From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   God wants a contrite heart'   
      
   "The reason why our prayers ought to be frequent and brief is in case   
   the enemy, who is out to trap us, should slip a distraction to us if ever we   
   are long-drawn-out. There lies true sacrifice. `The sacrifice which God   
   wants is a contrite heart' (Ps. 50:19). This indeed is the saving oblation,   
   the pure offering, the sacrifice of justification, the sacrifice of praise.   
   These are the real and rich thank offerings, the fat holocausts offered   
   by contrite and humble hearts."   
   --St. John Cassian.   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   July 23rd - John Cassian   
      
   This patriarch of monachism, commonly known simply as Cassian, was   
   born about 360, probably in the Dobruja (Romania), and may have fought   
   against Goths at the battle of Adrianople. Somewhere about the year   
   380 he set out with a friend, Germanus, to visit the holy places of   
   Palestine. In Bethlehem they became monks. In those days the heart of   
   the contemplative life was in Egypt, and before long they went into   
   that country, and visited in turn the famous holy men who from their   
   solitudes "had a great mission to the world, not only a mission of   
   prayer for the needs of the world, but a great mission to edify and   
   instruct the ages after them" (Ullathorne).   
      
      For a time they lived as hermits under Archebius, and then Cassian   
   penetrated into the desert of Skete, there to hunt out the anchorites   
   concealed among its burning rocks and live with the monks in their   
   cenobia. For some reason unknown, about the year 400 he crossed over   
   to Constantinople. He became a disciple of St. John Chrysostom, by   
   whom he was ordained deacon, and when that great saint was   
   uncanonically condemned and deposed Cassian was among those sent to   
   Rome to defend the archbishop's cause to Pope St. Innocent I.  It is   
   possible that he was ordained priest while in Rome, but nothing more   
   is known of his life until several years later, when he was in   
   Marseilles.   
      
   Here Cassian founded two monasteries, one, whose church was built over   
   the tomb of St. Victor the martyr, for monks, the other for nuns; and   
   there radiated from him and his foundations the spirit and ideal of   
   Egyptian asceticism which had great effect on the Church of southern   
   Gaul.  For the instruction and guidance of religious he drew up his   
   Institutes of the Monastic Life and Conferences*...{*Collationes, a   
   word which has crept into our common speech. For "collation", in the   
   sense of a meal, derives from the monastic custom of reading   
   collationes (not necessarily Cassian's) while food is taken.}... on   
   the Egyptian Monks, and these were destined to have an influence far   
   beyond anything within the intention of the author;  for, with the   
   Vitae patrum and the Rule of St Basil, they were recommended by St   
   Benedict as the most suitable reading for his monks after the Bible,   
   and had the greatest influence on his rule, both in the planning of   
   its life and the adumbration of its spirituality.   
      
   Through St. Benedict, Cassian has left his mark on all Christendom. In   
   the first four books of the Institutes he describes a way of living as   
   a pattern for the monastic state; the rest of the work is devoted to   
   the virtues which the monk must strive for and the deadly sins that   
   lie in wait for him in common with all Christians.   
      
   He prefaces the book with the declaration that, "I shall make no   
   attempt to relate anecdotes of  miracles and prodigies.  For although   
   I have heard of many unbelievable marvels from my elders and have seen   
   some with my own eyes, I have wholly omitted them because they   
   contribute nothing but astonishment to the instruction of the reader   
   in the perfect life."   
      
   That sobriety is characteristic of Cassian.   
      
   It is surprising that Cassian is not named in the Roman Martyrology;   
   but doubtless he was not included by Baronius because he came to be   
   regarded as the originator and leading exponent of that teaching which   
   is now known as Semi-Pelagianism. His views were expressed in the   
   course of a controversy about St. Augustine's “On Rebuke and Grace”,   
   and may more fairly be called "anti-Augustinian". All St. John   
   Cassian's later life was passed at Marseilles, where he died about   
   433; there his feast is kept today and by the Byzantines on February   
   29.   
      
   There is no ancient life of Cassian, but a good deal of information   
   may be found collected in the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. v; see also   
   the introduction to Petschenig's edition of his works in the Vienna   
   Corpus script. eccl. Lat. English trans. of works by E.C.S. Gibson   
   (1894). Most writers who are concerned with early monasticism make   
   frequent reference to him, e.g. Herwegen, Albers and C. Butler.   
   Cassian has received a good deal of attention lately, e.g. L.   
   Cristiani's Cassien (2 vols., 1946); but an even better book on the   
   strictly biographical side is O. Chadwick's John Cassian (1950), full   
   bibliography.  Cf. also DHG., vol. xi.   
      
   Saint Quotes:   
   “Whoever has achieved love   
   has God within himself   
   and his intellect is always with God.”   
      
   “No structure of virtue   
   can possibly be raised in our soul   
   unless, first, the foundations   
   of true humility are laid in our heart.”   
      
   “The thief on the cross certainly did not receive   
   the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues   
   but as a grace and a mercy from God.   
   He can serve as an authentic witness   
   that our salvation is given to us   
   only by God’s mercy and grace.   
   All the holy masters knew this   
   and unanimously taught   
   that perfection in holiness   
   can be achieved only through humility.”   
   --St John Cassian (c 360- c 435)   
      
   <><><><>   
   O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with a whole heart,   
   so that desiring you we may seek you with a whole heart,   
   so that desiring you we may seek and find you;   
   and so finding you, may love you; and loving you,   
   may hate those sins which separate us from you,   
   for the sake of Jesus Christ.   
   --St. Anselm (1033-1109)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)