“THE devil is a clever fellow. He does not in the first instance assail God’s servants in great matters, he is much too acute for that; but, little by little, imperceptibly in small and minute things, he does his work better than if he tempted his man in great things. If he started with mortal sins, he would easily be perceived and packed off; but entering by small and minute things he is neither perceived nor packed off, but admitted.

“Therefore does St. Gregory say that in some ways there is more danger in small faults than in great ones, because great ones are more clearly known and the evil of them accordingly is more in evidence, moving us to avoid them, and to feel more alarm when we fall into them; but small faults are less known, less easily avoided, and made less account of; and as they are made nothing of, so they are repeated and continued, and men settle down to them and never make up their minds manfully to throw them off; and on the heels of small faults there come great ones. (more…)

“THE best crosses are the heaviest, and the heaviest are those which arouse our greatest repugnance, those which we do not choose, the crosses we find in the streets, and better still those we find at home. These are to be preferred to hair-shirts, disciplines, fasts, and all other practices of austerity. There is always something of overnicety in the crosses we choose; because there is something of self in them, they are less crucifying. Humble yourself, therefore, and accept those which are imposed upon you against your will.”

— St. Francis de Sales

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CLIPS from Russian state TV from 2016 through 2026 show how the conflict with Ukraine was portrayed by the government.

The most aggressive commentator, Vladimir Solovyov, this week stated that a loss in Ukraine would result in Russia destroying the world:

“This is a holy war, and we must win. If we don’t, there will be no world, because why do we need a world without Russia in it?”

“The term ‘holy war’ was used for the ‘Great Patriotic War’, after the Nazis attacked USSR. Now, Russia is trying to present its war of aggression as a ‘holy war’ for its population.

“Russia doesn’t want peace.” [Source]

On a another occasion, Solovyov said on TV:

“Comrade Trump is doing everything very correctly. Comrade Trump will unleash civil war. He will destroy America’s trade with its partners. He will drive everyone to destruction.”

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ALAN writes:

You Bet Your Life was a weekly half-hour quiz program on network television in the 1950s. I remember watching it when I was a boy. Its host was Groucho Marx. In the episode shown on NBC Television on January 5, 1956 (but filmed in late 1955), two contestants selected the category “Dictionary Quiz”.

Groucho asked them this question: “What is a holocaust?” They did not know. One of them remained silent. The other, a young lawyer, guessed it was a synonym for catastrophe. No, Groucho said; a holocaust is “a large, destructive fire”. And that was all he said.

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ABIDE not in the works of sinners:
but trust in God, and stay in thy place.
For it is easy in the eyes of God on a sudden to make the poor man rich.
The blessing of God maketh haste to reward the just:
and in a swift hour his blessing beareth fruit.

Eccl. 11:22-24

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“SINCE of all the evils that we can possibly incur, either here or hereafter, there is none comparable to the evil we bring upon ourselves by mortal sin; so, if all men upon earth, and all the devils in hell should conspire together, with a general license from God, to do all the mischief, and to inflict upon us all the torments they could invent, they would never do us half so much hurt as we do ourselves by one mortal sin. Because all that they can do, as long as we do not consent to sin, cannot hurt the soul; whereas we ourselves, by consenting to any one mortal sin, bring upon our own souls a dreadful death, both for time and eternity. Good God! never suffer us to be so wretchedly blind, as to become thus the wilful murderers of our own souls.”

— Richard Challoner, 1807

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“It is obvious that, unless we know our faults, we cannot detest them and consequently cannot correct them. A study of self very often reveals that self-love has clouded our view, hiding in deceit those faults which are so apparent to those about us and so open to God.”

FROM How to Root Out Hidden Faults by Fr. James F. McElhone:

Envy is the experience of sadness which we experience in contemplating the prosperity of others, in so far as we regard this prosperity to be our own loss. There is no question that we do have temptations to envy. We are somewhat inclined to rejoice at the failures of others and to be sad at their success. Others achieve riches, honors, dignities, renown, reputation, praise, applause, success; we see what they have accomplished and we are tempted to envy. Others have qualities of mind and through their use become more or less successful, and we are tempted to envy. Others have qualities of soul and reach certain or higher degrees of holiness, and we are tempted to envy. It should be remembered that what those others have, we regard as our own loss. It is hard for us to rejoice whole-heartedly at the success of others; it is easy for us to feel glad at their failures.

Envy will try to show itself in some of the following ways: (more…)

“WHEN a man has gone so far as to regard religion as a mere matter of opinion, and consequently as a matter of choice, he is not likely to choose a difficult one, when an easy one will suit his purpose quite as well. Naturally, men are averse to having their intellect bound down to definite doctrines, and to having their will burthened by difficult obligations. There are few, if any, who will think of embracing a creed which imposes many restraints, while they feel, or at least try to feel, they can go to heaven equally safely by one that imposes hardly any restraint at all. Why should I be asked to waste time in considering the claims of a Church which makes marriage a contract which can never, under any circumstances, be dissolved; (more…)

When Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread [Matt. 4_1-3]

THE devil has a special fondness for people when they are alone. Christ was not tempted in a town or among the multitudes. It was during His forty days of fasting in the desert that He was approached by the devil. Satan and his assistants are put on high alert when someone might be in a position to converse with God. They hate it when their targets set off on their own.

The group man and the team player are allowed to drift along. But the person who embarks on a solitary path with no teammates prompts the famous general to pull out his maps. The commander studies his battle plan, considers shortcuts and highlights inadequate defenses. Every campaign is unique.

“The devil envies those who are tending toward a better life,” said Thomas Aquinas. A mother returns home with her newborn. She is excited and happy. After a few weeks or months, she may find herself battling the temptation toward discouragement. He tells her she is lonely. He tells her home is shabby and poor. He tells her she isn’t doing anything important. He tells her to leave the desert and turn stones into bread.

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“PEOPLE now-a-days assume that religious truth can have no definite outline, and that each man must discover and define it for himself. And, however definite he may choose to be, one law is equally binding on us all. No one must be certain. Each one must concede to his neighbour as much certainty as he claims for himself. The objective certainty of truth is gone. The highest rule of certainty to each is the conviction of his own understanding. And this, in the revelation of God, and in that knowledge which is life eternal.”

— Henry Edward Cardinal Manning, Grounds of Faith

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“WE have, elsewhere, spoken of the appropriateness of this beautiful Psalm [90] to the spirit of the Church during the Season of Lent. It bids the Christian soul confide in the divine aid. She is now devoting her whole energies to prayer; she is engaged in battle with her own and God’s enemies. She has need of support. Let her not be afraid God tells her, in these words of the Introit, that her confidence in him shall not be in vain.”

— Dom Prosper Guéranger, First Sunday of Lent

He shall cry to me, and I  will hear him: I will deliver  him, and I will glorify him: I  will fill him with length of days.
Ps. He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most high, shall  abide under the protection of  the God of Heaven.

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“Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”
— by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

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“[S]t. Gregory says that there is this difference between the pleasures of the body and those of the soul, that the former we desire with great impatience when we have them not, and when we have got them, we make but little account of them. …. But with spiritual things it is just the other way: when we have them not, then they disgust and nauseate us: but when we have them and possess them, then we value them more, and desire them more, and all the more the more we taste them.”

— Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues by Alphonsus Rodriguez, S.J. (1526-1619)

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Psalm 37

O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine indignation; nor chastise me in Thy wrath. For Thine arrows stick fast in me: and Thou hast laid Thy hand heavily upon me. There is no health in my flesh, because of Thy wrath: there is no rest in my bones, because of my sins. For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden, press sorely upon me. My wounds have putrified and are corrupt: because of my foolishness. I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I go sorrowfully all the day long. For my loins are filled with illusions: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I have roared for the groaning of my heart. (more…)

It is obvious that, unless we know our faults, we cannot detest them and consequently cannot correct them. A study of self very often reveals that self-love has clouded our view, hiding in deceit those faults which are so apparent to those about us and so open to God.

FROM How to Root Out Hidden Faults by Fr. James F. McElhone:

Pride of sensitiveness is brought about by self-love being wounded. The sensitive person is quickly hurt. In fact, it may be said, he prepares himself to be wounded. Ordinarily he imagines things, he misjudges, he misinterprets, he exaggerates, he is suspicious and distrustful. His memory is prone to cling to what has happened to him in an adverse way; he remembers who and what have hurt him. He is ready to see a slight and to feel it. He plans revenge. He fights mental battles of what he will say and how he will act. He is unforgiving, carrying ill-feeling for short or long periods of time and in the same mood refusing to speak or speaking coldly to the one who is the object of his bitterness. (more…)

IN truly Christian countries, Lent is publicly observed, not just a private practice. In the past, European nations engaged in the following practices during Lent:

— The suspension of all warfare during the penitential season
— The closure of law courts because proceedings were believed to interfere with interior recollection and penance
— The closure of theaters and public festivals
— The suspension of wedding celebrations
— The public observance of ecclesiastical fast laws, limiting food to one meal a day and at times prohibiting meat, animal fat, dairy products, and eggs.

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Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall abide it. For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and because of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul hath waited on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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“HAVE mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies: blot out my iniquity. Wash me more yet from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. Against Thee only have I sinned, and done evil in Thy sight: that Thou mayst be justified in Thy words, and mayst overcome when Thou art judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities: and in sins did my mother conceive me. For behold, Thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest unto me.” Psalm 50

Praying the seven Penitential Psalms each day in Lent has a long tradition.

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