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
Sunday
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Saturday
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
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
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
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
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
Friday
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
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. 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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
St. Esebius
Lord Jesus, preserve me. Whether we live or die, we are thine. (While being tortured.) 1
St. Epicuris
Only one principle will give you courage, that is the principle that no evil lasts for ever, nor indeed for very long. 1
St. Ephraem the Syrian
It is blasphemy if you pray before God while you are full of anger." 78St. Ephraem the Syrian
When you love unseemly conversation, you prepare a feast for demons and sell your soul for their fodder. 1
Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven. 2
Have mercy, O Lord, on my children, in my children. Call to mind your childhood. You who were a child. Let them that are like your childhood be saved by your grace. 3
Do nothing at all unless you begin with prayer. 4
When you love unseemly conversation, you prepare a feast for demons and sell your soul for their fodder. 1
Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven. 2
Have mercy, O Lord, on my children, in my children. Call to mind your childhood. You who were a child. Let them that are like your childhood be saved by your grace. 3
Do nothing at all unless you begin with prayer. 4
St. Elizabeth of Toss'
My daughter, justice has already been done to God the Father for your sins, and full satisfaction made to him already for everything, according to the demands of justice. For if you have offended God with all the limbs of your body, I have suffered for your sins and those of the entire human race in all the limbs of my body. For if you have offended with your hands and feet, my hands and my feet were fixed with harshest nails to the wood of the cross. If you have offended with your head, my head was lacerated most painfully with thorns. If with your eyes, my eyes were bound and covered with a blindfold. If with your ears, my ears heard blasphemies and revolting insults. If with your tongue, my tongue was sprinkled with strong vinegar and torn. If with your heart, my heart was pierced with a lance. If you have offended God with your entire body, my entire body has been scourged, so that from the soles of my feet to the top of my head there could be seen in me no trace of wholeness (Is 1:6). You can therefore see, daughter, that suitable satisfaction has been most justly done to God the Father for your sins. Truly, I have borne in my heart the languors of every sin and their sorrows - I who did no sin, nor was any guile found in my mouth (Is 53:9). (The Lord Jesus Christ to
St. Elizabeth, from 'The Revelations of St. Elizabeth of Toss') 1
St. Elizabeth, from 'The Revelations of St. Elizabeth of Toss') 1
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
One must erase the word discouragement from one's dictionary of love. 1
It is within you that I must search for myself. 2
During painful times, when you feel a terrible void, think how the capacity of your soul is being enlarged so that it can receive God-- becoming as it were, infinite as God is infinite. 3
It is within you that I must search for myself. 2
During painful times, when you feel a terrible void, think how the capacity of your soul is being enlarged so that it can receive God-- becoming as it were, infinite as God is infinite. 3
St. Elizebeth Ann Seton
The love of talk distracts all the powers of our soul from God, and fills them with earthly objects and impressions, like a vessel of water that cannot be settled while you are continualy stirring the earthly particles from the bottom. 1
We must often draw the comparison between time and eternity. This is the remedy of all our troubles. How small will the present moment appear when we enter that great ocean. 2
If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate . . . Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better. 3
Can you expect to go to heaven for nothing? Did not our Savior track the whole way to it with His tears and blood? And yet you stop at every little pain. 4
The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him. 5
The gate of heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it. 6
Can you expect to go to Heaven for nothing? Did not our dear Savior track the whole way to it with His Blood and tears? 7
We must often draw the comparison between time and eternity. This is the remedy of all our troubles. How small will the present moment appear when we enter that great ocean. 2
If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate . . . Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better. 3
Can you expect to go to heaven for nothing? Did not our Savior track the whole way to it with His tears and blood? And yet you stop at every little pain. 4
The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him. 5
The gate of heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it. 6
Can you expect to go to Heaven for nothing? Did not our dear Savior track the whole way to it with His Blood and tears? 7
St. Edmund
It is better to say one Our Father fervently and devoutly than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction. 1
St. Edith Stein
Whatever did not fit in with my plan did lie within the plan of God. I have an ever deeper and firmer belief that nothing is merely an accident when seen in the light of God, that my whole life down to the smallest details has been marked out for me in the plan of Divine Providence and has a completely coherent meaning in God's all-seeing eyes. And so I am beginning to rejoice in the light of glory wherein this meaning will be unveiled to me. 1
God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need. Then the rest of the day can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace. And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him. Then you will be able to rest in Him -- really rest -- and start the next day as a new life. 2
It is good to think about our having our citizenship in Heaven and the saints of Heaven as our fellow citizens...Then it is easier to bear the things that are on Earth. 3
The love of Christ knows no limits. It never ends; it does not shrink from ugliness and filth. 4
God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need. Then the rest of the day can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace. And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him. Then you will be able to rest in Him -- really rest -- and start the next day as a new life. 2
It is good to think about our having our citizenship in Heaven and the saints of Heaven as our fellow citizens...Then it is easier to bear the things that are on Earth. 3
The love of Christ knows no limits. It never ends; it does not shrink from ugliness and filth. 4
St. Dulas
I thank thee, my Lord Jesus, for having deemed me worthy to suffer this for love of Thee. (While being scourged.) 1
(St. Dorothy)
http://www.saintdorothys.20m.com/st_dorothy.html
Never in my whole life have I felt such joy as I do today. 855St. Dorothy (While being tortured.)I give Thee thanks, O tThou Lover of Our Souls, that Thou callest me to Thy paradise! 859St. Dorothy (While being taken to execution.)
Never in my whole life have I felt such joy as I do today. 855St. Dorothy (While being tortured.)I give Thee thanks, O tThou Lover of Our Souls, that Thou callest me to Thy paradise! 859St. Dorothy (While being taken to execution.)
St. Dorotheos of Gaza
No wickedness, no heresy, not even the Devil himself can deceive anyone without counterfeiting virtue. 1
It does not matter how many virtues a man may have, even if they are beyond number and limit. If he has turned from the path of self-accusation, he will never find peace. 2
It does not matter how many virtues a man may have, even if they are beyond number and limit. If he has turned from the path of self-accusation, he will never find peace. 2
St. Dominic Savio
Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him. 1
If I can succeed in saving only a single soul, I can be sure that my own will be saved. 2
If I can succeed in saving only a single soul, I can be sure that my own will be saved. 2
St. Diadochos of Photiki
All men are made in God's image; but to be in His likeness is granted only to those who through great love have brought their own freedom into subjection to God. For only when we do not belong to ourselves do we become like Him who through love has reconciled us to Himself. No one achieves this unless he persuades his soul not to be distracted by the false glitter of this life. 1
'No one can love God consciously in his heart unless he has first feared Him with all his heart. Through the action of fear the soul is purified and, as it were, made malleable and so it becomes awakened to the action of love. No one, however, can come to fear God completely in the way described, unless he first transcends all worldly cares; for when the intellect reaches a state of deep stillness and detachment, then the fear of God begins to trouble it, purifying it with full perception from all gross and cloddish density, and thereby bringing it to a great love for God's goodness. . . Fear and love are found together only in the righteous who achieve virtue through the energy of the Holy Spirit in them. For this reason Holy Scripture says in one place: "O fear the Lord, all you who are His saints," (Ps. 34:9) and in another: "O love the Lord, all you who are His saints." (Ps. 31:23) From this we see clearly that the righteous, who are still in the process of being purified, are characterized both by fear and by a moderate measure of love; 2
'No one can love God consciously in his heart unless he has first feared Him with all his heart. Through the action of fear the soul is purified and, as it were, made malleable and so it becomes awakened to the action of love. No one, however, can come to fear God completely in the way described, unless he first transcends all worldly cares; for when the intellect reaches a state of deep stillness and detachment, then the fear of God begins to trouble it, purifying it with full perception from all gross and cloddish density, and thereby bringing it to a great love for God's goodness. . . Fear and love are found together only in the righteous who achieve virtue through the energy of the Holy Spirit in them. For this reason Holy Scripture says in one place: "O fear the Lord, all you who are His saints," (Ps. 34:9) and in another: "O love the Lord, all you who are His saints." (Ps. 31:23) From this we see clearly that the righteous, who are still in the process of being purified, are characterized both by fear and by a moderate measure of love; 2
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Our actions have a tongue of their own; they have an eloquence of their own, even when the tongue is silent. For deeds prove the lover more than words. 1
Seal the cross openly on your forehead, so that the demons, seeing the royal sign, will tremble and flee away. 2
Seal the cross openly on your forehead, so that the demons, seeing the royal sign, will tremble and flee away. 2
St. Cyrian of Carthage
These days no one thinks of the fears the future holds; no one takes to heart the day of judgment, and the wrath of God; the punishments to come upon unbelievers, and the eternal torments decreed for the faithless. Whatever a conscience would fear if it believed, our conscience, because it no longer believes, doesn't fear at all. If only it believed, it would take heed; and if it took heed, it would escape. 1
The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime. 2
Thanks be to God! 3 (On hearing his death sentence.)
The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime. 2
Thanks be to God! 3 (On hearing his death sentence.)
St. Crispin of Viterbo
Let us love God who deserves it! 1
A great number of loved ones await us in Heaven. An enormous host is filled with longing for us. Their concern is only for us. To be in their presence, to be embraced by their arms - - what immeasurable joy it will be for them and for us. 2
A great number of loved ones await us in Heaven. An enormous host is filled with longing for us. Their concern is only for us. To be in their presence, to be embraced by their arms - - what immeasurable joy it will be for them and for us. 2
St. Columban (St. Columbanus)
Nothing is sweeter than the calm of conscience, nothing safer than purity of soul - yet no one can bestow this on himself because it is properly the gift of God's grace. 1
The more the soul loves, the more it desires to love, and the greater its suffering, the greater its healing. 2
The more the soul loves, the more it desires to love, and the greater its suffering, the greater its healing. 2
St. Colette of Corbie
If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. 1
If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. 2
If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. 3
If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. 2
If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured. 3
St. Claude de la Colombiere
A strange and unhappy slavery is that of a man who seeks to please other men. I vow never to do anything nor to leave anything undone because of what people think. This will set up in me a great interior peace. 1
St. Clare of Assisi
He who feeds the birds of the air and gives raiment and nourishment to the lilies of the field will not leave you in want of clothing or of food until He comes Himself to minister to you for eternity. 1
Gaze upon the Lord, Gaze upon his face; Gaze upon the One who holds you in his embrace. Gaze upon his life; Gaze upon his love; Gaze upon his coming poor from heaven above. 2
Taste the hidden sweetness that lies within your heart which God has kept for those whose lives are tender within. Place your mind in the softness of life's eternal flow. Place your soul in the brilliance of heaven's endless glow; and love him totally who gave himself for your love, and you will hold him who holds all things in truth. 3
Look, look on Jesus, poor and crucified, look on this Holy One, who for your love has died, and remember as you contemplate the sacred mysteries, this Jesus whom you gaze upon, loves you most tenderly. 4
Gaze upon the Lord, Gaze upon his face; Gaze upon the One who holds you in his embrace. Gaze upon his life; Gaze upon his love; Gaze upon his coming poor from heaven above. 2
Taste the hidden sweetness that lies within your heart which God has kept for those whose lives are tender within. Place your mind in the softness of life's eternal flow. Place your soul in the brilliance of heaven's endless glow; and love him totally who gave himself for your love, and you will hold him who holds all things in truth. 3
Look, look on Jesus, poor and crucified, look on this Holy One, who for your love has died, and remember as you contemplate the sacred mysteries, this Jesus whom you gaze upon, loves you most tenderly. 4
St. Charles of Sezze
God does not command us to live in hair shirts and chains, or to chastise our flesh with scourges, but to love Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. 1
St. Charles Borromeo
Nothing pleases God more than to be his Son's helpers and to undertake the charge of saving souls. 1
St. Catherine of Sienna
And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross. 1
O my soul, what are you doing? Are you not aware that God sees you always? You can never hide yourself from His sight. O Father, have pity on us because we are blind and in darkness. Drive out the darkness and give me light. Melt the ice of my self-love and kindle in me the fire of Your charity. 2
There is no sin or wrong that gives a man a foretaste of hell in this life as anger and impatience. 3
And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross. 4
When we are whom we are called to be, we will set the world ablaze. 5
My soul can see no other remedy pleasing to God than peace. 6
O my soul, what are you doing? Are you not aware that God sees you always? You can never hide yourself from His sight. O Father, have pity on us because we are blind and in darkness. Drive out the darkness and give me light. Melt the ice of my self-love and kindle in me the fire of Your charity. 2
There is no sin or wrong that gives a man a foretaste of hell in this life as anger and impatience. 3
And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross. 4
When we are whom we are called to be, we will set the world ablaze. 5
My soul can see no other remedy pleasing to God than peace. 6
Thursday
St. Catherine of Genoa
If it were given to a man to see virtue's reward in the next world, he would occupy his intellect, memory and will in nothing but good works, careless of danger or fatigue. 1
And then, turning to myself, I say: "When thou hearest thyself named, or listenest to words which perhaps may seem to praise thee, know that they are not spoken of what is thine; for the only virtue and glory thou hast belong to God, and thou hast at least in thine earthly and carnal nature no more conformity with good than has the demon; but when evil is spoken of thee, remember that all could not be said which is in reality true; thou art unworthy even to be called worthless, because to speak of thee at all lends thee a fictitious value. 2
My daughter, observe these three rules, namely: never say I will or I will not. Never say mine, but always ours. Never excuse yourself, but always accuse yourself. 3
Shall I show thee what God is? No one finds peace apart from Him. 4
Know for a certainty that if men understood how terrible is even one solitary sin, they would rather be cast into a heated furnace, and there remain, living both in soul and body, than to support such a sight. And if the sea were all fire they would cast themselves therein and never leave it, if they were certain of meeting the sin on doing so. 5
May this be our prayer: "I do not want to turn my eyes from you, O God. There I want to stay and not move. No matter what happens to me, within or without. 6
And then, turning to myself, I say: "When thou hearest thyself named, or listenest to words which perhaps may seem to praise thee, know that they are not spoken of what is thine; for the only virtue and glory thou hast belong to God, and thou hast at least in thine earthly and carnal nature no more conformity with good than has the demon; but when evil is spoken of thee, remember that all could not be said which is in reality true; thou art unworthy even to be called worthless, because to speak of thee at all lends thee a fictitious value. 2
My daughter, observe these three rules, namely: never say I will or I will not. Never say mine, but always ours. Never excuse yourself, but always accuse yourself. 3
Shall I show thee what God is? No one finds peace apart from Him. 4
Know for a certainty that if men understood how terrible is even one solitary sin, they would rather be cast into a heated furnace, and there remain, living both in soul and body, than to support such a sight. And if the sea were all fire they would cast themselves therein and never leave it, if they were certain of meeting the sin on doing so. 5
May this be our prayer: "I do not want to turn my eyes from you, O God. There I want to stay and not move. No matter what happens to me, within or without. 6
St. Catherine of Bologna
Whoever from deep within her noble and zealous heart wishes to take up the cross, let her first take up the arms necessary for such battles; first is diligence; second, distrust of self; third, confidence in God; fourth, memory of his Passion; fifth, memory of one's own death; sixth, memory of the glory of God; seventh and last, the authority of Holy Scripture following the example of Christ Jesus in the desert. 1
St. Catherine Laboure
Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to him, "Lord, I am here. Tell me what you would have me do." If he gives me some task, I am content and I thank him. If he gives me nothing, I still thank him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach him plainly and simply. 1
I knew nothing; I was nothing. For this reason, God picked me out. 2
I knew nothing; I was nothing. For this reason, God picked me out. 2
St. Camillus de Lellis
I don't put a penny's value on this life if only our Lord will give me a tiny corner in Paradise. 1
Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven. 2
Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven. 2
St. Caesarius of Arles
God never deserts a man, unless He is deserted by that man first. For even if a man shall have committed grievous sins once, twice, and a third time, God still looks for him, "so that he may be converted and live. 1
St. Bridget of Sweden
Let everyone who has the grace of intelligence fear that, because of it, he will be judged more heavily if he is negligent. Let him who has no intelligence or talent rejoice and do as much as he can with the little that he has; for he has been freed from many occasions of sin. 1
The world would have peace if only men of politics would follow the Gospels. 2
Pride alienates man from heaven, humility unites us to heaven. 3
The world would have peace if only men of politics would follow the Gospels. 2
Pride alienates man from heaven, humility unites us to heaven. 3
St. Bonaventure
When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than proceedings from the mouth. 1
You induce yourself to reverence by admiring God's immensity and beholding your smallness. 2
You induce yourself to reverence by admiring God's immensity and beholding your smallness. 2
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
There are three distinct comings of the Lord of which I know: His coming to men, His coming into men, and His coming against men. 1
Love is sufficient of itself; it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in the practice. Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return. The sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him. 2
The goodness of God knows how to use our disordered wishes and actions, often lovingly turning them to our advantage while always preserving the beauty of ‘His’ order. 3
The grace of contemplation is granted only in response to a longing insistent desire. 4
The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by tremendous yearning. 5
It is a fault, not a virtue, to wish your humility recognized and applauded. 6
God is never sought in vain, even when God cannot be found. 7
Jesus is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, and a shout of joy in the heart. 8
The heart of Christ can be seen through the openings of his wounds. For what can prove to me so clearly as your wounds that you, O Lord Jesus, are sweet & mild & plenteous in mercy. 9
Love is sufficient of itself; it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in the practice. Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return. The sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him. 2
The goodness of God knows how to use our disordered wishes and actions, often lovingly turning them to our advantage while always preserving the beauty of ‘His’ order. 3
The grace of contemplation is granted only in response to a longing insistent desire. 4
The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by tremendous yearning. 5
It is a fault, not a virtue, to wish your humility recognized and applauded. 6
God is never sought in vain, even when God cannot be found. 7
Jesus is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, and a shout of joy in the heart. 8
The heart of Christ can be seen through the openings of his wounds. For what can prove to me so clearly as your wounds that you, O Lord Jesus, are sweet & mild & plenteous in mercy. 9
St. Bernadine of Siena
Jesus, crucified for me, with the nails of Your love, fasten my whole self to You. 1
There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand. 2
There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand. 2
St. Bernadette Soubirous
When you pass before a chapel and do not have time to stop for a while, tell your Guardian Angel to carry out your errand to Our Lord in the tabernacle. He will accomplish it and then still have time to catch up with you. 1
It is loving the Cross that one finds one heart, for Divine Love cannot live without suffering. 2
Take yourself off to the garden of olives or the foot of the cross, and stay there. Our Lord will speak to you; and you listen to Him. 3
It is loving the Cross that one finds one heart, for Divine Love cannot live without suffering. 2
Take yourself off to the garden of olives or the foot of the cross, and stay there. Our Lord will speak to you; and you listen to Him. 3
St. Benedict of Nursia
He who has undertaken the pastoring of souls must prepare himself to render to God an account of them. 1
He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands. 2
It is well to deny ourselves that which is permitted, in order to avoid more easily that which is not. 3
Let a man consider that God always seeth him from Heaven, that the eye of God beholdeth his works everywhere, and that the angels report them to Him every hour. 4
Pray and work. 5
It is only we who brood over our sins. God does not brood over them, God dumps them at the bottom of the sea. 6
Respect the elders and love the young...if you have a disagreement with someone, make peace with them before the sun goes down. Finally, and importantly, never lose hope in God's mercy. 7
He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands. 2
It is well to deny ourselves that which is permitted, in order to avoid more easily that which is not. 3
Let a man consider that God always seeth him from Heaven, that the eye of God beholdeth his works everywhere, and that the angels report them to Him every hour. 4
Pray and work. 5
It is only we who brood over our sins. God does not brood over them, God dumps them at the bottom of the sea. 6
Respect the elders and love the young...if you have a disagreement with someone, make peace with them before the sun goes down. Finally, and importantly, never lose hope in God's mercy. 7
St. Bede the Venerable
He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor. 1
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and the Holy Ghost! 2
(Doctor of the Church. His last words.)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and the Holy Ghost! 2
(Doctor of the Church. His last words.)
St. Basil the Great
The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor. 1
We must neither doubt nor hesitate with respect to the words of the Lord; rather, we must be fully persuaded that every word of God is true and possible, even if our nature should rebel against the idea; for in this lies the test of faith. 2
As fire has to have continuous contact with an object to affect it, so an intermittent thought cannot bring about passion in a heart; a certain amount of time is necessary. 3
We should even go beyond doing what is required in order to avoid scandal. 4
Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence. 5
The bread which you use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit. 6
Silence is the beginning of purifying the soul. 7
Every creature, whether it speaks or is silent, whether in Heaven or on Earth, gives glory to its Maker. 8
Intimacy with the Lord is not a matter of physical kinship; rather, it is achieved by cheerful readiness to do the will of God. 9
We must neither doubt nor hesitate with respect to the words of the Lord; rather, we must be fully persuaded that every word of God is true and possible, even if our nature should rebel against the idea; for in this lies the test of faith. 2
As fire has to have continuous contact with an object to affect it, so an intermittent thought cannot bring about passion in a heart; a certain amount of time is necessary. 3
We should even go beyond doing what is required in order to avoid scandal. 4
Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence. 5
The bread which you use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit. 6
Silence is the beginning of purifying the soul. 7
Every creature, whether it speaks or is silent, whether in Heaven or on Earth, gives glory to its Maker. 8
Intimacy with the Lord is not a matter of physical kinship; rather, it is achieved by cheerful readiness to do the will of God. 9
St. Avitus of Vienna
God overthrows the thrones of those who are disobedient to His law. My political views are those of the Our Father. 1
Sunday
St. Augustine of Hippo
The one who is our very Life descended into our world, and bore our death, and slew it with the abundance of His own life. Thundering, He called out to us to return to Him in heaven. 1
Every morning you put on your clothes to cover your nakedness and protect your body from inclement weather. Why don't you also clothe your soul with the garment of faith? Remember each morning the truths of your creed, and look at yourself in the mirror of your faith. Otherwise, your soul will soon be naked with the nakedness of oblivion. 2
Trials and tribulations offer us a chance to make reparation for our past faults and sins. On such occasions the Lord comes to us like a physician to heal the wounds left by our sins. Tribulation is the divine medicine. 3
You don't love in your enemies what they are, but what you would have them become by your prayers. 4
The wicked exist in this world either to be converted or that through them the good may exercise patience. 5
God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves. 6
Your first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and transform yourself into something better. Your second task is to put up with the trials and temptations of this world that will be brought on by the change in your life and to persevere to the very end in the midst of these things. 7
The measure of charity may be taken from the want of desires. As desires diminish in the soul, charity increases in it; and when it no longer feels any desire, then it possesses perfect charity. 8
Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation. 9
Don't say you have a chaste mind if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart. 10
We must understand then, that even though God doesn't always give us what we want, He always gives us what we need for our salvation. 11
If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. 12
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. 13
I will not live an instant that I do not live in love. Whoever loves does all things without suffering, or, suffering, loves his suffering. 14
God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering. 15
Tell us straight that you do not believe in the Gospel of Christ; for you believe what you want in the Gospel and disbelieve what you want. You believe in yourself rather than in the Gospel. 16
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. 17
All graces given to those outside the Church are given them for the purpose of bringing them inside the Church. 18
All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with Him to the cross. 19
Whoever looks in the Church for something other than Christ is a mercenary. 20
Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee. 21
If two friends ask you to judge a dispute, don't accept, because you will lose one friend; on the other hand, if two strangers come with the same request, accept, because you will gain one friend. 22
If you find a God you understand, You have built yourself an idol. 23
Patience is the companion of Wisdom. 24
Beg God for the gift to love one another. Love all people, even your enemies, not because they are your brothers and sisters but so they may become such. 25
Try to acquire the virtues you believe lacking in your brothers. Then you will no longer see their defects, for you will no longer have them yourself. 26
Be Thou the goal of my pilgrimage, and my rest along the way. 27
Let us sing a new song, not with our lips but with our lives. 28
To my God a heart of flame; to my neighbor a heart of love; to myself a heart of steel. 29
If you discover your nature is changeable, transcend yourself. 30
What is grace? I know until you ask me; when you ask me, I do not know. 31
Rightly has a friend been called "the half of my soul". 32
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest your weary ones. Bless your dying ones. Soothe your suffering ones. Pity your afflicted ones, shield your joyous ones. And all for love's sake. 34
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. 35
O, Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there thy cheerful beams. 36
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, don't seek to understand so that you may believe, but believe so that you may understand. 37
Greed will demand of you labor, danger, hardships, and troubles, and you will readily agree to its demands. And for what purpose? So you can have what will fill up your purse but empty out your peace of mind! 38
Every morning you put on your clothes to cover your nakedness and protect your body from inclement weather. Why don't you also clothe your soul with the garment of faith? Remember each morning the truths of your creed, and look at yourself in the mirror of your faith. Otherwise, your soul will soon be naked with the nakedness of oblivion. 2
Trials and tribulations offer us a chance to make reparation for our past faults and sins. On such occasions the Lord comes to us like a physician to heal the wounds left by our sins. Tribulation is the divine medicine. 3
You don't love in your enemies what they are, but what you would have them become by your prayers. 4
The wicked exist in this world either to be converted or that through them the good may exercise patience. 5
God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves. 6
Your first task is to be dissatisfied with yourself, fight sin, and transform yourself into something better. Your second task is to put up with the trials and temptations of this world that will be brought on by the change in your life and to persevere to the very end in the midst of these things. 7
The measure of charity may be taken from the want of desires. As desires diminish in the soul, charity increases in it; and when it no longer feels any desire, then it possesses perfect charity. 8
Let us understand that God is a physician, and that suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation. 9
Don't say you have a chaste mind if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart. 10
We must understand then, that even though God doesn't always give us what we want, He always gives us what we need for our salvation. 11
If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. 12
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. 13
I will not live an instant that I do not live in love. Whoever loves does all things without suffering, or, suffering, loves his suffering. 14
God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering. 15
Tell us straight that you do not believe in the Gospel of Christ; for you believe what you want in the Gospel and disbelieve what you want. You believe in yourself rather than in the Gospel. 16
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. 17
All graces given to those outside the Church are given them for the purpose of bringing them inside the Church. 18
All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with Him to the cross. 19
Whoever looks in the Church for something other than Christ is a mercenary. 20
Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee. 21
If two friends ask you to judge a dispute, don't accept, because you will lose one friend; on the other hand, if two strangers come with the same request, accept, because you will gain one friend. 22
If you find a God you understand, You have built yourself an idol. 23
Patience is the companion of Wisdom. 24
Beg God for the gift to love one another. Love all people, even your enemies, not because they are your brothers and sisters but so they may become such. 25
Try to acquire the virtues you believe lacking in your brothers. Then you will no longer see their defects, for you will no longer have them yourself. 26
Be Thou the goal of my pilgrimage, and my rest along the way. 27
Let us sing a new song, not with our lips but with our lives. 28
To my God a heart of flame; to my neighbor a heart of love; to myself a heart of steel. 29
If you discover your nature is changeable, transcend yourself. 30
What is grace? I know until you ask me; when you ask me, I do not know. 31
Rightly has a friend been called "the half of my soul". 32
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest your weary ones. Bless your dying ones. Soothe your suffering ones. Pity your afflicted ones, shield your joyous ones. And all for love's sake. 34
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. 35
O, Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there thy cheerful beams. 36
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, don't seek to understand so that you may believe, but believe so that you may understand. 37
Greed will demand of you labor, danger, hardships, and troubles, and you will readily agree to its demands. And for what purpose? So you can have what will fill up your purse but empty out your peace of mind! 38
St. Athanasius
You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon be observed by his progress. 1
If we were to keep the imminence of our death in mind, we would never give in to sin, and we would forgive every person who offended us. 2
Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkeness, and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things. To fast is to banquet with angels. 3
If we were to keep the imminence of our death in mind, we would never give in to sin, and we would forgive every person who offended us. 2
Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkeness, and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things. To fast is to banquet with angels. 3
St. Apollinaris of Hierapolis
We therefore grossly deceive ourselves in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths. It is not enough barely to believe them, and let our thoughts now and then glance upon them: that knowledge which shows us heaven, will not bring us to the possession of it, and will deserve punishments, not rewards, if it remain slight, weak, and superficial. By serious and frequent meditation it must be concocted, digested, and turned into the nourishment of our affections, before it can be powerful and operative enough to change them, and produce the necessary fruit in our lives. For this all the saints affected solitude and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world, as much as their circumstances allowed them. 1
St. Anthony the Great of Egypt
I tell you truly, my beloved, that our carelessness and our humiliation and our turning aside from the way are not a loss to us only, but they are a weariness for the angels and for the saints in Jesus Christ. Our humiliation gives grief to them all, and our salvation gives joy and refreshment to them all. 1
This is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God, and toexpect temptation to his last breath. 2
A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, theywill attack him, saying, "You are mad; you are not like us. 3
Live each day as if dying. 4
This is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God, and toexpect temptation to his last breath. 2
A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, theywill attack him, saying, "You are mad; you are not like us. 3
Live each day as if dying. 4
The devil dreads fasting, prayer, humility, and good works: he is not able even to stop my mouth who speak against him. The illusions of the devil soon vanish, especially if a man arms himself with the Sign of the Cross. The devils tremble at the Sign of the Cross of our Lord, by which He triumphed over and disarmed them. 5
St. Anthony The Abbot
The devil dreads fasting, prayer, humility, and good works: he is not able even to stop my mouth who speak against him. The illusions of the devil soon vanish, especially if a man arms himself with the Sign of the Cross. The devils tremble at the Sign of the Cross of our Lord, by which He triumphed over and disarmed them. 1
St. Anthony of Padua
Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions. 1
Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul. 2
Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul. 2
St. Anthony Mary Claret
Oh my God! Would I might prevent all from offending Thee! Rather, would I could make Thee known, loved and served by all Thy creatures! This is the sole object of my desire, for all things else are unworthy of attention. 1
I will be kind to everybody, particularly to those whom I find troublesome. 2
I will be kind to everybody, particularly to those whom I find troublesome. 2
St. Ansgar
If I were worthy of such a favor from my God, I would ask that he grant me this one miracle: that by His grace He would make of me a good man. 1
St. Angela Merici
Remember that the devil doesn't sleep, but seeks our ruin in a thousand ways. 1
Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family. 2
Beware of trying to accomplish anything by force, for God has given every single person free will and desires to constrain none; he merely shows them the way, invites them and counsels them. 3
Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family. 2
Beware of trying to accomplish anything by force, for God has given every single person free will and desires to constrain none; he merely shows them the way, invites them and counsels them. 3
St. Amma Syncletice
Our body is like armor, our soul like the warrior. Take care of both, and you will be ready for what comes. 1
In the same way that a powerful medicine cures an illness, so illness itself is a medicine to cure passion. And there is much profit of soul in bearing illness quietly and giving thanks to God. 2
Amma Syncletica said: In the beginning there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it is smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result. Thus we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves with tears and effort. ... She also said: Those who put out to sea at first sailed with a favourable wind; then the sails spread, but later the wind becomes adverse. Then the ship is tossed by the waves and is no longer controlled by the rudder. But when in a little while there is calm, and the tempest dies down, then the ship sails on again. So it is with us, when we are driven by the spirits who are against us; we hold to the cross as our sail and so we can set a safe course.
She also said: There is an asceticism which is determined by the enemy and his disciples practise it. So how are we to distinguish between the divine and royal asceticism and the demonic tyranny? Clearly through its quality of balance. 3
In the same way that a powerful medicine cures an illness, so illness itself is a medicine to cure passion. And there is much profit of soul in bearing illness quietly and giving thanks to God. 2
Amma Syncletica said: In the beginning there is struggle and a lot of work for those who come near to God. But after that there is indescribable joy. It is just like building a fire: at first it is smoky and your eyes water, but later you get the desired result. Thus we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves with tears and effort. ... She also said: Those who put out to sea at first sailed with a favourable wind; then the sails spread, but later the wind becomes adverse. Then the ship is tossed by the waves and is no longer controlled by the rudder. But when in a little while there is calm, and the tempest dies down, then the ship sails on again. So it is with us, when we are driven by the spirits who are against us; we hold to the cross as our sail and so we can set a safe course.
She also said: There is an asceticism which is determined by the enemy and his disciples practise it. So how are we to distinguish between the divine and royal asceticism and the demonic tyranny? Clearly through its quality of balance. 3
St. Ambrose of Milan
What is impossible to God? Not that which is difficult to His power, but that which is contrary to His nature. 1
The rich man who gives to the poor does not bestow alms but pays a debt. 2
The Lord was Baptized, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism. 3
When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ. 4
There is your brother, naked and crying! And you stand confused over choice of floorcovering. 5
No one heals by wounding another. 6
The rich man who gives to the poor does not bestow alms but pays a debt. 2
The Lord was Baptized, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism. 3
When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ. 4
There is your brother, naked and crying! And you stand confused over choice of floorcovering. 5
No one heals by wounding another. 6
St. Alphonsus Liquori
True charity consists in doing good to those who do us evil, and in thus winning them over. 1
If you embrace all things in this life as coming from the hands of God, and even embrace death to fulfill His holy will, assuredly you will die a saint. 2
What does it cost us to say: "My God help me! Have mercy on me!" Is there anything easier than this? And this little will suffice to save us if we be diligent in doing it. 3
The way to Heaven is straight and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure shall be disappointed; and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations. 4
We must also be especially resigned in mortal sickness. To accept death at such a time, in order that the Will of God may be fulfilled, merits for us a reward similar to that of the martyrs, because they accepted death to please God. 5
If you commit any sin, repent of it at once and resolve to amend. If it is a grievous sin, confess it as soon as possible. 6
He who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin merely through fear of chastisement. 7
We must show charity towards the sick, who are in greater need of help. Let us take them some small gift if they are poor, or, at least let us go and wait on them and comfort them. 8
When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted us, we should be careful to do it always with gentleness. A soft answer extinguishes the fire of wrath. 9
When the devil wishes to make himself master of a soul, he seeks to make it give up devotion to Mary. 10
When we have to reply to some one who speaks harshly to us, we must always do it with gentleness. If we are angry, it is better to keep silence. 11
The truly humble reject all praise for themselves, and refer it all to God. 12
It is folly not to think of death. It is greater folly to think of it, and not prepare for it. 13
God pardons sin; but He will not pardon the will to sin. 14
What is it that renders death terrible? Sin. We must therefore fear sin, not death. 15
We should only make use of life to grow in the love of God. 16
The reason why the lukewarm run so great a risk of being lost is because tepidity conceals from the soul the immense evil which it causes. 17
The brightest ornaments in the crown of the blessed in heaven are the sufferings which they have borne patiently on earth. 18
We must show charity towards the sick, who are in greater need of help. Let us take them some small gift if they are poor, or, at least, let us go and wait on them and comfort them. 19
It would be the greatest delight of the seraphs to pile up sand on the seashore or to pull weeds in a garden for all eternity, if they found out such was God's will. Our Lord himself teaches us to ask to do the will of God on earth as the saints do it in heaven: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 20
There is a story to this effect in the "Lives of the Fathers" about a farmer whose crops were more plentiful than those of his neighbors. On being asked how this happened with such unvarying regularity, he said he was not surprised because he always had the kind of weather he wanted. He was asked to explain. He said: "It is so because I want whatever kind of weather God wants, and because I do, he gives me the harvests I want." If souls resigned to God's will are humiliated, says Salvian, they want to be humiliated; if they are poor, they want to be poor; in short, whatever happens is acceptable to them, hence they are truly at peace in this life. In cold and heat, in rain and wind, the soul united to God says: "I want it to be warm, to be cold, windy, to rain, because God wills it." 21
He who prays most receives most. 22
Put into practice the teachings of our holy faith, it is not enough to convince ourselves that they are true; we must love them. Love united to faith makes us practice our religion. 23
There is nothing more pleasing to God, than to see a soul who patiently and serenely bears whatever crosses it is sent; this is how love is made, by putting lover and loved one on the same level. . . A soul who loves Jesus Christ desires to be treated the way Christ was treated--desires to be poor, despised and humiliated. 24
If you would keep yourself pure, shun dangerous occasions. Do not trust your own strength. In this matter we can not take too much precaution. 25
Say always, "My beloved Redeemer, how sweet it is to suffer for You. 26
Before you had a being, God loved you. Before your father or mother was born, God loved you . . . And how long before creation has God loved you? Perhaps for a thousand years or for a thousand ages. It is needless to count years or ages; God loves you from eternity. 27
The means for maintaining perfect love is to accomplish frequent acts of love. Fire is kindled by the wood we cast into it and love is enkindled by acts of love. 28
If we have any natural defect, either in mind or body, let us not grieve and feel sorry for ourselves. Who can tell whether, if we had been given a larger share of ability or stronger health, or greater wealth, we would have possessed them to the destruction of our soul! 29
If you embrace all things in this life as coming from the hands of God, and even embrace death to fulfill His holy will, assuredly you will die a saint. 2
What does it cost us to say: "My God help me! Have mercy on me!" Is there anything easier than this? And this little will suffice to save us if we be diligent in doing it. 3
The way to Heaven is straight and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure shall be disappointed; and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations. 4
We must also be especially resigned in mortal sickness. To accept death at such a time, in order that the Will of God may be fulfilled, merits for us a reward similar to that of the martyrs, because they accepted death to please God. 5
If you commit any sin, repent of it at once and resolve to amend. If it is a grievous sin, confess it as soon as possible. 6
He who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin merely through fear of chastisement. 7
We must show charity towards the sick, who are in greater need of help. Let us take them some small gift if they are poor, or, at least let us go and wait on them and comfort them. 8
When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted us, we should be careful to do it always with gentleness. A soft answer extinguishes the fire of wrath. 9
When the devil wishes to make himself master of a soul, he seeks to make it give up devotion to Mary. 10
When we have to reply to some one who speaks harshly to us, we must always do it with gentleness. If we are angry, it is better to keep silence. 11
The truly humble reject all praise for themselves, and refer it all to God. 12
It is folly not to think of death. It is greater folly to think of it, and not prepare for it. 13
God pardons sin; but He will not pardon the will to sin. 14
What is it that renders death terrible? Sin. We must therefore fear sin, not death. 15
We should only make use of life to grow in the love of God. 16
The reason why the lukewarm run so great a risk of being lost is because tepidity conceals from the soul the immense evil which it causes. 17
The brightest ornaments in the crown of the blessed in heaven are the sufferings which they have borne patiently on earth. 18
We must show charity towards the sick, who are in greater need of help. Let us take them some small gift if they are poor, or, at least, let us go and wait on them and comfort them. 19
It would be the greatest delight of the seraphs to pile up sand on the seashore or to pull weeds in a garden for all eternity, if they found out such was God's will. Our Lord himself teaches us to ask to do the will of God on earth as the saints do it in heaven: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 20
There is a story to this effect in the "Lives of the Fathers" about a farmer whose crops were more plentiful than those of his neighbors. On being asked how this happened with such unvarying regularity, he said he was not surprised because he always had the kind of weather he wanted. He was asked to explain. He said: "It is so because I want whatever kind of weather God wants, and because I do, he gives me the harvests I want." If souls resigned to God's will are humiliated, says Salvian, they want to be humiliated; if they are poor, they want to be poor; in short, whatever happens is acceptable to them, hence they are truly at peace in this life. In cold and heat, in rain and wind, the soul united to God says: "I want it to be warm, to be cold, windy, to rain, because God wills it." 21
He who prays most receives most. 22
Put into practice the teachings of our holy faith, it is not enough to convince ourselves that they are true; we must love them. Love united to faith makes us practice our religion. 23
There is nothing more pleasing to God, than to see a soul who patiently and serenely bears whatever crosses it is sent; this is how love is made, by putting lover and loved one on the same level. . . A soul who loves Jesus Christ desires to be treated the way Christ was treated--desires to be poor, despised and humiliated. 24
If you would keep yourself pure, shun dangerous occasions. Do not trust your own strength. In this matter we can not take too much precaution. 25
Say always, "My beloved Redeemer, how sweet it is to suffer for You. 26
Before you had a being, God loved you. Before your father or mother was born, God loved you . . . And how long before creation has God loved you? Perhaps for a thousand years or for a thousand ages. It is needless to count years or ages; God loves you from eternity. 27
The means for maintaining perfect love is to accomplish frequent acts of love. Fire is kindled by the wood we cast into it and love is enkindled by acts of love. 28
If we have any natural defect, either in mind or body, let us not grieve and feel sorry for ourselves. Who can tell whether, if we had been given a larger share of ability or stronger health, or greater wealth, we would have possessed them to the destruction of our soul! 29
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. 1
He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake. 2
He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake. 2
St. Albert the Great
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It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for "God is Charity. 1
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St. Agnes
Christ has made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him Whom the Angels serve. 1
St. Aelred of Rievaulx
What is faith but a carriage to heaven? 1
"In human life nothing holier can be desired, nothing more useful sought after, nothing is harder to find, nothing sweeter to experience, nothing more fruitful to possess than friendship. For it bears fruit both in this life and the next, showing forth all virtues in its sweetness and in its strength destroying vice. It softens the blows of adversity and moderates elation in prosperity.
Without friendship there can be hardly any happiness among humans; they may well be compared to animals if they have no one to rejoice with them in good fortune or sympathize with them in sorrow, no one to whom they can unburden themselves in time of trouble, or with whom they can share some especially uplifting or inspiring insight.
Alas for anyone who is alone and has no one to lift him up when he falls. Without a friend one is indeed alone. But what joy it is, what security, what a delight to have someone to whom you dare to speak as to another self; to whom you are not afraid to admit that you have done something wrong, or shy of revealing some spiritual progress you have made; someone to whom you can entrust all the secrets of your heart and with whom you can share your plans." 2
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