Quotation : Msgr Romano Guardini

We can do nothing better than place ourselves and all that we have in God's sight: "Behold me!" Let us put away the fear that prevents us. Let us abandon the sloth, the pretense of independence, and the pride. "Look at the good! Look at the shortcomings! The ugly, the unjust, the evil, the wicked, everything -- look at it, O God!"

Sometimes it is impossible to alter something or other. But let him see it at any rate. Sometimes one cannot honestly repent. But let him see that we cannot yet repent. none of the shortcomings and evil in our lives are fatal so long as they confront his gaze. The very act of placing ourselves in his sight is the beginning of renewal. Everything is possible so long as we begin with God. But everything is in danger once we refuse to place ourselves and our lives in his sight.

via Magnificat, March 2010, meditation for Monday the 1st

Quotation : St John Chrysostom

The instruments of God are always the humble.

found in Not By Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent 2004 (Liturgical Press), p. 31

Still here

Possibly upcoming: an excerpt from a Magnificat meditation, or an excerpt from John Baillie's lovely small book, A Diary of Private Prayer.

I shall return! (Eventually.)

Quotation: Basil Cardinal Hume

We have been told that we must love God. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Mt 22:37-39). The spiritual lives of too many people are based on fear. Now I would not wish to minimise the importance of a wholesome filial fear of God. Fear of hell is, on occasions, no bad motive for avoiding sin. Furthermore, our task is to be pleasing to God and this means that we must keep the commandments, and do what He expects of us. Morality is important, and not only as an end in itself. It should be the test of our intent to love God and serve Him. We should be fearful lest in breaking His law we displease Him. There can be no serious spiritual life which ignores obedience to God. That is evident.

It would, however, be an impoverished spiritual life which was not based on trying to love God. After all, that is the first commandment. Fear is an exhausting emotion. Love must cast out fear, eventually. But I believe that it takes most of us quite a long time to learn about the love of God. It dawns slowly.

Cardinal Basil Hume, Ash Wednesday meditation in Daily Readings in Catholic Classics, ed. Fr. Rawley Myers (Ignatius, 1992), p. 323

Quotation : Kenneth Koch

I said to so many people once, "I write poetry."
They said, "Oh, so you are a poet." Or they said,
"What kind of poetry do you write? modern poetry?"
Or "My brother-in-law is a poet also."
Now if I say, "I am the poet Kenneth Koch," they say "I think I've
    heard of you"
Or "I'm sorry but that doesn't ring a bell" or
"Would you please move out of the way? You're blocking my view
Of that enormous piece of meat that they are lowering into the Bay
Of Pigs." What? Or "What kind of poetry do you write?"

Kenneth Koch, from "Days and Nights," in The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch (Knopf, 2007), p. 403

Haiku

      Autumn afternoon --
in the cool, dark chapel a
      single candle glows.

            *

      Look! The branches of
these sturdy, ancient trees are
      blossoming -- with snow!

            *

      Yesteryear's verses --
racing horses, strong and fierce!
      Now our words stumble.

            *

      Winter moonlight, cold
and pure as hundred-proof gin,
      goes down like water.

            *

      Poet sleeps and dreams
of the perfect line. Wakes up
      and forgets the words.

            *

      Cold Sunday morning --
sun shines on the golden cross
      of the small Greek church.