The Encouraging Thomist

Christ Pantocrator Icon The Feast of Christ the King Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Psalm 95:1-7a Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 I. It is the little things  that make the biggest difference.  And this isn't just a pithy saying:  it actually is a very important spiritual stance in the Christian tradition,   and one way of expressing what is referred to as    "the little way" of St. Therese of Lisieux. "The little way"  was discerned by St. Therese   during a particular time in Christian history    where St. Therese could sense almost palpably     the general fear that Christians had of the judgment of God.  In her own words,  St. Therese thought that Christians   lived in far too much fear of God and in the final judgment of their souls,    and that fear paralyzed them,     even in such a way that their everyday life was diminished.  Instead, St. Therese in her deep love and devotion to Jesus Christ  lived every day simply doing the little things.   The ordinary thi

The Parable of the Talents  stained glass  Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 Psalm 90:1-12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 I. The fall season is indeed lengthening,  the leaves are blanketing the ground,   and the gentle decent of darkness and night    has begun to gently stretch and encroach upon     our daylight hours,      like it usually does during this season. This could be seen in the natural cycles of nature outside,  but it is usually more alarmingly put in our faces   by Daylight Saving Time    that arbitrarily messes with our established rhythms of the day. If I sound frustrated,  well, it is because one sort of person   that doesn't understand the time change very well    nor is happy to adjust their routine without first declaring their uncompromising disagreement     is the lovely one-year-old whose nap times are completely blown out of whack. And, therefore, the parents are also somewhat blown out of whack at the same time.  God bless

Synaxis of All the Saints Icon The Feast of All Saints Revelation 7:9-17 Psalm 34:1-10, 22 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12 I. What is it  that makes a saint   a saint? After all,  one of the biggest principle feasts in our Church calendar   is indeed today's celebration of All Saints Day.    Saints are really important,     and the recognition of them is a huge day in the life of the Church. But again,  what is it exactly   that makes a saint    a saint? Is a saint someone  who lives a particularly good life? I mean, one of the paragons of the virtuous life of charity  is none other than St. Teresa of Calcutta,   commonly known as "Mother Teresa."    Mother Teresa is almost synonymous with the care of the poor,     the deep self-sacrifice of herself on behalf of those who had no one else to care for them,      and an incredible example of the goodness manifested in a real saint's life. But is that all there is to it?  To live a virtuous life? Is a saint someone who the Ch