1. Reading for class, I was enlivened by this correspondence between two Roman administrators - Pliny and Trajan - about how to handle early Christians. If you want to hear about early Church traditions, read about it from 100 AD rulers who didn't even want Christianity to exist in their lands. Here is an excerpt from an on-line source I found:
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    But they declared their guilt or error was simply this -- on a fixed day they used to meet before dawn and recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god. So far from binding themselves by oath to commit any crime, they swore to keep from theft, robbery, adultery, breach of faith, and not to deny any trust money deposited with them when called upon to deliver it. This ceremony over, they used to depart and meet again to take food -- but it was of no special character, and entirely harmless. 
    Although not the source of the above text, here is the first full text we are reading for our class.
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    The life of a Catholic priest on a college campus...
    Fr. John Muir, assistant director both of the Office of Worship for the Phoenix Diocese and of the All Saints Catholic Newman Center in Tempe, shares what one day as a priest was like for him. In this 15-minute video, produced and directed by Derek Natzke, Fr. Muir speak of the challenges young men face in discerning the call to the priesthood, and the many joys that await those who answer the call.
    A great, authentic video for all. Here is the article from The Catholic Sun. Here is the video.
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  3. From another author's blog:

    AUGUST 23, 2012

    Those Deep Places to which We are Called
    There are deep places in the heart.  A vast and unexplored wilderness awaits us there, deep within our innermost being where neither thought nor feeling can penetrate.   The greater portion of the limitless frontiers the Creator has fashioned in the depths of the soul have yet to be glimpsed by humanity.

    Those who desire God and dedicate themselves to seeking Him discover the deepest truth about their own existence.   They have the key that unlocks these hidden depths.   Desire alone takes us to this deepest center of our humanity, desire stepping out in faith, urged on by love.  This is because the Trinity dwells in this deepest center.

    The Bridegroom dwells waiting for us in our innermost being, longing for us to seek Him, yearning to disclose Himself in irrevocable friendship.  This marks the greatness of our humanity, the fact that our Deliverer waits on us, believes in the goodness with which He fashioned us, and hopes in us unto death.  He who is love would not have it any other way.  The immensity of His tender presence is why it is His love and not our failures that define our lives.

    Those who long for silence have been smitten by the Lord.  They hear divine whispers calling them to the profound depths of human existence and they simply cannot deny the One who longs for them any longer.  These beautiful souls gladly fulfill their obligations and duties given them by the bonds of friendship and justice, but they do so longing for a few minutes to devote themselves to seeking their Divine Friend with the whole effort of their soul.

    They delight in spending time searching for Him within, in the deep places where He dwells.  Difficult though it might become, their devotion is never tiresome to them.  This is because when exercised even for just a few quickly passing moments, their devotion unleashed is intensely vulnerable to  pure and delicate living flames that do not destroy but catch everything up into beauty.
    Posted by Anthony Lilles at 8/23/2012
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    From The Writings of Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest (1557 – 1648)
    Everyone knows the great merit and dignity attached to that holy ministry in which young boys, especially the poor, receive instruction for the purpose of attaining eternal life. This ministry is directed to the well-being of body and soul; at the same time that it shapes behavior it also fosters devotion and Christian doctrine. In doing this it performs for the young boys the very same service as their guardian angels.
    Moreover the strongest support is provided not only to protect the young from evil, but also to rouse them and attract them more easily and gently to the performance of good works. Whatever the type of condition, it is well known that when the young are given this help the change for the better is so great that it becomes impossible to distinguish those who are educated from those who are not. Like the twigs of plants the young are easily influenced, as long as someone works to change their souls. But if they are allowed to grow hard, we know well that the possibility of one day bending them diminishes a great deal and is sometimes utterly lost.
    All who belong to the society of men, and especially all Christians, praise those who increase the human dignity of young boys, especially poor boys by giving them a proper education Above all, parents are happy that their children are led through straight paths. civil leaders rejoice to gain upright subjects and good citizens. The Church is especially joyful that others who love Christ and proclaim the Gospel are added to its following.
    All who undertake to teach must be endowed with deep love, the greatest patience, and, most of all, profound humility. They must perform their work with earnest zeal. Then, through their humble prayers, the Lord will find them worthy to become fellow workers with him in the cause of truth. He will console them in the fulfillment of this most noble duty, and, finally, will enrich them with the gift of heaven.
    As Scripture says: Those who instruct many in justice will shine as stars for all eternity. They will attain this more easily if they make a covenant of perpetual obedience and strive to cling to Christ and please him alone, because, in his words: What you did to one of the least of my brethren, you did for me.
    Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings, Proper of Saints, August 25, page 1350-1351

    Saint Joseph Calasanz (1557 – 1648) was born at Aragon, Spain in 1557, in his father’s castle. He was well educated receiving degrees in both cannon law and theology at the University of Lereda and at Alcala de Henares in Spain. At 25, he perceived a call to the religious life and was ordained a priest in 1583 and assigned duties of parish priest at Albarracin. He soon became secretary and confessor to his bishop who assigned episcopal duties as synodal examiner and procurator for the diocese. After the death of his bishop, he gave away much of his inheritance and renounced the rest and traveled to Rome. There, he worked in the household of Cardinal Ascanio Colonna as his theological advisor.
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  5. St. John Chrysostom in the Office of Readings for the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
    Breviary page 1344-1345
    How then account for the fact that these men, who in Christ's lifetime did not stand up to the attacks by the Jews, set forth to do battle with the whole world once Christ was dead - if, as you claim, Christ did not rise and speak to them and rouse their courage?  Did they perhaps say to themselves: "He could not save himself but he will protect us?  He did not help himself when he was alive, but now that he is dead he will extend a helping hand to us?  In his lifetime he brought no nation under his banner, but by uttering his name we will win over the whole world?"  Would it not be wholly irrational even to think such thoughts, much less to act upon them?  It is evident, then that if they had not seen him risen and had proof of his power, they would not have risked so much.
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    Labels: Called to Be Great Do Hard Things Energizing Witness God Works in Creation Humanity Lives of the Saints My Power is Made Perfect in Weakness Poverty

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    Breviary, p 1347-8, Office of Readings for St. Louis
    From a spiritual treatise to his son by Saint Louis
    My dearest son, my first instruction is that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength. Without this there is no salvation. Keep yourself, my son, from everything that you know displeases God, that is to say, from every mortal sin. You should permit yourself to be tormented by every kind of martyrdom before you would allow yourself to commit a mortal sin.
    If the Lord has permitted you to have some trial, bear it willingly and with gratitude, considering that it has happened for your good and that perhaps you well deserved it. If the Lord bestows upon you any kind of prosperity, thank him humbly and see that you become no worse for it, either through vain pride or anything else, because you ought not to oppose God or offend him in the matter of his gifts.
    Listen to the divine office with pleasure and devotion. As long as you are in church, be careful not to let your eyes wander and not to speak empty words, but pray to the Lord devoutly, either aloud or with the interior prayer of the heart.
    Be kindhearted to the poor, the unfortunate and the afflicted. Give them as much help and consolation as you can. Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater. Be just to your subjects, swaying neither to right nor left, but holding the line of justice. Always side with the poor rather that with the rich, until you are certain of the truth. See that all your subjects live in justice and peace, but especially those who have ecclesiastical rank and who belong to religious orders.
    Be devout and obedient to our mother the Church of Rome and the Supreme Pontiff as your spiritual father. Work to remove all sin from your land, particularly blasphemies and heresies.
    In conclusion, dearest son, I give you every blessing that a loving father can give a son. May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
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  7. Second Reading, Office of Readings, Breviary p 120
    From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

    You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, he says, but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you into two cities only or ten or twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old, but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state. For when he says: You are the salt of the earth, he is indicating that all mankind had lost its savor and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, he requires of these men those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it that these admirable fountains send out their streams for the good of others. Again, the man who is clean of heart, a peacemaker and ardent for truth will order his life so as to contribute to the common good. 
    Do not think, he says, that you are destined for easy struggles or unimportant tasks. You are the salt of the earth. What do these words imply? Did the disciples restore what had already turned rotten? Not at all. Salt cannot help what is already corrupted. That is not what they did. But what had first been renewed and freed from corruption and then turned over to them, they salted and preserved in the newness the Lord had bestowed. It took the power of Christ to free men from the corruption caused by sin; it was the task of the apostles through strenuous labor to keep that corruption from returning. 
    Have you noticed how, bit by bit, Christ shows them to be superior to the prophets? He says they are to be teachers not simply for Palestine but for the whole world. Do not be surprised, then, he says, that I address you apart from the others and involve you in such a dangerous enterprise. Consider the numerous and extensive cities, peoples and nations I will be sending you to govern. For this reason I would have you make others prudent, as well as being prudent yourselves. For unless you can do that, you will not be able to sustain even yourselves. 
    We're called to set the bar high (image source)
    If others lose their savor, then your ministry will help them regain it. But if you yourselves suffer that loss, you will drag others down with you. Therefore, the greater the undertakings put into your hands, the more zealous you must be. For this reason he says: But if the salt becomes tasteless, how can its flavor be restored? It is good for nothing now, but to be thrown out and trampled by men’s feet. 
    When they hear the words: When they curse you and persecute you and accuse you of every evil, they may be afraid to come forward. Therefore he says; “Unless you are prepared for that sort of thing, it is in vain that I have chosen you. Curses shall necessarily be your lot but they shall not harm you and will simply be a testimony to your constancy. If through fear, however, you fail to show the forcefulness your mission demands, your lot will be much worse, for all will speak evil of you and despise you. That is what being trampled by men’s feet means.” 
    Then he passes on to a more exalted comparison: You are the light of the world. Once again, “of the world”: not of one nation or twenty cities, but of the whole world. The light he means is an intelligible light, far superior to the rays of the sun we see, just as the salt is a spiritual salt. First salt, then light, so that you may learn how profitable sharp words may be and how useful serious doctrine. Such teaching holds in check and prevents dissipation; it leads to virtue and sharpens the mind’s eye. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do men light a lamp and put it under a basket. Here again he is urging them to a careful manner of life and teaching them to be watchful, for they live under the eyes of all and have the whole world for the arena of their struggles.
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  8. Father Henri Nouwen, in his book In the Name of Jesus, discusses Christian leadership for the contemporary world. Here are some of the best lines from a short section on relevancy:
    The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God's Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life (p 30).
    We are thus left with nothing but our witness, a vulnerable, poor, instrument that only His grace can animate. All we can do is accept love and love in return.
    One of the main sufferings experience in the ministry is that of low self-esteem. Many priests and ministers today increasingly perceive themselves as having very little impact. They are very busy, but they do not see much change. It seems that their efforts are fruitless (p 31).
    This would not be a concern if they (we) lived in the poor love of God cited in the previous line from page 30.
    God, the church, and the minister have been used for centuries to fill the gaps of incompetence, but today the gaps are being filled in other ways, and we no longer need spiritual answers to practical questions (p 33).
    We think we don't. How much different we are without a clear understanding of the spiritual reality in which we live. The only remedy is our own poverty, our witness to the spiritual reality by having nothing else to give us life. Then others will see how real God is - and how He can really work in them, too.
    The leaders of the future will be those who dare to claim their irrelevance in the contemporary world as a divine vocation that allows them to enter into a deep solidarity with the anguish underlying all the glitter of success, and to bring the light of Jesus there (p 35).
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    And we claim our irrelevance not by killing ourselves but by letting ourselves die to the dead-ends the world offers us. We learn to live in the animating, life-giving grace from God. We witness to Christ with our lives. How universally appealing that is.
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    Labels: Asceticism Culture Do Hard Things Leadership and Personal Growth My Power is Made Perfect in Weakness Poverty Riches

  9. A great song I hadn't heard yet. Pay attention to the lyrics - powerful stuff.

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  10. Pride is often the sin that grabs us most unsuspectingly and leads to other sins. Today's Gospel - Mt. 19:23-30 recounts the rich young man who could not give up all he had (at least in that moment) in order to follow Christ - a sin of pride in his riches.

    Here is a short excerpt from another blogger highlighting the importance of "asceticism" for not only monks, but for all of us seeking to respond to God with an outright "YES".
    Asceticism is practiced through the will in prayer to God and for life. On account of the centrality of the will if anything is going to change for the better in our lives it is the sin of pride that must be dealt with first if further progress is to be made. Pride places ourselves where God should be. It replaces His rule for ours. It subverts our relationships with Him and others through all manners of self pre-occupation. In short, pride has to be killed. In abject poverty of spirit we need to come to God and "throw in the towel" as it were and surrender ourselves to Him. Then, and only then can we hope to make progress with the other sins.
    Sin
    Sin's Target
    Ascetic Task
    Fruit
    Pride
    Will
    Surrender to God
    Communion with God
    Anger
    Control
    Humility
    Reconciliation, Forgiveness
    Envy
    Relationships
    Thanksgiving
    Contentment with God's Gifts
    Greed
    Possessions
    Offering
    Attachment to God alone
    Gluttony
    Food
    Fasting
    Strengthened body and will to serve God
    Lust
    Sex
    Chastity
    Depth in relationships
    Sloth
    Energy
    Work discipline
    Human development
    From: Antiochian Orthodox UK

    Posted by Carlos Mirand

    Finally, check out this thought about "camel passing through the eye of a needle". I have heard this from others, too, but I wish I had a stronger source:
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    For example, the phrase, “a camel through the eye of a needle” has a much deeper meaning than the obvious weird mental picture it conveys. In biblical times, the needle was the area around a city gate-a narrow place that was quite difficult for pack animals like camels to navigate. In order to pass through the needle, a camel had to kneel, and then his burdens had to be removed. What a beautiful picture of trusting in Christ: we must come humbly, and lay our burdens down. For the wealthy, this is often an insurmountable obstacle.
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    Labels: Asceticism Do Hard Things Matthew 19 Poverty Pride Riches
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