Paphnutius. It is no use to begin well, unless thou dost carry it
through to a good end.
Abbot Moses. Avoid whatever would deprive thee of purity of soul,
however good it may appear.
Cassian. The term of all perfection is attained, when the soul, with
all its powers, is gathered up into one only object, God.
The Servitor sent these examples and sayings of the ancient fathers to
his spiritual daughter, who drank them all in, and applied them to
herself, as though he had meant her also to exercise her body with
severe chastisements, after the austere fashion of the ancient fathers.
And she began accordingly to mortify and torment herself with
hair-shirts, and cords, and cruel bands set round with sharp iron
nails, and many other such-like instruments of penance.
But when the Servitor became aware of this, he wrote to her as
follows:--Dear daughter, if thy purpose is to order thy spiritual life
according to my teaching, as was thy request to me, cease from all such
austerities, for they suit not the weakness of thy sex and thy
well-ordered frame. The dear Jesus did not say, Take My cross upon you;
but He said to each, Take up thy cross. Thou shouldst not seek to
imitate the austerity of the ancient fathers, nor the severe exercises
of thy spiritual father. Thou shouldst only take for thyself a portion
of them, such as thou canst practise easily with thy infirm body, to
the end that sin may die in thee, and yet thy bodily life may not be
shortened. This is a very excellent exercise, and the best of all for
thee.
She wished to know from him why he himself had practised such great
austerities, and yet would not advise her or others to practise them.
Upon this he referred her to the holy writings, saying:--It is written
that, in former times, some among the ancient fathers led a life of
such superhuman and incredible austerity, that the very mention of it
is a horror to certain delicate persons of the present day; for they
know not what burning devotion can enable a man, by the divine aid, to
do and suffer for God. One who is filled with such fervour finds all
impossible things become possible of accomplishment in God; just as
David says, that with God's help he would go through a wall (Ps. xvii.
30). It is also written in the book of the ancient fathers, that some
of them did not treat themselves with such great severity as others
did, and yet they were all striving to reach the self-same end. St.
Peter and St. John had not the same training. Who can fully explain
this marvel, unless it be that the Lord, who is wonderful in His
Saints, wills, by reason of His high sovereignty, to be glorified in
many different ways? Besides this, our natures are not all alike, and
what is suit able to one, suits not another. Therefore it must not be
thought that, if perchance a man has not practised such great
austerities, he will be thereby hindered from arriving at perfection.
At the same time, those who are soft and delicate should not despise
austerities in others, or judge them harshly. Let each look to himself,
and see what God wants of him, and attend to this, leaving all else
alone. Speaking generally, it is much better to be moderate rather than
immoderate in the practice of austerities. But as the mean is hard to
find, it is wiser to keep a little under it, than to venture too high
above it; for it often happens that, if a man mortifies his bodily
frame to excess, he will have afterwards to indulge it to excess;
though certainly many great Saints have forgotten themselves in this
point through the fervour of their devotion. Such austerity of life,
and the examples which have been mentioned, may be of use to those who
are too tender with themselves, and to their own injury give too much
rein to their rebellious bodies; but this concerns not thee, nor the
like of thee. God has many kinds of crosses with which He chastens His
friends. I look for Him to lay another sort of cross upon thy
shoulders, which will be far more painful to thee than these
austerities. Accept this cross with patience when it comes to thee.
Not long afterwards God afflicted the Servitor's spiritual daughter
with long and weary illnesses, so that she continued sickly in body
until her death. She sent him word that it had come to pass with her as
he had predicted. Upon which he wrote in answer thus:--Dear daughter,
God has not only afflicted thee according to my words, but He has also
wounded me in thee; for I have now no one left who will help me with
the same diligence and godly faithfulness to complete my little book,
as then didst when thou wert well. Therefore the Servitor besought God
earnestly on thy behalf, that it might be His good will to give thee
back thy health; and when God would not forthwith hearken to his
prayer, he was angered against Him with a loving anger, and was minded
that he would write no more books about the faithful God, and would
likewise leave off his usual morning-greeting through ill-humour,
unless God made thee well again. Now when he had sat down in the
disquiet of his heart, according to custom, in his chapel, his senses
were absorbed in ecstasy; and it seemed to him that a company of angels
came before him in the chapel, and sang to comfort him a heavenly song,
because they knew that at that time he was in peculiar sorrow; and
they asked him why he looked so sad and did not sing with them. Then he
told them how he had behaved in his excess to the dear God, because He
would not hearken to his prayer for thy recovery. And they counselled
him to desist from it, and not act thus; for that God had ordained this
sickness for the best, and it would be thy cross in this world, and
through it thou wouldst earn great grace here, and a manifold reward in
heaven. Therefore be patient, my daughter, and receive it simply as a
loving gift from the faithful God.
Below are some pictures, not of my latest art, but that which I feel go with the writing I am sharing with you...
The light of Christ has come into the world and
my life.
Blessing love and peace to you my brothers and sisters. If you have heard the saying there is no gain without pain, you may start to imagine or not what I shall gain from my youngest son Harry 13yrs dying just over a year ago. He is still so missed here, yet I am sure he has been so welcomed in Heaven. Bye For Now, your bro Peter
There is a wall of separation between oneself and others and between you and me. Destroy this wall!
Peace and love to you my brothers and sisters. Please pass this on.
