Monday, September 20, 2010
Feast of John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melanesia, & his Companions, Martyrs, 1871

Even though I never did an evil deed, yet, if I have the will to do evil, I have the sin as if I had done the deed; and I could, by a total will, do as great a sin as if I had killed the whole world, though I never actually did anything. Why, would the same not be possible to a good will? Yes, indeed, and even much more so. Surely, I can do all things with the will. I can bear the sorrow of all men and feed all the poor and do the work of all men and whatever else you may think of. If it be not the will that fails you, but only the power, then truly, before God, you have done it all, and no man can take it from you or even hinder you for a moment; for to will to do as soon as I can is the same before God as having done it.

... Meister Eckhart (1260?-1327?), Treatises and Sermons, Harper, 1958, p. 74-75 (see the book; see also Matt. 5:27-28,48; 19:21; Mark 9:41; Gal. 6:9; Jas. 1:13-15; 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17; more at Deed, Good will, Intention, Sin, Work)

 
Compilation Copyright, 1996-2024, by Robert McAnally Adams,
        Curator, Christian Quotation of the Day,
        with Robert Douglas, principal contributor
Logo image Copyright 1996 by Shay Barsabe, of “Simple GIFs”, by kind permission.
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Last updated: 05/03/16

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