PARADOXICAL

Patience is the companion of wisdom. Saint Augustine

Too late came I to love thee, O thou Beauty so ancient and so fresh, yea too late came I to love thee. And behold, thou wert within me, and I out of myself, where I made search for thee: I ugly rushed headlong upon those beautiful things thou hast made. Thou indeed wert with me; but I was not with thee: these beauties kept me far enough from thee: even those, which unless they were in thee, should not be at all. - St. Aug.

Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His Love and the future to His Providence. - St. Augustine.

the goodness of God is the highest prayer, and it cometh to the lowest part of our need - julian of norwich

“He who labours as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands.” st bernard clairvaux

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it." ... Brother Lawrence

When the path that God points out goes north and south, and our stubborn will leads us east and west, the consequence is a cross – of our own making.

We cultivate a very small field for Christ, but we love it, knowing that God does not require great achievements but a heart that holds back nothing for self. -- St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

If we are true disciples and followers of Christ, and if we continue to forgive, to love, to be kind, we will not get much from this world. - from a priest via Malou

We possess all that we need just for today. - from a priest via Malou

God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand, you have failed. - St. Augustine

Man may have discovered light that shines for a moment, bu it takes an almighty God to create light that shines for a lifetime.

The sorest afflictions never appear intolerable, but when we see them in the wrong light: when we see them in the hand of God, Who dispenses them; when we know that it is our loving Father who abases and distresses us; our sufferings will lose their bitterness and become even a matter of consolation. - Brother Lawrence

All the best transformations are accompanied by pain. Personal growth comes in spasms. Three steps forward, two steps back, and then a long plateau when nothing seems to happen. But it’s important to realize that this dormant period seems to precede a growth spurt.

God, when He gives, is supremely good. Nor less when He denies: Afflictions, from His sovereign hand, are blessings in disguise. – Bro. Lawrence

Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ doesn't seek the glory of Christ. - St. John of the Cross

One person's faithfulness is another person's hope. HJMN

Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen.
G. K. Chesterton

I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.
G. K. Chesterton

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:45 PM 0 Comments

(All from Malou)

A sense of purpose is the best driving force to live. When you have a reason to live, you will never have a reason to quit.

Don't be tired of doing the will of God because nothing is ever wasted.

Destiny belnogs to those who believe in their God-given dreams and have the courage to pursue it.

Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you're done.

Lord, as we try to fully live the moment, experience the joy in it and feel your presence, may we never fail to appreciate that it is a fruit of waiting, truly a gift to be able to suffer. The present moment is ours. - St. Faustina Kowalska

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.

The more self-reflective we are, the more we see our imperfections and failures and inner aspirations, even when other people think we're ding very well. But we should not stop because this will lead us to a glow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our very best.

Acceptance is the long sigh of the soul. It's even the quiet tears. our task is to say a holy yes to the real things of life. It is what is meant to be right now.

What is most personal is also the most universal. - HJMN

Those who think that they have arrived have lost their way. -HJMN

Because we dare to take the journey and find meaning beyond meetings, rituals, and doctrines, we strive to learn to pray in silence and solitude.

In africa, to go on a safari -- Swahili word for journey -- is to leave the comfort and safety of civilization to venture into the wilderness. Each time you listen to the man without -- your authentic self -- you do the same.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns waht we have into enough and more. It makes sense of our past, brings joy and peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

The only way to God is suffering! - St. Rose of Lima

Life batters us. We suffer wounds which may be an open cut or a slow, silent hemorrhage of the soul. We may look great on the outside, but we feel firghtened and shattered in the inside. But we know that we have Someone who never fails to say, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Trust in me and do not be afraid.

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:15 AM 0 Comments

How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God. -St. Thomas Aquinas (via Malou)

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:51 AM 0 Comments

"To the servant of God . . . every place is the right place, and every time is the right time." - Letters of St. Catherine (via Malou)

"The influx of grace increases, as struggles increase." - St Rose of Lima (via Rollie)

Everything is grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love. Everything is grace because everything is God's gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events -- to the heart that loves, all is well. - St Therese of Liseux

"There is something in humility that strangely exalts the heart." Saint Augustine

"IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU SHOULD BE, YOU WILL SET THE WHOLE WORLD ON FIRE." "LET THE TRUTH BE YOUR DELIGHT.... PROCLAIM IT..., BUT WITH A CERTAIN CONGENIALITY." ~ St. Catherine of Siena

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:19 PM 0 Comments

Give God room to be God, the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving Father of—you! St. Leo the Great once wrote: “Majesty humbled itself, power became weak, and eternity mortal.” A man, Jesus, died because he was a man, but was free of death because he is God. The incomprehensible became comprehended; the eternal became finite; the Lord of the universe became servant to all creation. If God could manage that, he can handle the stuff in our lives!

From http://www.wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=3&day=31&year=2008&x=0&y=0

posted by Resty Odon  # 8:15 PM 0 Comments

“Oh, abyss of love! What heart can help breaking when it sees such dignity as yours descend to such lowliness as our humanity? We are your image, and you have become our image by making yourself one with us, veiling your eternal divinity. . . . Why? For love! You, O God, have become human, and we have become divine!” (Adapted from The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena)

posted by Resty Odon  # 8:12 PM 0 Comments