Lectio et Oratio

Episode 13 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 2.2 -- Faith Clings to Primary Cause

What if events are ugly and hide God's beauty?

Faith can penetrate below the surface of things. More is happening in history and our lives than the senses can discern. God is infinite and mysterious. If God the Son is present in the small Christ child, if he can make Himself present under the appearances of bread and wine, he can act when and where he wants.

Episode 12 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1, ch 2.2 -- Faith Recognizes Divine Operation

If God's action is always at work in the world, how do we recognize it?

By faith. Faith, St Paul says, is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. God's actions are unseen, invisible. Faith allows us to be sure that despite appearances, God is at work in this and that situation. Even when others mean to hurt us, God can bring good out of the situation.

Episode 11 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence BK 1 ch 2.1 -- The Divine Action Works Unceasingly for Souls

Is God's activity involved with every event in history? 

Yes, God's providence extends as far as his causality, St Thomas tells us. All things are held in being by God. All things act through his enabled them to act. There is nothing that happens that God does not in some way allow. He is not the cause of sin. But he allows such things to bring some great good out of the evil.

Episode 10 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.9 -- Sanctity Made Easy

What is the secret to sanctity? 

Union with the will of God. God knows what He is doing. He is the craftsman; we are his handiwork. We have to will what He wills for us. We have to say "fiat" to all that he asks of us and all he allows us to suffer.

Episode 9 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.8 -- To Estimate Degrees of Excellence

Can we become holy if we neglect our duties of our state in life? 

No. God first and foremost asks us to be faithful in small things. We have to be faithful in all the responsibilities of our state in life. He will give us special inspirations. He will ask things beyond our normal duties. But we must walk before we can run. Let us be faithful in what our state requires of us. Let us do all these duties with love.

Episode 8 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.7 -- Attaining of Peace

What will faithfulness to God's will bring? 

Besides perfection, faithfulness brings peace of soul. Peace arises from things being in order, in their proper place. We want to be in line with the order God has established. If we try to act outside his will, we will never find true peace.

Episode 7 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.6 -- Prayer Sanctifies In Accord with God’s Will

What is the best spiritual practice?

Whatever practice at a given moment is willed by God. De Caussade does not want us to be spiritually greedy. Instead of thinking what activity we most want at a given moment, we should tend to think about what God wants. Even attempts at prayer when God is asking us to do something else would be a mistake.

Episode 6 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.5 -- Reading Can be Harmful

Is reading, even spiritual reading, sometimes bad?

Reading in itself is good. But everything must be read at the right time and in the right way. De Caussade insists that reading for mere curiosity or outside of God's will for us can actually darken our minds. Spiritual reading is one of the greatest things we can do. But let us read what God really wants us to read.

Episode 5 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.4 -- Doing God’s Will Not Necessarily Understanding it

In what does perfection consist?

Perfection consists in our wills being united with God's will. Perfection does consist in our fully understanding why God wills what he wills. Perfection does not consist in the mere studying of how God acts. We want to have God acting in us. We want to cooperate with God's action. Mere theories about how water quenches thirst will not help our actual thirst after a long and hot day. We want to pray and not just know about prayer.

Episode 4 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.3 -- Active and Passive Fidelity is Possible

In what does sanctity consist?

The active fulfillment of our duties before God and the passive acceptance of all He allows. De Caussade makes this fundamental distinction for understanding our spiritual lives. We must seek to do all that God asks. But then he also leads us to a loving acceptance of the actions of His Providence.

Episode 3 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.3 -- Active and Passive Conformity

Is this active and passive practice beyond our strength?

No. We have the ability to do what God asks and to accept what he sends. We have this ability by His grace. We simply must do what is in our power. He will take care of the rest.

Episode 2 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.2 -- Sacrament of the Present Moment

What is the sacrament of the present moment?

The term used by the Abandonment to Divine Providence to express the grace available to us in the duty of each moment. A sacrament is an outward sign of in inward and invisible grace. The seven sacraments are signs that communicate God's life to us. But the present moment in all its ordinariness, the duty of this moment, is a sign of God's will that can bring us inward grace.

Episode 1 -- Abandonment to Divine Providence Bk 1 ch 1.1 -- God’s Hidden Operations

How does God speak to us today?

God has spoken to us through His Son. In his Son he made known all that He is and all His plans for our salvation. But the guidance that God wants to give us and the things he wants to say to each one of us can also be considered in light of God's hidden actions in history. All that happens during the day is somehow allowed by God. What do the events of the each day tell us? How do they relate to what God has said in his Son's Life, Death, and Resurrection? Where is the Holy Spirit in our daily life. All of these questions are taken up in this book.

Episode 57 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Joys and Sufferings

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Episode 56 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Various Practices

Can living in the presence of God help us in our time of mental prayer?

Yes. Br Lawrence explains how this practice has many benefits. One of them is that it disposes us to pray better during our time of mental prayer, that time of extended being alone with the One we know loves us. The practice of the presence of God takes on many forms. But they all help keep our soul still.

Episode 55 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Means to this End

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Episode 54 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- Summary-Bad Self-love Overcome by Turning to God

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Episode 53 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-Model for All

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Episode 52 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Br Lawrence-Sharing in God’s Life

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Episode 51 -- The Practice of the Presence of God -- The Ways of Brother Lawrence-A True Christian Philosopher

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