“Because you have to prepare the hearts of others for the coming of Jesus Christ, you must first of all dispose your own hearts to be entirely filled with zeal, in order to render your words effective in those whom you instruct.” [1] – St. John Baptist de La Salle – This has been a good training year for the season of Advent, for waiting and waiting and waiting a … Read More
“It is surprising that most Christians look upon decorum and politeness as merely human and worldly qualities and do not think of raising their minds to any higher views by considering them as virtues that have reference to God, to their neighbor, and to themselves.” – St. John Baptist de La Salle [1] – My parents moved the family to the U.S. when they were 41 and 40 – five … Read More
“You must win them over to practice the maxims of the holy Gospel, and to this end you must give them means that are easy and accommodated to their age. Gradually accustomed to this practice, when older they will have acquired these maxims as a kind of habit and will practice them without great difficulty.” – St. John Baptist de La Salle[1] – Certain things “capture” our attention. It could … Read More
“The more uncomplicated your view of faith, the more surely you will be disposed to simplicity of action and conduct, which is the disposition God wants of you.” – St. John Baptist de La Salle[1] Artists, mystics, and children have an advantage over most of the rest of folks. They naturally gravitate toward simplicity, and they naturally adopt an irritatingly narrow focus on the most basic and immediate kinds … Read More
When the students begin to write, it will be useful and appropriate to give them a stick of the thickness of a pen to hold. On the sticks, there will be three grooves, two on the right and one on the left. These grooves indicate the places where the three fingers should be placed. This teaches the students to hold the pen properly in their fingers and makes them hold … Read More
Take care not to let yourself be discouraged by anxieties and ailments; life is full of them. Leave aside all your worry about the present and all your anxiety about the future; occupy yourselves with what you have to do at each moment as it is given to you, and do not burden the day which is passing with doubts about the day to follow. God gives us not only … Read More
Jesus Christ compares those who have charge of souls to a good shepherd who has great care for the sheep. One quality he must possess, according to our Savior, is to know each one of them individually. This ought also to be one of the main concerns of those who instruct others: to be able to understand their students and to discern the right way to guide them. … Read More
Do you instruct those for whom you are responsible with the attention and the zeal God asks of you in so holy a work? By your good conduct, be worthy of this distinguished role. Act in such a way that your life may begin today to be holy, and edifying and continue to be such in the future. … Read More
Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash To whom ought we to give ourselves if not to the One from whom we have received everything. … This thought and the gratitude we owe him for all his goodness to us ought to have frequently occupied our minds and touched our hearts during this year. – St. John Baptist de La Salle[1] Have you ever noticed that the most grateful people we know are those … Read More
Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash Example makes a much greater impression on the mind and the heart than words, especially for children … They are led more readily to do what they see done for them than what they hear told to them. – St. John Baptist de La Salle[1] October 13th will see the canonization of John Henry Newman here in Rome, where I am right now for a couple of … Read More