Just as wax that has not been warmed or softened cannot take the [imprint of the] seal set upon it, neither can the person acquire the strength of Christ unless he has been tried by bouts of toil and sickness.
–The Desert Fathers (and Mothers)
Act in a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God.
–Saint Faustina (1905-1938)
God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God’s mercy will never be exhausted.
–Saint Faustina (1905-1938)
Death is not an ending, but a transition, and-this journey through time having been completed-a passage into eternity. Who would not hasten to better things?
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
Resentment attacks our vital forces and does us much harm. When someone has made us suffer, our tendency is to keep the memory of the wrong alive in our minds, like a “bill” we will produce in due time to demand settlement. Those accumulated bills end up poisoning our lives. It is wiser to cancel every debt, as the Gospel invites us to. In return, we will be forgiven everything, and our hearts will be set free, whereas nurturing resentment toward others closes us to the positive things they could contribute to us.
–Jacques Philippe (1947-
There are two things to be aware of if the fight against evil inclinations is to have any chance of success. First, our efforts will never be sufficient on their own. Only the grace of Christ can win us the victory. Therefore our chief weapons are prayer, patience, and hope. Second, one passion can only be cured by another — a misplaced love by a greater love, wrong behavior by right behavior that makes provisions for the desire underlying the wrongdoing, recognizes the conscious or unconscious needs that seek fulfillment and either offers them legitimate satisfaction or transfers them to something compatible with the person’s calling.
–Jacques Philippe (1947-
