To be saints…
The saints try to be saints, and not merely to appear to be saints.
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
All can be saints…
God wants all of us to be saints, and each one according to his or her state of life: the religious as religious, laypeople and laypeople, the priest as a priest, the married person as married, the merchant as a merchant, the solider as a soldier, and so on, in every other state of life.
–Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Christian way of life…
Those who intend to fulfill the Christian way of life to the best of their ability must first devote all their attention to the rational, discriminative and directing aspect of the soul. Perfecting in this way their discrimination between good and evil, and defending the purity of their nature against the attacks of the passions that are contrary to nature, they go forward without stumbling, guided by the eye of discrimination and not embroiled with the impulses of evil. For the soul’s will is able to preserve the body free from the vitiation of the senses, to keep the soul away from worldly distraction, and to guard the heart from scattering its thoughts into the world, completely walling them in and holding them back from base concerns and pleasures. Whenever the Lord sees someone acting in this manner, perfecting and guarding himself, disposed to serve Him with fear and trembling, He extends to him the assistance of His grace. But what will God do for the person who willingly gives himself up to the world and pursues its pleasures?
–Saint Symeon Metaphrastis Tenth Century)
Run to Christ alone…
Let us flee from the deceit of life and its supposed happiness and run to Christ alone, who is the Savior of souls. Him let us endeavor to find Who is present everywhere, and when we have found Him let us hold Him fast and fall at His feet (cf. Mt. 28:9) and embrace them in the fervor of our souls.
–Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
Peace and holiness…
‘Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.’ (Heb. 12:14) Why did he say ‘strive?’ Because it is not possible for us to become holy and to be saints in an hour! We must therefore progress from modest beginnings toward holiness and purity. Even were we to spend a thousand years in this life we should never perfectly attain it. Rather we must always struggle for it every day, as if mere beginners.
–Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
Saints intercede…
The greater the charity of the Saints in their heavenly home, the more they intercede for those who are still on their journey and the more they can help them by their prayers; the more they are united with God, the more effective those prayers are. This is in accordance with Divine order, which makes higher things react upon lower things, like the brightness of the sun filling the atmosphere.
–Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
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