Holy contrition, holy humility…
Holy contrition, holy humility, holy charity, holy devotion, and holy joy makes the soul holy and good.
–Blessed Giles of Assisi (1190-1262)
We should repent of our sins…
We should repent of our sins while we are still on earth. When a potter is making a vessel and it becomes misshapen or breaks in his hands, he shapes it again; but once placed in the oven, it is beyond repair. Now the clay in the craftsman’s hands is an image of ourselves, and it teaches us that, while still in this world, we must wholeheartedly repent of sins committed in the body and make it possible for the Lord to save us while there is time. When we have left this world, we shall no longer be able to repent and confess our sins. We must do the will of the Father, keep our bodies pure, and observe the commandments of the Lord, for this is the way to obtain eternal life… While we can still be healed, let us surrender ourselves into the hands of our divine physician and give him his recompense, the recompense of true sorrow for our sins. Since he who knows all things sees what is in our hearts, let us praise him with our hearts as well as our lips. He will then receive us.
— Second Century Sermon
The divine goodness…
The divine goodness … is a fathomless and shoreless ocean, and I confess that when I plunge my mind into thought of this it is carried away by the immensity and feels quite lost and bewildered there.
–Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)
The most perfect prayer…
The most perfect prayer breathes in a heart that remains silent before God and knows how to listen to God.
–Augustine Ichiro Okumura (1923-2014)
Keep safe the gift of prayer…
Sometimes it happens that when you start to pray, you find you can pray well. At other times, even when you have expended great effort, you may find your efforts frustrated. This experience is to make you learn that you must exert yourself constantly, for having once gained the gift of prayer, you must be careful to keep it safe.
—Evagrius Ponticus (345-399)
Never pray as a matter of routine…
Whether you pray alone or in the company of others, try never to pray simply as a matter of routine but always with conscious awareness of what you are doing.
—Evagrius Ponticus (345-399)
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