The young abbot was speaking to his community one day, and he made a remark that shocked me on my first reading of it. "There are more people converted from mortal sin to grace, than there are religious converted from good to better.".........What Bernard said of religious unfortunately is true in all states of life: bishops, priests, married men and women.......Bernard was saying that there are more men who give up serious alienation from God, mortal sin, than there are people who give up small wrongs, willed venial sins. And there are even fewer who grow into heroic virtue and live as saints live.
Perhaps this is because those who have fallen the farthest have the greatest appreciation of God's mercy. Or perhaps it is because so many attached to willed venial sins also fall victim to pride, believing they have less need of God's mercy. We so underestimate the importance of humility in spiritual growth.Oh Lord, grant me a spirit of true humility that I might be open to all the graces you want to give me.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
True conversion
I'm reading a book called "Deep Conversion Deep Prayer" by Thomas Dubay. In speaking of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Dubay says:
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2 comments:
Good one! This reminds me of reading Archbishop Sheen's "Treasure in Clay." Sheen writes about having an awakening when he realized he wasn't doing any heroic works of mortification, but merely performing the "required basics."
It's always good to be reminded to take one's spiritual life and "kick it up a notch."
Yeah. We are on a mission here.
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