At breakfast my dearest was reading today's spiritual snippet from the book, "A Year With the Saints"; there is usually a short piece from some saint regarding the month's chosen Virtue, this month's being obedience, followed by one or two anecdotes from the lives of the saints which show how they put the virtue into practise. First I hear this quote from St. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi -"A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more than a whole vase full of the choicest contemplations". Followed by the first anecdote of a holy nun who, whilst enjoying the company of the Infant Jesus in her cell, was summoned by her Superioress. After obeying the summons, she returned to find Jesus as a full-grown youth, thus He showed her how much her prompt obedience had caused Him to grow spiritually in her heart in so short a time. Next I hear the story of a saintly wife, who, while saying her prayers, was interrupted five times by her husband asking her to switch the Sports channel over for him, and she willingly obeyed...I wonder if he does it to see if I'm truly awake and listening at that time of the morning!!
(The real story is of St Frances of Rome who was reciting the Office of the Blessed Virgin, she was interrupted four times by the voice of her husband calling her. Each time she answered promptly, and when she returned the fourth time, she found the antiphon written in letters of gold. So that's why all that gold writing keeps appearing in my prayer books eh?).
1 comment:
Obedience is key to spiritual growth really isn't it?
....as soon as we start saying 'no' to God, we inhibit our growth curve...but obedience can be so hard that i wonder just how small i am going to end up!
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