This week publisher Image Books sponsors the giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a copy of Broken Gods: Hope, Healing, and the Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Gregory Popcak (you can read my review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12AM EST 6/05 with a winner being announced later that day. a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
Keep on your toes The devil would love it if you despaired of repentance, says St. John Chrysostom. But don’t give him the satisfaction. Always be ready for the day of the Lord. I’ve said all these things, not to exempt the devil from blame, but to free you from slothfulness. For he really wants us to attribute all our sins to him, so that, nourished by these hopes, and going ahead with all kinds of evil, we may increase... Read more
Scripture and the Church Fathers tell us we are to be gods. Before you get too excited (and admittedly I furrowed my brow at that one myself) note that it is not god with a capital “G”. What it means is our Creator wishes us to have a personal relationship with Him simply because He cares and loves us each so much. Gregory Popcak does a fine job explaining all of this in his new book Broken Gods: Hope, Healing... Read more
Fear the Lord, not the devil If we have proper fear of the Lord, the visionary Hermas is told, we have no reason to fear Satan. The devil has no real power when we do the will of God. Fear the Lord and keep his commandments. For if you keep God’s commandments, you will be powerful in everything you do, and everything you do will be marvelous. Fearing the Lord, you will do all things well. This is the fear... Read more
Be a child of light and conquer Satan Satan fights against the strong and proud, says Aphrahat, but he has no power against the children of light. They defeat him by their acts of humility. Dear friends, our adversary is skillful. He who contends against us is crafty. Against the brave and the renowned he prepares himself, so that they may be weakened. For the feeble are his own, nor does he fight with the captives that are made captive... Read more
Throw off your shackles St. Ephrem the Syrian imagines a conversation between Satan and the “sinful woman” of Luke 7:37-50. She throws off the yoke of Satan—and leaves the devil in tears! Satan said to the sinful woman, “I tell you, woman, that I am the first of your lovers. I am not such as you, and I place my hands on you. I will give you much more gold than before.” The sinful woman answered, “I am wearied of... Read more
PETE: What inspired you to work on your Navigating the Interior Life series? DANIEL BURKE: Well, I didn’t have the series in mind when I wrote the first book, Navigating the Interior Life – Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God. In fact, the first book was a bit of a surprise success. It won the best Catholic book of 2012, beating out Pope emeritus Benedict’s Infancy Narratives. Frankly, anything Pope Benedict writes is far more important than anything I... Read more
Not even the devil can make you sin St. John Cassian remembers the words of the wise Abbot Theodore in the Egyptian desert. No one can make you sin, says Theodore—not even the devil. Only you have the power to consent to sin, or to reject it. Let us now carefully consider whether God ever allows evil to be forced on his saints either by himself or by some one else. And you will certainly find that this never happens.... Read more
Remember that God, not Satan, is in control Some say that the demons control affairs on earth. Not so, says St. John Chrysostom. You’re lucky God doesn’t really let the demons take over. The sun is not more obvious than the providence of God. Nevertheless, some people dare to say that demons control our affairs. What can I say? You have a loving Master. He chooses to be blasphemed by these words, rather than to hand your affairs over to... Read more
Starve Satan Do you take the Lord’s name in vain when things go badly? Satan brings you troubles just to hear you blaspheme, says St. John Chrysostom. But he’s like a begging dog: if you don’t throw him any treats, he’ll stop hanging around. There are some who, if they meet with any reverse, or are slandered by anyone, or if they fall into any bodily malady, any pain in the foot or head, or any other disease, immediately blaspheme.... Read more
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