St. Peter Claver was one of those generous heroic souls whom God sends upon this earth to serve as a stimulus to our zeal, to urge us on to dare and do great things for His glory. Alone he stood upon the beach of that reeking haunt of sin, Cartagena, and saw the galley-ship vomit forth its human living burden of slaves. He saw these poor wretches dazed with their …
Jesuit
September 9, 2023
To be indifferent does not mean to desire things which are hard to nature, but a readiness and determination to embrace them when once the will of God is known. In this sense I think I am indifferent about going to the Congo. But I must force myself to be willing to accept the way of life which God seems to be leading me to and wants me to adopt. …
September 7, 2023
All these trials, snubs, unpleasantnesses, etc., do not come to you by chance, they are precious jewels from the hand of God, and, if you could only bring yourself to look upon them in the right light, would make you a really big saint. Here is how you are to do it. Do you remember a story told of a certain saint who searched the whole city to find the …
August 24, 2023
Today is the feast of St Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit saint from Chile. He was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, and is renowned for his social work and love of the poor. Contacts in Chile also tell us that he is remembered among the Jesuits there as a devotee of Fr Doyle. He apparently distributed literature relating to Fr Doyle and encouraged others to learn about his life. …
August 18, 2023
Four Dangers to be Feared after a Retreat: 1 . Dissipation: There, it is over; amuse yourself. 2. Toning Down: Too much, too many, too hard, too often, too etc. 3. Putting Off: Wait a little, rest yourself, take your time. 4. Cowardice: You’ll never do it; you’re no good; it will be the same old story. And Four Remedies: 1. Presence of God: No, it is not over, it …
August 2, 2023
We continue Fr Willie’s account of July 31, 1917 directly after he left off yesterday. Again what is most noticeable is his good humour and cheerfulness, even in the midst of this awful war. It was 1.30 a.m. when our first halting place was reached, and as we march again at three, little time was wasted getting to sleep. It was the morning of July 31st, the Feast of St. …
July 31, 2023
My loving Jesus, on this the morning of my Ordination to the priesthood, I wish to place in Your Sacred Heart, in gratitude for all that You have done for me, the resolution from this day forward to go straight to holiness. My earnest wish and firm resolve is to strive with might and main to become a saint. COMMENT: These words were written 116 years ago today, on July …
July 28, 2023
Jesus told me today that the work of regeneration and sanctification is to be done by leading souls to Him in the Blessed Sacrament. COMMENT: Fr Doyle wrote these notes in his diary on June 21, 1917, slightly less than two months before his death. Was this based on an actual vision or a locution or just a simply inspiration? We do not know, but ultimately it does not matter …
June 21, 2023
We have here an astonishing little old Father; little by name and little by stature. He is 85; but is active as a man of 30 – and he never stops preaching retreats. Several times I have tried to get to the Chapel before him at 4:00 AM, but he is always there first. He is a kindly and holy old man, whose faith and simplicity are quite extraordinary. In …
May 20, 2023
Vince teipsum – conquer yourself. This is the secret of the Spiritual Exercises. “I learnt no other lesson from my master Ignatius,” said St. Francis Xavier, referring to his first retreat at Paris. Here we all fail good men, zealous men, holy men. Prayer is easy, works of zeal attractive; but going against self, till grace and perseverance give facility, is cruel work, a hard battle. COMMENT: It is appropriate …
March 12, 2023