Archive | July 2014
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To Think With the Church
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola set down eighteen rules for “thinking with the Church” that are fundamental to the discernment of spirits. The Latin phrase sentire cum Ecclesia, “to think with the Church,” succinctly identifies the truly Catholic state of mind. Christ and His Church possess “the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the […]
A Striking Trait of the Saints Through the Centuries
St. Augustine (and Vatican Council II, which cited him) made the classical remark that “a person possesses the Holy Spirit to the extent of his love for Christ’s Church” (OT, no. 9). Jesus in the New Testament so identifies himself with the Church he founded and loved into being that he is able to say […]
From Their Fruits You Will Know Them
How then can we know when we are genuinely growing in our communion with the indwelling Lord? Emotions alone give no sure answer. But the Gospels do, and so do the saints. Jesus himself gave us the sure-fire way to discern authenticity, to know what is genuine and what is not: “From their fruits you […]
Thy Will Be Done
Lets look at it another way. If deliberately choosing to follow Christ down a clear and narrow path of holiness is not our choice in this life, will it suddenly be our choice in death? + As we have seen in a simple review of a few passages, scripture is also clear – the trajectory of your life prior to […]
When We Bend Our Knee
To genuflect means, literally, “to bend the knee.” In the ancient world the knee symbolized the strength of a man. If a man is struck in the knee, he stumbles and falls; his strength is taken from him. When we genuflect before the Lord, our strength is not taken from us; rather, we willingly bend […]
There is Something Extraordinary About the Lives of Christians
From a letter to Diognetus Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, […]
Make a Sacrifice and 5 More Ways to Support and Help Persecuted Christians Right Now in Iraq and Around the World
—From the blog post 5 Things You Can Do Right Now as ISIS Threatens Iraqi Christians and Shiites by Elizabeth Scalia, The Anchoress 2) Make a sacrifice; offer it for the sake of these people: It needn’t be a big thing. Give up a seat on public transportation; give someone else the right-of-way; resist an urge […]
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