Words of Wisdom & Encouragement
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I knew nothing…
I knew nothing; I was nothing. For this reason, God picked me out.
— Saint Catherine Laboure (1806-1876)
Hold fast to God…
Consider seriously how quickly people change, and how little trust is to be had in them; and hold fast to God, who does not change.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Live in harmony…
My last word to you, by which I implore you even with my blood, is that you live in harmony, united together, all of one heart and one will. Be bound to one another by the bond of charity, esteeming each other, helping each other, bearing with each other in Jesus Christ.
— Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540)
Union and concord…
See how important is this union and concord. So, long for it, pursue it, embrace it, and hold on to it with all your strength. For I tell you, living all together, thus united in heart, you will be like a mighty fortress, or a tower impregnable against all adversities, persecutions, and deceits of the devil.
— Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540)
In the same boat…
Not only are we all in the same boat, but we are all seasick.
— GK Chesterton (1874-1936)
Strive to please God…
You must strive with all possible care to please God in such a manner as neither to do nor behold anything, without first consulting Him, and in everything to seek Him alone and His glory.
— Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez (1532-1617)
The appearance of God…
The appearance of God is ineffable and indescribable, and cannot be seen by eyes of flesh. For in glory He is incomprehensible, in greatness unfathomable, in height inconceivable, in power incomparable, in wisdom unrivaled, in goodness inimitable, in kindness unutterable.
— Saint Theophilus of Antioch (Second Century)
None comes to contemplation…
[N]one comes to contemplation save through penetrating meditation, holy conversation, and devout prayer.
–Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274)
A growing consciousness of sin…
A growing consciousness of sin is no certain sign of growing sinfulness; but, on the contrary, a probable sign of growing sanctification. As sinfulness grows, insensibility increases; as the soul is sanctified, its keen discernment of sin is strengthened and enlarged.
–H.E. Manning (1808-1892)
A soul united…
The prayer of…
The prayer of the monk is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or the fact that he is praying.
— Saint Anthony of Egypt (c. 251-356)
Holiness does not…
Holiness does not demand anything great, beyond the ability of the person. It depends on God’s love; every daily act can be transformed into an act of love.
— Saint Ursula Julia Ledochowska (1865-1939)
Thy will be done…
Here is the luminous teaching of our Savior: “Thy will be done.” (Matt. 6:10). Whoever sincerely pronounces this prayer leaves his own will and puts all things in the will of God. But the will inspired by the demons consists is self-justification and trust in ourselves, and then they easily subject a man who receives this sort of thought.
— Saint Barsanuphius the Great (Sixth Century)
A life lived…
A life lived in the world can be as good, in the eyes of God, as one spent in a monastery. It is indeed only the keeping of God’s commandments, love of all, and a true sense of humility that matter, wherever we are.
— Saint Macarius of Optina (1788-1860)
Christ both did and taught…
But it is the will of God that Christ both did and taught. Humility in dealings with others; steadfastness in faith; modesty in words; justice in deeds; mercifulness in works; discipline in morals. To be unable to do a wrong, and to be able to bear a wrong when it is done; to keep peace with the brethren; to love God with all one’s heart; to love God because he is a Father but fear him because he is God; to prefer nothing whatever to Christ because he preferred nothing to us; to adhere inseparably to his love; to stand faithfully and bravely by his cross; when there is any conflict over his name and honor, to exhibit in discourse that steadfastness in which we proclaim him; in torture, to show that confidence in which we unite; in death, that patience in which we are crowned – this is what it means to want to be co-heirs with Christ, this is what it means to do what God commands, this is what it is to fulfill the will of the Father.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
The Cross is…
The Cross is the resurrection of the dead. The Cross is the hope of Christians…The Cross is the foundation of the Church, the establishment of the universe. –Saint Ephrem of Syria (c. 306 – 373)
For no one crosses…
For no one crosses the sea except on wood, or this world except on the Cross.
–Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)
Don’t recall to mind…
Don’t recall to your memory anything your neighbor may have said in a moment of acrimony, whether he insulted you to your face, or spoke evil of you to another and that person has come and reported it to you. If you let yourself become angry, it is but a short step from anger to hatred.
–Saint Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
If we find animosity
If we look inside our hearts and find there even a trace of animosity toward others for the wrongs they have done to us, then we should realize that we are still far removed from the love of God. The love of God absolutely precludes us from hating any human being.
–Saint Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
Recollection of an injury..
The recollection of an injury is itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin, and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. It puts all virtue to flight. It is like a worm in the mind: it confuses our speech and tears to shreds our petitions to God. It is foreign to charity: it remains planted in the soul like a nail. It is wickedness that never sleeps, sin that never fails. It is indeed a daily death.
–Saint Francis of Paola (1416-1507)
To be a saint…
To be a saint, neither intellectual culture nor great exterior activity is a requisite; it suffices that we live profoundly by God.
–Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1877–1964)
Silent love knows…
Silent love knows much in effortless pleasure. How little the body knows what love does in stillness!
–Mechthild of Magdeburg (Thirteenth Century)
The honor of being called Christian…
We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact.
–Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-1846)
The poison of anger…
We must, with God’s help, eradicate the deadly poison of the demon of anger from the depths of our souls. So long as he dwells in our hearts and blinds the eyes of the heart with his somber disorders, we can neither discriminate what is for our good, nor achieve spiritual knowledge, nor fulfill our good intentions, nor participate in true life; and our intellect will remain impervious to the contemplation of the true, divine light; for it is written, “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God” (Jms. 1:20).
— Saint John Cassian (c. 360-435)
Surrender our will…
We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can – namely, surrender our will and fulfill God’s will in us.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Tears over answered prayers…
There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Don’t imagine you would…
Don’t imagine that, if you had a great deal of time, you would spend more of it in prayer. Get rid of that idea; it is no hindrance to prayer to spend your time well.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Obeying God…
There is absolutely nothing that gives us more peace or does more to make us holy than obeying the will of God.
–Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675–1751)
I will live as…
I will live as the child of an infinitely good, wise, and powerful father whom I desire to please, and to make happy.
–Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675–1751)
This treasure is everywhere…
But what is the secret of finding this treasure? There isn’t one. This treasure is everywhere. It is offered to us all the time and wherever we are. All creatures, friends, or foes, pour it out in abundance, and it flows through every fiber of our body and soul until it reaches the very core of our being. If we open our mouths they will be filled.
— Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
This is true spirituality….
This is the true spirituality, which is valid for all times and for everybody. We cannot become truly good in a better, more marvelous, and yet easier way than by the simple use of the means offered us by God, the unique director of souls. It is the ready acceptance of all that comes to us at each moment of our lives.
— Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
Humble and obedient…
We will be humble as we are obedient, and as obedient as we are humble.
–Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
The purpose of prayer…
The purpose of prayer is not to inform our Lord what you desire, for He knows all your needs. It is to render you able and ready to receive the grace which our Lord will freely give you. This grace cannot be experienced until you have been refined and purified by the fire of desire in devout prayer. For although prayer is not the cause for which our Lord gives grace, it is nevertheless the means by which grace, freely given, comes to the soul.
–Walter Hilton (1340-1396)
Every evil and suffering…
Every evil, harm and suffering in this life comes from the love of riches.
–Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
Prayer of the heart…
The prayer of the heart is the source of all good, which refreshes the soul as if it were a garden.
— Saint Gregory of Sinai (c. 1295-1346)
Prayer reveals to…
Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength and consolation; and gives them a foretaste of the calm bliss of our heavenly home.
— Saint Rose of Viterbo (c. 1233-1251)
Whoever has tasted…
Whoever has tasted the sweetness of Christ will be diligently occupied in prayer, which, more than any labour, brings one near to God; for in prayer the mind is conmingled with God and becomes the image of its Maker and the recipient of his gifts and a fount of his mysteries.
— John of Dalyatha (Eighth Century)
Be not satisfied…
Do not be satisfied with little things, because God wants great things.
–Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
The name of Jesus…
If you think of the name ‘Jesus’ continually and cling to it devotedly, then it will cleanse you from sin and set your heart aflame; it will enlighten your soul, remove turbulence, and eliminate lethargy; it will give the wound of love and fill the soul to overflowing with love; it will chase off the devil and eliminate terror, open heaven, and create a mystic.
— Richard Rolle (c. 1300-1349)
Join yourself to God…
And now, with all affection, all devotion and intention, may you join yourself to God in prayer, as if you saw the spouse Jesus himself present, who assuredly is present in your soul.
— Saint Gertrude (1256-1302)
When we pray…
When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than proceedings from the mouth.
–Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Shut your mind…
You will never enjoy the sweetness of a quiet prayer unless you shut your mind to all worldly desires and temporal affairs.
— Saint Norbert (c. 1080-1134)
Light does not diminish….
If you have a light, and the whole world should come to you in order to take light from it—the light itself does not diminish—and yet each person has it all. It is true that everyone participates more or less in this light, according to the substance into which each one receives the fire…. Each one carries his own candle, that is the holy desire, with which he receives this Sacrament.
–Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380
Humility, simplicity, and goodness…
But unless humility, simplicity and goodness adorn our lives, and are associated with prayer, the mere formality of prayer will avail us nothing. And this I say, not of prayer only, but of every other outward exercise or labour undertaken with a notion of virtue.
— Abba Macarius (c. 300-391)
No long discourses…
There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one’s hand and say, “Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.” And if the conflict grows fiercer say, “Lord help!” God knows very well what we need and He shows us His mercy.
— Saint Macarius the Great (c. 300-391)
Totally ablaze with…
I long to see you so totally ablaze with loving fire that you become one with gentle First truth. Truly the soul’s being united with and transformed into him is like fire consuming the dampness in logs. Once the logs are heated through and through, the fire burns and changes them into itself, giving them its own color and warmth and power.
— Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
When we pray…
But let our speech and petition when we pray be under discipline, observing quietness and modesty. Let us consider that we are standing in God’s sight. We must please the divine eyes both with the habit of body and with the measure of voice.
–Saint Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200-258)
Seek Jesus…
It is only necessary to seek one thing: to be with Jesus. The man who remains with Jesus is rich, even if he is poor with regard to material things. Who ever desires the earthly more than the heavenly loses both the earthly and the heavenly. But whoever seeks the heavenly is Lord of the whole world.
–Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807-1867)
Duty of a Christian…
The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny oneself. To deny oneself means: to give up one’s bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world…to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God. A Christian’s second duty is to take up one’s cross. The word “cross” means sufferings, sorrows and adversities. To “take up one’s cross” means to accept without complaint everything unpleasant, painful, sad, difficult and oppressive that may happen to us in life. In other words, to bear all laughter, scorn, weariness, sorrow and annoyance from others; to bear all poverty, misfortune, illness, without regarding yourself as offended.
— Saint Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879)
With Jesus let us…
With Jesus let us think, with Jesus let us speak; let us labor with Jesus, let us rest with Jesus; with Jesus let us weep, with Jesus let us keep silence; let us pray with Jesus; with Jesus let us live, with Jesus let us die. May Jesus live in our minds. May Jesus live on our tongues. May Jesus live in our hearts. May Jesus live in our souls. May Jesus live at all times. May Jesus live in all places. May Jesus live in all hearts. Yes, let us always say: May Jesus live!
— Saint Gaspar del Bufalo (1786-1837)
Pray twenty-four hours…
Pray twenty-four hours every day – that is, perform all your actions with heart and mind raised to God, holding yourself in interior solitude, and reposing in God in pure faith.
— Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
Driven by the love of God…
Be driven by the love of God because Jesus Christ died for all, that those who live may live not for themselves but for him, who died and rose for them. Above all, let your charity and zeal show how you love the Church. Your work is for the Church, which is the body of Christ.
— Saint John Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719)
Thank God, not yourself…
Take a moment to think of everything you’re proud of about yourself and your life. Then ask yourself if you would have any of this without God’s permission and aid? Give credit where credit is due; praise and thank Him, not yourself.
— Saint Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)
Do not put off any longer…
Do not put off any longer confessing all your sins, for death will soon come. Give and it will be given you; forgive and you will be forgiven. . . Blessed are they who die repentant, for they shall go to the Kingdom of Heaven!
–Saint Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)
Love God with all your…
Let us all love the Lord God with all our heart, all our soul, with all our mind and all our strength and with fortitude and total understanding, with all of our powers, with every effort, every affection, every emotion, every desire, and every wish. He has given and gives to each one of us our whole body, our whole soul, and our whole life. He created us and redeemed us, and will save us by his mercy alone. He did and does every good thing for us who are miserable and wretched, rotten and foul-smelling, ungrateful and evil.
Therefore let us desire nothing else let us wish for nothing else, let nothing else please us and cause us delight except our Creator and Redeemer and Savior, the one true God…Therefore, let nothing hinder us, nothing separate us or nothing come between us. Let all of us wherever we are, in every place, at every hour, at every time of day, everyday and continually believe truly and humbly and keep in our heart, and love, honor, adore, serve, praise and bless, glorify and exalt, magnify and give thanks to the most high and supreme eternal God, Trinity and Unity: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
— Saint Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)
Practice what you preach…
Do not let your deeds belie your words, lest when you speak in church someone may say to himself, “Why do you not practice what you preach?”
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
In the face of trial…
If then you remain constant in faith in the face of trial, the Lord will give you peace and rest for a time in this world, and forever in the next.
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
No efforts or…
Self-indulgence leads…
Knowledge of what is good for him has been given to everyone by God; but self-indulgence leads to negligence, and negligence to forgetfulness.
–Saint Mark the Ascetic (Fifth Century)
Bear great trials…
We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
At the Eucharist…
At the Eucharist we receive what we are and we become what we receive.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
Whoever looks in the Church…
Whoever looks in the Church for something other than Christ is a mercenary.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
Habit becomes necessity…
Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.
— Saint Augustine (354-430)
Being over seventy is…
Being over seventy is like being engaged in a war. All our friends are going or gone and we survive amongst the dead and the dying as on a battlefield.
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
Our religion is false…
All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good, and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good.
— Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Jesus found a way…
Jesus Christ found a way by which He could ascend into Heaven and yet remain on the earth. He instituted the adorable Sacrament of the Eucharist so that He might stay with us, and be the Food of our soul; that He might console us and be our Companion.
— Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
If we really loved…
If we really loved the good God, we should make it our joy and happiness to come and spend a few moments to adore Him, and ask Him for the grace of forgiveness; and we should regard those moments as the happiest of our lives.
— Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Wallow in God’s mercy…
You don’t need to wallow in guilt. Wallow in the mercy of God. When you are guilty, say so to God through a confessor. Acknowledge your problems and sins. The moment you have stated them, God puts His Hand over you and you are a newborn babe.
— Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Temptation is necessary…
Temptation is necessary to us to make us realise that we are nothing in ourselves. St. Augustine tells us that we should thank God as much for the sins from which He has preserved us as for those which He has had the charity to forgive us.
— Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Ingratitude is…
Ingratitude is a burning wind that dries up the source of love, the dew of mercy, the streams of grace.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Have God…
He who has God has everything; he who has everything but God has nothing.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
Life must be…
Life must be lived forwards, but it can be understood only backwards.
–Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Pass on the love…
May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing that you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and everyone of you.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
When we have failed…
When we are conscious of having failed and done wrong, we must humble ourselves before God, and implore his pardon , and then quietly move ahead. Our defect should make us humble, but never cowardly.
–Saint Clement Hofbauer (1751-1820)
God’s will is…
God’s will is like the sun whose rays are like his will for each one of us. Each of us walks along a ray, distinct from the ray of the person next to us, but always along a ray of the sun. The closer the rays get to the sun, the closer they get to each other. For us too, the closer we come to God, by carrying out the divine will, more and more, the closer we draw to each other.
–Chiara Lubich (1920–2008)
Be satisfied…
Let us be satisfied simply with what sustains our present life, not with what pampers it. Let us pray to God for this, as we have been taught, so that we may keep our souls unenslaved and absolutely free from domination by any of the visible things loved for the sake of the body. Let us show that we eat for the sake of living, and not be guilty of living for the sake of eating. The first is a sign of intelligence, the second proof of its absence.
— Saint Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
The goal of fasting…
The ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us to make a complete gift of self to God.
–Pope Benedict XVI (1927-
Pray patiently and steadfastly…
Stand patiently and pray steadfastly, brushing off the impacts of worldly cares and all thoughts; for they distract and worry you in order to disturb the impetus of your prayer.
— Saint Nilus of Sinai (d. 430)
Short and fleeting
Short and fleeting are the joys of this world’s pleasures which endeavors to turn aside from the path of life those who are called to eternity. The faithful and religious spirit, therefore, must desire the things which are heavenly, and being eager for the Divine promises, lift itself to the love of the incorruptible Good and the hope of the true Light.
— Saint Leo the Great (c. 400-461)
Prayer is more perfect…
Prayer is more perfect when it is interior, when a soul prays in the spirit of God. These are deep words, I know, but God can make even stones like me speak when he wishes. Let the immense Good rest in your soul. God in you and you in God. A divine work. I do not know how to say it, but God feeds on your spirit and your spirit feeds on the Spirit of God. My food is Christ and I am his.
–Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
None without suffering…
God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.
— Saint Augustine (354-430)
Love begins with…
Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
God will not save us…
He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.
— Saint Augustine (354-430)
God is in every person…
God made everything that is made, and God loves everything that he made. The person who loves everything and everyone God made, loves God because God is in every person. God is in all things. The person who loves everything loves as God loves.
— Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
Pray even if…
Pray, even if you feel nothing, see nothing. For when you are dry, empty, sick or weak, at such a time is your prayer most pleasing to God, even though you may find little joy in it. This is true of all believing prayer. — Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
Prayer is the
Prayer is the deliberate and persevering action of the soul. It is true and enduring, and full of grace. Prayer fastens the soul to God and makes it one with his will, through the deep and wide working of the Holy Spirit.
— Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
Unanswered prayers….
Sometimes it seems that we have been praying a long time and still do not have what we ask. But we should not be sad. I am sure that what our Lord means is that either we should wait for a better time, or more grace, or a better gift.
— Saint Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)
Understand two thoughts…
God wants our heart…
All God wants is our heart. And He is more pleased when we value our uselessness and weakness out of love and reverence for His holy will, than when we do violence to ourselves and perform great works of penance.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
In our communion…
In our communion with our Lord we should find all our delight, caring not whether it is his good pleasure to give us consolation or desolation. This absolute dependence on and conformity to the will of God is the sum and root of perfection… perfect denudation of self… We are all called to this perfection, and to attain to it there is no need to weaken the body in austerities.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Do not lose…
Death is only…
Do not be afraid. Death is only God who is passing by.
— Saint Jeanne-Marie Kerguin (1864-1900)
Love for material things…
The love for material things grows like a fungus in the soul and destroys the loveliness of the human heart utterly.
— Caryll Houselander (1901-1954)
Suffering borne in…
Suffering borne in the will quietly and patiently is a continual, very powerful prayer before God.
–Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Sin is more…
Sin is more than a stain. Sin is a wound; it needs to be treated, healed. The place where my encounter with the mercy of Jesus takes place is my sin.
–Pope Francis (1936-
Christ turned water…
Christ turned water into wine, but the church has succeeded in doing something even more difficult: it has turned wine into water.
— Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
The crosses with…
A child cries…
The Lord is within…
Remember how important it is for you to have understood this truth — that the Lord is within us and that we should be there with Him.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-82)
God did not…
God did not seek sacrifices and holocausts, but faith, and obedience, and righteousness, for the sake of their salvation. As God said, teaching his will through Hosea the prophet, “What I want is love, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts.” Our Lord taught the same, saying “If you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless.”
— Saint Irenaeus (late 2nd Century)
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