St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Co-Patroness of Europe August 9: Feast of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross Fr Doyle does not have a specific entry in his letter home for August 9, so we will have one of his typical sayings, and resume his narrative tomorrow. You must bear in mind that, if God has marked you out for very great graces and possibly a holiness of which …
Self-conquest
August 9, 2010
Photo of an Irish soldier taken by Fr Browne We have no more reports from Fr Doyle until August 5th, and we shall take up his narrative once again on that date. What we do know about these days is that Fr Doyle and his men had a few days rest before facing the trauma of battle once again. This might be an appropriate place to give the following excerpt …
August 2, 2010
On August 12 1917 Fr Doyle sent his last letter home to his father. It was a long account of his involvement in the early stages of the Battle of Passchendaele. 5 days later he was hit by a German shell while rescuing a wounded soldier and was killed instantly. His account of the battle commences on July 30 and we shall follow his account in his own words …
July 28, 2010
"I am sorry to see you are hoisting the devil’s flag of discouragement" I am sorry to see you are hoisting the devil’s flag of discouragement. It is a precious lesson of the spiritual world that there must be ups and downs even with the most earnest efforts and in the holiest lives. “Begin again” is the motto of success in the path of holiness. Remember, too, that faults and …
July 27, 2010
St Thomas More. "We cannot go to Heaven in feather beds" I do not want, in fact I forbid you, to be imprudent in the matter of corporal penances. But, my dear child, if you let a whole fortnight go by without any self-inflicted pain, can you honestly look Jesus in the face and say, “I am like to Him”? COMMENT: Self-inflicted pain?? It sounds so…medieval, so exaggerated! It’s 2010, …
July 23, 2010
The Seven Works of Mercy, 1504, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam The reformation of one’s life must be the work of every day. I should take each rule and duty, think how Jesus acted, or would have done, and contrast my conduct with His. COMMENT: Fr Doyle’s words today are direct and relevant for us all. The daily reformation Fr Doyle recommends must be immensely practical. We do not reform our lives in …
July 17, 2010
I have come back from the missions with feelings of joy and gratitude, for these last three missions have been blessed in a wonderful way. God seems to take a special delight in seconding my efforts, just because I have hurt Him so much in the past and have been so really ungrateful. It is one of the big humiliations of my life and makes me thoroughly ashamed of …
July 15, 2010
St Camillus de Lellis July 14: The feast of St Camillus de Lellis The object of my life to be close union with and intense love of God. To acquire this I will (a) fly from the shadow of sin, never deliberately break a rule, custom or regulation; (b) do each little action purely for the love of Jesus, with exquisite exactness, fervour and devotedness; (c) beg constantly and earnestly …
July 13, 2010
St Josemaria Escriva June 26: The feast of St Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei Today the Church celebrates the feast of St Josemaria Escriva. Instead of a message from Fr Doyle, we have a message from a saint, ABOUT Fr Doyle. From point 205 of St Josemaria’s The Way: We were reading — you and I — the heroically ordinary life of that man of God. And we saw …
June 25, 2010
St John the Baptist by Titian c. 1542 The Birthday of St John the Baptist Today the Church celebrates the feast of the birth of St John the Baptist. Fr Doyle does not seem to have written about St John very much, but in one letter to his sister, a nun, written on 19th December 1916, alludes to the similarities between the harshness of his own life and that of …
June 24, 2010