—MATTHEW 10:17-20
Right cannot be defeated, because it is done not by your will but according to the eternal laws of God.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
Persecution and suffering are the necessary conditions of the fulfillment of Christian law. Persecution is precious because it reveals whether a person lives with real faith.
Do not seek love in other people, and do not complain about the absence of their love for you. Some people love wrong, not right; therefore, try to please God, rather than people.
November 21
There is no deed in this life so impossible that you cannot do it. Your whole life should be lived as an heroic deed.
Every time you wake up and ask yourself, “What good things am I going to do today?” remember that, when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it.
—INDIAN PROVERB
The virtue of a person is measured not by his outstanding efforts, but by his everyday behavior.
—BLAISE PASCAL
I am the tool with which God works. My virtue is to participate in this work, and I can do so if I keep the instrument which is given to me, namely my soul, in immaculate condition.
All things, even the most complicated things, become simple and clear if you separate them from other people and place them before God for judgment.
Other than our service to God, all our actions, whether we consider them important or not, are completely trivial. We may not know what the consequences of our actions will be, but we know what we should do.
November 22
The more busy you are with the improvement of your inner life, the more active you become in social life, helping other people.
It is as wrong for one person to rule many as it is for many to rule one.
—VLADIMIR CHERTKOV
What is truth? For the majority of people, truth is the majority of counted votes.
—THOMAS CARLYLE
When I sit on the seashore and listen to the waves beating on the sand, I feel free from any obligation, and I think that all the people of the world can change their constitutions without me.
—HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Never build, but always plant: in the case of the first, nature will interfere and destroy the creation of your work, but in the case of the second, nature will help you, causing growth in everything you planted. The same thing happens in your spiritual life: those things which are in harmony with the eternal laws of human nature will grow, but those things which correspond to the temporal wishes of people will not.
November 23
The question of life’s meaning is a difficult problem which cannot be solved. So, too, is the question, “Why did God send us into this world?” But the meaning of life becomes very simple when a person asks himself, “What should
I
do?”
Your life may be cut short at any time; therefore, your life should have a deep purpose, a significance that will not depend on whether it is short or long.
There is only one way, if you want to live without understanding the meaning of your life: to become addicted to tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, and to live in the world of permanent entertainment.
This world is not a joke but rather a place for a trial, a way station to a better, eternal world. Our purpose is to make it a better and more joyous place to live, for those who live with us and those who come after us.
Our soul’s perfection is our life’s purpose; any other purpose, keeping death in mind, has no substance.
November 24
Helping others takes the form not only of physical aid, but of spiritual support for your neighbor. Stop blaming your neighbor and respect his human dignity.
Do not think that you are generous because you give your excess wealth to a poor person. Real generosity requires that you give this person a place in your heart.
—From the BOOK OF DIVINE THOUGHTS
He is virtuous who does not pay any attention to libel and evil speech.
You should be truthful; you should avoid wrath; you should give to those who ask, because they ask for small things. You will become holier by following these three paths.
—DHAMMAPADA, a book of BUDDHIST WISDOM
With humbleness, kindness, and self-sacrifice, you will take the weapon from any enemy. Any fire dies if there is insufficient wood.
—BUDDHIST WISDOM
Try not to hide the shameful memories of your sins in dark corners. On the contrary, keep them close to you and remember them, before you judge your neighbor.
November 25
War is murder. No matter how many people get together to commit murder or what they call themselves, murder is the worst sin in the world.
People of planet Earth are on a very low level of development. Every day in the newspapers you read the news about military treaties, about the preparations for war, for mass manslaughter. People do not understand that the life of each man is his own personal private property.
—CAMILLE FLAMMARION
The majority of people now understand not only the uselessness, but also the stupidity and cruelty of any war.
Until such time as people reject the power of government to govern, to tax, to legislate, and to punish, war will never stop. War is the consequence of the government’s power.
November 26
Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts.
Beware of those who want to convince you that it is impossible to strive for good just because it is impossible to reach perfection.
—JOHN RUSKIN
Good books are a good influence. Good art is a good influence. Prayer is an influence as well. But the strongest influence is the example of a good life. A good life becomes a blessing for people, not only for those who live good lives but those who can see, know, and understand such lives.
It is difficult to hringpeople to goodness with lessons, but it is easy to do so by example.
—Lucius ANNAEUS SENECA
Beware of groups of people who are harmful for your soul. Try to avoid them. You should praise good company and seek it.
November 27
If a passion embraces you, you should remember that this passionate desire is not a part of your soul, but a dark covering which shuts out the true qualities of your soul.
You should be a lantern for yourself. Draw close to the light within you and seek no other shelter.
—BUDDHIST WISDOM
A person’s soul may be compared to a transparent ball which is lit from the inside with its own light. This flame is not only the source of all light and truth, but it illuminates everything around you. In this state, the soul is free and happy. Only if it becomes addicted to anything outside you will it become troubled, darkened, and impenetrable. Distractions obstruct the light which shows you the way.
—MARCUS AURELIUS
The soul is a mirror in which you can see the reflection of divine intellect.
—JOHN RUSKIN
As soon as you feel passion, try to feel in yourself the understanding of your divine nature. As soon as you perceive that your divine nature is inactive and that you are possessed by passions, fight with these passions.
November 28