tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90975040484566644112011-11-28T01:40:05.598+01:00Diananoreply@blogger.comBlogger2911100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-2970347273805448432010-05-07T16:20:00.014+02:002008-11-22T22:05:07.082+01:00

(¯`*•.¸Welcome to Catholic¸.•*´¯)(¯`*•.¸Bienvenüe au Catholique¸.•*´¯)(¯`*•.¸Selamat Datang di Katolik¸.•*´¯)Have a nice stay,Please feel free to leave me your comments...Stay tune to my updates.. ^^Jesus bless us all..____________________________________________________Note:

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-17505867994009125972009-05-20T23:48:00.001+02:002009-05-20T23:50:20.322+02:00

En présence du ciel et de la terre remplis de Votre gloire et à genoux devant Votre majesté divine, je m'offre corps et âme à vous éternel Esprit de Dieu.J'adore l'éclat de votre pureté, l'intégrité inaltérable de votre justice et la puissance de Votre amour.Vous êtes la force et la lumière de mon âme ; par Vous, je vis, je pense et j'agis. Puissé-je ne jamais pécher contre Vous, ni Vous

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-72655351186068427562009-05-19T17:44:00.005+02:002009-05-20T23:28:14.276+02:00

Novena Roh Kudus ini dilaksanakan selama sembilan hari, mulai pada hari sesudah kenaikan Yesus ke surga dan berakhir pada hari Sabtu menjelang Pentekosta. Dalam novena ini umat memuji Tuhan yang menjanjikan kedatangan Roh Kudus dan memohon rahmat-Nya agar siap menyambut kedatangan Roh Kudus. Novena ini juga dapat dilaksanakan dalam kesempatan lain.Hari PertamaAllah pokok keselamatan kami, karena

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-75609272702011626232009-05-19T17:26:00.004+02:002009-05-20T23:16:23.238+02:00

O Jésus, qui avant de les quitter avez promis à vos Apôtres de leur envoyer le Saint-Esprit, pour les instruire, les consoler et les fortifier, daignez faire descendre en nous aussi ce divin Paraclet.Venez en nous, Esprit de la Crainte du Seigneur; faites que nous redoutions par-dessus tout de contrister notre Père Céleste, que nous fuyions toutes les séductions des plaisirs défendus.Venez en

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-26780385112694332182009-05-19T17:00:00.000+02:002009-05-19T17:02:53.765+02:00

O Divin Amour, 0 Lien Sacré qui unissez le Père et le Fils, Esprit tout-puissant, Fidèle Consolateur dès affligés, pénétrez dans les abîmes profonds de mon cœur et faites-y briller votre éclatante lumière.Répandez votre douce rosée sur cette terre déserte, afin de faire cesser sa longue stérilité. Envoyez les traits célestes de votre Amour jusqu'au sanctuaire de mon âme, afin qu'en y pénétrant,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-38428771539584298782009-05-19T13:26:00.000+02:002009-05-19T13:27:28.960+02:00

Ya Roh Kudus, Penasihat yang penuh kuasa, pengikat yang kudus antara Bapa dan Putra, harapan bagi mereka yang bersedih. Turunlah dalam hatiku dan tinggallah didalamnya, nyalakan jiwaku yang nyaris padam dengan Kasih-Mu, agar aku dapat sepenuhnya menjadi milik-Mu. Aku percaya, bila Engkau tinggal di dalam aku, Engkau juga akan menyiapkan tempat tinggal bagi Bapa dan Putra. Oleh karenanya,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-15302033047189143052009-05-19T13:23:00.001+02:002009-05-20T23:39:24.458+02:00

Ô Saint-Esprit, divin Esprit de lumière et d’amour, je Te consacre mon intelligence, mon coeur et ma volonté, tout mon être, pour le temps et pour l’éternité.Que mon intelligence soit toujours docile à tes inspirations et à l’enseignement de la sainte l’Eglise catholique, dont Tu es le guide infaillible; que mon coeur soit toujours enflammé de l’amour de Dieu et du prochain, que ma volonté soit

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-4309798544821409782009-05-19T13:21:00.001+02:002009-05-20T23:38:56.062+02:00

Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler, sacred Bond of the Father and the Son, Hope of the afflicted, descend in my heart and establish in it Your loving dominion. Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of Your Love so that I may be wholly subject to You.We believe that when You dwell in us, You also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son. Deign, therefore, to come to me, Consoler of abandoned souls,

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O Holy Spirit of Light and Love, to You I consecrate my mind, heart and will, for time and eternity. May I be ever docile to Your divine inspirations and to the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church whose infallible Guide You are. May my heart be ever inflamed with the love of God and love of neighbor; may my will be ever in harmony with Your divine will. May my life faithfully imitate the life

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-39503527922324992042009-05-19T13:15:00.001+02:002009-05-19T13:18:12.872+02:00

Ya Roh Kudus, Cahaya dan Kasih, kepada-Mu kupersembahkan hati, pikiran dan kehendakku, sekarang dan selamanya. Engkaulah yang menuntun aku agar dapat lebih peka pada wahyu dari Tuhan, dan pengajaran Gereja Katolik yang kudus. Semoga hatiku senantiasa berkobar oleh kasih dari Allah dan kasih terhadap sesama. Semoga aku senantiasa dengan setia meneladani kehidupan dan kebijaksanaan Allah, dan

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-67132336552509158902009-05-19T11:15:00.002+02:002009-05-19T11:18:47.083+02:00

Datanglah, ya Roh Hikmat, turunlah atas diri kami, ajarlah kami menjadi orang bijak, terutama agar kami dapat menghargai, mencintai, dan mengutamakan cita-cita surgawi. Semoga kami Kau lepaskan dari belenggu dosa dunia ini.Datanglah, ya Roh Pengertian, turunlah atas diri kami. Terangilah budi kami, agar dapat memahami ajaran Yesus, Sang Putra, dan melaksanakannya dalam hidup sehari-hari.Datanglah

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-5609265907327030072009-02-25T23:46:00.002+01:002009-02-25T23:55:39.724+01:00

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love.Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-4093804116084432962009-02-25T23:42:00.003+01:002009-05-19T13:17:07.260+02:00

On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am.I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept

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To be prayed from the day after Ascension to the day before Pentecost._________________________________________________________First Day (Friday, 6th Week of Easter)Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!The Holy SpiritOnly one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin· Sin is the result of

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PRIERES D'OUVERTURE+++Au nom du Père et du Fils et du Saint Esprit, Amen+++Viens, Esprit-Saint, pénètre le cœur de tes fidèles, qu’ils soient brûlés au feu de ton amour. Ô Seigneur, envoie ton Esprit,Qui renouvelle la face de la terre.Prions,Seigneur, par le mystère de la Pentecôte, tu sanctifies ton Eglise chez tous les peuples et dans toutes les nations : répands les dons du Saint-Esprit sur l’

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OPENING PRAYERS+++In the Name of the Father,And the Son,And the Holy Spirit, Amen.+++Come, 0 Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit, 0 Lord, and they shall be created.And You shall renew the face of the earth.Let us pray,God our Father, pour out the gifts of Your Holy Spirit on the world. You sent the Spirit on Your

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You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us.O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us.I trust in You!Back to Prayers

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Tu as été à l’agonie, Jésus, et la source de vie a jailli pour les âmes. Un océan de Miséricorde se découvrit pour le monde entier.Ô source de vie, Insondable Miséricorde de Dieu, submerges le monde entier, engloutis-nous!O Sang et Eau, qui as jailli du Coeur de Jésus, comme Source de Miséricorde pour nous,J’ai confiance en toi !Retour aux Prières

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-27240093260224908052008-11-22T19:48:00.005+01:002008-11-23T22:13:16.840+01:00

Ya Yesus, Engkau telah wafat, namun sumber kehidupan telah memancar bagi jiwa-jiwa dan terbukalah lautan kerahiman bagi segenap dunia.O , Sumber Kehidupan, kerahiman Ilahi yang tak terselami, naungilah segenap dunia dan curahkanlah diriMu pada kami.Darah dan Air, yang telah memancar dari Hati Yesus sebagai sumber kerahiman bagi kami,Engkaulah andalanku !Kembali ke Doa-doa

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-52950405045761086492008-11-09T00:09:00.005+01:002009-02-25T14:42:15.827+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord God, holy Father, may you be blessed both now and for ever; whatever happens comes about because you wish it so; and what you do is good. I am your servant; let me rejoice not in myself or in any other, but in you, because you alone are my real happiness; you are my hope and my crown, Lord, my joy and my honour. What does this servant of yours possess that he has not received

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-10947478140648367342008-11-09T00:05:00.005+01:002009-02-25T14:42:57.672+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, when you feel the desire for everlasting bliss streaming into you from on high; when you thirst to leave that body in which you are now, as it were, camping for a time, so as to be able to gaze on my glory, that glory on which there falls no shadow of change: open your heart wide, and welcome this holy inspiration with all the longing you have. Thank me again and again for

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-17360800985471521732008-11-08T23:57:00.004+01:002009-02-25T14:43:39.478+01:00

1. The Learner: How happy are those who dwell for ever in the city that is above! How bright is the day of eternity! It is a day upon which night casts no shadow, but one for ever lit by the very Truth; a day for ever happy, for ever safe, a day that never changes into the contrary. Oh, how I wish that day had already dawned, and all these things of time come to an end! For the Saints, that day

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-34370278403218003262008-11-08T21:40:00.004+01:002009-02-25T14:43:46.379+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, do not let the hard work you have taken on for my sake crush you; do not let any trouble make you lose heart completely. In all that happens, let my promise be your strength and consolation. The reward I have in store for you is both boundless and measureless. The time you are working here will not be long; you will not always have sorrows pressing upon you. Wait but a

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-89284132620681527882008-11-08T21:20:00.004+01:002009-02-25T14:43:55.882+01:00

1. The Beloved: Stand your ground, son, and trust in me. What are words, after all? Only words. They hurtle through the air, but they can't as much as scratch a stone. If you have done wrong, think how willingly you would turn over a new leaf; if your conscience is clear, make up your mind to endure this for God's sake. It's not so much to put up with, a few unpleasant remarks now and then, if

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-21025511187092880252008-11-08T16:49:00.004+01:002009-02-25T14:44:04.460+01:00

1. The Learner: Help me in my trouble, Lord; there is no sure help to be found in man.¹ How often have I put my trust in someone, and then found him disloyal! Again, how often have I found loyalty where I should least have thought to find it! So it's no good putting our trust in men; it is you alone, my God, that a good man may trust without fear of betrayal. May you be blessed, O Lord my God, in

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-22143292835162209442008-11-08T16:32:00.002+01:002009-02-25T14:44:12.353+01:00

1. The Beloved: There are a good many things, my son, about which you should be ignorant. You ought to think of yourself as being dead, though still on earth; the whole world ought to seem to you as dead as if it were nailed to a cross. There are a lot of things it is as well to turn a deaf ear to; far better to think of things that keep your mind at peace. It is better to look the other way when

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-53931346305535153432008-11-08T16:29:00.002+01:002009-02-25T14:44:21.910+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, you must not let yourself be impressed by the fine and clever things you hear men say; it is power that builds up the kingdom of God, not words.¹ Pay heed to my words, which bring fire to the heart and light to the mind, piercing the heart with sorrow for sin and filling it with comfort in many ways. Never read anything to enable you to appear better-educated or wiser than

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-1205658057332629832008-11-08T16:27:00.002+01:002009-02-25T14:44:29.907+01:00

1. The Beloved: If you let your peace of mind depend on any particular person, my son, because you enjoy his affection and companionship, you will live an unsettled life and get entangled in your own feelings; but if you have recourse to the Truth that lives and remains for ever, your friend will not make you sad even though he leaves you or dies. The love you have for your friend ought to rest

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1. The Beloved: Don't take it to heart, son, if you see others •winning honours and promotion, and yourself being looked down upon and treated like dirt. Lift up your heart to heaven, to me, and being slighted by men on earth won't make you sad any more.2. The Learner: Lord, we live in a world of blindness and are easily led away by foolish notions. Passing my life in frank review, I see that no

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1. The Learner: What is man that you should remember him? What is Adam's breed, that it should claim your care?¹ What has man done, to deserve the gift of your grace? If you abandon me, Lord, how can I complain? If you don't answer my prayer, what right have I to object? But this is something I can think and say, and it will be true: "Lord, I am nothing, can do nothing; I have no goodness of my

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-29454631869561128232008-11-08T15:52:00.007+01:002009-02-25T14:44:55.373+01:00

1. The Beloved: Always entrust your cause to me, my son; when the proper time conies, I will see that things turn out for the best. Wait for me to arrange matters, and you will realize how much better off you are for it.2. The Learner: Lord, I am glad enough to leave all things in your hands; my own scheming won't get me very far. If only I were not so concerned about future events and could

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-15900691524932863192008-11-08T15:49:00.003+01:002009-02-25T14:45:09.032+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, you should take great care to see that wherever you are and whatever you are doing— outwardly, I mean—you are inwardly free and your own master. Be sure that you have the upper hand of everything, and not the other way about; you must be the master and ruler of all your actions, not their slave or mercenary. You must not be that, but rather one of God's chosen people, a

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-20529890438143894262008-11-08T15:45:00.003+01:002009-02-25T14:45:17.025+01:00

1. The Beloved: Leave yourself behind, my son, and you •will find me. Have no choice of your own, no personal preference; you will be the winner every time. The moment you surrender yourself to me, never to take the gift back, a greater store of grace will be added to what you already have.2. The Learner: How often am I to surrender myself, Lord, and in what matters am I to leave my own

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-61364189913479586042008-11-08T15:43:00.002+01:002009-02-25T14:45:26.599+01:00

1. The Beloved: Let your heart find firm anchorage in the Lord, my son; if your conscience answers your questions by asserting your devotion, your freedom from guilt, do not be afraid how men may judge you. To suffer in such a way is a good and holy thing; to the humble heart, the heart that trusts in God rather than itself, it will be no burden. There are many people who do a great deal of

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-66247090661083379912008-11-08T15:37:00.004+01:002009-02-25T14:45:35.426+01:00

1. The Beloved: You are never safe in this life, my son; as long as you live, you will always need spiritual weapons. It is among your enemies that you spend your days; the attack may come from any quarter. If you fail to use the shield of patience on every side, it will not be long before you get wounded. Besides that, if you neglect to set your heart unwaveringly upon me, with the stark desire

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-32273501934157165492008-11-08T15:34:00.003+01:002009-02-25T14:46:26.176+01:00

1. The Learner: My God, my all, you are here; what more can I wish for, what greater happiness can I desire?O sweet and delightful word! But sweet only to those who love the Word, not to those who love the world and all that is in the world. My God, my all! To one who understands, that is enough said; to one who loves, it is something to be said over and over again, each time with joy. When you

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-2953062580827965142008-11-08T15:31:00.003+01:002009-02-25T14:46:37.811+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, do not trust the affections which now fill your heart; they will soon change into others. As long as you live, you will be subject to changing moods, whether you like it or not. At one moment you will be cheerful, at another depressed; now peaceful, now upset; now full of devotion, now without any at all; now keenly interested, now without heart for anything; now serious,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-59780917336882184632008-11-07T23:46:00.003+01:002009-02-25T14:46:47.323+01:00

1. The Beloved: Unless you completely renounce yourself, my son, perfect freedom cannot be yours. What chains bind those who think only of themselves, love but themselves; the greedy, the inquisitive, the gadabouts, those who look for a soft time, and not for Jesus Christ, those who spend their time planning and fashioning things which have no permanence! Yes, everything that has not come from

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-11837809251437474452008-10-16T17:13:00.010+02:002009-02-25T14:46:59.275+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, I am still much in need of greater grace, if I am to reach that state where no one and nothing in all creation can bar my advance. As long as anything holds me back, I cannot fly freely to you. To fly freely—that was his desire, the man who said, Had I but wings, I cry, as a dove has wings, to fly away and find rest!¹ Who is more at rest than the man who is "clearsighted" ?

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-8064149893687456632008-10-15T23:25:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:47:09.282+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, I am the Lord; no strength like his in the hour of distress.¹ When things are not going well with you, come to me. The chief hindrance to your receiving heavenly comfort is your slowness in turning to prayer; you do not come to me straightway and pray to me earnestly, but first you go seeking other things to comfort you, trying to find diversion in created things. All

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-79049525894206967392008-10-15T23:22:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:47:22.434+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, may your name be blessed for ever; it is by your will that this trouble and temptation have come upon me. I cannot get out of it, but I must come to you for protection, that you may help me and make it turn out for my good. Lord, I am in trouble at the moment; there is no peace in my heart, but I am much disturbed by this affliction now pressing on me. What can I say now, my

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-17345251824776447362008-10-15T23:19:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:47:33.600+01:00

1. The Beloved: You must not mind, my son, if people think ill of you and say things about you which do not make pleasant hearing. You ought to have a poorer opinion of yourself than they have, and deem no one to be weaker than yourself. If you are treading the path of the inward life, fleeting words will not carry much weight with you. It is a wise course, when trouble comes, to say nothing, and

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-7553795198987915742008-10-15T23:15:00.006+02:002009-02-25T14:47:46.093+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, you must give me all for all, keep no aspect of yourself as your private concern. You know, loving yourself does you more harm than anything in the world. The hold which anything has upon your heart is determined by the love and affection you bear towards that thing. If your love is sincere, simple and under control you will not be held prisoner by things. Do not desire

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-12269315070990762462008-10-15T23:12:00.001+02:002009-02-25T14:48:10.377+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, it is the business of a man of perfect life never to loosen the bonds that bind his heart to heavenly things; to make his way through a crowd of troubles as if he had no trouble at all, not like someone too stupid to be alive to his plight but in the privileged possession of a free mind that clings to nothing in creation with ill-regulated affection.2. O most loving God, I

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-78953731509021877542008-10-15T23:07:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:48:19.205+01:00

1. The Beloved: This is what I said once, my son: Peace is my bequest to you, and the peace which I will give you is mine to give; I do not give peace as the world gives it.¹ Peace is something everyone longs for, but it is not everyone who troubles to find out what brings true peace. My peace is to be found among those who are humble and gentle of heart; you will find your own peace in the

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-3746106288845053942008-10-15T12:26:00.002+02:002008-10-15T23:07:13.972+02:00

1. The Beloved: My son, you must not always be indulging your curiosity and concerning yourself with things that don't matter. This affair or that—what have they to do with you? Your business is to follow me. What difference does it make to you whether So-and-so has one kind of character or another, whether someone else behaves or speaks in this way or that? You are not required to answer for

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-54421576454154030752008-10-15T12:20:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:49:44.457+01:00

1. The Beloved: Now, my son, I will shew you the path of peace and true freedom.2. The Learner: Do as you say, Lord: that is something I should be glad to hear about.3. The Beloved: My son, always try to do the will of others rather than your own. Always choose to have less rather than more; always make for the lowest place and take rank below all others. Let your constant prayer and desire be

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-45054890728201454902008-10-15T11:12:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:50:05.181+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, open this heart of mine and place your law within it; teach me to walk by the road of your commandments. Grant that I may know what your will is; grant that my mind may dwell with great reverence and careful attention upon all your blessings, both those common to all men and those which are your gift to me; so may I be enabled to thank you in future as you deserve. Yet I

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-48736173209992281672008-10-15T11:08:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:50:16.454+01:00

1. The Learner: My soul, above all things and in all things you must always rest in the Lord, for he is the everlasting rest of the Saints. O sweetest, most loving Jesus, grant that I may rest in you above anything created; above all health and beauty, all honour and glory; above all powerand dignity, all knowledge and cleverness; above all riches and abilities; above all joy and gladness, above

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-86844082026186381702008-10-15T00:57:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:50:29.163+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, I will tell you frankly, and to my shame, how sinful I am, how weak. It's often something quite trivial that upsets me and throws me out of balance. I make up my mind to take a firm line in the matter, and then, the moment the slightest temptation comes along, I find myself in a very tight corner. It's sometimes something quite petty that gives rise to a really serious

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-81871148383815000352008-10-15T00:53:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:50:45.527+01:00

1. The Beloved: What is that you are saying, my son? Think how much I have suffered, I and my Saints, and stop complaining. Your protest, your battle against sin, has not yet called for bloodshed.¹ What you have to put up with is little enough, compared with those who have borne so much, been so strongly tempted, so grievously tried, sifted and tested in so many ways.You should call to mind the

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-53232355895253354042008-10-15T00:50:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:50:54.975+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, I came down from heaven to save you. I took your sorrows upon me; I had no need to do so, but my love for you drew me on. The lesson I wanted you to learn was that of patience, of bearing the sorrows of life without bitterness. From the hour of my birth until my death upon the cross, there was never a moment when I had no sorrow to bear. My store of worldly goods amounted

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-73697002356936894922008-10-15T00:46:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:51:12.147+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, let me do with you as I will; I know what is best for you. It is but as a man that you think; your feelings in many matters are swayed by the human way of looking at things.The Learner: Lord, they are true, those words of yours. Your watchfulness on my behalf is greater than any care I could take of myself. A man stands in great danger of falling, if he does not put his •

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-58925835786949074532008-10-15T00:42:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:51:28.620+01:00

1. The Learner: Whatever I can desire, whatever my thoughts can conceive in the way of comfort, I look to find not here, but later on. Even though I alone had all the comforts of the world, even though I could revel in all its pleasures, they could not last for long, that's certain. That is why my soul will never be able to find fullness of comfort, never be perfectly refreshed, save

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-363413289751340212008-10-15T00:19:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:51:38.594+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, this is how you should pray in all circumstances: "Lord, if this is what pleases you, let it come to pass. Lord, if this will be to your honour, let it happen in your name. Lord, if you see this to be for my good, if you judge it to be profitable for me, give me this thing to use for your honour; but if you foresee it will do me harm, impair the health of my soul, take

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-65310847124806604522008-10-15T00:15:00.005+02:002009-02-25T14:51:46.802+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, when the thunder of your judgements peals out above me, every bone in my body shakes with fear and trembling, and my soul is aghast with terror. There I stand, dazed with dread, as I consider that the very heavens are not pure in your sight. You found evil among the Angels, and yet you did not spare them; then what will become of me? The very stars fell from heaven; what

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-23481692285467431932008-10-15T00:00:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:51:55.998+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, the man who tries breaking away from obedience is breaking away from grace; by seeking benefits for yourself alone, you lose those which are shared by all. When a man does not freely and willingly submit to his superior, it is a sign that the bodily side of him is not yet completely under control, but is kicking back at him and having a grumble. If you want to subdue your

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-59653038401917084302008-10-14T23:53:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:52:03.577+01:00

1.The Learner: Lord God, I can see that patience is something vitally necessary to me, because this life abounds in circumstances that thwart our happiness. No matter how carefully I endeavour to live in peace, my days must have their share of conflict and sorrow.2. The Beloved: That is so, my son; but the kind of peace I want you to aim at is not one in which temptations are not present, or

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-5140710326026612922008-10-14T23:51:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:52:14.156+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, there are still a good many things you need to learn, things that up to now you have not learned properly.—"What things do you mean, Lord?— These: to make your desires wholly in accordance with my good pleasure, to stop being a lover of yourself and to become instead a zealous doer of my will. Often you feel within you the flame of desire, urging you insistently forward;

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-15693527931599299882008-10-14T23:46:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:52:21.583+01:00

1. The Learner: Lord, I cannot keep silent; I will now speak yet again, utter my mind in the ears of my God, my Lord, my King, who dwells on high. What treasures of loving-kindness, Lord, do you store up for the men who fear you!¹ But what are you to those who love you, to those who serve you with all their heart? There are no words to describe the sweetness of that sight of yourself which you

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-63088583956983618872008-10-14T23:43:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:55:56.562+01:00

1. The Beloved: If you really want to be happy, my son, you must make me your supreme and final end. Too frequently your affections stoop down to embrace yourself and things created; direct them on me, and they will be cleansed. When you seek yourself in anything, you at once lose heart and grow dry within. You ought therefore to refer everything chiefly to me; after all, it is I who have given

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-5659202268065361802008-10-14T23:39:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:56:10.288+01:00

1. The Learner: Dust and ashes though I be, I have taken it upon me to speak to my Lord.¹ If I think anything more of myself than that, you stand on the opposite side of the court, while my sins give evidence, true evidence I cannot deny. But if I admit my insignificance, confess I am but nothing, turn away from all my self-importance and bring myself down to the level of the dust that I am, your

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-41670111637760868992008-10-14T23:32:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:56:21.253+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, it is more to your advantage, more to your safety, if you conceal the grace of devotion; you must not boast of it, must not talk much about it, must not set too high a value on it. Instead, you should think the worse of yourself and fear that grace has been given to one who does not deserve it.You are not to cling too tightly to such feelings of devotion; they can soon

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-50719867768046821812008-10-14T23:23:00.005+02:002009-02-25T14:56:40.579+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, you are not yet a strong and experienced lover. —How is that, Lord?— Because the moment you come to the slightest obstacle you give up what you have begun and seek for comfort with the utmost eagerness. The brave lover stands fast in temptation, gives no credit to the subtle suggestions of his enemy the Devil. When things go well with him, I am his delight; so am I still

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-85581612723030433552008-10-14T23:12:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:56:56.186+01:00

1. The Learner: Father in heaven, Father of Jesus Christ my Lord, I bless you for deigning to remember me and my poverty. Father of mercies, God of all comfort, I thank you for refreshing me with your comfort, little though I deserve any comfort at all. To you and your only-begotten Son, together with the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, I give blessing and glory always, both now and for ages without

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-27996327584598752412008-10-14T23:08:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:57:06.609+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, walk without pretence in my sight, ever seeking me in singleness of heart. The man who so walks in my sight will be shielded from the assaults of evil; the truth will free him from those who would lead him astray and from the backbiting of the wicked. If it is the truth that frees you, you will be free indeed; the vain words of men will leave you unconcerned.The Learner:

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-71959986159773612772008-10-14T22:58:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:57:18.512+01:00

1. The Beloved: My son, listen to my words; words of surpassing sweetness they are, words that outsoar all the learning of the philosophers and wise men of this world. My words are spirit and life; they have no place in the scales of man's understanding. They should not be brought out to satisfy the unthinking pleasure they afford you; no, they should be listened to in silence, received with

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-20438286353231056862008-10-14T22:47:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:57:47.592+01:00

1. The Learner: Speak on, Lord; your servant is listening.¹ Perfect in your own servant's heart the knowledge of your will.² Incline my heart to the words of your mouth; here are warnings that must soak in like the dew.³ In the days of old the people of Israel said to Moses: Do you tell us the message; we are ready to obey you. Do not let us hear the Lord speaking; it will cost us our lives.4 No,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-60913104003591933572008-10-14T20:43:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:57:56.167+01:00

1. Let me listen, now, to the voice of the Lord God.¹ Blessed is the Soul that hears the Lord speaking within her and receives from his lips words that bring her comfort. Blessed are the ears that catch the soft whisper of God's voice and pay no heed to the muttering voices of this world; blessed indeed the ears that listen not to the voices that ring out around them, but to him who inwardly

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-33827145460076481162008-10-11T23:07:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:58:11.959+01:00

1. "Renounce yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus." There are many to whom that seems a hard saying; but how much harder will it be to hear that word of final judgement: Go far from me, you that are accursed, into eternal fire.¹ Those who now gladly hear the word of the cross and keep what it commands will not be afraid then when they hear the doom of everlasting loss. It is this sign of

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-31521669340491273102008-10-11T22:58:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:58:21.807+01:00

1. Jesus today has many who love his heavenly kingdom, but few who carry his cross; many who yearn for comfort, few who long for distress. Plenty of people he finds to share his banquet, few to share his fast. Everyone desires to take part in his rejoicing, but few are willing to suffer anything for his sake. There are many that follow Jesus as far as the breaking of bread, few as far as drinking

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-23419951278486225002008-10-11T22:47:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:58:31.157+01:00

1. Why look for rest, born as you are for toil? Better to look for things to suffer than for comfort, to be ready to carry your cross than to have a good time. What man in the world would not gladly welcome spiritual comfort and joy, if only he could keep it for good? For spiritual comfort surpasses all worldly delight, all pleasures of the flesh. All worldly pleasures are either empty or foul;

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-28017954572195484962008-10-11T22:05:00.005+02:002009-02-25T14:58:40.049+01:00

1. There's no great hardship in doing without human comfort, so long as we have the comfort of God behind us; what is difficult—immensely so—is the ability to do without both, God's comfort and man's, the will to endure cheerfully having one's heart an outcast from happiness, to seek in nothing one's own profit and to have no regard for one's own merit. What is there to boast about if you feel

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-34987244465142214922008-10-11T21:55:00.007+02:002009-02-25T14:58:53.033+01:00

1. When Jesus is beside us, all goes well and nothing seems hard; when he has gone, everything is difficult. When Jesus does not speak within us, human comfort is of little avail; when he speaks but a single word, we feel greatly comforted. Think of Mary Magdalen; how quickly she got up from the place she was weeping in, when Martha told her, The Master is here and bids thee come.¹ What a joyful

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-63524329233171669012008-09-30T20:18:00.005+02:002009-02-25T14:59:05.641+01:00

1. It is a happy man that understands what is meant by loving Jesus and by despising oneself for his sake. You must renounce your other loves for the love of him, for Jesus desires to be loved alone more than all things else. When you love creatures, that love deceives you and never stays the same; when you love Jesus, your love is loyal and lasts. The man who clings to anything created will fall

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-4832951147321478822008-09-30T20:10:00.006+02:002009-02-25T14:59:16.070+01:00

1. There's only one kind of record a good Christian man thinks worth having, and that's the record of a clear conscience. With a clear conscience, you can be happy all the time, you can put up with any amount of ill treatment, and smile at any misfortune; it's the burdened conscience that is always full of alarms, never at rest. Nothing can disturb your calm, if your heart feels no twinge of

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-54771382041906604232008-09-30T20:05:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:59:23.630+01:00

1. We aren't in a position to count on ourselves much, because apart from a rare grace, we haven't enough perception; our faculty of insight is a very limited one, and is easily lost if we once get careless about it. Quite often we're unaware of our own blindness, and make a bad action worse by the dishonest excuses we offer for it — we lose our tempers, for example, and put it down to zeal, or

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-73785291781770652452008-09-21T21:31:00.004+02:002009-02-25T14:59:32.404+01:00

1. There are two wings that lift a man from the ground, singleness of heart and purity; the one regulates your intentions, the other your affections. The single-hearted man makes for God; the pure-minded man finds and enjoys him. No right course of action will have difficulties for you,¹ if only you're free in your own heart, free from ill-regulated desires. Such freedom will only come to you in

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-33182844005473963702008-09-16T14:28:00.003+02:002009-02-25T14:59:40.333+01:00

1. Peace in your own soul first of all, then you can think about making peace between other people. Peaceable folk do more good than learned folk do. When a man is at the mercy of his own feelings, he misinterprets the most innocent actions, always ready to believe the worst; whereas your peaceable man sees good everywhere; at peace in himself, he isn't suspicious of others. It's when you become

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-513673252877788092008-09-16T14:18:00.002+02:002009-02-25T14:59:51.328+01:00

1. Don't think it a matter of great importance whether So-and-so agrees with you or disagrees with you; act in such a way as to make sure, whatever you are doing, that God is on your side. As long as you have a clear conscience, God will keep you clear of harm; human malice can't touch you, if the divine aid is forthcoming. Not a doubt of it, if you will make up your mind to suffer in silence,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-24357059119799798082008-09-16T14:10:00.005+02:002009-02-25T15:00:00.806+01:00

1. God's kingdom lies within you, the Lord says.¹ You must turn to him, the Lord, with all your heart, and leave this wretched world behind you, if your soul is to find rest. Learn to despise this world of outward things, and devote yourself to what lies within; there, within you, you will see the coming of God's kingdom. That's what "God's kingdom" means—peacefulness and rejoicing in the Holy

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-2506045858377132962008-09-15T19:12:00.004+02:002009-02-25T15:00:10.157+01:00

1. On the deep reverence with which Christ is to be received2. On the great goodness and love shewn by God to man in this Sacrament3. On the advantage of frequent Communion4. On the many benefits accorded to those who communicate devoutly5. On the dignity of the Sacrament and on the priestly office6. The question of preparation for Communion7. On examining our conscience and making a purpose of

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-558492492863852142008-09-15T19:08:00.007+02:002009-02-25T15:03:00.216+01:00

1. On the way Christ speaks inwardly to the soul2. Truth speaks within us without the outward sound of words3. We should listen humbly to God's words; many people fail to understand them properly4. We should live humbly and without pretence in the sight of God5. On the wonderful effect of divine love 6. On the testing of a true lover7. On concealing grace and making humility its guardian8.

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-18226448624136854002008-09-15T19:03:00.008+02:002009-02-25T15:04:42.053+01:00

1. About living an interior life2. On submitting ourselves humbly to others3. On the character of a peaceable man4. On purity of mind, and singleness of purpose5. On self-criticism6. The satisfaction that comes from having a clear conscience7. On loving Jesus more than anything8. On having Jesus for a close friend9. On lacking all comfort10. On being thankful for God's grace11. On the fewness of

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-7633227821179637882008-09-15T17:44:00.004+02:002008-09-15T17:58:59.892+02:00

How many books are there whose titles you can clip till they only contain one effective word, and yet be understood by all educated people? The Apologia is one, there is Butler's Analogy, and Paley's Evidences, but you will not find many names to match them: nobody talks of the Anatomy of Melancholy as the Anatomy, or of the Origin of Species as the Origin. Such tests are tiny reflectors that

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-69895974083690528482008-09-15T17:39:00.004+02:002009-02-25T15:05:28.773+01:00

Monsignor Knox had for many years before his death made a practice of reading a daily chapter of The Imitation of Christ, and it was no matter for surprise that the hand which had given us a masterly new version of the Bible in English should stray towards that time-proved compendium of the spiritual life with which the years had made him increasingly familiar. He had for several years shown a

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-67295482211807295172008-09-15T17:28:00.005+02:002009-02-25T15:05:43.589+01:00

When I was asked to write a few lines about the reissue of the Knox-Oakley translation of The Imitation of Christ, which many consider the greatest spiritual classic after the Bible, my mind went back to a day almost sixty years ago. I was coming home from Saint Aloysius' school in Caldwell, New Jersey, a quiet suburban town. I had a little spare time and went into the public library. Because I

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-29206379739756615762008-09-15T11:31:00.005+02:002009-02-25T15:05:52.875+01:00

1. You have to watch carefully and work hard, if you are to serve God. Ask yourself, all the time, what you came here for; why it was that you left the world behind you. The idea was, surely, that you should live only for God, and become a man of prayer. Set your heart, then, on making progress; it will not be long before the reward of your labours is granted you—no fears, no regrets after that,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-18952852674021266612008-09-15T11:24:00.004+02:002009-02-25T15:06:04.259+01:00

1. At every turn of your life, keep the end in view; remember that you will have to stand before a strict Judge, who knows everything, who cannot be won over by gifts or talked round by excuses, who will give you your deserts. What sort of defence will you make before One who knows the worst that can be said against you—poor, sinful fool, so often panic-stricken when you meet with human

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-67107014210991882532008-09-14T15:21:00.004+02:002009-02-25T15:06:13.514+01:00

1. Your time here is short, very short; take another look at the way in which you spend it. Here man is today; tomorrow, he is lost to view; and once a man is out of sight, it's not long before he passes out of mind. How dull they are, how obdurate, these hearts of ours, always occupied with the present, instead of looking ahead to what lies before us! Every action of yours, every thought, should

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-49891911152540533952008-09-14T14:49:00.004+02:002009-02-25T15:06:22.545+01:00

1. Wretched you needs must be, wherever you are and wherever you turn, unless you turn to God. Why make all this to-do about thwarted wishes, and blighted hopes? Was there ever man that got his own way all the time? Of course not, neither you nor I nor anybody else in the world—everybody has some troubles, some difficulties to put up with, kings and Popes like the rest of us. And who comes off

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-75878156599211077972008-09-14T14:41:00.006+02:002009-02-25T15:06:31.044+01:00

1. If you want to make any progress, the fear of God must be always about you: don't expect to be wholly free from restraint. You will have to keep all your senses under control, instead of giving yourself up to thoughtless enjoyment. Indulge, rather, your heart's sorrow; that way lies devotion. A sorrowing heart is the key to so many blessings which a wasted hour can easily fritter away! It's

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1. You must find time somehow for cultivating your own society; God's mercies to you need a lot of thinking over. At such times, put your thirst for knowledge on one side; read so as to soften the heart, not so as to divert the mind. Must you be always gossiping, always going about aimlessly, picking up the latest rumours? If you can do without that, you will find plenty of suitable occasions for

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1. The life of a good monk must be full of gracious qualities; he ought to be, inwardly, what he looks like outwardly. And indeed, there should be much more in him than meets human eyes; it is really God who is watching us, so that we ought to be abashed by his presence. Should we not be pure as Angels, when we walk, like the Angels, in his sight?As each new day comes, we ought to renew our good

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-78850827307319489402008-09-13T11:51:00.003+02:002009-02-25T15:07:03.243+01:00

1. Look at our fathers in the old days, living masterpieces as they are and shining examples of true religion; and see how feeble our own achievement is, almost nothing. Heaven help us, what is our life in comparison with theirs? Holy people these, true friends of Christ, that could go hungry and thirsty in God's service; cold and ill-clad, worn out with labours and vigils and fasting, with

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-66174482680481724352008-09-13T11:43:00.003+02:002009-02-25T15:07:22.853+01:00

1. There is a great deal to be done by way of breaking yourself in, if you mean to preserve peace and harmony when you are living in community. To enter a monastery or a congregation, live there without reproach, and be true to your vocation till death—all that is a serious undertaking; no greater happiness than to live a holy life in a cell, and make a good end. But do you mean to hold your own,

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-82193305862237694192008-09-13T11:35:00.003+02:002009-02-25T15:07:39.561+01:00

1. There will always be faults in ourselves, faults in others, which defy correction; there is nothing for it but to put up with them, till God arranges things differently. After all, it may be the best possible way of testing your patience; and without patience a man's good qualities go for very little. At the same time, you do well to pray about such inconveniences; ask God in his mercy to help

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-30351831792418080262008-09-13T11:32:00.003+02:002009-02-25T15:07:54.669+01:00

1. Nothing in the world, no love of any human creature, ever justifies us in doing what is wrong; but there are times when a man well employed is free to put aside his task, or to employ himself better still, at the call of another's need. In that case, the good he planned does not come to nothing; it is transformed into something better.The performance of an action is worthless in itself, if it

Diananoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9097504048456664411.post-24400008976680583192008-09-13T11:27:00.003+02:002009-02-25T15:08:06.771+01:00

1. Watch your own step; be slow to criticize the doings of other people. When we criticize others, we get nothing for our pains; how often we make mistakes! How carelessly it can lead us into sin! Be your own critic; pull yourself to pieces; then you will have something to shew for your trouble. Again and again our judgement about a thing depends on the way our sympathies are engaged; a personal

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1. It's good for you to go through difficult times now and again, and to have your will thwarted; the effect is often to make a man think — make him realize that he is living in exile, and it is no use relying upon any earthly support. It's good for you sometimes to hear men's voices raised against you, and to find that you are making a bad impression, or at least a false impression, on others,

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