Understanding is…
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, don’t seek to understand so that you may believe, but believe so that you may understand.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
In the hands of God…
In the hands of God the soul must become like clay in the hands of the potter, who from it can form any sort of dish; or, if you like, the soul must become like soft wax receptive to the impression of the seal, or like a blank sheet upon which the Holy Spirit writes His divine will.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Give heart and mind to God…
To give heart and mind to God, so that they are ours no longer — to do good without being conscious of it, to pray ceaselessly and without effort as we breathe — to love without stopping to reflect upon our feelings — such is the perfect forgetfulness of self, which casts us upon God, as a babe rests upon its mother’s breast.
— Jean Nicolas Grou (1731-1803)
Prayers in Scripture…
Prayers which are really spiritual – because the Spirit was praying in the heart of the saints – are recorded in scripture, and they are full of unutterably wonderful declarations.
–Origen (c. 184- c. 254)
From the Old and New Testament…
First drink from the Old Testament, so that you may drink from the New as well. You cannot drink from the second without drinking from the first. Drink from the Old Testament to slake your thirst, and from the New to quench it completely.
–Saint Ambrose of Milan (339-397)
When reading the Holy Scriptures…
When reading the Holy Scriptures, he who is humble and engaged in spiritual work will apply everything to himself and not to someone else.
–Saint Mark the Ascetic (Fifth Century)
About
