Daily Devotional: January 10th

Daily Prayer IV

Blessed are those who shun the grip of selfish greed,

With a wisdom that forbids harmful deeds.

In emulation of the gods, they seek the good,

Endeavoring to mirror divine brotherhood.

They hold in reverence the common good of the race,

Aware that gods' concern resides in this shared space.

They do not abandon the communal thread,

For in unity, the divine essence is spread.

Blessed are those who, with gratitude, give thanks,

To the gods for every boon, with hearts that flank

Jove, the source whence fair and good first spring,

In all things, a hymn of gratitude we sing.

Daily Meditation

"An evil soul flees from God."

—Sextus

Sentence 313

Those who declare God is dead or doesn't exist are, at best, confused and, at worst, seeking to justify evil. Depraved souls flee from truth, beauty, and goodness, which emanate from God. Where truth is diminished, we create ugliness and evil. Where beauty is disparaged, we run from truth and goodness. And when we deny the good, we have nothing but evil.

Monthly Ascesis: Praying for Virtue

“Ask from God those things that you cannot receive from man.”

-Sextus

“In the Pythagorean sentences, we are also advised not to pray for things that we can do for ourselves. For example, we should not pray for money or material goods because these are things we can work to gain by ourselves. Rather, the things we should ask the gods for are things that are, like them, immaterial and perfect. The best things for us to ask the gods for are virtues.

When we pray, we should ask the gods to show us the way to immaterial things that are aligned with their perfect nature. Cardinal virtues like prudence, courage, justice, and temperance are great starting points. But any virtue is worthy of our prayers of petition.”

Excerpt from Ascesis: The Handbook of Platonic Practice

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