Fast from… and be…

Fast from hurting words and say kind words
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude
Fast from anger and be filled with patience
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope
Fast from worries and trust in God
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity
Fast from pressures and be prayerful
Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy
Faster from selfishness and be compassionate to others
Fast from grudges and be reconciled
Fast from words and be silent—so you can listen.
–Pope Francis (1936-

Ways God makes himself known…

There is no limit to the ways in which God may make himself known. At every turn in our lives there can be a meeting place with God. How our hearts should sing with joy and thanksgiving. We have only to want him now at this moment — at any moment in our lives — and he is there, wanting us, longing to welcome us, to forgive us all that has gone before that has separated us from him.
–Mother Frances Dominica (1942-

By God’s grace…

It is true that it is by God’s grace that we are what we are and by God’s grace we have been preserved from countless calamities of our own making. Even though we fall short of our own hopes and expectations, it is by God’s grace that we are what we are. God has a plan for us, of which we have only the sketchiest knowledge. Let us allow God to get on with the work and not delay its outcome either by taking credit for what meets with our approval or by becoming downcast when we are plunged into the mystery of our own resistance.
–Michael Casey (1942-

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…

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)

Humility consists in…

Humility consists in considering oneself to be nothing in all circumstances, cutting off one’s will in all things, accusing oneself of everything, and bearing without confusion that which befalls him from without. Such is true humility, in which vainglory finds no place. A humble man doesn’t need to try to show his humility in words, nor does he need to make himself do humble deeds, for both of these lead to vainglory, hinder progress, and cause more harm than good. But when they command anything, it is necessary not to contradict, but to fulfill it with obedience. This is what leads to success.
–Saint John the Prophet (Sixth Century)