Sunday, October 6, 2013

Why Were the Saints Saints?



          'Why were the saints saints?
          Because they loved Me much, hence they never complained.
          They were cheerful when it was hard to be cheerful,
          patient when it was hard to be patient.
          They pushed on when they wished to stand still,
          and kept silence when they wished to talk,
          and were agreeable when they wished to be disagreeable, 
          and all this because they loved Me much.' 

              (from Sheltering the Divine Outcast, compiled by A Religious, The Peter Reilly Co, Philadelphia, 1952, p. 75)

              Painting:  Childe Hassam; Rainy Day, Boston, detail

14 comments:

  1. I think this describes my husband to a tee! I'm still striving.....

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    1. What a gift you have in your husband! I'm with you in that I'm still striving. But that's how we get there, right? .... we keep going on!

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  2. Love this.....I think I'll use this as my little guys's "copywork"...I'll write it ins script for him b.c we're working in cursive.

    Lovely! and a beautiful reminder, Nancy:)

    Thank you

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    1. Thank you, Chris. What a good way for someone to learn the wisdom of this.. to write it!

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  3. We were talking about saints last week in my Confirmation class, while strongly encouraging my "students" to pick a great saint name for their Confirmation name. I have asked them to have one picked out by Nov. 1, appropriately enough :)

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    1. Yes, what an appropriate day for it, indeed! Thanks, Patty.

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  4. PS - thanks for the prayers for Hike for Life!! That one walk raised over $32,000.00!! North Texas has walks every weekend in October, sponsored by the KofC. Bad weather held out until after the hike ;)

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    1. GREAT about the money raised!! And that the weather held out! Thanks be to God.

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  5. Interesting picture choice! I wonder if it was the power of suggestion that made me think, while reading the quote, about how I struggle with kid demands. I have one daughter who always needs some special mom time, just when I was about to have some quiet private time!

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    1. This time my picture choice was totally personal :). I love this painting, and have had a large print of it in my home for years. This is a "detail" of a larger composition... the full painting has more off to the right (a horse and buggy, more wet street). I thought of kid demands too, which is why I paired it with this quote, and I thought of being chilled and tired walking along on a damp rainy day, and of having to make it through the weather to who-knows-where, and of not grumbling about any of it. Which makes it sound as if I view the painting as a negative scene, when I don't at all. I love rainy street scenes like this one. This makes me think "it's autumn!"

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  6. Nancy,

    Rain and umbrellas! More weather. I love the painting. ...kept silence when they wished to talk... oh yes! That's so hard to do sometimes. I'm enjoying the selections you are posting for us! Thank you.

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    1. Thanks, Sue. There is nothing like rain for atmosphere, in my estimation.

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  7. "...and kept silence when they wished to talk."

    That one hit very close to home! :) Lord, come to my assistance!

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