St. Teresa of Avila

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

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

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

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

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

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

Truth suffers, but never dies. 7

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

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

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

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

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

Be gentle to all and stern with yourself. 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nothing seems impossible to those who love. 24

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

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

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

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

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

Remain calm in times of dryness. 30

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

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

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

Patience obtains everything. 34

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

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

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

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

St. Teresa Margaret Redi

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

St. Symeon Metaphrastis

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

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

St. Servinus

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

St. Seraphim of Sarov

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

St. Sebastian Valfre

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

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

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

St. Rose of Viterbo

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

St. Rose of Lima

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

St. Robert Bellarmine

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

St. Richard Pampuri

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

St. Richard of Chichester

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

St. Remigius Isoré

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

St. Raphael Kalinowski

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

St. Rafqa Al-Rayes

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

St. Probus (Martyr)

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

St. Pope Pius X

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

St. Philip Neri

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

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

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

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

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

St. Peter of Verona

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

St. Peter of Alcantara

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

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

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

St. Paul of the Cross

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

St. Paul Miki

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

St. Patrick of Ireland

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

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To doubt is the greatest insult to the Divinity. 32

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Maximus the Confessor

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

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

St. Maximilian Kolbe

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

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

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

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

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

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

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

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

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

St. Mary Joseph Rosello

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

St. Martin de Porres

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

St. Mark the Ascetic

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

St. Maria Mazarello

Make up your mind to become a saint. 1

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

St. Maria Goretti

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

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska

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

Make Christ more visible than we ourselves. 2

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

St. Margaret of Cortona

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

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

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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

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

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

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

St. Madeline Sophie Barat

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

St. Macarius the Great

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

St. Lydwine of Schiedam

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

St. Luigi Scrosoppi

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

St. Louise de Marillac

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

St. Louis IX

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

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

St. Louis de Montfort

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

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

St. Louis de Blois

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

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

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

St. Lawrence O’Toole, Bishop

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

St. Laurence

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

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

St. Katherine Drexel

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

St. Julie Billiart

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

St. Julian of Norwich

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

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

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

St. Josephine Bakhita

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

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

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

St. Joseph of Cupertino

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

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

St. Joseph Calasanz

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

St. Jose Maria Escriva'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. John Vianney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. John of the Cross

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

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

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

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

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

Who teaches the soul if not God? 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God does not fit in an occupied heart. 15

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

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

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

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

St. John of Kanty

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