Category: QUOTES on SOLITUDE

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, St JOHN the BAPTIST

One Minute Reflection – 19 December – ‘ … The Lord will turn your desert into a paradise of delights …’

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One Minute Reflection – 19 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ferial Day – Philippians 4:4-7; John 1:19-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ –

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord” – John 1:23

REFLECTION – “Brethren, before anything else we ought to reflect on the grace of solitude, the blessedness of the desert which, from the beginning of this time of salvation, has deserved to be consecrated to the peacefulness of the Saints. Indeed, the desert was made holy for us by the voice of John, he, who cried out in the desert, who preached there and administered the baptism of repentance. Even before him, the greatest of the Prophets had always made a friend of solitude as being something which assisted the Spirit. However, an incomparably greater grace of holiness became attached to this place, when Jesus followed John there. Before preaching to the repentant in his turn, Jesus considered He ought to prepare a place, in which to receive them; He went into the desert for forty days so as to consecrate a new life in this renewed location … and this, not so much for His Own Sake, as for those who would dwell in the desert afterwards.

So then, if you have decided on the desert, remain there and wait for Him Who will save you from your feebleness of spirit and the tempest … The Lord will satisfy there, you who have followed Him, even more wonderfully than He satisfied the crowd who followed Him into it (Lk 4:42) … At that very moment, you imagine Him to have long forsaken you, even then, mindful of His goodness, He will Come to console you and will say: “I remember you, moved with pity for your youth and your first love, when you followed Me into the desert,” (Jer 2:2). The Lord will turn your desert into a paradise of delights, while you will proclaim (like the Prophet) that the glory of Lebanon has been given to Him, the beauty of Carmel and Sharon (Is 35:2) … Then, from the fullness of your heart, your hymn of praise will rise: “Let them give thanks to the Lord, for His wondrous deeds to the children of men! He has satisfied the longing soul and filled the hungry with good things,” (Ps 106:8).” – Bl Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot (4th Sermon for Advent).

PRAYER – Put forth Thy power, O Lord, we beseech Thee and delay not and with Thy great might, come to our aid, so that what is hindered by our sins, maybe hastened by Thy merciful goodness. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in CARMELITES, DOCTORS of the Church, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on SOLITUDE

Quote/s of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara

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Quote/s of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor

St Teresa, who has written much in his praise,
says among other things:
“He died as he had lived, a Saint
and I have, after his death, received
many graces from God, through his intercession.
I have often seen him in great glory
and when I saw him the first time,
he said to me:
‘O happy penance, which has obtained
so great a glory for me!‘”

“Strain not after tears,
strive not for sentiments of devotion,
do not force your heart.
Rest rather in interior solitude.
Dwell therein quietly, waiting
until God’s will be accomplished in you.
When it shall please Him to send you tears,
oh, how sweet will those tears be,
for is not your impatience
which has secured them –
they are the fruits of humility and of peace.
On your part, then, you must receive them
with the deepest self-effacement,
allowing God to work in you.”

Hear Me, O Lord
By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Hear me, O Lord,
my soul’s delight,
joy of my heart,
not because of my merits
but because of Thy boundless goodness.
Teach me, enlighten me, direct me,
help me in all things
that I may never say
or do anything
but that which I know
to be pleasing in Thou sight.
Guide me, O God,
my Love, my Light and my Life!
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/10/19/quote-s-of-the-day-19-october-st-peter-of-alcantara-2/

St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on BAD CONVERSATION, QUOTES on GOSSIP, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 30 November – Recollection

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Thought for the Day – 30 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Recollection

“There is a perfect picture of the spiritual and recollected man in The Imitation of Christ.

“The man of interior life soon recollects himself because he never wholly pours forth himself upon exterior things.
Exterior labour is no prejudice to him, nor any employment necessary for the time but, as things happen, so he accommodates himself to them.
He who is well disposed and orderly in his interior, is not concerned about the strange and perverse doings of ment,” (Bk II c 1:7).

The Imitation of Christ also conta\ins the following passage on the love of solitude.

“Seek a convenient time to attend to thyself and reflect often upon the benefits of God to thee.
Let curiosities alone.
Read such matters as may produce compunction, rather than give occupation.
If you withdraw from superfluous talking and idle visitings and from hearing new things and rumours, you will find time sufficient and proper, to spend in good meditations.
The greatest Saints shunned the company of men when they could and chose rather to live unto God in secret.
*As often as I have been amongst men, said one, I have returned less a man. (*Ana says – St Albert the Great).
This we too often experience when we talk often.” (Bk I c 20, 1-2).

“The cell continually dwelt in, grows sweet” the same chapter continues “but, ill-guarded, it begets weariness” (Bk I c 20, 5).”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/12/03/thought-for-the-day-3-december-recollection/

Posted in QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – St Bruno

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – St Bruno O.Cart (c 1030-1101) Priest, Confessor

“No act is charitable, if it is not just.”

“In the solitude and silence
of the wilderness…
God gives his athletes
the reward they desire –
a peace that the world
does not know
and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/06/quote-s-of-the-day-6-october-shhhhh-st-bruno/

St Bruno (c 1030-1101)

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on MORTIFICATION, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, QUOTES on THE WORLD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 8 January – St Apollinaris the Apologist

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Quote of the Day – 8 January – The Third Day within the Octave of Epiphany and the Memorial of St Apollinaris the Apologist (Died 2nd Century)

“Although we acknowledge virtue
to be the richest treasure of the soul of man,
we take little pains about it;
passionately seek
the things of this world,
are cast down and broken,
under every adversity
and curb and restrain our passions
only by halves!”

“We, therefore, grossly deceive ourselves,
in not allotting more time,
to the study of divine truths.
It is not enough barely to believe them
and let our thoughts,
now and then, glance upon them.
That knowledge, which shows us Heaven,
will not bring us to the possession of it
and will deserve punishments,
not rewards, if it remain slight,
weak and superficial.
By serious and frequent meditation,
it must be concocted, digested
and turned into the nourishment
of our affections,
before it can be powerful
and operative enough,
to change them
and produce the necessary fruit in our lives.
For this, all the Saints, affected solitude
and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world,
as much as their circumstances allowed them.”

St Apollinaris the Apologist (Died 2nd Century)

Posted in CONTEMPLATIVE Prayer, DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY SPIRIT, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – “Come away by yourselves ” – Mark 6:31

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood” – Readings: Jeremiah 23: 1-6; Psalms 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 (1); Ephesians 2: 13-18
Gospel: Mark 6: 30-34

“Come away by yourselves ,
o a deserted place and rest awhile”

Mark 6:31

“What benefits
What divine exultation
The solitude and silence of the desert
Hold in store for those who love it!”

St Bruno (c 1030-1101)

“Alas, such are the passions of the flesh
and the turmoil of thoughts,
coming and going in our hearts,
that we have no time
to eat the food of everlasting sweetness,
nor perceive the taste of interior contemplation.
That is why our Lord says:
“Come away” from the noisy crowd
“to a deserted place,”
to solitude of mind and heart,
“and rest awhile.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Doctor of the Church

“Until I was alone I never really lived.
Until I was alone, I was not with myself.
Until I was alone, I never drew near to my creator.”

Bl Paolo Giustiniani (1476-1528)

“Recall yourself sometimes to the interior solitude of your heart
and there, removed from all creatures,
treat of the affairs of your salvation
and your perfection with God,
as a friend would speak heart to heart with another.”

St Francis of Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

“The great method of prayer is to have none.
If, in going to prayer,
one can form in oneself,
a pure capacity for receiving the spirit of God,
that will suffice for all method.”

St Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

Posted in MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, The HEART

Thought for the Day – 6 February – Solitude

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Thought for the Day – 6 February – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Solitude

“A little solitude is necessry for everone but, “it is dangerous to concentrate our attention too much o ourselves if, having discovered our own weakness, we do not raise our thoughts towards God to implore His mercy” (Mariano Cordovani OP, Breviario Spirituale p 14).
It is disastrous, if solitude leads to laziness or to futile mental rambling.
Solitude should be active and fervent.
It should be an ascent towards God.
It should help us to form the habit of continual conversation with God, so that nothing can break our union with Him.
A man who only prays when he is on his knees, prays very little.
The Gospel says that we ought always to pray.
Solitude of the heart, enables us to obey this precept.
“Of what us is the solitude of the body,” asks St Gregory the Great, “without the solitude of the heart?” (Moralia, Bk XXX, Xh 52).

If we wish to have this spiritual solitude which will keep us close to God, our hearts must be detached from worldly affairs. “If a glass vase is filled with earth,” writes St Alphonsus, “the light of the sun cannot penetrate it. Similarly, the divine light cannot penetrate a heart which is preoccupied with the love of pleasure and of honours” (Al Divino Servizio, III, 2).

Let us love solitude then.
Let us look for it whenever it is possible but, above all, let us keep our hearts free from earthly attachments and united to God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Part One here:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/26/thought-for-the-day-26-may-solitude/

Posted in CONTEMPLATIVE Prayer, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, The HEART, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 6 February – Solitude

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 February – Readings: Hebrews 13:15-17, 20-21, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6, Mark 6:30-34

“Come away by yourselves
to a deserted place
and rest awhile”

Mark 6:31

“The supreme goal to which the monk tends,
the summit of the perfection of his heart,
is indeed the union of his heart with his Lord.”

St John Cassian (c 360-435)
Monk, Father of the Church

“O Hermitage, only those who know you,
who rest sweetly in your arms,
can tell of your grandeur
and chant your praises.
As for me, I only know this
and affirm it in all sincerity –
Whoever forces himself with perseverance
to enter more and more
into the desire to love You,
will finally enter Your mystery and,
at the same time,
the mystery of God.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Benedictine Monk
Doctor of the Church

“What benefits
What divine exultation
The solitude and silence of the desert
Hold in store for those who love it!”

St Bruno (c 1030-1101)

“Until I was alone I never really lived.
Until I was alone, I was not with myself.
Until I was alone, I never drew near to my creator.”

Bl Paolo Giustiniani (1476-1528)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CONTEMPLATIVE Prayer, DEVOTIO, DOCTORS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, SAINT of the DAY, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 8 February – “Come away … ” Mark 6:31

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One Minute Reflection – 8 February – Saturday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time Readings: Hebrews 13:15-17, 20-21, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6, Mark 6:30-34 and the Memorial of Saint Amand of Maastricht (c 584-c 679) Bishop

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile” … Mark 6:31

REFLECTION – “If you wish to come and find Me, seek me aside. As Mark says: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile. People were coming and going in great numbers and they had no opportunity even to eat.” (Mk 6:31).
Alas, such are the passions of the flesh and the turmoil of thoughts coming and going in our hearts that we have no time to eat the food of everlasting sweetness, nor perceive the taste of interior contemplation. That is why our Lord says: “Come away” from the noisy crowd “to a deserted place,” to solitude of mind and heart, “and rest awhile.” For truly, as the book of Revelation says: “There will be silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Rv 8:1); and in the Psalm: “Who will give me wings like a dove that I might fly away and find rest” (Ps 54[55]:7 LXX).
But let us listen to what the prophet Hosea says: “I will seduce her and lead her into the wilderness and I will speak to her heart” (cf. Hos 2:16 Vg). These three expressions: seduce, lead into the wilderness, speak to her heart, represent the three stages of the spiritual life – the beginning, development and perfection. The Lord seduces the beginner when He enlightens him with His grace so that he may grow and progress from virtue to virtue. Then he leads him aside from the din of the vices and disordered thoughts, into peace of spirit. Finally, once guided to perfection, God speaks to his heart. Then the soul experiences the sweetness of divine inspiration and can surrender totally to joy of spirit.
What depth of devotion, of wonderment and happiness in his heart! By devotion, he is raised above himself, through wonder, he is led above himself, through happiness, he is transported out of himself.” … St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church – Sermon for the feast of Saint John the Evangelist

PRAYER – All-powerful, eternal God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, let our striving for Your kingdom not fall short through selfishness or fear, may the universe be alive with the Spirit and our homes be the pledge of the world redeemed. May our hearts be eternally longing for that time alone with You, our one true Love. May our worldly duties be such that they never impede our progress in devotion and may the intercession of our Holy Mother, St Amand and all the saints, be a strength and a comfort. Through Jesus, our compassionate and loving Redeemer, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You forever, amen.

Posted in PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, SAINT of the DAY, The CREED

Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – Shhhhh….St Bruno

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Quote/s of the Day – 6 October – The Memorial of St Bruno O.Cart (c 1030-1101)

The Order founded by st Bruno — the Carthusians — is one of the strictest in the Church. Carthusians follow the Rule of St Benedict but accord it a most austere interpretation; there is perpetual silence and complete abstinence from flesh meat (only bread, legumes and water are taken for nourishment). Bruno sought to revive the ancient eremitical (hermit) way of life.
His Order enjoys the distinction of never becoming unfaithful to the spirit of it’s founder, never needing a reform.

Saint Bruno’s Profession of Faith,
which he pronounced in the presence
of all his assembled brothers,
when he felt the time was approaching for him
to go the way of all flesh,
because he had urgently requested us
to be witnesses of his faith before God:

  1. I firmly believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Father unbegotten, the only begotten Son, the Holy Spirit proceeding from them both and I believe that these three Persons are but one God.
  2. I believe that the same Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
    I believe that the Virgin was chaste before she bore her child, that she remained a virgin while she bore her child and continued a virgin ever after.
    I believe that the same Son of God was conceived among men, a true Man with no sin.
    I believe the same Son of God was captured by the hatred of some of the Jews who did not believe, was bound unjustly, covered with spittle and scourged.
    I believe that He died, was buried and descended into hell to free those of His who were held there.
    He descended for our redemption, He rose again, He ascended into heaven and from there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.
  3. I believe also in the Sacraments that the Church believes and holds in reverence and especially that, which has been consecrated on the altar, is the true Flesh and the true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we receive for the forgiveness of our sins and in the hope of eternal salvation.

I believe in the resurrection of the flesh and everlasting life.

  1. I acknowledge and believe the holy and ineffable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to be but only one God, of only one substance, of only one nature, of only one majesty and power.

We profess that the Father was neither begotten nor created but that He has begotten.
The Father takes His origin from no-one; of Him the Son is born and the Holy Spirit proceeds.
He is the source and origin of all Divinity.
And the Father, ineffable by His very nature, from His own substance has begotten the Son ineffably but, He has begotten nothing, except what He is Himself: God has begotten God, light has begotten light and it is from Him that all Fatherhood in heaven and on earth proceeds.
Amen.

The Creed
Every late of the night, in a cell at the end of the Office of Lauds of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, about around 2:30 am, the Carthusians always recite a choice between three catholic creeds:
The Athanasian Creed [QUICUNQUE VULT] |
The Apostle’s Creed
The Nicene Creed.
This is a deep transforming contemplative prayer of our revealed Creed, like a constant heartbeat and is the defining of the heart of the Carthusian souls in Trinitarian life and of Saint Bruno’s followers’ vocation of devoted presence, like the Seraphim before the revealed God, in the Church for the world.

“Rejoice, my dearest brothers,
because you are blessed
and because of the bountiful hand of God’s grace upon you.
Rejoice, because you have escaped
the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world.
Rejoice, because you have reached
the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbour.
Many wish to come into this port
and many make great efforts to do so,
yet do not achieve it.
Indeed many, after reaching it,
have been thrust out,
since it was not granted them from above.
By your work you show what you love and what you know.
When you observe true obedience
with prudence and enthusiasm,
it is clear that you wisely pick
the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.”

“What benefits
What divine exultation
The solitude and silence of the desert
Hold in store for those who love it!”

(Saint Bruno to Raoul)

St Bruno (c 1030-1101)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD the FATHER, I BELIEVE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSEVERANCE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on PRIESTS, the PRIESTHOOD and CONSECRATED LIFE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – Holy Solitude and Blessed Paolo Giustiniani

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Quote/s of the Day – 28 June – “Month of the Sacred Heart” – The Memorial of Blessed Paolo Giustiniani ECMC (1476-1528) – Monk, Hermit and Founder of the Congregation of the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona

“The supreme goal to which the monk tends,
the summit of the perfection of his heart,
is indeed the union of his heart with his Lord.”

St John Cassian (c 360-435)

Monk, Father of the Church
and Founder of Monasteries
Disciple of St John Chrysostom

te supreme goal to which the monk tends - st john cassian 28 june 2020

“O Hermitage, only those who know you,
who rest sweetly in your arms,
can tell of your grandeur
and chant your praises.
As for me, I only know this
and affirm it in all sincerity –
Whoever forces himself with perseverance
to enter more and more
into the desire to love You,
will finally enter Your mystery and,
at the same time,
the mystery of God.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Benedictine Monk
Doctor of the Church

o hermitage, only those who know you, who rest sweetly in your arms - st peter damian 28 june 2020

“Go to Church for the work of God,
not by habit or duty,
but rather driven,
by the interior desire
to praise our Creator.”

go to church for the work of god - bl paolo giustiniani 28 june 2020

“Celebrate holy Mass in the joy of the Spirit.”

celebrate holy mass in the joy of the spirit - bl paolo giustiniani 28 june 2020 (1)

“I desire to serve my Lord Jesus Christ.
However, I blindly entrust the manner of service
to His decision – in action or in contemplation,
in peace and quiet
or in suffering and tribulation,
in the quiet of the cell
or else in wearisome wanderings.
So long as I am serving Him,
I have no preference or taste of my own.”

i desire to serve my lord Jesus Christ - bl paolo giustiniani 28 june 2020

“To me it appears incontrovertible,
that, above the light and discourse of reason,
there is another light.
It is clearer and more evident,
given by God to those human minds
that do not refuse to receive it
and by means of it, God can be properly understood. ….
This is the light of faith.“

this is the light of faith bl paolo giustiniani 28 june 2020

Prayer of Blessed Paolo Giustiniani
“Lord, I dare not say to You:
“Show me the light that I may believe in Your Light”
but it is enough for me,
that You make me see my darkness …
Bring me back to myself.
In my misery I have distanced myself
not only from You but from myself,
becoming a stranger to myself.
Make me know my darkness,
that then I may look at the light.
Yes, I tell You and repeat to You incessantly,
Show me to myself,
so that I may know my sins.”

prayer of bl paolo biustiniani lord i dare not say to you - 28 jue 2020

“Until I was alone I never really lived.
Until I was alone, I was not with myself.
Until I was alone, I never drew near to my creator.”

Blessed Paolo Giustiniani (1476-1528)

until i was alone i never really lived - bl paolo giustiniani 28 june 2020

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on SILENCE, QUOTES on SOLITUDE, The ANNUNCIATION

Thought for the Day – 26 May – Solitude

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Thought for the Day – 26 May – “Mary’s Month” – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Solitude

“A man who has no love for solitude, does not love God.
It can easily happen that worldly objects dazzle the mind and enchant the heart, so that anyone who is greatly occupied with them, does not see or experience God in any way.
A man who talks a lot with other men, rarely speaks with God.
God’s voice is heard in silence and in solitude and we must listen for it if we wish to have any ease of conversation with Him.
It is fatal to allow ourselves to be deafened by the noise of the world and never to listen for the voice of God, which speaks within us.

Only those who have been called to a higher vocation, can live in a cloister but a little solitude is necessary for everybody from time to time.
It maybe a course in the Spiritual Exercises, or a monthly day of recollection, or a quarter of an hour spent everyday in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
In those moments of detachment from the world and of intimacy with God, we can enjoy conditions far above any which can be found on earth.
Such moments can be the beginning of a new life.
The Holy Spirit incites us through the prophet Osee, to find these necessary intervals for silence and prayer:  “I will allure her and will lead her into the wilderness and I will speak to her heart” (Osee 2:14).
Jesus set the standard for us, when He spent forty days alone in the desert, fasting and praying.
Even though the Apostles were engaged in public missionary activity, He was anxious that they should retire from it for a while, in order to refresh themselves spiritually. “Come apart into a desert place,” He said “and rest a while” (Mk 6:31).
St Bernard wrote that silence and peace far away from the noise of the world, helped the soul to meditate on God and on spiritual matters (Epist 73).
“Solitude is Heaven to me,” (Epist 4 ad Rust) said St Jerome.

The Blessed Virgin also took refuge from distraction and loved the solitude of her home in Nazareth, where the Angel first announced to her, that she was to be the Mother of God.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

solitude bacci 26 may 2020