Quotes

Words of Wisdom & Encouragement

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Mary was perfectly…

No one ever gave themselves so perfectly or so absolutely to the Divine Majesty as Mary did. She was more perfectly obedient to the Word of God than any other creature. Moreover, she was more submissive than anyone else ever was. The one who gives all reserves nothing. But what, I ask you, does it mean to give all to God? It is not to reserve for oneself anything which may not be for God, not even one affection or desire
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Mary our Mother…

And if our wretchedness saddens us, if our ingratitude for God terrorizes us, if the memory of our faults hinders us from presenting ourselves to God our Father, let us then have recourse to Mary our Mother. She is all sweetness, mercy, goodness, and love for us because she is our Mother.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Say the holy Rosary…

Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!
–Saint Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975)

Books and meditation…

Through the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

By suffering we…

By suffering we are able to give something to God. The gift of pain, of suffering is a big thing and cannot be accomplished in Paradise.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Place all your trust…

Place all your trust in the heart of sweet Jesus……Never abandon your faith and renew it always. Faith has never abandoned any man, and far less so will it forsake a soul that yearns to love God.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Cleanse and humble yourself…

Cleanse your heart of every earthly passion, humble yourself in the dust and pray. Like this you will certainly find God, who will give you peace and serenity in this life and eternal beatitude in the next.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Real holiness means…

Let us keep before our minds that which makes up real holiness. Holiness means getting above ourselves; it means perfect mastery of all our passions. It means having real and continual contempt for ourselves and for the things of the world to the point of preferring poverty rather than wealth, humiliation rather than glory, suffering rather than pleasure. Holiness means loving our neighbor as ourself for love of God. In this connection holiness means loving those who curse us, who hate and persecute us and even doing good to them. Holiness means living humbly, being disinterested, prudent, just, patient, kind, chaste, meek, diligent, carrying out one’s duties for no other reason than that of pleasing God and receiving from Him alone the reward one deserves.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Defect in prayer…

Certainly the greatest defect we have in our prayers – and in all that happens to us, particularly in that which concerns tribulations – is our lack of confidence.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Persevere in prayer…

Let us persevere in prayer at all times. For if our Lord seems not to hear us, it is not because He wants to refuse us. Rather, His purpose is to compel us to cry out louder or and to make us more conscious of the greatness of His mercy.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

God put you in the world because…

God did not put you in the world because he needed you. He made you for the purpose of working his goodness in you. God has given you a mind to know him, a memory to recall his favors, a will to love him, eyes to see what he does, and a tongue to sing his praise.
–Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

If the heart is distracted…

If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in Our Lord’s presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed.
–Saint Francis de Sales, (1567-1622)

We can’t find God…

If I am not mistaken, when we say that we can’t find God and that He seems so far away, we only mean that we can’t feel His presence…. Many people do not distinguish between God and the feeling of God, between faith and the feeling of faith– which is a very great problem. It seems to them that when they do not feel God, they are not in His presence. This is a mistake.
–Saint Frances de Sales (1567-1622)

Hate your brother or sister…

You may fast regularly, give alms, and pray without ceasing, but as long as you hate your brother, you will not be numbered among the children of God.
–Saint Louis de Blois (1506-1566)

Love our enemies…

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.
–GK Chesterton (1874-1936)

Nothing sweeter than love…

Nothing sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider, nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God.
–Saint Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)

Love feels no burden…

Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility; for it thinks all things lawful for itself, and all things possible.
–Saint Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471)

So much resentment…

We should blush for shame to show so much resentment at what is done or said against us, knowing that so many injuries and affronts have been offered to our Redeemer and the saints.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

His majesty seeks…

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.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Close your door and seek…

Enter the inner chamber of your mind; shut out all thoughts save that of God, and such as can aid you in seeking him; close your door and seek him. Believe me, if we neither possess nor strive to obtain this peace at home, we shall never find it abroad.                                              —Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

God speaks to souls…

God speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes he calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Two kinds of prayer…

Such is the difference between the two kinds of prayer. The water running through the aqueducts resembles sensible devotion, which is obtained by meditation. We gain it by our thoughts, by meditating on created things, and by the labour of our minds. In short, it is the result of our endeavors, and so makes the commotion I spoke of, while profiting the soul. The other fountain, like divine consolations, receives the water from the source itself, which signifies God.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

The smallest act…

Have a love that goes with special preference towards the humble and the poor, remembering that it is directly to Jesus that the smallest act of kindness and love is addressed when it is done to the least among his brothers and sisters. Welcome them with respect and love, be all the more considerate towards them, for they are the suffering members of Jesus’ body.
–Blessed Charles De Foucauld (1858-1916)

Does well what…

He does much who does little but does well what he has to do.
–Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)

Saints were not…

The Saints were not superhuman. They were people who loved God in their hearts, and who shared the joy with others.
–Pope Francis (1936-

Holiness is a gift…

Holiness is a gift from Jesus to his Church… There  is not one path for becoming holy… The first rule of sanctity: It is necessary that Christ grows, and we become less.
–Pope Francis (1936-

Saints like us…

The saints were people like all of us. Many of them came out of great sins, but by repentance they attained the Kingdom of Heaven. And everyone who comes there comes through repentance, which the merciful Lord has given us through His sufferings.
–Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)

Saints are close to us…

Many think that the saints are far from us. But they are far from those who distance themselves from them, and very close to those keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit. In the heavens, all things are moved by the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit is on earth too. He lives in our Church. He lives in the Mysteries. He is in the Holy Scriptures. He is in the souls of the faithful. The Holy Spirit unites all things, and therefore the saints are close to us. And when we pray to them, then the Holy Spirit hears our prayers, and our souls feel that they are praying for us.
–Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)

To become saints…

It is a trustworthy saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we think that we are saved while remaining sinners. Christ saves those sinners by giving them the means to become saints.
–Saint Philaret of Moscow (1782-1867)

Example of the saints…

The example of the saints is proposed to every one, so that the great actions shown us may encourage us to undertake smaller things.
–Blessed Louis de Granada (1505-1588)

Ask the holy saints…

If Saint Paul exhorts us to pray for one another, and we gladly think it right to ask every poor man to pray for us, should we think it evil to ask the holy Saints in Heaven to do the same?
–Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)

Saints whom the Savior loves…

Those in the Catholic Church, whom some rebuke for praying to Saints and going on pilgrimages, do not seek any Saint as their savior. Instead, they Seek saints as those whom their Savior loves, and whose intercession and prayer for the seeker He will be content to hear. For His Own sake, He would have those He loves honored. And when they are thus honored for His sake, then the honor that is given them for His sake overflows especially to Himself.
–Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)

The love of God…

The surest way to determine whether one possesses the love of God is to see whether he or she loves his or her neighbor. These two loves are never separated. Rest assured, the more you progress in love of neighbor the more your love of God will increase.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

The little thing…

In the mercy of God, the little thing done with humility will enable us to be found in the same place as the saints who have labored much and been true servants of God.
–Saint Dorotheus of Gaza (Sixth Century)

15 Marks of the Catholic Church…

The 15 Marks of the Catholic Church

(1) The Church’s Name, Catholic, universal, and world wide, and not confined to any particular nation or people.

(2) Antiquity, in tracing her ancestry directly to Jesus Christ.

(3) Constant Duration, in lasting substantially unchanged for so many centuries.

(4) Extensiveness, in the number of her loyal members.

(5) Episcopal Succession, of her Bishops from the first Apostles at the Last Supper to the present hierarchy.

(6) Doctrinal Agreement, of her doctrine with the teaching of the ancient Church.

(7) Union, of her members among themselves, and with their visible head, the Roman Pontiff.

(8) Holiness, of doctrine in reflecting the sanctity of GOD.

(9) Efficacy, of doctrine in its power to sanctify believers, and inspire them to great moral achievement.

(10) Holiness of Life, of the Church’s representative writers and defenders.

(11) The glory of Miracles, worked in the Church and under the Church’s auspices.

(12) The gift of Prophecy found among the Church’s saints and spokesmen.

(13) The Opposition that the Church arouses among those who attack her on the very grounds that Christ was opposed by His enemies.

(14) The Unhappy End, of those who fight against her.

(15) The Temporal Peace and Earthly Happiness of those who live by the Church’s teaching and defend her interests.
— Saint Robert Bellermine  (1542-1621)

The heart-to-heart….

Prayer, the heart-to-heart, must never end.
–Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880–1906)

Without prayer…

If the body has breath, it lives; if breathing stops, life comes to an end. So it is with the spirit. If there is prayer, the soul lives; without prayer, there is no spiritual life.
–Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)

The worst kind of sin…

The worst kind of sin is not to acknowledge that you are sinful.
–Saint Caesarius of Arles (460-552)

Cope with difficulties…

Let the soul be aware that, in order to pray and persevere in prayer, one must arm oneself with patience and cope bravely with exterior and interior difficulties. The interior difficulties are discouragement, dryness, heaviness of spirit and temptations. The exterior difficulties are human respect and time; one must create time set apart for prayer.
–Saint Faustina (1905-1938)

God is a living spring…

Pray with great confidence, with confidence based upon the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray
–Saint Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)

Without prayer we…

Without prayer we become deaf to the voice of divine love and become confused by the many competing voices asking for our attention. When we try to become very still, we often find ourselves so overwhelmed by our noisy inner voices that we can hardly wait to get busy and distracted again. Our inner life often looks like a banana tree full of jumping monkeys! But when we decide not to run away and stay focused, the monkeys may gradually go away because of lack of attention, and the soft gentle voice calling us may gradually make itself heard.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Prayer prevents pride…

Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.
–Saint Ephrem of Syria (c. 306-373)

By holy penance…

We must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion, and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with their consolation. Amen.
–Saint Colette of Corbie (1381-1447)

Full and true repentance…

If a sinner would turn from his sins with full and true repentance, he must go out to meet God in contrition and of his own free-will, and with an upright purpose and intention to serve Him thenceforward and never to sin any more. Then, in this meeting, he shall receive through the mercy of God a sure hope of eternal bliss and the remission of his sins; and he shall further receive the foundation of all virtue: namely, Faith, Hope, and Charity, and a good-will toward all other virtues.
–Blessed John Ruysbroeck (1293-1381)

Prayer is the…

Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)

Prayer is a plant…

Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian, but its growth entirely depends on the care we take to nourish it.  If neglected, it will die.
–Blessed Catherine McAuley (1778-1841)

Prayer is neither…

Prayer is neither word nor gesture, chant nor sound.
It is to be in still communication with our Ground.
–Angelus Silesius (1624-1677)

By contemplation…

By meditation, the soul walks afoot with labor; by contemplation, it flies without trouble. Thus Saint Teresa said, that when God had admitted her to this sort of prayer, her difficulties ceased at once, and she experienced a powerful attraction towards acts of all virtues, attended with a marvellous relish and sweetness.
–Louis Lallemant  (1578–1635)

Morning prayer is…

The essence of morning prayer is to thank God for sleep, rest and regained strength and to pray that He will help us do everything to His glory. Express this to Him with your mind and with your whole heart.
–Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)

Pray your own prayers…

Accustom yourself to pray your own prayers. For instance: it is the essence of evening prayer to thank God for the day and everything that happened, both pleasant and unpleasant; to ask forgiveness for all wrongs committed, promising to improve during the next day; and to pray that God preserve you during sleep. Express all this to God from your mind and from your whole heart.
–Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)

Boundaries of prayer…

When your mind, inflamed by longing for God, little by little divests itself of flesh, as it were, and turns away from all thoughts engendered by sensory impressions, or from memory, being at the same time full of adoration and rejoicing, then you may conclude that it has approached the boundaries of prayer.
–Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)

Without prayer, our

Without prayer, our faith is weakened, our love grows cold, our hope becomes uncertain.
–Terence Cooke (1921-1983)

Prayer gives us…

Prayer gives us strength for great ideals, for keeping up our faith, charity, purity, generosity; prayer gives us strength to rise up from indifference and guilt, if we have had the misfortune to give in to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives us light by which to see and to judge from God’s perspective and from eternity. That is why you must not give up on praying!”
–Saint John Paul (1920-2005)

Without prayer nothing…

Without prayer nothing good is done. God’s works are done with our hands joined, and on our knees. Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before Him.
–Blessed Luigi Orione (1872-1940)

Prayer unites one…

Prayer unites one with God, being a divine conversation and spiritual communion with the Being that is most beautiful and highest. Prayer is forgetting earthly things, an ascent to heaven. Through prayer we flee to God.
–Saint Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920)

Prayer is listening…

Prayer at its highest is a two-way conversation— and for me the most important part is listening to God’s replies.
–Frank Laubach (1884-1970)

Prayer is the…

Prayer is the oxygen of the soul.
–Saint Pio   (1887-1968)

Do not cling…

Do not cling or cleave to earthly things; keep your heart aloof from them as much as you can. Let there be no human respect where the glory of God is concerned.
–Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647- 1690)

Withdraw from prayer…

Not only pleasure will withdraw people from prayer, but also affliction sometimes; but there is this difference: affliction will sometimes extort a short prayer from the wickedest person alive, but pleasure and comfort stifles it altogether.
–Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)

Grace to live…

Jesus will assist you and give you the grace to live a heavenly life and nothing whatever will be able to separate you from His love.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Recognize Divine will…

In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will. Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Leave the door wide open…

It is the Lord who works within you, and you must do nothing except leave the door of your heart wide open so that he might work as he pleases.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

When praying, I

When praying, I firmly believe

  1. that God alone is and fills everything, and that He is therefore at my right hand;
  2. that I am His image; [and]
  3. that He is an abyss of mercy, the Source of every mercy, and that He Himself has authorized me to pray to Him.

–Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)

Trust in God’s mercy…

When you pray that your sins may be forgiven, strengthen yourself always by faith, and trust in God’s mercy… What are your sins in comparison to God’s mercy, whatever they be, if only you truly repent of them?
–Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)

Receive Jesus in…

As long as you receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every morning, you must consider yourself extremely fortunate.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Serene and tranquil…

Serene in our faith and tranquil in our soul, let us pray and continue to pray, because intense and fervent prayer pierces the heavens and is backed up by a Divine guarantee.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Spiritual poverty consists…

Spiritual poverty consists in esteeming oneself as though not existing, and God alone as existing; in honoring His words above everything in the world, and in not sparing anything to fulfill them, even ones own life; in considering God’s Will in everything, both for ourselves and others, entirely renouncing our own will.
–Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908))

Fasting and prayer…

What is the point of fasting and prayer? Why must we work so hard? They cleanse us from sin, they lead to spiritual peace, to union with God, to sonship, to boldness before God. There are truly important reasons for fasting and confessing from the bottom of one’s heart. Immeasurable rewards will be given for conscientious labor.
–Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)

Spiritual reading is…

Don’t consider me too demanding if I ask you once again to set great store by holy books and read them as much as you can. This spiritual reading is as necessary to you as the air you breathe.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

To trust in God…

To trust in God means to confide to Him our life, our fate, all our future, and to wait with confidence for the fulfillment of His promises. Hope proceeds from faith, as the plant from the seed, or the stream from the source. We believe that the Lord is good and merciful, that He loves us as a Father, and therefore that He desires every good and true happiness for us. He is most wise and omniscient, and consequently He knows better than we ourselves what is really needful and useful for us. He is almighty; and thus He is always able to bestow upon us that which He pleases, to fulfil that which He has promised. He is holy and righteous, and therefore all His words are truth. His promises are unchangeable.
–Saint John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)

We need crosses and contradictions…

In order to attract us the Lord gives us many graces and we imagine we are almost in Heaven. We do not know, however, that to grow we need hard bread – crosses, humiliations, trials and contradictions.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Graces and consolations…

It would be well to remember that the graces and consolations of prayer are not waters of this earth but of Heaven. Therefore, all our efforts are not sufficient to make them fall, even though it be necessary to prepare oneself with great diligence.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

The Devil is like…

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.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Seized by melancholy…

Whenever you are seized by melancholy, let your thoughts dwell on that fateful night on which the Son of God began the work of redemption in the solitude of Gethsemane and offer your own sufferings to the Divine Father, along with the sufferings of Jesus.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

In darkness and distress…

In darkness, at times of tribulation and distress of the spirit, Jesus is with you. In such a state you see nothing but darkness, but I can assure you on God’s behalf that the light of the Lord is all around you and pervades your spirit. . .You see yourself forsaken and I assure you that Jesus is holding you tighter than ever to His divine Heart.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Quench our thirst…

Let us therefore, love to quench our thirst at this fountain of living water and go forward all the time along the way of divine love. But let us also be convinced that our souls will never be satisfied here below. In fact it would be disastrous for us if, at a certain stage of our journey, we were to feel satisfied, for it would be a sign that we thought we had reached our goal, and in this we would be deceived.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Our ultimate aim…

Never let us put aside the thought of our ultimate aim. And what is this ultimate aim? To know God, principally, is why he conceived our days, our years. Therefore, let us try never to forget this ultimate aim, for everything depends on it. And for what reason? To serve him with faith, with love, and with constancy. Let us try to excel in all of this, then. Since God created us for love, he takes care of us for love, and for love he has promised us the prize.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Holy Mary is…

If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, such a one is a stranger to the Godhead.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329- c. 391)

I have recourse to Mother Mary…

In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

Mary, our Mother…

You must remember that you have in Heaven, not only a Father but also a Mother…If our wretchedness saddens us, if our ingratitude for God terrorizes us, if the memory of our faults hinders us from presenting ourselves to God, our Father, let us then have recourse to Mary, our Mother. She is all sweetness, mercy, goodness and love for us because she is our Mother.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)

The Rosary is…

The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.
–Blessed Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Escape sadness…

If we try to escape sadness by seeking our consolation in sleep, we will fail to find what we are seeking, for we will lose in sleep the consolation we might have received from God if we had stayed awake and prayed.
–Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)

Faith flourishes in the dark…

Faith flourishes in the dark:  trials, temptations, spiritual dryness and suffering are all opportunities for our faith to grow stronger. We can, of course, neglect these opportunities and allow our faith to wither and die. But those who praise God in life’s difficulties will experience the opposite effect.
–Saint Mary Magdalene De Pazzi (1566-1607)

When your mind wanders in prayer…

When your mind does wander during prayer, bring it back. When it wanders again, bring it back again. Each and every time that you read a prayer while your thoughts are wandering (and consequently you read it without attention and feeling,) then do not fail to read it again. Even if your mind wanders several times in the same place, read it again and again until you read it all the way through with understanding and feeling. In this way, you will overcome this difficulty so that the next time, perhaps, it will not come up again, or if it does return, it will be weaker.
–Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)

God give us more…

God does not delay to hear our prayers because He has no mind to give; but that, by enlarging our desires, He may give us the more largely.
–Saint Anselm (1033-1109)

God never ceases…

God never ceases to speak to us, but the noise of the world without and the tumult of our passions within bewilder us and prevent us from listening to him.
–François Fénèlon  (1651-1715)

Delayed answer to…

We should not bear it with bad grace if the answer to our prayer is long delayed. Rather, let us, because of this, show great patience and resignation. For He delays for this reason: that we may offer Him a fitting occasion of honoring us through His divine providence.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

Why pray at church…

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

Prayer is the…

Prayer is the height of our blessings and communion with God; for it is both companionship and unity with God. Just as the eyes of the body are enlightened when they look upon light, so a soul intent on God is illumined and enlightened by his inexpressible light.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

What are we to fear?

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.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

Five ways of repentance…

Five Ways of Repentance:

  1. A first path of repentance is the condemnation of your own sins: Be the first to admit your sins and you will be justified…
  2. Another and no less valuable one is to put out of our minds the harm done us by our enemies, in order to master our anger, and to forgive our fellow servants’ sins against us…
  3. Do you want to know of a third path? It consists of prayer that is fervent, careful and comes from the heart.
  4. If you want to hear of a fourth, I will mention almsgiving, whose power is great and far-reaching.
  5. If, moreover, a man lives a modest, humble life, that, no less than the other things I have mentioned, takes sin away…

Thus I have shown you five paths of repentance; condemnation of your own sins, forgiveness of our neighbor’s sins against us, prayer, almsgiving and humility. Do not be idle, then, but walk daily in all these paths; they are easy, and you cannot plead your poverty.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)

By repentance…

One who has sinned cannot escape retribution in any other way than by repentance corresponding to his sin.
–Saint Mark the Ascetic (Fifth Century)

One who does not repent…

No one is as good and kind as the Lord is; but He does not forgive one who does not repent.
— Saint Mark the Ascetic (Fifth Century)

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