"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
You’ll often hear people say that, if you fall asleep while praying the rosary, your guardian angel will finish the rosary for you. If that’s true, I think mine is probably getting kinda sick of me at this point…
The article Guardian Angel Feast Day first appeared on RestlessPilgrim.net
I remember some time ago I was reading a book (possibly Bill Bryson’s “The Mother Tongue”) and found out that Latin anagrams were, at one point in history, all the rage. Well, what can you expect? These were the days before YouTube… Anyway, the author then gave an example of a Latin phrase which sounded rather familiar:
“Quid est veritas?”
This is the (rather cynical) question asked of Jesus by Pontius Pilate; what is truth? Well, it turns out that there is a rather appropriate anagram for Pilate’s words:
“Est vir qui adest”
The translation for this is “It is the man who is here”. Cool, huh?
The article A little Latin anagram first appeared on RestlessPilgrim.net
Hi guys,
I hope you all enjoyed the quotations from the Desert Fathers over the course of last month. Since we’re now in October, I’m going to resume regular blogging.
My time away was much needed as life got extremely busy in September. In fact, this month is also going to be packed, with trips to Seattle and San Francisco planned, as well a Theology On Tap talk and the wedding of a friend of mine. Prayer would be much appreciated!
God bless,
David.
I thought we’d conclude this series of sayings from the Desert Fathers with a bit of a bang…
Hyperichuius said, “Snatch your neighbour from his sins, so far as you can, and refrain from condemning him, for God does not reject those who turn to him. Let no evil word about your brother stay in your mind, so that you can say, ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors’ (Matthew 7:12).”
– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V
I’ll be back with regular blogging tomorrow. See you soon 🙂
Now therefore, Christians, since we know from the holy Scriptures and from divine revelation how great is the grace God gives to those who truly run to Him for refuge and blot out their former sins by repentance, and also how according to His promise He rewards them with good things and neither takes vengeance according to justice nor punishes them for their former sins, let us not despair.
For as He promised by the prophet Isaiah, He will cleanse those who have lived in sin and will make them bright and white like clean wool and snow, and glad with the blessings of heaven. Moreover, God asserts by the prophet Ezekiel that he does not desire their destruction when He says, “I do not desire the death of a sinner but rather that he should turn from his evil ways and live (Ezekiel 33:11)”
– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V
A hermit said, “All chatter is unnecessary. Nowadays everyone talks but what is needed is action. That is what God wants, not useless talking.”
– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V
A brother asked a hermit, “Abba, look here, I ask my elders questions, and they talk to me for the good of my soul, and I remember nothing they say. Is it any use asking questions when I gain nothing by it? I am deeply sinful.”
There were two empty vessels nearby. The hermit said, “Take one of those vessels and put oil in it, rinse it, pour out the oil, and bring the vessel back.” He did so. He said, “Do it again.” He did so.
After he had done it several times, the hermit said, “Now take both vessels and see which is cleaner.” He answered, “The one into which I put oil.”
The hermit said, “It’s the same for the one who asks questions. Although you remember nothing that you have heard, your soul will be cleaner than that of someone who never even asks questions.
– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V