What I look upon as a grace was told to me yesterday. A little child speaking of the missioners here said: ‘I like Fr Doyle best because he is holy’. The words cut me like a knife and wound round and round my soul till I could have cried with the pain of it. And this because of the loving compassion of Jesus who covers over my wretched faults …
Life
March 16, 2011
St Clement Mary Hofbauer My intense desire and longing is to make others love Jesus and to draw them to His Sacred Heart. Recently at Mass I have found myself at the Dominus Vobiscum opening my arms wide with the intention of embracing every soul present and drawing them in spite of themselves into that Heart which longs for their love. COMMENT: We cannot truly encourage others to love Jesus …
March 15, 2011
Towards the end of the retreat a light came to me that, now that I have given Jesus all the sacrifices I possibly can in the matter of food, He is now going to ask retrenchment in the quantity. So far I have not felt that He asked this, but grace now seems to urge me to it. I dread what this means, but Jesus will give me strength to …
March 11, 2011
The Martyrs of Sebaste During the winter I have done a penance which I shrink from and dread in a way which I cannot describe. I have had to drive myself by vow to perform it. I set my alarm for three o’clock when it is freezing, slip out of the house in my night-shirt and stand up to my neck in the pond, praying for sinners. COMMENT: Fr …
March 10, 2011
St John of God Don’t be one of those who give God everything but one little corner of their heart on which they put up a notice board with the inscription: “Trespassers not allowed.” COMMENT: Perhaps Fr Doyle’s lines today get to the heart of the difference between the saints and the rest of us. We may want to love God and we may try our best, albeit with many …
March 8, 2011
I am suffering much in every way, most of all, perhaps, from sheer fatigue. As regards food and lodging I am not badly off, but the discomforts of the life would be long to tell. However, like St. Paul I can say that I superabound with joy in all my tribulations; for I know that they come from God’s hand and that they are working out some plan of His …
March 6, 2011
Fr Doyle had many close shaves with death during his time as a military chaplain. One of those adventures occurred on this day in 1916. This incident, and Fr Doyle’s description of it, reveal several things about his character: his trust in God’s protection and especially his faith in the Eucharist, his own personal courage, his willingness to face danger in order to assist the soldiers and perhaps most of …
March 5, 2011
St John Vianney Press on bravely and don’t mind the scratches, even when they come from human nails! COMMENT: We must always push on in our spiritual lives. Often this will involve some difficulty, not least difficulty in overcoming ourselves! But there is also a particular kind of difficulty that comes from others, namely criticism or jokes about religious zeal. Naturally an indiscreet or unbalanced zeal must be controlled and …
March 4, 2011
Melrose in Dalkey, Dublin. Fr Doyle was born here 138 years ago today. Today is Fr Doyle’s birthday – he was born on this day in 1873. For today we shall reproduce the first few pages of O’Rahilly’s biography which tell us something about Fr Doyle’s early life. William Joseph Gabriel Doyle was born at Melrose, Dalkey, Co. Dublin, on 3rd March, 1873. His father is Mr. Hugh Doyle, an …
March 3, 2011
Abbot Wilfrid Upson OSB The merit of living under religious rule may be gathered from the difficulty of always and faith fully keeping that rule. Holiness and deliberate violation of our rules are a contradiction. COMMENT: Fr Doyle was known for his close adherence to the Jesuit rule, and the faithful fulfilment of its precepts is a recurring theme in his resolutions and notes. Adhering to a religious rule …
February 28, 2011