In The Spirit of Happiness Quotes

“Life never seems to prepare us sufficiently for epiphanies. ... they are not magical intrusions from another world, but reality, naked, and without shame.”
― Monks of New Skete, In The Spirit of Happiness

“To embrace this path is to go from first fervor to true fervor, from sentimental, romantic love to self-giving love, from the fire of emotions to the fire of dedication, moving in a continuously upward spiral into the fullness of what we are meant to be.”
― Monks of New Skete, In the Spirit of Happiness

“Throughout the spiritual journey we are required to let go of our preoccupation with "what we can get out of it." To do this courageously is one of the principal efforts and effects of authentic and wholesome spiritual practice. Paradoxical as it may seem, this weaning away from the craving for consolations is an essential spiritual process, one that develops in us an inner freedom allowing us to live and love ever more authentically.”
― Monks of New Skete, In the Spirit of Happiness

“Being a teacher does not mean being authoritarian, dominating, intimidating, or possessing all the answers. In fact, an authentic teacher tells no one what to do. He or she simply points out realities the learner must consider, and helps the learner to overcome obstacles; it is the latter who must decide, or learn how to decide, what to do. This is why the teacher defies stereotypes. Actually, we cannot imagine that there are not many people who could be teachers, whose education, training, personal growth, and insights make them capable of leading others into more abundant life.”
― Monks of New Skete, In the Spirit of Happiness

“{God's] presence is not contingent upon our feeling it. It simply is. We must learn to remember this and calm ourselves. By His apparent 'absence', He is leading us to a more mature level of consciousness, self-offering, and love. He is leading us from the love of God for the sake of His gifts to love of God for His own sake.”
― Monks of New Skete, In The Spirit of Happiness

“...spiritual dryness is not a problem. It only seems a problem because it's such a contrast with the good feelings of the honeymoon stage. ...this night will continue to go on, often getting worse, throughout our life. But if we persevere in our spiritual journey, we will be able to perceive in it positive meaning and learn to understand it. Then we can move beyond it to the freedom that places our feelings in proper perspective.”
― Monks of New Skete, In The Spirit of Happiness

“Cynicism leads to despair, while fixating on the efforts that seemed to work in the past makes an idol out of spiritual states.”
― Monks of New Skete, In The Spirit of Happiness

“Now is the time to recall the enthusiasm of our first fervor, the determination to offer ourselves unreservedly, and at the same time to let go of the craving for emotional consolation,”
― Monks of New Skete, In The Spirit of Happiness

“here's a very worthwhile question to meditate on: How are we, in our own way, going to express and live out the meaning contained in the prayer? Simply by rote recitation? It'll be nothing more than an exercise in futility and hypocrisy unless we seek to understand it and make it real in our lives." To”
― Monks of New Skete, In the Spirit of Happiness