"CUM GRANDE HUMILITATE!"

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

A special "Thank you!"
Goes out to
John Michael Talbot
for giving us permission
to use his song on our
"Come to the Quiet"
You Tube Video
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Showing posts with label Fr. Michael Scanlan TOR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fr. Michael Scanlan TOR. Show all posts

Saturday, December 07, 2019

Consider It Joy When We Are Crushed And Broken

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Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR

Chancellor of the Franciscan University of Steubenville



When Fr. Mike was a guest on my radio talk show, he shared with the audience a word from the Lord that was given to him when his journey had reached bottom, and a word we should all openly embrace within our own hearts whenever we are crushed and broken:

"Now you are broken and helpless. You can't possibly continue as you have in the past. Now I will show you MY ministry, and all you have been doing will be organized around it. You are sufficiently out of the way, with your eyes seeking me, for me to move with MY ministry, unmistakably marked with my character."

Father Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.
The Truth About Trouble


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Thursday, May 05, 2011

Strip the Altar Bare!


Altar inside the Portiuncula in Assisi, Italy

Strip the altar bare of the Blessed Virgin and take away its many ornaments, since you cannot otherwise come to the help of the needy. Believe me, the Blessed Virgin Mary would be more pleased to have the Gospel of her Son kept and her altar stripped bare than that the altar should be ornamented and her Son despised!

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
CHAPTER XXXVII


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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

How Virtue Is Measured



St. Antony of the Desert had also this strange-seeming principle: he held that not by length of time is the way of virtue measured and our progress therein, but by desire and by strong resolve. Accordingly, he himself gave no thought to the bygone time, but each day, he made greater effort to advance...

Saint Antony of the Desert (251-356 A.D.)
by
St. Athanasius

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Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Woe To Those Who Don't Respect Priests!



"Blessed is that servant of God who has confidence in priests who live according to the laws of the holy Roman Church. Woe to those who despise them. Even if they fall into sin, no one should pass judgment on them, for God has reserved judgment on them to himself. They are in a privileged position because they have charge of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they receive and which they alone administer to others, and so anyone who sins against them commits a greater crime than if he sinned against anyone else in the whole world."

Saint Francis of Assisi
The Admonitions 
Admonition XXVI

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Monday, May 02, 2011

Separated From the World

 Photo taken at the 
Portiuncula Hermitage and Retreat Center 
Jerusalem, Ohio

"The more they were separated from the world, the closer became their union with God"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
Chapter XI

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Unfaithful, Proud, and Blasphemous!



Do not be afraid to preach penance even though we appear ignorant and of no account...You will find some men to be faithful and kind and they will receive you gladly; but you will also find many who are unfaithful, proud, blasphemous, and they will insult and injure you and your words. Therefore, prepare your hearts to suffer everything humbly and patiently."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
Chapter X

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Penance Considered Folly



Two years after Francis' conversion, three companions had joined him; Brother Bernardo, Peter Catani and Brother Giles. When the people heard them preach, they said: "Who are these men, and why do they speak like this?" They made this comment because at that time the fear and love of God had died out in the country and no one spoke of penance which indeed was considered as folly. This attitude was caused by the temptations of the flesh, the cupidity of the world, and the pride of life; the whole of mankind seemed engulfed in these three evil forces.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions - 34

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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Sunday Exsultet



Rejoice, heavenly powers!
Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our king, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!
Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Chris has conquered!
Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!
Rejoice, O Mother Church!
Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
Echoing the mighty song of all God's people!


The above verses are the beginning of the Easter proclamation called the Exsultet, a Church hymn written probably in the 5th century, and now sung at the Easter Vigil.

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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Love For Churches



As St. Francis teaches, if a church is standing any place whatsoever, even though we are not present there but can see it from a distance, we are to prostrate ourselves upon the ground in its direction and, having bowed low with body and soul, are to adore Almighty God, saying, "We adore Thee oh Christ and we praise You, here and in all Thy churches!" And what is no less to be admired, wherever we see a crucifix or mark of a cross, whether upon the ground, or upon a wall, or on trees, or in the hedges along the way, we are to do the same thing.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
Chapter XVII

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Friday, April 22, 2011

Good Friday



"...Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ gives to His friends is that of conquering oneself and willingly enduring sufferings, insults, humiliations, and hardships for the love of Christ. For we cannot glory in all those other marvelous gifts of God, as they are not ours but God's, as the Apostle says: 'What have you that you have not received?'

"But we can glory in the cross of tribulations and afflictions, because that is ours, and so the Apostle says: 'I will not glory save the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!'"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis - 9

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

There Should Be Nothing Immodest Or Unbecoming In Our Life And Conversation

Located in the Sacro Speco Benedictine Monastery in Subiaco, Italy, this magnificent portrait of St. Francis of Assisi was painted during his lifetime.


The brothers hardly spoke even when necessary; neither did anything scurrilous or idle proceed from their mouths, in order that nothing immodest or unbecoming might be found in their life and conversation. 

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
Chapter XV

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Do So With Such Devotion That You Make Others Devout



Francis burned with a love that came from his whole being for the Sacrament of the Lord's Body, and he was carried away with wonder at the loving condescension and the most condescending love shown there... He frequently received Holy Communion and he did so with such devotion that he made others also devout. Showing toward that Sacrament deserving of all reverence all the reverence he could, he offered a sacrifice to all his members; and receiving the Lamb that was offered, he immolated his own spirit with the fire that burned always upon the altar of his heart.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CLII

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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

St. Antony of the Desert's Advice


St. Antony of the Desert
251-356 A.D.

To all who came to St. Antony of the Desert he always had this advice: to trust in the Lord, and love Him, to keep themselves from bad thoughts and bodily pleasures, and not to be led astray by the feasting of the stomach, (as it is written in Proverbs), to flee vainglory, to pray always, to sing psalms before sleeping and after, to repeat by heart the commandments of the Scriptures and to remember the deeds of the Saints, that by their example the soul may train itself under the guidance of the Commandments.

Saint Antony of the Desert
The Teacher of Monks

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Monday, April 18, 2011

Detractors Are Like A Snake-Bite



In Francis' eyes the vice of detraction in particular seemed to be the antithesis of the religious spirit and an enemy of grace. He had a horror of it, like a snake-bite or a deadly pest, and he declared that it was an abomination in God's sight because the detractor feeds on the blood of the souls which he kills with his tongue.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter VIII

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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Conversion of Sinners



St. Francis was convinced that conversion of sinners was a work of mercy that was more acceptable to the Father than any sacrifice, particularly if it was done in the spirit of perfect charity, more by example than by preaching, more by fervent prayer than by long-winded sermons!

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure - Major Life
Chapter VIII

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Friday, April 15, 2011

Jealousy and Envy Prove You Are Degenerate




"What then do you say, O children of the saints? Jealousy and envy prove you are degenerate, and no less, ambition proves you are illegitimate children.  You bite and devour one another, and your conflicts and strifes arise only from your concupiscences. Your wrestling is against the hosts of darkness, your battle is against the armies of devils, and you turn the points of your swords against each other"...

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CIX

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Restful Ecstasy of Contemplation

Several herds of Whitetail Deer roam the 
Portiuncula Retreat Center in Jerusalem, Ohio


St. Francis had learned how to distribute the time in which he could gain merit wisely, devoting part of it to his neighbor by doing good, and part to the restful ecstasy of contemplation. According to the demands of time or circumstances he would devote himself wholly to the salvation of his neighbor, but when he had finished, he would escape from the distracting crowds and go into solitude in search of penance. There he was free to attend exclusively to God and he would cleanse any stain he had contracted while living in the midst of the world.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter XIII

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Tunic That Bore A Likeness To The Cross

 Tunic found in Cortona, Italy that was once worn by St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis designed for himself a tunic that bore a likeness to the cross, that by means of it he might beat off all temptations of the devil; he designed a very rough tunic so that by it he might crucify the flesh with all its vices and sins; he designed a very poor and mean tunic, one that would not excite the covetousness of the world.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
Chapter IX

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A Retreat of Silence, Prayer, Simplicity, and Celebration




                                     “Come to the Quiet” Retreats

                                                   May 20-22
                                                    Men Only
                                                   June 24-26
                                                  Women Only
                                                   July 15-17
                                               Married Couples
                                                 August 19-21
                                                    Men Only
                                              September 23-25
                                     Lay Franciscans of Richmond, IN

There appears to be a growing interest in the monastic life among people of all lifestyles – and no wonder! For centuries, the monastic life has provided monks and nuns with disciplines and practices aimed at helping them maintain balanced, healthy and centered lifestyles while they “prefer nothing to Christ.” But these practices are not only for monks! Join us as we explore practices such as silence, prayer, simplicity, solitude and celebration, and the benefits they have for all our lives. Fee $110.00 per person which includes meals and transportation (does not include meals while traveling to and from the Retreat Center). Jerusalem, Ohio sits high on top the foothills of Appalachia, near Steubenville, Ohio.



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