
Although sin is in itself a great evil—in fact the greatest of all evils—still under a certain form it can prove a good to us if we know how to avail ourselves of it as a means of exercising humility. How many great sinners have become great-saints without having done anything more than keep their sins constantly before their eyes, and humble themselves in shame and confusion before God and their fellowmen!
Those words: “Against Thee only have I sinned,” which David carried in his heart, contributed more than anything else to make him a saint. And the angelic St Thomas in explaining the verse of St Paul to the Romans: “This is the good that profits them that love God, for when they fall from the love of God by sin they then return to Him more humble and more cautious.” –“Humility of Heart” by Capuchin Gaetano (Cajetan) Maria da Bergamo
A reliable witness always tells the truth,
but an unreliable one tells nothing but lies.
Conceited people can never become wise,
but intelligent people learn easily.
Stay away from foolish people;
they have nothing to teach you.
Why is a clever person wise?
Because he knows what to do.
Why is a stupid person foolish?
Because he only thinks he knows.
Foolish people don’t care if they sin,
but good people want to be forgiven.
Your joy is your own;
your bitterness is your own.
No one can share them with you.
Proverbs 14
Veracity
Thy shall not bear false witness
Against thy neighbor,
Against thyself,
Know thyself,
Be honest,
Onto thyself,
Dissect afflictions,
Authentic examination
Conscience inspection,
Preparation of confession,
Cleansing, unburdening,
Warfare continues renewed.
Honesty Flower
Kayaking Upper Cuyahoga River
Telephone photos
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