Words of Wisdom & Encouragement
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For eternal life…
For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.
–Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
No problem free life for anyone…
Why are you upset when things don’t go the way you wish? Who gets everything his way? I don’t. You don’t. No one does. Not one person on earth — not even a king or a pope — has a problem free life.
–Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Nothing is sweeter than love…
Nothing is sweeter than love; nothing higher, nothing stronger, nothing larger, nothing more joyful, nothing fuller, nothing better in heaven or on earth; for love descends from God, and may not finally rest in anything lower than God. One with such love flies high; he runs swiftly, he is merry in God, he is free in soul. He gives all for all, and has all in all, for he rests in one high Goodness above all things, from whom all goodness flows.
–Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
One dies to one’s self…
In the measure that a man dies to himself and grows out of himself, in the same measure does God, who is our Life, enter into him.
–Johannes Tauler (1300–1361)
To discern what….
To discern what weaknesses and faults separate you from God, you must enter into your own inward ground and then confront yourself.
–Johannes Tauler (c. 1300-1361)
A happiness sought…
A happiness that is sought for ourselves alone can never be found: for a happiness that is diminished by being shared is not big enough to make us happy.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Prayer begins with…
Prayer begins with a return to the heart, finding one’s deepest center, awakening the profound depths of our being in the presence of God who is the source of our being and of our life.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
God will bless us with grace…
God does not require of us more than we can deliver… He will not push you beyond your strength and capacity… We do our part and God does the rest. He will bless us with his grace and allow us to accomplish wonderful things we can’t even imagine.
–Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
All spiritual…
A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Let life alone…
We live on the brink of disaster because we do not know how to let life alone. We do not respect the living and fruitful contradictions and paradoxes of which true life is full.
–Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Hope in God…
The more desperate things seem, the more must we hope in God. When man’s aid fails, God’s is close at hand.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Fixed on God…
He lives the blessed life who, so far as possible, has his mind continually fixed on God and God in his mind.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Increase your efforts…
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.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Remain always satisfied with God…
So come! With heads erect, let us advance, ignoring everything, and remaining always satisfied with God and with all that he makes us do and accomplishes within us. Let us take good care not to get foolishly involved in all those fears and doubts which, like paths leading nowhere, only tempt us to wander on and on until we are hopelessly lost. Let us leap over this maze of self-love instead of trying to explore its endless alleys.
–Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
Talk to God…
It is far better to talk to God than to talk about Him, for there is so much self love intermingled with spiritual conversations.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
When we yield to discouragement….
When we yield to discouragement or despair it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Jesus is there just for you…
Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Without prayer…
Without prayer a man will not persevere long in spirituality; we must have recourse to this most powerful means of salvation every day.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)
Cheerfulness strengthens…
Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life; wherefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.
— Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)
Obtaining perseverance…
One of the most excellent means of obtaining perseverance is discretion; we must not wish to do everything at once, or become a saint in four days.
–Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)
The mind of the Scriptures…
It is not possible, I say not possible, ever to exhaust the mind of the Scriptures. It is a well which has no bottom.
— Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
Prayer is the…
Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
The way of suffering…
The ultimate consolation: the way of suffering is the surest road to union with the Lord. The saving power of joyfully borne suffering is particularly necessary in our time.
–Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942)
Through sickness…
When you see your body wasted through sickness, do not murmur against God, but say: “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” You are accustomed to look upon your body as upon your own inalienable property, but that is quite wrong, because your body is God’s edifice.
— Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)
With humble submission…
Bear with humble submission to the will of God every sorrow, every sickness and infirmity, every labor, every offense and disappointment, saying: “Thy Will be done,” knowing that God’s mercy orders everything for your good, and that the Lord can easily change every disappointment into happiness and joy.
— Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)
The judgment of God…
The judgment of God may be compared to a mirror. It is not the mirror’s fault if the face it reflects is hideous.
–Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
Our repentance is…
Faith beholds Jesus among us. If we are unable to seize his hand, let us prostrate ourselves at his feet. If we are unable to reach his head, let us wash his feet with our tears. Our repentance is the perfume of the Savior. See how costly is the compassion of the Savior.
–Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
If the scandal comes…
If the scandal comes from the truth, one must endure the scandal rather than conceal the truth.
–Saint Gregory the Great (590- 604)
The human mind cannot…
All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
In no way meddle…
Keep in mind God’s precept that states, “Judge not, and you will not be judged” (Lk. 6:37), and in no way meddle in the lives of others.
–Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
When they stop believing in God…
It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that. When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.
–GK Chesterton (1874-1936)
See Jesus in every person…
Above all, always see Jesus in every person, and consequently treat each one not only as an equal and as a brother or sister, but also with great humility, respect, and selfless generosity.
–Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916)
The Spirit raises…
The Spirit raises our hearts to Heaven, guides the steps of the weak, and brings to perfection those who are making progress. He enlightens those who have been cleansed from every stain of sin and makes them spiritual by communion with himself.
–Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
The Spirit pours forth grace…
Simple in himself, the Spirit is manifold in his mighty works. The whole of his being is present to each individual; the whole of his being is present everywhere. Though shared in by many, he remains unchanged; his self-giving is no loss to himself. Like the sunshine, which permeates all the atmosphere, spreading over land and sea, and yet is enjoyed by each person as though it were for him alone, so the Spirit pours forth his grace in full measure, sufficient for all, and yet is present as though exclusively to everyone who can receive him. To all creatures that share in him he gives a delight limited only by their own nature, not by his ability to give.
–Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
The beauty and majesty of God…
Since we received a command to love God, we possess from the first moment of our existence an innate power and ability to love…What, I ask, is more wonderful than the beauty of God? What thought is more pleasing and wonderful than God’s majesty? What desire is as urgent and overpowering as the desire implanted by God in a soul that is completely purified of sin and cries out in its love: I am wounded by love? The radiance of divine beauty is altogether beyond the power of words to describe.
–Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
Gathered the words…
Like a dog picking up scraps from under the table, I have gathered the words uttered by those blessed Fathers and have written all this down as reminder to us to be their imitators, if only in a small way.
–Nil Sorsky (c. 1433–1508)
Christian faith is…
Christian faith is expressed with three things:
words,
the heart,
and the hands.
–Pope Francis (1936-
Harmony of hearts…
It is fitting, therefore, that you should be in agreement with the mind of the bishop as in fact you are. Your excellent presbyters, who are a credit to God, are as suited to the bishop as strings to a harp. So in your harmony of mind and heart the song you sing is Jesus Christ. Every one of you should form a choir, so that, in harmony of sound through harmony of hearts, and in unity taking the note from God, you may sing with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father. If you do this, he will listen to you and see from your good works that you are members of his Son. It is then an advantage to you to live in perfect unity, so that at all times you may share in God.
–Saint Ignatius of Antioch (First Century)
Devotion requires…
That perfect devoting ourselves to God, from which devotion has its name, requires that we should not only do the will of God, but also that we should do it with love.
— François Fénèlon (1651-1715)
Absolute abandonment…
If there be anything that is capable of setting the soul in a large place it is absolute abandonment to God. It diffuses in the soul a peace that flows like a river and the righteousness which is as the waves of the sea.
–François Fénèlon (1651-1715)
Christ was…
Christ was born in a stable; He was obliged to fly into Egypt; thirty years of His life were spent in a workshop; He suffered hunger, thirst, and weariness; He was poor, despised, and miserable; He taught the doctrines of heaven, and no one would listen. The great and the wise persecuted and took Him, subjected Him to frightful torments, treated Him as a slave, and put Him to death between two malefactors, having preferred to give liberty to a robber, rather than to suffer Him to escape. Such was the life which our Lord chose; while we are horrified at any kind of humiliation, and cannot bear the slightest appearance of contempt.
–François Fénèlon (1651-1715)
Attend to the needs…
When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours.
— Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
The Holy Spirit…
We read in sacred Scripture that the Holy Spirit breathes where he pleases, and we should also realize that he breathes when he pleases.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Doing the will of God…
That man, indeed, is in danger who does not throughout his whole life place before himself the will of God as his goal, so that in health he shows forth the labor of love by his zeal for the works of the Lord and in sickness displays endurance and cheerful patience. The first and greatest peril is that by not doing the will of God, he separates himself from the Lord and cuts himself off from fellowship with his own brothers; second, that he ventures, although though undeserving, to claim a share in the blessings prepared for those who are worthy.
–Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
A Christian should…
A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to foot.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
God’s love is unconditional…
God’s love is unconditional. Be sure that yours is too!
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
Better truth than scandal….
It is better that the truth be known than that scandal be covered up.
–St. Augustine (354-430)
Created things…
Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
Faith gives rise to prayer…
Reading the Holy Gospel nourishes in us the habit of prayer, builds up our faith, and disposes us to trust in the Lord rather than in ourselves… We must believe, then, in order to pray; and we must ask God that the faith enabling us to pray may not fail. Faith gives rise to prayer, and this prayer obtains an increase of faith.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
You have forgotten his presence…
When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind. When your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of misfortune-shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean you have forgotten his presence. Rouse him, then; remember him, let him keep watch within you, pay heed to him…. A temptation arises: it is the wind. It disturbs you: it is the surging of the sea. This is the moment to awaken Christ and let him remind you of those words: “Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”
–Saint Augustine (354-430
In the dark…
However severe God’s guidance may seem to us at times, it’s always the guidance of a Father who is infinitely good, wise, and kind. He leads us to our goal by different paths. And after all . . . let’s be honest —isn’t it true that we tend to spoil the work of grace in us? So it’s to our advantage to experience the withdrawal of grace and abandonment by God. Then we must act as little children do in the dark — clasp the hand of father or mother, and go where we are led.
–Saint Julie Billiart (1751-1816)
The use of speech…
It is a good thing to use the tongue sparingly, and to keep a calm and rightly balanced heart in the use of speech. For it is not right to say things that are foolish and absurd, or to utter all that occurs to the mind. We ought instead to know and reflect that, though we are far separated from heaven, God hears what we say, and that it is good for us to speak without offense.
–Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus ( c. 213– c. 270)
Compared with Divine Goodness…
Beginners in the service of God sometimes lose confidence when they fall into any fault. When you feel so unworthy a sentiment rising within you, you must lift your heart to God and consider that all your faults, compared with divine goodness, are less than a bit of tattered thread thrown into a sea of fire… So, when you have committed a fault, humble yourself before God, and cast your fault into the infinite ocean of, charity, and at once it will be effaced from your soul; at the same time all distrust will disappear.
–Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
Trust in God…
I do not understand how it is possible not to trust in Him who can do all things. With Him, everything; without Him, nothing. He is Lord. He will not allow those who have placed all their trust in Him to be put to shame.
–Saint Faustina (1905-1938)
Never yield to discouragement…
Remember this simple truth which is beyond all doubt: God allows many difficulties to beset those who want to serve him but he never lets them sink beneath the burden as long as they trust in him. This, in a few words, is a complete summary of what you most need: never under any pretext whatsoever yield to the temptation of discouragement.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Be patient with…
Be patient with the whole world, but, above all with yourself. I want to tell you not to lose your serenity because of your imperfections, and always to have the zest to raise yourself up. It gives me joy to see each day you begin again. There is no better way to finish life well than to return to the starting point always and not ever to think that we have done enough.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Lay hold of goodness…
Be persecuted, rather than be a persecutor.
Be crucified, rather than be a crucifier.
Be treated unjustly, rather than treat anyone unjustly.
Be oppressed, rather than be an oppressor.
Be gentle rather than zealous.
Lay hold of goodness, rather than justice.
–Saint Isaac of Syria (Seventh Century)
God works in all hearts…
Although God is Almighty, He can only work in a heart when He finds readiness or makes it. He works differently in humans than in stones. For this we may take the following illustration: if we bake in one oven three loaves of barley-bread, of rye-bread, and of wheat, we shall find the same heat of the oven affects them differently; when one is well-baked, another will be still raw, and another yet more raw. That is not due to the heat, but to the variety of the materials. Similarly God works in all hearts not alike but in proportion as He finds them prepared and susceptible. If the heart is to be ready for the highest, it must he vacant of all other things. If I wish to write on a white tablet, whatever else is written on the tablet, however noble its purport, is a hindrance to me. If I am to write, I must wipe the tablet clean of everything, and the tablet is most suitable for my purpose when it is blank. Similarly, if God is to write on my heart, everything else must come out of it till it is really sanctified. Only so can God work His highest will, and so the sanctified heart has no outward object at all.
–Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)
The tree of life…
This, therefore,
is the tree of life indeed,
the word of the Father,
the wisdom of God in the highest,
which in the hearts of the saints,
as in an unseen paradise,
is sown in fear,
watered by grace,
dies through grief,
takes root by faith,
buds by devotion,
shoots up through compunction,
grows by longing,
is strengthened by charity,
grows green by hope,
puts out its leaves and spreads
its branches through caution,
flowers through discipline,
bears fruit through virtue,
ripens through patience,
is harvested by death, and
feeds by contemplation.
–Hugh of St. Victor (c. 1096–1141)
Let not your imperfections…
Let not your imperfections discourage you; your God does not despise you because you are imperfect and infirm. On the contrary, he loves you because you desire to cure your ills. He will come to your assistance and make you more perfect than you would have dared to hope, and adorned by his Hand, your beauty will be unequalled, like his own goodness.
–Louis de Blois (1506–1566)
Enter into inner prayer…
The choice of the time and duration of the prayer arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. the heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith.
–Catechism of the Catholic Church #2710
Entering into contemplative…
Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we “gather up:” the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.
–Catechism of the Catholic Church #2711
Everything is grace from God…
Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more. But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son.
–Catechism of the Catholic Church #2712
Contemplative prayer is…
Contemplative prayer is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gift, a grace; it can be accepted only in humility and poverty. Contemplative prayer is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts. Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, “to his likeness.”
–Catechism of the Catholic Church #2713
We offer the Lord…
We offer the Lord gold when we shine in his sight with the light of heavenly wisdom. We offer him frankincense when we send up pure prayer before him, and myrrh when, mortifying our flesh with its vices and passions by self-control, we carry the cross behind Jesus.
–Saint Bruno of Segni (c. 1047-1123)
Be faithful to our vocation…
How important it is that we Christians are faithful to our vocation! Every authentic believer is always travelling his own personal itinerary of faith, and at the same time, with the little light that he carries within himself, can and must be a help to those alongside him, and even help the one for whom finding the way that leads to Christ is difficult.
–Pope Benedict XVI (1927-
Today the Magi…
In choosing to be born for us, God chose to be known by us. He therefore reveals himself in this way, in order that this great sacrament of his love may not be an occasion for us of great misunderstanding. Today the Magi find, crying in a manger, the one they have followed as he shone in the sky. Today the Magi see clearly, in swaddling clothes, the one they have long awaited as he lay hidden among the stars. Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. As they look, they believe and do not question, as their symbolic gifts bear witness: incense for God, gold for a king, myrrh for one who is to die. So the Gentiles, who were the last, become the first: the faith of the Magi is the first fruits of the belief of the Gentiles.
–Saint Peter Chrysologus (c. 380 – c. 450)
Baptism of Christ…
Today let us do honor to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven. You are to enjoy more and more the pure and dazzling light of the Trinity, as now you have received – though not in its fullness – a ray of its splendor, proceeding from the one God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
It is Jesus who you seek…
It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness. He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise.
–Saint John Paul (1920-2005)
Making a happy marriage is not so…
What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.
–Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
Christ is with you…
Remember that you are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives! He has called you and chosen you to live in the freedom of the children of God. Turn to him in prayer and in love. Ask him to grant you the courage and strength to live in this freedom always. Walk with him who is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’!”
–Saint John Paul (1920-2005)
Assess your impulses…
Just as a basic concern is to be careful of anything that might be harmful to our physical health, so our spiritual concern should watch out for anything that might harm our spiritual life and the work of faith and salvation. Therefore, carefully and attentively assess your inner impulses: are they from God or from the spirit of evil?
–Saint John Maximovich (1896-1966)
Proverbs are words…
Proverbs are words of exhortation that serve the whole path of life. They serve as guides and signs for those who are seeking their way to God by reviving them when they become tired by the length of the road.
–Saint Hippolytus (170-236)
Patient waiting is…
Patient waiting is necessary that we may fulfill what we have begun to be and, through God’s help, that we may obtain what we hope for and believe.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
When we think of Christ…
Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favors, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love him. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Quite a habit…
Oh, God help me! That there should be complaining like this among nuns! May He forgive me for saying so, but I am afraid it has become quite a habit.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Banish distractions…
Banish, therefore, from your heart the distractions of earth and turn your eyes to spiritual joys, that you may learn at last to rest in the light of the contemplation of God.
–Saint Albert the Great (c. 1206-1280)
Contemplation is…
Even in this one should bear in mind the difference between the contemplation of faithful Christians and that of pagan philosophers, for the contemplation of the philosophers is for the perfection of the contemplator himself, and consequently it is confined to the intellect and their aim in it is intellectual knowledge. But the contemplation of the Saints, and of Christians, is for the love of him, that is of the God they are contemplating.
–Saint Albert the Great (c. 1206-1280)
Time for compassion…
The Church is tossed by…
That little ship offers us a figure of the church, for she is tossed by sea (that is, the world) and by the waves (that is, persecutions and temptations), with the Lord patiently sleeping, as it were, until awakened by the prayers of the saints, he checks the world and restores tranquility to his own.
–Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 225 AD)
Love one another…
The Lord does not say that the proof of his disciples’ faithfulness will be the working of wondrous miracles . . . What does He tell them? “You shall be known as my disciples if you love one another.”
–Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
Troubles and disorders…
The whole course of Christianity from the first… is but one series of troubles and disorders. Every century is like every other, and to those who live in it seems worse than all times.
–Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Comfort in tribulation…
Tried beyond your…
–Saint John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719)
Do not be crushed by sadness…
Live with your heart raised up in God, and do not allow yourself to be crushed by sadness. Be sure that one day you will see the warm sun that will scatter these clouds.
–Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
Anger should last…
Do you wish to have your fill of anger? One hour, or two or three is enough for you. But do not let the sun go down and leave you both as enemies.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
Accept those things…
Accordingly, whether we have our requests granted or not, let us persist in asking and render thanks not only when we gain what we ask but also when we fail to. Failure to gain, you see, when that is what God wants, is not worse than succeeding; we do not know what is to our advantage in this regard in the way he does understand. The result is, then, that succeeding or failing we ought to give thanks. Why are you surprised that we don’t know what is to our advantage? … So we ought to yield to the Creator of our nature, and with joy and great relish accept those things that he has decided on and have an eye not to the appearance of events but to the decisions of the Lord. After all, he who knows better than we what is for our benefit also knows what steps must be taken for our salvation.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
True devotion does…
The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way as to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them. True devotion does still better. Not only does it not injure any sort of calling or occupation, it even embellishes and enhances it.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Vocation and devotion…
Moreover, just as every sort of gem, cast in honey, becomes brighter and more sparkling, each according to its color, so each person becomes more acceptable and fitting in his own vocation when he sets his vocation in the context of devotion. Through devotion your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince becomes more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
The floor of hell…
The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of rotten bishops.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
Prayer is longing for God,,,
Prayer gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, too deep for words.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
Among priests…
I speak not with rashness, but what I feel and mean: among priests, I reckon that not many are saved, but many more perish, not so much on account of their own sins as for the sins of others, which they have not put a remedy to.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
Encompassed by trials…
For herein consists the material of my gain, herein consists my wealth, herein consists the means of getting rid of my sins: that my journey is continually encompassed by trials of this kind, that they are inflicted upon me by persons from whom they were quite unexpected.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
When you read…
When you read, do not be content with turning the pages, but review the same passage twice, three times, or more in order to understand well all its significance. Reading too quickly is like storm rains that fall violently and flow away without giving the earth time to become moistened and are therefore useless or not very useful to it. Spiritual reading must rather imitate gentle rain, which falls slowly, penetrates to the depths of the earth and fertilizes the soil.
–Saint Ephrem of Syria (c. 306 – 373)
True prayer demands…
By our prayer we share the life of God. True prayer demands that we be more passive than active; it requires more silence than words, more adoration than study, more concentration than rushing about, more faith than reason. The highest state of prayer is to be children in the arms of Love: silent, loving, rejoicing.
–Carlo Carretto (1910-1988)
Endure courageously…
Blessed are those who, when grace is withdrawn, find no consolation in themselves but only continuing tribulation and thick darkness, and yet they do not despair. Rather, strengthened by faith, they endure courageously, convinced that they do indeed see him who is invisible.
–Saint John of Karpathos (Seventh Century)
The glorious and holy rule…
For this reason let us abandon empty and silly concerns and come to the glorious and holy rule of our tradition. Let us see what is good and pleasing and acceptable in the sight of our Maker. Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ and realize how precious it is to his Father, seeing that it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world. Let us look back over all the generations and learn that from generation to generation the Lord has given an opportunity of repentance to all who would return to him. Noah preached penance, and those who heeded were saved. Then Jonah announced destruction to the Ninevites, and they repented of their sins, besought God in prayer and, estranged though they were from God, obtained salvation.
–Saint Clement of Rome (First Century)
We are spiritual beings…
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
–Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
When impure thoughts come…
When impure thoughts come into our minds, we should think of them as little as we do of the leaves that fall down from trees. We must not dwell on them for a moment without heeding such suggestions from the enemy of souls, go quietly on our way.
–Saint Clement Hofbauer (1751-1820)
God is the holy support of…
God is the holy support of them that are tossed on an unholy sea.
–Saint John Damascene (c. 676-750)
Don't Be Shy
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