IF THE LORD IS OUR JOY, OUR JOY CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY. IT CANNOT BE LOST...JOY HAD COME TO THE WORLD, AND IT HAD COME TO STAY.
Scott HahnTo deny the force of divine judgment, then, is to make God less than God, and to make us less than His children. For every father must discipline His children, and paternal discipline is itself a mercy, a fatherly expression of love.
Scott HahnThe laws of God, like the law of gravity, do not depend upon how I feel about them. They are inexorable.
Scott HahnLoving difficult people will refine us. Perhaps only in heaven will our love be so perfected that we can actually like these people, too. St. Augustine spoke of a man who, on earth, had chronic gas problems; in heaven, his flatulence became perfect music.
Scott HahnA joyless Catholic is the devil's best tool. A joyful Catholic is God's greatest instrument.
Scott HahnWhen it comes to explaining the Blessed Virgin Mary, having a lot of love is more important than having a lot of answers. When we come up lacking, sheโll make greater goods out of our deficiencies, as only a mother can do. Whenever we're humiliated and shown our weakness, we should get ready for something better than we could ever plan and prepare to accomplish. Evangelize with joy, then, and with confidence. Know from the start that you donโt have all the answers-but your Savior does, and He loves His mother. He will give you everything you need, even if sometimes you need to fail.
Scott HahnAs we grow detached from things, we come (with God's help) to master our desires, and we give the mastery over to God. Discipline and divine grace heal the intellect and the will of the effects of concupiscence. We can begin to see things clearly.
Scott HahnMary is God's masterpiece. Have you ever walked into a museum where an artist was displaying his work? Can you imagine him being offended if you were viewing what he considered to be his masterpiece? Would he resent your looking at that instead of at him? 'Hey, you should be looking at me!' Rather, the artist would receive honor because of the attention you were giving his work. And Mary is God's work, from beginning to end.
Scott HahnDown through the centuries, the Church has carefully preserved, protected, and defended its Marian teachings, because to give them up would be to give up the gospel.
Scott HahnI was steeped in the understanding that if 'something is Roman [Catholic], it must be wrong.
Scott HahnIf we do not fill our mind with prayer, it will fill itself with anxieties, worries, temptations, resentments, and unwelcome memories.
Scott Hahn