God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Better to sing one Psalm with feeling, than to recite a hundred with a wandering mind. But if you haven’t yet received the grace of singing from your heart, do not give up hope. Be constant in your practice, and one day He who gave you the desire for the prayer of the heart will give you that prayer itself.
–Saint Romuald of Ravenna (951-1027)
Though we had nothing else to say to God than to tell him that we love him and that he is worthy of that love, that is enough. The angels in heaven utter but one word: Sanctus. In the abode of bliss that is their whole, their solitary prayer.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
In prayer, more is accomplished by listening than by talking.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
