From the moment I was first illuminated by the light of reason, my inclination toward letters has been so vehement that not even the admonitions of others… nor my own meditations… have been sufficient to cause me to forswear this natural impulse that God placed in me.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz by Juan de Miranda, circa 1713
~ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, poet and scholar (1651–1694)
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will show them compassion and have them rejoice after their sorrows.
~ Jeremiah 31:13b
This is the work of the mercy of our God, who comes from on high as a rising sun, shining on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guiding our feet into the way of peace.
~ Luke 1:78-79
January – February 2018
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
~ Psalm 30:11-12
November – December 2017
Lord, kindle our lamps, Saviour most dear to us, that we may always shine in your presence and always receive light from you, the Light Perpetual, so that our own personal darkness may be overcome, and the world’s darkness driven from us. Amen.
~ St. Columban, Sermon XII
Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law, Rembrandt [Web Gallery of Art]
You must not distort justice: you shall not show partiality; you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes even of the wise and twists the words even of the just. Justice, justice alone shall you pursue, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving you.
~ Deuteronomy 16:19-20
Statue of St Columban, Bobbio, Italy
Understand the creation, if you wish to know the Creator; if you will not know the former either, be silent concerning the Creator, and believe in the Creator.
– St Columban, Sermon 1:5 Sermons of Columbanus (559–615)
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
– St Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Pope Francis praying at the Western Wall, Jerusalem 2014 [Wikipedia]
All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers. In 2017, may we dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds, and to becoming nonviolent people and to building nonviolent communities that care for our common home. Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be an artisan of peace.
– Pope Francis, Fiftieth World Day of Peace, 1 January 2017
Black Rock Mountain, southeast Ireland [Wikipedia]
St Columban (c.543 – 23 November 615) is believed to have been born near here.
Sweet joys of life
May Christ, the Ruler of the Universe,
the only Son of the All-powerful,
grant you all the sweet joys of life,
who, without end, governs all things,
in the name of his Father. Amen.
– Prayers and Sayings of St Columban, Columban Martyrs of Malate, 1995
St James the Less, El Greco, 1610-14
Museo de El Greco, Toledo, Spain [Web Gallery of Art]
Instead, the wisdom which comes from above is pure and peace-loving. Persons with this wisdom show understanding and listen to advice; they are full of compassion and good works; they are impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow peace reap a harvest of justice.
– James 3:17-18 (Christian Community Bible)
