Boss Your Heart - Adorn Your Soul

Happy 2011! I just posted one of those cute little blog buttons to my sidebar. I'm not usually taken with such things, but I like this one that my friend pointed out was posted at All Are Precious In His Sight.

If you aren't familiar with Chrissie's "Boss Your Heart" story, please click HERE to read about it.  Chrissie bossed her heart and taught many people around the world the importance of bossing their hearts, too.  But, if we don't know what God's Word says, we could boss our hearts down a very dangerous path!  In order to boss our hearts into submission/alignment with where God wants our hearts to be, we must know what His Word says. 

Being Catholic, we have the great blessing of tradition passing on a liturgical calendar which covers daily Bible readings. One online resource that offer's the day's readings according to the Ruthenian Church's 1 year Byzantine cycle is ByzCath.org. Please share other Eastern and Oriental Catholic resources, in print or online, in the comments box or via email and I'll add them here. 


And now for Your Word From The Wise:
2 Thessalonians 2:13-16 Whereunto also he hath called you by our gospel, unto the purchasing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God and our Father, who hathloved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope in grace, Exhort your hearts, and confirm you in every good work and word.  Douay Rheims 1899 American Edition as accessed through Bible Gateway.

"There is no doctrine which could be better, more precious and more splendid than the text of the Gospel. Behold and retain what our Lord and Master, Christ, has taught by his words and accomplished by his deeds."  -Saint and Abbess Caesaria the Younger (d. ca 559)

Caesaria the Younger was the successor to Caesaria of Arles, cofounder of the monastery of St. Jean with her brother Caesarius. "At the beginning of the foundation," Caesarius wrote a rule for his sister's group that the women were then to "determine by diligent experiment" whether the rule was helpful in attaining monasticism's goal and "in harmony with reason." Radegund learned about the rule and wrote to Caesaria the Younger to request a copy. The latter responded with a letter of spiritual guidance for Radegund. One of the most striking characteristics of Caesaria the Younger's spirituality is its immersion and reliance on Scripture: "Holy and good and laudable is the rule you have chosen to live by; but there is no teaching greater or better or more precious than the reading of the Gospel." Caesaria's letter is glued together with Scripture quotes as well as repeated admonitions to "listen intently when divine Scriptures are read" and the like. She cautioned Radegund to "let none enter who do not know letters," for they would not be able to read Scripture, and to make sure "all must be bound to memorize the Psalter" and "strive to fulfill all that you read in the Gospel." Caesaria was not advocating a mere external reliance on Scripture, however. She made it very clear that Scripture must be internalized if its true meaning is to be known and to make an impact. "One who desires to serve religion must struggle with the whole soul, with all the strength of faith" to avoid the passions of the body. "Therefore you should always be reading or hearing divine Scriptures for they are the ornaments of the soul." 

Ranft, Patricia. A Woman's Way: the Forgotten History of Women Spiritual Directors. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 59. Print. As acccessed through Google Books.