Ecce Verbum
Dom Lorenzo Scupoli lays down seven methods to benefit from prayer 1. Have a sincere desire to serve God in the manner that is agreeable to Him. God deserves our homage and service. We will only triumph over the devil, master ourselves, and be children of…
Ought we to pray for others?
"On Prayer and the Contemplative Life" by St. Thomas Aquinas
S. James, in his Epistle, says : Pray for one another that ye may be saved.
As we said above, we ought in prayer to ask for those things which we ought to desire. But we ought to desire good things not for ourselves only but also for others, for this belongs to that charity which we ought to exercise towards our neighbour. Hence charity demands that we pray for others.
In accordance with this S. Chrysostom says : "Necessity compels us to pray for ourselves, fraternal charity urges us to pray for others. But that prayer is more pleasing before God which arises not so much from our needs as from the demands of fraternal charity."
S. Cyprian says: "We do not say my Father, but our Father, neither do we say Give me, but give us; and this because the Teacher of Unity did not wish prayer to be made privately, viz., that each should pray for himself alone; for He wished one to pray for all since He in His single Person had borne all."
To pray for oneself is a condition attaching to prayer; not indeed a condition affecting its merit, but a condition which is necessary if we would ensure the attainment of what we ask.
For it sometimes happens that prayer made for another does not avail even though it be devout and persevering and for things pertaining to a man's salvation; and this is because of the existence of some hindrance on the part of him for whom we pray, as we read in Jeremias : If Moses and Samuel shall stand before Me, My soul is not towards this people. None the less, such prayer will be meritorious on the part of him who prays, for he prays out of charity; thus on the words, And my prayer shall be turned into my bosom, the Interlinear Gloss has: "That is, and even though it avail not for them, yet shall I not be without my reward."
We have to pray even for sinners, that they may be converted, and for the good, that they may persevere and make progress.
Our prayers for sinners, however, are not heard for all, but for some. For they are heard for those who are predestined, not for those who are foreknown as reprobate; just in the same way as when we correct our brethren, such corrections avail among the predestinate but not among the reprobate, according to the words: No man can correct whom He hath despised. Wherefore also it is said: He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin that is not unto death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him who sinneth not to death. But just as we can refuse to no one, as long as he liveth on this earth, the benefit of correction—for we cannot distinguish between the predestinate and the reprobate, as S. Augustine says—so neither can we refuse to anyone the suffrage of our prayers.
And for good men we have to pray, and this for a threefold reason: firstly, because the prayers of many are more easily heard; thus on the words: I beseech ye therefore, help me in your prayers for me, the Ordinary Gloss of S. Ambrose says: "Well does the Apostle ask his inferiors to pray for him; for even the very least become great when many in number, and when gathered together with one mind; and it is impossible that the prayers of many should not avail" to obtain, that is, what is obtainable. And secondly, that thanks may be returned by many for the benefits conferred by God upon the just, for these same benefits tend to the profit of many—as is evident from the Apostle's words to the Corinthians. And thirdly, that those who are greater may not therefore be proud, but may realize that they need the suffrages of their inferiors.
"Father, I will that where I am they also whom Thou hast given Me may be with Me; that they may see My glory, which Thou hast given Me: because Thou hast loved Me before the foundation of the world."
#mentalprayer
"On Prayer and the Contemplative Life" by St. Thomas Aquinas
S. James, in his Epistle, says : Pray for one another that ye may be saved.
As we said above, we ought in prayer to ask for those things which we ought to desire. But we ought to desire good things not for ourselves only but also for others, for this belongs to that charity which we ought to exercise towards our neighbour. Hence charity demands that we pray for others.
In accordance with this S. Chrysostom says : "Necessity compels us to pray for ourselves, fraternal charity urges us to pray for others. But that prayer is more pleasing before God which arises not so much from our needs as from the demands of fraternal charity."
S. Cyprian says: "We do not say my Father, but our Father, neither do we say Give me, but give us; and this because the Teacher of Unity did not wish prayer to be made privately, viz., that each should pray for himself alone; for He wished one to pray for all since He in His single Person had borne all."
To pray for oneself is a condition attaching to prayer; not indeed a condition affecting its merit, but a condition which is necessary if we would ensure the attainment of what we ask.
For it sometimes happens that prayer made for another does not avail even though it be devout and persevering and for things pertaining to a man's salvation; and this is because of the existence of some hindrance on the part of him for whom we pray, as we read in Jeremias : If Moses and Samuel shall stand before Me, My soul is not towards this people. None the less, such prayer will be meritorious on the part of him who prays, for he prays out of charity; thus on the words, And my prayer shall be turned into my bosom, the Interlinear Gloss has: "That is, and even though it avail not for them, yet shall I not be without my reward."
We have to pray even for sinners, that they may be converted, and for the good, that they may persevere and make progress.
Our prayers for sinners, however, are not heard for all, but for some. For they are heard for those who are predestined, not for those who are foreknown as reprobate; just in the same way as when we correct our brethren, such corrections avail among the predestinate but not among the reprobate, according to the words: No man can correct whom He hath despised. Wherefore also it is said: He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin that is not unto death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him who sinneth not to death. But just as we can refuse to no one, as long as he liveth on this earth, the benefit of correction—for we cannot distinguish between the predestinate and the reprobate, as S. Augustine says—so neither can we refuse to anyone the suffrage of our prayers.
And for good men we have to pray, and this for a threefold reason: firstly, because the prayers of many are more easily heard; thus on the words: I beseech ye therefore, help me in your prayers for me, the Ordinary Gloss of S. Ambrose says: "Well does the Apostle ask his inferiors to pray for him; for even the very least become great when many in number, and when gathered together with one mind; and it is impossible that the prayers of many should not avail" to obtain, that is, what is obtainable. And secondly, that thanks may be returned by many for the benefits conferred by God upon the just, for these same benefits tend to the profit of many—as is evident from the Apostle's words to the Corinthians. And thirdly, that those who are greater may not therefore be proud, but may realize that they need the suffrages of their inferiors.
"Father, I will that where I am they also whom Thou hast given Me may be with Me; that they may see My glory, which Thou hast given Me: because Thou hast loved Me before the foundation of the world."
#mentalprayer
Ecce Verbum
Ought we to pray for others? "On Prayer and the Contemplative Life" by St. Thomas Aquinas S. James, in his Epistle, says : Pray for one another that ye may be saved. As we said above, we ought in prayer to ask for those things which we ought to desire. But…
The prayer life of Saint Thomas
"One of those marvels was that his knowledge, which so wondrously surpassed that of other men, was not due to any human skill, but to the merits of his prayers. For whenever he would study, or dispute, or read, or write, or dictate, he would first betake himself to prayer in secret, and there with many tears would implore light wherewith to search rightly into the secret things of God. And by the merits of such prayer it came to pass that, whereas previous to his prayer he had been in doubt about the subject of his study, he always returned from it illumined. And when any doubtful point occurred to him before he had had recourse to prayer, he went to pray, and what had previously been obscure was then Divinely made clear to him."
source
#mentalprayer
"One of those marvels was that his knowledge, which so wondrously surpassed that of other men, was not due to any human skill, but to the merits of his prayers. For whenever he would study, or dispute, or read, or write, or dictate, he would first betake himself to prayer in secret, and there with many tears would implore light wherewith to search rightly into the secret things of God. And by the merits of such prayer it came to pass that, whereas previous to his prayer he had been in doubt about the subject of his study, he always returned from it illumined. And when any doubtful point occurred to him before he had had recourse to prayer, he went to pray, and what had previously been obscure was then Divinely made clear to him."
source
#mentalprayer
Dignity of Every Human Being
Cardinal Wyszyński
1.Holiness in everyday life and through work
Cardinal indicated the importance of holiness in everyday life, of sanctification through simple, ordinary chores and duties, including professional work.
His book "The Spirit of Human Labour" published right after the war, is a clear and profound testament to the theology of work, a theme which was present in his thought and homiletics for many years. Interestingly, the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, knew this book and recommended it as valuable reading to those he was a spiritual director to. The saint was also instrumental in having the book translated into most European languages in 1957.
Wyszyński treated human work as an essential path to self-development, sanctification of the human being and of the world, and crucial for building a social community. He understood work not only as a kind of activity enabling one to earn one’s living but also in metaphysical terms. He related it directly to God, who created the world and who himself worked. He saw diligent work as a path to human development and self-improvement, as a path towards God and towards making the reality “more human”. In short, he wanted humans to be shaped internally through work, to come closer to God and to others through it. He reminded us that work can also be prayer. He pointed out that through work “offered to God as a sacrifice, we partake in the salvific work of Jesus Christ, who by working with His own hands in Nazareth gave work a significant dignity”.
He noted that without work man cannot “attain the full development of his personality”. He explained that since human nature contains both material and spiritual elements, work cannot solely serve material progress, but involves “the development of the whole human person, and thus also spiritual progress”. In short, work is also a path to holiness.
2.Human rights
Speaking about human rights, Fr. Wyszynski consistently stressed that the human person should always be at the center of attention, and her or his rights should always have priority over any social structure. He noticed that every single human person had inalienable and unquestionable dignity and a whole set of rights arising from it. He argued that the primary duty of each state is to protect these rights.
In 1942, Fr. Wyszyński wrote, that “inviolable human rights are prior to and older than anyone else’s rights, both those of the family, the nation, and the state. They are independent of any social, economic or political system, and a system which would violate these goals will be unjust and slave-like”.
Cardinal Wyszyński argued that according to the principle of subsidiarity, the state is obliged to protect the rights of each citizen. He stressed that the citizen, who is a person, must not be treated as a means to achieve the aims of the state, but as an autonomous individual. Chief among the most fundamental human rights was according to him the right to life.
“Every so-called right that gives anyone the ability to dispose of and determine human life is unlawful. Every act which seeks directly to destroy and to override the human right to life is a downright crime. Public authority has no such right! If anyone offered this right to us, such a ‘right’ must not be exercised. The exercise of such a right would be an assault on a fundamental human right and social integrity”.
It was these pillars that his radical criticism of the Communist ideology and system rested on. The ideology and the system reduced the individual to nothingness, violated their freedom, dignity, culture, and spirituality, homogenized the society, and disrupted fundamental social bonds.
Cardinal Primate contributed to the fact that the Church in Poland appeared at that time as an extraordinary phenomenon not only in the socialist-occupied countries but also across Europe.
more:
Cardinal's quotes about work and workers
Cardinal's quotes about the social teaching of the Church
#ethics #work
Cardinal Wyszyński
1.Holiness in everyday life and through work
Cardinal indicated the importance of holiness in everyday life, of sanctification through simple, ordinary chores and duties, including professional work.
His book "The Spirit of Human Labour" published right after the war, is a clear and profound testament to the theology of work, a theme which was present in his thought and homiletics for many years. Interestingly, the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, knew this book and recommended it as valuable reading to those he was a spiritual director to. The saint was also instrumental in having the book translated into most European languages in 1957.
Wyszyński treated human work as an essential path to self-development, sanctification of the human being and of the world, and crucial for building a social community. He understood work not only as a kind of activity enabling one to earn one’s living but also in metaphysical terms. He related it directly to God, who created the world and who himself worked. He saw diligent work as a path to human development and self-improvement, as a path towards God and towards making the reality “more human”. In short, he wanted humans to be shaped internally through work, to come closer to God and to others through it. He reminded us that work can also be prayer. He pointed out that through work “offered to God as a sacrifice, we partake in the salvific work of Jesus Christ, who by working with His own hands in Nazareth gave work a significant dignity”.
He noted that without work man cannot “attain the full development of his personality”. He explained that since human nature contains both material and spiritual elements, work cannot solely serve material progress, but involves “the development of the whole human person, and thus also spiritual progress”. In short, work is also a path to holiness.
2.Human rights
Speaking about human rights, Fr. Wyszynski consistently stressed that the human person should always be at the center of attention, and her or his rights should always have priority over any social structure. He noticed that every single human person had inalienable and unquestionable dignity and a whole set of rights arising from it. He argued that the primary duty of each state is to protect these rights.
In 1942, Fr. Wyszyński wrote, that “inviolable human rights are prior to and older than anyone else’s rights, both those of the family, the nation, and the state. They are independent of any social, economic or political system, and a system which would violate these goals will be unjust and slave-like”.
Cardinal Wyszyński argued that according to the principle of subsidiarity, the state is obliged to protect the rights of each citizen. He stressed that the citizen, who is a person, must not be treated as a means to achieve the aims of the state, but as an autonomous individual. Chief among the most fundamental human rights was according to him the right to life.
“Every so-called right that gives anyone the ability to dispose of and determine human life is unlawful. Every act which seeks directly to destroy and to override the human right to life is a downright crime. Public authority has no such right! If anyone offered this right to us, such a ‘right’ must not be exercised. The exercise of such a right would be an assault on a fundamental human right and social integrity”.
It was these pillars that his radical criticism of the Communist ideology and system rested on. The ideology and the system reduced the individual to nothingness, violated their freedom, dignity, culture, and spirituality, homogenized the society, and disrupted fundamental social bonds.
Cardinal Primate contributed to the fact that the Church in Poland appeared at that time as an extraordinary phenomenon not only in the socialist-occupied countries but also across Europe.
more:
Cardinal's quotes about work and workers
Cardinal's quotes about the social teaching of the Church
#ethics #work
polskifr.fr
Cardinal Wyszyński about WORK
Pearls and Aphorisms of Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński about WORK.
McInerny11.pdf
247.6 KB
Studiositas, The Virtue of Attention
Gregory M. Reichberg
"..A speculative inquiry becomes excessive when it entails neglect of other studies, studies which are necessary for the acquittal of one's personal and social duties. Thomas cites the case of a judge who is so enamored of geometry that he arrives in court ill prepared to hand down informed decisions in prosecution of justice. Examples of this sort could easily be multiplied. The point is thaf virtue requires a studious attention to the matter at hand, a sense of priority in knowing what one's mind should be on in the present circumstances, and the willingness to develop and to apply competent knowing in the accomplishment of the responsibilities incumbent on one's vocation... "
more:
studiositas and curiositas
#virtue
Gregory M. Reichberg
"..A speculative inquiry becomes excessive when it entails neglect of other studies, studies which are necessary for the acquittal of one's personal and social duties. Thomas cites the case of a judge who is so enamored of geometry that he arrives in court ill prepared to hand down informed decisions in prosecution of justice. Examples of this sort could easily be multiplied. The point is thaf virtue requires a studious attention to the matter at hand, a sense of priority in knowing what one's mind should be on in the present circumstances, and the willingness to develop and to apply competent knowing in the accomplishment of the responsibilities incumbent on one's vocation... "
more:
studiositas and curiositas
#virtue
Ecce Verbum
devout_life.pdf
The virtue of devotion in the married state
Introduction to the Devout Life, page 204
Francis de Sales
"It is said in Genesis (chap. xxv. 21), that Isaac seeing his wife Rebecca barren, prayed to the Lord for her, or, according to the Hebrew, prayed to the Lord over against her, because the one prayed on the one side of the oratory, and the other on the other; so the prayer of the husband, made in this manner, was heard. Such union as this of the husband and wife, in holy devotion, is the greatest and most fruitful of all; and to this they ought mutually to encourage and to draw each other."
"There are fruits like the quince, which on account of the harshness of their juice, are not agreeable except when they are preserved with sugar; there are others, which, because of their tenderness cannot be long kept, unless they are preserved in like manner, such as cherries and apricots; thus wives ought to wish that their husbands should be preserved with the sugar of devotion; for a man without devotion is a kind of animal, severe, harsh, and rough. And husbands ought to wish that their wives should be devout, because without devotion a woman is very frail, and subject to fall from, or to become weak in virtue."
"St. Paul says: “That the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife by the believing husband;” because, in this strict alliance of marriage, the one may draw the other to virtue; but what a blessing is it, when the man and wife being both believers, sanctify each other in the true fear of God.
"As to the rest: the mutual bearing with one another ought to be so great, that they should never be both angry with each other at the same time, nor suddenly, to the end that there should never be a division or contention seen between them."
#marriage
Introduction to the Devout Life, page 204
Francis de Sales
"It is said in Genesis (chap. xxv. 21), that Isaac seeing his wife Rebecca barren, prayed to the Lord for her, or, according to the Hebrew, prayed to the Lord over against her, because the one prayed on the one side of the oratory, and the other on the other; so the prayer of the husband, made in this manner, was heard. Such union as this of the husband and wife, in holy devotion, is the greatest and most fruitful of all; and to this they ought mutually to encourage and to draw each other."
"There are fruits like the quince, which on account of the harshness of their juice, are not agreeable except when they are preserved with sugar; there are others, which, because of their tenderness cannot be long kept, unless they are preserved in like manner, such as cherries and apricots; thus wives ought to wish that their husbands should be preserved with the sugar of devotion; for a man without devotion is a kind of animal, severe, harsh, and rough. And husbands ought to wish that their wives should be devout, because without devotion a woman is very frail, and subject to fall from, or to become weak in virtue."
"St. Paul says: “That the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife by the believing husband;” because, in this strict alliance of marriage, the one may draw the other to virtue; but what a blessing is it, when the man and wife being both believers, sanctify each other in the true fear of God.
"As to the rest: the mutual bearing with one another ought to be so great, that they should never be both angry with each other at the same time, nor suddenly, to the end that there should never be a division or contention seen between them."
#marriage
Telegram
Ecce Verbum
The Introduction to the Devout Life
by St Francis of Sales
by St Francis of Sales
The-Spirit-of-St-Francis-de-Sales.pdf
699.9 KB
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales
by Jean Pierre Camus
Jean Pierre Camus was a close friend and disciple of Saint Francois de Sales. There is no one better placed to give personal recollection of the "spirit of St. Francis" than he is, having been in such close contact with the saint for many years. This collection of anecdotes and memories of the saint's sayings and teachings are invaluable for anyone interested in de Sales. As a primary document, it surpasses most others except the writings and correspondence of de Sales himself.
by Jean Pierre Camus
Jean Pierre Camus was a close friend and disciple of Saint Francois de Sales. There is no one better placed to give personal recollection of the "spirit of St. Francis" than he is, having been in such close contact with the saint for many years. This collection of anecdotes and memories of the saint's sayings and teachings are invaluable for anyone interested in de Sales. As a primary document, it surpasses most others except the writings and correspondence of de Sales himself.
Ecce Verbum
The-Spirit-of-St-Francis-de-Sales.pdf
How superiors and leaders can practice obedience
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, page 126.
Asking him one day if it was possible for persons in authority, whether in the world or in the cloister, to practise the virtue of obedience, he replied:
Certainly, and they can do so far more perfectly and more heroically than their subjects.
Then, seeing my astonishment at this apparent paradox, he went on to explain it in the following manner:
Those who are obliged either by precept or by vow, which takes the place of precept, to practise obedience, are, as a rule, subject only to one superior.
Those, on the other hand, who are in authority, are free to obey more widely, and to obey even in commanding, because if they consider that it is God Who puts them over the heads of the others, and Who commands them to command those others, who does not see that even their commanding is an act of obedience?
This kind of obedience may even be practised by princes who have none but God set over them, and who have to render an account of their actions to Him alone.
I may add that there is no power on earth so sublime as not to have, at least in some respects, another set over it.
Christian kings render filial obedience to the Roman Pontiff, and the sovereign Pontiff himself submits to his confessor in the Sacrament of Penance.
But there is a still higher degree of obedience which even Prelates and the greatest among men may practise.
It is that which the Apostle counsels when he says: Be ye subject to every human creature for God’s sake. [1 Peter ii. 13.] Who for love of us not only became subject to the Blessed Virgin and to St. Joseph, but made Himself obedient to death and to the death of the Cross, submitting Himself in His Passion to the most sinful and degraded of the earth, uttering not a cry, even as a lamb under the hand of him who shears it and slays it.
It is by this universal obedience to every creature that we become all things to all men in order that we may win all to Jesus Christ.
It is by this that we take our neighbour, whoever he may be, for our superior, becoming servants for our Lord’s sake.
more:
Our Lord is an example of humble leadership
St. Augustine on leadership
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, page 126.
Asking him one day if it was possible for persons in authority, whether in the world or in the cloister, to practise the virtue of obedience, he replied:
Certainly, and they can do so far more perfectly and more heroically than their subjects.
Then, seeing my astonishment at this apparent paradox, he went on to explain it in the following manner:
Those who are obliged either by precept or by vow, which takes the place of precept, to practise obedience, are, as a rule, subject only to one superior.
Those, on the other hand, who are in authority, are free to obey more widely, and to obey even in commanding, because if they consider that it is God Who puts them over the heads of the others, and Who commands them to command those others, who does not see that even their commanding is an act of obedience?
This kind of obedience may even be practised by princes who have none but God set over them, and who have to render an account of their actions to Him alone.
I may add that there is no power on earth so sublime as not to have, at least in some respects, another set over it.
Christian kings render filial obedience to the Roman Pontiff, and the sovereign Pontiff himself submits to his confessor in the Sacrament of Penance.
But there is a still higher degree of obedience which even Prelates and the greatest among men may practise.
It is that which the Apostle counsels when he says: Be ye subject to every human creature for God’s sake. [1 Peter ii. 13.] Who for love of us not only became subject to the Blessed Virgin and to St. Joseph, but made Himself obedient to death and to the death of the Cross, submitting Himself in His Passion to the most sinful and degraded of the earth, uttering not a cry, even as a lamb under the hand of him who shears it and slays it.
It is by this universal obedience to every creature that we become all things to all men in order that we may win all to Jesus Christ.
It is by this that we take our neighbour, whoever he may be, for our superior, becoming servants for our Lord’s sake.
more:
Our Lord is an example of humble leadership
St. Augustine on leadership
Telegram
Ecce Verbum
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales
by Jean Pierre Camus
Jean Pierre Camus was a close friend and disciple of Saint Francois de Sales. There is no one better placed to give personal recollection of the "spirit of St. Francis" than he is, having been in such…
by Jean Pierre Camus
Jean Pierre Camus was a close friend and disciple of Saint Francois de Sales. There is no one better placed to give personal recollection of the "spirit of St. Francis" than he is, having been in such…
Ecce Verbum
The Social Kingship of Christ •The social reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a necessity "So long as Christ does not reign over nations, His influence over individuals remains superficial and precarious. If it is true that the work of the apostolate consists…
action_jean_ousset_rev_and_expanded_2002_annas_archive_libgenrs.pdf
4.2 MB
Action
Jean Ousset
Jean Ousset, one of France's foremost scholars of the Revolution, and a leader of the European anti-Marxist movement, founded La Cité Catholique in France in 1946 to spread the Social Reign of Christ. Action is one of his thorough and engaging -- yet practical -- manuals designed to inspire, motivate, and guide the modern Catholic layman in the understanding and performance of his duty to fight, with every available and lawful means, for the implementation of Catholic principles in society.
Of particular interest is Ousset's thorough, well-documented, and balanced treatment of the relationship between the clergy and the laity in the struggle for the triumph of Catholic principles in the temporal order. Additionally, he makes a clear and commonsense case for when it is not only lawful but also imperative to collaborate with non-Catholics of good will for the implementation of the Church's Social Doctrine for the salvation of temporal society.
Jean Ousset
Jean Ousset, one of France's foremost scholars of the Revolution, and a leader of the European anti-Marxist movement, founded La Cité Catholique in France in 1946 to spread the Social Reign of Christ. Action is one of his thorough and engaging -- yet practical -- manuals designed to inspire, motivate, and guide the modern Catholic layman in the understanding and performance of his duty to fight, with every available and lawful means, for the implementation of Catholic principles in society.
Of particular interest is Ousset's thorough, well-documented, and balanced treatment of the relationship between the clergy and the laity in the struggle for the triumph of Catholic principles in the temporal order. Additionally, he makes a clear and commonsense case for when it is not only lawful but also imperative to collaborate with non-Catholics of good will for the implementation of the Church's Social Doctrine for the salvation of temporal society.
Ecce Verbum
action_jean_ousset_rev_and_expanded_2002_annas_archive_libgenrs.pdf
Notes on the Basis and Proper Form of Catholic Action
by E. M. Milco
The following notes were composed while reading Jean Ousset’s classic book Action: A Manual for the Reconstruction of Christendom
1. The first responsibility of every person is to look after the salvation of his own soul. “Seek first the reign of God and his justice, and everything else will be added. . .” (Matt 6:33)
2. The reign of God, or kingdom of God, is two things: broadly speaking, it is the condition of things insofar as they are acting in accord with the divine will; narrowly speaking, it is the company of the saints and angels in glory, who are perfectly united with God.
3. The command to seek God’s reign therefore has two dimensions. Primarily, we must seek perfect union with God in heaven. But this perfect union comes about through the conformity of our lives (intellect and will . . . imagination, intention, action) to the justice, the righteousness of God.
4. Christian life should be thought of as the journey of a pilgrim soldier. Our destination is heaven, but it is a long way off. We cannot stop on the road, satisfied that the road leads to heaven, because this sort of complacency would guarantee that we will never get there. Enemies gather around us like dogs, and if we stop they will drag us from the road. It is the tendency toward heaven that assures us of our salvation.
5. This tendency toward heaven is a participation in the life shared by the blessed—now. It is practical action here in the vale of tears, animated by the theological virtues, which makes the reign of God present among us. (Luke 17:21)
6. Christian hope, our desire for heaven, is active, militant, and progressive. It is never satisfied with the present degree of conformity to the will of God, never rests in its present understanding of the truths of faith, never ceases to convict itself of the faults which still hold it back from greater progress toward the goal of heaven.
7. Practical action is the sign of living faith (James 2:18). What sort of practical action? Action taken to conform the present life to the life of the blessed. What do the blessed do?
8. They understand. To be in heaven is to see God as He is. (1 John 3:2) Therefore we should also strive to understand, to know the revealed truths of the Catholic faith fully, to plumb the depths of tradition and master the intricacies of authentic philosophy.
9. They adore. The understanding of the saints in heaven is inseparable from their perpetual act of adoration, by which they behold and unite themselves perfectly to God. Perhaps most practical thing we can do to make progress in the present life is to adore God.
10. They desire. The desires of the blessed are perfectly harmonized with each other, and with the will of God. They are informed by the truth, and grasp it partially, so that the saints and angels make up a great hierarchy of voices singing “Yes!” particularly and universally to whatever each has been assigned to know and love by God.
11. This act of desiring is the participation of the blessed in Divine Providence, which is the source of the order and government of the universe. If we want to conform ourselves to God as those in heaven do, then we need to take up our assigned place within the order of the world, by seeing to the protection and welfare of those in our care and in our communities.
12. Protection and welfare? What form does this take? At this point, our practical action becomes recursive: we seek for others what we first sought for ourselves, because we recognize that God, willing the salvation of all men, would have us act for their salvation as much as we act for our own.
13. Consequently, just as the two first things we should see to for our own benefit are sound formation in faith and devotion to God expressed in adoration, the first two things we should do for others are to instruct them when they are ignorant, and to encourage them in devotion. Note, of course, that we cannot give what we do not possess ourselves.
by E. M. Milco
The following notes were composed while reading Jean Ousset’s classic book Action: A Manual for the Reconstruction of Christendom
1. The first responsibility of every person is to look after the salvation of his own soul. “Seek first the reign of God and his justice, and everything else will be added. . .” (Matt 6:33)
2. The reign of God, or kingdom of God, is two things: broadly speaking, it is the condition of things insofar as they are acting in accord with the divine will; narrowly speaking, it is the company of the saints and angels in glory, who are perfectly united with God.
3. The command to seek God’s reign therefore has two dimensions. Primarily, we must seek perfect union with God in heaven. But this perfect union comes about through the conformity of our lives (intellect and will . . . imagination, intention, action) to the justice, the righteousness of God.
4. Christian life should be thought of as the journey of a pilgrim soldier. Our destination is heaven, but it is a long way off. We cannot stop on the road, satisfied that the road leads to heaven, because this sort of complacency would guarantee that we will never get there. Enemies gather around us like dogs, and if we stop they will drag us from the road. It is the tendency toward heaven that assures us of our salvation.
5. This tendency toward heaven is a participation in the life shared by the blessed—now. It is practical action here in the vale of tears, animated by the theological virtues, which makes the reign of God present among us. (Luke 17:21)
6. Christian hope, our desire for heaven, is active, militant, and progressive. It is never satisfied with the present degree of conformity to the will of God, never rests in its present understanding of the truths of faith, never ceases to convict itself of the faults which still hold it back from greater progress toward the goal of heaven.
7. Practical action is the sign of living faith (James 2:18). What sort of practical action? Action taken to conform the present life to the life of the blessed. What do the blessed do?
8. They understand. To be in heaven is to see God as He is. (1 John 3:2) Therefore we should also strive to understand, to know the revealed truths of the Catholic faith fully, to plumb the depths of tradition and master the intricacies of authentic philosophy.
9. They adore. The understanding of the saints in heaven is inseparable from their perpetual act of adoration, by which they behold and unite themselves perfectly to God. Perhaps most practical thing we can do to make progress in the present life is to adore God.
10. They desire. The desires of the blessed are perfectly harmonized with each other, and with the will of God. They are informed by the truth, and grasp it partially, so that the saints and angels make up a great hierarchy of voices singing “Yes!” particularly and universally to whatever each has been assigned to know and love by God.
11. This act of desiring is the participation of the blessed in Divine Providence, which is the source of the order and government of the universe. If we want to conform ourselves to God as those in heaven do, then we need to take up our assigned place within the order of the world, by seeing to the protection and welfare of those in our care and in our communities.
12. Protection and welfare? What form does this take? At this point, our practical action becomes recursive: we seek for others what we first sought for ourselves, because we recognize that God, willing the salvation of all men, would have us act for their salvation as much as we act for our own.
13. Consequently, just as the two first things we should see to for our own benefit are sound formation in faith and devotion to God expressed in adoration, the first two things we should do for others are to instruct them when they are ignorant, and to encourage them in devotion. Note, of course, that we cannot give what we do not possess ourselves.
Ecce Verbum
Notes on the Basis and Proper Form of Catholic Action by E. M. Milco The following notes were composed while reading Jean Ousset’s classic book Action: A Manual for the Reconstruction of Christendom 1. The first responsibility of every person is to look…
14. Beyond this, we should give advice where it is needed when we’re able, and admonish people when they stray. We should be patient with others as we are patient with ourselves in our own faults, and be ready to forgive, encourage, and assist in conversion.
15. Note that Christ commands us to look after our neighbors. The practical action of the Catholic is not first of all ordered to the salvation of the whole world, but to the salvation of those around us. Pride would tell us that the love of neighbor should first of all take the form of mass action and large-scale political organization. In reality, it needs to happen first in our families, parishes, offices, clubs, and the places we are already directly present.
16. Besides the primary goals of sanctification through faith and devotion, we are also given charge of material goods, and these too require our attention if they’re to be set in order properly. The corporal works of mercy deal with the actions proper to material goods.
17. None of these actions, spiritual or corporal, should be restricted in such a way that they are purely private or mystically detached from ordinary life. Life itself is for the sake of these things, since they are the perfection of human life. Everything we do should be suffused with them, and all our practical action should be ordered in such a way as to participate in this conformation of what we do, who we are, to God.
18. Just as the order given to the universe by God is visible in everything, and drives everything in its natural pursuit of peace and perfection, so our participation in that order should be visible in everything we do. Real Catholic action is nothing other than a developed, organized, communal expression of these ideas, which begin with the formation of oneself seeking the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and end up infecting everything: our families, our work, our professional aspirations, and our friendships, until we become instruments by which God sanctifies and converts everything around us.
19. If Christendom is to be restored, this is the true path. But note: it is not a clever scheme or political maneuver. It is nothing other than the practical application of Christian life, so that nothing remains untouched by it, so that in the end there is no separation between the saeculum and the Church, because the Church has filled it completely.
20. Matthew 13:33. “He told them another parable. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.’ “
source
15. Note that Christ commands us to look after our neighbors. The practical action of the Catholic is not first of all ordered to the salvation of the whole world, but to the salvation of those around us. Pride would tell us that the love of neighbor should first of all take the form of mass action and large-scale political organization. In reality, it needs to happen first in our families, parishes, offices, clubs, and the places we are already directly present.
16. Besides the primary goals of sanctification through faith and devotion, we are also given charge of material goods, and these too require our attention if they’re to be set in order properly. The corporal works of mercy deal with the actions proper to material goods.
17. None of these actions, spiritual or corporal, should be restricted in such a way that they are purely private or mystically detached from ordinary life. Life itself is for the sake of these things, since they are the perfection of human life. Everything we do should be suffused with them, and all our practical action should be ordered in such a way as to participate in this conformation of what we do, who we are, to God.
18. Just as the order given to the universe by God is visible in everything, and drives everything in its natural pursuit of peace and perfection, so our participation in that order should be visible in everything we do. Real Catholic action is nothing other than a developed, organized, communal expression of these ideas, which begin with the formation of oneself seeking the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and end up infecting everything: our families, our work, our professional aspirations, and our friendships, until we become instruments by which God sanctifies and converts everything around us.
19. If Christendom is to be restored, this is the true path. But note: it is not a clever scheme or political maneuver. It is nothing other than the practical application of Christian life, so that nothing remains untouched by it, so that in the end there is no separation between the saeculum and the Church, because the Church has filled it completely.
20. Matthew 13:33. “He told them another parable. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.’ “
source
abandonmenttothedivineprovidence.pdf
3.1 MB
Abandonment to Divine Providence
Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J.
The Rev. Jean Pierre de Caussade was one of the most remarkable spiritual writers of the Society of Jesus in France in the 18th Century. The book is divided into two unequal parts, the first containing a treatise on total abandonment to Divine Providence, and the second, letters of direction for persons leading a spiritual life. The Treatise comprises two different aspects of Abandonment to Divine Providence; one as a virtue, common and necessary to all Christians, the other as a state, proper to souls who have made a special practice of abandonment to the holy will of God.
Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J.
The Rev. Jean Pierre de Caussade was one of the most remarkable spiritual writers of the Society of Jesus in France in the 18th Century. The book is divided into two unequal parts, the first containing a treatise on total abandonment to Divine Providence, and the second, letters of direction for persons leading a spiritual life. The Treatise comprises two different aspects of Abandonment to Divine Providence; one as a virtue, common and necessary to all Christians, the other as a state, proper to souls who have made a special practice of abandonment to the holy will of God.
Ecce Verbum
abandonmenttothedivineprovidence.pdf
If we see the will of God in all things, whether good or bad, and in all simplicity, we will overcome everything
Abandonment to Divine Providence, Rev. J. P. de Caussade, S.J. page 88
'In the state of abandonment the soul finds more light and strength, through submission to the divine action, than all those possess who resist it through pride. Of what use are the most sublime illuminations, the most divine revelations, if one has no love for the will of God? A simple soul, enlightened only by faith, can never tire of admiring, praising, and loving the order of God; of finding it not only in holy creatures, but even in the most irregular confusion and disorder.'
'The devotion of the faithful soul to its obligations; its quiet submission to the intimate promptings of grace; its gentleness and humility towards everyone; are of more value than the most profound insight into mysteries.'
'If one regarded only the divine action in all the pride and harshness of creatures, one would never treat them with anything but sweetness and respect. Their roughness would never disturb the divine order, whatever course it might take. One must only see in it the divine action, given and taken, as long as one is faithful in the practice of sweetness and humility.'
'It is best not to observe their way of proceeding, but always to walk with firm steps in our own path. It is thus that by bending gently, cedars are broken, and rocks overthrown.'
'Who amongst creatures can resist a faithful, gentle, and humble soul? These are the only arms to be taken if we wish to conquer all our enemies. Jesus Christ has placed them in our hands that we may defend ourselves; there is nothing to fear if we know how to use them.'
'We must not be cowardly, but generous. This is the only disposition suitable to the instruments of God.'
'All the works of God are sublime and marvellous; while one’s own actions, when they war against God, cannot resist the divine action in one who is united to it by sweetness and humility.'
'The more light, science, and capacity a person has, the more he is to be feared if he does not possess a foundation of piety, which consists in being satisfied with God and His will.'
'It is by a well-regulated heart that one is united to the divine action; without this everything is purely natural, and generally, in direct opposition to the divine order.'
#humility
Abandonment to Divine Providence, Rev. J. P. de Caussade, S.J. page 88
'In the state of abandonment the soul finds more light and strength, through submission to the divine action, than all those possess who resist it through pride. Of what use are the most sublime illuminations, the most divine revelations, if one has no love for the will of God? A simple soul, enlightened only by faith, can never tire of admiring, praising, and loving the order of God; of finding it not only in holy creatures, but even in the most irregular confusion and disorder.'
'The devotion of the faithful soul to its obligations; its quiet submission to the intimate promptings of grace; its gentleness and humility towards everyone; are of more value than the most profound insight into mysteries.'
'If one regarded only the divine action in all the pride and harshness of creatures, one would never treat them with anything but sweetness and respect. Their roughness would never disturb the divine order, whatever course it might take. One must only see in it the divine action, given and taken, as long as one is faithful in the practice of sweetness and humility.'
'It is best not to observe their way of proceeding, but always to walk with firm steps in our own path. It is thus that by bending gently, cedars are broken, and rocks overthrown.'
'Who amongst creatures can resist a faithful, gentle, and humble soul? These are the only arms to be taken if we wish to conquer all our enemies. Jesus Christ has placed them in our hands that we may defend ourselves; there is nothing to fear if we know how to use them.'
'We must not be cowardly, but generous. This is the only disposition suitable to the instruments of God.'
'All the works of God are sublime and marvellous; while one’s own actions, when they war against God, cannot resist the divine action in one who is united to it by sweetness and humility.'
'The more light, science, and capacity a person has, the more he is to be feared if he does not possess a foundation of piety, which consists in being satisfied with God and His will.'
'It is by a well-regulated heart that one is united to the divine action; without this everything is purely natural, and generally, in direct opposition to the divine order.'
#humility
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Ecce Verbum
Abandonment to Divine Providence
Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J.
The Rev. Jean Pierre de Caussade was one of the most remarkable spiritual writers of the Society of Jesus in France in the 18th Century. The book is divided into two unequal parts, the first…
Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J.
The Rev. Jean Pierre de Caussade was one of the most remarkable spiritual writers of the Society of Jesus in France in the 18th Century. The book is divided into two unequal parts, the first…
Truth104.pdf
1.1 MB
Maritain and the Idea of a Catholic
University
Gavin T. Colvert
Maritain's essay "Truth and Human Fellowship" contemplates
a simple but important conclusion: genuine intellectual cooperation among persons with differing points of view requires a shared commitment to the pursuit of truth.The repudiation of truth as a goal of inquiry in the name of toleration, on the other hand, destroys the basis for mutual cooperation. This conclusion generates an apparent paradox. Truth does not admit compromise, yet it is imperative that we cooperate for the sake of the common good. If truth precludes cooperation, then the search for truth and human fellowship appears hopeless. Maritain offers a compelling account of how different traditions can appropriate each other's insights without discarding respect for truth.
The purpose of this essay is to examine Maritain's proposal and to show that it can provide a useful model for thinking through the current predicament in American Catholic education.
#education
University
Gavin T. Colvert
Maritain's essay "Truth and Human Fellowship" contemplates
a simple but important conclusion: genuine intellectual cooperation among persons with differing points of view requires a shared commitment to the pursuit of truth.The repudiation of truth as a goal of inquiry in the name of toleration, on the other hand, destroys the basis for mutual cooperation. This conclusion generates an apparent paradox. Truth does not admit compromise, yet it is imperative that we cooperate for the sake of the common good. If truth precludes cooperation, then the search for truth and human fellowship appears hopeless. Maritain offers a compelling account of how different traditions can appropriate each other's insights without discarding respect for truth.
The purpose of this essay is to examine Maritain's proposal and to show that it can provide a useful model for thinking through the current predicament in American Catholic education.
#education
Ecce Verbum
The-Spirit-of-St-Francis-de-Sales.pdf
The emptiness of non-Christian Philosophy
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, page 76
I was speaking on one occasion of the writings of Seneca and of Plutarch, praising them highly and saying that they had been my delight when young, our Blessed Father replied:
After having tasted the manna of the Fathers and Theologians, this is to hanker for the leeks and garlic of Egypt.
When I rejoined that these above mentioned writers furnished me with all that I could desire for instruction in morals, and that Seneca seemed to me more like a christian author than a pagan, he said:
There I differ from you entirely. I consider that no spirit is more absolutely opposed to the spirit of christianity than that of Seneca, and no more dangerous reading for a soul aiming at true piety can be found than his works.
Being much surprised at this opinion, and asking for an explanation, he went on to say:
This opposition between the two spirits comes from the fact that Seneca would have us look for perfection within ourselves, whereas we must seek it outside ourselves, in God, that is to say, in the grace which God pours into our souls through the Holy Ghost. Not I, but the grace of God with me. [1 Cor. xv. 10.]
By this grace we are what we are. The spirit of Seneca inflates the soul and puffs it up with pride, that of Christianity rejects the knowledge which puffs up in order to embrace the charity which edifies.
In short, there is the same difference between the spirit of Seneca and the christian spirit that there is between virtues acquired by us, which are, therefore, dead, and virtues that are infused by God, which are, therefore, living.
Indeed, how could this philosopher, being destitute of the true Faith, possess charity? And yet well we know that without charity all acquired virtues are unable to save us.
#philosophy
The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, page 76
I was speaking on one occasion of the writings of Seneca and of Plutarch, praising them highly and saying that they had been my delight when young, our Blessed Father replied:
After having tasted the manna of the Fathers and Theologians, this is to hanker for the leeks and garlic of Egypt.
When I rejoined that these above mentioned writers furnished me with all that I could desire for instruction in morals, and that Seneca seemed to me more like a christian author than a pagan, he said:
There I differ from you entirely. I consider that no spirit is more absolutely opposed to the spirit of christianity than that of Seneca, and no more dangerous reading for a soul aiming at true piety can be found than his works.
Being much surprised at this opinion, and asking for an explanation, he went on to say:
This opposition between the two spirits comes from the fact that Seneca would have us look for perfection within ourselves, whereas we must seek it outside ourselves, in God, that is to say, in the grace which God pours into our souls through the Holy Ghost. Not I, but the grace of God with me. [1 Cor. xv. 10.]
By this grace we are what we are. The spirit of Seneca inflates the soul and puffs it up with pride, that of Christianity rejects the knowledge which puffs up in order to embrace the charity which edifies.
In short, there is the same difference between the spirit of Seneca and the christian spirit that there is between virtues acquired by us, which are, therefore, dead, and virtues that are infused by God, which are, therefore, living.
Indeed, how could this philosopher, being destitute of the true Faith, possess charity? And yet well we know that without charity all acquired virtues are unable to save us.
#philosophy
Happiness Doubled by Wonder
G. K. Chesterton, A Short History of England, Chapter VI
"In any intellectual corner of modernity can be found such a phrase as I have just read in a newspaper controversy: "Salvation, like other good things, must not come from outside." To call a spiritual thing external and not internal is the chief mode of modernist excommunication. But if our subject of study is mediæval and not modern, we must pit against this apparent platitude the very opposite idea. We must put ourselves in the posture of men who thought that almost every good thing came from outside—like good news. I confess that I am not impartial in my sympathies here; and that the newspaper phrase I quoted strikes me as a blunder about the very nature of life. I do not, in my private capacity, believe that a baby gets his best physical food by sucking his thumb; nor that a man gets his best moral food by sucking his soul, and denying its dependence on God or other good things. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
#salvation
G. K. Chesterton, A Short History of England, Chapter VI
"In any intellectual corner of modernity can be found such a phrase as I have just read in a newspaper controversy: "Salvation, like other good things, must not come from outside." To call a spiritual thing external and not internal is the chief mode of modernist excommunication. But if our subject of study is mediæval and not modern, we must pit against this apparent platitude the very opposite idea. We must put ourselves in the posture of men who thought that almost every good thing came from outside—like good news. I confess that I am not impartial in my sympathies here; and that the newspaper phrase I quoted strikes me as a blunder about the very nature of life. I do not, in my private capacity, believe that a baby gets his best physical food by sucking his thumb; nor that a man gets his best moral food by sucking his soul, and denying its dependence on God or other good things. I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
#salvation
www.gutenberg.org
A Short History of England
Ecce Verbum
"Great inspirers and coworkers of Saint Jerome" A fragment about St. Marcella and St. Fabiola and their role in the founding of the Christian monastic system. "To the amazement -- or rather the consternation -- of the patrician society of Rome it was one…
Great inspirers and co-workers of Saint Jerome
A fragment about St. Paula and St. Eustochium and their role in translating the Vulgate
"..But not only were Paula and Eustochium the stimulus of Jerome's great labors in translation and exegesis, but they were also his consolation and support when he was made the target of hostile criticism and personal animosity.
It was during these trying hours, when persecution was most fierce and relentless, that Jerome most needed the sympathy and the support of his two learned and saintly friends and collaborators. "I beg you, I conjure you, dear servants of Christ," he writes in the preface to the Book of Kings, "to protect me by your prayers against the rage of those dogs which run through the city, barking, calumniating, sharpening their teeth in order the better to bite. Protect me from those ignoramuses whose knowledge consists in disparaging that of others..."
"Indeed, it may safely be said that we have not in all history a more extraordinary instance of the paramount importance of woman's collaboration in things of the mind, or of the efficacy of her benign influence, when guided by affectionate zeal and by keen and lofty intelligence, than in the production of the Vulgate."
"The part of the Bible first translated was the First Book of Kings. No sooner had he completed this portion of his work than Jerome submitted it to Paula and Eustochium for their criticism and revision. "Read my Book of Kings," he writes.."Read also the Latin and Greek editions and compare them with my version."
"At other times, so great was his confidence in their knowledge and judgment that he desired to have his own authority corroborated by that of his unrivaled coworkers. Thus, in his preface to the translation of the Book of Esther, he writes, "You, Paula and Eustochium, who are so thoroughly versed in the literature of the Hebrews and so competent to judge of the merits of a translation, examine my version of Esther, comparing it word for word with the original, in order to determine whether I have in any way changed the sense of the original, and whether I have fully preserved in Latin the true spirit of the Hebrew narrative."
"But the service which Paula and Eustochium rendered to the venerable hermit was not limited to their criticism, advice and encouragement, to which he attached so much importance, and on which he so greatly relied for the perfection of his work. Far from it. It was Paula who, at her own expense, procured for him the books and rare manuscripts which were essential to the successful execution of his work. This was small assistance, for in those days the books and manuscripts that Jerome most needed --like Origen's "Hexapla" for instance --were exceedingly rare, and were worth their weight in gold."
"Under Jerome's direction, they undertook the delicate and important work of copying and revising Biblical manuscripts, in which they were aided by the inmates of Paula's convent."
"It was, thus, in Paula's convents, which were likewise schools of theology and languages, where every one of her religieuses was obliged to study Scripture, that was originated that important occupation of copying manuscripts, which became a universal practice in all the monasteries of succeeding ages -- an occupation to which we are indebted for the preservation of the treasures of Greek and Roman letters and science, as well as of the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and an occupation which, when we consider what it has saved for us, was probably one of the most useful which was ever instituted."
"..From this holy union of hearts and souls, it would be difficult to decide who derived the most benefit- Paula, Eustochium or Jerome, who, thanks to the sympathy and cooperation of his two friends, was able to produce those monumental works which will ever constitute his chief glory in the Church which he served so long and so well.."
full text
more:
Saint John Chrysostom speaking of women in ministry
A fragment about St. Paula and St. Eustochium and their role in translating the Vulgate
"..But not only were Paula and Eustochium the stimulus of Jerome's great labors in translation and exegesis, but they were also his consolation and support when he was made the target of hostile criticism and personal animosity.
It was during these trying hours, when persecution was most fierce and relentless, that Jerome most needed the sympathy and the support of his two learned and saintly friends and collaborators. "I beg you, I conjure you, dear servants of Christ," he writes in the preface to the Book of Kings, "to protect me by your prayers against the rage of those dogs which run through the city, barking, calumniating, sharpening their teeth in order the better to bite. Protect me from those ignoramuses whose knowledge consists in disparaging that of others..."
"Indeed, it may safely be said that we have not in all history a more extraordinary instance of the paramount importance of woman's collaboration in things of the mind, or of the efficacy of her benign influence, when guided by affectionate zeal and by keen and lofty intelligence, than in the production of the Vulgate."
"The part of the Bible first translated was the First Book of Kings. No sooner had he completed this portion of his work than Jerome submitted it to Paula and Eustochium for their criticism and revision. "Read my Book of Kings," he writes.."Read also the Latin and Greek editions and compare them with my version."
"At other times, so great was his confidence in their knowledge and judgment that he desired to have his own authority corroborated by that of his unrivaled coworkers. Thus, in his preface to the translation of the Book of Esther, he writes, "You, Paula and Eustochium, who are so thoroughly versed in the literature of the Hebrews and so competent to judge of the merits of a translation, examine my version of Esther, comparing it word for word with the original, in order to determine whether I have in any way changed the sense of the original, and whether I have fully preserved in Latin the true spirit of the Hebrew narrative."
"But the service which Paula and Eustochium rendered to the venerable hermit was not limited to their criticism, advice and encouragement, to which he attached so much importance, and on which he so greatly relied for the perfection of his work. Far from it. It was Paula who, at her own expense, procured for him the books and rare manuscripts which were essential to the successful execution of his work. This was small assistance, for in those days the books and manuscripts that Jerome most needed --like Origen's "Hexapla" for instance --were exceedingly rare, and were worth their weight in gold."
"Under Jerome's direction, they undertook the delicate and important work of copying and revising Biblical manuscripts, in which they were aided by the inmates of Paula's convent."
"It was, thus, in Paula's convents, which were likewise schools of theology and languages, where every one of her religieuses was obliged to study Scripture, that was originated that important occupation of copying manuscripts, which became a universal practice in all the monasteries of succeeding ages -- an occupation to which we are indebted for the preservation of the treasures of Greek and Roman letters and science, as well as of the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and an occupation which, when we consider what it has saved for us, was probably one of the most useful which was ever instituted."
"..From this holy union of hearts and souls, it would be difficult to decide who derived the most benefit- Paula, Eustochium or Jerome, who, thanks to the sympathy and cooperation of his two friends, was able to produce those monumental works which will ever constitute his chief glory in the Church which he served so long and so well.."
full text
more:
Saint John Chrysostom speaking of women in ministry
Satucket
Paula & Eustochium
Biography and Readings for Lancelot Andrewes, commemorated Sept. 26, according to the Episcopal Church
Ecce Verbum
Great inspirers and co-workers of Saint Jerome A fragment about St. Paula and St. Eustochium and their role in translating the Vulgate "..But not only were Paula and Eustochium the stimulus of Jerome's great labors in translation and exegesis, but they were…
The chivalry of St. Jerome, defending St. Paula and St. Eustochium
"So highly did Jerome value the assistance given him by his two devoted collaborators that he dedicated many of his works to them. Others he inscribed to his former associates of the Ecclesia Domestica, who not only kept up a constant correspondence with their friends in Bethlehem but also exhibited an unabated interest in the study of Scripture as well as in the labors of their former teacher, in whose achievements they gloried almost as much as did Paula and Eustochium.
The Pharisees of the time, not content with reproaching the venerable Father with his persistence in dedicating his books to his spiritual daughters, went so far as to denounce it as a public scandal. His reply to his accusers, in his preface to the commentary on Sophonias, reveals the character of the man and his nobility of soul so well that I reproduce from it the following paragraph:
"There are people, O Paula and Eustochium, who take offense at seeing your names at the beginning of my works. These people do not know that Olda prophesied when the men were mute; that, while Barak trembled, Deborah saved Israel; that Judith and Esther delivered from supreme peril the children of God. I pass over in silence Anna and Elizabeth and the other holy women of the Gospel, but humble stars when compared with the luminary, Mary. Shall I speak now of the illustrious women among the heathen? Does not Plato have Aspasia speak in his dialogues? Does not Sappho hold the lyre at the same time as Alcaeus and Pindar? Did not Themista philosophize with the sages of Greece? And the mother of the Gracchi, your Cornelia, and the daughter of Cato, wife of Brutus, before whom pale the austere virtue of the father and the courage of the husband -- are they not the pride of the whole of Rome? I shall add but one word more. Was it not to women that our Lord appeared after His resurrection? Yes, and the men could then blush for not having sought what women had found.."
full text
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Inspirers and coworkers of Saint Jerome pt 2
Inspirers and coworkers of Saint Jerome pt 1
"So highly did Jerome value the assistance given him by his two devoted collaborators that he dedicated many of his works to them. Others he inscribed to his former associates of the Ecclesia Domestica, who not only kept up a constant correspondence with their friends in Bethlehem but also exhibited an unabated interest in the study of Scripture as well as in the labors of their former teacher, in whose achievements they gloried almost as much as did Paula and Eustochium.
The Pharisees of the time, not content with reproaching the venerable Father with his persistence in dedicating his books to his spiritual daughters, went so far as to denounce it as a public scandal. His reply to his accusers, in his preface to the commentary on Sophonias, reveals the character of the man and his nobility of soul so well that I reproduce from it the following paragraph:
"There are people, O Paula and Eustochium, who take offense at seeing your names at the beginning of my works. These people do not know that Olda prophesied when the men were mute; that, while Barak trembled, Deborah saved Israel; that Judith and Esther delivered from supreme peril the children of God. I pass over in silence Anna and Elizabeth and the other holy women of the Gospel, but humble stars when compared with the luminary, Mary. Shall I speak now of the illustrious women among the heathen? Does not Plato have Aspasia speak in his dialogues? Does not Sappho hold the lyre at the same time as Alcaeus and Pindar? Did not Themista philosophize with the sages of Greece? And the mother of the Gracchi, your Cornelia, and the daughter of Cato, wife of Brutus, before whom pale the austere virtue of the father and the courage of the husband -- are they not the pride of the whole of Rome? I shall add but one word more. Was it not to women that our Lord appeared after His resurrection? Yes, and the men could then blush for not having sought what women had found.."
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Inspirers and coworkers of Saint Jerome pt 2
Inspirers and coworkers of Saint Jerome pt 1
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Great inspirers and co-workers of Saint Jerome
A fragment about St. Paula and St. Eustochium and their role in translating the Vulgate
"..But not only were Paula and Eustochium the stimulus of Jerome's great labors in translation and exegesis, but they…
A fragment about St. Paula and St. Eustochium and their role in translating the Vulgate
"..But not only were Paula and Eustochium the stimulus of Jerome's great labors in translation and exegesis, but they…
Ecce Verbum
A Guide to Better Online Discussion St. Paul writes, "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." (Eph. 4:15) Media technology used well obviously provides us with many conveniences and benefits.…
Feeling, Discussion, and Taste
"...It is easy, then, to perceive, that in our estimate of things, we not only differ from each other, but also from ourselves, when our judgments are deduced from our immediate feelings, and not from any previous knowledge of the matter. This error in our judgments, extends not only to matters of taste, but prevails in every subject of human inquiry, connected with our passions, and capable of engaging or interesting our affections. To prefer feeling, therefore, to discussion, in ascertaining the beauty of any production either of nature or of art, is to be guided by a standard which is never the same, except in men whose equanimity of temper renders them superior to the influence of times and circumstances. Such men, however, are rarely to be met with, even in the most polished and refined nations; and it is only in such nations we can expect to meet with them..."
Martin MacDermot, A Critical Dissertation on the Nature and Principles of Taste, p. 69.
"...It is easy, then, to perceive, that in our estimate of things, we not only differ from each other, but also from ourselves, when our judgments are deduced from our immediate feelings, and not from any previous knowledge of the matter. This error in our judgments, extends not only to matters of taste, but prevails in every subject of human inquiry, connected with our passions, and capable of engaging or interesting our affections. To prefer feeling, therefore, to discussion, in ascertaining the beauty of any production either of nature or of art, is to be guided by a standard which is never the same, except in men whose equanimity of temper renders them superior to the influence of times and circumstances. Such men, however, are rarely to be met with, even in the most polished and refined nations; and it is only in such nations we can expect to meet with them..."
Martin MacDermot, A Critical Dissertation on the Nature and Principles of Taste, p. 69.
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A Critical Dissertation on the Nature and Principles of Taste
Ecce Verbum
Feeling, Discussion, and Taste "...It is easy, then, to perceive, that in our estimate of things, we not only differ from each other, but also from ourselves, when our judgments are deduced from our immediate feelings, and not from any previous knowledge…
Pleasure and Reason
"...Discussion can take place only where a reason can be assigned, and if we can assign no reason why we delight in looking on a rose, what arguments can we resort to in attempting to discuss it? If, however, any reason could be assigned for the pleasing emotion excited by a rose, this reason, and the discussion founded upon it, so far from lessening our pleasure, would only serve to render it more agreeable and delightful. If reason could supply us with arguments to prove demonstratively, in what manner this pleasure arose from certain qualities which the Creator of our being had annexed to the rose, and by what laws these qualities were calculated to increase our happiness whenever we observed them, the conviction that our Creator adopted this means of affording us delight, must surely serve to increase the pleasure which the rose would have afforded us without this knowledge. Pleasure, so far from being lessened by knowing that it is rational, is always increased by the reflection of its being so..."
Martin MacDermot, A Critical Dissertation on the Nature and Principles of Taste, p. 106.
"...Discussion can take place only where a reason can be assigned, and if we can assign no reason why we delight in looking on a rose, what arguments can we resort to in attempting to discuss it? If, however, any reason could be assigned for the pleasing emotion excited by a rose, this reason, and the discussion founded upon it, so far from lessening our pleasure, would only serve to render it more agreeable and delightful. If reason could supply us with arguments to prove demonstratively, in what manner this pleasure arose from certain qualities which the Creator of our being had annexed to the rose, and by what laws these qualities were calculated to increase our happiness whenever we observed them, the conviction that our Creator adopted this means of affording us delight, must surely serve to increase the pleasure which the rose would have afforded us without this knowledge. Pleasure, so far from being lessened by knowing that it is rational, is always increased by the reflection of its being so..."
Martin MacDermot, A Critical Dissertation on the Nature and Principles of Taste, p. 106.
Google Books
A Critical Dissertation on the Nature and Principles of Taste
Ecce Verbum
A Guide to Better Online Discussion St. Paul writes, "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." (Eph. 4:15) Media technology used well obviously provides us with many conveniences and benefits.…
Ad Hominem is a sin
But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca (worthless), shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Matthew 5:22)
Ad Hominem is
-a sin against truth
-a sin against the rational nature and dignity of a human
-a sin of presumption
-a vice of wrath
"Accordingly, when dealing with other human beings, we must always appeal to their reason as far as we can, because to fail to do so would be contrary to what is good for them given their nature. Of course, sometimes this is not possible – for example, with a person who is literally insane, or with an attacker intent on inflicting bodily harm. But it obviously is possible with an opponent who himself makes an effort at rational engagement.
When, in response to such engagement, we resort to fallacious ad hominem rhetoric – when we ignore an opponent’s attempts to reason with us, when we respond to his arguments with mockery and contempt, when we try to shout him down and intimidate him into silence rather than persuading him – we treat him as something less than a rational animal, and therefore as less than human. We are acting contrary to his nature, contrary to his human dignity. This cannot fail to be sinful. And the more greatly it contributes to sowing discord within society or the Church, the more gravely sinful it is."
What is an ad hominem fallacy?
http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2013/04/what-is-ad-hominem-fallacy.html
The ad hominem fallacy is a sin
http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-ad-hominem-fallacy-is-sin.html?m=1
#speech
But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca (worthless), shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Matthew 5:22)
Ad Hominem is
-a sin against truth
-a sin against the rational nature and dignity of a human
-a sin of presumption
-a vice of wrath
"Accordingly, when dealing with other human beings, we must always appeal to their reason as far as we can, because to fail to do so would be contrary to what is good for them given their nature. Of course, sometimes this is not possible – for example, with a person who is literally insane, or with an attacker intent on inflicting bodily harm. But it obviously is possible with an opponent who himself makes an effort at rational engagement.
When, in response to such engagement, we resort to fallacious ad hominem rhetoric – when we ignore an opponent’s attempts to reason with us, when we respond to his arguments with mockery and contempt, when we try to shout him down and intimidate him into silence rather than persuading him – we treat him as something less than a rational animal, and therefore as less than human. We are acting contrary to his nature, contrary to his human dignity. This cannot fail to be sinful. And the more greatly it contributes to sowing discord within society or the Church, the more gravely sinful it is."
What is an ad hominem fallacy?
http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2013/04/what-is-ad-hominem-fallacy.html
The ad hominem fallacy is a sin
http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-ad-hominem-fallacy-is-sin.html?m=1
#speech
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What is an ad hominem fallacy?
As students of logic know, not every appeal to authority is a fallacious appeal to authority. A fallacy is committed only when the p...
Why do we read old books?
taken from the introduction C.S. Lewis wrote to Athanasius's "On The Incarnation"
"The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire."
"Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period."
"But if any man is tempted to think – as one might be tempted who read only contemporaries – that “Christianity” is a word of so many meanings that it means nothing at all, he can learn beyond all doubt, by stepping out of his own century, that this is not so."
taken from the introduction C.S. Lewis wrote to Athanasius's "On The Incarnation"
"The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire."
"Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period."
"But if any man is tempted to think – as one might be tempted who read only contemporaries – that “Christianity” is a word of so many meanings that it means nothing at all, he can learn beyond all doubt, by stepping out of his own century, that this is not so."