Thursday, July 31, 2008

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Sitting with God

If in our communion we do nothing else than sit down beside Our Lord, feeling that He knows us and loves us, even though we do not say a word and are as dry as a stick, our communions are profitable, and we shall draw from them a real good.

It is as if, when dispirited, dry, and tired, we were to sit down by someone who loves and understands us, without saying a word, and were to rise up refreshed and strengthened by the intercommunion between the two souls.

-- Father Dignam, SJ
Saints Peter and Paul Seat Themselves on Clouds While Others Wonder at the Glory of God




Saints Peter and Paul Seat Themselves on Clouds While Others Wonder at the Glory of God

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Christ in the House of Martha and Mary




Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

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Steenwyk, Hendrik...


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Martha Preparing Dinner for Jesus




Martha Preparing Dinner for Jesus

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Aertsen, Pieter


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Monday, July 28, 2008

We Never Weary Him

To pray is to remain all the time of prayer in the company of God, as if visiting the good God, with the certainty that we never weary Him, no matter what the subject on which we speak, or the requests which we make even though we say nothing to Him, but, after the example of that good peasant, of whom the holy Curé of Ars speaks, are simply contented to consult with God and be advised by Him.
The Parable of the Leaven, of the Pharisee and the Publican, and of the Hidden Treasure, 1863




The Parable of the Leaven, of the Pharisee and the Publican, and of the Hidden Treasure, 1863

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Millais, John...


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Cordoba: Monk Praying at a Christian Altar in the Mosque, from "Sketches of Spain"




Cordoba: Monk Praying at a Christian Altar in the Mosque, from "Sketches of Spain"

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Lewis, John...


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The Garden as Big as a Grain of Mustard, 17th-18th Century




The Garden as Big as a Grain of Mustard, 17th-18th Century

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Chinese School


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The Tigris and the Euphrates from a Geographical Atlas




The Tigris and the Euphrates from a Geographical Atlas

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Al Istalhry


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Sunday, July 27, 2008

A Prayer of Work and Actions

St. Francis de Sales, for some years before his death, could not give much time to prayer, owing to the many duties which occupied him relating to the salvation of others. His daughter in Christ, St. Jane Frances, asked him one day if he had prayed.

"No," replied he, "But I have done that which is of more value than prayer." It was that he kept himself continually united with God.

"It is necessary," said he, "in this world to make a prayer of work and actions."

By this means his life was a continual prayer. Not content to enjoy a delicious union with God by prayer, when there was time to pray, he was still further united to Him by the joy he experienced in constantly doing His holy will.
The Glorious Pearl, Illustration of Christ's Teaching




The Glorious Pearl, Illustration of Christ's Teaching

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Fetti, Domenico


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King David and the Dream of Solomon, from the Bible of St. Vaast




King David and the Dream of Solomon, from the Bible of St. Vaast

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French School


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Friday, July 25, 2008

His Works

A practice very beneficial to the soul is to elevate the mind to God by the consideration of all His works which we see around us, admiring in them His adorable perfections, the love He bears us, and the obligation under which we are to serve Him faithfully.

-- Author of The Spiritual Combat

This was the continual practice of St. Francis de Sales, which he had learned in that excellent book called The Spiritual Combat, which he esteemed so highly that he always carried it with him.
The Creation of Man, 1956-58




The Creation of Man, 1956-58

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Chagall, Marc


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Embarkation of the Body of St. James the Greater, Bound for Spain, circa 1425




Embarkation of the Body of St. James the Greater, Bound for Spain, circa 1425

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Master of Raigern


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St. James and Hermogenes and the Martyrdom of St. James




St. James and Hermogenes and the Martyrdom of St. James

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Monaco, Lorenzo


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Thursday, July 24, 2008

O Lord, make haste

Cassian relates that the monks of Egypt frequently used these words of the prophet: "Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine ad adjuvandum me festina." "Incline unto my aid, O Lord. O Lord, make haste to help me."

The anchorites of eminent virtue, being assembled to deliberate which was the best of all the practices of piety, decided upon this: to pronounce these words often and with much humility, together with a great desire to be heard.
Altarpiece of the Hermits




Altarpiece of the Hermits

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Bosch, Hieronymus


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