Ecce Verbum
That a man should not be too much dejected when he falls into some defects Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis Son, patience and humility under adversity please Me more than much consolation and devotion in prosperity. Why art thou afflicted at a little…
Acquiring peace and zeal for perfection
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
We should enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours. How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractions, and who is little or seldom inwardly recollected, live long in peace?
Blessed are the simple of heart for they shall enjoy peace in abundance.
Why were some of the saints so perfect and so given to contemplation? Because they tried to mortify entirely in themselves all earthly desires, and thus they were able to attach themselves to God with all their heart and freely to concentrate their innermost thoughts.
We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence, we remain cold and indifferent. If we mortified our bodies perfectly and allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciate divine things and experience something of heavenly contemplation.
The greatest obstacle, indeed, the only obstacle, is that we are not free from passions and lusts, that we do not try to follow the perfect way of the saints. Thus when we encounter some slight difficulty, we are too easily dejected and turn to human consolations. If we tried, however, to stand as brave men in battle, the help of the Lord from heaven would surely sustain us. For He Who gives us the opportunity of fighting for victory, is ready to help those who carry on and trust in His grace.
If we let our progress in religious life depend on the observance of its externals alone, our devotion will quickly come to an end. Let us, then, lay the ax to the root that we may be freed from our passions and thus have peace of mind.
If we were to uproot only one vice each year, we should soon become perfect. The contrary, however, is often the case -- we feel that we were better and purer in the first fervor of our conversion than we are after many years in the practice of our faith. Our fervor and progress ought to increase day by day; yet it is now considered noteworthy if a man can retain even a part of his first fervor.
If we did a little violence to ourselves at the start, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy. It is hard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.
If you do not overcome small, trifling things, how will you overcome the more difficult? Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.
If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your spiritual progress.
#kempis
The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
We should enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours. How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractions, and who is little or seldom inwardly recollected, live long in peace?
Blessed are the simple of heart for they shall enjoy peace in abundance.
Why were some of the saints so perfect and so given to contemplation? Because they tried to mortify entirely in themselves all earthly desires, and thus they were able to attach themselves to God with all their heart and freely to concentrate their innermost thoughts.
We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence, we remain cold and indifferent. If we mortified our bodies perfectly and allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciate divine things and experience something of heavenly contemplation.
The greatest obstacle, indeed, the only obstacle, is that we are not free from passions and lusts, that we do not try to follow the perfect way of the saints. Thus when we encounter some slight difficulty, we are too easily dejected and turn to human consolations. If we tried, however, to stand as brave men in battle, the help of the Lord from heaven would surely sustain us. For He Who gives us the opportunity of fighting for victory, is ready to help those who carry on and trust in His grace.
If we let our progress in religious life depend on the observance of its externals alone, our devotion will quickly come to an end. Let us, then, lay the ax to the root that we may be freed from our passions and thus have peace of mind.
If we were to uproot only one vice each year, we should soon become perfect. The contrary, however, is often the case -- we feel that we were better and purer in the first fervor of our conversion than we are after many years in the practice of our faith. Our fervor and progress ought to increase day by day; yet it is now considered noteworthy if a man can retain even a part of his first fervor.
If we did a little violence to ourselves at the start, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy. It is hard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.
If you do not overcome small, trifling things, how will you overcome the more difficult? Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.
If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your spiritual progress.
#kempis
Daily spiritual battles
“Do not despair over your shortcomings. Start over each day. You make spiritual progress by continually beginning again and again”
St. Francis de Sales
"For he who does not attack a vice, but rather coddles it, is justly judged guilty of the death together with those who die by that vice.”
Pope St. Leo IX, in his letter to St. Peter Damian
"We must have patience, and little by little, correct and overcome our bad habits, for life on the whole is a continual warfare."
St Francis de Sales
"Turn away from vices, cultivate virtues, lift up your mind and offer humble prayers to heaven. A great necessity is ordained for you to do good when you act before a judge who sees all things "
Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy
“Do not despair over your shortcomings. Start over each day. You make spiritual progress by continually beginning again and again”
St. Francis de Sales
"For he who does not attack a vice, but rather coddles it, is justly judged guilty of the death together with those who die by that vice.”
Pope St. Leo IX, in his letter to St. Peter Damian
"We must have patience, and little by little, correct and overcome our bad habits, for life on the whole is a continual warfare."
St Francis de Sales
"Turn away from vices, cultivate virtues, lift up your mind and offer humble prayers to heaven. A great necessity is ordained for you to do good when you act before a judge who sees all things "
Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy
Tertullian and the heresy of Montanism
Collection of excerpts:
"Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullian (155-245 A.D.) was born to pagan parents in Carthage, North Africa between 155-160 A.D. A lawyer by profession, he converted to Christianity in 193 A.D. and became a Catholic apologist until 207- 212 A.D., when he succumbed to the Montanist heresy."
"Apparently he was influenced by the sect's stringent moralism, and he was an active exponent of the schism, becoming a leader of the sect in Carthage."
"His excessive nature led him to adopt the Montanist teaching as soon as he knew it (about 202-3). His writings from this date onwards grow more and more bitter against the Catholic Church, from which he definitively broke away about 207."
"The next period of Tertullian's literary activity shows distinct evidence of Montanist opinions, but he has not yet openly broken with the Church, which had not as yet condemned the new prophecy. Montanus and the prophetesses Priscilla and Maximilla had been long dead when Tertullian was converted to belief in their inspiration. He held the words of Montanus to be really those of the Paraclete, and he characteristically exaggerated their import."
"We find him henceforth lapsing into rigorism, and condemning absolutely second marriage and forgiveness of certain sins, and insisting on new fasts. His teaching had always been excessive in its severity; now he positively revels in harshness.:
•Tertullian's activity as a Montanist :
"His first Montanist work was a defense of the new prophecy in six books, "De Ecstasi", written probably in Greek; he added a seventh book in reply to Apollonius. The work is lost, but a sentence preserved by Prædestinatus (xxvi) is important:
"In this alone we differ, in that we do not receive second marriage, and that we do not refuse the prophecy of Montanus concerning the future judgment."
"In fact Tertullian holds as an absolute law the recommendations of Montanus to eschew second marriages and flight from persecution. He denies the possibility of forgiveness of sins by the Church; he insists upon the newly ordained fasts and abstinences."
"His dogmatic work, "Adversus Prazean", is of great importance. Praxeas had prevented, according to Tertullian, the recognition of the Montanist prophecy by the pope; Tertullian attacks him as a Monarchian (Heretics of the second and third centuries) and develops his own doctrine of the Holy Trinity."
"Yet of the human soul he actually says that it was seen in a vision as tender, light, and of the colour of air! All our souls were contained in Adam, and are transmitted to us with the taint of original sin upon them, — an ingenious if gross form of Traducianism."
"Again, in "De pudicitia", Tertullian repudiates his own earlier teaching that the keys were left by Christ through Peter to His Church (Scorpiace 10); he now declares (On Pudicity 21) that the gift was to Peter personally, and cannot be claimed by the Church of the Roman Catholics."
"But he seems to teach that Mary, the Mother of Christ, had other children. Yet he makes her the second Eve, who by her obedience effaced the disobedience of the first Eve."
"Two works are against the Docetism of the Gnostics, "De carne Christi" and "De resurrectione carnis". Here he emphasizes the reality of Christ's Body and His virgin-birth, and teaches a corporal resurrection. But he seems to deny the virginity of Mary, the Mother of Christ, in partu, though he affirms it ante partum."
"Even the Montanists, however, were not rigorous enough for Tertullian. He eventually broke with them to found his own sect, a group that existed until the 5th century in Africa."
"The following of Tertullian cannot have been large; but a Tertullianist sect survived him and its remnants were reconciled to the Church by St. Augustine."
"As a result of this and some of his teachings, he is not recognized as a saint in Catholicism."
#churchfathers
Collection of excerpts:
"Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullian (155-245 A.D.) was born to pagan parents in Carthage, North Africa between 155-160 A.D. A lawyer by profession, he converted to Christianity in 193 A.D. and became a Catholic apologist until 207- 212 A.D., when he succumbed to the Montanist heresy."
"Apparently he was influenced by the sect's stringent moralism, and he was an active exponent of the schism, becoming a leader of the sect in Carthage."
"His excessive nature led him to adopt the Montanist teaching as soon as he knew it (about 202-3). His writings from this date onwards grow more and more bitter against the Catholic Church, from which he definitively broke away about 207."
"The next period of Tertullian's literary activity shows distinct evidence of Montanist opinions, but he has not yet openly broken with the Church, which had not as yet condemned the new prophecy. Montanus and the prophetesses Priscilla and Maximilla had been long dead when Tertullian was converted to belief in their inspiration. He held the words of Montanus to be really those of the Paraclete, and he characteristically exaggerated their import."
"We find him henceforth lapsing into rigorism, and condemning absolutely second marriage and forgiveness of certain sins, and insisting on new fasts. His teaching had always been excessive in its severity; now he positively revels in harshness.:
•Tertullian's activity as a Montanist :
"His first Montanist work was a defense of the new prophecy in six books, "De Ecstasi", written probably in Greek; he added a seventh book in reply to Apollonius. The work is lost, but a sentence preserved by Prædestinatus (xxvi) is important:
"In this alone we differ, in that we do not receive second marriage, and that we do not refuse the prophecy of Montanus concerning the future judgment."
"In fact Tertullian holds as an absolute law the recommendations of Montanus to eschew second marriages and flight from persecution. He denies the possibility of forgiveness of sins by the Church; he insists upon the newly ordained fasts and abstinences."
"His dogmatic work, "Adversus Prazean", is of great importance. Praxeas had prevented, according to Tertullian, the recognition of the Montanist prophecy by the pope; Tertullian attacks him as a Monarchian (Heretics of the second and third centuries) and develops his own doctrine of the Holy Trinity."
"Yet of the human soul he actually says that it was seen in a vision as tender, light, and of the colour of air! All our souls were contained in Adam, and are transmitted to us with the taint of original sin upon them, — an ingenious if gross form of Traducianism."
"Again, in "De pudicitia", Tertullian repudiates his own earlier teaching that the keys were left by Christ through Peter to His Church (Scorpiace 10); he now declares (On Pudicity 21) that the gift was to Peter personally, and cannot be claimed by the Church of the Roman Catholics."
"But he seems to teach that Mary, the Mother of Christ, had other children. Yet he makes her the second Eve, who by her obedience effaced the disobedience of the first Eve."
"Two works are against the Docetism of the Gnostics, "De carne Christi" and "De resurrectione carnis". Here he emphasizes the reality of Christ's Body and His virgin-birth, and teaches a corporal resurrection. But he seems to deny the virginity of Mary, the Mother of Christ, in partu, though he affirms it ante partum."
"Even the Montanists, however, were not rigorous enough for Tertullian. He eventually broke with them to found his own sect, a group that existed until the 5th century in Africa."
"The following of Tertullian cannot have been large; but a Tertullianist sect survived him and its remnants were reconciled to the Church by St. Augustine."
"As a result of this and some of his teachings, he is not recognized as a saint in Catholicism."
#churchfathers
Ecce Verbum
Tertullian and the heresy of Montanism Collection of excerpts: "Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullian (155-245 A.D.) was born to pagan parents in Carthage, North Africa between 155-160 A.D. A lawyer by profession, he converted to Christianity in 193 A.D.…
What did the Fathers of the Early Church think of Tertullian?
"Today, Tertullian (c. AD 155–240) has something of a mixed reputation in many Christian circles. He's recognized as a significant thinker and a major contributor to the doctrine of the Trinity. But in his later years he became associated with a movement known as Montanism, and he seems to have separated himself from the church."
"In antiquity most Christians never forgave him for his apostasy (rejection of his earlier faith) to Montanism. Later Christian writers mention him only infrequently and then mostly unfavourably. Somewhat grudgingly, however, they acknowledged his literary gifts and acute intelligence. Modern scholars, however, do not share this earlier view. Since the 19th century Tertullian has been widely read and studied and is considered one of the formative figures in the development of Christian life and thought in the West."
"As a result of this and some of his teachings, he is not recognized as a saint in Catholicism. Today, Tertullian has something of a mixed reputation in many Christian circles."
Like today, those in the early church had differing opinions regarding Tertullian. Some were largely critical, some largely complimentary, and some more balanced.
•The first writings we have discussing Tertullian are decidedly in the first category – their author, Lactantius (c. 250–325), was dismissive of him:
"Septimius Tertullianus also was skilled in literature of every kind; but in eloquence he had little readiness, and was not sufficiently polished, and very obscure." (Divine Institutes, 5.1)
"Although Tertullian fully pleaded the same cause in that treatise which is entitled the Apology, yet, inasmuch as it is one thing to answer accusers, which consists in defence or denial only, and another thing to instruct, which we do." (5.4)
• Following Lactantius we might turn next to Eusebius (c. 260–340) and Jerome (c. 347–420). Eusebius emphasizes Tertullian's credibility, calling him "especially distinguished in Rome" (Church History, 2.2; cf. 2.25, 3.20, 3.33, 5.5), while Jerome focuses on his influence on Cyprian (c. 200–258) and his "lapse" into Montanism:
"
He was presbyter of the church until middle life, afterwards driven by the envy and abuse of the clergy of the Roman church, he lapsed to the doctrine of Montanus, and mentions the new prophecy in many of his books." (Lives of Illustrious Men, 53)
"I myself have seen a certain Paul an old man of Concordia, a town of Italy, who, while he himself was a very young man had been secretary to the blessed Cyprian who was already advanced in age. He said that he himself had seen how Cyprian was accustomed never to pass a day without reading Tertullian, and that he frequently said to him, "Give me the master," meaning by this, Tertullian. He was presbyter of the church until middle life, afterwards driven by the envy and abuse of the clergy of the Roman church, he lapsed to the doctrine of Montanus, and mentions the new prophecy in many of his books." (Lives of Illustrious Men, 53)
Historians agree that Cyprian was greatly influenced by Tertullian; see, for example, Everett Ferguson, Church History, 7.I.B.
• Augustine (354–430) briefly writes of him in On Heresies, acknowledging his "many eloquent works" and defending his doctrine of the soul, before explaining his heresy:
"Therefore, the reason Tertullian became a heretic was [...] because in joining the Cataphrygians, whom he had earlier demolished, he also began to condemn, contrary to Apostolic teaching, second marriage as debauchery. Later, having separated from them too, he established congregations of his own." (On Heresies, 86)
"Today, Tertullian (c. AD 155–240) has something of a mixed reputation in many Christian circles. He's recognized as a significant thinker and a major contributor to the doctrine of the Trinity. But in his later years he became associated with a movement known as Montanism, and he seems to have separated himself from the church."
"In antiquity most Christians never forgave him for his apostasy (rejection of his earlier faith) to Montanism. Later Christian writers mention him only infrequently and then mostly unfavourably. Somewhat grudgingly, however, they acknowledged his literary gifts and acute intelligence. Modern scholars, however, do not share this earlier view. Since the 19th century Tertullian has been widely read and studied and is considered one of the formative figures in the development of Christian life and thought in the West."
"As a result of this and some of his teachings, he is not recognized as a saint in Catholicism. Today, Tertullian has something of a mixed reputation in many Christian circles."
Like today, those in the early church had differing opinions regarding Tertullian. Some were largely critical, some largely complimentary, and some more balanced.
•The first writings we have discussing Tertullian are decidedly in the first category – their author, Lactantius (c. 250–325), was dismissive of him:
"Septimius Tertullianus also was skilled in literature of every kind; but in eloquence he had little readiness, and was not sufficiently polished, and very obscure." (Divine Institutes, 5.1)
"Although Tertullian fully pleaded the same cause in that treatise which is entitled the Apology, yet, inasmuch as it is one thing to answer accusers, which consists in defence or denial only, and another thing to instruct, which we do." (5.4)
• Following Lactantius we might turn next to Eusebius (c. 260–340) and Jerome (c. 347–420). Eusebius emphasizes Tertullian's credibility, calling him "especially distinguished in Rome" (Church History, 2.2; cf. 2.25, 3.20, 3.33, 5.5), while Jerome focuses on his influence on Cyprian (c. 200–258) and his "lapse" into Montanism:
"
He was presbyter of the church until middle life, afterwards driven by the envy and abuse of the clergy of the Roman church, he lapsed to the doctrine of Montanus, and mentions the new prophecy in many of his books." (Lives of Illustrious Men, 53)
"I myself have seen a certain Paul an old man of Concordia, a town of Italy, who, while he himself was a very young man had been secretary to the blessed Cyprian who was already advanced in age. He said that he himself had seen how Cyprian was accustomed never to pass a day without reading Tertullian, and that he frequently said to him, "Give me the master," meaning by this, Tertullian. He was presbyter of the church until middle life, afterwards driven by the envy and abuse of the clergy of the Roman church, he lapsed to the doctrine of Montanus, and mentions the new prophecy in many of his books." (Lives of Illustrious Men, 53)
Historians agree that Cyprian was greatly influenced by Tertullian; see, for example, Everett Ferguson, Church History, 7.I.B.
• Augustine (354–430) briefly writes of him in On Heresies, acknowledging his "many eloquent works" and defending his doctrine of the soul, before explaining his heresy:
"Therefore, the reason Tertullian became a heretic was [...] because in joining the Cataphrygians, whom he had earlier demolished, he also began to condemn, contrary to Apostolic teaching, second marriage as debauchery. Later, having separated from them too, he established congregations of his own." (On Heresies, 86)
Ecce Verbum
Tertullian and the heresy of Montanism Collection of excerpts: "Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullian (155-245 A.D.) was born to pagan parents in Carthage, North Africa between 155-160 A.D. A lawyer by profession, he converted to Christianity in 193 A.D.…
• Finally we come to Vincent of Lerins (d. 445). In his treatment of Tertullian one can sense both his admiration and frustration:
"For who more learned than he, who more versed in knowledge whether divine or human? [...] Was not his genius of such unrivalled strength and vehemence that there was scarcely any obstacle which he proposed to himself to overcome, that he did not penetrate by acuteness, or crush by weight? As to his style, who can sufficiently set forth its praise? It was knit together with so much cogency of argument that it compelled assent, even where it failed to persuade."
"Yet this man also, notwithstanding all that I have mentioned, this Tertullian, I say, too little tenacious of Catholic doctrine, that is, of the universal and ancient faith, more eloquent by far than faithful, changed his belief, and justified what the blessed Confessor, Hilary, writes of him, namely, that "by his subsequent error he detracted from the authority of his approved writings." He also was a great trial in the Church." (Commonitory, 18)
Summary:
So we find then that, not unlike today, some in the first five centuries of the church had little regard for Tertullian (Lactantius), some were largely positive (Eusebius and Jerome), and others recognizing his merits while unable to defend his faults (Augustine and Vincent). His influence on Latin Christianity was not always admitted (e.g., in Cyprian and Hilary), but his errors were significant enough that they were rarely ignored.
Sources:
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14520c.htm
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertullian
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10521a.htm
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Montanism
https://www.tertullian.org/montanism.htm
#churchfathers
"For who more learned than he, who more versed in knowledge whether divine or human? [...] Was not his genius of such unrivalled strength and vehemence that there was scarcely any obstacle which he proposed to himself to overcome, that he did not penetrate by acuteness, or crush by weight? As to his style, who can sufficiently set forth its praise? It was knit together with so much cogency of argument that it compelled assent, even where it failed to persuade."
"Yet this man also, notwithstanding all that I have mentioned, this Tertullian, I say, too little tenacious of Catholic doctrine, that is, of the universal and ancient faith, more eloquent by far than faithful, changed his belief, and justified what the blessed Confessor, Hilary, writes of him, namely, that "by his subsequent error he detracted from the authority of his approved writings." He also was a great trial in the Church." (Commonitory, 18)
Summary:
So we find then that, not unlike today, some in the first five centuries of the church had little regard for Tertullian (Lactantius), some were largely positive (Eusebius and Jerome), and others recognizing his merits while unable to defend his faults (Augustine and Vincent). His influence on Latin Christianity was not always admitted (e.g., in Cyprian and Hilary), but his errors were significant enough that they were rarely ignored.
Sources:
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14520c.htm
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertullian
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10521a.htm
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Montanism
https://www.tertullian.org/montanism.htm
#churchfathers
www.newadvent.org
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Tertullian
Ecclesiastical writer in the second and third centuries
Ecce Verbum
• Finally we come to Vincent of Lerins (d. 445). In his treatment of Tertullian one can sense both his admiration and frustration: "For who more learned than he, who more versed in knowledge whether divine or human? [...] Was not his genius of such unrivalled…
Montanists- Schismatics of the second century
First known as Phrygians, or "those among the Phrygians" (oi kata Phrygas), then as Montanists, Pepuzians, and (in the West) Cataphrygians. The sect was founded by a prophet, Montanus, and two prophetesses, Maximilla and Prisca, sometimes called Priscilla.The sect gained much popularity in Asia. It would seem that some Churches were wholly Montanist.
St Jerome describes them as such :
"They close the door of the Church to almost every sin. They say that God, not being able to save the world by Moses and the Prophets, took flesh of the Virgin Mary, and in Christ, His Son, preached and died for us. And because He could not accomplish the salvation of the world by this second method, the Holy Spirit descended upon Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla, giving them the plenitude which St. Paul had not (1 Corinthians 13:9)."
"It soon became clear, however, that the Montanist prophecy was new. True prophets did not, as Montanus did, deliberately induce a kind of ecstatic intensity and a state of passivity and then maintain that the words they spoke were the voice of the Spirit."
In addition to prophetic enthusiasm, Montanism taught a legalistic moral rigorism. The time of fasting was lengthened, followers were forbidden to flee from martyrdom, marriage was discouraged, and second marriages were prohibited."
"When it became obvious that the Montanist doctrine was an attack on the Catholic faith, the bishops of Asia Minor gathered in synods and finally excommunicated the Montanists, probably c. 177. Montanism then became a separate sect with its seat of government at Pepuza."
"It continued in the East until severe legislation against Montanism by Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527–565) essentially destroyed it, but some remnants evidently survived into the 9th century."
"Responses to this were quite mixed in the church. After all, prophecy was a genuine gift of God, according to the New Testament."
"A reading of the anti-Montanist writers in Eusebius' Church History reveals a great deal of uncertainty among Christians at all levels as to whether the new prophecy was genuine or not. It seems also possible that Montanism in its homeland may have been heretical, but that it masked a genuine move of the Holy Spirit which in other places was entirely orthodox, and would today be regarded as pentecostal."
"It was in Carthage in Africa, however, that the sect became important. There, its most illustrious convert was Tertullian, who became interested in Montanism c. 206 and finally left the Catholic Church in 212–213."
"Tertullian fiercely attacks those who condemned the new prophecy, and in attacking the church authorities, he foreshadows the protestant reaction to papal claims."
"The Montanist writings have perished, except for brief references preserved by ecclesiastical writers. The chief sources for the history of the movement are Eusebius’ Historia ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History), the writings of Tertullian and Epiphanius, and inscriptions, particularly those in central Phrygia."
Sources:
https://www.tertullian.org/montanism.htm
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10521a.htm
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Montanism
#heresies
First known as Phrygians, or "those among the Phrygians" (oi kata Phrygas), then as Montanists, Pepuzians, and (in the West) Cataphrygians. The sect was founded by a prophet, Montanus, and two prophetesses, Maximilla and Prisca, sometimes called Priscilla.The sect gained much popularity in Asia. It would seem that some Churches were wholly Montanist.
St Jerome describes them as such :
"They close the door of the Church to almost every sin. They say that God, not being able to save the world by Moses and the Prophets, took flesh of the Virgin Mary, and in Christ, His Son, preached and died for us. And because He could not accomplish the salvation of the world by this second method, the Holy Spirit descended upon Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla, giving them the plenitude which St. Paul had not (1 Corinthians 13:9)."
"It soon became clear, however, that the Montanist prophecy was new. True prophets did not, as Montanus did, deliberately induce a kind of ecstatic intensity and a state of passivity and then maintain that the words they spoke were the voice of the Spirit."
In addition to prophetic enthusiasm, Montanism taught a legalistic moral rigorism. The time of fasting was lengthened, followers were forbidden to flee from martyrdom, marriage was discouraged, and second marriages were prohibited."
"When it became obvious that the Montanist doctrine was an attack on the Catholic faith, the bishops of Asia Minor gathered in synods and finally excommunicated the Montanists, probably c. 177. Montanism then became a separate sect with its seat of government at Pepuza."
"It continued in the East until severe legislation against Montanism by Emperor Justinian I (reigned 527–565) essentially destroyed it, but some remnants evidently survived into the 9th century."
"Responses to this were quite mixed in the church. After all, prophecy was a genuine gift of God, according to the New Testament."
"A reading of the anti-Montanist writers in Eusebius' Church History reveals a great deal of uncertainty among Christians at all levels as to whether the new prophecy was genuine or not. It seems also possible that Montanism in its homeland may have been heretical, but that it masked a genuine move of the Holy Spirit which in other places was entirely orthodox, and would today be regarded as pentecostal."
"It was in Carthage in Africa, however, that the sect became important. There, its most illustrious convert was Tertullian, who became interested in Montanism c. 206 and finally left the Catholic Church in 212–213."
"Tertullian fiercely attacks those who condemned the new prophecy, and in attacking the church authorities, he foreshadows the protestant reaction to papal claims."
"The Montanist writings have perished, except for brief references preserved by ecclesiastical writers. The chief sources for the history of the movement are Eusebius’ Historia ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History), the writings of Tertullian and Epiphanius, and inscriptions, particularly those in central Phrygia."
Sources:
https://www.tertullian.org/montanism.htm
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10521a.htm
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Montanism
#heresies
www.tertullian.org
Tertullian : The Montanists
Tertullian latin texts, translations, editions, bibliography, links, manuscripts, text criticism, early christians, fathers
Telegram Archive
•library sites and telegram channels
prepping, practical skills
I've created a small index of library/archive channels and websites which I know of.
Feel free to contribute to expanding this list (all suggestions made in the comments are welcome), so that all of us can find it of use.
To find all archieved lists on this channel use #index
channels
•https://t.me/HomeschoolEducation
•https://t.me/boogbooks
•https://t.me/ulrichhirschmannarchives
•https://t.me/forbiddenbookclub
•https://t.me/OffTheGridOfficial
•https://t.me/offgriddownload
•https://t.me/practicalinformation
•https://t.me/whatchadoinrabbibooks
•https://t.me/based_books
•https://t.me/BunkerDocumentaries
•https://t.me/ImperivmLibrary
•https://t.me/JohnnyGatArchive
•https://t.me/PhoilHATS
•https://t.me/The_Documentary_Channel
•https://t.me/FashBooks
•https://t.me/hederashomestead
•https://t.me/DisclosureLibrary
•https://t.me/WhiteNationalistLibrary
•https://t.me/mysticallibrary
•https://t.me/Bunker_Audio
•https://t.me/CorbettReport
•https://t.me/PreppersandSurvivalistLibrary
•https://t.me/OPUSaudiobooks
•https://t.me/TheBlackLibary
•https://t.me/ClosedReserve
•https://t.me/HomesteadingSelfSufficiency
websites
•www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.
•www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.
•https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.
•www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.
•http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.
•www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.
•www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.
•www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free.
•https://www.liberatedmanuals.com/all.mpl
all free government manuals
•https://www.logsa.army.mil/#/psmag
Current PS magazine issues
•http://psmag.radionerds.com/index.php/Index_by_issue
Past PS magazine issues
•https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/ActiveInactiveRescSearch.aspx
Current FMs, STPs, etc
•http://www.survivalebooks.com/usmilitarymanuals.html
Older manuals
•https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/index.html
WW2 era manuals
•https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/mccoe/call/publications
Current CALL handbooks
•https://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Radio_Equipment/Radio_Manuals/
Radio Manuals
•http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download
Old subject knowledge books
•https://the-eye.eu/public/murdercube.com/
field manuals, survival
•http://www.zetatalk11.com/docs/
massive library of prepping and survival documents (1'000's of pdf's)
•https://www.freebookcentre.net/medical_text_books_journals/medical_text_books_online.html
Medical textbooks
•https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/crops
Crops, farming build plans
•https://www.theprepperjournal.com/resources/#
prepper links and resources
•http://www.ps-survival.com/PS/index.htm
A lot of topics but it doesnt have a proper index.
•https://archive.org/details/folkscanomy_prepper?&sort=-downloads&page=8
prepper's archieve
•survival Wiki
http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
•library sites and telegram channels
prepping, practical skills
I've created a small index of library/archive channels and websites which I know of.
Feel free to contribute to expanding this list (all suggestions made in the comments are welcome), so that all of us can find it of use.
To find all archieved lists on this channel use #index
channels
•https://t.me/HomeschoolEducation
•https://t.me/boogbooks
•https://t.me/ulrichhirschmannarchives
•https://t.me/forbiddenbookclub
•https://t.me/OffTheGridOfficial
•https://t.me/offgriddownload
•https://t.me/practicalinformation
•https://t.me/whatchadoinrabbibooks
•https://t.me/based_books
•https://t.me/BunkerDocumentaries
•https://t.me/ImperivmLibrary
•https://t.me/JohnnyGatArchive
•https://t.me/PhoilHATS
•https://t.me/The_Documentary_Channel
•https://t.me/FashBooks
•https://t.me/hederashomestead
•https://t.me/DisclosureLibrary
•https://t.me/WhiteNationalistLibrary
•https://t.me/mysticallibrary
•https://t.me/Bunker_Audio
•https://t.me/CorbettReport
•https://t.me/PreppersandSurvivalistLibrary
•https://t.me/OPUSaudiobooks
•https://t.me/TheBlackLibary
•https://t.me/ClosedReserve
•https://t.me/HomesteadingSelfSufficiency
websites
•www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.
•www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.
•https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.
•www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.
•http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.
•www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.
•www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.
•www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free.
•https://www.liberatedmanuals.com/all.mpl
all free government manuals
•https://www.logsa.army.mil/#/psmag
Current PS magazine issues
•http://psmag.radionerds.com/index.php/Index_by_issue
Past PS magazine issues
•https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/ActiveInactiveRescSearch.aspx
Current FMs, STPs, etc
•http://www.survivalebooks.com/usmilitarymanuals.html
Older manuals
•https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/index.html
WW2 era manuals
•https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/mccoe/call/publications
Current CALL handbooks
•https://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Radio_Equipment/Radio_Manuals/
Radio Manuals
•http://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/library-download
Old subject knowledge books
•https://the-eye.eu/public/murdercube.com/
field manuals, survival
•http://www.zetatalk11.com/docs/
massive library of prepping and survival documents (1'000's of pdf's)
•https://www.freebookcentre.net/medical_text_books_journals/medical_text_books_online.html
Medical textbooks
•https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/crops
Crops, farming build plans
•https://www.theprepperjournal.com/resources/#
prepper links and resources
•http://www.ps-survival.com/PS/index.htm
A lot of topics but it doesnt have a proper index.
•https://archive.org/details/folkscanomy_prepper?&sort=-downloads&page=8
prepper's archieve
•survival Wiki
http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Telegram
Homeschooled Education
"Education is our greatest opportunity to give an irrevocable gift to the next generation."
A @ChristianAryanism channel to help build and facilitate independent homeschooling; with the ultimate goal of creating a single but complete schooling textbook.
A @ChristianAryanism channel to help build and facilitate independent homeschooling; with the ultimate goal of creating a single but complete schooling textbook.
Prayer for the Church and for souls
(Recommended for frequent recitation in the present critical times)
O glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the fearful warfare we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits. Come thou to the assistance of men, whom Almighty God created immortal, making them in His own image and likeness and redeeming
them at a great price from the tyranny of satan.
Fight this day the battle of the Lord with thy legions of holy Angels, even as of old thou didst fight against Lucifer, the leader of the proud spirits and all his rebel angels, who were powerless to stand against thee, neither was their place found any more in Heaven. And that apostate angel, transformed into an angel of darkness who still prowls about the earth to encompass our ruin, was cast headlong into the abyss together with his followers.
But behold, that first enemy of mankind, a murderer from the beginning, has regained his confidence. Changing himself into “an angel of light,” he goes about with the whole multitude of wicked spirits to invade the earth and to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to plunder, to slay and to consign to eternal damnation the souls that have been destined for a crown of everlasting life. This wicked serpent, like an unclean torrent, pours into men of depraved minds and corrupt hearts the poison of his malice, the spirit of lying, impiety and blasphemy, and the deadly breath of impurity and every form of vice and iniquity.
These crafty enemies of mankind have filled to overflowing with gall and wormwood the Church, which is the Bride of the Lamb without spot; they have laid profane hands upon her most sacred treasures.
Make haste, therefore, O invincible Prince, to help the People of God against the inroads of the lost spirits, and grant us the victory.
Amen.
#prayer
(Recommended for frequent recitation in the present critical times)
O glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the fearful warfare we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits. Come thou to the assistance of men, whom Almighty God created immortal, making them in His own image and likeness and redeeming
them at a great price from the tyranny of satan.
Fight this day the battle of the Lord with thy legions of holy Angels, even as of old thou didst fight against Lucifer, the leader of the proud spirits and all his rebel angels, who were powerless to stand against thee, neither was their place found any more in Heaven. And that apostate angel, transformed into an angel of darkness who still prowls about the earth to encompass our ruin, was cast headlong into the abyss together with his followers.
But behold, that first enemy of mankind, a murderer from the beginning, has regained his confidence. Changing himself into “an angel of light,” he goes about with the whole multitude of wicked spirits to invade the earth and to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to plunder, to slay and to consign to eternal damnation the souls that have been destined for a crown of everlasting life. This wicked serpent, like an unclean torrent, pours into men of depraved minds and corrupt hearts the poison of his malice, the spirit of lying, impiety and blasphemy, and the deadly breath of impurity and every form of vice and iniquity.
These crafty enemies of mankind have filled to overflowing with gall and wormwood the Church, which is the Bride of the Lamb without spot; they have laid profane hands upon her most sacred treasures.
Make haste, therefore, O invincible Prince, to help the People of God against the inroads of the lost spirits, and grant us the victory.
Amen.
#prayer
Above all else, we ought to reform ourselves
"Isn't it beautiful, this ideal of life ? The battle to conquer the whole world, the hearts of all men and of each one in particular, beginning with oneself. Our strength consists of recognising our own stupidity, weakness and misery, and entrusting ourselves entirely to the goodness and power of the Immaculata."
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Letter, December 11, 1930
"What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles if you cannot win against your own corrupt passions ?
It doesn't matter. The real battle is with ourselves."
Bl. Carlo Acutis
"You wish to reform the world? Reform yourself. Otherwise your efforts will be vain."
St. Ignatius Loyola
"Isn't it beautiful, this ideal of life ? The battle to conquer the whole world, the hearts of all men and of each one in particular, beginning with oneself. Our strength consists of recognising our own stupidity, weakness and misery, and entrusting ourselves entirely to the goodness and power of the Immaculata."
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Letter, December 11, 1930
"What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles if you cannot win against your own corrupt passions ?
It doesn't matter. The real battle is with ourselves."
Bl. Carlo Acutis
"You wish to reform the world? Reform yourself. Otherwise your efforts will be vain."
St. Ignatius Loyola
Autodidacticism - #SolutionsWatch - The Corbett Report
Who said education was boring? On the contrary. Knowing more about the world, improving your skills and achieving success is electrifying and addictive. But first you have to learn how to learn. Autodidacticism is the process of learning about a skill or a subject without a formal teacher, and today Richard Grove of GetAutonomy.info is here to help us get started on the lifelong quest of self-improvement and self-learning.
https://www.corbettreport.com/autodidacticism/
#education
Who said education was boring? On the contrary. Knowing more about the world, improving your skills and achieving success is electrifying and addictive. But first you have to learn how to learn. Autodidacticism is the process of learning about a skill or a subject without a formal teacher, and today Richard Grove of GetAutonomy.info is here to help us get started on the lifelong quest of self-improvement and self-learning.
https://www.corbettreport.com/autodidacticism/
#education
Ecce Verbum
What is a Father 2. Fatherhood- a life of prayer and servitude ..Then the husband and the wife walk out of the church to see each other through life to eternal life. Their life together is to be a prayer-a sacrament; a sacramental way of life, as a priest's…
What is a Father
3.The father is an example
...All this time, the husband, almost always, grows more admirable and lovable in the eves of his wife. His goodness, character, dependability, and the things that grow out of real goodness-courtesy, consideration, understanding, and above all, tenderness.
It is a rare woman who does not respond to tenderness as a flower to the sun; who is not made singingly happy by strength united with gentleness in her husband.
The father who turns to prayer and to the sources of grace in the sacraments discovers-especially if he does it while his children are still young-that he is loved and respected and imitated, and that his home life grows happier. And kindness and goodness, once begun in a home, are passed along through the generations, with incalculable benefit to the world.
But, above all, the father is an example. It is impossible to exaggerate how impressionable young people are. Their eyes and ears and sensitivities are wide open.
If they live in an atmosphere of purity of speech and attitude and behaviour, purity will be a shiningly attractive thing to them. If they see a tenderness amounting to reverence between their father and mother, at least half the battle for their own success in marriage will have been won. A daughter whose father is considerate of her mother will seek a considerate husband for herself when the time comes. She will not be drawn to one who is crude, boastful, overbearing, thoughtless, even cruel. A son whose father treats his mother with chivalry will treat his wife so, almost invariably.
A father and mother who are kind to their own parents, and patient with them as they grow dependent with age, will most certainly receive kindness from their own children in their own advancing years.
In prayer and in patient observation, he studies his children. What he wants for them is whatever God made them for- whatever their abilities and talents and inclinations suggest as most suitable for them. What he does do is to create, as far as it is within his power, conditions in which they will come under the best influences, and meet the most desirable people-desirable not for wealth or position, but for character and virtue. The wise father will set before his children the various possibilities for the future, urging that all the possibilities be considered.
What the wise father wants is what is best for his sons and daughters-not what might cater to his pride or his ambition.
From the first toddling steps his little ones take, the wise father begins to help them grow away from dependence on him, and toward self-determination, although always under God. He does not cling to them or make them instruments of his self-esteem.
The father will pause sometimes to consider St. Joseph. He was the father of Christ in all but physical generation. His dedication to Mary and Jesus was total and totally unselfish.He was humble, patient, courteous, considerate, quick to love and praise, slow to blame and condemn. He was a man guarding against dangers to his family, a man turning to God for guidance in the perplexities of life. This is the foremost need of a family-the prayers of the father; for those are the prayers that most affect the whole life of the family, not only by bringing God's blessing, but by making a man the kind of father whose example and influence make the family all that it ought to be.
Bernard O'Connor, Imprimatur:
Archbishop Justin D. Simonds, 30th April, 1965.
1. Fatherhood as a path to sanctity
2. Fatherhood- a life of prayer and servitude
3.The father is an example
...All this time, the husband, almost always, grows more admirable and lovable in the eves of his wife. His goodness, character, dependability, and the things that grow out of real goodness-courtesy, consideration, understanding, and above all, tenderness.
It is a rare woman who does not respond to tenderness as a flower to the sun; who is not made singingly happy by strength united with gentleness in her husband.
The father who turns to prayer and to the sources of grace in the sacraments discovers-especially if he does it while his children are still young-that he is loved and respected and imitated, and that his home life grows happier. And kindness and goodness, once begun in a home, are passed along through the generations, with incalculable benefit to the world.
But, above all, the father is an example. It is impossible to exaggerate how impressionable young people are. Their eyes and ears and sensitivities are wide open.
If they live in an atmosphere of purity of speech and attitude and behaviour, purity will be a shiningly attractive thing to them. If they see a tenderness amounting to reverence between their father and mother, at least half the battle for their own success in marriage will have been won. A daughter whose father is considerate of her mother will seek a considerate husband for herself when the time comes. She will not be drawn to one who is crude, boastful, overbearing, thoughtless, even cruel. A son whose father treats his mother with chivalry will treat his wife so, almost invariably.
A father and mother who are kind to their own parents, and patient with them as they grow dependent with age, will most certainly receive kindness from their own children in their own advancing years.
In prayer and in patient observation, he studies his children. What he wants for them is whatever God made them for- whatever their abilities and talents and inclinations suggest as most suitable for them. What he does do is to create, as far as it is within his power, conditions in which they will come under the best influences, and meet the most desirable people-desirable not for wealth or position, but for character and virtue. The wise father will set before his children the various possibilities for the future, urging that all the possibilities be considered.
What the wise father wants is what is best for his sons and daughters-not what might cater to his pride or his ambition.
From the first toddling steps his little ones take, the wise father begins to help them grow away from dependence on him, and toward self-determination, although always under God. He does not cling to them or make them instruments of his self-esteem.
The father will pause sometimes to consider St. Joseph. He was the father of Christ in all but physical generation. His dedication to Mary and Jesus was total and totally unselfish.He was humble, patient, courteous, considerate, quick to love and praise, slow to blame and condemn. He was a man guarding against dangers to his family, a man turning to God for guidance in the perplexities of life. This is the foremost need of a family-the prayers of the father; for those are the prayers that most affect the whole life of the family, not only by bringing God's blessing, but by making a man the kind of father whose example and influence make the family all that it ought to be.
Bernard O'Connor, Imprimatur:
Archbishop Justin D. Simonds, 30th April, 1965.
1. Fatherhood as a path to sanctity
2. Fatherhood- a life of prayer and servitude
Telegram
Ecce Verbum
What is a Father
1.Fatherhood as a path to Sanctity
"..That is the importance of fatherhood, to become less and less important until one is not important at all. There is really nothing new in this. It has been perceived by all truly great men."
He is one…
1.Fatherhood as a path to Sanctity
"..That is the importance of fatherhood, to become less and less important until one is not important at all. There is really nothing new in this. It has been perceived by all truly great men."
He is one…
How to deal with our imperfections?
"We are miserable creatures, who can scarcely do any good. But God, who is infinitely good, is content with our little works, and the preparation of our heart is agreeable to Him."
Psalm 9:39
•You complain of the many imperfections and defects to be found in your life, contrary to your desire of perfection and to the purity of the love of God.
We must however carry ourselves about with us until God carries us to Heaven; and so long as we carry ourselves, we shall have nothing to boast of.
God does not love our imperfections nor venial sins, but He loves us much notwithstanding them. As the weakness and infirmity of an infant displease it's mother, yet she does no cease to love it, but loves it tenderly and compassionately; so God, while He does not approve of our imperfections or venial sins, ceases not to love us tenderly.
"God takes pleasure to see you take your little steps; and like a good father who holds his child by the hand, He will accommodate His steps to yours and will be content to go no faster than you. Why do you worry?"
St Francis de Sales
•We must have patience, and not expect to cure in one day the many bad habits that we have contracted, through the little care we have taken of our spiritual health.
God has indeed cured some persons speedily, without a vestige of their malady remaining, as in the case of Magdalen, who, in a moment, was changed from a sink of corruption into a fountain of perfection, and was never afterwards troubled.
But the same God left, a considerable time after their conversion, in many of His disciples, marks of their former inclinations: and all for their greater good.
"When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time."
St Francis de Sales
"The best penance is to have patience with the Sorrows God permits. A very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfill the duties of everyday with exactitude and to study and work with all our strength."
St Peter Damian
"One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy. Nor do those who have reached it find it easy to maintain."
St. Anthony of the Desert
•The faults into which we fall often give us place to great acts of virtue, which, otherwise, we should never have had occasion to practice, and God permits our faults for this end.
Never permit your mind to think too much on its miseries; leave them to God; He will do something with them.
"The fault is committed by a sudden impulse; the reparation is made with reflection, by the victory over one self, and with a full and deliberate will. The latter is an act much more agreeable to God, than the former as a fault was disagreeable to Him."
St. Francis de Sales
"We are miserable creatures, who can scarcely do any good. But God, who is infinitely good, is content with our little works, and the preparation of our heart is agreeable to Him."
Psalm 9:39
•You complain of the many imperfections and defects to be found in your life, contrary to your desire of perfection and to the purity of the love of God.
We must however carry ourselves about with us until God carries us to Heaven; and so long as we carry ourselves, we shall have nothing to boast of.
God does not love our imperfections nor venial sins, but He loves us much notwithstanding them. As the weakness and infirmity of an infant displease it's mother, yet she does no cease to love it, but loves it tenderly and compassionately; so God, while He does not approve of our imperfections or venial sins, ceases not to love us tenderly.
"God takes pleasure to see you take your little steps; and like a good father who holds his child by the hand, He will accommodate His steps to yours and will be content to go no faster than you. Why do you worry?"
St Francis de Sales
•We must have patience, and not expect to cure in one day the many bad habits that we have contracted, through the little care we have taken of our spiritual health.
God has indeed cured some persons speedily, without a vestige of their malady remaining, as in the case of Magdalen, who, in a moment, was changed from a sink of corruption into a fountain of perfection, and was never afterwards troubled.
But the same God left, a considerable time after their conversion, in many of His disciples, marks of their former inclinations: and all for their greater good.
"When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time."
St Francis de Sales
"The best penance is to have patience with the Sorrows God permits. A very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfill the duties of everyday with exactitude and to study and work with all our strength."
St Peter Damian
"One should not say that it is impossible to reach a virtuous life; but one should say that it is not easy. Nor do those who have reached it find it easy to maintain."
St. Anthony of the Desert
•The faults into which we fall often give us place to great acts of virtue, which, otherwise, we should never have had occasion to practice, and God permits our faults for this end.
Never permit your mind to think too much on its miseries; leave them to God; He will do something with them.
"The fault is committed by a sudden impulse; the reparation is made with reflection, by the victory over one self, and with a full and deliberate will. The latter is an act much more agreeable to God, than the former as a fault was disagreeable to Him."
St. Francis de Sales
Mental Prayer
according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Chapter 3. The Ends of Mental Prayer
WE OUGHT NOT TO SEEK IN MENTAL PRAYER
SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIONS
We must apply ourselves to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in order to learn what is the will of God concerning us. "Speak Lord," said Samuel to God, "for Thy servant heareth" (1 Kings 3: 9). Lord, make me to know what Thou wilt, that I may do it. Some persons continue meditation as long as consolations continue; but when these cease, they leave off meditation.
It is true that God is accustomed to comfort His beloved souls at the time of meditation, and to give them some foretaste of the delights He prepares in Heaven for those who love Him.
These are things which the lovers of the world do not comprehend; they who have not taste except for earthly delights despise those which are celestial. Oh, if they were wise, how surely would they leave their pleasures to shut themselves in their closets, to speak alone with God!
Meditation is nothing more than a converse between the soul and God; the soul pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, its fears, its requests, and God speaks to the heart, causing it to know His goodness, and the love which He bears it, and what it must do to please Him.
But these delights are not constant, and for the most part, holy souls experience much dryness of spirit in meditation. "With dryness and temptations," says St. Teresa, "the Lord makes proof of those who love Him." And she adds, "Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not the soul leave off meditation; the time will come when all will be well rewarded."
The time of dryness is the time for gaining the greatest rewards; and when we find ourselves apparently without fervor, without good desires, and, as it were, unable to do a good act, let us humble ourselves and resign ourselves, for this very meditation will be more fruitful than others.
It is enough then to say, if we can say nothing more, "O Lord, help me, have mercy on me, abandon me not!" Let us also have recourse to our comforter, the most holy Mary. Happy he who does not leave off meditation in the hour of desolation.
#stalphonsus #mentalprayer
according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Chapter 3. The Ends of Mental Prayer
WE OUGHT NOT TO SEEK IN MENTAL PRAYER
SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIONS
We must apply ourselves to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in order to learn what is the will of God concerning us. "Speak Lord," said Samuel to God, "for Thy servant heareth" (1 Kings 3: 9). Lord, make me to know what Thou wilt, that I may do it. Some persons continue meditation as long as consolations continue; but when these cease, they leave off meditation.
It is true that God is accustomed to comfort His beloved souls at the time of meditation, and to give them some foretaste of the delights He prepares in Heaven for those who love Him.
These are things which the lovers of the world do not comprehend; they who have not taste except for earthly delights despise those which are celestial. Oh, if they were wise, how surely would they leave their pleasures to shut themselves in their closets, to speak alone with God!
Meditation is nothing more than a converse between the soul and God; the soul pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, its fears, its requests, and God speaks to the heart, causing it to know His goodness, and the love which He bears it, and what it must do to please Him.
But these delights are not constant, and for the most part, holy souls experience much dryness of spirit in meditation. "With dryness and temptations," says St. Teresa, "the Lord makes proof of those who love Him." And she adds, "Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not the soul leave off meditation; the time will come when all will be well rewarded."
The time of dryness is the time for gaining the greatest rewards; and when we find ourselves apparently without fervor, without good desires, and, as it were, unable to do a good act, let us humble ourselves and resign ourselves, for this very meditation will be more fruitful than others.
It is enough then to say, if we can say nothing more, "O Lord, help me, have mercy on me, abandon me not!" Let us also have recourse to our comforter, the most holy Mary. Happy he who does not leave off meditation in the hour of desolation.
#stalphonsus #mentalprayer
Levels of Prayer
St. Teresa of Avila taught that the intensity of one's prayer life coincides with the intensity of one's charity. This is based on solid theology and was confirmed by St. Pius X who taught that the grades of prayer represent the grades of elevation or ascent to Christian perfection. In other words, where you are in your prayer life is a gauge of where you are in your spiritual life. You cannot advance in Christian perfection without advancing in grades of prayer.
“…pray, and never give up praying. If you pray, you will be certainly saved; if you do not pray, you will be certainly damned.” – St. Alphonsus De Liguori’s Conclusion to a Short Treatise on Prayer
The Church teaches us that there are three major expressions (or forms) of prayer – Vocal, Meditation, and Contemplation.
Through the lives of the Saints and their works, and the efforts of theologians, it is understood that there are nine levels or grades of prayer:
1.Vocal Prayer
___
2. Mental Prayer
3. Affective Prayer
4. Acquired Recollection
5. Infused Contemplation
6. Prayer of Quiet
___
7. Simple Union
8. Conforming Union
9. Transforming Union
Notice the lowest form of prayer is Vocal Prayer, meaning using words either audibly or mentally, whereas mental prayer is primarily in the intellect, focusing on God or meditating on some mystery without words of any kind. The Holy Rosary combines the first two levels through vocal prayers while meditating on the mysteries of our Lord (Mental Prayer). The saints tell us that Mental Prayer is the gateway to all the higher forms of prayer, and the higher you ascend also corresponds to your progress in virtue.
Church describes vocal prayer: “Vocal prayer associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart. Even the most interior prayer, however, cannot dispense with vocal prayer. In any case, it must always spring from a personal faith. With the Our Father Jesus has taught us a perfect form of vocal prayer.”
Meditation is a higher form of prayer than vocal prayer as it utilizes the power of your imagination with focus on holy truths. Meditation has been referred to as one of the more difficult forms of prayer as many have not yet mastered their imagination and distraction becomes common-place. The Compendium of the Catholic Church states: “Meditation is a prayerful reflection that begins above all in the Word of God in the Bible. Meditation engages though, imagination, emotion and desire in order to deepen our faith, convert our heart and fortify our will to follow Christ. It is a first step toward the union of love with God.” Or as St. Padre Pio has said, “The final purpose of meditation is the love of God and one’s neighbor. Love the first with all your soul and without reservation, love the second as another self, and you will have arrived at the final purpose of meditation.” And this beloved saint, knowing how difficult meditative prayer gives us hope in saying, “When you do not succeed in meditating well do not, for this reason, cease to do your duty. If there are many distractions do not lose heart. Make a meditation on patience; you will profit all the same. Fix the time, the length of your meditation, and do not rise from your place until you have finished it.
Contemplative prayer is a simple gaze upon God in silence and love. It is a gift of God, a moment of pure faith during which the one praying seeks Christ, surrenders himself to the loving will of the Father, and places his being under the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila defines contemplative prayer as the intimate sharing of friendship, “in which time is frequently taken to be along with God who we know loves us.”
https://youtu.be/WeOLenpKta8
#mentalprayer
St. Teresa of Avila taught that the intensity of one's prayer life coincides with the intensity of one's charity. This is based on solid theology and was confirmed by St. Pius X who taught that the grades of prayer represent the grades of elevation or ascent to Christian perfection. In other words, where you are in your prayer life is a gauge of where you are in your spiritual life. You cannot advance in Christian perfection without advancing in grades of prayer.
“…pray, and never give up praying. If you pray, you will be certainly saved; if you do not pray, you will be certainly damned.” – St. Alphonsus De Liguori’s Conclusion to a Short Treatise on Prayer
The Church teaches us that there are three major expressions (or forms) of prayer – Vocal, Meditation, and Contemplation.
Through the lives of the Saints and their works, and the efforts of theologians, it is understood that there are nine levels or grades of prayer:
1.Vocal Prayer
___
2. Mental Prayer
3. Affective Prayer
4. Acquired Recollection
5. Infused Contemplation
6. Prayer of Quiet
___
7. Simple Union
8. Conforming Union
9. Transforming Union
Notice the lowest form of prayer is Vocal Prayer, meaning using words either audibly or mentally, whereas mental prayer is primarily in the intellect, focusing on God or meditating on some mystery without words of any kind. The Holy Rosary combines the first two levels through vocal prayers while meditating on the mysteries of our Lord (Mental Prayer). The saints tell us that Mental Prayer is the gateway to all the higher forms of prayer, and the higher you ascend also corresponds to your progress in virtue.
Church describes vocal prayer: “Vocal prayer associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart. Even the most interior prayer, however, cannot dispense with vocal prayer. In any case, it must always spring from a personal faith. With the Our Father Jesus has taught us a perfect form of vocal prayer.”
Meditation is a higher form of prayer than vocal prayer as it utilizes the power of your imagination with focus on holy truths. Meditation has been referred to as one of the more difficult forms of prayer as many have not yet mastered their imagination and distraction becomes common-place. The Compendium of the Catholic Church states: “Meditation is a prayerful reflection that begins above all in the Word of God in the Bible. Meditation engages though, imagination, emotion and desire in order to deepen our faith, convert our heart and fortify our will to follow Christ. It is a first step toward the union of love with God.” Or as St. Padre Pio has said, “The final purpose of meditation is the love of God and one’s neighbor. Love the first with all your soul and without reservation, love the second as another self, and you will have arrived at the final purpose of meditation.” And this beloved saint, knowing how difficult meditative prayer gives us hope in saying, “When you do not succeed in meditating well do not, for this reason, cease to do your duty. If there are many distractions do not lose heart. Make a meditation on patience; you will profit all the same. Fix the time, the length of your meditation, and do not rise from your place until you have finished it.
Contemplative prayer is a simple gaze upon God in silence and love. It is a gift of God, a moment of pure faith during which the one praying seeks Christ, surrenders himself to the loving will of the Father, and places his being under the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila defines contemplative prayer as the intimate sharing of friendship, “in which time is frequently taken to be along with God who we know loves us.”
https://youtu.be/WeOLenpKta8
#mentalprayer
YouTube
Spiritual Theology Series: Levels of Prayer ~ Fr Ripperger
The 2nd part of the lectures on spritual theology. Prayer is the topic of this one. For more sermons & lectures please visit
http://sensustraditionis.org/ & remember to do the PenanceWare Fr asks for
Fr Ripperger's order of exorcists http://dolorans.org/…
http://sensustraditionis.org/ & remember to do the PenanceWare Fr asks for
Fr Ripperger's order of exorcists http://dolorans.org/…
On the authorities in the Church and fraternal correction, p.II
"To presume oneself to be simply better than one's prelate, would seem to savor of presumtuous pride; but there is no presumption in thinking oneself better in some respect, because, in this life, no man is without some fault. We must also remember that when a man reproves his prelate charitably, it does not follow that he thinks himself any better, but merely that he offers his help to one who "being in a higher position among you, is therefore in greater danger.""
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II Q33, Art4, Reply to obj. 3
"The reprehension was just and useful, and the reason for it was not light: there was a danger for the preservation of Gospel truth. The way it took place was appropriate, since it was public and manifest. For this reason, St. Paul writes: 'I spoke to Cephas,' that is, Peter, 'before everyone,' since the simulation practiced by St. Peter was fraught with danger to everyone."
St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae, IIa IIae, Q. 33, A. 4
"To withstand anyone in public exceeds the mode of fraternal correction , and so Paul would not have withstood Peter then, unless he were in some way his equal as regards the defence of the faith. But one who is not an equal can reprove privately and respectfully..It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence, Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith, and, as the gloss of Augustine says on Gal.2:11: "Peter gave an example to superiors, that if in any time they should happen to stray from the straight path, they should not disdain to be reproved by their subjects."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, Q33, Art4, Reply to obj.2
"To presume oneself to be simply better than one's prelate, would seem to savor of presumtuous pride; but there is no presumption in thinking oneself better in some respect, because, in this life, no man is without some fault. We must also remember that when a man reproves his prelate charitably, it does not follow that he thinks himself any better, but merely that he offers his help to one who "being in a higher position among you, is therefore in greater danger.""
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II Q33, Art4, Reply to obj. 3
"The reprehension was just and useful, and the reason for it was not light: there was a danger for the preservation of Gospel truth. The way it took place was appropriate, since it was public and manifest. For this reason, St. Paul writes: 'I spoke to Cephas,' that is, Peter, 'before everyone,' since the simulation practiced by St. Peter was fraught with danger to everyone."
St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae, IIa IIae, Q. 33, A. 4
"To withstand anyone in public exceeds the mode of fraternal correction , and so Paul would not have withstood Peter then, unless he were in some way his equal as regards the defence of the faith. But one who is not an equal can reprove privately and respectfully..It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence, Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith, and, as the gloss of Augustine says on Gal.2:11: "Peter gave an example to superiors, that if in any time they should happen to stray from the straight path, they should not disdain to be reproved by their subjects."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, Q33, Art4, Reply to obj.2
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Thomas Aquinas identifies four obligations that every man owes to God indefinitely
1. To praise and honour His infinite majesty
2. To satisfy for the many sins commited against that infinite majesty
3. To thank Him for all benefits received
4. To supplicate Him as the giver of all graces
These four obligations correspond perfectly to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice the Mass
1. Adoration
2. Atonement
3. Thanksgiving
4. Petition
The Four Ends of the Mass are the same four obligations that we owe to God. This is why St. Thomas identified the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the most efficacious method of paying the four great debts owed by us to God. St. Peter Julain Eymard says in his book 'The Real Presence': let us pray as He does according to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice; this form of prayer sums up religious worship and entails the practice of every virtue."
Mass is the highest and holiest act and greatest prayer of the Church because it is the action of Christ Himself. When we unite ourselves and our prayers to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross at Calvary during every mass, truly that is the most efficacious method of prayer.
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
St. John Vianney
#mass
Thomas Aquinas identifies four obligations that every man owes to God indefinitely
1. To praise and honour His infinite majesty
2. To satisfy for the many sins commited against that infinite majesty
3. To thank Him for all benefits received
4. To supplicate Him as the giver of all graces
These four obligations correspond perfectly to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice the Mass
1. Adoration
2. Atonement
3. Thanksgiving
4. Petition
The Four Ends of the Mass are the same four obligations that we owe to God. This is why St. Thomas identified the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the most efficacious method of paying the four great debts owed by us to God. St. Peter Julain Eymard says in his book 'The Real Presence': let us pray as He does according to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice; this form of prayer sums up religious worship and entails the practice of every virtue."
Mass is the highest and holiest act and greatest prayer of the Church because it is the action of Christ Himself. When we unite ourselves and our prayers to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross at Calvary during every mass, truly that is the most efficacious method of prayer.
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
St. John Vianney
#mass
the_problem_of_the_liturgical_reform(1).pdf
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"The Problem of the Liturgical Reform" - a theological and Liturgical Study
The Society of Saint Pius X
Angelus Press
"The missal of Pope Paul VI, because of its serious theological defects, does not have and cannot have the character of a true and binding law. While waiting for the legislator to publish the neces-
sary theological, liturgical, and canonical clarifications, one can in good conscience use the missal revised by St. Pius V."
#novusordo #mass
The Society of Saint Pius X
Angelus Press
"The missal of Pope Paul VI, because of its serious theological defects, does not have and cannot have the character of a true and binding law. While waiting for the legislator to publish the neces-
sary theological, liturgical, and canonical clarifications, one can in good conscience use the missal revised by St. Pius V."
#novusordo #mass
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The Latin ♰ Sancta Missa ♰ Explained for Priests
Forwarded from ♰ Traditional Latin Mass ♰
The Latin Mass Explained and Demonstrated for Priests.mkv
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The Latin ♰ Sancta Missa ♰ Explained for Priests