Words of Wisdom & Encouragement
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Always have God…
The gift of love…
What the gift of love gives us is the chance to become in truth what we celebrate as a mystery in the sacrifice.
–Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (Fifth — Sixth Century)
A Christian can never be sad…
And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but of having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst.
–Pope Francis (1936-
Everything that happens…
Everything that happens is a message to me of God’s great love for my soul.
–Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880–1906)
Become servants…
If we have become servants of him who redeemed us, we look to him who rules over us; no longer do we live for ourselves but for him who acquired us when he exchanged his life (1Cor 6.20). No longer are we masters of ourselves but he who purchased us is the Lord of his own possessions and we are his own property.Therefore, the law of our life is his governing will.
–Saint Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – c. 395)
Let your one worry…
Let your one worry be that you never fall away from His grace and that you try to please Him alone, always and everywhere.
–Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
What might the heart…
Grasp the Creator…
Grasp the Creator through His creation, seeing Him reflected in created things as the sun is reflected in water, since in their inner beings they are in varying degrees images of the primal cause of all.
— Saint Theodoric the Great (475-526)
The hound that…
The hound that runs after the hare only because he sees the other hounds running will rest when he is tired, or go home again. But if he runs because he’s seen the hare, he won’t stop, however tired he gets, until he has caught it.
–Walter Hilton (1340-1396)
Sacred scripture…
For this reason I enter into the pleasant garden of Sacred Scripture, to pick the most brilliant green herbs of sacred verses: I devour them by reading,I repeat them by ruminating, and gathering them at last into the high repose of memory,I taste in this way your sweetness.
–John of Fécamp (d. 1079)
Holy scripture flows…
The stream of holy Scripture flows not from human research but from revelation by God… From him, through his Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit flows into us; and through the Holy Spirit, giving, at will, different gifts to different people, comes the gift of faith, and through faith Jesus Christ has his dwelling in our hearts.
–Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Suffering and help…
The Christian vocation…
The Christian vocation is to walk on water, without any human support, in pure faith, in hope, and in pure charity, even without any feeling, keeping their gaze fixed on God.
— Raïssa Maritain (1883–1960)
You can advance…
You can advance farther in grace in one hour during this time of affliction than in many days during a time of consolation.
— Saint John Eudes (1601-1689)
Jesus promised to…
Love God, serve God…
We find rest…
We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
To serve God you…
The stronger our faith…
So the stronger and the more vehement our faith in God is, and the more reverently and persistently it is offered up to God, the more surely, the more abundantly and the quicker what we hoped for will be accomplished and obtained.
— Saint Albert the Great (c. 1206-1280)
How incomprehensible God is…
I know by myself how incomprehensible God is, seeing I cannot comprehend the parts of my own being.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Those who love God….
Those who love God expect nothing in return. If they did, they would love that prize instead of God.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Contemplating God brings…
Contemplating ourselves brings fear and humility; contemplating God brings us hope and love.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Why do you delay…
Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident… See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Adversity arises…
Many appear full of mildness and sweetness as long as everything goes their own way; but the moment any contradiction or adversity arises, they are in a flame, and begin to rage like a burning mountain. Such people as these are like red-hot coals hidden under ashes. This is not the mildness which Our Lord undertook to teach us in order to make us like Himself.
–Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Holiness consists in…
Do not forget that holiness consists not in extraordinary actions, but in performing your duties towards God, yourself and others well.
–Saint Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
Content with the grace of God…
Realize above all that you are in God’s presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him.
— Saint Romuald of Ravenna (951-1027)
Reading prayerfully…
Before reading you should empty your soul of everything. Arouse the desire to know about what is being read. Turn prayerfully to God. Follow what you are reading with attention and place everything in your open heart. If something did not reach the heart, stay with it until it reaches. You should of course read quite slowly. Stop reading when the soul no longer wants to nourish itself with reading. That means it is full. If the soul finds one passage utterly stunning, stop there and read no more… Thus you can take up a little bit each day.
–Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)
Reform the world…
If a man wants to reform the world, either by reason of the authority of his position or the duty of his office, he must begin with himself.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
If you seek peace…
If you seek peace and tranquillity, you will certainly not find them so long as you have a cause of disturbance and turmoil within yourself.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
City of God…
Perhaps the City of God is not so much a place in space, as a place in the heart.
–Madeline L’Engle (1918-2007)
We are unworthy, but…
Refusing to accept God’s love because we’re unworthy – of course we’re unworthy! – is another golden calf.
–Madeline L’Engle (1918-2007)
The peace of contemplation…
In prayer the stilled voice learns to hold its peace, to listen with the heart to silence that is joy, is adoration. The self is shattered, all words torn apart in this strange patterned time of contemplation that, in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me, and then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended.
–Madeline L’Engle (1918-2007)
Today I will begin…
Everyday I say to myself: ‘Today I will begin.’
–Saint Anthony of Egypt (c. 251-356)
The Church is not…
The Church is not an archaeological museum, but the ancient fountain which slakes the thirst of the generation of today as she did that of the generations of the past.
–Saint John XXIII (1881-1973)
Wrestle the devil…
Hour by hour, day by day, let us by penitence work at being renewed, so that we may learn to fight and wrestle with the devils, our enemies who are always at war with us.
–Saint Peter of Damascus (12th Century)
Endurance: an unshakable rock…
Endurance is like an unshakeable rock in the winds and waves of life. However the tempest batters him, the patient man remains steadfast and does not turn back; and when he finds relief and joy, he is not carried away by self-glory: he is always the same, whether things are hard or easy, and for this reason, he is proof against the snares of the enemy.
–Saint Peter of Damascus (12th Century)
Seek advice only from…
It is excellent to seek advice about everything, but only from those with experience. It is dangerous to ask questions of the inexperienced, because they do not possess discrimination. Discrimination knows when the time is ripe, what means to employ, the inner state of the questioner, what level he has reached, his strength, his degree of spiritual knowledge and his intention, as well as God’s purpose and the meaning of Holy Scripture.
–Saint Peter of Damascus (12th Century)
Try pausing before…
Try pausing right before and right after undertaking a new action, even something simple like putting a key in a lock to open a door. Such pauses take a brief moment, yet they have the effect of decompressing time and centering you.
–David Stendl-Rast (1926-
Guardians of this gift…
The love, loyalty and dedication of Mary and Joseph are an example for all Christian couples, who are neither the friends nor masters of their children’s lives, but the guardians of this incomparable gift from God.
— Pope Benedict XVI, December 30, 2012
Twelve Keys to Spiritual Growth…
Twelve Keys to Spiritual Growth
- Recognize the presence
- Accept the will of God.
- Accept spiritual direction.
- Persevere.
- Acknowledge faults.
- Live simply.
- Be honest about yourself.
- Be willing to learn from others.
- Listen to people.
- Speak kindly to others.
- Accept others the way they are.
- Be centered and serene.
–Saint Basil the Great (330-379)
Whatever cross we bear…
Let us go forth eagerly, sure that whatever cross we have to bear will not be without Christ, and that his aid… will always be with us.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
See God’s presence…
It should constantly be our care to see God’s presence in everything, and not only to raise our minds to him when we are at prayer.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
If you suffer much…
If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
In time of desolation…
In time of desolation one should never make a change, but stand firm and consistent in the resolutions and decisions that guided one the days before the desolation, or to the decision which one observed in the preceding time of consolation. For just as the good spirit guides and rejoices us in consolation, so in desolation it is the evil spirit which guides and counsels.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
God can mould us…
A rough and unshapen log has no idea that it can be made into a statue that will be considered a masterpiece, but the carver sees what can be done with it. So many seem to know scarcely anything of the Christian life and do not understand that God can mould them into saints, until they put themselves into the hands of that almighty Artisan.
–Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Open your ears…
Open your ears to the voices of nature, and you will hear them in concert inviting you to the love of God.
— Blessed Louis de Granada (1505-1588)
A fate more terrible..
One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.
–Saint Joan of Arc (1412-1431)
People who keep silence…
There are two kinds of people that keep silence; the one because they have nothing to say, the other because they have too much.
–Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717)
Prayer is nothing else…
Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Be forgiving…
If we pray to the Lord to forgive us, we ourselves must be forgiving; we are all under the eyes of our Lord.
— Saint Polycarp (Second Century)
Confession brings true peace…
In order to bring true peace back to my soul, the only way that there exists on the Earth is Confession, because Jesus awaits me with His immense heart.
–Saint Gianna Molla (1922-1962)
Love overcomes and delights…
Love overcomes, love delights, those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice.
— Saint Bernadette (1844-1879)
The Bible is…
The Bible is the Word of God, the Word made flesh is the Eucharist. I put both of them on the altar and kneel down before them.
–Carlo Carretto (1910-1988)
Having renounced sin…
When, having renounced sin, we die to ourselves, as the grain of wheat dies in the earth before producing fruitful ears (Jn. XII, 25), when we no longer act save under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in conformity with the precepts and maxims of the Gospel of Jesus, then it is Christ’s divine life that blossoms forth in our souls, it is Christ Who lives in us.
–Blessed Columba Marmion (1858-1923)
Our merciful Lord…
No one is as good and merciful as the Lord. But even He does not forgive the unrepentant.
–Saint Mark the Ascetic (Fifth Century)
God considers our disposition…
Silence promotes the…
Silence promotes the presence of God, prevents many harsh and proud words, and suppresses many dangers in the way of ridiculing or harshly judging our neighbors… If you are faithful in keeping silence when it is not necessary to speak, God will preserve you from evil when it is right for you to talk.
— François Fénèlon (1651-1715)
Our faith must ever rejoice…
Granted our love may wait for a time, but our faith must ever rejoice. We should long for those who have been sent before us, but we should not lose hope of getting them back.
–Saint Paulinus of Nola (c. 354-431)
Thankful joy is…
It is a loving act to show sadness when our dear ones are torn from us, but it is a holy act to be joyful through hope and trust in the promises of God… Thankful joy is more acceptable to God than long and querulous grief.
–Saint Paulinus of Nola (c. 354-431)
Reply to insults…
When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted us, we should be careful to do it always with gentleness. A soft answer extinguishes the fire of wrath.
— Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Risk all for God…
Those who in fact risk all for God will find that they have both lost all and gained all.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
God does not give…
God does not give Himself wholly to us until He sees that we are giving ourselves wholly to Him.
–Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
The greater our eagerness…
If our Lord has promised to be with his faithful people every day, we can expect him to be even closer to us on the day of his birth. The greater our eagerness to serve him, the more we shall perceive his presence among us.
–Saint Odilo of Cluny (c.962-1049)
No perfect prayer…
There is no perfect prayer if the solitary perceives that he is praying.
–attributed to St. Anthony of Egypt (251-356) by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1877–1964)
Self denial is worth…
One secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice of inclination to duty, is worth all the mere good thoughts, warm feelings, passionate prayers, in which idle people indulge themselves.
— Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Death is not…
We all now live and walk in the shadow of death, for death is not across the seas, but is right behind each of us.
— Saint Anthony of Egypt (c. 251-356)
On fire with thirst…
The soul does not just feel like seeing God, it longs for him fervently, it is on fire with thirst for him.
–Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
We must love Christ…
We must love Christ and always seek Christ’s embraces. Then everything difficult will seem easy.
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
God gives grace…
It is not enough for me that God has given me grace once, but He must give it always. I ask, that I may receive; and when I have received, I ask again. I am covetous of receiving God’s bounty. He is never slow in giving, nor am I ever weary of receiving. The more I drink, the more thirsty I become.
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
Perfection does not…
Be on your guard when you begin to mortify your body by abstinence and fasting, lest you imagine yourself to be perfect and a saint; for perfection does not consist in this virtue. It is only a help; a disposition; a means though a fitting one, for the attainment of true perfection.
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
Gracious and merciful…
For the Lord is gracious and merciful and prefers the conversion of a sinner rather than his death. Patient and generous in his mercy, he does not give in to human impatience but is willing to wait a long time for our repentance.
— Saint Jerome (c. 340-420)
By steps, not leaps…
He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Contemplation by action…
We ascend to the heights of contemplation by the steps of action.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
The scriptures grow…
The sacred Scriptures grow with the one who reads them.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
The heart of God…
Learn the heart of God from the word of God.
— Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
We must not count…
We must not count on ourselves, because even if we know what kind of person we are today, we do not know what we will be tomorrow.
— Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
The heart is…
What is God’s altar if not the soul of those who lead good lives? Rightly then, the heart of the just is said to be the altar of God.
— Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
No matter what obstacles..
Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith, and long eagerly for what heaven has in store for us. To love thus is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination, is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
A purifying fire…
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Over-flowing compassion…
Have confidence in the compassion of our Creator. Reflect well on what you are now doing, and keep before you the things you have done. Lift up your eyes to the overflowing compassion of heaven, and while He waits for you, draw near in tears to our merciful Judge. Having before your mind that He is a Just Judge, do not take your sins lightly; and having also in mind that He is compassionate, do not despair. The God-Man gives man confidence before God.
–Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)
Prayer is a cry…
Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy.
— Saint Therese Lisieux (1873-1897)
Only the love…
Jesus, because He is Eternal, regards not the time but only the love.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Becoming a saint…
Believe me, don’t wait until tomorrow to begin becoming a saint.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Lean on our Lord..
We can lean on nothing but our Lord, for he alone is immutable.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Our self-surrender…
Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender.
— Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
The way of love…
How sweet is the way of Love! True, one may fall, one may not be always faithful, but Love, knowing how to draw profit from all, very quickly consumes whatsoever may displease Jesus, leaving naught but humble and profound peace in the innermost soul.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
In the tabernacle…
Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… The guest of our soul knows our misery; He comes to find an empty tent within us – that is all He asks.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Beautiful prayers…
I have not the courage to force myself to seek beautiful prayers in books; not knowing which to choose I act as children do who cannot read; I say quite simply to the good God what I want to tell Him, and He always understands me.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Spiritual dryness…
[W]hen I am in this state of spiritual dryness, unable to pray, or to practise virtue, I look for little opportunities, for the smallest trifles, to please my Jesus: a smile or a kind word, for instance, when I would wish to be silent, or to show that I am bored.If no such occasion offer, I try at least to say over and over again that I love Him. This is not hard, and it keeps alive the fire in my heart. Even should the fire of love seem dead, I would still throw my tiny straws on the ashes, and I am confident it would light up again.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
God is better…
I assure you that God is much better than you believe. He is content with a glance, a sigh of love. As for me, I find perfection very easy to practice because I have understood it as a matter of taking hold of Jesus by his heart. Look at a little child who has just annoyed his mother. If he hides away in the corner in the sulky mood and in fear of being punished, his momma will not pardon him . But if he comes to her, holding out his little arms, smiling, and saying: “Kiss me, I will not do it again,” will his mother be able not to press him to our heart tenderly and forget his childish mischief? However, she knows her dear little one will do it again on the next occasion, but this does not matter; if he takes her again by the heart, he will not be punished.
–Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
Chew on texts…
Mine is to chew on the appropriate texts and make them delectable.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Christ is bathed…
Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
If only we could…
If only we could be what we hope to be.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Our hope is…
Our hope is greater than our desert.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
To all creatures…
To all earth’s creatures God has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests, giving the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in water, giving abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Share our earthly blessings…
Not one of this world’s blessings belongs to its owner securely enough to prevent time destroying it, or envy transferring it elsewhere…Let us profit by them in the only good way we can, that is, let us gain possession of our souls by giving alms, and share our earthly goods with the poor so as to enrich ourselves with the wealth of heaven.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Bear and endure all…
If only we could be what we hope to be, by the great kindness of our generous God! He asks so little and gives so much, in this life and in the next, to those who love him sincerely. In a spirit of hope and out of love for him, let us then bear and endure all things and give thanks for everything that befalls us.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
God always was, is, and…
God always was, and always is, and always will be. Or rather, God always Is. For Was and Will be are fragments of our time, and of changeable nature, but He is Eternal Being. And this is the Name that He gives to Himself when giving the Oracle to Moses in the Mount. For in Himself He sums up and contains all Being, having neither beginning in the past nor end in the future; like some great Sea of Being, limitless and unbounded, transcending all conception of time and nature, only adumbrated [intimated] by the mind, and that very dimly and scantily.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
Christ assumed the worse…
[Christ] assumed the worse that He might give us the better. He became poor that by His poverty we might become rich. He accepted the form of a servant that we might win back our freedom. He came down that we might be lifted up. He was tempted that through Him we might conquer. He was dishonored that He might glorify us. He died that He might save us. He ascended that He might draw to Himself us, who were thrown down through the fall of sin. Let us give all, offer all, to Him who gave Himself a Ransom and Reconciliation for us.
–Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329-c. 391)
God is at home…
God is at home, it’s we who have gone out for a walk.
–Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)
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