Always be faithful to God in keeping the promises made to Him and do not bother about the ridicule of the foolish. Know that the saints were always sneered at by the world and worldlings; and they have trampled them under foot and triumphed over the world and its maxims.
–Saint Pio (1887-1968)
First, we should withdraw from all sin, even venial, for the true lover endeavors to avoid all offence, not thinking of the punishment due to it, but of the Beloved whom all evil offends, great and small. Secondly, we should cultivate every virtue, losing no occasion of doing good and being very zealous in acts of piety, which have great merit. Thirdly, we should not set our love on anything, but possess what we have as a loan, so that we may not fix our heart on that, but on God. Fourthly, let us arouse our heart from sleep, so that it may often make acts of tender love.
–Francisco de Osuna (1497-1541)
Till death, be faithful, my dear, to the Spouse to whom you’ve promised yourself, and you’ll be crowned by God with the laurels of Life. Our labor here is brief, our reward eternal. Remember this. Don’t let the thrills of this world—which vanish like dew—excite you. Don’t let the fake delights of this deceptive world trick you. Close your ears to hell’s whispers. Be brave. Resist them. Smile and endure when things go wrong, and don’t let success go to your head! Instead, look to Christ, who goes before us, take up the cross, and follow Him. Never let the thought of Jesus leave your mind. Meditate constantly on the mysteries of the cross and the pain His mother felt standing there below Him. Pray. Always be alert.
–Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
Holy contrition, holy humility, holy charity, holy devotion, and holy joy makes the soul holy and good
–Blessed Giles of Assisi (1190-1262)
It is appropriate that we should receive the body of Christ in the form of bread, because, as there are many grains of wheat in the flour from which bread is made by mixing it with water and baking it with fire, so also we know that many members make up the one body of Christ which is brought to maturity by the fire of the Holy Spirit… Similarly, the wine of Christ’s blood, drawn from the many grapes of the vineyard that he had planted, is extracted in the wine-press of the cross. When men receive it with believing hearts, like capacious wineskins, it ferments within them by its own power.
–Saint Gaudentius of Brescia (d. 410)
The heavenly sacrifice, instituted by Christ, is the most gracious legacy of his new covenant. On the night he was delivered up to be crucified he left us this gift as a pledge of his abiding presence. This sacrifice is our sustenance on life’s journey; by it we are nourished and supported along the road of life until we depart from this world and make our way to the Lord.
–Saint Gaudentius of Brescia (d. 410)
