Asceticism
“There is a kind of moral person with a passion for cleanliness, who runs to confession because for him any little spot is unbearable,...
Trust
“On some level we feel that we can’t trust others, that we can’t trust God to do what is right, and that we have to be in control by...
Behavior
“While St Paul uses language which distinguishes between the ‘spiritual’ human and the ‘natural’ or ‘carnal’ human, he still holds to a...
Healing and Suffering
“Sorrows are the best harbingers of the will of God, and from the beginning of the age they have served as a sign of God’s election. God...
Gifts and Talents
“It’s impossible to harvest the fields with a shovel, or to hammer with a sickle, or to build with a knife, or to dig with a saw… but...
Intellectual Pride
“The pride of the mind is much more disastrous than the pride of the will, because the pride of the will can be observed by the mind,...
Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance
“Many people today lack perseverance. We have become so accustomed to instantaneous communication and access to entertainment and...
Despondency
“It is a commonplace in the Fathers to describe despair or sadness as the result of failing to get what we want. It sounds quite simple,...
Anxiety
“Our Risen Lord has liberated us from slavery to the fear of death, which is at the root of all our anxiety and despair. So the next time...
Humility and Pride
“The virtue of humility is best captured by our willingness to receive with thanksgiving those things (of whatever size) that come our...