St. Teresa of Avila

Mental prayer is nothing else but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with Him. 1

Christ does not force our will, He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him. 2

Before prayer, endeavor to realize whose Presence you are approaching, and to whom you are about to speak. We can never fully understand how we ought to behave towards God, before whom the angels tremble. 3

Christ does not force our will, He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him. 4

Everything seems to me to pass so quickly that we must concentrate on how to die rather than on how to live. How sweet it is to die if one has lived on the Cross with Christ. 5

It is certain that the love of God does not consist in this sweetness and tenderness which we for the most part desire; but rather in serving Him in justice, fortitude, and humility. His Majesty seeks and loves courageous souls. 6

Truth suffers, but never dies. 7

The devil will try to upset you by accusing you of being unworthy of the blessings that you have received. Simply remain cheerful and do your best to ignore the devil's nagging. If need be even laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Satan, the epitome of sin itself, accuses you of unworthiness! When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future! 8

God dwells within you, and there you should dwell with Him. 9

Let us meditate today on the condition of our soul. Are we making a sincere effort to rectify our intentions, to sanctify our daily responsibilities? There are things we fail to remember, not because we have short memories but because we are short of love. The person in love does not forget! 10

I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him. 11

Oh, my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value. 12

Be gentle to all and stern with yourself. 13

God has been very good to me, for I never dwell upon anything wrong which a person has done, so as to remember it afterwards. If I do remember it, I always see some other virtue in that person. 14

There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers. 15

Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds. 16

Let not your inward devotion be visible unless in great necessity. 17

Anyone who has the habit of speaking before God's majesty as if he were speaking to a slave, careless about how he is speaking, and saying whatever comes into his head and whatever he's learned from saying prayers at other times, in my opinion is not praying. Please, God, may no Christian pray in this way. 18

Let him never cease from prayer who has once begun it, be his life ever so wicked; for prayer is the way to amend it, and without prayer such amendment will be much more difficult. 19

Vocal prayer . . . must be accompanied by reflection. A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of Whom, I don't call prayer--however much the lips may move. 20

You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him. 21

One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much, more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer. 22

I am afraid that if we begin to put our trust in human help, some of our Divine help will fail us. 23

Nothing seems impossible to those who love. 24

He never tires of giving. Let us never tire of receiving. 25

If we were to approach the most Blessed Sacrament with great faith and love, once would be enough to make us rich. 26

Love is the measure of our ability to bear crosses. 27

It seems that the soul's good cannot be merited or gained through all the trials one can suffer on earth. This good is a gift from the Lord of Heaven and Earth who gives accordingly to who He is. 28

Oh, how everything that is suffered with love is healed again! 29

Remain calm in times of dryness. 30

Know that even when you are in the kitchen, our Lord moves amidst the pots and pans. 31

Lord, your hand of love is always stretched out toward me, even when I stubbornly look the other way. 32

Never address your words to God while you are thinking of something else. 33

Patience obtains everything. 34

If we practice love of neighbor with great perfection, we will have done everything. 35

Every part of the journey is of importance to the whole. 36

We shall never completely know ourselves if we don't strive to know God. 37

To suffer or to die. St. Teresa of Avila (Her motto) 38

St. Teresa Margaret Redi

When an action is blamable, let us excuse the intention. 1

St. Symeon Metaphrastis

The signs that accompany those who wish to submit to the Logos of God and who bring forth good fruit are: sighing, weeping, sorrow, stillness, shaking of the head, prayer, silence, persistence, bitter grief, tribulation of heart arising from religious devotion. In addition, their actions manifest vigilance, fasting, self-control, gentleness, forbearance, unceasing prayer, study of the divine Scriptures, faith, humility, brotherly affection, submission, rigorous toil, hardship, love, kindli­ness, courtesy and-the sum of all-light, which is the Lord. The signs that accompany those who are not producing the fruit of life are listlessness, day-dreaming, curiosity, lack of attention, grumbling, instability; and in their actions they manifest gluttony, anger, wrath, back-biting, conceit, untimely talk, unbelief, disorderliness, forgetfulness, unrest, sordid greed, avarice, envy, factiousness, contempt, garrulity, senseless laughter, willfulness and - the sum of all - darkness, which is Satan. 1

St. Symeon MetaphrastisIn accordance with divine providence, the devil was not sent at once to the Gehenna assigned to him, but his sentence was postponed in order to let him test and try men's free will. In this way, he unintentionally fosters greater maturity and righteousness in the saints by promoting their patient endurance, and so is the cause of their greater glory; and, at the same time, through his malevolence and his scheming against the saints he justifies more fully his own punishment. In this way, too, sin becomes more utterly sinful, as St. Paul puts it. (cf. Rom. 7:13) 2

St. Servinus

We must acknowledge that God is happiness itself or we will never know what true happiness is! 1
Highest Providence often works a wonderful miracle: that of having evil men make others who are evil to become good. 2

St. Seraphim of Sarov

The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ's sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. 1

St. Sebastian Valfre

When it is all over you will not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered so little, and suffered that little so badly. 1

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

God does not require great achievements but a heart that holds back nothing for self. 1

St. Rose of Viterbo

Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength and consolation; and gives them a foretaste of the calm bliss of our heavenly home. 1

St. Rose of Lima

If only mortals would learn how great it is to possess divine grace, how beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights! No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that may happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men. 1

St. Robert Bellarmine

Let prayer delight thee more than disputations, and the charity which buildeth up more than the knowledge which puffeth up. 1

St. Richard Pampuri

Pray that neither self indulgence nor pride, nor any other evil passion, prevent me from seeing in my patients Jesus who suffers, and from healing and comforting Him. 1

St. Richard of Chichester

Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ. For all the benefits Thou hast given me. For all the pains and insults which Thou has borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, may I know Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly, day by day. Amen. 1

St. Remigius Isoré

I have heard that it is very difficult to convert Chinese, and so I had never, ever, wanted to go to China. A kind of resentment had slipped into my heart at the very word, China. But the Provincial enlightened me. I understood that it was the will of God that I should go to China. Joy and gratitude then filled my heart. 1

St. Raphael Kalinowski

God refuses only the person who does not admit his own weakness; ...The life of a soul who seeks true happiness clearly and indisputably depends on this: that those who seek their joy in God are the ones who give joy to God. 1

St. Rafqa Al-Rayes

O Christ, I unite my sufferings to yours, my pains with your pains, as I look at your head crowned with thorns. 1

St. Probus (Martyr)

The more my body suffers for Jesus Christ, the more is my soul refreshed. 1

St. Pope Pius X

My hope is in Christ, who strengthens the weakest by His Divine help. I can do all in Him who strengthens me. His Power is infinite, and if I lean on him, it will be mine. His Wisdom is infinite, and if I look to Him for counsel, I shall not be deceived. His Goodness is infinite, and if my trust is stayed in Him, I shall not be abandoned. 1

St. Philip Neri

Give me ten truly detached men. and I will convert the world with them. 101 St. Philip Neri
Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast. 1

If we wish to keep peace with our neighbor, we should never remind anyone of his natural defects. 2

First, let a little love find entrance into their hearts; and the rest will follow. 3

It is very useful for those who minister the Word of God to give themselves up to prayer, to read the works of authors who's names begin with "s", such as St. Augustine, St. Bernard, etc.. 4

When God intends to grant a man any particular virtue, it is His way to let him be tempted to the opposite vice. 5

St. Peter of Verona

Credo in unum Deo. - I believe in one God. (Written by him in his own blood from the Creed, while he was dying.) 1

St. Peter of Alcantara

He does much in the sight of God who does his best, be it ever so little. 1

I have made a contract with my body. It has promised to accept harsh treatment from me on earth, and I have promised that it shall receive eternal rest in heaven. 2

Truly, matters in the world are in a bad state; but if you and I begin in earnest to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made. 3

St. Paul of the Cross

Entrust yourself entirely to God. He is a father and a most loving father at that, who would rather let Heaven and Earth collapse than abandon anyone who trusted in Him. 1

St. Paul Miki

The Christian law commands that we forgive our enemies and those who have wronged us. I must therefore say here that I forgive Taikosama. I would rather have all the Japanese become Christians. (one of the Martyrs of Nagasaki) 1

St. Patrick of Ireland

I bind to myself today the power in the love of the Seraphim, in the obedience of the Angels, in the ministration of the Archangels, in the hope of Resurrection unto reward, in the prayers of the Patriarchs, in the predictions of the Prophets, in the preaching of the Apostles, in the faith of the Confessors, in the purity of the holy Virgins, in the deeds of Righteous men. 1

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

It is true that God's power triumphs over everything, but humble and suffering prayer prevails over God Himself. 1

He who does not meditate acts as one who never looks into the mirror and so does not bother to put himself in order, since he can be dirty without knowing it. The person who meditates and turns his thoughts to God who is the mirror of the soul, seeks to know his defects and tries to correct them, moderates himself in his impulses and puts his conscience in order. 2

Never rise from the table without having given thanks to the Lord. If we act in this way we need have no fear of the wretched sin of gluttony. 3

Do everything for the love of God and His glory without looking at the outcome of the undertaking. Work is judged, not by its result, but by its intention. 4

Stop entertaining those vain fears. Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virture. 5

You must speak to Jesus also with the heart, besides with the lips; indeed, in certain cases you must speak to Him only with the heart. 6

Do not worry over things that generate preoccupation, and anxiety. One thing only is necessary: to lift up your spirit and love God. 7

Often place your confidence in Divine Providence and be assured that sooner heaven and earth shall pass away than that the Lord neglect to protect you. 8

God loves man with an infinite love and when He punishes, He does so with reverence, almost fearing to hurt. 9

Say to God: Do you want greater love from me? I have no more. Give me more, therefore, and I will offer it to You. Don’t doubt. God will accept this offer. 10

Often kiss Jesus with affection and you will recompense Him for the sacrilegious kiss of the unfaithful Apostle, Judas. 11

Walk in the way of the Lord with simplicity and do not torment your spirit. You must hate your defects, but with a quiet hate, not troublesome and restless. 12

Why should you worry whether God wants you to reach the heavenly home by way of the desert or by the fields, when by the one as well as by the other one arrives all the same at a Blessed Eternity? Keep far from you excessive preoccupation which arises from the trials which the good God wishes to visit upon you. 13

Jesus who cannot suffer long to keep you in affliction will come to relieve and comfort you by infusing fresh courage into your soul. 14

The longer the trial to which God subjects you, the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of trial and in the exaltation after the combat. 15

You know well that at the birth of our Lord the shepherds heard the angelic and divine chants of the heavenly spirits. The Scriptures say so. But they do not say that his Virgin Mother andSt. Joseph, who were nearer to the Child, heard the voices of the angels or saw those miracles of splendor. On the contrary, they heard the Child weeping and saw by the light of a poor lantern the eyes of the Divine Child all bathed in tears, in sighs and shivering with cold. Now I ask you: Would you not have preferred to have been in the dark stable, filled with the cries of the little Child, rather than to have been with the shepherds, beside yourself with joy over those sweet melodies from heaven and the beauties of this wonderful splendor? 16

When you do not succeed in meditating well, do not for this reason cease to do your duty. If there are many distractions do not lose heart. Make a meditation of patience; you will profit all the same. 17

When you have distractions, don’t distract yourself still more by stopping to consider the why and the wheerefore. 18

Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virtue. 19

If the soul would know the merit which one acquires in temptations suffered in patience and conquered, it would be tempted to say: "Lord, send me temptations." 20

The devil is like a rabid dog tied to a chain; beyond the length of the chain he cannot seize anyone. And you: keep at a distance. If you approach too near, you let yourself be caught. Remember that the devil has only one door by which to enter the soul: the will. 21

It is necessary to be strong, in order to become great: that is our duty. Life is a struggle, which we cannot avoid. We must triumph! 22

That which comes from satan begins with calmness and ends in storm, indifference and apathy. 23

Always be faithful to God in keeping the promises made to Him and do not bother about the ridicule of the foolish. Know that the saints were always sneered at by the world and worldlings; and they have trampled them under foot and triumphed over the world and its maxims. 24

Continue to pray that God may console you when you feel that the weight of the Cross is becoming too burdensome. Acting thus you are not doing anything against the will of God, but are with the Son of God who, in the garden, asked His Father for some relief. 25

Walk the way of the Lord in simplicity. Do not torment your spirit. Say the truth, always the truth. 26

The mercy of God, my son, is infinitely greater than your malice. 27

On this earth everyone has his cross. But we must act in such a way that we be not the bad, but good thief. 28

Do not let your heart become troubled by the sad spectacle of human injustice. Even this has its value in the face of all else. And it is from this that one day you will see the justice of God rising with unfailing triumph. 29

Divine goodness not only does not reject the repentant soul, but always seeks to find even the obstinate. 30

Endeavor to unite to the simplicity of children the prudence of adults. 31

To doubt is the greatest insult to the Divinity. 32

In order to console a soul in it’s sufferings, point out to it all the good it can still do. 33

Obey promptly! Do not consider the age or merit of the person. And in order to succeed, imagine you are obeyng the Lord. 34

There can be no guilt except in that which the soul wills, or, not having willed it, approves it and does not make an effort to remove it. 35

Our Lord loves you and loves you tenderly; and if He does not let you feel the sweetness of His love, it is to make you more humble and abject in your own eyes. 36

Your temptations are from the devil and from Hell; but your sufferings and afflictions are from God and Heaven. 37

The prayers of the Saints in heaven and of the just on earth are a perfume which never will be lost. 38

Anxiety doesn't help at all. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayers. 39
St. Padre Pio
In the spiritual life, he who does not advance goes backwards. 40

Near us is a celestial spirit who, from the cradle to the tomb does not leave us for an instant. 41

You don't have to be worthy; you only have to be willing. 42

Humility, humility, and always humility. Satan fears and trembles before humble souls. 43

The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrificing, and with extreme effort. 44

The time spent for the glory of God and the salvation of souls is never spent badly. 45

Your tears were collected by the angels and were placed in a golden chalice, and you will find them when you present yourself before God. 46

The Cross will not crush you; if its weight makes you stagger, its power will also sustain you. 47

St. Maximus the Confessor

To harbor no envy, no anger, no resentment against an offender is still not to have charity for him. It is possible, without any charity, to avoid rendering evil for evil. But to render, spontaneously, good for evil -- such belongs to a perfect spiritual love. 1

Just as the intellect of a hungry man imagines bread and that of a thirsty man water, so the intellect of a glutton imagines a pro­fusion of foods, that of a sensualist the forms of women, that of a vain man worldly honor, that of an avaricious man financial gain, that of a rancorous man revenge on whoever has offended him, that of an envious man how to harm the object of his envy, and so on with all the other passions. For an intellect agitated by passions is beset by impassioned conceptual images whether the body is awake or asleep. . . When the desiring aspect of the soul is frequently excited, it implants in the soul a habit of self-indulgence which is difficult to break. When the soul's incensive power is constantly stimulated, it becomes in the end cowardly and unmanly. The first of these failings is cured by long exercise in fasting, vigils and prayer; the second by kindness, compassion, love and mercy. 2

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God's heart. 1

No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves? 2

The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers. 3

Don't you see that Satan and his agents take possession of all inventions and all achievements of progress to convert them to evil? All the more reason to finally wake up and and get to work in order to reconquer the positions taken up by the enemy. 4

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear. 1

A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more than a whole vase of the choicest contemplation. 2

Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear. 3

Know that the experience of pain is something so noble and precious that the Divine Word, who enjoyed the abundant riches of paradise, yet, because He was not clothed with this ornament of sorrow, came down from Heaven to seek it upon Earth. 4

St. Mary Joseph Rosello

The hands should be at work, the heart with God. 1

St. Martin de Porres

Compassion my dear brother is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create. 1

St. Mark the Ascetic

At the times when you remember God, increase your prayers, so that when you forget Him, the Lord may remind you. 1

St. Maria Mazarello

Make up your mind to become a saint. 1

Have love in your hearts but repress the tendency to appear devout. 2

St. Maria Goretti

He loves, He hopes, He waits. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep us waiting an instant. 1

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska

Remember this, Sister, for your whole life, as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls. 1

Make Christ more visible than we ourselves. 2

For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict. 3

St. Margaret of Cortona

In times of desolation, God conceals Himself from us so that we can discover for ourselves what we are without Him. 1

My daughter, I see more Pharisees among Christians than there were around Pilate. 2

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

What a weakness it is to love Jesus Christ only when He Caresses us, and to be cold immediately once He afflicts us. This is not true love. Those who love thus, love themselves too much to love God with all their heart. 1

Until we have acquired genuine prayer, we are like people teaching children to begin to walk. 2

What a weakness it is to love Jesus Christ only when He caresses us, and to be cold immediately once He afflicts us. This is not true love. Those who love thus, love themselves too much to love God with all their heart. 3

Look upon yourself as a tree planted beside the water, which bears its fruit in due season; the more it is shaken by the wind, the deeper it strikes its roots into the ground. 4

St. Madeline Sophie Barat

God does not ask of us the perfection of tomorrow, nor even of tonight, but only of the present moment. 1

St. Macarius the Great

This is the mark of Christianity--however much a man toils, and however many righteousnesses he performs, to feel that he has done nothing, and in fasting to say, "This is not fasting," and in praying, "This is not prayer," and in perseverance at prayer, "I have shown no perseverance; I am only just beginning to practice and to take pains"; and even if he is righteous before God, he should say, "I am not righteous, not I; I do not take pains, but only make a beginning every day." 1

St. Lydwine of Schiedam

Admire the goodness of the Creator, who causes the one to suffer in order to free the other. 1

St. Luigi Scrosoppi

The poor and the sick are our owners and they represent the very person of Jesus Christ. 1

St. Louise de Marillac

The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wonderous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers. Thus the decisions your children have made don't make you a failure as a parent in God's eyes. You are entitled to feel sorrow, but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God's grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary,at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to her,"With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart", she will attend to their souls. 1

St. Louis IX

In order to avoid discord, never contradict anyone except in case of sin or some danger to a neighbor; and when necessary to contradict others, do it with tact and not with temper. 1

In prosperity, give thanks to God with humility and fear lest by pride you abuse God's benefits and so offend him. 2

St. Louis de Montfort

When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer. 1

He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully, when he says even the smallest prayer, will also be faithful in great things. 2

St. Louis de Blois

Do not disturb yourself with vain curiosity concerning the affairs of others, nor how they conduct themselves, unless your position makes it your duty to do so. 1

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

If you consider the sacrament of penance, there are so many distorted confessions, so many studied excuses, so many deceitful repentances, so many false promises, so many ineffective resolutions, so many invalid absolutions! Would you regard as valid the confession of someone who accuses himself of sins of impurity and still holds to the occasion of them? Or someone who accuses himself of obvious injustices with no intention of making any reparation whatsoever for them? Or someone who falls again into the same iniquities right after going to confession? Oh, horrible abuses of such a great sacrament! One confesses to avoid excommunication, another to make a reputation as a penitent. One rids himself of his sins to calm his remorse, another conceals them out of shame. One accuses them imperfectly out of malice, another discloses them out of habit. One does not have the true end of the sacrament in mind, another is lacking the necessary sorrow, and still another firm purpose. Poor confessors, what efforts you make to bring the greater number of penitents to these resolutions and acts, without which confession is a sacrilege, absolution a condemnation and penance an illusion? 1

St. Lawrence O’Toole, Bishop

I thank God that I have not a penny in the world to dispose of. (On his deathbed when someone asked him if he had a will.) 1

St. Laurence

I give Thee thanks, Oh Christ! 849St. Laurence (On being struck with stones, smiling.)I come to thee, O good Jesus! (Being martyred.) 1

See, this side is well roasted; turn me on the other and eat. (To his executioner while over burning coals.) 2

St. Katherine Drexel

The patient and humble endurance of the Cross - whatever nature it may be - is the highest work we have to do. 1

St. Julie Billiart

I ought to die of shame to think I have not already died of gratitude to my good God. 1

St. Julian of Norwich

...for I well know that in the sight of our Lord God there is no chance or accident; wherefore I had to grant that all things that are done are well done, for our Lord does them all. 1

If there be anywhere on Earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it. But in falling and rising again, we are always kept in that same precious love. 2

For God says: Pray wholeheartedly. . . though you may feel nothing, though you may see nothing . . . for in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in weakness, then is your prayer most pleasing to Me. 3

St. Josephine Bakhita

One day I unwittingly made a mistake that incensed the master's son. He became furious, snatched me violently from my hiding place, and began to strike me ferociously with the lash and his feet. Finally he left me half dead, completely unconscious. Some slaves carried me away and lay me on a straw mat, where I remained for over a month. A woman skilled in this cruel art [tattooing] came to the general's house...our mistress stood behind us, whip in hand. The woman had a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor... When she had made her patterns; the woman took the razor and made incisions along the lines. Salt was poured into each of the wounds... My face was spared, but 6 patterns were designed on my breasts, and 60 more on my belly and arms. I thought I would die, especially when salt was poured in the wounds...it was by a miracle of God I didn't die. He had destined me for better things. (describing some miseries during her time as a slave.) 1

If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today… The Lord has loved me so much: we must love everyone… we must be compassionate! 2

I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me--I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good. 3

St. Joseph of Cupertino

Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession. 1

Pray to God, "You are the Spirit, and I am only the trumpet, and without your breath I can give no sound." 2

St. Joseph Calasanz

Moreover the strongest support is provided not only to protect the young from evil, but also to rouse them and attract them more easily and gently to the performance of good works. Like the twigs of plants, the young are easily influenced, as long as someone works to change their souls. But if they are allowed to grow hard, we know well that the possibility of one day bending them diminishes a great deal and is sometimes utterly lost. 1

St. Jose Maria Escriva'

Is it not true that your gloominess and bad temper are due to your lack of determination in breaking the subtle snares laid by your own disordered desires? The daily examination of conscience is an indispensible help if we are to follow our Lord with sincerity of heart and integrity of life. 1

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat. 2

You strayed from the way and did not return because you were ashamed. It would be more logical if you were ashamed not to return. 3

You don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of God, and as soon as you have said, 'Lord, I don't know how to pray!" you can be sure you have already begun.' 4

It's true he was a sinner. But don't pass so final a judgement. Have pity in your heart and don't forget that he may yet be an Augustine, while you remain just another mediocrity. 5

"Even if flesh is dressed in silk. . ." That's what I'll tell you when I see you waver in a temptation that hides its impurity under the name of art, science. . . or charity! With the words of an old proverb I'll tell you, "Even if flesh is dressed in silk, it's still flesh. 6

Et regni eius non erit finis-"His kingdom will have no end." Doesn't it fill you with joy to work for a kingdom like that? 7

If obedience does not give you peace, it is because you are proud. 8

You can be sure you are a man of God if you suffer injustice gladly and in silence. 9

St. John Vianney

The saints were so completely dead to themselves they cared very little whether others agreed with then or not! 1

If something uncharitable is said in your presence, either speak in favor of the absent, or withdraw, or if possible stop the conversation. 2

We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well. We know that God is there in His holy tabernacle; let us open our hearts to Him; let us rejoice in His Presence: This is the best prayer. 3

All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone - for the good, and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good. 4

The Holy Spirit rests in the soul of the righteous just like the dove in her nest. He hatches good desires in a pure soul, as the dove hatches her young. 5

God is like a mother who carries her child in her arms by the edge of a precipice. While she is seeking all the time to keep him from danger, he is doing his best to get into it. 6

Humility is to the various virtues what the chain is in a Rosary. Take away the chain and the beads are scattered; remove humility, and all virtues vanish. 7

When it's God Who is speaking . . . the proper way to behave is to imitate someone who has an irresistible curiosity and who listens at keyholes. You must listen to everything God says at the keyhole of your heart. 8

Envy is a sadness which we feel on account of the good that happens to our neighbour. 9

... whoever is envious is proud. ... envy comes to us from Hell; the devils having sinned through pride, sinned also through envy, envying our glory, our happiness. ... Why do we envy the happiness and the goods of others? Because we are proud; we should like to be the sole possessors of talents, riches, of the esteem and love of all the world! We hate our equals, because they are our equals; our inferiors, from the fear that they may equal us; our superiors, because they are above us. In the same way, my children, that the devil after his fall felt, and still feels, extreme anger at seeing us the heirs of the glory of the good God, so the envious man feels sadness at seeing the spiritual and temporal prosperity of his neighbour. We walk, my children, in the footsteps of the devil; like him, we are vexed at good, and rejoice at evil. If our neighbour loses anything, if his affairs go wrong, if he is humbled, if he is unfortunate, we are joyful. . . we triumph! The devil, too, is full of joy and triumph when we fall, when he can make us fall as low as himself. ... Shall we be richer, because our neighbour is poorer? Shall we be greater, because he is less? Shall we be happier, because he is more unhappy? St. Cyprian said that other evils had limits, but that envy had none. In fact, my children, the envious man invents all sorts of wickedness; he has recourse to evil speaking, to calumny, to cunning, in order to blacken his neighbour; he repeats what he knows, and what he does not know he invents, he exaggerates. . . Through the envy of the devil, death entered into the world; and also through envy we kill our neighbour; by dint of malice, of falsehood, we make him lose his reputation, his place. . . 10

We must always choose the most perfect. Two good works present themselves to be done, one in favour of a person we love, the other in favour of a person who has done us some harm. Well, we must give preference to the latter. 11

God is always almighty; He can at all times work miracles, and He would work them now as in the days of old were it not that faith is lacking! 12

When we must do something we dislike, let us say to God, " My God I offer You this in honor of the moment when You died for me. 13

All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone - for the good, and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good. 14

I turn to you, dear parents, and implore you to imitate the HolyFamily of Nazareth. 15

We have nothing but our will. It is the only thing which has been so placed in our own power that we can make an offering of it to God. 16

It is not the sinner who comes back to God to ask His pardon, but God Himself who runs after the sinner and who brings him back to Himself. 17

The devil writes down our sins--our guardian angel all our merits. Labor that the guardian angel's book may be full and the Devil's empty. 18

One must do all one can do for everybody, expecting no return save from God only. 19

God's mercy is like an unleashed torrent. It bears all hearts away in its flood. 20

Remain humble, remain simple; the more you are so, the more good you will do. 21

Here is a rule for everyday life: Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God. 22

Just as a mother holds her child's face in her hands to cover it with kisses, so does God hold (us). 23

When we do something we dislike, let us say to God, "My God, I offer You this in honor of the moment when You died for me. 24

St. John of the Cross

Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent. 1

They say, "God told me", or "God replied to me". And yet most of the time they are talking to themselves. 2

The purest suffering bears and carries in its train the purest understanding. 3

The soul that journey's to God, but doesn't shake off it's cares and quiet it's appetities, is like someone who drags a cart of dirt uphill. 4

Would that men might come at last to see that it is quite impossible to reach the thicket of the riches and wisdom of God except by first entering the thicket of much suffering, in such a way that the soul finds there its consolation and desire. The soul that longs for divine wisdom chooses first, and in truth, to enter the thicket of the cross. 5

Who teaches the soul if not God? 6

God desires from you the least degree of purity of conscience more than all the works you can perform. 7

Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing. 8

He who loses an opportunity is like the man who lets a bird fly from his hand, for he will never recover it. 9

Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved. 10

What kind of man was this saint who is so seldom well understood? We may say that he was serene, plain, simple... fearless of enemies but gentle towards everyone... intelligent and logical.. outspoken but soft spoken.. powerfully resolute and completely honest... moderate but by no means mediocre.. uncompromising with principles but compassionate with human failings.. poetically brilliant but no weaver of euphemisms.. hard on himself but tender with others. (Thomas Dubay, on St. John of the Cross) 11

Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God? 12

Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God? 13

What does it profit you to give God one thing if he asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it. You will satisfy your heart better than with something toward which you are inclined. 14

God does not fit in an occupied heart. 15

God like the sun, stands above souls ready to communicate himself. 16

To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. 17

God passes through the thicket of the world and wherever the divine glance falls, all things are turned to beauty. 18

How gently and lovingly You wake in my heart, where in secret You dwell alone; and in your sweet breathing filled with good and glory, how tenderly You swell my heart with love. 19

St. John of Kanty

Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause. 1

St. John of God

Love the poor tenderly, regarding them as your masters and yourselves as their servants. 1

Just as water extinguishes a fire, so love wipes away sin. 2

St. John of Damascus

The saints must be honored as friends of Christ and children and heirs of God. Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics, and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering, and perseverance unto death so that we may also share their crowns of glory. 1

St. John Joseph

How do you think that with a bone only three fingers high we should understand the meanings of the designs of God? (tapping his forehead) 1

St. John Henry Cardinal Newman

A thousand difficulties do not make a single doubt. 1

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. 2

St. John Eudes

A Christian has a union with Jesus Christ more noble, more intimate and more perfect than the members of a human body have with their head. 1

O, Sacred fires & flames of the heart of my Savior, rush in upon my heart and the hearts of all my brethren, and kindle them into as many furnaces of love for my most loving Jesus. 2

St. John Climacus

Humility is the only thing that no devil can imitate. If pride made demons out of angels, there is no doubt that humility could make angels out of demons. 1

Men can heal the lustful. Angels can heal the malicious. Only God can heal the proud. 2

If pride turned some of the angels into demons, then humility can doubtless make angels out of demons. So take heart, all you sinners. 3

Like the sun which shines on all alike, vainglory beams on every occupation. What I mean is this. I fast, and turn vainglorious. I stop fasting so that I will draw no attention to myself, and I become vainglorious over my prudence. I dress well or badly, and am vainglorious in either case. I talk or I hold my peace, and each time I am defeated. No matter how I shed this prickly thing, a spike remains to stand up against me. 4

A fox pretends to be asleep; the body and the demons pretend to be chaste. The former is on the watch to seize a bird, the latter to catch a soul. So as long as you live, never trust that clay of which you are made and never depend on it until the time you stand before Christ Himself. And never imagine that abstinence will keep you from falling. It was a being who never ate that was nevertheless thrown out of heaven. 5

St. John Chrysostom

Imagine your anger to be a kind of wild beast, because it has ferocious teeth and claws, and if you don't tame it, it will devastate all things even corrupting the soul. 1

We ought not, as soon as we leave church, to plunge into business unsuited to church, but as soon as we get home, we should take the Scriptures into our hands, and call our wife and children to join us in putting together what we have heard in church. 2

No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbour a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all. 3

If we have obtained the grace of God, none shall prevail against us, but we shall be stronger than all who oppose us. 4

To commit a murder, besides the not having the person in your power, there are many measures and precautions to take. A favorable opportunity must be waited for, and a place must be selected before we can put so damnable a design into execution. More than this, the pistols may misfire, blows may not be sufficient, and all wounds are not mortal. But to deprive a man of his reputation and honor, one word is sufficient. By finding out the most sensitive part of his honor, you may tarnish his reputation by telling it to all who know him, and easily take away his character for honor and integrity. To do this, however, no time is required, for scarcely have you complacently cherished the wish to calumniate him, than the sin is effected. 5

So good a thought is virtue that even its enemies applaud and admire it. 6

It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer and a virtuous life. 7

We take care of our possessions for our children, but the children themselves we take no care of at all. What an absurdity this is! Form the soul of the son aright, and all the rest will be added afterward. 8

Poor human reason, when it trusts in itself, it substitutes the strangest absurdities for the highest divine concepts. 9

If the Lord should give you power to raise the dead, He would give much less than He does when he bestows suffering. By miracles you would make yourself debtor to Him, while by suffering He may become debtor to you. And even if sufferings had no other reward than being able to bear something for that God who loves you, is not this a great reward and a sufficient remuneration? Whoever loves, understands what I say. 10

Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness. 11

Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbor. 12

For can anyone be excused who, by ceasing to pray, has shown that he did not wish to overcome his enemy. 13

The desire to rule is the mother of heresies. 14

There is nothing more powerful than a person praying well. 15

Every family should have a room where Christ is welcome in the person of the hungry and thirsty stranger. 16

There is only one thing to be feared and that is sin. Everything else is beside the point. 17

We await the final outcome of events, remembering who it is who plows the earth of our souls. 18

St. John Cassian

Our eighth struggle is against the demon of pride, a most sinister demon, fiercer than all that have been discussed up till now. He attacks the perfect above all and seeks to destroy those who have mounted almost to the heights of holiness. Just as a deadly plague destroys not just one member of the body, but the whole of it, so pride corrupts the whole soul, not just part of it. Each of the other passions that trouble the soul attacks and tries to overcome the single virtue which is opposed to it, and so it darkens and troubles the soul only partially. But the passion of pride darkens the soul completely and leads to its utter downfall. ... But when the vice of pride has become master of our wretched soul, it acts like some harsh tyrant who has gained control of a great city, and destroys it completely, razing it to its foundations. The angel who fell from heaven because of his pride bears witness to this. He had been created by God and adorned with every virtue and all wisdom, but he did not want to ascribe this to the grace of the Lord. He ascribed it to his own nature and as a result regarded himself as equal to God.

St. John Cantius

Avoid slander because it is difficult to retract. Avoid offending anyone for to ask forgiveness is not delightful. 1

St. John Cafasso

Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more. 1

St. John Bosco

Never read books you aren't sure about . . . even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup? 1

You can do nothing with children unless you win their confidence and love by bringing them into touch with yourself, by breaking through all the hindrances that keep them at a distance. We must accommodate ourselves to their tastes, we must make ourselves like them. 2

When tempted, invoke your angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel. 3

Fly from bad companions as from the bite of a poisonous snake. If you keep good companions, I can assure you that you will one day rejoice with the blessed in Heaven; whereas if you keep with those who are bad, you will become bad yourself, and you will be in danger of losing your soul. 4

St. John Berchmans

Our true worth does not consist in what human beings think of us. What we really are consists in what God knows us to be. 1

St. John Baptiste de la Salle

We should have frequent recourse to prayer, and persevere a long time in it. God wishes to be solicited. He id not weary of hearing us. The treasure of His graces is infinite. We can do nothing more pleasing to him than to beg incessantly that He bestow them upon us. 1

An evil thought defiles the soul when it is deliberate and consented to. Our Lord placed evil thoughts at the head of all crimes, because they are their principle and source. 2

St. Joan of Arc

About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they're just one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter. 1

I fear nothing for God is with me. 2

St. Jerome

It is not enough for me that God has given me grace once, but He must give it always. I ask, that I may receive; and when I have received, I ask again. I am covetous of receiving God's bounty. He is never slow in giving, nor am I ever weary of receiving. The more I drink, the more thirsty I become. 1

It is our part to seek, His to grant what we ask; ours to make a beginning, His to bring it to completion; ours to offer what we can, His to finish what we cannot. 2

It is our part to seek, His to grant what we ask; ours to make a beginning, His to bring it to completion; ours to offer what we can, His to finish what we cannot. 3

You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard.... But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs? (from Against Vigilantius, 406AD) 4

Thank God I am deemed worthy to be hated by the world. 5

Misfortune is never mournful to the soul that accepts it; for such do always see that in every cloud is an angel's face. 6

We must love Christ and always seek Christ's embraces. Then everything difficult will seem easy. 7

Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you. 8

St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney

Do not be afraid. Death is only God who is passing by. 1

It is not surprising, then, that the devil should do everything possible to influence us to give up prayer or to pray badly, because he knows better than we do how terrible it is for hell and how impossible it is that God should refuse us what we ask Him for in prayer. 2

I thought a time would come when people would rout me out of Ars with sticks, when the Bishop would suspend me, and I should end my days in prison. I see, however, that I am not worthy of such a grace. 3

Go to the cemetary and see what you love, when you love your body. 4

On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight -- we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses, and make use of them to take us to heaven? 5

My dear brethren, I call that man bad company who is without religion, who does not concern himself with either the commandments of God or those of the Church, who does not recognize Lent or Easter, who seldom comes to church or, if he does come, then only to scandalize others by his irreligious ways. You ought to shun his company; otherwise you will not be long in becoming like him without your even noticing it. 6

Alas! O God! there is reason enough to be terrified, to think that one is accursed -- accursed of God! and why? for what do men expose themsleves to be accursed of God? For a blasphemy, for a bad thought, for a bottle of wine, for two minutes of pleasure! For two minutes of pleasure to lose God, one's soul, heaven for ever! 7

See, my children, a person who is in a state of sin is always sad. Whatever he does, he is weary and disgusted with every thing; while he who is at peace with God is always happy, always joyous. . . Oh, beautiful life! Oh, beautiful death! 8

Oh, how I like those little mortifications that are seen by nobody, such as rising a quarter of an hour sooner, rising for a little while in the night to pray! 9

How about the sin, then, of a husband and wife, of a brother and sister, who spew out all sorts of blasphemies upon one another? They would tear out one another's eyes if they could, or even take away each other's lives. . . They do not appreciate what they are saying. Alas! Unhappy people, your curses take effect more often than you think. . . But what should we do then? This is what we should do. We should make use of all the annoyances that happen to us to remind ourselves that since we are in revolt against God, it is but just that other creatures should revolt against us. We should never give others occasion to curse us. . . If something irritating or troublesome happens, instead of loading with curses whatever is not going the way we want it, it would be just as easy and a great deal more beneficial for us to say: "God bless it! 10

On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful. Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses. . . We have not the courage to carry our cross, and we are very much mistaken; for, whatever we do, the cross holds us tight -- we cannot escape from it. What, then, have we to lose? Why not love our crosses, and make use of them to take us to heaven? 11

The good God is as prompt to grant us pardon when we ask it of Him, as a mother is to snatch her children out of the fire. 12

A humble and well-taught person, if he is asked his opinion, gives it at once, and then lets others speak. Whether they are right, or whether they are wrong, he says nothing more. 13

A humble and well-taught person, if he is asked his opinion, gives it at once, and then lets others speak. Whether they are right, or whether they are wrong, he says nothing more. 14

St. Jeanne de Chantal

Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to him. That is all the doing you have to worry about. 1

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

There is no danger if our prayer is without words or reflection because the good success of prayer depends neither on words nor on study. It depends upon the simple raising of our minds to God, and the more simple and stripped of feeling it is, the surer it is. 1

Hell is full of the talented, but Heaven of the energetic. 2

Suffering borne in the will quietly and patiently is a continual, very powerful prayer before God. 3

When shall it be that we shall taste the sweetness of the Divine Will in all that happens to us, considering in everything only His good pleasure, by whom it is certain that adversity is sent with as much love as prosperity, and as much for our good? When shall we cast ourselves undeservedly into the arms of our most loving Father in Heaven, leaving to Him the care of ourselves and of our affairs, and reserving only the desire of pleasing Him, and of serving Him well in all that we can? 4

When shall it be that we shall taste the sweetness of the Divine Will in all that happens to us, considering in everything only His good pleasure, by whom it is certain that adversity is sent with as much love as prosperity, and as much for our good? When shall we cast ourselves undeservedly into the arms of our most loving Father in Heaven, leaving to Him the care of ourselves and of our affairs, and reserving only the desire of pleasing Him, and of serving Him well in all that we can? 5

We must serve our Lord according to his liking and not according to our own. 6

St. Isidore of Seville

The more we are afflicted in this world, the greater is our assurance in the next; the more we sorrow in the present, the greater will be our joy in the future. 1

Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy. 2

Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. ... If a man wants to be always in God's company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. 3

All hope consists in confession. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. 4

All hope consists in confession. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. 5

St. Isaac Jogues

My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings. 1

St. Irenaeus of Lyons

As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbours, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a stranger to the love of the Lord. 1

St. Ignatius of Loyola

After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan's temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he'll have an incentive to leave you alone. 1

No idle word should be uttered. I understand a word to be idle when it serves no good purpose, either for myself or for another, and was not intended to do so. 2

Do not let any occasion of gaining merit pass without taking care to draw some spiritual profit from it; as, for example, from a sharp word which someone may say to you; from an act of obedience imposed against your will; from an opportunity which may occur to humble yourself, or to practice charity, sweetness, and patience. All of these occasions are gain for you, and you should seek to procure them; and at the close of that day, when the greatest number of them have come to you, you should go to rest most cheerful and pleased ... 3

Receive Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will, that you dispose of me. Give me only your love and your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask. 4

If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ. 5

Few there are who avail themselves of the Precious Blood of Jesus to purchase their salvation! 6

Labor to conquer yourself. This victory will assure you a brighter crown in heaven than they gain whose disposition is more amiable. 7

I will carefully consider how, on the day of judgment, I would wish to have discharged my office or my duty; and the way I would wish to have done it then, I shall do now. 8

Love ought to consist of deeds more than of words. 9

Idleness begets a life of discontent. It develops self-love, which is the cause of our miseries and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love. 10

Teach us, Good Lord, to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do thy will. 11

St. Ignatius of Antioch

A Christian is not his own master, since all his time belongs to God. 1

Mary's viginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world; these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence. 2

Where there is schism and anger, there is no place for God. 3

I protest to everyone that I die for God willingly, if only you do not hinder me. I implore you, do not proffer me an unseasonable kindness. Let the wild beasts have me, for through them my way to God lies open. I am God's wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ. Rather, entice the wild animals that they may become my tomb, and leave nothing at all of my body. Thus when I sleep in death I shall burden no one. Then shall I be truly a disciple of Jesus Christ when the world cannot see even my body. Beseech the Lord on my behalf, that through these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God... May the beasts prepared for me by my joy! And I pray that they will make short work of me. I will coax them with flattery to devour me without delay, and not treat me as some others whom they have been afraid to touch. But if they should be reluctant and unwilling, I will compel them by force. (martyr, 107 A.D.) 4

Now do I begin to be a disciple of Christ, and care for nothing in this world, that so I may find Jesus. Let fire, or the cross, or wild beasts, or the breaking of my bones, or the cutting of me to pieces, or the shattering of my whole body, yea, all the tortures of the devil - let them all come upon me, only let me enjoy my God. 5

St. Hildegarde of Bingen

God hugs us. 1

When I gaze with open eyes at what You, my God have created here, heaven is already mine. 2

St. Hilary of Poitiers

To those who wish to stand in God's grace, neither the guardianship of saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting. (Commentary on the Psalms, 365AD) 1

St. Hesychois

The more rain falls on the earth, the softer it makes it. Similarly, Christ's holy name gladdens the earth of our heart the more we call upon it. 1

St. Henry Suso

Remember that you will derive strength by reflecting that the saints yearn for you to join their ranks; desire to see you fight bravely, and that you behave like true knights in your encounters with the same adversities which they had to conquer, and that breathtaking joy is theirs and your eternal reward for having endured a few years of temporal pain. Every drop of earthly bitterness will be changed into an ocean of heavenly sweetness. 1

St. Gregory of Nyssa

Only in the spiritual life are children free to choose their parents. 1

St. Gregory Nazianzen

Let us not esteem worldly prosperity or adversity as things real or of any moment, but let us live elsewhere, and raise all our attention to Heaven; esteeming sin as the only true evil, and nothing truly good, but virtue which unites us to God. 1

Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us. He assumed the worse that He might give us the better; He became poor that we through His poverty might be rich. 2

If you, husbands, would have your wives faithful, be it yours to set them the example. How have you the face to exact purity from your wives if you yourself live an impure life? or how can you require that which you do not give in return? If you would have them chaste, let your own conduct to them be chaste. St. Paul bids you possess your vessel in sanctification; but if, on the contrary, you teach them evil, no wonder that they dishonour you. And ye, O women! whose honour is inseparable from modesty and purity, preserve it jealously, and never allow the smallest speck to soil the whiteness of your reputation. Shrink sensitively from the veriest trifles which can touch it; never permit any gallantries whatsoever. Suspect any who presume to flatter your beauty or grace, for when men praise wares they cannot purchase they are often tempted to steal; and if any one should dare to speak in disparagement of your husband, show that you are irrecoverably offended, for it is plain that he not only seeks your fall, but he counts you as half fallen, since the bargain with the new-comer is half made when one is disgusted with the first merchant. Ladies both in ancient and modern times have worn pearls in their ears, for the sake (so says Pliny) of hearing them tinkle against each other. But remembering how that friend of God, Isaac, sent earrings as first pledges of his love to the chaste Rebecca, I look upon this mystic ornament as signifying that the first claim a husband has over his wife, ... 446 St. Gregory NazianzenMan by prayer merits to receive that which God had from all eternity determined to give him. 3

St. Gertrude the Great

God, my God, because you are mine, I lack nothing. 1

St. Gerard Majella

Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart? 1

I would give my life a thousand times that God might not be offended. 2

St. Gemma Galgani

Remember, child, that one who truly loves Jesus speaks little and endures much. I command thee on the part of Jesus, never to give thy opinion unless it is asked; never to maintain thy opinion, but be silent at once. When thou hast committed any fault, accuse thyself of it at once without waiting for others to do so …. Remember to guard thine eyes and reflect that the mortified eye shall behold the beauties of Heaven. (The guardian angel of St. Gemma Galgani, asking her to write these words as he said them to her.) 1

O my soul, bless Jesus. Never forget the many graces He has given thee. Love that God who so loves thee. Lift thyself up to Him, who has lowered Himself for thee; show thyself as He shows Himself with thee; be clean of heart, be pure. Love thy Jesus, who has lifted thee out of so much misery. Love thy God, bless thy Lord. 2

St. Gaspar del Bufalo

Often tell Jesus that you love him very much, and that you wish to die for love of him. 1

St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother

I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God's Holy Will, not my own! 1

St. Francis Xavier

Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. 1

It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man's progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken. 2

Be great in little things. 3

St. Francis of Paola

St. Francis of Assisi

You should never praise anyone until you see how he turns out in the end! 1

Here is one of the best means to acquire humility; fix well in mind this maxim: One is as much as he is in the sight of God, and no more. 2

Many would be willing to have afflictions provided that they not be inconvenienced by them. 3

It would be considered a theft on our part if we didn't give to someone in greater need than we are. 4

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. 5

... our Lord Jesus, whose footsteps we ought to follow, called his betrayer "friend," and offered himself willingly to his executioners. Therefore all those who unjustly inflict upon us tribulations, anguish, shame and injuries, sorrows and torments, martyrdom and death, are our friends whom we ought to love much, because we shall gain eternal life by those things which they make us suffer. And let us hate our body with its vices and sins, because by living in pleasures it wishes to rob us of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life, and to lose itself with everything else in hell. 6

... all creatures under heaven, according to their nature, know, serve, and obey their Creater better than you; the devils did not crucify him, but you, incited by them, have crucified him, and still crucify him when you delight in vice and sin. 7

Jesus is happy to come with us, as truth is happy to be spoken, as life to be lived, as light to be lit, as love is to be loved, as joy to be given, as peace to be spread. 8

We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen away, and to bring home those who have lost their way. Many who seem to us to be children of the Devil will still become Christ's disciples. 9

Jesus is happy to come with us, as truth is happy to be spoken, as life to be lived, as light to be lit, as love is to be loved, as joy to be given, as peace to be spread. 10

By the anxieties and worries of this life Satan tries to dull man's heart and make a dwelling for himself there. 11

Even though I had committed but one little sin, I should have ample reason to repent of it all my life. 12

When I think of the happiness that is in store for me, every sorrow, every pain becomes dear to me. 13

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. 14

Keep a clear eye toward life's end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God's creature. What you are in His sight is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing you have received...but only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage. 15

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self. 16

St. Francis de Sales

Though perseverance does not come from our power, yet it comes from within our power. 1

It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially. 2

Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry. 3

The highest degree of meekness consists in seeing, serving, honoring, and treating amiably, on occasion, those who are not to our taste, and who show themselves unfriendly, ungrateful, and troublesome to us. 4

Go to your confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity. For God, Who has an infinite love for obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, but especially from those who are the guides of our souls. 5

In order to acquire tranquility in action it is necessary to carefully consider what we are capable of accomplishing and never to undertake more than that. It is self-love, ever more anxious to do much rather than to do well and this self-love that wishes to undertake everything and accomplishes nothing! 6

As soon as worldly people see that you wish to follow a devout life they aim a thousand darts of mockery and even detraction at you. The most malicious of them will slander your conversion as hypocrisy, bigotry, and trickery. They will say that the world has turned against you and being rebuffed by it you have turned to God. Your friends will raise a host of objections which they consider very prudent and charitable. They will tell you that you will become depressed, lose your reputation in the world, be unbearable, and grow old before your time, and that your affairs at home will suffer. You must live in the world like one in the world. They will say that you cansave your soul without going to such extremes, and a thousand similar trivialities. 7

Philothea, all this is mere foolish, empty babbling. These people aren't interested in your health or welfare. "If you were of the world, the world would love what is its own but because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you," says the Savior. We have seen gentlemen and ladies spend the whole night, even many nights one after another, playing chess or cards. Is there any concentration more absurd, gloomy, or depressing than this last? Yet worldly people don't say a word and the players' friends don't bother their heads about it. If we spend an hour in meditation or get up a little earlier than usual in the morning to prepare for Holy Communion, everyone runs for a doctor to cure us of hypochondria and jaundice. People can pass thirty nights in dancing and no one complains about it, but if they watch through a single Christmas night they cough and claim their stomach is upset the next morning. Does anyone fail to see that the world is an unjust judge, gracious and well disposed to its own children but harsh and rigorous towards the children of God? 8

We can never please the world unless we lose ourselves together with it. It is so demanding that it can't be satisfied. "John came neither eating nor drinking," says the Savior, and you say, "He has a devil." "The Son of man came eating and drinking" and you say that he is "a Samaritan." It is true, Philothea, that if we are ready to laugh, play cards, or dance with the world in order to please it, it will be scandalized at us, and if we don't, it will accuse us of hypocrisy or melancholy. If we dress well, it will attribute it to some plan we have, and if we neglect our dress, it will accuse of us of being cheap and stingy. Good humor will be called frivolity and mortification sullenness. Thus the world looks at us with an evil eye and we can never please it. It exaggerates our imperfections and claims they are sins, turns our venial sins into mortal sins and changes our sins of weakness into sins of malice. 9

"Charity is kind," says Saint Paul, but the world on the contrary is evil. "Charity thinks no evil," but the world always thinks evil and when it can't condemn our acts it will condemn our intentions. Whether the sheep have horns or not and whether they are white or black, the wolf doesn't hesitate to eat them if he can. Whatever we do, the world will wage war on us. If we stay a long time in the confessional, it will wonder how we can have so much to say; if we stay only a short time, it will say we haven't told everything. It will watch all our actions and at a single little angry word it will protest that we can't get along with anyone. To take care of our own interests will look like avarice, while meekness will look like folly. As for the children of the world, their anger is called being blunt, their avarice economy, their intimate conversations lawful discussions. Spiders always spoil the good work of the bees. 10

The Prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom! 11

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. 12

The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost heart. He has blessed it with His holy name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God. 13

Perfection of life is the perfection of love. For love is the life of the soul. 14

We must needs occasionally relax the mind, and the body requires some recreation also. Cassian relates how St. John the Evangelist was found by a certain hunter amusing himself by caressing a partridge, which sat upon his wrist. The hunter asked how a man of his mental powers could find time for so trifling an occupation. In reply, St. John asked why he did not always carry his bow strung? The man answered, Because, if always bent, the bow would lose its spring when really wanted. "Do not marvel then," the Apostle replied, "if I slacken my mental efforts from time to time, and recreate myself, in order to return more vigorously to contemplation." It is a great mistake to be so strict as to grudge any recreation either to others or one's self. 15

Anxiety arises from an unregulated desire to be delivered from any pressing evil, or to obtain some hoped-for good. Nevertheless nothing tends so greatly to enchance the one or retard the other as over-eagerness and anxiety. Birds that are captured in nets and snares become inextricably entangled therein, because they flutter and struggle so much. Therefore, whensoever you urgently desire to be delivered from any evil, or to attain some good thing, strive above all else to keep a calm, restful spirit, - steady your judgment and will, and then go quietly and easily after your object, taking all fitting means to attain thereto. By easily I do not mean carelessly, but without eagerness, disquietude or anxiety; otherwise, so far from bringing about what you wish, you will hinder it, and add more and more to your perplexities. 16

We are not drawn to God by iron chains, but by sweet attractions and holy inspirations. 17

Anxiety is a temptation in itself and also the source from and by which other temptations come. 18

In prayer, more is accomplished by listening than by talking. Let us leave to God the decisions as to what shall be said. 19

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. 20

We are humble only in so far as we are obedient. 21

During the course of the day, recollect as often as you can that you stand in the presence of God. Consider what He does and what you are doing. You will find His eyes turned towards you and perpetually fixed on you with an incomparable love. 22

There is nothing small in the service of God. 23

The state of marriage is one that requires more virtue and constancy than any other; it is a perpetual exercise in mortification. 24

Do you seriously wish to travel the road to devotion? If so, look for a good person to guide and lead you. 25

We may be excused for not always being bright, but we are not excused for not being gracious, yielding and considerate. 26

What we need is a cup of understanding, a barrel of love, and an ocean of patience. 27

Just as the surest cure for lying is to unsay a falsehood as soon as we are conscious of having told it, so the best cure for anger is to make immediate reparation in meekness; for, as the proverb says, fresh wounds are always the easiest to heal. 28

The Prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom! 29

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Woe to me if I should prove myself but a halfhearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain. 1

St. Faustina Kowalska

I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it. (the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to her in a vision) 1

O, my Jesus, I understand well that, just as illness is measured with a thermometer and a high fever tells us of the seriousness of the illness; so also, in the spiritual life, suffering is the thermometer which measures the love of God in a soul. 2

May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of...unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor. 3

I thank God for this illness and these physical discomforts, because I have the time to converse with the Lord Jesus. 4

A soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat. 5

God does not give Himself to a chattering soul which, like a drone in a beehive, buzzes around but gathers no honey. A talkative soul is empty inside. It lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others. I have seen many souls in the depths of hell of hell for not having kept their silence; they told me so themselves when I asked them what was the cause of their undoing. 6

I tremble to think that I have to give an account of my tongue. ... Sometimes we kill with the tongue: we commit real murders. 7