Quotes

A stiff apology…

A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.
–GK Chesterton (1874-1936)

What I did try to do was to thwart my self-will, which always seemed determined to get its own way; to repress the rejoinder which sometimes came to my lips; to do little acts of kindness without attaching any importance to them.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Act of self-denial…

Believe me, the writing of pious books, the composing of the sublimest poetry; all that does not equal the smallest act of self-denial.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Human weakness cannot…

Human weakness cannot upset the plans of divine omnipotence. A divine master-builder can work even with falling stones.
–Michael Von Faulhaber (1869-1952)

If you do not forgive…

We have such a law: If you forgive, it means that God has forgiven you; but if you do not forgive your brother, it means that your sin remains with you.
–Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)

When we hate…

Just as all the water drains out of a bucket with even the tiniest hole, all the joy of life drains from our soul when we hate even one person.
–Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

For a healthy life…

I will give you a secret, or rather, a prescription. To enjoy good health and live a long life you need four things:
1) a clear conscience when you go to bed at night, that is, no fear of eternity;
2) moderation in eating;
3) an active life;
4) good companions, that is, fleeing from those who are corrupt.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

Health is…

Health is God’s great gift, and we must spend it entirely for Him. Our eyes should see only for God, our feet walk only for Him, our hands labor for Him alone; in short, our entire body should serve God while we still have the time. Then, when He shall take our health and we shall near our last day, our conscience will not reproach us for having misused it.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

God is merciful and just…

God is merciful and just. He is merciful to those who want to take advantage of His kindness, but He is also rigorously just with those who do not wish to avail themselves of His Mercy.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

A blessed eternity…

Let us work so that we can be happy in time, but let us never forget the sublime end of man, which is to be happy forever in a blessed eternity.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

Growth is evidence…

Growth is the only evidence of life.
–Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

We are gluttonous…

We are gluttonous, my children, when we take food in excess, more than is required for the support of our poor body; when we drink beyond what is necessary, so as even to lose our senses and our reason. . . . Oh, how shameful is this vice! How it degrades us! See, it puts us below the brutes: the animals never drink more than to satisfy their thirst: they content themselves with eating enough; and we, when we have satisfied our appetite, when our body can bear no more, we still have recourse to all sorts of little delicacies; we take wine and liquors to repletion! Is it not pitiful?
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)

Avarice is…

Avarice is an inordinate love of the goods of this world. Yes, my children, it is an ill-regulated love, a fatal love, which makes us forget the good God, prayer, the Sacraments, that we may love the goods of this world–gold and silver and lands. The avaricious man is like a pig, which seeks its food in the mud, without caring where it comes from. Stooping towards the earth, he thinks of nothing but the earth; he no longer looks towards Heaven, his happiness is no longer there.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)

Shall all be saved?

Shall we all be saved? Shall we go to Heaven? Alas, my children, we do not know at all! But I tremble when I see so many souls lost these days. See, they fall into Hell as leaves fall from the trees at the approach of winter.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)

No error so fatal…

There is no error so fatal in its consequences as the loss of eternal salvation. Other errors may be repaired; if a person lose a situation, he may perhaps in time regain it; if he lose his goods, he may replace them, but if he lose his soul, he has no remedy nor hope of redemption. He can die but once; and if that once his soul be lost, it must be lost forever, and no power can save it for all eternity.
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

Give God your heart…

God says to each of us: “Give me your heart, that is, your will.” We, in turn, cannot offer anything more precious than to say: “Lord, take possession of us; we give our whole will to you; make us understand what it is that you desire of us, and we will perform it.”
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

Offer yourselves to God…

Let your constant practice be to offer yourself to God, that He may do with you what He pleases.
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

Excess eating…

It is almost certain that excess in eating is the cause of almost all the diseases of the body, but its effects on the soul are even more disastrous.
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

Perfect love of God…

Perfect love of God means the complete union of our will with God’s.
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

Practice abandonment…

Practice abandonment as regards your body, taking and accepting indifferently sickness or health, work or rest — abandonment as regards your soul, cherishing dryness, insensibility, desolation, and accepting them with the same thanksgiving as you would sweetness and consolation.
–Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647- 1690)

Abandonment and submission…

He only asks of you abandonment and perfect submission. Nothing displeases Him so much as your uneasiness and despondency. What do you fear? Is He not powerful enough to support you? Why, then, are you so reserved with Him? Let Him act!
–Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647- 1690)

Abandon to Him…

Let us have no further reserve with Him; let us abandon to Him all that we are, without anxiety about the future, not reflecting on ourselves and our incapacity.
–Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647- 1690)

Say “I will” …

It is only necessary to say energetically “I will,” and all will go well.
–Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

Lose myself in Jesus…

I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.
–Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

Live authentically…

… live authentically and wholeheartedly as God’s, handing
over our own plans and desires and picking up His plans and desires.
–Brother Lawrence (1614-1691)

Surrender ourselves to Him…

That we ought, once for all, heartily to put our whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, secure that He would not deceive us.
–Brother Lawrence (1614-1691)

Opportunities to serve God…

Practice those little, humble virtues which grow like flowers at the foot of the cross: helping the poor, visiting the sick, and taking care of your family with all the tasks that go with such things and with all the useful diligence which will not let you stand idly by, for great opportunities to serve God rarely present themselves while little ones are frequent.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Keep our eyes fixed on God…

Would to God that we did not concern ourselves so much about the road whereon we journey, but rather would keep our eyes fixed on our Guide and upon that blessed country whither He is conducting us. What should it matter to us if it be through deserts or pleasant fields that we walk, provided God be with us and we be advancing towards heaven?
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Irrevocable abandonment…

The greatest security we can have in this world that we are in the grace of God, does not consist in the feelings that we have of love to Him, but rather in an irrevocable abandonment of our whole being into His hands, and in a firm resolution never to consent to any sin great or small.
–Saint Francis of Sales (1567-1622)

Erase discouragement…

One must erase the word discouragement from one’s dictionary of love.
–Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)

Within the will of God…

How can you find out if you are living within the will of God? Here is the sign: If you are troubled about any thing, this means that you have not completely given yourself over to the will of God. A person who lives in the will of God is not concerned over anything. And if he needs anything, he gives both it and himself over to God. And if he does not receive the necessary thing, he remains calm nevertheless, as if he had it. The soul which has been given over to the will of God is afraid of nothing, not of thunder nor of thieves – nothing. But whatever happens, she says, “Thus it pleases God.”
–Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)

Do not let your soul…

But do not let your soul dwell in seclusion, or, instead of acquiring holiness, you will develop many imperfections, which the devil will implant in you in other ways, in which case, as I have said, you will not do the good that you might, either to yourselves or to others.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Know God, know ourselves…

We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Do not refuse anything…

Do not refuse anything you possess, even though you may need it.
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

How to die in all…

Whoever knows how to die in all will have life in all.
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Give ourselves to God…

We must give ourselves to God altogether. God makes all his own the soul that is wholly given to him.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Down into hell…

He who does not go down into hell while he is alive, runs a great risk of going there after he is dead.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)

The Lord grants…

The Lord grants in a moment what we may have been unable to obtain in dozens of years.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Submit yourselves totally…

Therefore, you must make a sound and firm resolution to submit yourselves totally to His will and, with a lively and steadfast faith, to receive from Him what you have to do for love of Him. And in this (whatever may happen) to persevere with constancy to the very end.
–Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540)

The soul pleasing to God…

Then the soul, so divested of its every wish and clothed with the will of God, is very pleasing to God. Like an unbridled horse, it runs most swiftly from grace to grace, from virtue to virtue; for it has no bridle that holds or prevents it from running, since it has severed from itself every inordinate appetite and impulse of its self-will, which are bands and bridles that do not allow the souls of spiritual men to run.
–Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

A wholesome body…

As a good wine must be kept in a good cask, so a wholesome body is the proper foundation for a well-appointed inner ground.
–Johannes Tauler (c. 1300-1361)

Glorify and exalt God…

Let all of us, wherever we are, in every place, at every hour, at every time of day, everyday and continually, believe truly and humbly, and keep in [our] heart, and love, honor, adore, service, praise and bless, glorify and exalt, magnify and give thanks to, the most high and supreme eternal God, Trinity and Unity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Creator of all, Savior of all who believe in Him and hope in Him and love Him, Who is without beginning and without end, unchangeable, invisible, indescribable, ineffable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, blessed, worthy of praise, glorious, exalted on high, sublime, most high, gentle, loveable, delectable and totally desirable above all else forever. Amen
–Saint Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)

Embrace the Church…

He who does not embrace the teaching of the Church does not have the habit of faith.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Mystery of God…

You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.
–Saint Hildegarde of Bingen (1098-1179)

God belongs to all…

God belongs to all free beings. He is the life of all, the salvation of all —faithful and unfaithful, just and unjust, pious and impious, passionate and dispassionate, monks and laymen, wise and simple, healthy and sick, young and old —just as the effusion of light, the sight of the sun, and the changes of the seasons are for all alike; ‘for there is no respect of persons with God.’
–Saint John Climacus (c. 525-606)

The soul must seek God…

The soul is made of love and must ever strive to return to love. Therefore, it can never find rest nor happiness in other things. By its very nature it must seek God, who is love.
–Mechthild of Magdeburg (1208-1282)

The grace of overcoming self…

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.
–Saint Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226)

No one is really happy…

No one is really happy merely because of having what they want, but only if they want things they ought to want.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)

The straight, direct road…

Christ alone goes rightly, and all who do not follow him are on the wrong track. You must not be surprised that only one does well and many fail, for there is but one way of hitting the mark—to aim the arrow straight at it—and there are countless ways of missing it. To hit the bull’s-eye that wins everlasting life, go by the straight, direct road taken by Christ our Redeemer.
–Francisco de Osuna (1497-1541)

Blessed are the meek…

Blessed are the meek, for they are barricaded from the shots of the devil’s artillery and the persecutions of this world by sacks of wool. They are like glass vessels packed in hay or straw to preserve them from jarring. Meekness is the strong shield by which the arrows of wrath are broken or turned aside. The meek are clothed in very soft cotton which defends them perfectly without offense to anyone.
–Francisco de Osuna (1497-1541)

When we commit fault…

If we plant a flower or a shrub and water it daily it will grow so tall that in time we shall need a spade and a hoe to uproot it. It is just so, I think, when we commit a fault, however small, each day, and do not cure ourselves of it.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Perseverance will sustain…

When evil days are upon us and the worker of malice gains power, we must attend to our own souls and seek to know the ways of the Lord. In those times reverential fear and perseverance will sustain our faith, and we will find need of forbearance and self-restraint as well. Provided that we hold fast to these virtues and look to the Lord, then wisdom, understanding, knowledge and insight will make joyous company with them.
–Saint Barnabas (First Century)

Afflictions and suffering….

In afflictions and sufferings, endurance and faith, are concealed the promised glory and the recovery of celestial blessings.
–Saint Macarius the Great (c. 300-391)

Every creature gives glory…

Every creature, whether it speaks or is silent, whether in Heaven or on Earth, gives glory to its Maker.
–Saint Basil the Great (329-379)

Contemplate the beauty…

Who gave you the ability to contemplate the beauty of the skies, the course of the sun, the round moon, the millions of stars, the harmony and rhythm that issue from the world as from a lyre, the return of the seasons, the alternation of the months, the demarcation of day and night, the fruits of the earth, the vastness of the air, the ceaseless motion of the waves, the sound of the wind?
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)

Have confidence…

The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it. I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

Hold to his promise…

I have his promise; I am surely not going to rely on my own strength! I have what he has written; that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbor. Let the world be in upheaval. I hold to his promise and read his message; that is my protecting wall and garrison. What message? ‘Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!‘ If Christ is with me, whom shall I fear? Though the waves and the sea and the anger of princes are roused against me, they are less to me than a spider’s web.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

The Church is…

Do not hold aloof from the Church, for nothing is stronger than the Church. The Church is your hope, your salvation, your refuge. It is higher than the heavens, it is wider than the earth. It never waxes old, but is always in full vigor.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

Question the beauty…

Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air distending and diffusing itself, question the beauty of the sky. . . question all these realities. All respond: “See, we are beautiful.” Their beauty is a profession. These beauties are subject to change. Who made them if not the Beautiful One who is not subject to change?
–Saint Augustine (354-430)

To receive Christ…

Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says, “Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me.”
–Saint Augustine (354-430)

Pay special attention…

Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)

The poor need…

God has no need of your money, but the poor do. You give it to the poor and God receives it.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)

Listen to the faithful…

Let us listen to what all the faithful say, because in every one of them the Spirit of God breathes.
–Saint Paulinus of Nola (c. 354-431)

One body in Christ…

By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one. We are made one body in Christ, because we are nourished by one flesh. As Christ is indivisible, we are all one in him. Therefore, He asked His Father “that they may all be One as We also are one.”
–Saint Cyril of Alexandria (378-444)

The gift of the Cross…

How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return… A tree once caused our death, but now a tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a tree. What an astonishing transformation! That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory!
–Saint Theodore the Studite (c. 759-826)

The spiritual life…

These two stages sum up the whole of the spiritual life: when we contemplate ourselves we are troubled, and our sadness saves us and brings us to contemplate God; that contemplation in turn gives us the consolation of the joy of the Holy Spirit.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

The grace of contemplation…

The grace of contemplation is granted only in response to a longing insistent desire.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

By ineffable sweetness…

The mind stolen from itself by the ineffable sweetness of the Word
–Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

By penitence and confession…

Like hairs on the head, mortal man is joined to Jesus Christ, the head of all, but they are full of transgressions and sins because of man’s delight in the flesh. But the Church regenerates and purifies these from the unclean stench and filth of sin by penitence and confession, just as hair is cleansed from dew and drops, and as dust is shaken out and cleansed from wool.
–Saint Hildegarde of Bingen (1098-1179)

Creation is a song…

Creation is a song that God freely desires to sing into the vast spaces of the universe.
–Saint Bonaventure (c. 1221-1274)

The indestructible church…

The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her persecutors have failed to destroy her; in fact, it was during times of persecution that the Church grew more and more; while the persecutors themselves, and those whom the Church would destroy, are the very ones who came to nothing. . . .Again, errors have assailed her; but in fact, the greater the number of errors that have arisen, the more has the truth been made manifest. . . . Nor has the Church failed before the assaults of demons: for she is like a tower of refuge to all who fight against the Devil.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

The Catholic Church is…

Just as in one man there is one soul and one body, yet many members; even so the Catholic Church is one body, having many members. The soul that quickens this body is the Holy Spirit; and therefore in the Creed after confessing our belief in the Holy Spirit, we are bid to believe in the Holy Catholic Church.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Grace in the sacrament…

In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Conditions necessary for Penance…

Three conditions are necessary for Penance: contrition, which is sorrow for sin, together with a purpose of amendment; confession of sins without any omission; and satisfaction by means of good works.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Joined to holy Church…

He wills that we take ourselves with great strength to the faith of holy Church and find there our most precious mother in comfort and true understanding with the whole communion of blessed ones. For a person by himself can frequently be broken, as it seems to himself, but the whole body of holy Church was never broken and never shall be, without end. Therefore it is a sure thing, a good thing, and a gracious thing to will meekly and powerfully to be fastened and joined to our mother, holy Church – that is Christ Jesus.
–Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)

Grace-giving mindfulness…

Right understanding, with true longing, absolute trust, and sweet grace-giving mindfulness
–Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)

If you put it off today…

What good is it to delay confession for a long time or to put off Holy Communion? Cleanse yourself at once, spit out the poison quickly. Make haste to apply the remedy and you will find it better than if you had waited a long time. If you put it off today because of one thing, perhaps tomorrow a greater will occur to you, and thus you will stay away from Communion for a long time and become even more unfit.
–Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Journey a long way…

Those who are able to shut themselves up in this way within this little Heaven of the soul, wherein dwells the Maker of Heaven and earth, and who have formed the habit of looking at nothing and staying in no place which will distract these outward senses, may be sure that they are walking on an excellent road, and will come without fail to drink of the water of the fountain, for they will journey a long way in a short time. They are like one who travels in a ship, and, if he has a little good wind, reaches the end of his voyage in a few days, while those who go by land take much longer.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Repeating a single…

There are many souls who close their ears against Him because they prefer to speak and hurry through vocal prayers as if a task had been set them to say a certain amount everyday. Do not imitate them. You are doing more by occasionally repeating a single petition of the Our Father than by repeating the whole of it many times in a hurry and not thinking [or willing] what you are saying.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Awareness amazed…

Awareness absorbed and amazed
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

The window of the soul…

The window of the soul cleansed perfectly and made completely transparent by the divine light.
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Charity introduce us…

Salvation is shown to faith, it is prepared for hope, but it is given only to charity. Faith points out the way to the land of promise as a pillar of fire hope feeds us with its manna of sweetness, but charity actually introduces us into the Promised Land.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Show our love…

It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Serving the poor…

Be diligent in serving the poor. Love the poor, honor them, my children, as you would honor Christ Himself.
–Saint Louise de Marillac (1591-1660)

The devil catches…

The usual snare with which the devil catches the young is to fill them with shame when they are about to confess their sins. When he pushes them to commit sins, he removes all shame, as if there were nothing wrong with it, but when they are going to confession, he returns that shame magnified and tries to convince them that the priest will be shocked by their sins and will no longer think well of them. Thus the devil tries to drive souls to the brink of eternal damnation. Oh, how many lads does Satan steal from God – sometimes forever – by this trick.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

If you sin, confess it…

First of all, do everything you can to avoid offending God, but if unfortunately you should commit sin, do not let the devil prevail upon you to not confess it. Remember that the confessor is a father who is eager to do all he can for you and [to] protect you from all possible harm.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

The sacrament of Penance…

Now let me tell you something about the sacrament of Penance. To draw fruit from this sacrament, it is not enough to go to confession frequently. One must also honestly strive to not sin.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

True charity consists…

True charity consists in putting up with all one’s neighbor’s faults, never being surprised by his weakness, and being inspired by the least of his virtues.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Christ is always with us…

It is no use saying that we are born two thousand years too late to give room to Christ. Nor will those who live at the end of the world have been born too late. Christ is always with us, always asking for room in our hearts. Yet now it is with the voice of our contemporaries that he speaks, with the eyes of store clerks, factory workers, and children that he gazes; with the hands of office workers, slum dwellers, and suburban housewives that he gives. It is with the feet of soldiers and tramps that he walks, and with the heart of anyone in need that he longs for shelter. And giving shelter or food to anyone who asks for it, or needs it, is giving it to Christ.
–Dorothy Day (1897-1980)

Love all creation…

Love all God’s creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things.
–Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)

Minister of confession…

The minister to whom confession is made is the delegate of Christ, Who is the Judge of the living and the dead.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Carry the cross…

At times our Lord makes you feel the burden of the Cross. This burden seems intolerable to you. But as for you, carry it because Jesus extends His hand and gives you strength.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Never trust ourselves…

We must never trust ourselves, for it is the devil’s way first to get us to feel secure, and then to make us fall.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Temptations are mastered…

As to temptations, some are mastered by flying from them, some by resisting them, and some by despising them.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)

One who perseveres…

We must often remember what Christ said, that not he who begins, but he that perseveres to the end, shall be saved.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Ignorance not malice…

If I should say anything that is not in conformity with what is held by the Holy Roman Catholic Church, it will be through ignorance and not through malice.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

To will is to do…

Even if the whole world should blame you, and deafen you with its cries, what matter so long as you are in the arms of God? He is powerful enough to free you from everything; for only once did He command the world to be made and it was done; with Him, to will is to do.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Believe only those…

Cease troubling about these fears, then, sisters; and never pay heed to such matters of popular opinion. This is no time for believing everyone; believe only those whom you see modeling their lives on the life of Christ. Endeavor always to have a good conscience; practice humility; despise all worldly things; and believe firmly in the teaching of our Holy Mother Church.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Dwells within my soul…

I think, if I had understood then, as I do now, how this great King really dwells within this little palace of my soul, I should not have left Him alone so often, but should have stayed with Him and never have allowed His dwelling-place to get so dirty. How wonderful it is that He Whose greatness could fill a thousand worlds, and very many more, should confine Himself within so small a space, just as He was pleased to dwell within the womb of His most holy Mother!
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

The soul that walks…

The soul that walks in love neither tires others nor grows tired.
–Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

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