When we are before the Blessed Sacrament, instead of looking about us, let us shut our eyes and open our hearts; and the good God will open his. We will go to him, and he will come to us, the one to give, and the other to receive. It will be like a breath passing from one to the other. What delight we find in forgetting ourselves that we may seek God!
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Saint Colette saw and spoke to our Lord as we speak to each other. How often do we come to church without knowing what we come to do, or what we wish to ask!
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
There is no one who cannot pray – and pray at all times and in all places; by night or day, when hard at work or resting; in the country, at home, or when travelling.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
You can pray by putting yourself quite simply in touch with God. When one finds nothing more to say to Him but just knows He is there – that in itself is the best of prayers.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
There are very few people, even in the lowliest conditions, who do not have a good opinion of themselves. They regard themselves as far superior to their equals, and their detestable pride urges them to believe that they are indeed worth a great deal more than most other people. From this I conclude that pride is the source of all the vices and the cause of all the evils which have occurred, and which are still to come, in the course of the centuries. We carry our blindness so far that often we even glorify ourselves on account of things which really ought to cover us with confusion.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Yes, my dear brethren, we shall see at the Judgement that the largest section of Christians practiced a religion of whim or caprice only—that is to say, the greatest number of them practiced their religion merely from motives of routine, and very few sought God alone in what they did.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
