It is the part of a reasonable man not only to curb his passions to prevent them from coming to light either in word or deed, but also to rule them in such a way that everything is done by reason, nothing on impulse.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Christ will come to you offering His consolation, if you prepare a fit dwelling for Him in your heart, whose beauty and glory, wherein He takes delight, are all from within. His visits with the inward man are frequent, His communion sweet and full of consolation, His peace great, and His intimacy wonderful indeed. Therefore, faithful soul, prepare your heart for this Bridegroom that He may come and dwell within you.
–Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
It constantly happens that the Lord permits is a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler. When it is honest, and realizes what it is done, and returns, it makes ever-increasing progress in our Lord service.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
We must take care of little faults: for he who once begins to go backward, and to make light of such defects, brings a sort of grossness over his conscience, and then goes wrong altogether.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
A life of faith is a life of gratitude – it means a life in which I am willing to experience my complete dependence upon God and to praise and thank him unceasingly for the gift of being. A truly eucharistic life means always saying thanks to God, always praising God, and always being more surprised by the abundance of God’s goodness and love. How can such a life not also be a joyful life? It is the truly converted life in which God has become the center of all. There gratitude is joy and joy is gratitude and everything becomes a surprising sign of God’s presence.
–Henri Nouwen (1932-1996)
Happiness is the realization of God in the heart. Happiness is the result of praise and thanksgiving, of faith and acceptance; a quiet, tranquil realization of the love of God.
–Chief White Eagle (1917-2011)
