O’Rahilly’s biography of Fr Doyle is a remarkable source of information about Fr Doyle’s life and spirituality. However, there is another book about Fr Doyle entitled Merry in God. This is sometimes credited to O’Rahilly as well. However, it was published anonymously, and was in fact written by Fr Charles Doyle SJ, Fr Willie’s older brother. Below is a link to a scan of a section in the book dealing …
Virtues
December 25, 2017
Don’t lose sight of this principle, that true holiness is based on humility. COMMENT: There is only one place in the Gospel where Jesus speaks about His own character, and urges us to follow it. In the 11th Chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. Everything about this time of the year speaks of the humility and meekness …
December 23, 2017
My genius of an orderly fried meat and pudding together and, with a smile of triumph on his face, brought both on the same plate to the dug-out. He is a good poor chap, but I would not recommend him as a cook. COMMENT: Fr Doyle wrote these words in a letter on 22nd December 1916, 101 years ago today. Fr Doyle loved his orderly (Fr Doyle had the rank …
December 22, 2017
Fr Doyle wrote the following in his diary on 21 December 1913, 104 years ago today. It relates to a recent trip to the cinema – it’s not clear what date he went to the cinema, but presumably it was the same day or at most a few days beforehand. At the end of the performance of “Quo Vadis?” the words of our Lord seemed to go through my soul. …
December 21, 2017
There is no rule for vocations, no age-limit for the call. Innocence attracts the gaze of God, deep-rooted habits of sin, provided they are not persevered in, do not always repel Him. One comes because the world disgusts him, another loves it and leaves it with regret; docility draws down more graces, while resistance often increases the force of the invitation. The little child hears God’s whisperings, while others have …
December 20, 2017
“I have called upon Thee in the day of my trouble” (Psalm 85. 7). Jesus is our comforter. What burden is there which He cannot lighten? What cross that He cannot make sweet? Be our troubles what they may, if only we will call on Jesus and implore His aid, we shall find our sufferings lessened and the rough ways smoothed for our bleeding feet. COMMENT: Fr Doyle knew what …
December 18, 2017
Avoid worry, anxiety, uneasiness about anything. “The devil’s boiling pot” expresses this state of mind; one trouble ended, another crops up to take its place; the soul never at rest; there is no peace, no calm, and also no real holiness. COMMENT: The saints always tended to be at peace, even in the midst of very real turmoil and suffering. Consider the martyrs like St Thomas More and St Laurence …
December 16, 2017
God has many gifts to bestow upon us, but none more precious than time. Yet how we abuse this royal gift! How little we think of it! How we despise these golden moments, moments whose true value we shall not really prize till alas! too late – when time shall be no more to us. COMMENT: Time is a precious gift. When it comes to time, every one is, in …
December 15, 2017
St John of the Cross: “Love is repaid by love alone”. Surely you are not right in trying to keep our Lord away from you, or in thinking that He looks upon you with displeasure. When sin in the past is repented for, the poor soul who once strayed from Him has a strange attraction for His gentle Heart. You pain Him intensely if you think He does not love …
December 14, 2017
St Lucy It is scarcely necessary to state that deliberate sin in any shape or form utterly destroys the interior life. COMMENT: It is a well accepted principle of Catholic spirituality that we must fight against sin. Naturally we must exert all of our will in the battle against deliberate mortal sin, which utterly destroys the life of grace in our soul and puts our salvation in jeopardy. But we …
December 13, 2017