Desert Fathers: Nails and humility
Today’s quotation comes from a Desert Mother, Syncletica:
“Just as one cannot build a ship unless one has some nails, so it is impossible to be saved without humility”
– Syncletica of Alexandria
Tag: Humility
Humiliation and Humility
I’m not completely sure of how I came across the quotation below. I think I saw it on Devin Rose‘s Facebook page ages ago, thought it was brilliant, and so copied it into my quotations folder…
“It’s much easier to deal with humiliation if you have humility. If you’ve never laughed at yourself, it’s hard when others do it for you” – Jerry Suva
Sunday Lectionary: Be doers of the word
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time: September 2nd, 2012
There are a number of themes found in this week’s Readings, but they all centre around remaining in right relationship with God through observance of His Word.
In our First Reading, Moses reminds the people of their obligation to observe what God has commanded. If they do this, then they shall remain in covenant with Him and be light to the other nations. In the Second Reading, St. James exhorts his listeners to “Be doers of the word and not hearers only”. Finally, in the Gospel our Lord answers the criticisms of the Pharisees when they complain about his disciples not washing their hands. He responds with a stinging rebuttal, claiming that they “disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition”. He goes on to say to the crowd that “nothing that enters one from outside can defile”. It is what we say and what we do which makes us “unclean”.
This Sunday, as we hear the Word of God proclaimed, do we “humbly welcome” it and allow it to penetrate our lives? Do we act on what we hear or are we “hearers only”? As we renew our covenant with the Lord in the Eucharist, let us commit ourselves to be “doers of His word” and to live lives which reflect the holiness of the Lord.
Pride and Humility
“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real”
– Thomas Merton
Language of Humility
“Humility is like a foreign language. I can understand it, but don’t speak it very well” – Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa
Christmas Thoughts
Those of you who know me will know that I’m someone who is not a very “Christmas-y” sort of person…
Why?
Well, it’s probably partly because all my childhood recollections of school between September to January are dominated by memories of interminable carol rehearsals! I hate shopping at all times of the year, but especially during the Christmas rush. I hate picking up pine needles and I think fake trees are, well, fake. I don’t like the dark or cold which I usually associate with Christmas. I always look forward to the extraordinary liturgy of the Church at Easter, but at Christmas it is largely unchanged. And finally, nothing annoys me more than the saccharin-coated cheeriness which seems to be induced in people every December.