| Live According to Reason and Devotion |
| The following reflection is taken from a section in the book Roses Among Thorns: Simple Advice for Renewing Your Spiritual Journey, a book which consists of excerpts by St. Francis de Sales. It is published by Sophia Institute Press.To prepare for our chat on Sunday, please read the article, which is reproduced below, and review the questions at the end .Click for Living Jesus Chatroom  Carl Bloch: The Sermon On the Mount (1877), Public DomainBe very meek.You should live not according to your passions and your inclinations, but according to reason and devotion. Love tenderly those who have been given to you by the hand of our Lord. Be very humble toward all. Direct your mind toward peace and tranquility, and suffocate your bad inclinations by attending diligently to the practice of the contrary virtues. Mark well these words: you are suffering because you fear vice more than you love virtue.If you were able to stir your heart a little more deeply to the practice of meekness and true humility, you would be courageous. But you must frequently think of it. Prepare yourself to do so first thing each morning, and God will send you a thousand consolations. And do not forget to lift your heart to God and your thoughts to eternity. Reflections: What is meekness? What does it mean to be meek? And what might that look like for someone who has a leadership role?Why is it so important to not live according to our passions? And if we are supposed to avoid them, how/why do we have them in the first place?What are the “contrary virtues” that St. Francis mentions, and how do we practice them?Discuss this pithy line: “you are suffering because you fear vice more than you love virtue.”How can we ensure we can think frequently of practicing meekness and humilty?In the Bible, Moses was called the meekest man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3 RSV Catholic Edition). What qualities did he possess that made him so meek? Sign up for our Living Jesus Chat Room:Come to our Living Jesus Chat Room, 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time U.S. this Sunday . |