Things of Beauty

Day's Saints
Dymphna, Martyr
Joan of Arc, Martyr

Sir 35:1-12
To keep the law is a great oblation,
and he who observes the
commandments sacrifices a peace offering.
In works of charity one offers fine flour,
and when he gives alms he presents his sacrifice of praise.
To refrain from evil pleases the LORD,
and to avoid injustice is an atonement.
Appear not before the LORD empty-handed,
for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the precepts.
The just one's offering enriches the altar
and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High.
The just one's sacrifice is most pleasing,
nor will it ever be forgotten.
In a generous spirit pay homage to the LORD,
be not sparing of freewill gifts.
With each contribution show a cheerful countenance,
and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
generously, according to your means.
For the LORD is one who always repays,
and he will give back to you sevenfold.
But offer no bribes, these he does not accept!
Trust not in sacrifice of the fruits of extortion.
For he is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.

Gospel Mk 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus,

'We have given up everything and followed you."

Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,

there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters

or mother or father or children or lands

for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel

who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:

houses and brothers and sisters

and mothers and children and lands,

with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.

But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."

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Day's Highlights

The scene of battle. The solitary life of a hermit or a monk or nun is a battlefield, where the soul is engaged in relentless combat, and strives against unseen merciless enemies of the soul, but at the end of the day, in the dark of night and the intangible solitude, God comes to comfort all my wounds :)

One of the worst things to come from war is waste; the incredible waste of resources that could have supplied those in need, and the energy wasted hating other people and working so hard, and wasting so much genius discovering things that kill. Let us hope, that those who died, gave their lives in hope of a better future - then let us build it, not to be torn down again +

Joan was but a child when the Lord grew
fondof her, so that she surrendered her life
for His honor and out of love. Be like her.

One can fall in love with the Lord, by reading the Scriptures, for the words He has spoken are the means by which He scupts souls, to ready them for bliss, and an unimaginably beautiful life in eternity.

Can a sculpture cry out against the sharp blows of the chisel? Yet even stone can come to life in His hands, to bequile the mind that loves beauty.

So, be patient, and work steadilly, passive in the hands of the Lord, attentive to everything He says, anticipating Him in love and piety, so as to be a soothing ointment to His wounds, suffered out of love.

None of us are stones, nor mountain ranges of tortured rock, yet the rock cannot prevail against wind and rain, and cold and heat, until, finally, it has all become frtile ground in which He plants the splendid crop of human beings.

At their hands He suffered the unimaginable and the unendurable, so that we may not come to unending grief when the time comes to leave our body behind.

Gaze upon Him who was pierced for us, and let His gaze open your heart, and clear your vision to see the farthest reaches of His glory and love. Surely your heart can be opened as easily as He may lift you up out of yourself to experience Him without imepediment. Linger long at the banquet of the Lord, for in the hours close to His Heart, you shall learn to be one with Him and save your brothers and sisters from their sins, because all sin is death, and love is the Lord.