QOTD - Submerge Yourself in the Abyss of the Sacred Heart

Since my time in San Antonio, three years ago, a devotion to the Sacred Heart has grown in my prayer life. I found out that this fine woman fostered it back in the late 17th Century due to some extraordinary experiences she had with Christ. Plunge yourself in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and be satisfied.

This divine heart is an abyss of all blessings, and into it the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet out every need. - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 

This is the image I used for the holy card commemorating my ordination to the Priesthood.

QOTD - A Prayer for the Church by St. Theresa of Avila

On the feast of St. Theresa of Avila. We provide for you a short prayer from the annals of her writings. Pray this often, for the bride of Christ, the Ship of the Church needs it.

Now, Lord, now; make the sea calm! May this ship, which is the Church, not always have to journey in a tempest like this. - St. Theresa of Avila

Teresa of Avila by Peter Paul Reubens

QOTD - Intimacy Leads to Evangelization

At the beginning of the year of faith, this seems like an apt thought on which to reflect.

The most personal and secret intimacy [with God] leads to the need of announcing to all people's that love has been found. - Blaise Arminjon, SJ

The Visitation by Mario Albertinelli

QOTD -The Power of Words

People do not take enough stock in words. We take them for granted. We let them flow from our tongues, our fingers, and our pens without reflection to the vast beauty and depth of their existence and power. The following quote comes from a letter to the author's publisher defending his use of foreign, i.e. non-English, words in his works.

Surely I have never yet made, and never expect to make any money. Neither do I expect to write ever for the multitude. I write for beloved friends who can see colour in words, can smell the perfume of syllables in blossom, can be shocked with the fine elfish electricity of words. And in the eternal order of things, words will eventually have their rights recognized by the people. - Lafcadio Hearn

QOTD - Columbus Day Rethought

I found out at the end of the day when no mail came that yesterday was Columbus Day. The government and some banks take the day off to 'celebrate' the founding of the new world by a Spanish funded Italian sailor.

I mean this in an all sincerity. Government holidays aren't even holidays. They retain no sort of value of festival (no celebration) and maintain a false sense of leisure (i.e. not working). So I turn to a man more wise than myself for consolation.

True joy, genuine festival, means the casting out of wickedness. - St. Athanasius

Courtesy of Library of Congress

QOTD - Mere Economic Development is Slavery

Sorry for being away so long. Life has been super busy and then I got sick with a virus. I didn't want to pass that on in my writing so I entered into semi-social media reclusion. I have recovered to working order, although I am not fully healthy yet.

With the upcoming election, there is much talk about the economy of the United States and what the candidates plan to do about it. However, we must remember: society is not primarily economic. To say that, would be a reduction of the human community to mere transaction. It is an offense of his dignity. Hence,

Development which is merely economic is incapable of setting man free, on the contrary, it will end by enslaving him further. - Bl. John Paul II

There's a shadow side to mere economic development.