St Francis De Sales: The Soul As God’s Vineyard

I am about to tell all those who listen to me, that their souls are God’s vineyard, in which faith is the cistern, hope the tower, holy charity the wine press, and the law of God the hedge that separates them from unfaithful people.  To you, dear daughter, I say, that you will is you vineyard; the Divine inspirations poured into you soul by God, the cistern; holy chastity, the tower, which, like that of David, should be made of ivory; obedience, by which all your actions become meritorious, the wine press.  Oh! may God preserve this vineyard which He has planted with his own hand.  May he fill the cistern with the abundant waters of Divine grace.  May He protect his tower; may his wine press, beneath the pressure of his hand, teem with good wine; may He always keep the beautiful hedge with which He has surrounded his vineyard close and thick; and may his holy angels be the immortal vine-dressers.~Letter to St Jane de Chantal

Podcast: New Episode on Matthew

As I noted last week, St Irenaeus Ministries has begun a new podcast series, this time on the Gospel of Matthew.  Last week’s episode looked at the genealogy and pregnancy.  Here is the description for this week’s podcast”

Matthew – Messianic Prophecies
According to the Targums, we know that the prophecy that a ”young woman” or ”virgin” would bear a son was translated by the Alexandrian scholars as meaning ”virgin,” and that there was an implication that this was an unusual sign, as high as Heaven or as low as Sheol. A young woman having a son would not be such a significant sign. The fact that the sign appears as a star to pagans tells us that God wants to give his message to those who are seeking Him out. The fact that the Christ comes from Bethlehem is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah that Bethlehem is ‘not the least, for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people.’ There is similarly a notion in John that the Christ must come from Bethlehem. Mary was going into labor and so the Holy Family sought out any shelter they could. Finding a stable in which she could give birth, shortly thereafter they sought out family in Bethlehem and stayed in that house. This is where the Magi find Christ. This event surely must have come after the Presentation in the Temple, since it would have been difficult to journey to Egypt and back in secrecy within the short span of 40 days. Like Pharaoh of old, Herod sought to kill the entire male population, and the similarities to Pharaoh are very strong.  There is a prophecy about Rachel, who died looking to Bethlehem, and Jeremiah delivered a prophecy about a cry going up from Ramah, Rachel weeping for her children, which is fulfilled by Herod’s slaughter of children in that same city. The prophecy that ”He shall be called a Nazarene” seems to be a fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1, as there is a similarity between the root of the words ”branch” and ”Nazareth.” The closing theme is Gerard Satamian’s Chansons Sans Paroles Op. 2 Pastorale, from the album Dry Fig Trees.

You can listen to the first episode (42 minutes) HERE and the second episode (38 min.) HERE.

Also, check out their archive for many different presentations, including whole series on Hebrews, Luke, Malachi, etc.  Many of their podcast series are no longer available online, except for some samples (John, Mark, etc) you can purchase them on CD at their online store.  Your best bet is to subscribe for free(See link) via itunes

Spiritual Thought: January 5th

Our Lord’s maxim that every one should aim at perfection, and become more and more like to God, should be deeply engraved on your mind.  No lawful occupation can hinder this.

Be you therefore perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect.(Matt 5:48)

From Antonio Rosmini Serbati.

Resource Links Updated

I’ve added quite a number of links to this blog’s left hand sidebar under the heading BOOKS ONLINE: BIBLE STUDY.  Also, I’ve added a new sidebar category: PODCAST: BIBLE STUDIES.  I hope to update other sidebar resource links in the next few days, including FATHERS OF THE CHURCH ONLINE and BOOKS ONLINE: PHILOSOPHY