Wood for the Fire

Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi,

quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.*

There is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for his own sacrifice of boundless charity.  ~St. Ignatius of Loyola

Thank You, my dear Jesus, for the precious crosses that You give me.  Through each one may I become more intimately united to You in Your sacrifice of boundless charity.  Amen.

(*We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.)

Wings of Love, continued

Love flies, runs, and leaps for joy; it is free and unrestrained. Love gives all for all, resting in One who is highest above all things, from whom every good flows and proceeds. Love does not regard the gifts, but turns to the Giver of all good gifts. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength; love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. Love therefore does great things; it is strange and effective; while he who lacks love faints and fails.

Love is watchful, and while resting, never sleeps; weary, it is never exhausted; imprisoned, it is never in bonds; alarmed, it is never afraid; like a living flame and a burning torch, it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle. Whoever loves God knows well the sound of His voice. A loud cry in the ears of God is that burning love of the soul which exclaims, "My God and my love, You are all mine, and I am Yours."

~Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (Book 3, Chapter 5)

Give me Thy love and thy grace,

for this is sufficient for me.

Suscipe by St. Ignatius of Loyola

P.S. Ave Maria! As many of you know, after the Bible and the Liturgy of the Hours, my most favorite spiritual book is The Imitation of Christ. Daddy gave me a copy of this when I was a high school sophomore, and Thomas à Kempis has been a treasured inner companion and a wise spiritual guide for me ever since. There are a few different translations of the Imitation available in various bookstores. I have several of them that I refer to now and then, but I pretty much stick with the translation by Leo Sherley-Price, which is the one Daddy gave me in 1966. Unlike most translations, this particular one provides references for all the Scripture verses that à Kempis incorporates into his book. Translations of the Imitation can be found and read online, such as this one by Rev. William Benham (includes Scripture references) and another by A. Croft and H. Bolton.