The great pastor and Doctor seraphicus (Introibo, CE, Wiki).
In médio Ecclésiæ apéruit os ejus: et implévit eum Dóminus spíritu sapiéntiæ et intelléctus: stolam glóriæ índuit eum.
From the first chapter of Saint Bonaventura's Itinerarium mentis in Deum, in the translation of Simon Wickham-Smith (pdf).
... It is therefore necessary that whoever wants to ascend into God must, by avoiding error, which deforms one's nature, exercise his natural powers, described above. Thus, through our prayer we reconstitute our grace, through our behavior we truly purify ourselves, through our meditation we develop our enlightened experience, and through our contemplation we perfect our wisdom. Just as nobody comes to wisdom except through grace, truth and experience, so nobody comes to contemplation except through analytical meditation, pure behavior and devout prayer. Just as grace is the basis of the correct attitude of the will and of the clarity of analytical reasoning, so we should first pray, then live in purity and then, gradually understanding the true appearance of things, ascend the levels of understanding, arriving finally on the exalted mountain, where we see the God of gods in Sion.
Fairly silly to read such a small passage of the work but the text is quite dense and not easily put into apothegmatical snippets. Am listening to the third morning session of the Chopin Competition but unfortunately, if not unexpectedly, it has all begun to recede to 'music in the background'. I don't see how the jury does it. Time for Prime.
Post Tertiam. Today's Chopin Competition morning session. I think that after today I'll stop putting the videos here until October's next rounds.
Post Sextam. Was going to make a long and windy comment about the kids who chat at the Chopin Institute site, who import the pop music fascination of 'fans' with the artists' appearance, hairstyle, dress (or lack thereof) et cetera into the world of Chopin and so on and so forth but, eh, I won't. Have meant from the beginning, however, to note that one of the main sponsors of the Chopin Institute's YouTube operations seem to be a sports betting company, which bespeaks the high level of culture in Poland. It's the national lottery, ha: although in origin organised to benefit the maintenance et cetera of sporting venues, apparently, today the proceeds are distributed to a wide range of cultural institutions.
Ante Vesperas. I see that Father Zuhlsdorf wrote a post yesterday about the impending papal nonsense against Benedictus XVI's Summorum Pontificum. Spes contra spem.
It is also the feast of Saint Rolandus (12th century), of Saint Libertus (12th century), and of Saint Idus (5th century).
V. Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. R. Deo grátias.
LDVM
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