Quote for the Day

[odhiambo]

'All men are made in God's image; but to be in His likeness is granted only to those who through great love have brought their own freedom into subjection to God. For only when we do not belong to ourselves do we become like Him who through love has reconciled us to Himself. No one achieves this unless he persuades his soul not to be distracted by the false glitter of this life.'
St. Diadochos of Photiki

St. Diadochos of Photiki?
Never heard of him
Tell us a brief account of his life please.

[Shin]

I can't find much about him. I know he is a bishop, it's said he was born around 400 A.D. and is known for 'On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination' a work of one hundred texts on the subject.

Photiki was part of Epirus, which if you look on a map is the land directly across the water, East of the end of the Italian peninsula.

'No one can love God consciously in his heart unless he has first feared Him with all his heart. Through the action of fear the soul is purified and, as it were, made malleable and so it becomes awakened to the action of love. No one, however, can come to fear God completely in the way described, unless he first transcends all worldly cares; for when the intellect reaches a state of deep stillness and detachment, then the fear of God begins to trouble it, purifying it with full perception from all gross and cloddish density, and thereby bringing it to a great love for God's goodness. Thus the fear which characterizes those who are still being purified is accompanied by a moderate measure of love. But perfect love is found in those who have already been purified and in whom there is no longer any fear, for 'perfect love casts out fear' (1 John 4:18). Fear and love are found together only in the righteous who achieve virtue through the energy of the Holy Spirit in them. For this reason Holy Scripture says in one place: 'O fear the Lord, all you who are His saints' (Ps. 34:9), and in another: ‘O love the Lord, all you who are His saints' (Ps. 31:23). From this we see clearly that the righteous, who are still in the process of being purified, are characterized both by fear and by a moderate measure of love; perfect love, on the other hand, is found only in those who have already been purified and in whom there is no longer any thought of fear, but rather a constant burning and binding of the soul to God through the energy of the Holy Spirit. As it is written, ‘My soul is bound to Thee: Thy right hand has upheld me' (Ps. 63:8. LXX).'

St. Diadochos of Photiki, Text 16, 'On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination'

'Very few men can accurately recognize all their own faults; indeed, only those can do this whose intellect is never torn away from the remembrance of God. Our bodily eyes, when healthy, can see everything, even gnats and mosquitoes flying about in the air; but when they are clouded by some discharge, they see large objects only indistinctly and small things not at all. Similarly if the soul, through attentiveness, reduces the blindness caused by the love of this world, it will consider its slightest faults to be very grave and will continually shed tears with deep thankfulness. For it is written, 'The righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name' (Ps. 140:13). But if the soul persists in its worldly disposition, even though it commits a murder or some other act deserving severe punishment, it takes little notice; and it is quite unable to discern its other faults, often considering them to be signs of progress, and in its wretchedness it is not ashamed to defend them heatedly.

Only the Holy Spirit can purify the intellect, for unless a greater power comes and overthrows the despoiler, what he has taken captive will never be set free (cf. Luke 11:21-22). In every way, therefore, and especially through peace of soul, we must make ourselves a dwelling-place for the Holy Spirit. Then we shall have the lamp of spiritual knowledge burning always within us; and when it is shining constantly in the inner shrine of the soul, not only will the intellect perceive all the dark and bitter attacks of the demons, but these attacks will be greatly weakened when exposed for what they are by that glorious and holy light. That is why the Apostle says: 'Do not quench the Spirit' (1 Thess. 5:19), meaning: 'Do not grieve the goodness of the Holy Spirit by wicked actions or wicked thoughts, lest you be deprived of this protecting light.' The Spirit, since He is eternal and life-creating, cannot be quenched; but if He is grieved - that is if He withdraws - He leaves the intellect without the light of spiritual knowledge, dark and full of gloom.'

St. Diadochos of Photiki, Texts 27 & 28, 'On Spiritual Knowledge and Discrimination'

[odhiambo]

Thank you Shin.
The saint wrote of perfect love, being "found only in those who have already been purified and in whom there is no longer any thought of fear, but rather a constant burning and binding of the soul to God through the energy of the Holy Spirit"
There are many saints who had this perfect love.
In this day and age, though, where one cannot completely be divorced from the world, attaining this much desired spiritual growth is, well, not easy.  Even the very internet we are now  so dependent on has it's down side, almost like the T.V  

[Shin]

It's true, one has to separate oneself!

[odhiambo]

"I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God"
Saint Dominic Savio

[odhiambo]

"I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God"
Saint Dominic Savio

Let us resolve here and now to " do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God"
just as the Saint wished.

[Patricia]

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!

Beautiful!!

[odhiambo]

"O Master, make me chaste, but not yet!"
St. Augustine

[odhiambo]

"O Master, make me chaste, but not yet!"
St. Augustine

This quote to me captures the struggles Catholic young adults face in their Christian lives.

[Shin]

Yes, they haven't realized they have to give it all up completely.

If only more people were raised as Christians from their youngest childhood, by parents who were examples of Christian life, and separate from the world!

'To abstain from sinful actions is not sufficient for the fulfillment of God's law. The very desire of what is forbidden is evil.'

St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle


St. Paschal Baylon, pray for us.

[odhiambo]

Where sin was hatched, let tears now wash the nest.
St. Robert Southwell

[Shin]

'He who wishes to purify his faults purifies them with tears and he who wishes to acquire virtues, acquires them with tears.'

St. Poemen

St. Poemen and St. Robert Southwell, pray for us.

[Shin]

'To him who hungers after Christ grace is food; to him who is thirsty, a reviving drink; to him who is cold, a garment; to him who is weary, rest; to him who prays, assurance; to him who mourns, consolation.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

[odhiambo]

According to SQPN, St. Mark the Ascetic reportedly knew the Scriptures by heart.
He was not the only one. I have come across at least one other; I forget which saint.

[odhiambo]

My daughter, I see more Pharisees among Christians than there were around Pilate.
St. Margaret of Cortona

[Shin]

Sigh, that's been in my thoughts lately, actually. And here is this quote.

Some many people treating Our Lord's words, and His saints so irreverently and looking for ways to cast aspersions or insinuate problems.