Thoughts on a sunny Wednesday

Thank you Father James for passing these on.

"Show your martyr's spirit in the daily arena of you life, in your home, with your husband, with your wife. When your husband comes home tired from work, and speaks to you without being polite, don't get angry. Show him love, tolerance, patience. If your wife has burnt the food, don't shout at her; eat it. Put a little lemon juice on it to make it more tasty, and tell her it is fine. Let love reign in your house. When you see that your spouse has wronged you, don't start shouting about how much you are in the right. It doesn't matter what is correct, but what the other person wants. Get out of the way. Deny yourself. Put the other person first. This is life-conquering death, this is soul saving martyrdom." -From Elder Aimilianos

"Often we want to be somewhere other than where we are, or even to be someone other than who we are. We tend to compare ourselves constantly with others and wonder why we are not as rich, as intelligent, as simple, as generous or as saintly as they are. Such comparisons make us feel guilty, ashamed or jealous. It is very important to realize that our vocation is hidden in where we are and who we are. We are unique human beings, each with a call to realize in life what nobody else can, and to realize it in the concrete context of the here and now. We will never find our vocations by trying to figure out whether we are better or worse than others. We are good enough to do what we are called to do. Be yourself."- Henri Nouwen