Innsbruck’s evening stirs the heart of man In obvious winter, the river Calmingly seeking to soothe life’s fears Pastel buildings comfortingly lit Mountains reaching to heaven invite Lights embedded in cliffs on high call The bridge upholding the Cross and Lord Majesty in heart and beauty stir! Yet against the holy sacrifice In defiance, a…
One must not judge anyone, although with one’s own eyes one may see someone sin or wallow in transgression of the commandments of God; according to the word of God: “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Mat. 7:1). One must not nourish in the heart evil or hatred towards one’s neighbor who is hostile….
Do not say that one or two books are sufficient for instructing the soul. After all, even the bee collects honey not from one or two flowers only, but from many. Thus also he who reads the books of the Holy Fathers is instructed by one in faith or in right thinking, by another in…
Often the Holy Spirit withdraws from us because of one or another impulse of our heart, or perhaps a thought. But this withdrawal may occur because the Spirit sees us relaxed and content with what we have received or attained, and so retires, in order to show us how far distant we still are from…
Come closer to me, closer still, O majestic Son of God. Descend deeper into my heart than any emotion, or desire, or passion of the world can descend into it. Protect my heart from the countless merchants, from the numerous buyers and sellers, who are forever swarming in legions around my young and inexperienced heart….
SIE is, I believe, an American Air Force-unique acronym. SIE = self-initiated elimination. SIE may mean the individual’s performance is purposely not up to expectation, in other words, they intended to fail, compelling someone to relieve them of their obligation. SIE also references an individual’s deliberate request to be removed from training or a mission….
A beautiful analogy based on a commentary by Elizabeth A. Mitchell. In the 1952 classic Western High Noon, Will Kane, the marshal of Hadleyville, has a choice to make. The rule of law has unraveled, and Kane knows what he is up against. Outlaw Frank Miller and his gang are arriving on the noon train.”…
Lee, the Chinese immigrant housekeeper, the novel’s main theme: timshel—“thou mayest”—the Hebrew belief in our power to choose between good and bad. “We’re a violent people, Cal…Maybe it’s true, that we are all descendants of the restless, the nervous, the criminals, the arguers, and brawlers. But also the brave, and independent, and generous….We all have…
A LIST OF THE PASSIONS by Saint Peter of Damaskos The passions are: harshness, trickery, malice, perversity, mindlessness, licentiousness, enticement, dullness, lack of understanding, idleness, sluggishness, stupidity, flattery, silliness, idiocy, madness, derangement, coarseness, rashness, cowardice, lethargy, dearth of good actions, moral errors, greed, over-frugality, ignorance, folly, spurious knowledge, forgetfulness, lack of discrimination, obduracy, injustice, evil…
Apophasis, the technical term for saying you’re not going to say something as a way to say what you wanted to say. In other words, it’s a sin. How can a person truly repent without seeking forgiveness from the person whom they’ve maligned–without, in all humility, asking forgiveness from the maligned person?