From Bump to Buzz–viral video

Holy Desire – St. Augustine

"The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy desire. You do not yet see what you long for, but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when he comes you may see and be utterly satisfied."

“Suppose you are going to fill some holder or container, and you know you will be given a large amount. Then you set about stretching your sack or wineskin or whatever it is. Why? Because you know the quantity you will have to put in it and your eyes tell you there is not enough room. By stretching it, therefore, you increase the capacity of the sack, and this is how God deals with us. Simply by making us wait he increases our desire, which in turn enlarges the capacity of our soul, making it able to receive what is to be given to us.”

Our Heart Longs for God

From the Tractates on the first letter of John by Saint Augustine, bishop
Our heart longs for God

We have been promised that we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. By these words, the tongue has done its best; now we must apply the meditation of the heart. Although they are the words of Saint John, what are they in comparison with the divine reality? And how can we, so greatly inferior to John in merit, add anything of our own? Yet we have received, as John has told us, an anointing by the Holy One which teaches us inwardly more than our tongue can speak. Let us turn to this source of knowledge, and because at present you cannot see, make it your business to desire the divine vision.

The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy desire. You do not yet see what you long for, but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when he comes you may see and be utterly satisfied.

Suppose you are going to fill some holder or container, and you know you will be given a large amount. Then you set about stretching your sack or wineskin or whatever it is. Why? Because you know the quantity you will have to put in it and your eyes tell you there is not enough room. By stretching it, therefore, you increase the capacity of the sack, and this is how God deals with us. Simply by making us wait he increases our desire, which in turn enlarges the capacity of our soul, making it able to receive what is to be given to us.

So, my brethren, let us continue to desire, for we shall be filled. Take note of Saint Paul stretching as it were his ability to receive what is to come: Not that I have already obtained this, he said, or am made perfect. Brethren, I do not consider that I have already obtained it. We might ask him, “If you have not yet obtained it, what are you doing in this life? This one thing I do, answers Paul, forgetting what lies behind, and stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the prize to which I am called in the life above. Not only did Paul say he stretched forward, but he also declared that he pressed on toward a chosen goal. He realized in fact that he was still short of receiving what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived.

Such is our Christian life. By desiring heaven we exercise the powers of our soul. Now this exercise will be effective only to the extent that we free ourselves from desires leading to infatuation with this world. Let me return to the example I have already used, of filling an empty container. God means to fill each of you with what is good; so cast out what is bad! If he wishes to fill you with honey and you are full of sour wine, where is the honey to go? The vessel must be emptied of its contents and then be cleansed. Yes, it must be cleansed even if you have to work hard and scour it. It must be made fit for the new thing, whatever it may be.

We may go on speaking figuratively of honey, gold or wine—but whatever we say we cannot express the reality we are to receive. The name of that reality is God. But who will claim that in that one syllable we utter the full expanse of our heart’s desire? Therefore, whatever we say is necessarily less than the full truth. We must extend ourselves toward the measure of Christ so that when he comes he may fill us with his presence. Then we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

via divineoffice.org

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Devotion must be practiced in different ways - St. Francis de Sales

From the Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales, bishop
Devotion must be practiced in different ways

When God the Creator made all things, he commanded the plants to bring forth fruit each according to its own kind; he has likewise commanded Christians, who are the living plants of his Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion, each one in accord with his character, his station and his calling.

I say that devotion must be practiced in different ways by the nobleman and by the working man, by the servant and by the prince, by the widow, by the unmarried girl and by the married woman. But even this distinction is not sufficient; for the practice of devotion must be adapted to the strength, to the occupation and to the duties of each one in particular.

Tell me, please, my Philothea, whether it is proper for a bishop to want to lead a solitary life like a Carthusian; or for married people to be no more concerned than a Capuchin about increasing their income; or for a working man to spend his whole day in church like a religious; or on the other hand for a religious to be constantly exposed like a bishop to all the events and circumstances that bear on the needs of our neighbor. Is not this sort of devotion ridiculous, unorganized and intolerable? Yet this absurd error occurs very frequently, but in no way does true devotion, my Philothea, destroy anything at all. On the contrary, it perfects and fulfills all things. In fact if it ever works against, or is inimical to, anyone’s legitimate station and calling, then it is very definitely false devotion.

The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way as to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them. True devotion does still better. Not only does it not injure any sort of calling or occupation, it even embellishes and enhances it.

Moreover, just as every sort of gem, cast in honey, becomes brighter and more sparkling, each according to its color, so each person becomes more acceptable and fitting in his own vocation when he sets his vocation in the context of devotion. Through devotion your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince becomes more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.

It is therefore an error and even a heresy to wish to exclude the exercise of devotion from military divisions, from the artisans’ shops, from the courts of princes, from family households. I acknowledge, my dear Philothea, that the type of devotion which is purely contemplative, monastic and religious can certainly not be exercised in these sorts of stations and occupations, but besides this threefold type of devotion, there are many others fit for perfecting those who live in a secular state.

Therefore, in whatever situations we happen to be, we can and we must aspire to the life of perfection.

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"Higher than the Mountains", a book of poetry and prayer. It is a respite for your quieter moments. It is for those who "are anxious and worried about many things" and who now desire "the better part", the something, or Someone, clothed in the ordinary, hidden in your heart. While drawing from my life experience as wife, mother, nurse, and artist, I also find inspiration all about me, though it is in the stillness that I listen best. Then my own voice fades away, but not until I speak my heart to God. In solitude, the world does seem to stand aside for the whisper or thunder or just the beating of my heart.

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He wove pictures with words that still live to challenge and excite the child and the seeker in us.  “Aslan is on the Move.”  Does not your hope soar?

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Fix Me Up by Zach Sobiech

 

“Fix Me Up” Lyrics
Tell me something you never told before
Before I walk through the door, I adore you, I adore you
I do, I do
Smile with me and cry with me
I won't ever tell a soul
Hold my hand
I'll squeeze it back
And I'll never let go
Never give up, never look back
I won't give up I'll keep on trying
Dry your tears up, all your crying
Cannot fix me up my darling
Fix me up my darling
Twisty, turning winding path
I could listen to your laugh
As we tiptoe on these humble truths
I don't want to lose you
Show me how to love deeper than the surface, my friend
And you can show me what it means to have purpose
And I'll tell you again
Never give up, never look back
I won't give up I'll keep on trying
Dry your tears up, all your crying
Cannot fix me up my darling
Fix me up my darling
Woh Woh Woh….. Hold on
Don't you lose hope the sky's not falling
Please just listen 'cause I'll be calling
Stay with me just one more moment
I know you're in pain just please don't show it
One more moment, please
It's too late I'm afraid I have to leave
[Repeat]
Promise me, promise me that you'll…
Never give up, never look back
I won't give up I'll keep on trying
Dry your tears up, all your crying
Cannot fix me up my darling
Fix me up my darling

Fix Me Up by Zach Sobiech

 

“Fix Me Up” Lyrics
Tell me something you never told before
Before I walk through the door, I adore you, I adore you
I do, I do
Smile with me and cry with me
I won't ever tell a soul
Hold my hand
I'll squeeze it back
And I'll never let go
Never give up, never look back
I won't give up I'll keep on trying
Dry your tears up, all your crying
Cannot fix me up my darling
Fix me up my darling
Twisty, turning winding path
I could listen to your laugh
As we tiptoe on these humble truths
I don't want to lose you
Show me how to love deeper than the surface, my friend
And you can show me what it means to have purpose
And I'll tell you again
Never give up, never look back
I won't give up I'll keep on trying
Dry your tears up, all your crying
Cannot fix me up my darling
Fix me up my darling
Woh Woh Woh….. Hold on
Don't you lose hope the sky's not falling
Please just listen 'cause I'll be calling
Stay with me just one more moment
I know you're in pain just please don't show it
One more moment, please
It's too late I'm afraid I have to leave
[Repeat]
Promise me, promise me that you'll…
Never give up, never look back
I won't give up I'll keep on trying
Dry your tears up, all your crying
Cannot fix me up my darling
Fix me up my darling