Year with the Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Description

NEW! Now in Paperbound! Times change, but human nature does not. Neither do the daily struggles that all Christians experience in their walk with the Lord. Today as two thousand years ago we fight anger, pride, lust, spiritual sloth. Now as then we strive to be more diligent in prayer, more faithful to the commandments, more patient and charitable toward others. And in our time, no less than in the earliest centuries of Christianity, we need wise guidance to direct us on the road to holiness. In A Year with the Church Fathers , popular Patristics expert Mike Aquilina gathers the wisest, most practical teachings and exhortations from the Fathers of the Church, and presents them in a format perfect for daily meditation and inspiration. The Fathers were the immediate inheritors of the riches of the Apostolic Age, and their intimacy with the revelation of Jesus Christ is beautifully evident throughout their theological and pastoral writings: a profound patrimony that is ours to read and cherish and profit from. Learn to humbly accept correction from St. Clement of Rome. Let Tertullian teach you how to clear your mind before prayer. Read St. Gregory the Great and deepen your love for the Eucharist. Do you suffer from pain or illness? St. John Chrysostom's counsels will refresh you. Do you have trouble curbing your appetite for food and other fleshly things? St. John Cassian will teach you the true way to moderation and self-control.A Year With the Church Fathers is different from a study guide, and more than a collection of pious passages. It is a year-long retreat that in just a few minutes every day will lead you on a cycle of contemplation, prayer, resolution, and spiritual growth that is guaranteed to bring you closer to God and His truth. From the Church Fathers we should expect nothing less.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Catholic Church
• Prayer

Informations

• Publié par: St. Benedict Press LLC
• Date de parution: 01 août 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781935302964
• Langue: English

Extrait

A Y EAR
WITH THE
CHURCH
FATHERS
A Y EAR
WITH THE
CHURCH
FATHERS

P ATRISTIC W ISDOM FOR D AILY L IVING
M IKE A QUILINA

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

Quotations from Scripture are from the Revised Standard Version
(Catholic Edition), unless the writer s argument depends on a
significantly different translation, such as the Septuagint.
____________________

2010 Mike Aquilina
All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-935302-96-4 ISBN: 1-935302-96-5
Book design by A.R.T. Services Christopher J. Pelicano and Abby M. Pelicano
Printed and Bound in Canada.
Saint Benedict Press Charlotte, North Carolina 2010
Contents
Introduction
How to Use this Book
D AY 1: Put God at the beginning
D AY 2: See God everywhere
D AY 3: When God speaks, hear
D AY 4: See God in the beauty of creation
D AY 5: Let all creation remind you of the Creator
D AY 6: Admire the world as a work of art
D AY 7: Every season has its spiritual reward
D AY 8: The harmony of the universe
D AY 9: Nature shows us the Resurrection
D AY 10: Don t underestimate God
D AY 11: Use what God gave you the way God intended
D AY 12: Look for truth in every way, find it in Christ
D AY 13: Use your education
D AY 14: Train yourself with secular learning
D AY 15: Believe-it s the rational thing
D AY 16: Believe, then use your reason
D AY 17: Praise God for the beauty of light
D AY 18: Remember that everything is made for a reason
D AY 19: Appreciate God s mercy after the Fall
D AY 20: Thank God for the wicked
D AY 21: Put good things in their place
D AY 22: Vice proves that our nature is good
D AY 23: Don t look for evil outside ourselves
D AY 24: Don t make excuses
D AY 25: Love the sinner, hate the sin
D AY 26: Moral evils are the only true evils
D AY 27: Turn evil into good
D AY 28: See how the Word stooped down to us
D AY 29: Imitate Christ and learn the power of humility
D AY 30: Remember God s greatest gift
D AY 31: Recognize both natures in Christ
D AY 32: Don t misjudge Christ s Kingdom
D AY 33: Follow the Magi
D AY 34: Bring Christ the gifts of the Magi
D AY 35: Take Christ as your model of love
D AY 36: Christ taught by doing
D AY 37: Learn to suffer from Christ
D AY 38: Find your strength in Jesus weakness
D AY 39: Cross the bridge to heaven
D AY 40: Let your tears turn to joy
D AY 41: Live a life worthy of the Resurrection
D AY 42: What we mean by the right hand of the Father
D AY 43: Rely on God to make your soul fit for him
D AY 44: Make time for God
D AY 45: Clean out your heart before you pray
D AY 46: Be reconciled before you pray
D AY 47: Watch for distractions when you pray
D AY 48: Praying the Our Father
D AY 49: Dare to call God Father
D AY 50: Our daily bread is the Word of God and the Mass
D AY 51: Lead us not into temptation
D AY 52: Expect Satan s attack when you pray
D AY 53: Look for quiet when you pray
D AY 54: Get rid of your anger before you pray
D AY 55: In prayer, quality counts more than quantity
D AY 56: Don t despair when you re in a dry spell
D AY 57: Make the Sign of the Cross everywhere
D AY 58: Let creation be your book
D AY 59: Be worthy of your creation
D AY 60: Know that you are God s image
D AY 61: Learn to be like God
D AY 62: Put the right value on created things
D AY 63: Imitate God, not the animals
D AY 64: Find the temple in your heart
D AY 65: To know God, live a godly life
D AY 66: Recognize the good emotions
D AY 67: Follow the promptings of nature
D AY 68: Rely on what no one can take away
D AY 69: Free will is the problem-and the solution
D AY 70: Denying free will proves that there is free will
D AY 71: Foreknowledge doesn t cancel free will
D AY 72: Use the gifts God gave you rightly
D AY 73: Find the best use of your talents
D AY 74: Stay on course
D AY 75: Cooperation is a law of nature
D AY 76: Everything takes faith
D AY 77: Don t doubt-just pray
D AY 78: Feel the power of faith
D AY 79: Build your faith on the Stone
D AY 80: Believe what Christ tells you
D AY 81: Learn faith from Mary Magdalene
D AY 82: Study your faith
D AY 83: Put God s rules first
D AY 84: Learn practice before theory
D AY 85: Love the truth as the martyrs did
D AY 86: Distinguish what s important to be right about
D AY 87: See the truth in the works it produces
D AY 88: The errors of others don t make you right
D AY 89: Learn how to control your thoughts
D AY 90: Thoughts of sin are seeds of sin
D AY 91: Let love lead your mind back to God
D AY 92: Find all the virtues in love
D AY 93: Drink from the fountain of love
D AY 94: Seek understanding with love
D AY 95: Live for others, not for yourself
D AY 96: Plant the seeds of love
D AY 97: Do what s appropriate, but always in love
D AY 98: Remember that everyone is your neighbor
D AY 99: Give, and let God take care of the rest
D AY 100: Be kind even to people who don t deserve it
D AY 101: Be generous in secret
D AY 102: Help the Church help others
D AY 103: Don t be guilty of someone else s despair
D AY 104: If you want faith, practice patience
D AY 105: We are called to endure pain and illness
D AY 106: Cultivate patience and be at peace
D AY 107: Let difficulties be your teachers
D AY 108: Make the right use of your worries
D AY 109: Feel pity for your persecutors
D AY 110: Learn to distinguish what really matters
D AY 111: Remember that God controls your destiny
D AY 112: Never despair of God s help
D AY 113: Trust God to bring good even from the wicked
D AY 114: Love virtue for its own sake
D AY 115: Be like steel, not like wax
D AY 116: Learn good habits during Lent
D AY 117: Suit your practice to your nature.
D AY 118: Be cheerful
D AY 119: Praise according to your ability
D AY 120: Don t forget to give thanks
D AY 121: Learn contentment from the fish
D AY 122: Be satisfied with enough
D AY 123: Be happy with enough, and you ll get what you want
D AY 124: Learn the lesson of the bees
D AY 125: Give your leisure to the Lord
D AY 126: Be pleased with what pleases God
D AY 127: Trust God s promises, and take what comes
D AY 128: Work for the Kingdom is never wasted
D AY 129: Beware of depression
D AY 130: Work through your grief
D AY 131: Loss is only temporary
D AY 132: Let reason console you for your losses
D AY 133: Don t try to limit God
D AY 134: Everything in good order
D AY 135: See the big picture
D AY 136: Don t blame God for what bad people do
D AY 137: God s mercy works through us
D AY 138: Live a life worthy of your baptism
D AY 139: Hear the silence of Jesus
D AY 140: Live and talk like a Christian
D AY 141: Be Christian in your conversation
D AY 142: Train your tongue to serve righteousness
D AY 143: Think before you speak
D AY 144: Keep silent until the right moment
D AY 145: Weigh your words carefully
D AY 146: Lying is always a sin
D AY 147: Always avoid insults
D AY 148: Learn to tell good jokes from bad
D AY 149: Don t even listen to slander
D AY 150: Run away from mockery
D AY 151: Don t return insult for insult
D AY 152: Ignore insults and keep silent
D AY 153: Give praise instead of blasphemy
D AY 154: Don t give an opening to rumor
D AY 155: Only you can hurt your own salvation
D AY 156: Hate only evil
D AY 157: Be Christian in your entertainment
D AY 158: Think about what your entertainment is teaching
D AY 159: Show your enthusiasm for God
D AY 160: Let your life match your words
D AY 161: Beware men of clever insincerity
D AY 162: Take your Christian life seriously
D AY 163: The more you work, the more you need Scripture
D AY 164: Your heart is like a flour mill
D AY 165: Discover the truth in Scripture
D AY 166: See the New Covenant in the Old
D AY 167: Rejoice in the knowledge of Scripture
D AY 168: Pay careful attention to Scripture
D AY 169: Don t neglect Scripture
D AY 170: Approach Scripture with humility
D AY 171: Pray when you read the Bible
D AY 172: Don t let confusing scriptures discourage you
D AY 173: Reading Scripture is a foretaste of heaven
D AY 174: Find your defense against temptation in Scripture
D AY 175: Take your examples from Scripture
D AY 176: Take the medicine that costs you nothing
D AY 177: Avoid the smoke of worldly cares
D AY 178: Examine your conscience before Mass
D AY 179: Don t be like Herod!
D AY 180: Get to Mass on time
D AY 181: Sacrifice yourself along with the Eucharist
D AY 182: The heavens are opened in the Eucharist
D AY 183: Learn to love the Mass
D AY 184: Take communion every day
D AY 185: Stay for the whole Mass
D AY 186: Take some time to reflect after Mass
D AY 187: Find your delight in heavenly food
D AY 188: Color your soul with the Mass
D AY 189: Find rest in the Church
D AY 190: Honor your parents and you honor God
D AY 191: Trust the whole church, not the loner
D AY 192: Follow this rule: universality, antiquity, consent
D AY 193: Love unity, avoid divisions
D AY 194: Submit to the teaching of the Church
D AY 195: Eat from the right fruit
D AY 196: Flee to the Church
D AY 197: Listen to God in your elders
D AY 198: It takes sacrifice to be a good shepherd
D AY 199: Apply what you hear in church to yourself
D AY 200: Don t rely on worldly things
D AY 201: Don t blame the Church for wicked Christians
D AY 202: Work to heal the wound of schism
D AY 203: Give the credit to Peter
D AY 204: Live like a Christian in marriage
D AY 205: Remember your marriage vows
D AY 206: Remember your own faults, too
D AY 207: Give up your double standard
D AY 208: Hold y