"A thirsty man is . . . not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring"

Source

"A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. . . .
     "Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on."

     St. Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on the Diatessaron 1.18-19, as trans. Office of readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Liturgy of the hours.  SC 121 (1966), 52-53.  Cf. Saint Ephrem's Commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron:  an English translation of Chester Beatty Syriac MS 709, trans. Carmel McCarthy,  Journal of Semitic studies. Supplement 2 (Oxford University Press on behalf of the University of Manchester, 1993).

"the more perfect a virtue is, the more does it cause passion"

"it is not the function of virtue to deprive the powers subordinate to reason of their proper activities, but to make them execute the commands of reason by exercising their proper acts"; to "direct the sensitive appetite to its proper regulated movements" of ordered or "moderated passion."

     St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae I-II.59.5.Resp. & ad 1-2, trans. FEDP (i.e. Shapcote).  Virtue calls for the moderated or ordered passion that both 1) "helps towards the execution of reason's command" and 2) "results from" the said acts or execution.

It is not virtuous to be resisting temptation

"disorderly passions abound in the continent and persevering man [(in continente et perseverante)], which would not be the case if his sensitive appetite were perfected by a habit making it conformable to reason. . . .  Continence and perseverence . . . withstand the [inordinate] passions lest reason be led astray.  But they fall short of being virtues", because it is not virtuous to be withstanding disordered passions; rather, it is virtuous to have no disordered passions (no unruly sensitive appetite) to be withstood.

     St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae I-II.58.3.ad 2, FEDP (i.e. Shapcote), italics mine (for .  "the impediment [or threat] of the [inordinate] passions" to "the judgment and command of prudence" is "removed [removeatur] . . . by moral virtue" (I-II.58.5.ad 3).  "But when [a passion] follows th[e] judgment [of reason], as though commanded by reason, it helps toward the execution of reason's command" (I-II.59.2.ad 3).

"Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past"

Duccio di Buoninsegna

"Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know thee as thou art revealed in Scripture and the breaking of the bread."

"Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread."

"Mane nobiscum, Domine Iesu, quoniam advesperascit, et nos comitans in via, refove corde, spem excita miseratus, ut te in Scripturis et in fractione panis cum nostris fratribus agnoscamus."

     Oratio for Vespers of the Fourth Monday in Ordinary Time, Liturgia horarum 3, as trans. on pp. 70 and 124 of the 1979 BCP, where it is called "A Collect for the Presence of Christ."  Hatchett is right about its source in "the Roman breviary of Paul VI" (143), but you could never confirm that from the abominable "translation" that appears in that position on p. 148 of vol. 3 of the 1975 Liturgy of the hours.  Utterly despicable:

"Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all men as you love them."

Next:  follow up on the presence of V&R fragments of this throughout Liturgia horarum 3, long antedated by its prominence historically in the CANTUS database from (as of 12 Feb 2026) c. 890 (Cantus Siglum F-AI 44 =Albi, Bibliothèque municipale Rochegude, 44).

"the creature without the Creator melts into thin air"

Philip Halling

"If by the autonomy of earthly affairs we mean that created things and societies themselves enjoy their own laws and values which must be gradually deciphered, put to use, and regulated by men, then it is entirely right to demand that autonomy. . . . For by the very circumstance of their having been created, all things are endowed with their own stability, truth, goodness, proper laws and order. Man must respect these as he isolates them by the appropriate methods of the individual sciences or arts. . . .
     "But if the expression 'the independence of temporal affairs' is taken to mean that created things do not depend on God, and that man can use them without any reference to their Creator, anyone who acknowledges God will see how false such a meaning is [(nemo qui Deum agnoscit non sentit quam falsa huiusmodi placita sint)]. For without the Creator the creature would disappear [(Creatura enim sine creatore evanescit, For the creature without the Creator melts into thin air)]. . . ."

     Gaudium et spes 36, as trans. Liturgy of the hours.  Tanner, vol. 2, pp. 1090-1091:  "And all believers of whatever religion have always sensed the voice and manifestation of the creator in the utterances [(loquela)] of creatures.  If God is ignored the creature itself is impoverished [(Immo, per oblivionem Dei ipsa creatura obscuratur, So no, by [its] forgetfulness of God the creature itself is rendered indistinct)]."

"those who in this our generation speak where many listen, and write what many read"

1940:  Book of common order of the Church of Scotland by authority of the General Assembly (Edinburgh:  Oxford University Press, 1940), 299:

"For arts and letters"

"DIRECT and bless, we beseech Thee, Lord, those who in this our generation speak where many listen, and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of the people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honour of Jesus Christ our Lord.  AMEN."

1979:  Book of common prayer (New York:  Church Publishing Incorporated, 1979), 827:

"For those who influence public opinion"

"Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices:  direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of the people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen."

"Dominus illuminatio mea"

"We should then in the fullest sense not only with our voice but with our very soul cry out, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? If he enlightens and saves me, whom shall I fear? Even though the dark shadows of evil suggestions crowd about, The Lord is my light [(Veniant caligines suggestionum, Dominus illuminatio mea)]. They can approach, but cannot prevail; they can lay siege to our heart, but cannot conquer it. Though the blindness of concupiscence assails us, again we say: The Lord is my light [(Veniat caecitas cupiditatum, Dominus illuminatio mea)].  For he is our strength. . . ."

     St. John the Serene (sometimes Peacemaker; Giovanni Scriba or Giovanni d'Acquarola?), Bishop of Naples (Iohannes Mediocris episcopus Neapolitanus, CPL no. ), late 8th century-17 December 849, Sermon 7 =PLS 4, cols. 785-786, as trans. Office of readings for the Thursday of Week Three in Ordinary time, Liturgy of the hours.