Renew Within Me A Spirit of Holiness

A prayer of St, Ambrose of Milan (HT Trevin Wax)

Lord Jesus,
My soul and body are defiled by so many sinful deeds.

My tongue and my heart have run wild without restraint,
causing misery to others and shame to myself.

My soul bleeds with the wounds of wrongdoing,
and my body is a playground of selfish indulgence.

If I was to come before you as a judge,
you could only condemn me to eternal torment,
for that is what I deserve.

Yet I come before you,
not as a judge, but as a savior.

I depend not on your justice,
but on your mercy.

As you look upon the wretched creature that I am,
I ask that your eyes be filled with compassion and forgiveness.

And as I sit at your table,
I beg you to renew within me a spirit of holiness.

Take your Medicine

O Lord Jesus Christ!

✣ you are my medicine when I am sick;
✣ you are my strength when I need help;
✣ you are life itself when I fear death;
✣ you are light when all is dark.

† St. Ambrose of Milan

HT: Holy Fathers

A Gym for the Soul

"Although the whole of Scripture breathes God's grace upon us, this is especially true of the most delightful book, the Book of the Psalms. Moses, when he told of the deeds of the patriarchs, did so in a plain and unadorned style. But when he had miraculously led the people of Israel across the Red Sea, and when he had seen King Pharaoh with all his army drowned, he transcended his own normal style and sang a song of triumph to the Lord - just as through the miracle Moses' powers were transcended by God's.  Miriam the prophetess took up a timbrel and led the others in the refrain 'Sing to the Lord: he has covered himself in glory, horse and rider he has thrown into the see.' (Ex 15:21)

History instructs us, the law teaches us, prophecy foretells, rebuke condemn us, wisdom persuades us; but the book of Psalms goes further than all of these. It is medicine for our spiritual health. When we read it we find a medicine to cure the wounds caused by any of our passions. Whoever studies it deeply will find it to be like a gymnasium for their soul, where the different psalms are like different exercises set out before them. In that gymnasium, in that stadium of virtue, they can choose the exercises that will best train them to win the victors crown."

         - St. Ambrose of Milan

From Awakening Faith: Daily Devotions from the Early Church, #340

Pray for All

"...If you pray only for yourself, you will be praying, as we said, for yourself alone. But if you pray for all, all will pray for you, for you are included in all. In this way there is great reward; through the prayers of each individual, the whole body intercedes to God for each member. In prayer there is no pride, but an increase of humility and a richer spiritual harvest."

           - St. Ambrose of Milan (4th Century AD)

Awakening Faith, page 46

On Your Mercy

Lord Jesus,
My soul and body are defiled by so many sinful deeds

My tongue and my heart have run wild without restraint,
causing misery to others and shame to myself.

My soul bleeds with the wounds of wrongdoing,
and my body is a playground of selfish indulgence.

If I was to come before you as a judge,
you could only condemn me to eternal torment,
for that is what I deserve.

Yet I come before you,
not as a judge, but as a savior.

I depend not on your justice,
but on your mercy.

As you look upon the wretched creature that I am,
I ask that your eyes be filled with compassion and forgiveness.

And as I sit at your table,
I beg you to renew within me a spirit of holiness.

- Ambrose of Milan (4th Century AD)

HT: Trevin Wax

Unless You First...

O Lord
teach me to seek you,
and reveal yourself to me
when I seek you.
For I cannot seek you unless
you first teach me,
nor find you unless
you first reveal yourself to me.
Let me seek you in longing,
and long for you in seeking.
Let me find you in love,
and love you in finding.
- Ambrose of Milan, c. 340 – 397

Hat Tip:  Teach Me to Seek You : Kingdom People:

What To Glory In

"I will glory not because I am righteous but because I am redeemed; I will glory not because I am free from sins but because my sins are forgiven me. I will not glory because I have done good nor because someone has done good to me but because Christ is my advocate with the Father and because the blood of Christ has been shed for me."

(St. Ambrose of Milan, De Jacob et vita beata, ch. 6, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 507)

Justified

"...we are not justified by our works but by faith, since our fleshly weakness is an impediment to our works, but the clarity of faith which merits the forgiveness of sins overcomes the error of our works."

-St Ambrose of Milan, 4th Century AD (De Jacob et vita beata, ch. 2, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. II, p. 543; also quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 508)

What? You mean Martin Luther didn't invent "Justification by Faith"? Who knew?

Let the Word Come

"Let the Word of God come; let it enter the church; let it become a consuming fire, that it may burn the hay and stubble, and consume whatever is worldly; there is heavy lead of iniquity in many; let it be molten by divine fire; let the gold and silver vessels be made better, in order that understanding and speech, refined by the heat of suffering, may begin to be more precious."

St Ambrose of Milan, (On Psalm 118, Sermon 13,)

Speaking of Christ

"When we speak of wisdom, we are speaking about Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking about Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking about Christ. When we are speaking about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking about Christ."

-Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan, 4th Century AD

Speaking of Christ

When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ.

--St. Ambrose of Milan

Hat Tip: Elysa at Musings from Graceland