Clothed in Virtue

  “If a person on board a ship anchored permanently in the ocean sees his native land from a distance, and also notices the intervening water, such an individual has no way of going ashore. The sea prevents this person from coming to the mainland. Christ comes to the rescue and provides a tree by which such a person may traverse the water. This tree is the Cross of Christ. No one can cross the sea of life unless carried by the Cross. Whoever does not depart from Christ’s Cross will arrive at the true native land, Heaven.”  - St. Augustine “Because we cannot endure perpetually the hardships of life, we seek rest in some earthly things. It may be our house, our family, our children, a little farm, an orchard, or a book we have published. God allows us to suffer tribulations even in these innocent delights in order that we may love life eternal. Otherwise, as travelers going to their country, we might choose the inn - this world – instead of our true home: eternal life.” - St. Au...

Fruit is a common biblical image for good works & faithfulness that flow from God's grace. In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us that indifferent responses to the word of the kingdom are unfruitful. On the other hand, fruit brought forth from a responsive heart abounds. Our response to the Word depends on the attitude of our hearts. Our attitude can be afflicted by various things that can hinder & distort our reception and understanding. Jesus sketches four different responses to the Gospel; three are unfruitful, but the good soil is receptive and produces a great harvest. We must determine the "soil" of our own hearts and see if we are truly fertile to bring forth good fruit. Are we listening with a good and honest heart? Or is the message getting distorted by our bias, our cynicism, our ignorance, our distractions, our attachments...? The Kingdom's value is inestimable, and surrendering earthly attachments is required to obtain it. Sometimes following ...