Charles Williams : The New Christian Year

4th Saturday after Trinity (June 30th, 2007)

The ten Commandments, when written by God on the tables of stone and given to man, did not then first begin to belong to man; they had their existence in man, were born with him, they lay as a seed and power of goodness, hidden in the form and make of his soul and altogether inseperable from it, before they were shown to man on tables of stone. And when they were shown to man on tables of stone, they were only outward imitations of that which was inwardly in man, though not legible because of that impurity of flesh and blood in which they were drowned and swallowed up.

William Law: The Spirit of Love.

The Feast of St. Peter (June 29th, 2007)

[Of the Cross] Its breadth lies in the transverse beam on which the hands of the Crucified are extended; and signifies good works in all the breadth of love: its length extends from the transverse beam to the ground, and is that whereto the back and feet are affixed; and signifies perseverance through the whole length of time to the end: its height is in the summit, which rises upwards above the transverse beam; and signifies the supernal goal, to which all works have reference, since all things that are done well and perseveringly, in respect of their breadth and length, are to be done also with due regard to the exalted character of the divine rewards: its depth is found in the part that is fixed into the ground; for there it is both concealed and invisible, and yet from thence spring up all those parts that are outstanding and evident to the senses; just as all that is good in us proceeds from the depths of the grace of God, which is beyond the reach of human comprehension and judgement.

St. Augustine: On I John.

4th Friday after Trinity (June 29th, 2007)

Abba John used to say, "We relinquish a light burden when we condemn ourselves, but we take upon ourselves a heavy burden when we justify ourselves."

The Paradise of the Fathers.

I love thee more ardently than thou hast loved thine abominations.

Pascal: Pensées.

4th Thursday after Trinity (June 28th, 2007)

Lord, before I commit a sin, it seems to me so shallow that I may wade through it dry-shod from any guiltiness; but when I have committed it, it often seems so deep that I cannot escape without drowning.

Thomas Fuller: Good Thoughts in Bad Times.

If thou knewest thy sins, thou wouldst lose heart.

Pascal: Pensées.

4th Wednesday after Trinity (June 27th, 2007)

Nor do all these, youth out of infancy, or age out of youth, arise so, as a phoenix out of the ashes of another phoenix formerly dead, but as a wasp, or a serpent out of carrion, or as a snake out of dung; our youth is worse than our infancy, and our age worse than our youths; our youth is hungry and thirsty after those sins which our infancy knew not, and our age is sorry and angry that it cannot pursue those sins which our youth did.

John Donne: Sermons.

4th Tuesday after Trinity (June 26th, 2007)

Many things seem to be good and yet are not, because they be not done with a good mind and intention; and therefore our Saviour saith in the Gospel, If thy eye has naught, all thy body shall be dark.  For when the intention is wicked, all the work with followeth is naught, although it  seemed to be never so good.

St. Gregory the Great: Dialogues.

4th Monday after Trinity (June 25th, 2007)

It is well worth observing that our Saviour's greatest trials were near the end of His process or life—that He then experienced the sharpest part of our redemption.  This might sufficiently show us that our first awakenings have carried us but a little way; that we should not then begin to be self-assured of our own salvation, but remember that we stand at a great distance from and in great ignorance of our severest trials.

William Law: Christian Regeneration.

Feast of the Nativity of St. John, The Baptist (June 25th, 2007)

The precursor (John the Baptist) confirms Christ as being he who is expected.  But . . . that is not a respectful relationship, for in order to confirm something one must oneself be the stronger.  It is therefore John the Baptist who sends disciples to Christ in order to ask him whether he is the one who was to come—so that it is Christ who after having answered the disciples ends by confirming John the Baptist, saying he is quite truly the precursor; it is not Christ who confirms himself by the authority of the precursor . . . no, it is he who draws the precursor within the sphere of his authority and by virtue of his authority confirms him as being the genuine precursor. The word of the precursor, that Christ is the expected, is only to be believed after Christ has confirmed the fact that the precursor really is the precursor.

Søren Kierkegaard: Journals.