Category: Spiritual Writings
Sunday Quote: You Know My Soul, God
You know my soul. You know all that needs to be done there. Do it in Your own way. Draw me to You, O my God. Fill me with Pure Love of You alone. Make me never go aside from the way of Your Love. Show me clearly that way and never let me depart from it: that will be enough. I leave everything in your hands. You will guide me without error and without danger and I will love You all the way. I will belong to You. I will not be afraid of anything for I shall remain in Your hands and never leave You.
Thomas Merton, Dialogues with Silence: Prayers and Drawings (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 2001),45.
Sunday Quote: Spiritual Gluttony
As to the fourth vice, which is spiritual gluttony, there is much to say; for there is scarce one of these beginners who, however well he may proceed, falls not into somewhat of the many imperfections this vice gives rise to, by reason of the relish he finds, at first, in spiritual exercises. For many of these, spoilt by the favor and relish they find in such exercises, try rather to give pleasure to the spiritual palate than to acquire true purity and devotion, which is what God looks at and accepts during the entire spiritual journey.1
This makes sense. There is a connection between genuine spiritual disciplines and devotion to God. If one’s spirituality is characterized by experiences but results in lack of devotion and commitment to God, then to pursue such spirituality for the experiences is spiritual gluttony.
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1. St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul, trans. Gabriela Cunninghame Graham (New York: Barnes & Noble, 2005), 19. Italics mine. [Back]
Quote of the Day: Knowing Self in Knowing God
I believe we shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God, for, beholding His greatness we are struck by our own baseness, His purity shows our foulness, and by meditating on His humility we find how very far we are from being humble.
Two advantages are gained by this practice. First, it is clear that white looks far whiter when placed near something black, and on the contrary, black never looks so dark as when seen beside something white. Secondly, our understanding and will become more noble and capable of good in everyway when we turn from ourselves to God: it is very injurious never to raise our minds above the mire of our own faults.1
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1. St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, trans. Benedictines of Stanbrook (New York: Barnes & Noble, 2005), 12.
Sunday Quote: On the Poor and Unloved
. . . I do not think there can ever be a cure for the terrible sickness of feeling unloved.
None of us has the right to condemn anyone. Even when we see people doing bad and we don’t know why they do it. Jesus invites us not to pass judgment. Maybe we are the ones who have helped make them what they are. We need to realize that they are our brothers and sisters. . . .
Be kind, very kind, to the suffering poor. We little realize what they go through. The most difficult part is not being wanted.1
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1. Mother Teresa, No Greater Love (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2001), 44–45.
Sunday Quote: Traveling toward God
Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. In the quote below, he highlights well the already/not-yet tension as one travels toward God.
In one sense we are always traveling, and traveling as if we did not know where we are going.
In another sense we have already arrived.
We cannot arrive at the perfect possession of God in this life, and that is why we are traveling and in darkness. But we already possess Him by grace, and therefore, in that sense, we have arrived and are dwelling in the light.
But oh! How far have I to go to find You in Whom I have already arrived!1
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1. Thomas Merton, Dialogues with Silence (Prayers & Drawings), ed. Jonathan Montaldo (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), 13.
Sunday Quote: Prayer
Love to pray. Feel the need to pray often during the day. Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of Himself. Ask and seek and your heart will grow big enough to receive Him and keep Him as your own.1
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1. Mother Teresa, No Greater Love, ed. Becky Benenate and Joseph Durepos (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2001), 4.
