Wisdom of St. Thérèse “No, there is no joy comparable to that which the truly poor in spirit experience.” Thérèse was acutely aware of the transient nature of material things and of the impermanence of this present life. Even at a very young age she understood that even those who believe themselves to be good
A Bright Cloud of Spirituality Rising from Every Home and Every Heart (Letter of Don Dolindo to E.C., a spiritual child of his) I am writing to you in the light of the Holy Rosary, the prayer that brings us so close to Our Lord and is today the object of a feast day on
Do Penance 1. “Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It was thus that “Jesus began to preach” (Matt. 4:17). And thus, already before Jesus had, St. John the Baptist proclaimed in the desert to those who came out to hear him: “Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”
Guard Your Senses We are beings of a composite nature, made up of body and soul. And although these are, in a certain sense, quite distinct from each other, they are nevertheless intimately joined together, one acting upon the other, one strongly affecting and influencing the other. The sense-impressions naturally are the more powerful ones
“I Just Can’t Pray” John looked out the window. Streetlamps and windows in neighboring homes lit the darkness of the approaching night. His gaze dropped to the desk before him. There, a few inches before his hand, lay the Bible. Normally at this time, he read from it for ten to fifteen minutes. Tonight, nothing
“How well do you pray?” To that question, the average Catholic probably would answer, “Not as well as I’d like to.” The better the Catholic, the more likely it is that such would be his answer. To those of us who are dissatisfied with our efforts at prayer, it is a comfort to remember that
To the Future—with Confidence Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Is your outlook on life habitually a hopeful one, or do you usually expect the worst to happen? The nature of our temperament, whether cheerful or gloomy, depends to a great extent upon the state of our emotional and physical health. A person who
Visions and Revelations in the Development of the Spiritual Life A brief survey of the evolution of the highest spiritual life in the light of Teresian teaching has brought out how absolutely erroneous it is to characterize the mystical life as a life full of visions and revelations. For St. John of the Cross, there
The Pillar of the Family The basic moral principle of Domestic Society is: the family is the natural unit of society and the right of education belongs primarily to the parents, not to the State. The family in the natural order is the only divine instruction in the world. God did not found the American
Our Steadfast Hope The principle of strength through weakness is not a mere paradox, a formula invented to shock people out of their complacency. The truth, in our present existence, is never quite comfortable. Zen Buddhists use assertions flatly contradicting everyday experience as a means to arouse lazy minds to stimulating contemplation. Great religious teachers
