For the second time in two days, I've encountered the following:
"You will catch more flies,” Saint Francis deSales used to say, “with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar."
Once in my own reading, once at TSO's blog. I wonder what the Holy Spirit is trying to convey to me. I tend to think most of the time I am more honey than vinegar, in fact, some might liken me to treacle at times. But perhaps it's time to look again at how I approach things. Again, related to mortification, perhaps I see myself as St. Thérèse and the rest of the world is busy avoiding St. Jerome.
Or perhaps I should be seeing under what circumstances St. Francis was provoked to write or say this. Anyway, two times so rapidly, two different sources--there are no coincidences. If I'm paying proper attention, I should address this bit of providence.
Yes, if you run across it yet a third time then you are in definite "watch out" territory ... though figuring out what to watch for can be quite tricksy. :-)
Now I, no honey-bearer, have run across it thrice.
Dear Gregg,
It horrifies me to consider that perhaps that is the sole reason for me having posted it. But I rather think not. We could all do with a bit more honey to sweeten the usual state of things.
shalom,
Steven
Over at Ignatius Insight, two articles on anxiety. Balthasar and Anxiety.....Fr.John Cihak.
So good. Ex. Man's anxiety is progressively transformed by his insetion into Christ....This insertion happens...concretely in the Church through the Sacraments and in the practice of the theological virtues.
I hadn't come across anything about vinegar and honey before I read this post. However, a couple of days later, I came across Ecclesiasticus 24:27, in which Wisdom says "My spirit is sweeter than honey." In St. Thomas Aquinas's Prologue to the Commentary on Boethius's De Hobdominabus, Thomas uses the passage together with Ecclesiasticus 32:15-16 to speak of how we play in the contemplation of wisdom. We enjoy it for no purpose other than itself.
Perhaps Providence is guiding you to play more with your blogging, and to enjoy the writing and the contemplation for its own sake, for the sweetness and the fun of it.