“Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again: for forgiveness has risen from the grave!”
SPIRITUALITY
Easter Octave: The Joy of the Resurrection
Throughout this eight-day period the faithful are able to reflect upon and renew their commitment to God. There are several ways to go about this. The faithful are called to reflect deeply on the Eucharist, the sacrament of the resurrection, made present in the Eucharist, and in participating in the Eucharist, the faithful are participating in the mystery of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
Fights are Necessary to Prove our Faith
As we approach then, dearly-beloved, the beginning of Lent, which is a time for the more careful serving of the Lord, because we are, as it were, entering on a kind of contest in good works, let us prepare our souls for fighting with temptations, and understand that the more zealous we are for our salvation, the more determined must be the assaults of our opponents.
Self-restraint Leads to Higher Enjoyments
Let us remember that we owe love first to God, secondly to our neighbour, and that all our affections must be so regulated as not to draw us away from the worship of God, or the benefiting our fellow slave.
Do Not Defer Your Conversion
Some defer this important affair of salvation to an indefinite future; others till the hour of death. Many allege that it is too difficult and arduous an undertaking. Many presume upon God’s mercy, persuading themselves that they can be saved by faith and hope without charity. Others, in fine, who are enslaved by the pleasures of the world, are unwilling to sacrifice them for the happiness which God promises.
What is Anxiety of Mind?
Anxiety of mind is not so much an abstract temptation, as the source whence various temptations arise. Sadness, when defined, is the mental grief we feel because of our involuntary ailments;—whether the evil be exterior, such as poverty, sickness or contempt; or interior, such as ignorance, dryness, depression or temptation. Directly that the soul is conscious of some such trouble, it is downcast, and so trouble sets in.
The Mouth That Lies Slays The Soul
Suppose a man should seek shelter with you who by your lie may be saved from death?
3 Types of Friendships According to St. Aelred of Rievaulx
Let one kind of friendship be called carnal, another worldly, and another spiritual. The carnal springs from mutual harmony in vice; the worldly is enkindled by the hope of gain; and the spiritual is cemented by similarity of life, morals, and pursuits among the just.