Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.
–Saint Peter Chrysologus (c. 380 – c. 450)
The madness of love is a blessed fate; and if we understood this,
we would seek no other. It brings into unity what was divided.
And this is the truth: it makes bitterness sweet, it makes the stranger a neighbor, and what was lowly it raises on high.
–Hadewijch (c.1150-1200)
I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.
–Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Draw near to God with the greatest simplicity you can, and be certain that the simplest prayer is the best.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Lose yourself completely in God, rest on his divine breast, adore him, and, if you cannot say a word, that’s even better. Remain continually in prayer, recollected in God. Love speaks little and expresses itself more in silence. One loving word is enough: “Father! Great Father! Goodness! Love!” One word is enough to hold a loving soul for a long time in prayer.
— Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
