July 27, 2009

Retreat Notes: Quotes

A collection of quotes read and heard that I wrote down during the retreat.

"...it's when I am with people that I am lonely, and when I am alone I am no longer lonely."

--Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas


"The Word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will."

--St. Lawrence of Brindisi, from his sermons for Lent


"I cannot think what harsher curse I could call down upon a man than that he should always get what he asks for when he tears away from sweet repose out of a curiosity which revels in restlessness."

--St. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Conversion, a Sermon to Clerics (trans. Bernard Saïd, OSB) (In my margin it says, "like when you realize you've been surfing Wikipedia articles for 20 minutes".)


"Grammar is not for me. I am a free dancer. Life begins beyond the rules. I am a free dancer."

--Foreign born, not so young Trappist opening an Amazon box containing a book of English grammar, after explaining, in perfect English, that he now has to learn English.


"I think it is likely that much of the restless boredom, frantic escapism, commitment phobia, and enervating despair that plagues us today is the ancient demon of acedia in modern dress."

--Kathleen Norris, Acedia & Me


"Luminous beings are we; not this crude matter!"

--retreatant waiting for the dishwasher, quoting Yoda in half-mockery of the taped lecture we heard during the meal.


The tools of retreat: The Sacred Scriptures, breviary, rosary, and journal.

3 comments:

for narnia said...

great post, Fr C! thanks for sharing all the great quotes, which gives us something to contemplate. i especially like the ending of your post: "The tools of retreat: The Sacred Scriptures, breiary, rosary, and journal." these are also really the tools of life and should make us realize how much we don't need any of the materialism of the world. less is more. even if we didn't have a breviary or rosary, we can stillp pray. if we didn't have a copy of The Sacred Scriptures, the Word of God can still be alive in our heart, mind and soul. if we didn't have a journal to write in, the way we live, bringing peace and love to those around us, would be our daily "journal." so, all we really need is GOD. PEACE! ~tara t~

Julia said...

Oh, a journal! I'll have to put that on my list of things to bring on retreat. :)

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