“THERE IS CAUSE FOR REJOICING HERE!!!!” 1 Peter 1:6-9

November 6, 2015 techdecisions

“There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears. Although you have never seen Him, you love Him, and without seeing you now believe in Him, and rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith’s goal, your salvation.”

PRAISE TO YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF ENDLESS GLORY!!!!! CHRIST CONQUERS!!! CHRIST REIGNS!!! CHRIST COMMANDS!!!! OBEY HIM, CHURCH!!! OBEY AND LIVE!!! ALL GLORY HONOR LAUD AND PRAISE TO YOU, LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF ENDLESS GLORY!!!! BLESSED BE GOD!!! BOTH NOW AND FOREVER!!!!

Editor’s note: Tomorrow, November 7, marks not only the annual celebration of the Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers but also the opening of the Order’s 800th Anniversary Jubilee. We’re turning 800 years old! In honor of these feasts, the following reflection on Dominican life, taken from a letter by Bl. Jordan of Saxony addressed to the friars in the Province of Lombardy:

“Love invites me and utility persuades me to write this to you, now that an opportunity presents itself, in order to be present with you in some small way, even though I am not now able to visit you personally, as I would like. For indeed in this place of our pilgrimage, the heart of man has been evil for some time, given to faults, languid and lukewarm with regard to virtues. We have neglected our exhortations by which one brother helps another, and we have lacked that ardor of spirit which daily dries up the sloth of our own negligence and which draws its fire from the diligence of supernatural love.

I pray and warn you, my dearest brethren, with all my strength, struggling by means of Him who redeemed you with His own blood and returned us to life by His holy death, that you not be unmindful of your profession. You must remember the ancient seeds through which those who have gone before us have hastened on to their rest with a steadfast spirit. These men, while they lived here, were followers of the spirit, they despised themselves, were contemptuous of the world, desiring a kingdom, strong in their patience, choosing poverty, and glowing in their love.

Out of all of these we remember one as venerable and of holy memory, that is our Father Dominic, who, while he lived among us in the flesh, walked in the Spirit. With him the desires of the flesh were not crowned, but drowned. He displayed his true poverty by sight, by dress, and by his behavior. Constant in prayer, great in compassion and in his pouring out tears for his children he was fervent in zeal for souls. Because he was not unmindful of the heights, he was safe from hardships.

His works cry out and his virtues and miracles give witness to what kind of man lived among us on earth. What kind of man even now lives with God in these last days, in which we have translated his holy body from its undefiled sepulcher to a venerable tomb, is clear from the signs worked there and is proved by his virtues.

With all these things our Redeemer, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is glorified, Who deigned to choose such a man as His servant and set him over us as our father. His institution now breathes life into our rule and the example of his shining sanctity inflames us.

I see some among you, by the mercy of God, about whom I rejoice and thank God, who, having the desire for beauty, tend their conscience, follow perfection, labor in preaching, burn for study, glow brightly for prayer and meditation, having the Lord always in your sight, as the reward of all our deeds and the judge of our souls.

Rejoice, dearest friends, that you are that kind of men, and seek to abound in this way of life more and more. And let those of you who are not yet like this take care, and give attention, that you may grow toward salvation. God has deigned to call you to perfection, not to mediocrity, by that grace in which you stand, that God who is our good and holy Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to whom be honor and dominion, now and forever. Amen.”

Love, & Endless Joy in Our Lord and Savior!!!!!!
Matthew

Summa Catechetica, "Neque enim quaero intelligere ut credam, sed credo ut intelligam." – St Anselm, "“Si comprehendus, non est Deus.” -St Augustine, "Let your religion be less of a theory, and more of a love affair." -G.K. Chesterton, “When we pray we speak to God; but when we read, God speaks to us.” -St Jerome, "As the reading of bad books fills the mind with worldly and poisonous sentiments; so, on the other hand, the reading of pious works fills the soul with holy thoughts and good desires." -St. Alphonsus Liguori, "And above all, be on your guard not to want to get anything done by force, because God has given free will to everyone and wants to force no one, but only proposes, invites and counsels." –St. Angela Merici, “Yet such are the pity and compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to Him . . . God here speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways.” —St. Teresa of Avila, "I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men and women who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, and who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity… I wish you to enlarge your knowledge, to cultivate your reason, to get an insight into the relation of truth to truth, to learn to view things as they are, to understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism, and where lie the main inconsistences and absurdities of the Protestant theory.” (St. John Henry Newman, “Duties of Catholics Towards the Protestant View,” Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England), "We cannot always have access to a spiritual Father for counsel in our actions and in our doubts, but reading will abundantly supply his place by giving us directions to escape the illusions of the devil and of our own self-love, and at the same time to submit to the divine will.” —St. Alphonsus Ligouri, "The harm that comes to souls from the lack of reading holy books makes me shudder . . . What power spiritual reading has to lead to a change of course, and to make even worldly people enter into the way of perfection." –St. Padre Pio, "Screens may grab our attention, but books change our lives!" – Word on Fire, "Reading has made many saints!" -St Josemaría Escrivá, "Do you pray? You speak to the Bridegroom. Do you read? He speaks to you." —St. Jerome, from his Letter 22 to Eustochium, "Encounter, not confrontation; attraction, not promotion; dialogue, not debate." -cf Pope Francis, "God here speaks to souls through…good books“ – St Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, "You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon be observed by his progress.” -St Athanasius, "To convert someone, go and take them by the hand and guide them." -St Thomas Aquinas, OP. 1 saint ruins ALL the cynicism in Hell & on Earth. “When we pray we talk to God; when we read God talks to us…All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection.” -St Isidore of Seville, “Also in some meditations today I earnestly asked our Lord to watch over my compositions that they might do me no harm through the enmity or imprudence of any man or my own; that He would have them as His own and employ or not employ them as He should see fit. And this I believe is heard.” -GM Hopkins, SJ, "Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book." — St. John Bosco, "Why don't you try explaining it to them?" – cf St Peter Canisius, SJ, Doctor of the Church, Doctor of the Catechism, "Already I was coming to appreciate that often apologetics consists of offering theological eye glasses of varying prescriptions to an inquirer. Only one prescription will give him clear sight; all the others will give him at best indistinct sight. What you want him to see—some particular truth of the Faith—will remain fuzzy to him until you come across theological eye glasses that precisely compensate for his particular defect of vision." -Karl Keating, "The more perfectly we know God, the more perfectly we love Him." -St Thomas Aquinas, OP, ST, I-II,67,6 ad 3, “But always when I was without a book, my soul would at once become disturbed, and my thoughts wandered." —St. Teresa of Avila, "Let those who think I have said too little and those who think I have said too much, forgive me; and let those who think I have said just enough thank God with me." –St. Augustine, "Without good books and spiritual reading, it will be morally impossible to save our souls." —St. Alphonsus Liguori "Never read books you aren't sure about. . . even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup?" -St. John Bosco " To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer." —St. Thomas Aquinas, OP. "Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. Otherwise, prayer is better than reading." –St. Isidore of Seville “The aid of spiritual books is for you a necessity.… You, who are in the midst of battle, must protect yourself with the buckler of holy thoughts drawn from good books.” -St. John Chrysostom