Julian of Norwich - Materialism

I finished Terryl Givens "Crucible of Doubt."  The main impact of the book was to arouse an interest in Julian of Norwich and Edward Beecher.  There's not a lot of time right now to pursue either one in depth, but I ran onto a collection of 30 short passages from Julian's work.

"This is the reason why those who deliberately occupy themselves with earthly business, seeking worldly well-being, have no God's rest in their hearts; for they love and seek their rest in this thing which is so little and in which there is no rest, and do not know God who is almighty, all wise and all good.  God wishes to be known, and it pleases him that we should rest in him; for all things which are beneath him are not sufficient for us."

Pope John Paul II - Spiritual discipline

Karol Wojtyla's spiritual apprenticeship to an unassuming Polish Tailor -

"Tyranowski, at the request of some Salesian fathers, had become involved in a program called the "Living Rosary" that would help young Poles, under wartime conditions, walk a disciplined, spiritual, Catholic life and sharpen their overall spiritual appetite....He would meet with them in his cramped, second-story apartment in groups to share his insights into living the spiritual life at a far deeper level than they were familiar with.  He gave them assignments to fortify their self-discipline: daily prayer times, Bible readings, periods of meditation; and he asked them to keep a close spiritual diary of their efforts in these areas. 'Every moment must be put to use,' he would say, and Karol used this wisdom to fuel his own phenomenal energy throughout the rest of his life."

Wojtyla's own description of Tyranowski -

"one of those unknown saints, hidden like a marvelous light at the bottom of life, at a depth where night usually reigns....In his words, in his spirituality, and in the example of a life given entirely to God alone, he represented a new world that I did not yet know.  I saw the beauty of a soul opened up by grace."

Dies diem docet

Dies diem docet.

(One) day teaches (another) day.

The experience we gain today, will be available to us tomorrow.  Today can be illuminated by yesterday's experience. 

Mother Theresa - Something Beautiful for God

"I have not begged from the time we started the work.  But we go to the people - the Hindus, the Mohammedans, and the Christians - and I tell them: 'I have come to give you a chance to do something beautiful for God.'  And the people, they want to do something beautiful for God, and they come forward."

Mother Theresa - Vocation

"While I was going by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling to participate in spiritual exercises, I was quietly praying when I clearly felt a call within my calling.  The message was very clear.  I had to leave the convent and consecrate myself to helping the poor by living among them.  It was a command."

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"I understood what I needed to do, but I did not yet know how to go about it."

Mother Theresa and Vocation

A conversation between young Agnes Bojaxhiu and her priest

"How can you know when the Lord is calling you into some vocation," she asked Father Jambrenkovic. 

"You can know by the happiness you feel," he told her.  "If you are glad at the thought that God may be calling you to serve Him and your neighbor, this may well be the best proof of your vocation.  A deep joy is like the compass which points out the proper direction for your life.  One should follow this, even when one is venturing upon a difficult path."

Mother Theresa on Faith

"You need double grace for faith.  First, for the grace itself, and then for the courage to act upon it."