Daily Devotional: September 20th

Daily Prayer XII

Courage, valiant spirit, in shadows' midst,

In the face of fear, thy flame does persist.

Armor of fortitude, glistening bright,

In the crucible of challenge, forging might.

Oh, Virtue, stand firm on the precipice high,

Where challenges loom, and courage draws nigh.

Fortitude, a stalwart companion true,

In adversity's storm, thy strength shines through.

With a lion's heart and unwavering stride,

Courage and fortitude walk side by side.

Through trials and triumphs, their banners unfurl,

Guiding the brave in life's tumultuous swirl.

Daily Meditation

"“People try to get away from it all, to the country, to the beach, to the mountains. You always wish that you could too. Which is idiotic: you can get away from it anytime you like. By going within. Nowhere you can go is more peaceful, more free of interruptions than your own soul.”

—Marcus Aurelius

Meditations Book 4.3

The peace we seek is already within us. We don’t have to seek it outside of ourselves. In fact, if we seek it outside ourselves, we will always be disappointed. When we go within and take refuge within our own soul, there we will find the stillness that is close to God.

Monthly Ascesis

Developing a practice of watchfulness is a powerful and effective way to create stillness in our souls, allowing us to behold God's presence in our lives.

This month, add this meditation practice to your morning prayers. This is particularly effective following a chanting session.

“The most basic and fundamental meditation practice is watchfulness or Nepsis in Greek. Watchfulness is the act of observing the mind while not chasing any thoughts or emotions that arise. You only need to sit down, close your eyes, and relax to do this practice. Then, watch your thoughts as they arise and fall away. Thoughts will continue to pop into your mind, and that’s ok. The key is not to follow them. For example, if your mind starts thinking about a project at work, don’t follow that idea and start working on the project in your mind. Just acknowledge that thought and watch it. Don’t feed that idea with more ideas; just leave it alone. Eventually, it will pass by, or a new thought will take its place. If that happens, just watch that thought without following it or allowing it to disturb you.”

-Excerpt from our new book, Ascesis: the Handbook of Platonic Practice

If you would like to subscribe to the Daily Romanist Devotional, please follow the instructions here.