A Prayer in Spring
by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)
OH, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.
http://www.blackcatpoems.com/f/a_prayer_in_spring.html
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
J.I. Packer
“‘Sometimes a soul thinks or hopes that it may through grace be utterly freed from this troublesome inmate. Upon some sweet enjoyment of God, some full supply of grace, some return from wandering, some deep affliction, some thorough humiliation, the soul begins to hope that it shall now be freed from the law of sin. But after a while ... sin acts again, makes good its old station,’ and the fight has to be resumed. No one ‘gets out of Romans 7’ in this world.”J.I. Packer Theologian
“I nowadays think that the way to deal with temptation is at once to say no, and with that to ask the Lord for strength to keep saying no and actually to mortify — that is, do to death, squelch, and enervate — the sinful urge.”
"The unceasing activity of the Creator, whereby in overflowing bounty and goodwill, He upholds His creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory".
“I nowadays think that the way to deal with temptation is at once to say no, and with that to ask the Lord for strength to keep saying no and actually to mortify — that is, do to death, squelch, and enervate — the sinful urge.”
"The unceasing activity of the Creator, whereby in overflowing bounty and goodwill, He upholds His creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory".
Christ -our ultimate model
Certain portions of an article on penn lewis by Richard Fisher was very revealing.Truly bible tells of varied experiences by various people , no two saints in bible share the same experience
The emotional roller coaster of David in the Psalms may at times help us in our struggles but we cannot match David exactly, experience by experience, nor do we have to. No one is exactly like anyone else and that the Bible makes amply clear. Varied accounts of believers’ lives are given to us by God in Scripture to show His diversity with us. The vast variety in life and nature tell us the same thing.
Jesus, in John 21:17-23, rebuked Peter for making these kinds of carnal comparisons and stressed our individuality and individual calling. Though we may learn from others, we are not to be clones (1 Corinthians 12:4-12). Christ is our ultimate model (1 Peter 2:21-25).
The emotional roller coaster of David in the Psalms may at times help us in our struggles but we cannot match David exactly, experience by experience, nor do we have to. No one is exactly like anyone else and that the Bible makes amply clear. Varied accounts of believers’ lives are given to us by God in Scripture to show His diversity with us. The vast variety in life and nature tell us the same thing.
Jesus, in John 21:17-23, rebuked Peter for making these kinds of carnal comparisons and stressed our individuality and individual calling. Though we may learn from others, we are not to be clones (1 Corinthians 12:4-12). Christ is our ultimate model (1 Peter 2:21-25).
Monday, December 21, 2009
Saint Dominic-1170 – August 6, 1221
The founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers (OP).He preached against heresy.Soon his order spread throughout Spain and then to other parts of the World.Throughout his life, Dominic is said to have zealously practiced rigorous self-denial. He abstained from meat and observed stated fasts and periods of silence. He selected the worst accommodations and the meanest clothes, and never allowed himself the luxury of a bed. When traveling, he beguiled the journey with spiritual instruction and prayers. As soon as he passed the limits of towns and villages, he took off his shoes, and, however sharp the stones or thorns, he trudged on his way barefooted. Rain and other discomforts elicited from his lips nothing but praises to God.Death came at the age of fifty-one and found him exhausted with the austerities and labors of his eventful career. Before death he exhorted his followers to have charity, to guard their humility, and to make their treasure out of poverty. He died at noon on 6 August 1221.He was canonized in 1234 and is the patron saint of astronomers.His Feast day is celebrated on Aug. 8.
The Dominicans were founded as part of the mendicant movement: not monks tied to a monastery but called to go out into the world carrying the Gospel while retaining the roots of monastic prayer. In Dominican spirituality, common prayer and apostolic activity are mutually nourishing. Like the apostles who were sent out to preach but were also exhorted by Jesus to pray constantly, our preaching is a prayer, an encounter with God in the people with whom and to whom we preach, and our time spent in silence before God orients us more surely to our apostolic mission.http://curia.op.org/en/
The Dominicans were founded as part of the mendicant movement: not monks tied to a monastery but called to go out into the world carrying the Gospel while retaining the roots of monastic prayer. In Dominican spirituality, common prayer and apostolic activity are mutually nourishing. Like the apostles who were sent out to preach but were also exhorted by Jesus to pray constantly, our preaching is a prayer, an encounter with God in the people with whom and to whom we preach, and our time spent in silence before God orients us more surely to our apostolic mission.http://curia.op.org/en/
When I survey the wondrous cross
This hymn is written by Isaac Watts considered as father of English Hymnody.
Charles Wesley , a Methodist reformer, loved this hymn the most , more than all the hymns that he had written himself.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
[Added by the compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern]
To Christ, who won for sinners grace
By bitter grief and anguish sore,
Be praise from all the ransomed race
Forever and forevermore.
Charles Wesley , a Methodist reformer, loved this hymn the most , more than all the hymns that he had written himself.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
[Added by the compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern]
To Christ, who won for sinners grace
By bitter grief and anguish sore,
Be praise from all the ransomed race
Forever and forevermore.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Being in control
Worry enters in my mind, and before i realise , it has already begun a whirlwind.Past week had been full of many unexpected events, especially fathers sickness and pain.I found myself dragged to the feet of the Lord, pleading for relief and healing, i found myself praising Him for His many a favours and graces that i took for granted.Now sitting quietly , pondering over many things i realised the whirlwind that was forming.I reminded myself of the Lord being in control and the need for praise that is due to Him.
As the Lord teaches us not to worry about tomorrow in the bible, we need to ask for help to keep this habit in check.Following devotional excerpt by Charles swindoll, was found useful by me.
A healthy, happy life requires being in control of ourselves. To be punctual, we must control the use of our time. To be prepared and ready, we must be in control of our schedule. To be a good listener, our minds and tongue must be controlled. To get a project completed, our tendency to procrastinate must be under the firm control of our determination.
This means, then, that we need to be in firm control of ourselves . . . but not controlling of others. Our example? Christ, of course. He got the job done. Without wasted effort, personal panic, or extreme demands, He accomplished the objective. Right on schedule, He went to that cross. When He sighed, "It is finished," it was. Absolutely and completely.
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/Day_by_Day/
As the Lord teaches us not to worry about tomorrow in the bible, we need to ask for help to keep this habit in check.Following devotional excerpt by Charles swindoll, was found useful by me.
A healthy, happy life requires being in control of ourselves. To be punctual, we must control the use of our time. To be prepared and ready, we must be in control of our schedule. To be a good listener, our minds and tongue must be controlled. To get a project completed, our tendency to procrastinate must be under the firm control of our determination.
This means, then, that we need to be in firm control of ourselves . . . but not controlling of others. Our example? Christ, of course. He got the job done. Without wasted effort, personal panic, or extreme demands, He accomplished the objective. Right on schedule, He went to that cross. When He sighed, "It is finished," it was. Absolutely and completely.
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/Day_by_Day/
Dominique_Lapierre--City of Joy
Human dignity could flourish under what most people would think of as impossible conditions.Dominique_Lapierre
"Nowhere did I understand better what was life, with a big L, than in some of the most rotten places in Calcutta," ''When I arrived in Calcutta in 1981, I had no intention of writing anything,'' Mr. Lapierre said during a recent visit to New York. ''My wife and I adopted a home for 150 children of lepers in northern Calcutta. Mother Teresa took us to one of the slums in a small area that translates as City of Joy. The people live there on less than 10 cents a day. And yet I saw more joy, more compassion, more God-loving than anywhere in my 30 years as a writer. It was an inspiration.''So one day I went to a bookshop and bought 10 notebooks and 12 ball point pens and stayed in Calcutta for two years. I knew I had to tell this epic of hope and love and joy. Half the royalties from 'City of Joy' are going back to Calcutta in the form of mobile medical units and other aid to the gallant people working and living there.''
'The City of Joy'' is about suffering, sorrow, cruelty and deprivation; about practices so hideous as almost to suspend belief, though they are shockingly true. It is about filth, rags, wounds, disease, even leprosy. Repulsive words. Yet even more, the book is about other words that wonderfully leaven the whole: loyalty, kindness, tolerance, generosity, patience, endurance, acceptance, faith, even holiness. And it is about such love that we cannot pass by on the other side. In any case, it is too fascinating to allow us to do that."
Far more important than such quibbles, the book is, in a way, too overwhelming. It tells so much that the mind becomes numbed, as happens in a famine or cyclone - I have known both - when compassion ceases simply because the heart can take no more
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/03/books
"Nowhere did I understand better what was life, with a big L, than in some of the most rotten places in Calcutta," ''When I arrived in Calcutta in 1981, I had no intention of writing anything,'' Mr. Lapierre said during a recent visit to New York. ''My wife and I adopted a home for 150 children of lepers in northern Calcutta. Mother Teresa took us to one of the slums in a small area that translates as City of Joy. The people live there on less than 10 cents a day. And yet I saw more joy, more compassion, more God-loving than anywhere in my 30 years as a writer. It was an inspiration.''So one day I went to a bookshop and bought 10 notebooks and 12 ball point pens and stayed in Calcutta for two years. I knew I had to tell this epic of hope and love and joy. Half the royalties from 'City of Joy' are going back to Calcutta in the form of mobile medical units and other aid to the gallant people working and living there.''
'The City of Joy'' is about suffering, sorrow, cruelty and deprivation; about practices so hideous as almost to suspend belief, though they are shockingly true. It is about filth, rags, wounds, disease, even leprosy. Repulsive words. Yet even more, the book is about other words that wonderfully leaven the whole: loyalty, kindness, tolerance, generosity, patience, endurance, acceptance, faith, even holiness. And it is about such love that we cannot pass by on the other side. In any case, it is too fascinating to allow us to do that."
Far more important than such quibbles, the book is, in a way, too overwhelming. It tells so much that the mind becomes numbed, as happens in a famine or cyclone - I have known both - when compassion ceases simply because the heart can take no more
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/03/books
Friday, December 18, 2009
Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience.
I read this from the book on devout life by saint Francis de sales and the orderliness and the depth of meaning conveyed in it , made me to pause for few minutes .How many times have i really reflected upon the Lord's providence and protection.
Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience.
AS I have counseled you before your material dinner to make a spiritual repast in meditation, so before your evening meal you should make at least a devout spiritual collation. Make sure of some brief leisure before suppertime, and then prostrating yourself before God, and recollecting yourself in the Presence of Christ Crucified, setting Him before your mind with a stedfast inward glance, renew the warmth of your morning’s meditation by some hearty 86 aspirations and humble upliftings of your soul to your Blessed Saviour, either repeating those points of your meditation which helped you most, or kindling your heart with anything else you will.
As to the examination of conscience, which we all should make before going to bed, you know the rules:
1. Thank God for having preserved you through the day past.
2. Examine how you have conducted yourself through the day, in order to which recall where and with whom you have been, and what you have done.
3. If you have done anything good, offer thanks to God; if you have done amiss in thought, word, or deed, ask forgiveness of His Divine Majesty, resolving to confess the fault when opportunity offers, and to be diligent in doing better.
4. Then commend your body and soul, the Church, your relations and friends, to God. Ask that the Saints and Angels may keep watch over you, and with God’s Blessing go to the rest He has appointed for you. Neither this practice nor that of the morning should ever be omitted
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.iv.xi.html
Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience.
AS I have counseled you before your material dinner to make a spiritual repast in meditation, so before your evening meal you should make at least a devout spiritual collation. Make sure of some brief leisure before suppertime, and then prostrating yourself before God, and recollecting yourself in the Presence of Christ Crucified, setting Him before your mind with a stedfast inward glance, renew the warmth of your morning’s meditation by some hearty 86 aspirations and humble upliftings of your soul to your Blessed Saviour, either repeating those points of your meditation which helped you most, or kindling your heart with anything else you will.
As to the examination of conscience, which we all should make before going to bed, you know the rules:
1. Thank God for having preserved you through the day past.
2. Examine how you have conducted yourself through the day, in order to which recall where and with whom you have been, and what you have done.
3. If you have done anything good, offer thanks to God; if you have done amiss in thought, word, or deed, ask forgiveness of His Divine Majesty, resolving to confess the fault when opportunity offers, and to be diligent in doing better.
4. Then commend your body and soul, the Church, your relations and friends, to God. Ask that the Saints and Angels may keep watch over you, and with God’s Blessing go to the rest He has appointed for you. Neither this practice nor that of the morning should ever be omitted
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.iv.xi.html
Underhill, Evelyn (1875-1941)Practical Mysticism
All human personality was thus two-fold: thus capable of correspondence with two orders of existence. The “higher life” was always tending toward union with Reality; towards the gathering of itself up into One. The “lower life,” framed for correspondence with the outward world of multiplicity, was always tending to fall downwards, and fritter the powers of the self among external things. This is but a restatement, in terms of practical existence, of the fact which Recollection brought home to us: that the human self is transitional, neither angel nor animal, capable of living towards either Eternity or Time. But it is one thing to frame beautiful theories on these subjects: another when the unresolved dualism of your own personality (though you may not give it this high-sounding name) becomes the main fact of consciousness, perpetually reasserts itself as a vital problem, and refuses to take academic rank.
This state of things means the acute discomfort which ensues on being pulled two ways at once. The uneasy swaying of attention between two incompatible ideals, the alternating conviction that there is something wrong, perverse, poisonous, about life as you have always lived it, and something hopelessly ethereal about the life which your innermost inhabitant wants to live—these disagreeable sensations grow stronger and stronger. First one and then the other asserts itself. You fluctuate miserably between their attractions and their claims; and will have no peace until these claims have been met, and the apparent opposition between them resolved. You are sure now that there is another, more durable and more “reasonable,” life possible to the human consciousness than that on which it usually spends itself. But it is also clear to you that you must yourself be something more, or other, than you are now, if you are to achieve this life, dwell in it, and breathe its air. You have had in your brief spells of recollection a first quick vision of that plane of being which Augustine called “the land of peace,” the “beauty old and new.” You know for evermore that it exists: that the real thing within yourself belongs to it, might live in it, is being all the time invited and enticed to it. You begin, in fact, to feel and know in every fibre of your being the mystical need of “union with Reality”; and to realise that the natural scene which you have accepted so trustfully cannot provide the correspondences toward which you are stretching out.
This state of things means the acute discomfort which ensues on being pulled two ways at once. The uneasy swaying of attention between two incompatible ideals, the alternating conviction that there is something wrong, perverse, poisonous, about life as you have always lived it, and something hopelessly ethereal about the life which your innermost inhabitant wants to live—these disagreeable sensations grow stronger and stronger. First one and then the other asserts itself. You fluctuate miserably between their attractions and their claims; and will have no peace until these claims have been met, and the apparent opposition between them resolved. You are sure now that there is another, more durable and more “reasonable,” life possible to the human consciousness than that on which it usually spends itself. But it is also clear to you that you must yourself be something more, or other, than you are now, if you are to achieve this life, dwell in it, and breathe its air. You have had in your brief spells of recollection a first quick vision of that plane of being which Augustine called “the land of peace,” the “beauty old and new.” You know for evermore that it exists: that the real thing within yourself belongs to it, might live in it, is being all the time invited and enticed to it. You begin, in fact, to feel and know in every fibre of your being the mystical need of “union with Reality”; and to realise that the natural scene which you have accepted so trustfully cannot provide the correspondences toward which you are stretching out.
Saint Francis de Sales(1567 – 1622)
Is regarded as patron saints for deaf as he developed sign language to teach deaf man.Born into a noble family of France , he recieved best of education from best schools of his time.After a period of sickness and being bedridden he dedicated his life for the service of God.After studying Law and Theology , he decided to become a priest.He refused to marry the wealthy heiress his father had chosen for him.He chose life of love and service for the poor.
Excerpts from Introduction to the Devout Life
There are five shorter kinds of prayer, which are as aids and assistants to the great devotion, and foremost among these is your morning prayer, as a general preparation for all the day’s work. It should be made in this wise.
1. Thank God, and adore Him for His Grace which has kept you safely through the night, and if in anything you have offended against Him, ask forgiveness.
2. Call to mind that the day now beginning 84 is given you in order that you may work for Eternity, and make a stedfast resolution to use this day for that end.
3. Consider beforehand what occupations, duties and occasions are likely this day to enable you to serve God; what temptations to offend Him, either by vanity, anger, etc., may arise; and make a fervent resolution to use all means of serving Him and confirming your own piety; as also to avoid and resist whatever might hinder your salvation and God’s Glory. Nor is it enough to make such a resolution,—you must also prepare to carry it into effect. Thus, if you foresee having to meet some one who is hottempered and irritable, you must not merely resolve to guard your own temper, but you must consider by what gentle words to conciliate him. If you know you will see some sick person, consider how best to minister comfort to him, and so on.
4. Next, humble yourself before God, confessing that of yourself you could carry out nothing that you have planned, either in avoiding evil or seeking good. Then, so to say, take your heart in your hands, and offer it and all your good intentions to God’s Gracious Majesty, entreating Him to accept them, and strengthen you in His Service, which you may do in some such words as these: “Lord, I lay before Thee 85 my weak heart, which Thou dost fill with good desires. Thou knowest that I am unable to bring the same to good effect, unless Thou dost bless and prosper them, and therefore, O Loving Father, I entreat of Thee to help me by the Merits and Passion of Thy Dear Son, to Whose Honour I would devote this day and my whole life.”
All these acts should be made briefly and heartily, before you leave your room if possible, so that all the coming work of the day may be prospered with God’s blessing; but anyhow, my daughter, I entreat you never to omit them.
Excerpts from Introduction to the Devout Life
There are five shorter kinds of prayer, which are as aids and assistants to the great devotion, and foremost among these is your morning prayer, as a general preparation for all the day’s work. It should be made in this wise.
1. Thank God, and adore Him for His Grace which has kept you safely through the night, and if in anything you have offended against Him, ask forgiveness.
2. Call to mind that the day now beginning 84 is given you in order that you may work for Eternity, and make a stedfast resolution to use this day for that end.
3. Consider beforehand what occupations, duties and occasions are likely this day to enable you to serve God; what temptations to offend Him, either by vanity, anger, etc., may arise; and make a fervent resolution to use all means of serving Him and confirming your own piety; as also to avoid and resist whatever might hinder your salvation and God’s Glory. Nor is it enough to make such a resolution,—you must also prepare to carry it into effect. Thus, if you foresee having to meet some one who is hottempered and irritable, you must not merely resolve to guard your own temper, but you must consider by what gentle words to conciliate him. If you know you will see some sick person, consider how best to minister comfort to him, and so on.
4. Next, humble yourself before God, confessing that of yourself you could carry out nothing that you have planned, either in avoiding evil or seeking good. Then, so to say, take your heart in your hands, and offer it and all your good intentions to God’s Gracious Majesty, entreating Him to accept them, and strengthen you in His Service, which you may do in some such words as these: “Lord, I lay before Thee 85 my weak heart, which Thou dost fill with good desires. Thou knowest that I am unable to bring the same to good effect, unless Thou dost bless and prosper them, and therefore, O Loving Father, I entreat of Thee to help me by the Merits and Passion of Thy Dear Son, to Whose Honour I would devote this day and my whole life.”
All these acts should be made briefly and heartily, before you leave your room if possible, so that all the coming work of the day may be prospered with God’s blessing; but anyhow, my daughter, I entreat you never to omit them.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Evelyn Underhill(1875-1941)
Evelyn Underhill was known very famously for her work particularly on christian mysticism.One of the most widely read writers on areas of religion and philosophy.
Her best-known work, Mysticism, was published in 1911 and was received with much interest.
From the time of her conversion Evelyn Underhill's life consisted of various forms of religious work. She was fond of quoting St. Teresa's saying that "to give Our Lord a perfect service Martha and Mary must combine." Her mornings were given to writing and her afternoons to visiting the poor and to the direction of soul."
http://www.evelynunderhill.org/her_work/about_her_life.shtml
The practical man may justly observe at this point that the world of single vision is the only world he knows: that it appears to him to be real, solid, and self-consistent: and that until the existence—at least, the probability—of other planes of reality is made clear to him, all talk of uniting with them is mere moonshine, which confirms his opinion of mysticism as a game fit only for idle women and inferior poets.
Her best-known work, Mysticism, was published in 1911 and was received with much interest.
From the time of her conversion Evelyn Underhill's life consisted of various forms of religious work. She was fond of quoting St. Teresa's saying that "to give Our Lord a perfect service Martha and Mary must combine." Her mornings were given to writing and her afternoons to visiting the poor and to the direction of soul."
http://www.evelynunderhill.org/her_work/about_her_life.shtml
The practical man may justly observe at this point that the world of single vision is the only world he knows: that it appears to him to be real, solid, and self-consistent: and that until the existence—at least, the probability—of other planes of reality is made clear to him, all talk of uniting with them is mere moonshine, which confirms his opinion of mysticism as a game fit only for idle women and inferior poets.
Saint Basil
Saint Basil was the bishop of Caesarea (Turkey).He was a famous 4th century theologian known for setting standards for monastic life stressing on prayer and liturgy and for his care for poor and underprivileged. Born in an elite family he went to study law, but his life changed after he met Eustathius of Sebaste.
Saint Basil gave away his inheritance to serve the poor and strived to work for the reforming the underprivileged . Basil is considered as an important saint in the development of Christian monasticism.
directions for monastic discipline. “Let the superintendent exert discipline after the manner of a physician treating his patients. He is not angry with the sick, but fights with the disease, and sets himself to combat their bad symptoms. If need be, he must heal the sickness of the soul by severer treatment; for example, love of vain glory by the imposition of lowly tasks; foolish talking, by silence; immoderate sleep, by watching and prayer; idleness, by toil; gluttony, by fasting; murmuring, by seclusion, so that no brothers may work with the offender, nor admit him to participation in their works, till by his penitence that needeth not to be ashamed he appear to be rid of his complaint”
Daily work is as necessary as daily bread. The services of the day are thus marked out. The first movements of heart and mind ought to be consecrated to God. Therefore early in the morning nothing ought to be planned or purposed before we have been gladdened by the thought of God; as it is written, “I remembered God, and was gladdened;”552552 the body is not to be set to work before we have obeyed the command, “O Lord, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice; in the morning will I order my prayer unto thee.”553553 Ps. v. 3.
I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labors, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world. ”
Saint Basil gave away his inheritance to serve the poor and strived to work for the reforming the underprivileged . Basil is considered as an important saint in the development of Christian monasticism.
directions for monastic discipline. “Let the superintendent exert discipline after the manner of a physician treating his patients. He is not angry with the sick, but fights with the disease, and sets himself to combat their bad symptoms. If need be, he must heal the sickness of the soul by severer treatment; for example, love of vain glory by the imposition of lowly tasks; foolish talking, by silence; immoderate sleep, by watching and prayer; idleness, by toil; gluttony, by fasting; murmuring, by seclusion, so that no brothers may work with the offender, nor admit him to participation in their works, till by his penitence that needeth not to be ashamed he appear to be rid of his complaint”
Daily work is as necessary as daily bread. The services of the day are thus marked out. The first movements of heart and mind ought to be consecrated to God. Therefore early in the morning nothing ought to be planned or purposed before we have been gladdened by the thought of God; as it is written, “I remembered God, and was gladdened;”552552 the body is not to be set to work before we have obeyed the command, “O Lord, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice; in the morning will I order my prayer unto thee.”553553 Ps. v. 3.
I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labors, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world. ”
Fanny Crosby-a happy soul
Born blind, but never saw it as a handicap in her life.She believed her blindness to be a blessing from God.Was thoroughly raised in Christian Principles and had tremendous memory power from her childhood. A well known American hymn writer she wrote some of the famous hymns,which are a source of peace and comfort.
One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpcrosby.html
Oh what a happy soul I am,
Although I cannot see;
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don't;
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't."
One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpcrosby.html
Oh what a happy soul I am,
Although I cannot see;
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don't;
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't."
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
PRAYER AND PREACHING by Karl Barth
Our Father: thou who hast begotten us, brought us into being by thy Word and thy Spirit; thou who art our Father because thou hast created us, the Lord of the Covenant which thou hast been pleased to make with man, thou in whom and with whom our life began, and in whom it finds its completion.
May the radiance of God, manifested in Jesus Christ, in his life, his death, and his resurrection, shine upon us, on our whole life and on all things! May the secret of earthly life be revealed, that secret which has already been revealed though as yet we do not see it-hence the anxiety, the cares, the false ideas and the despairs in which we live! We do not understand, and we pray that it may be granted to us to see and understand.
Thou givest us our bread for the morrow, and thou givest it today. Thou art our faithful Creator, and never for one moment dost thou cease to be so. We are a people in the wilderness and yet encompassed by the splendours and riches of creation, by all thy creatures and by the covenant of grace which thou hast been pleased to establish between thyself and us. Thou desirest not our death, but our life.
Thou hast snatched us already from those jaws; thine be the glory! We need no longer be oppressed by the menace of the Evil One or go in fear of him. That is why we pray `lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One'. Be ever with us, 0 thou our true and faithful guide, to show us the right path and open it before our feet; thou art the victorious leader before whom the Evil One is no more than a witless and ludicrous goblin, a nothing.We know that without thee it would not be so.
Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is Himself the way
May the radiance of God, manifested in Jesus Christ, in his life, his death, and his resurrection, shine upon us, on our whole life and on all things! May the secret of earthly life be revealed, that secret which has already been revealed though as yet we do not see it-hence the anxiety, the cares, the false ideas and the despairs in which we live! We do not understand, and we pray that it may be granted to us to see and understand.
Thou givest us our bread for the morrow, and thou givest it today. Thou art our faithful Creator, and never for one moment dost thou cease to be so. We are a people in the wilderness and yet encompassed by the splendours and riches of creation, by all thy creatures and by the covenant of grace which thou hast been pleased to establish between thyself and us. Thou desirest not our death, but our life.
Thou hast snatched us already from those jaws; thine be the glory! We need no longer be oppressed by the menace of the Evil One or go in fear of him. That is why we pray `lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One'. Be ever with us, 0 thou our true and faithful guide, to show us the right path and open it before our feet; thou art the victorious leader before whom the Evil One is no more than a witless and ludicrous goblin, a nothing.We know that without thee it would not be so.
Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is Himself the way
Dietrich Bonhoeffer-entirely submissive to the will of God.
The camp doctor who witnessed Bonhoeffer's execution wrote: “I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer ... kneeling on the floor praying fervently to God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the few steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”
Born on feb 4th 1906 at Breslau, Germany to Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer, who came from a lineage of eminent German families.He was raised in a comfortable and intellectual family and from early age desired to become a theologian .He was a gifted pianist.His father was appointed as professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Berlin when Dietrich was six.They lived in huge comfortable house with several rooms, maids and governess to take care of the house.He was raised in secure family with musical evenings, parties and skits being played at their home.
Dietrich was a keen lover of nature.It was his many memories of Friedrichsbrunn that gave him consolation in the years at Prison.A prayerful person ,he often spent times of quietness and solitude to derive strength from the scriptures.
Later when Germany was invaded during world war 1, Dietrich began to think about death while hearing bullet sounds.He and his sister Sabine used to think about eternity during such times.
When the Nazi regime spread its wings, Bonhoeffer continued preaching from the bible and boldly preached his sermons quoting against the Nazi regime.When even German evangelical church supported Hitlers move as positive Christianity implying that unless God was acting through Hitler for the benefit and progress of the church, thus stating others to support him, Bonhoeffer continued planning against Hitler's regime .He arranged for sending a letter to the then new york Bishop stating the atrocities of the Nazi regime , knowing fully well the dangerous waters he is entering into.
His most quoted verse from bible concerning his bold speeches was from Proverbs-31:8"Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves"
Suggested reading:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian, Christian, Man for His Times: A Biography
By Eberhard Bethge
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Called by God
By Elizabeth Raum
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's organised underground Theological Seminary of the Confessing Church between 1935-37, a small group spending time in bible study and planning against the regime.
When upon his friends insistence to stay in US, he wrote to his friend
"I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period in our national history with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people... Christians in Germany will have to face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that Christian civilization may survive or willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying civilization. I know which of these alternatives I must choose but I cannot make that choice from security." [20] He returned to Germany on the last scheduled steamer to cross the Atlantic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonhoeffer
, Bonhoeffer was imprisoned at Tegel military prison while awaiting trial. In prison he continued the good work.
Bonhoeffer was executed in a brutal way by hanging at dawn on April 9, 1945, without a defense in Flossenbürg concentration camp,just three weeks before the Soviet capture of Berlin . Bonhoeffer was stripped of his clothing and led naked into the execution yard, where he was hanged with thin wire for strangulation.
Bonhoeffer is commemorated as martyr by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Church of England and the Church in Wales.He insisted that the church, like the Christians, "had to share in the sufferings of God at the hands of a godless world" if it were to be a true church of Christ.
"Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today is for costly grace."
Born on feb 4th 1906 at Breslau, Germany to Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer, who came from a lineage of eminent German families.He was raised in a comfortable and intellectual family and from early age desired to become a theologian .He was a gifted pianist.His father was appointed as professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Berlin when Dietrich was six.They lived in huge comfortable house with several rooms, maids and governess to take care of the house.He was raised in secure family with musical evenings, parties and skits being played at their home.
Dietrich was a keen lover of nature.It was his many memories of Friedrichsbrunn that gave him consolation in the years at Prison.A prayerful person ,he often spent times of quietness and solitude to derive strength from the scriptures.
Later when Germany was invaded during world war 1, Dietrich began to think about death while hearing bullet sounds.He and his sister Sabine used to think about eternity during such times.
When the Nazi regime spread its wings, Bonhoeffer continued preaching from the bible and boldly preached his sermons quoting against the Nazi regime.When even German evangelical church supported Hitlers move as positive Christianity implying that unless God was acting through Hitler for the benefit and progress of the church, thus stating others to support him, Bonhoeffer continued planning against Hitler's regime .He arranged for sending a letter to the then new york Bishop stating the atrocities of the Nazi regime , knowing fully well the dangerous waters he is entering into.
His most quoted verse from bible concerning his bold speeches was from Proverbs-31:8"Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves"
Suggested reading:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian, Christian, Man for His Times: A Biography
By Eberhard Bethge
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Called by God
By Elizabeth Raum
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's organised underground Theological Seminary of the Confessing Church between 1935-37, a small group spending time in bible study and planning against the regime.
When upon his friends insistence to stay in US, he wrote to his friend
"I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period in our national history with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people... Christians in Germany will have to face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that Christian civilization may survive or willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying civilization. I know which of these alternatives I must choose but I cannot make that choice from security." [20] He returned to Germany on the last scheduled steamer to cross the Atlantic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonhoeffer
, Bonhoeffer was imprisoned at Tegel military prison while awaiting trial. In prison he continued the good work.
Bonhoeffer was executed in a brutal way by hanging at dawn on April 9, 1945, without a defense in Flossenbürg concentration camp,just three weeks before the Soviet capture of Berlin . Bonhoeffer was stripped of his clothing and led naked into the execution yard, where he was hanged with thin wire for strangulation.
Bonhoeffer is commemorated as martyr by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Church of England and the Church in Wales.He insisted that the church, like the Christians, "had to share in the sufferings of God at the hands of a godless world" if it were to be a true church of Christ.
"Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today is for costly grace."
Monday, December 14, 2009
Isaac Watts
While you make the precepts of scripture the constant rule of your duty, you may with courage rest upon the promises of the scriptures as the springs of your encouragement. All divine assistances and divine recompenses are contained in them. The spirit of light and grace is promised to assist them that ask it. Heaven and glory arc promised to reward the faithful and the.obedient
concerns of your soul-Isaac Watts
Ever carry about with you such a sense of the uncertainty of every thing in this life, and of life itself, as to put nothing off till to-morrow, which you can conveniently do to-day.
Let the concerns of your soul and your shop, your trade and your religion, lie always in such order, as far as possible, that death, at a short warning, may be no occasion of a disquieting tumult in your spirit, and that you may escape the anguish of a bitter repentance in a dying hour. Farewell.
Let the concerns of your soul and your shop, your trade and your religion, lie always in such order, as far as possible, that death, at a short warning, may be no occasion of a disquieting tumult in your spirit, and that you may escape the anguish of a bitter repentance in a dying hour. Farewell.
Isaac Watts
VIII. Make prayer a pleasure and not a task, and then you will not forget nor omit it. If ever you have lived in a praying family, never let it be your fault if you do not live in one always. Believe that day, that hour, or those minutes, to be all wasted and lost, which any worldly pretences would tempt you to save out of the public worship of the church, the certain and constant duties of the closet, or any necessary services for God and godliness. Beware lest a blast attend it, and not a blessing. If God had not reserved one day in seven to himself, I fear religion would have been lost out of the •world; and every day of the week is exposed to a curse which has no morning religion.
[ocr errors][merged small]
IX. See that you watch and labor, as well as pray. Diligence and dependence must be united in the practice .•f every Christian. It is the same wise man acquaints us, that the hand of the diligent, and the blessing of the JLord, join together to make us rich, Prov. x. 4, 22, rich in the treasures of body or mind, of time or eternity.
, *
[ocr errors][merged small]
IX. See that you watch and labor, as well as pray. Diligence and dependence must be united in the practice .•f every Christian. It is the same wise man acquaints us, that the hand of the diligent, and the blessing of the JLord, join together to make us rich, Prov. x. 4, 22, rich in the treasures of body or mind, of time or eternity.
, *
Isaac Watts
II. Whatsoever your circumstances may b« in this world, still value your bible as yeur best treasure; and •whatsoever be your employment here, still look upen re.-> ligion as your best business. Your bible contains eternal life in it, and all tbe riches of the upper world; and religion is the only way to become a possessor of them.
- III. To direct your carriage towards God, converse particularly with the book of Psalms: David was a man of sincere and eminent devotion. To behave aright among men, acquaint yourself with the whole book of proverbs : Solomon was a man of large experience and wisdom. And to perfect your directions in both these, read the gospels and the epistles; you will find the best of rules and the best of examples there, and those more immediately suited to the Christian life.
IV. As a man, maintain strict temperance and sobriety, by a wise government of your appetites and passions: as a neighbour, influence and engage all around you to be your friends, by- a temper and carriage made up of prudence and goodness ; and let the poor have a certian share in all your yearly profits: as a trader, keep that golden sentence of our Saviour's ever before you, What*soever you would that men should do unto you, do you also unto them.
V. While you make the precepts of scripture the constant rule of your duty, you may with courage rest upon the promises of the scriptures as the springs of your encouragement. All divine assistances and divine recompenses are contained in them. The spirit of light and grace is promised to assist them that ask it. Heaven and glory arc promised to reward the faithful and the.obedient.
http://www.google.co.uk/books
- III. To direct your carriage towards God, converse particularly with the book of Psalms: David was a man of sincere and eminent devotion. To behave aright among men, acquaint yourself with the whole book of proverbs : Solomon was a man of large experience and wisdom. And to perfect your directions in both these, read the gospels and the epistles; you will find the best of rules and the best of examples there, and those more immediately suited to the Christian life.
IV. As a man, maintain strict temperance and sobriety, by a wise government of your appetites and passions: as a neighbour, influence and engage all around you to be your friends, by- a temper and carriage made up of prudence and goodness ; and let the poor have a certian share in all your yearly profits: as a trader, keep that golden sentence of our Saviour's ever before you, What*soever you would that men should do unto you, do you also unto them.
V. While you make the precepts of scripture the constant rule of your duty, you may with courage rest upon the promises of the scriptures as the springs of your encouragement. All divine assistances and divine recompenses are contained in them. The spirit of light and grace is promised to assist them that ask it. Heaven and glory arc promised to reward the faithful and the.obedient.
http://www.google.co.uk/books
when they crucified my Lord?
1. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
2. Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
3. Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
http://applesaucekids.com/Music/MuHymns/Hymns_W/
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
2. Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
3. Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
http://applesaucekids.com/Music/MuHymns/Hymns_W/
Friday, December 11, 2009
my portion and my cup
LORD, you have assigned me LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 (NIV) ; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 (NIV)
This has been a very assuring verse for me when years back i had been going through unstability and delay .Again while searching for a house in a new place, the Lord guided me thro' this verse.
How much security this promise offers to those who believe , to know that our Lord is in contrl of our lives.
This has been a very assuring verse for me when years back i had been going through unstability and delay .Again while searching for a house in a new place, the Lord guided me thro' this verse.
How much security this promise offers to those who believe , to know that our Lord is in contrl of our lives.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
My restless soul
"the will's desire is satisfied by the divine good alone as its last end."
St. Thomas in Summa contra Gentiles
You have made us, O Lord, for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. (Confessions of St. Augustine, 1)
We all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated. How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you. [3]St. Augustine
God alone satisfies and infinitely surpasses man’s desires, which therefore can never rest except in God.
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas in Summa contra Gentiles
You have made us, O Lord, for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. (Confessions of St. Augustine, 1)
We all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated. How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you. [3]St. Augustine
God alone satisfies and infinitely surpasses man’s desires, which therefore can never rest except in God.
St. Thomas Aquinas
The goal of this life
The goal of this life is twofold. One part we acquire, with the help of divine grace, through our efforts and virtuous works. This is to offer God a pure heart, free from all stain of actual sin. We do this when we are perfect and in Cherith, that is, hidden in that charity of which the Wise Man says: "Charity covers all sins " [Prov. 10:12]. God desired Elijah to advance thus far when he said to him: "Hide yourself by the brook Cherith " [1 Kgs. 17:3-4].
The other part of the goal of this life is granted us as the free gift of God: namely, to taste somewhat in the heart and to experience in the soul, not only after death but even in this mortal life, the intensity of the divine presence and the sweetness of the glory of heaven. This is to drink of the torrent of the love of God. God promised it to Elijah in the words: "You shall drink from the brook. "
- Felip Ribot, O.Carm., 13th century[2]
The other part of the goal of this life is granted us as the free gift of God: namely, to taste somewhat in the heart and to experience in the soul, not only after death but even in this mortal life, the intensity of the divine presence and the sweetness of the glory of heaven. This is to drink of the torrent of the love of God. God promised it to Elijah in the words: "You shall drink from the brook. "
- Felip Ribot, O.Carm., 13th century[2]
Whatever you do
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" Colossians 3:23-25).
It may be the mundane , dull routine of every day that puts me down or the unrewarding task whose importance is only seen by the Lord , let me find the presence of God in it.
Inspire me dear Lord
Inspire me,
"Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?"
For Brother Lawrence, "common business," no matter how mundane or routine, was the medium of God's love. The issue was not the sacredness or worldly status of the task but the motivation behind it. "Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God."
It may be the mundane , dull routine of every day that puts me down or the unrewarding task whose importance is only seen by the Lord , let me find the presence of God in it.
Inspire me dear Lord
Inspire me,
"Men invent means and methods of coming at God's love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?"
For Brother Lawrence, "common business," no matter how mundane or routine, was the medium of God's love. The issue was not the sacredness or worldly status of the task but the motivation behind it. "Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God."
God's leading
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Prov 3:5-6).
Circumstances in our lives may impact us in such a way that we may get tempted to think of the weight of past failures and as defense against the forthcoming failures we may think of some means to use our own wisdom rather than leaning on God.Many of our fear of failure are fears of past.Let us always lean on the bosom of our Lord Christ for He has our future secure in His hands and nothing can perturb His plans concerning us.
“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess”
“Faith is permitting ourselves to be seized by the things we do not see.”
Martin Luther quotes
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Circumstances in our lives may impact us in such a way that we may get tempted to think of the weight of past failures and as defense against the forthcoming failures we may think of some means to use our own wisdom rather than leaning on God.Many of our fear of failure are fears of past.Let us always lean on the bosom of our Lord Christ for He has our future secure in His hands and nothing can perturb His plans concerning us.
“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess”
“Faith is permitting ourselves to be seized by the things we do not see.”
Martin Luther quotes
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Hannah Senesh's poems
When i read about Hannah Senesh i was moved by her courage and integrity.I was inspired to know that a woman such a tender age as 22, so courageously marched forward into the German occupied Hungary in order to save the Jews who were to be sent to Auschwitz .She kept true to her calling, never reveled her missions when she was caught and tortured.She continued penning down lines and poems and kept singing in the ghetto where she was awaiting her trial.Truly a noble woman , a role model for youngsters.
My God, My God, I pray that these things never end,
The sand and the sea,
The rustle of the waters,
Lightning of the Heavens,
The prayer of Man.
The voice called, and I went.
I went, because the voice called.
One - two - three... eight feet long
Two strides across, the rest is dark...
Life is a fleeting question mark
One - two - three... maybe another week.
Or the next month may still find me here,
But death, I feel is very near.
I could have been 23 next July
I gambled on what mattered most, the dice were cast. I lost.
My God, My God, I pray that these things never end,
The sand and the sea,
The rustle of the waters,
Lightning of the Heavens,
The prayer of Man.
The voice called, and I went.
I went, because the voice called.
One - two - three... eight feet long
Two strides across, the rest is dark...
Life is a fleeting question mark
One - two - three... maybe another week.
Or the next month may still find me here,
But death, I feel is very near.
I could have been 23 next July
I gambled on what mattered most, the dice were cast. I lost.
Rudolf Höss and Holocaust
The first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, from 4 May 1940 to November 1943.Born into a strict Catholic family, raised on strict religious principles,turned against religion in his late teens.Höss formally renounced his membership in the Catholic Church in 1922 and joined the military after hearing Hitler's speech.
By his own admission in his autobiography Höss said that he disliked the corporal punishment carried out by the guards of the camps on the prisoners (he avoided them as much as he could), but when he saw his first execution it did not affect him as the corporal punishment had. In his autobiography, he could not explain why that was.
At the time when he was Blockführer Höss said that, because of the people he had met and the things he had experienced, he regretted leaving the chosen path that his parents had mapped out for him in the church
Höss wrote his autobiography while awaiting execution; it was published in 1958 as Kommandant in Auschwitz; autobiographische Aufzeichnungen[16] and later as Death Dealer: the Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz (among other editions).
Four days before he was hanged, Höss sent a message to the state prosecutor, including these comments:
“ My conscience compels me to make the following declaration. In the solitude of my prison cell I have come to the bitter recognition that I have sinned gravely against humanity. As Commandant of Auschwitz I was responsible for carrying out part of the cruel plans of the 'Third Reich' for human destruction. In so doing I have inflicted terrible wounds on humanity. I caused unspeakable suffering for the Polish people in particular. I am to pay for this with my life. May the Lord God forgive one day what I have done
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_H%C3%B6%C3%9F
By his own admission in his autobiography Höss said that he disliked the corporal punishment carried out by the guards of the camps on the prisoners (he avoided them as much as he could), but when he saw his first execution it did not affect him as the corporal punishment had. In his autobiography, he could not explain why that was.
At the time when he was Blockführer Höss said that, because of the people he had met and the things he had experienced, he regretted leaving the chosen path that his parents had mapped out for him in the church
Höss wrote his autobiography while awaiting execution; it was published in 1958 as Kommandant in Auschwitz; autobiographische Aufzeichnungen[16] and later as Death Dealer: the Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz (among other editions).
Four days before he was hanged, Höss sent a message to the state prosecutor, including these comments:
“ My conscience compels me to make the following declaration. In the solitude of my prison cell I have come to the bitter recognition that I have sinned gravely against humanity. As Commandant of Auschwitz I was responsible for carrying out part of the cruel plans of the 'Third Reich' for human destruction. In so doing I have inflicted terrible wounds on humanity. I caused unspeakable suffering for the Polish people in particular. I am to pay for this with my life. May the Lord God forgive one day what I have done
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_H%C3%B6%C3%9F
The Holocaust-excerpts of victory of the human spirit.
In every ghetto, in every deportation train, in every labor camp, even in the death camps, the will to resist was strong, and took many forms. Fighting with the few weapons that would be found, individual acts of defiance and protest, the courage of obtaining food and water under the threat of death, the superiority of refusing to allow the Germans their final wish to gloat over panic and despair. Even passivity was a form of resistance. To die with dignity was a form of resistance. To resist the demoralizing, brutalizing force of evil, to refuse to be reduced to the level of animals, to live through the torment, to outlive the tormentors, these too were acts of resistance. Merely to give a witness of these events in testimony was, in the end, a contribution to victory. Simply to survive was a victory of the human spirit."
– Martin Gilbert. The Holocaust: The Jewish Tragedy.
– Martin Gilbert. The Holocaust: The Jewish Tragedy.
Monday, December 7, 2009
William Wordsworth Quotes
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.
I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more.
Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future.
That best portion of a man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love
The child is father of the man.
The flower that smells the sweetest is shy and lowly.
I listened, motionless and still; And, as I mounted up the hill, The music in my heart I bore, Long after it was heard no more.
Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future.
That best portion of a man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love
The child is father of the man.
The flower that smells the sweetest is shy and lowly.
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)
A romantic poet of england who focussed more on nature , children and layman in his poems.
Along with coleridge he brought in the romantic era in english poetry.He developed his love for nature from her sister Dorothy to whom he was very closely bonded.Being raised up in a place called Lake district , he was attracted towards nature.Wordsworth's main works were done between 1797 and 1808.Later he moved on to works having a bend towards autobiographical touch.
"Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge; it is the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all Science." (from Lyrical Ballads, 2nd ed., 1800)
His definition of poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings arising from emotion recollected in tranquillity" was shared by a number of his followers.
A romantic poet of england who focussed more on nature , children and layman in his poems.
Along with coleridge he brought in the romantic era in english poetry.He developed his love for nature from her sister Dorothy to whom he was very closely bonded.Being raised up in a place called Lake district , he was attracted towards nature.Wordsworth's main works were done between 1797 and 1808.Later he moved on to works having a bend towards autobiographical touch.
"Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge; it is the impassioned expression which is in the countenance of all Science." (from Lyrical Ballads, 2nd ed., 1800)
His definition of poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings arising from emotion recollected in tranquillity" was shared by a number of his followers.
Identity in Christ
The following text from daily parenting devotional impressed me a lot.I myself have struggled with the identity issue. As explained down , the tags and labels that we often carry with ourselves distract us from focusing on what the Lord would want out of us, it rather makes us to give priority to others opinion about ourselves.
Matt. 19:16, 21-22: Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"... Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth (NIV).
Like the rich man, sometimes we find ourselves chasing after the validation that comes from worldly identities-the competent businessman, the skilled athlete, the organized housewife, even the committed Christian. After we have kids, being the parent of successful children is often added to the list. But focusing on these goals will cause us to become dependent on the opinions of people and less dependent on God. Success or failure in the world's eyes can turn on a dime. God wants us to surrender all of these for complete dependence on Him.
What is your identity?
http://parentingbydesign.com
Matt. 19:16, 21-22: Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"... Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth (NIV).
Like the rich man, sometimes we find ourselves chasing after the validation that comes from worldly identities-the competent businessman, the skilled athlete, the organized housewife, even the committed Christian. After we have kids, being the parent of successful children is often added to the list. But focusing on these goals will cause us to become dependent on the opinions of people and less dependent on God. Success or failure in the world's eyes can turn on a dime. God wants us to surrender all of these for complete dependence on Him.
What is your identity?
http://parentingbydesign.com
Sunday, December 6, 2009
John of the Cross ,Dark Night of the Soul
Dark Night of the Soul
When, therefore, the four passions of the soul—which are joy, grief, hope and fear—are calmed through continual mortification; when the natural desires have been lulled to sleep, in the sensual nature of the soul, by means of habitual times of aridity; and when the harmony of the senses and the interior faculties causes a suspension of labour and a cessation from the work of meditation, as we have said (which is the dwelling and the household of the lower part of the soul), these enemies cannot obstruct this spiritual liberty, and the house remains at rest and quiet, as says the following line:
My house being now at rest.
WHEN this house of sensuality was now at rest—that is, was mortified—its passions being quenched and its desires put to rest and lulled to sleep by means of this blessed night of the purgation of sense, the soul went forth, to set out upon the road and way of the spirit, which is that of progressives and proficients, and which, by another name, is called the way of illumination or of infused contemplation, wherein God Himself feeds and refreshes the soul, without meditation, or the soul’s active help. Such, as we have said, is the night and purgation of sense in the soul.
When, therefore, the four passions of the soul—which are joy, grief, hope and fear—are calmed through continual mortification; when the natural desires have been lulled to sleep, in the sensual nature of the soul, by means of habitual times of aridity; and when the harmony of the senses and the interior faculties causes a suspension of labour and a cessation from the work of meditation, as we have said (which is the dwelling and the household of the lower part of the soul), these enemies cannot obstruct this spiritual liberty, and the house remains at rest and quiet, as says the following line:
My house being now at rest.
WHEN this house of sensuality was now at rest—that is, was mortified—its passions being quenched and its desires put to rest and lulled to sleep by means of this blessed night of the purgation of sense, the soul went forth, to set out upon the road and way of the spirit, which is that of progressives and proficients, and which, by another name, is called the way of illumination or of infused contemplation, wherein God Himself feeds and refreshes the soul, without meditation, or the soul’s active help. Such, as we have said, is the night and purgation of sense in the soul.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Scripture
"Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle" (Ps 144:1).
marriage
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.
John Ruskin
New love is the brightest, and long love is the greatest; but revived love is the tenderest thing known on earth.
Thomas Hardy
Love is a feeling, Marriage is a contract, and a Relationship is work.
Lori Gordon
All those "and they lived happily ever after" fairy tale endings need to be changed to 'and they began the very hard work of making their marriages happy.
Linda Miles
To get divorced because love has died, is like selling your car because it's run out of gas.
Diane Sollee
Be presidents of each other's fan clubs.
Tony Heath
Love is a four-letter word spelled T-I-M-E.
Unknown
Marriage is a career, which brings about more benefits than many others.
Simone de Beauvoir
John Ruskin
New love is the brightest, and long love is the greatest; but revived love is the tenderest thing known on earth.
Thomas Hardy
Love is a feeling, Marriage is a contract, and a Relationship is work.
Lori Gordon
All those "and they lived happily ever after" fairy tale endings need to be changed to 'and they began the very hard work of making their marriages happy.
Linda Miles
To get divorced because love has died, is like selling your car because it's run out of gas.
Diane Sollee
Be presidents of each other's fan clubs.
Tony Heath
Love is a four-letter word spelled T-I-M-E.
Unknown
Marriage is a career, which brings about more benefits than many others.
Simone de Beauvoir
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
florence nightingale
Women never have a half-hour in all their lives (excepting before or after anybody is up in the house) that they can call their own, without fear of offending or of hurting someone. Why do people sit up so late, or, more rarely, get up so early? Not because the day is not long enough, but because they have 'no time in the day to themselves.' [1852]
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/qu_nightingale.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/qu_nightingale.htm
life quotes
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. -- Anonymous
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. -- Danny Kaye
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.-- Abraham Lincoln
Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever...-- Isak Dinesen
http://www.indianchild.com/quotations_on_life.htm
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. -- Danny Kaye
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.-- Abraham Lincoln
Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever...-- Isak Dinesen
http://www.indianchild.com/quotations_on_life.htm
Monday, November 30, 2009
Forgiveness and patience
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde
Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
Cherie Carter-Scott, "If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules"
If you haven't forgiven yourself something, how can you forgive others?
Dolores Huerta
Forgiveness is almost a selfish act because of its immense benefits to the one who forgives. Lawana Blackwell, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, 1999
The hatred you're carrying is a live coal in your heart - far more damaging to yourself than to them. Lawana Blackwell, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, 1999
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)
Life is an adventure in forgiveness. Norman Cousins (1915 - 1990)
The vexation, restlessness, and impatience which small trials cause, arise wholly from our ignorance and want of self-control. We may be thwarted and troubled, it is true, but these things put us into a condition for exercising patience and meek submission, and the self-abnegation wherein alone the fulness of God is to be found.
DE RENTY.
Every day deny yourself some satisfaction;--bearing all the inconveniences of life (for the love of God), cold, hunger, restless nights, ill health, unwelcome news, the faults of servants, contempt, ingratitude of friends, malice of enemies, calumnies, our own failings, lowness of spirits, the struggle in overcoming our corruptions;--bearing all these with patience and resignation to the will of God. Do all this as unto God, with the greatest privacy.
THOMAS WILSON
Oscar Wilde
Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
Cherie Carter-Scott, "If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules"
If you haven't forgiven yourself something, how can you forgive others?
Dolores Huerta
Forgiveness is almost a selfish act because of its immense benefits to the one who forgives. Lawana Blackwell, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, 1999
The hatred you're carrying is a live coal in your heart - far more damaging to yourself than to them. Lawana Blackwell, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, 1999
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)
Life is an adventure in forgiveness. Norman Cousins (1915 - 1990)
The vexation, restlessness, and impatience which small trials cause, arise wholly from our ignorance and want of self-control. We may be thwarted and troubled, it is true, but these things put us into a condition for exercising patience and meek submission, and the self-abnegation wherein alone the fulness of God is to be found.
DE RENTY.
Every day deny yourself some satisfaction;--bearing all the inconveniences of life (for the love of God), cold, hunger, restless nights, ill health, unwelcome news, the faults of servants, contempt, ingratitude of friends, malice of enemies, calumnies, our own failings, lowness of spirits, the struggle in overcoming our corruptions;--bearing all these with patience and resignation to the will of God. Do all this as unto God, with the greatest privacy.
THOMAS WILSON
Scripture and prayer
"Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands? Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house" (Mark 6.3, 4).
"Jesus Christ carries on intercession for us in heaven; the Holy Ghost carries on intercession in us on earth; and we the saints have to carry on intercession for all men."Oswald Chambers
"An angelic life, spent between ascending in prayer to fetch blessings from above, and descending to scatter them among men."
Author:Robert Leighton
"A man may lose the good things of this life against his will; but if he loses the eternal blessings, he does so with his own consent."
http://christianquotes.org/search/quick
"God's children have a limitless supply of the fruit of the Spirit." DR. HENRY BRANDT
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/quotes/quotes-life.htm
"Jesus Christ carries on intercession for us in heaven; the Holy Ghost carries on intercession in us on earth; and we the saints have to carry on intercession for all men."Oswald Chambers
"An angelic life, spent between ascending in prayer to fetch blessings from above, and descending to scatter them among men."
Author:Robert Leighton
"A man may lose the good things of this life against his will; but if he loses the eternal blessings, he does so with his own consent."
http://christianquotes.org/search/quick
"God's children have a limitless supply of the fruit of the Spirit." DR. HENRY BRANDT
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/quotes/quotes-life.htm
Peter Lombard
It has indeed been said above and shown by sacred authorities,2 that the Holy Spirit is the Love [amor] of the Father and the Son, by which They love [amant] one another and us. Moreover, it must be added to these, that the very same Holy Spirit is the Love or Charity, by which we love [diligimus] God and neighbor. When this Charity is so great in us, that it makes us love God and neighbor, the Holy Spirit is then said to be sent and/or to be given3 to us; and he who loves the very love [dilectionem], by which he loves (his) neighbor, in this very (thing) loves God, because Love itself is God,4 that is, the Holy Spirit.
From the aforesaid it grows clear, that the Holy Spirit is the Charity, whereby we love God and neighbor; whence it is more easy for us to show, in what manner the Holy Spirit is sent or given to us.
Master Peter Lombard
Archbishop of Paris
The Four Books of Sentences
LIBER PRIMUS SENTENTIARUM.
THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SENTENCES
http://www.franciscan-archive.org/lombardus/opera/ls1-17.html
Peter Lombard or Petrus Lombardus; (c. 1100 — July 20, 1160 in Paris) was a scholastic theologian and bishop and author of Four Books of Sentences, which became the standard textbook of theology, for which he is also known as Magister Sententiarum.Peter Lombard was born in Lumellogno[1] (then a rural commune, now a quartiere of Novara, Piedmont), to a poor family.[2] His date of birth was likely between 1095 and 1100.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lombard
From the aforesaid it grows clear, that the Holy Spirit is the Charity, whereby we love God and neighbor; whence it is more easy for us to show, in what manner the Holy Spirit is sent or given to us.
Master Peter Lombard
Archbishop of Paris
The Four Books of Sentences
LIBER PRIMUS SENTENTIARUM.
THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SENTENCES
http://www.franciscan-archive.org/lombardus/opera/ls1-17.html
Peter Lombard or Petrus Lombardus; (c. 1100 — July 20, 1160 in Paris) was a scholastic theologian and bishop and author of Four Books of Sentences, which became the standard textbook of theology, for which he is also known as Magister Sententiarum.Peter Lombard was born in Lumellogno[1] (then a rural commune, now a quartiere of Novara, Piedmont), to a poor family.[2] His date of birth was likely between 1095 and 1100.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lombard
St._Thomas_Aquinas
Any habit which is invariably the principle of a good action may therefore be called a human virtue. Now formed faith is such a habit. Two things are necessary, however, if the act of belief is to be perfect, since it is the act wherein the intellect finally gives its assent at the command of the will. The intellect must be infallibly directed to its object, which is the truth, and the will must be infallibly directed to the ultimate 272end, for the sake of which assent is finally given. Now both of these conditions are fulfilled in the act of formed faith. It is of the very nature of faith that the intellect should be in the way of truth at all times, since faith cannot believe what is false, as we said in Q. i, Art. 3. The will of the soul is likewise infallibly directed to the ultimate good by charity, which brings faith to its form. Formed faith is therefore a virtue.
St._Thomas_Aquinas
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/nature_grace.ix.i.iv.v.html
Aquinas was born c. 1225 out of his father Count Landulf of Aquino's castle of Roccasecca in the Kingdom of Sicily, in the present-day Lazio. Through his mother, Theodora Countess of Theate, Aquinas was related to the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Holy Roman emperors.Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P. (also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino; born ca. 1225; died 7 March 1274) was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Order, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis.Aquinas is held in the Catholic Church to be the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood.[1] The works for which he is best-known are the Summa Theologica and the Summa Contra Gentiles.
Goal of human life
In Aquinas's thought, the goal of human existence is union and eternal fellowship with God. Specifically, this goal is achieved through the beatific vision, an event in which a person experiences perfect, unending happiness by seeing the very essence of God. This vision, which occurs after death, is a gift from God given to those who have experienced salvation and redemption through Christ while living on earth.
This ultimate goal carries implications for one's present life on earth. Aquinas stated that an individual's will must be ordered toward right things, such as charity, peace, and holiness. He sees this as the way to happiness. Aquinas orders his treatment of the moral life around the idea of happiness. The relationship between will and goal is antecedent in nature "because rectitude of the will consists in being duly ordered to the last end [that is, the beatific vision]."
Those who truly seek to understand and see God will necessarily love what God loves. Such love requires morality and bears fruit in everyday human choices.
The purpose of Christ's Incarnation was to restore human nature by removing "the contamination of sin", which humans cannot do by themselves. "Divine Wisdom judged it fitting that God should become man, so that thus one and the same person would be able both to restore man and to offer satisfaction."[70] Aquinas argued in favor of the satisfaction view of atonement; that is, that Jesus Christ died "to satisfy for the whole human race, which was sentenced to die on account of sin."[71]
"that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act." However, he believed that human beings have the natural capacity to know many things without special divine revelation, even though such revelation occurs from time to time, "especially in regard to [topics of] faith."
Fifty years after the death of Aquinas, Pope John XXII, seated in Avignon, pronounced Thomas a saint.[44] Aquinas' theology had begun its rise to prestige. Two centuries later, in 1567, Pope Pius V ranked the festival of St. Thomas Aquinas with those of the four great Latin fathers: Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, Jerome, and Gregory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Aquinas
St._Thomas_Aquinas
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/nature_grace.ix.i.iv.v.html
Aquinas was born c. 1225 out of his father Count Landulf of Aquino's castle of Roccasecca in the Kingdom of Sicily, in the present-day Lazio. Through his mother, Theodora Countess of Theate, Aquinas was related to the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Holy Roman emperors.Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P. (also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino; born ca. 1225; died 7 March 1274) was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Order, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis.Aquinas is held in the Catholic Church to be the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood.[1] The works for which he is best-known are the Summa Theologica and the Summa Contra Gentiles.
Goal of human life
In Aquinas's thought, the goal of human existence is union and eternal fellowship with God. Specifically, this goal is achieved through the beatific vision, an event in which a person experiences perfect, unending happiness by seeing the very essence of God. This vision, which occurs after death, is a gift from God given to those who have experienced salvation and redemption through Christ while living on earth.
This ultimate goal carries implications for one's present life on earth. Aquinas stated that an individual's will must be ordered toward right things, such as charity, peace, and holiness. He sees this as the way to happiness. Aquinas orders his treatment of the moral life around the idea of happiness. The relationship between will and goal is antecedent in nature "because rectitude of the will consists in being duly ordered to the last end [that is, the beatific vision]."
Those who truly seek to understand and see God will necessarily love what God loves. Such love requires morality and bears fruit in everyday human choices.
The purpose of Christ's Incarnation was to restore human nature by removing "the contamination of sin", which humans cannot do by themselves. "Divine Wisdom judged it fitting that God should become man, so that thus one and the same person would be able both to restore man and to offer satisfaction."[70] Aquinas argued in favor of the satisfaction view of atonement; that is, that Jesus Christ died "to satisfy for the whole human race, which was sentenced to die on account of sin."[71]
"that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act." However, he believed that human beings have the natural capacity to know many things without special divine revelation, even though such revelation occurs from time to time, "especially in regard to [topics of] faith."
Fifty years after the death of Aquinas, Pope John XXII, seated in Avignon, pronounced Thomas a saint.[44] Aquinas' theology had begun its rise to prestige. Two centuries later, in 1567, Pope Pius V ranked the festival of St. Thomas Aquinas with those of the four great Latin fathers: Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, Jerome, and Gregory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Thomas_Aquinas
Ignatius of Antioch
St. Ignatius is one of the Apostolic Fathers (the earliest authoritative group of the Church Fathers). (ca. 35 or 50-between 98 and 117).He based his authority on being a bishop of the Church, living his life in the imitation of Christ.St. Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch after Saint Peter and St. Evodius (who died around AD 67)En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early Christian theology.He was sentenced to die in the Colosseum, to be eaten by lions,His body lies entombed under St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
St. Ignatius stressed the value of the Eucharist, calling it a "medicine of immortality" (Ignatius to the Ephesians 20:2). The very strong desire for bloody martyrdom in the arena, which Ignatius expresses rather graphically in places, may seem quite odd to the modern reader. An examination of his theology shows that he regarded salvation as one being free from the powerful fear of death and thus to bravely face martyrdom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_Antioch
Return their bad temper with gentleness; their boasts with humility; their abuse with prayer. In the face of their error, be "steadfast in the faith". Return their violence with mildness and do not be intent on getting your own back.
http://www.ntcanon.org/Ignatius.shtml
St. Ignatius stressed the value of the Eucharist, calling it a "medicine of immortality" (Ignatius to the Ephesians 20:2). The very strong desire for bloody martyrdom in the arena, which Ignatius expresses rather graphically in places, may seem quite odd to the modern reader. An examination of his theology shows that he regarded salvation as one being free from the powerful fear of death and thus to bravely face martyrdom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_Antioch
Return their bad temper with gentleness; their boasts with humility; their abuse with prayer. In the face of their error, be "steadfast in the faith". Return their violence with mildness and do not be intent on getting your own back.
http://www.ntcanon.org/Ignatius.shtml
Hildegard of Bingen
“The mystery of God hugs you in its all-encompassing arms."-
- Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard on her own Writings
"But although I heard and saw these things, because of doubt and low opinion of myself and because of diverse sayings of men, I refused for a long time a call to write, not out of stubbornness but out of humility, until weighed down by a scourge of god, I fell onto a bed of sickness."
- Hildegard of Bingen
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/christian/hild/hildp
- Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard on her own Writings
"But although I heard and saw these things, because of doubt and low opinion of myself and because of diverse sayings of men, I refused for a long time a call to write, not out of stubbornness but out of humility, until weighed down by a scourge of god, I fell onto a bed of sickness."
- Hildegard of Bingen
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/christian/hild/hildp
Christian Mystics and poets include:
Christian Mystics and poets include:
*
Selections from the Gospels
*
Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179)
*
St Francis of Asissi (1182 - 1226)
*
Mechthild of Magdeburg (1210 - 1282)
*
St Thomas of Aquinas (1225 -
*
Meister Eckhart (1260 -
*
Julian of Norwich (1342 - 1416)
*
St Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380)
*
St Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)
*
St John of the Cross (1542 - 1591)
*
Angelus Silesius (1624 - 1677)
*
Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
*
St Teresa of Lisieux (1873 - 1897)
*
Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968)
*
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)
*
Pope John Paul II (1920 -2005)
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/christian/
*
Selections from the Gospels
*
Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179)
*
St Francis of Asissi (1182 - 1226)
*
Mechthild of Magdeburg (1210 - 1282)
*
St Thomas of Aquinas (1225 -
*
Meister Eckhart (1260 -
*
Julian of Norwich (1342 - 1416)
*
St Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380)
*
St Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)
*
St John of the Cross (1542 - 1591)
*
Angelus Silesius (1624 - 1677)
*
Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
*
St Teresa of Lisieux (1873 - 1897)
*
Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968)
*
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)
*
Pope John Paul II (1920 -2005)
http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/christian/
St. Teresa of Avila.
"Whatever thou doest, offer it up to God and pray it may be for His honor
and glory."
-- St. Teresa of Avila.
Saint Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, March 28, 1515. She died in Alba, October 4, 1582. St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children.She was then brought under the care of Augustinian nuns, during which time she decided to become nun herself.The letters of St Jerome had great influence on her.She was a mystic Carmelite nun who also was a reformer of Carmelite order.In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
She claimed that during her illness she rose from the lowest stage, "recollection", to the "devotions of silence" or even to the "devotions of ecstasy", which was one of perfect union with God. During this final stage, she said she frequently experienced a rich "blessing of tears."She also became conscious of her own natural impotence in confronting sin, and the necessity of absolute subjection to God.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_of_%C3%81vila
She had long periods of illness during which she experienced spiritual ectasy.
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini designed the sculptural masterpiece in the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
Franciscan priest St. Peter of Alcantara. became acquainted with her as Founder early in 1560, and became her spiritual guide and counsellor. She resolved to found a reformed Carmelite convent, correcting the laxity which she had found in the Cloister of the Incarnation and others.
. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582.She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of Teresa of Avila.Forty years after her death, she was canonized, in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.
Teresa is known for her style of mental and contemplative prayer. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences, which a deep insight and analytical gifts enabled her to explain clearly. Her definition was used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."
and glory."
-- St. Teresa of Avila.
Saint Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, March 28, 1515. She died in Alba, October 4, 1582. St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children.She was then brought under the care of Augustinian nuns, during which time she decided to become nun herself.The letters of St Jerome had great influence on her.She was a mystic Carmelite nun who also was a reformer of Carmelite order.In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
She claimed that during her illness she rose from the lowest stage, "recollection", to the "devotions of silence" or even to the "devotions of ecstasy", which was one of perfect union with God. During this final stage, she said she frequently experienced a rich "blessing of tears."She also became conscious of her own natural impotence in confronting sin, and the necessity of absolute subjection to God.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_of_%C3%81vila
She had long periods of illness during which she experienced spiritual ectasy.
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini designed the sculptural masterpiece in the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
Franciscan priest St. Peter of Alcantara. became acquainted with her as Founder early in 1560, and became her spiritual guide and counsellor. She resolved to found a reformed Carmelite convent, correcting the laxity which she had found in the Cloister of the Incarnation and others.
. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582.She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of Teresa of Avila.Forty years after her death, she was canonized, in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.
Teresa is known for her style of mental and contemplative prayer. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences, which a deep insight and analytical gifts enabled her to explain clearly. Her definition was used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us."
Anima Christi
The Anima Christi is a prayer from around the 14th century. It is still widely used after receiving the body and blood of Our Lord,
Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen
"I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally....My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath."
- Saint John Vianney.
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/anima2.htm
Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen
"I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally....My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath."
- Saint John Vianney.
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/anima2.htm
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
St._Francis_of_Assisi
I beseech Thee, O Lord, that the fiery and sweet strength of Thy love may absorb my soul from all things that are under
heaven, that I may die for love of Thy love as Thou didst deign to die for love of my love.St._Francis_of_Assisi
Once while travelling through a forest area St francis decided to preach to the birds that were gathered on a tree,
My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in everyplace give praise to Him; for He has given you freedom to wing through the sky and He has clothed you... you neither sow nor reap, and God feeds you and gives you rivers and fountains for your thirst, and mountains and valleys for shelter, and tall trees for your nests. And although you neither know how to spin or weave, God dresses you and your children, for the Creator loves you greatly and He blesses you abundantly. Therefore... always seek to praise God.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_of_Assisi
other quotes-
O how glorious and holy and great to have a Father in heaven! O how holy, fair, and lovable to have a spouse in heaven! 7 O how holy and how beloved, well pleasing and humble, peaceful and sweet and desirable above all to have such a brother who has laid down His life for His sheep, 8 and who has prayed for us to the Father,
And since He has suffered so many things for us and has done and will do so much good to us, let every creature which is in heaven and on earth and in the sea and in the abysses render praise to God and glory and honor and benediction; 2 for He is our strength and power who alone is good, 3 alone most high, alone almighty and admirable, glorious and alone holy, praiseworthy and blessed without end forever and ever. Amen
And you have nothing of good in this world or in the future. You think to possess for long the vanities of this world, but you are deceived; for a day and an hour will come of which you think not and do not know and are ignorant of. The body grows feeble, death approaches, neighbors and friends come saying: "Put your affairs in order." And his wife and his children, neighbors and friends, make believe to weep. And looking, he sees them weeping and is moved by a bad emotion, and thinking within himself he says: "Behold, I place my soul and body and my all in your hands."
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf13.htm
heaven, that I may die for love of Thy love as Thou didst deign to die for love of my love.St._Francis_of_Assisi
Once while travelling through a forest area St francis decided to preach to the birds that were gathered on a tree,
My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in everyplace give praise to Him; for He has given you freedom to wing through the sky and He has clothed you... you neither sow nor reap, and God feeds you and gives you rivers and fountains for your thirst, and mountains and valleys for shelter, and tall trees for your nests. And although you neither know how to spin or weave, God dresses you and your children, for the Creator loves you greatly and He blesses you abundantly. Therefore... always seek to praise God.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_of_Assisi
other quotes-
O how glorious and holy and great to have a Father in heaven! O how holy, fair, and lovable to have a spouse in heaven! 7 O how holy and how beloved, well pleasing and humble, peaceful and sweet and desirable above all to have such a brother who has laid down His life for His sheep, 8 and who has prayed for us to the Father,
And since He has suffered so many things for us and has done and will do so much good to us, let every creature which is in heaven and on earth and in the sea and in the abysses render praise to God and glory and honor and benediction; 2 for He is our strength and power who alone is good, 3 alone most high, alone almighty and admirable, glorious and alone holy, praiseworthy and blessed without end forever and ever. Amen
And you have nothing of good in this world or in the future. You think to possess for long the vanities of this world, but you are deceived; for a day and an hour will come of which you think not and do not know and are ignorant of. The body grows feeble, death approaches, neighbors and friends come saying: "Put your affairs in order." And his wife and his children, neighbors and friends, make believe to weep. And looking, he sees them weeping and is moved by a bad emotion, and thinking within himself he says: "Behold, I place my soul and body and my all in your hands."
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf13.htm
war quotes
An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.
Mahatma Gandhi
All they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword.
The Bible
Matthew
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein
Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead.
Ernest Hemingway
Mahatma Gandhi
All they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword.
The Bible
Matthew
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein
Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead.
Ernest Hemingway
St Teresa Avila
If, Lord, Thy love for me is strong
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love's whole possession I entreat,
Lor make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.
A sould in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.
- St Teresa Avila
- http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/christian/teresa_of_avila/prayers_and_works/if/
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love's whole possession I entreat,
Lor make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.
A sould in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.
- St Teresa Avila
- http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/christian/teresa_of_avila/prayers_and_works/if/
hours of prayer
To know that nuns and priests follow a prayer schedule as mentioned down was very touching to me.In times like this when our mind wanders and is not even to focus daily even for few minutes on the Lord, it is amazing to know that around the world there are people sending incenses of prayers pleasing to the Lord.
eight hours of prayers followed by catholic nuns and priests-
* at night
* at the time of dawn
* Early Morning Prayer (First Hour = 6 a.m.)
* Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour = 9 a.m.)
* Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour = 12 noon)
* Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour = 3 p.m.)
* Evening Prayer ("at the lighting of the lamps")
* Night Prayer (before retiring)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours
eight hours of prayers followed by catholic nuns and priests-
* at night
* at the time of dawn
* Early Morning Prayer (First Hour = 6 a.m.)
* Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour = 9 a.m.)
* Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour = 12 noon)
* Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour = 3 p.m.)
* Evening Prayer ("at the lighting of the lamps")
* Night Prayer (before retiring)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Henry Thoreau's favourite song
Tom Bowling
by Charles Dibdin
Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling
The darling of the crew;
No more he'll hear the tempest howling
For death has broach'd him to.
His form was of the manliest beauty,
His heart was kind and soft,
Faithful, below he did his duty,
But now he's gone aloft.
Tom never from his word departed,
His virtues were so rare,
His friends were many, and true-hearted,
His Poll was kind and fair;
And then he'd sing so blithe and jolly,
Ah, many's the time and oft!
But mirth has turn'd to melancholy,
For Tom is gone aloft.
Yet shall poor Tom find pleasant weather,
When He, who all commands,
Shall give, to call life's crew together,
The word to pipe all hands.
Thus Death, who kinds and tars despatches,
In vain Tom's life has doff'd,
For, though his body's under hatches
His soul has gone aloft.
http://www.psymon.com/walden/song.html
by Charles Dibdin
Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling
The darling of the crew;
No more he'll hear the tempest howling
For death has broach'd him to.
His form was of the manliest beauty,
His heart was kind and soft,
Faithful, below he did his duty,
But now he's gone aloft.
Tom never from his word departed,
His virtues were so rare,
His friends were many, and true-hearted,
His Poll was kind and fair;
And then he'd sing so blithe and jolly,
Ah, many's the time and oft!
But mirth has turn'd to melancholy,
For Tom is gone aloft.
Yet shall poor Tom find pleasant weather,
When He, who all commands,
Shall give, to call life's crew together,
The word to pipe all hands.
Thus Death, who kinds and tars despatches,
In vain Tom's life has doff'd,
For, though his body's under hatches
His soul has gone aloft.
http://www.psymon.com/walden/song.html
Monday, November 23, 2009
Henry David Thoreau
Soon the ice will melt, and the blackbirds sing
along the river which he frequented, as pleasantly as ever.
The same everlasting serenity will appear in this face of God,
and we will not be sorrowful, if he is not.
from a letter to Lucy Brown dated March 2, 1842,
following the death of Thoreau's brother
contributed by Sue Petrovski
http://www.psymon.com/walden/quotes.html
If you have built castles in the air,
your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden
contributed by Austin Meredith
http://www.psymon.com/walden/quotes.html
In the days before his death,
his Aunt Louisa asked him if he had made his peace with God.
His answer was "I did not know we had ever quarrelled, Aunt."
from the Harding and Richardson biographies
contributed by Paul Edward Draper
along the river which he frequented, as pleasantly as ever.
The same everlasting serenity will appear in this face of God,
and we will not be sorrowful, if he is not.
from a letter to Lucy Brown dated March 2, 1842,
following the death of Thoreau's brother
contributed by Sue Petrovski
http://www.psymon.com/walden/quotes.html
If you have built castles in the air,
your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them.
from the "Conclusion" to Walden
contributed by Austin Meredith
http://www.psymon.com/walden/quotes.html
In the days before his death,
his Aunt Louisa asked him if he had made his peace with God.
His answer was "I did not know we had ever quarrelled, Aunt."
from the Harding and Richardson biographies
contributed by Paul Edward Draper
Monday, November 16, 2009
GRUMBLING OR GRATITUDE
which is my category,
iam faced with two choices everyday for every situation.
Most often on grey days iam murmuring but remind myself to thank the almighty for His mercies which saved me from the worse.On sunny days ,ofcourse iam always sending messages of gratitude to the Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night." Psalm 92:1-2
When we express gratitude and thank Him , we remind ourselves of the unchanging and all controlling nature of God who works all things for our good
and we are reminded of the fleeting nature of the siyuation which so troubles us now.
IT IS GOOD TO PRAISE THE LORD.
As i type this , iam sitting in a hospital ward, all by myself, waiting for my spouse.
Iam scheduled for a major surgery tommorow, and iam already praising my Lord for the
help He has granted me.Thanks to several people who called me up and reminded me to trust in the Lord and give thanks to Him and assured me of their prayer support.
How encouraging can be words of assurance.
I praise my LOrd for all His goodness.
Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
iam faced with two choices everyday for every situation.
Most often on grey days iam murmuring but remind myself to thank the almighty for His mercies which saved me from the worse.On sunny days ,ofcourse iam always sending messages of gratitude to the Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night." Psalm 92:1-2
When we express gratitude and thank Him , we remind ourselves of the unchanging and all controlling nature of God who works all things for our good
and we are reminded of the fleeting nature of the siyuation which so troubles us now.
IT IS GOOD TO PRAISE THE LORD.
As i type this , iam sitting in a hospital ward, all by myself, waiting for my spouse.
Iam scheduled for a major surgery tommorow, and iam already praising my Lord for the
help He has granted me.Thanks to several people who called me up and reminded me to trust in the Lord and give thanks to Him and assured me of their prayer support.
How encouraging can be words of assurance.
I praise my LOrd for all His goodness.
Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Charles Dickens and his faith
Charles Dickens wrote to his children about the basis of his book, The life of our Lord,
"My Dear Children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived who was so good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in any way ill or miserable, as He was.And as he is now in Heaven, where we hope to go,
and all to meet each other after we are dead, and there be happy always
together, you never can think what a good place Heaven, is without
knowing who he was and what he did."
Every Christmas he read from this book to his children.This book was written by him for his children , without the intention of publication
"My Dear Children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived who was so good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in any way ill or miserable, as He was.And as he is now in Heaven, where we hope to go,
and all to meet each other after we are dead, and there be happy always
together, you never can think what a good place Heaven, is without
knowing who he was and what he did."
Every Christmas he read from this book to his children.This book was written by him for his children , without the intention of publication
Life and contentment.
I was watching the questions being popped at the doctor, queries about cancer.Curiosity kept me hooked to the program.Each minute i listened to the live voices sharing their pain to the Dr, i felt the immense pain people are going in their lives .I could not imagine how some still put a brave front.It also belittled me about my own murmurings of life.It struck me why Jesus says do not worry about tomorrow , for tomorrow has enough pain in itself.Living a day at a time, a moment at a moment is not easy but that will certainly make life easier.How hard it is to turn from the thoughts of the morrow and the future , how hard it is to live contented with what one has got when every minute you are bombarded with ads of insurance and child security plans.Human nature follows a philosophy for some time and then as one gets ravaged by the happenings around, we slip off, the old self showing its ugly head again.The old habit of anxiety, of securing all things needed for oneself and the family and thus getting caught in the swift race of life to earn more and more, a life which forgets to slow down and breathe in the beauty of each unfolding , a life which slows down or rather halts only when it arrives at the dead end or the speed breaker.
May you live all the days of your life. Swift, Jonathan.
In the morning of life, work; in the mid day give council; in the evening, pray.
http://quotationsbook.com/
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.Abraham Lincoln:
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of.Benjamin Franklin:
http://www.wisdomquotes.com
Bertrand Russell:
Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.
adapted http://www.wisdomquotes.com
Oh my heart , be content with this day,
do not fret yourself for another day,
another day will lead you to a new way
only when each day is lived in its way.
May you live all the days of your life. Swift, Jonathan.
In the morning of life, work; in the mid day give council; in the evening, pray.
http://quotationsbook.com/
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.Abraham Lincoln:
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of.Benjamin Franklin:
http://www.wisdomquotes.com
Bertrand Russell:
Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.
adapted http://www.wisdomquotes.com
Oh my heart , be content with this day,
do not fret yourself for another day,
another day will lead you to a new way
only when each day is lived in its way.
The beautiful home of Helen keller
Located in Tuscumbia , a rural town in North west Alabama is the scenic Ivy Green, her house , built in 1820 by her grandparents.It is registered in the National Register of historic places of US. Surrounded by plenty of english boxwoods , English Ivy , it displays a serene look.
Helen herself writes in her book, story of my life that her classroom was the natural surroundings, that she read and studied outdoors, preferring the sunlit woods.
The homestead that her father built was completely covered with vines and climbing yellow roses .
It was called "Ivy Green" because the house and the surrounding trees and fences were covered with beautiful English ivy.She writes its old-fashioned garden was the paradise of my childhood
This was the place where she learnt her early lessons from miss sullivan
Helen herself writes in her book, story of my life that her classroom was the natural surroundings, that she read and studied outdoors, preferring the sunlit woods.
The homestead that her father built was completely covered with vines and climbing yellow roses .
It was called "Ivy Green" because the house and the surrounding trees and fences were covered with beautiful English ivy.She writes its old-fashioned garden was the paradise of my childhood
This was the place where she learnt her early lessons from miss sullivan
helen keller
Became blind at the age of 19 months due to scarlet fever, but overcome her disability by the support of her parents and her devoted tutor Anne sullivan, who taught her to read and write.Some of my favourite quotes of Helen keller is
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Helen_Keller
When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.
Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.
Helen Keller
US blind & deaf educator (1880 - 1968)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/39954.html
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Helen_Keller
When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.
Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.
Helen Keller
US blind & deaf educator (1880 - 1968)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/39954.html
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
health tips
don't drink excess tea, drink in moderation, maximum 2/3 cups
for excess tea/coffee causes acidity
drink plenty of water
take plantain everyday
eat other fruits like apple, oranges often
take more salads-tomato, cucumber
take curd everyday
exercise everyday
eat dates/ raisins, honey often
exercise for cleaning your thought life too
plan before you eat your meals, divide into portions
eat healthy snacks
eat carrots often
eat fish once a week at least
eat atleast 3/4 hrs before bed
smile often
do not spend too much time worrying
laugh a lot
say warm words
value each day
laugh at yourself
for excess tea/coffee causes acidity
drink plenty of water
take plantain everyday
eat other fruits like apple, oranges often
take more salads-tomato, cucumber
take curd everyday
exercise everyday
eat dates/ raisins, honey often
exercise for cleaning your thought life too
plan before you eat your meals, divide into portions
eat healthy snacks
eat carrots often
eat fish once a week at least
eat atleast 3/4 hrs before bed
smile often
do not spend too much time worrying
laugh a lot
say warm words
value each day
laugh at yourself
healing
iam free of those haunting thoughts, which were chasing ever since i was in waiting for the hospital report to come.Iam extremely thankful,grateful to the almighty for the added years in my life.
Reflections of the waiting time,
I watched for the morning as the watchman watches thro' the night for the dawn to come.
I listened more carefully as to what the Lord desires to share with me
I was more passionate for my quiet time with the Lord
I started interceding for others , many anonymous ones in need
I became more sensitive to those suffering
I found meaning in life , in the importance of every fleeting day
I LEANED MORE ON MY LORD AND GAVE HIM WORRIES.
How important is each day to me,
a chance of praising my Lord and
a chance to breathe His breath again,
a chance to think positive
a chance to touch others with the love that the Lord has filled me
a chance of sharing laughter with my kids and my beloved partner
a chance to fulfill many unmet desires
a chance to watch the nature's bounty
iam indebted to my God.
I want to live my life with the newness of life that comes from drawing closer to Him.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ,MAKE THE MOST OF IT AND HELP OTHERS TO MAKE MOST OF THEIRS.
Reflections of the waiting time,
I watched for the morning as the watchman watches thro' the night for the dawn to come.
I listened more carefully as to what the Lord desires to share with me
I was more passionate for my quiet time with the Lord
I started interceding for others , many anonymous ones in need
I became more sensitive to those suffering
I found meaning in life , in the importance of every fleeting day
I LEANED MORE ON MY LORD AND GAVE HIM WORRIES.
How important is each day to me,
a chance of praising my Lord and
a chance to breathe His breath again,
a chance to think positive
a chance to touch others with the love that the Lord has filled me
a chance of sharing laughter with my kids and my beloved partner
a chance to fulfill many unmet desires
a chance to watch the nature's bounty
iam indebted to my God.
I want to live my life with the newness of life that comes from drawing closer to Him.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ,MAKE THE MOST OF IT AND HELP OTHERS TO MAKE MOST OF THEIRS.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
the lost sheep and its oftrack journeys
i was the lost sheep whom my father chose to bring back to His fold many many years back and the journey with Him from then on to be honest has not been very smooth but certainly it has been a journey of assurances mingled with joy unexpected and of comfort in times of struggle.
This world is not my place and some day like a swift bird i would like to fly away with all my dear ones to that abode , but still while i am in this world i oft times get so attached to it and its ways that i start going offtrack but the Guide walks beside me to bring me back ,that's why the christian way of life is one of Grace .
While watching a shepherd tending his flock i could easily see how like the sheep longing for the greener pastures, i too could wander away from the shepherd even be it in my thought life.
Thank you Lord for being my Shepherd and that i am the sheep that you love so much.
This world is not my place and some day like a swift bird i would like to fly away with all my dear ones to that abode , but still while i am in this world i oft times get so attached to it and its ways that i start going offtrack but the Guide walks beside me to bring me back ,that's why the christian way of life is one of Grace .
While watching a shepherd tending his flock i could easily see how like the sheep longing for the greener pastures, i too could wander away from the shepherd even be it in my thought life.
Thank you Lord for being my Shepherd and that i am the sheep that you love so much.
understanding life
I love the book of proverbs , it is the best book for practical knowledge.I have oft times tried viewing life from the "other" persons perspective, like for example what would it be for a person who is going thro' some painful experience, it has helped me to be more sensitive to people around, to make the most of each day, to pass on smiles or a kind word to some one in need.
Of late i am into memorizing lot of scripture portions, and it amazes me to discover that bible is book with so many practical tips.For instance- " let your yes be yes and your no be no" is a very profound statement.
I have realized so far that attempts of shrinking life into my own viewing space has been met with complete failure, for there are so many kinds of people in this world and each viewing life in their own perspective but the most important thread that sustains each one of them is belief.
I think king Solomon rightly says "the end of all conclusions is this - fear God and live peacefully""
I thank God for the spare time He has so kindly provided me which allows me to take time to reflect upon many subjects close to my heart.Otherwise in this fast paced world with the duties of motherhood and career balancing it would have been virtually impossible.
I want to pray for those who are going thro' times of stress , that they will find their rest in you Lord, give them times of rest and recreation.Amen
Of late i am into memorizing lot of scripture portions, and it amazes me to discover that bible is book with so many practical tips.For instance- " let your yes be yes and your no be no" is a very profound statement.
I have realized so far that attempts of shrinking life into my own viewing space has been met with complete failure, for there are so many kinds of people in this world and each viewing life in their own perspective but the most important thread that sustains each one of them is belief.
I think king Solomon rightly says "the end of all conclusions is this - fear God and live peacefully""
I thank God for the spare time He has so kindly provided me which allows me to take time to reflect upon many subjects close to my heart.Otherwise in this fast paced world with the duties of motherhood and career balancing it would have been virtually impossible.
I want to pray for those who are going thro' times of stress , that they will find their rest in you Lord, give them times of rest and recreation.Amen
making the most of this day
the clock ticks away and with it takes away moments never to return back , never ever in times to come.But sweet memories can be build on moments gone by , for that sweet touch i must make the present moments sweet by making the most of them not by own efforts alone but with His grace too.
Give your best in all circumstances and leave the rest to the maker.
Give your best in all circumstances and leave the rest to the maker.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
a better future
Every morning when i open the papers i invariably end up feeling whats happening in this big world of mine and when all this is going to change.Then i do some self explanation and if time permits seek answers from the scripture.The plight of people caught in helpless situations , war , terrorism, poverty, disease , slums, a section of people having no place to put their heads on , who have no hygiene, no sanitation, no surety of three times a day meal,beggars and then there is another section of people, moving around in A/C cars, stylish, making fashion statements, have loads of wealth but apparently unaware or atleast they seem so of the plight of the lesser ones.
Then there are the fanatics who go about killing or destroying the peace and integrity of human life in the name of religion.
Everyone does as it seems right to one's mind, so what can i do, thank God for the life he has given me today and to my near ones, pray fot the suffering ones, count my blessings, help by some means to some one who is needy, contribute to orphanages, money, food or clothes.
In my country there is plenty of need, people are waiting hopelessly for help.
If each of one us , the fortunate ones will learn to share, and teach our kids the same, probably the world has a chance of better and peaceful future.
Then there are the fanatics who go about killing or destroying the peace and integrity of human life in the name of religion.
Everyone does as it seems right to one's mind, so what can i do, thank God for the life he has given me today and to my near ones, pray fot the suffering ones, count my blessings, help by some means to some one who is needy, contribute to orphanages, money, food or clothes.
In my country there is plenty of need, people are waiting hopelessly for help.
If each of one us , the fortunate ones will learn to share, and teach our kids the same, probably the world has a chance of better and peaceful future.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
the flower knows not its place
the first sun rays fell on the closed bud, it opened slowly , blinking its eyes to the new world around, then what,.............. in the evening with the sun setting down, the flower had withered and fallen down.
Its place of existence no more there.
Life is short, but God has brought us in with a new purpose , He loves us so much to waste it away in worries, anxieties and unknown fears.Live the moment given you today , do not worry about tomorrow, He will give you the Strength for the morrow.
Life seems uncertain but thrust it in the hands of One who is certain.
Its place of existence no more there.
Life is short, but God has brought us in with a new purpose , He loves us so much to waste it away in worries, anxieties and unknown fears.Live the moment given you today , do not worry about tomorrow, He will give you the Strength for the morrow.
Life seems uncertain but thrust it in the hands of One who is certain.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Soren Kierkegaard
It is quite true what Philosophy says: that Life must be understood backwards. But that makes one forget the other saying: that it must be lived—forwards. The more one ponders this, the more it comes to mean that life in the temporal existence never becomes quite intelligible, precisely because at no moment can I find complete quiet to take the backward- looking position.
- The Diary of Soren Kierkegaard; Kierkegaard, pt. 5, sct. 4, no. 136
http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/kierkegaard.shtml
- The Diary of Soren Kierkegaard; Kierkegaard, pt. 5, sct. 4, no. 136
http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/kierkegaard.shtml
Thursday, January 15, 2009
seizing moments
A very old man was heard advising a young man --
"there is but one life to live, so dream big
pray to God to help u in fulfilling those dreams
make attempts to give wings to your dreams
Don't allow failure to limit u
smile at the storm even at the darkest moment, the silver lining will follow
remember God never deserts you , He knows u better than u yourself
in mundane dull moments, be positive
do the least task knowing he watches u
love life and live in peace with yourself and others
discipline your body and mind
Remember that sickness is part of life so pray for strength when u or your near ones suffer
expect miracles
stop worrying , commit your anxieties to the Lord
lead a a disciplined life
time menagemnet is important
spend time with the children and family for these precious moments don't come back
teach them fear of the Lord
be quick to listen and slow to speak
let your yes be yes and no be no
be wise like serpents and gentle as doves
do your best to help the poor
above all time never turns back so seize your moments"
"there is but one life to live, so dream big
pray to God to help u in fulfilling those dreams
make attempts to give wings to your dreams
Don't allow failure to limit u
smile at the storm even at the darkest moment, the silver lining will follow
remember God never deserts you , He knows u better than u yourself
in mundane dull moments, be positive
do the least task knowing he watches u
love life and live in peace with yourself and others
discipline your body and mind
Remember that sickness is part of life so pray for strength when u or your near ones suffer
expect miracles
stop worrying , commit your anxieties to the Lord
lead a a disciplined life
time menagemnet is important
spend time with the children and family for these precious moments don't come back
teach them fear of the Lord
be quick to listen and slow to speak
let your yes be yes and no be no
be wise like serpents and gentle as doves
do your best to help the poor
above all time never turns back so seize your moments"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)