"BEGIN NOW TO BE WHAT YOU WILL BE HEREAFTER." - ST. JEROME

“The works of God are not sumptuous or showy.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Nothing Helps a Man more than Prayer~St. Philip Neri

"Avoid the company of young men. Let long baited youths dandified and wanton never be seen under your roof. Repel a singer as you would some bane. Hurry from your housewomen who live by playing and singing, the devil's choir whose songs are the fatal ones of sirens." --  St. Jerome from his Letter to the widow Furia, ca. 394 AD

Pope St. Leo III, inscription on silver tablets in St. Peter’s Basilica containing the Nicene Creed: “I, Leo, put these here for love and protection of orthodox faith.”

“Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.” (St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church)

"Don't try excessively, to heal your heart, as your efforts would only make it more infirm. Don't make too great an effort to overcome your temptations, as this violence would only make them stronger. Despise them and don't dwell on them too much."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“For meditation the ear of the soul is more important than the tongue. God has things to tell us which will enlighten us-we must wait for Him to speak. No one would rush into a physician’s office, rattle off all the symptoms, and then dash away without waiting for a diagnosis. It is every bit as stupid to ring God’s doorbell and then run away. The Lord hears us more readily than we suspect; it is our listening to Him that needs to be improved.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)

“When the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a soul, He enters that soul completely and communicates Himself completely to that soul.”  - St. Louis Marie de Montfort

"Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST FAUSTINA (Diary 1074)

“Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul, if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”  - Saint Louis de Montfort

"God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering."  -Saint Augustine

"I still feel a holy joy by reason of God's great love for you. The storm that is raging around your soul is a sure sign of this love. May Jesus be with you always!"  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The poor cannot be judged by their outward appearance, nor by their show of wit; for very often they do not look nor seem like intelligent beings, so rough, and homely are they.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“Great is the dignity of the human soul, since each one of them has from the very outset of his life an Angel deputed to safeguard him.” (St. Jerome)

“Arise then, O invincible prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and bring them the victory.
　The Church venerates thee as protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious powers of this world and of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude.
　Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.”  Pope Leo XIII, Leonine Prayers

“The devil will come to tempt the dying Christian; but his angel-guardian will come to strengthen him: his holy advocates will come—St. Michael, whom God has appointed to defend his faithful servants in their last combat with hell, will come;” St. Alphonsus de Liguori  (“Preparation for Death” CONSIDERATION IX. Peace of the Just at the Hour Death., First Point, The Just have nothing to fear at the Hour of Death.)

“Lest we become slaves to the killjoys, it might be well to reaffirm man’s right to laugh. Man is the only joker in the deck of nature. Man alone laughs because he lives in two worlds.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"April 2, 1937. In the morning, during Mass, I heard these words: Tell the superior that I want adoration to take place here for the intention of imploring mercy for the world." WORDS OF  JESUS TO ST FAUSTINA  (Diary 1070)

"I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God; Had I a thousand lives, all these to Him shall I offer."   San Lorenzo Ruiz 

“Don’t waste time in your life trying to get even with your enemies. The grave is a tremendous equalizer. Six weeks after you all are dead, you’ll look pretty much the same. Let the Lord take care of those whom you think have harmed you. All you have to do is love and forgive. Try to forget and leave all else to the Master.”  – Mother Angelica

If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you.
- Saint John Vianney

"THE MORE YOU GIVE TO THE LORD, THE GREATER BLESSINGS YOU WILL RECEIVE." - ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

“Be not afraid to tell Jesus that you love Him; even though it be without feeling, this is the way to oblige Him to help you, and carry you like a little child too feeble to walk.” — St. Therese of Lisieux

"GOD'S GRACE WILL NEVER FAIL YOU." - ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

"The sign of the cross is adorable and could not do anything but good to those who should use it. I have no intention of giving it up." ~St. Isaac Jogues

“You who are already, by the will of God and the commands of your father, lawfully married to noble wives of your own nation, whom you are bound to cherish. And certainly it is not lawful for you to put away the wives you have and marry others, or ally yourselves in marriage with a foreign people, a thing never done by any of your ancestors.... It is wicked of you even to entertain the thought of marrying again when you are already married. You ought not to act thus, who profess to follow the law of God, and punish others to prevent men acting in this unlawful manner. Such things do the heathen. But they ought not to be done by you who are Christians, a holy people and a kingly priesthood.”  Pope Stephen III (IV), writing to both Charlemagne and Carloman  (Mann, Horace K., The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. I: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, Part 2, 657-795 (1903), pg. 380)

“[Mary], the Reparatrix of the whole world...” St. Tharasius, Orat. in Praesentatione  (Quoted by Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical “Adiutricem.”)

“Never has there been a greater untruth, and never will there be, than ‘life begins at forty.’ I cannot understand why anyone whose vision is broader than the years and whose hopes are higher than an ivy vine should value age above youth. Anyone with the vaguest understanding of either the world of nature or the world of grace knows that life does not begin at forty. There are other introductions of life than the opening of the womb, either the womb of the great portals of flesh or the womb of the baptismal font – the one begetting us as children of humans, the other as children of God. Religion, by its very nature, has something to do with birth and, therefore, with youth. Doesn’t all religious history reveal that the closer we get to God the younger we become and, therefore, the more like children? Thus, it might well be that as we grow old in years we grow young in God.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (In the Fullness of Time)

"OUR BUSINESS IS TO ATTAIN HEAVEN; EVERYTHING ELSE IS A SHEER WASTE OF TIME." - ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

"Christian wife! Follow in the footsteps of the ideal of all womanhood, the Blessed Mother of God; in joy and in sorrow, she will be your advocate at the throne of her Son."
- St. John Vianney

"My Jesus, support me when difficult and stormy days come, days of testing, days of ordeal, when suffering and fatigue begin to oppress my body and my soul. Sustain me, Jesus, and give me strength to bear suffering. Set a guard upon my lips that they may address no word of complaint to creatures. Your most merciful Heart is all my hope. I have nothing for my defense but only Your mercy; in it lies all my trust."  (Saint Faustina's Diary 1065)

“You must expect everything from His infinite goodness.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Never put a lid on God. You can give God a thimble and ask for a quart. It won't work. Your plans, your projects, your dreams have to always be bigger than you, so God has room to operate. I want you to get good ideas, crazy ideas, extravagant ideas. Nothing is too much for The Lord to do - accent on 'The Lord'.” - Mother Angelica 

"'Mary is said to be 'fair as the moon'.' For as the moon enlightens and benefits the lowest creatures on earth, so does Mary enlighten and succor the most unworthy sinners." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church) 

"HUMILITY: LET THIS BE YOUR PASSWORD."  - ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

Pope St. Gregory III, speaking of Archbishop Tatwine: “We find him a man of religious and great probity, under time itself, who stood amongst us.” (Latin: Ap. Malms., De Gest. Pont., i., ed. Migne, p. 1469. “Virum religionis et magnae probitatis, sub ipso tempore, quo apud nos stetit, eum cognovimus.”)

“Let him who seeks true humility, employ two means: mental prayer, meditating on the greatness of God, and his own nothingness; vocal prayer, asking it of God, through the merits of Jesus and Mary.” St. Benedict Joseph Labrè (Quoted by Don Antonio Maria Coltraro, whose work was translated into English “The Life of The Venerable Servant of God, Benedict Joseph Labrè.” Trans. Pub. Cum Approbatione Bp. Nicholas , Feb. 2, 1850., pg. 355)

“You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy—the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud.” (St. Vincent de Paul)

"The woes of humanity: these are thoughts for everyone."  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

“Once the Catholic accepts the eternal truths of Christ, he is free to accept all the nonessential beliefs he pleases. He can be a monarchist or a republican; he can live solitary and alone on a pillar like Simon, or he can busy himself on the streets of Paris like a Vincent de Paul; he can accept Einstein or reject him; he can believe in the gold standard or the silver standard; he can play cards and dance, or he can abstain from them; he can drink moderately or he can be prohibitionist. He is like a man living on a great island in the sea on which he may roam and exercise his freedom in a thousand and one games, but only on condition that he obey the only law that is posted there: Do not jump over the walls.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Communism and the Conscience of the West)

“From the Virgin Mary, life was born in person, and thus did Mary become the Mother of all living.”  - St. Epiphanius

"GOD DOES NOTHING WITHOUT SOME GOOD PURPOSE." - ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

“Good living and the good odor of the Christian virtues put into practice draw the black sheep back to the right path and confirm Catholics on it.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Abbé Lecanu relates the following tradition of a vision of Pope St. Felix I from heaven to Thrasilla, an early Christian religious shortly before her death, telling her: “Come! I will accompany you to the abode of glory.” (Quoted by Abbé Lecanu in his “Pictorial Half Hour with the Saints”, Dublin, 1865., “January 5. Saint Emiliana.”)

“Do penance. Sin is the cause of all the woes that God scatters upon the earth!” St. Severinus  (Quoted by Abbé Lecanu in his “Pictorial Half Hour with the Saints”, Dublin, 1865., “January 8.”)

“Yet there has been one infinitely tragic and destructive departure from those American ideals in recent memory. It was this Court’s own decision in Roe v. Wade—1973—to exclude the unborn child from the human family. You ruled that a mother, in consultation with her doctor, has broad discretion, guaranteed against infringement by the United States Constitution, to choose to destroy her unborn child.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Amicus Brief filed before the U.S. Supreme Court, 1994 )

"May God be pleased to see that these poor creatures truly repent and return to Him. One must truly be a mother towards all those people and, for this reason, have great care for them, because Jesus tells us that there is more festivity in Heaven for the sinner who repents than for the perseverance of ninety nine just people. Theses words of the Redeemer are truly comforting to many souls who unfortunately sin, and who then want to repent and return to Jesus."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“There are 10,000 times 10,000 roads down which you may travel during life. But at the end of all of these roads, you will see one or the other of two faces: the merciful face of Christ or the miserable face of Satan.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Treasured Love Story)

"Hail, Holy Lady, Most Notable Queen, Mother of God, and Mary Ever-Virgin! You were chosen by the Heavenly Father, who has been pleased to honor You with the presence of His most holy Son and the Divine Paraclete. You were blessed with the fullness of grace and goodness. Hail, Temple of God, His Dwelling Place, His Masterpiece, His Handmaid!"
- St. Francis of Assisi

"The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying."  - Pope Leo XIII

"Be firm. Be virile. Be a man. And then...be a saint." St. Josemaria Escriva (1902.-1975.)

“Now if there ever was a good work, it is that of nursing the sick, so much so indeed that it surpasses all others in value.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“ . . . One and He alone is without sin, the mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus [cf. 1 Tim. 2:5] who was conceived and born free among the dead [Ps. 87:6]. Thus in the dispensation of His sacred flesh, He never had two contrary wills, nor did the will of His flesh resist the will of His mind. . . . Therefore, knowing that there was no sin at all in Him when He was born and lived, we fittingly say and truthfully confess one will in the humanity of His sacred dispensation; and we do not preach two contrary wills, of mind and of flesh, as in a pure man, in the manner certain heretics are known to rave. In accord with this method, then, our predecessor (already mentioned) [HONORIUS] is known to have written to the (aforenamed) Sergius the Patriarch who was asking questions, that in our Savior two contrary wills did not exist internally, that is, in His members, since He derived no blemish from the transgression of the first man. . . . This usually happens, that, naturally where there is a wound, there medicinal aid offers itself. For the blessed Apostle is known to have done this often, preparing himself according to the custom of his hearers; and sometimes indeed when teaching about the supreme nature, he is completely silent about the human nature, but sometimes when treating of the human dispensation, he does not touch on the mystery of His divinity. . . So, my aforementioned predecessor said concerning the mystery of the incarnation of Christ, that there were not in Him, as in us sinners, contrary wills of mind and flesh; and certain ones converting this to their own meaning, suspected that He taught one will of His divinity and humanity which is altogether contrary to the truth.”  Pope John IV, (640-642) quoted by Denzinger (253): The Meaning of the Words of HONORIUS about the Two Wills [From the epistle "Dominus qui dixit" to Constantius the Emperor, 641]

“Oh! beloved death, in what a mistaken light are you viewed! Why do you not come to me? I call on you night and day.” St. Catharine of Genoa  (Quoted by St. Alphonsus de Liguori in his work “Preparation for Death” CONSIDERATION IX., Second Point.)

"There is one thing I absolutely cannot stand and it is this: if I have to rebuke someone, I am always ready; but I cannot bear to see someone else do it. To see someone humiliated or mortified like this is unbearable for me."  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

“Liberal Christianity has too long assumed that it is the sole business of the Church to beat the drums for social reform and to dance to the tunes piped for it by the latest moods and passing mental fashions.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Divine Verdict)

“As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary."  - St. Thomas Aquinas

"You see My mercy for sinners, which at this moment is revealing itself in all its power. See how little you have written about it; it is only a single drop. Do what is in your power, so that sinners may come to know My goodness."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1665)

“There is nothing good that does not meet with opposition and it should not be valued any less because it encounters objections.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"What does it cost us to say: 'My God, help me! Have mercy on me!' Is there anything easier than this?" - ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

With God as a leader we shall arrive at the measure of the right faith which the apostles of the truth have extended by means of the slender rope of the Sacred Scriptures. Confessing that the Lord Jesus Christ, the mediator of God and of men [1 Tim. 2:5], has performed divine (works) through the medium of the humanity naturally [gr. hypostatically] united to the Word of God, and that the same one performed human works, because flesh had been assumed ineffably and particularly by the full divinity [gr. in--] distinctly, unconfusedly, and unchangeably . . . so that truly it may be recognized that by a wonderful design [passible flesh] is united [to the Godhead] while the differences of both natures marvelously remain. . .:” (Denz. 251... Pope Honorius (625-638), [From the epistle (1) “Scripta fraternitatis vestrae” to Sergius, Patriarch of Constantinople in the year 634]. . . Denzinger seems to impute an orthodox understanding to Honorius’s teachings that Honorius admitted two wills as He had two natures; Pope John IV went on to defend Honorius as not being a Monothelite [an adherent to the heresy which acknowledged only Christ’s Divine Will but did not acknowledge that His human nature would likewise have a human will] advancing that Honorius only stressed one Will in the sense of a perfect harmony of His Divine and human wills. A portion of the Third Council of Constantinople condemned him as a heretic. Pope Leo II has been cited as taking a middle ground that [without accusing him of Monothelitism] was guilty of grave negligence, failing to stamp out heresy which responsibility was due to his office.)

“Consider the end of life and you will love nothing in this world” St. Laurence Justinian   (Lign. Vit. De Hum. c. 4).

"Life is nothing but a continual struggle against oneself, and it does not open to beauty without the price of suffering. Always keep Jesus company in Gethsemane and He will know how to comfort you in the hours of anguish that will come."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Judging our fellow human beings is as perplexing as the perceiving of colors on a spinning top. When a person is at rest, or in a fixed state, we think we can very well judge his character. But when we see him in the whirl and motion of everyday life all his goodness and badness blur into indistinctness. There is so much goodness at one moment, badness at another, sin in one instance, virtue in another, sobriety at one point, excess in another, that it is well to leave the judgment to God.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

"Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom he wishes to save."  - St. John Damascene

"I am more deeply wounded by the small imperfections of chosen souls than by the sins of those living in the world." (580) "The great sins of the world are superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart through and through." (1702) "My daughter, I want to repose in your heart, because many souls have thrown Me out of their hearts today. I have experienced sorrow unto death." (886) "My daughter, know without doubt, and once and for all, that only mortal sin drives Me out of a soul, and nothing else." (1181)  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA

"We must take great care never to do anything before having said our morning prayers...The devil once declared that if he could have the first moment of the day, he was sure of all the rest" . - St. John Vianney

What I advise strongly is not to abandon prayer, for in prayer people will understand what they are doing and win repentance from the Lord and fortitude lift themselves up. St.Teresa of Avila( Life ch 15.3 )

"REMEMBER - THE SINNER WHO IS SORRY FOR HIS SINS, IS CLOSER TO GOD THAN THE JUST MAN WHO BOASTS OF HIS GOOD WORKS." - ST. PADRE PIO

"Humility and charity are the main supports of the whole vast building on which the rest depends. Keep firmly to these two virtues, one of which is the lowest and the other the highest. The preservation of the whole building depends on the foundation and the roof. If the heart is always striving to practice these two virtues, it will meet no difficulty in practicing the others. These are the two mothers of virtue, and all other virtues follow them, just as little chicks follow the mother hen. St Pio of Pietrelcina

In darkness, at times of tribulation and distress of the spirit, Jesus is with you." - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“As there were two natures in Christ [Divine and human], so there were two natural operations. [Divine and human, e.g. a Divine Will and a human will]” Pope Severinus  (Quoted by Horace K. Mann in his work: “The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Volume 1: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, from St Gregory I (the Great) to Leo III, Part 1” (London, 1912) pg. 349)

“If the choice of a state of life,” she frequently said to herself, “depends upon God’s will, how anxious I ought to be to find, and to enter that state which has been allotted to me from all eternity in His inscrutable counsels. God has decreed to lead me to salvation by one only way among the many. Although His merciful will has pre pared many ways for the consummation of His elect, He has pointed out but one, to mistake which would be fatal. Besides, the sacrifice which God requires from me is another proof of His infinite goodness, which leads me to desire to make it. When He speaks to my heart about the fulfilment of His will, He shows that He wishes to save me. I will adore Him for ever and wait in the hope of my Lord, till He has given me the means of executing His inspirations.” St. Agnes of Montepulciano  (“The Lives of St. Catherine of Ricci, of the Third Order of St. Dominick: St. Agnes of Montepulciano; B. Benvenuta of Boja; and B. Catherine of Raconigi, of the Order of St. Dominick” edited by [Fr. Faber?], pub. 1852, pg. 181)

"Do not wish greatly to be freed from tests; a soldier needs to have achieved a great deal in war before he desires its end. We shall never gain perfect sweetness or charity unless we exercise it amidst repugnance, aversion and disgust."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Have you noticed that when you realize you were made for Perfect Happiness, how much less disappointing the pleasures of earth become? You cease expecting to get silk purses out of sows ears. Once you realize that God is your end, you are not disappointed, for you put no more hope in things than they can bear. You cease looking for first-rate joys where there are only tenth-rate pleasures.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (You)

“From the Virgin Mary, life was born in person, and thus did Mary become the Mother of all living.”  - St. Epiphanius

“Let us keep ourselves always dependent on God’s Providence since it pleases him and He sees what is best for us.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

 “ordain bishops as occasion should require.” Pope Boniface V (+625), Letter to Bishop Justus: (One of the few extant quote we still have from this pontiff.)

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta)

“The morning after excessive drinking, the head with its hangover makes a judgment on intemperance, as during the night the sick stomach passes judgment on the food that was not good for digestion. As audiences make judgment on a play by their applause, so there is to be a final accountability for the thoughts and the words and deeds of every human heart. In vain is it to be expected that we who pass judgment constantly on others should not pass in judgment ourselves.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

"GOD LOVES, SUPPORTS AND HELPS THOSE IN NEED WHEN THEY CONFIDE AND HOPE IN HIM." - ST. FRANCIS DE SALES

“The devotions we practice in honor of the glorious Virgin Mary, however trifling they may be, are very pleasing to Her Divine Son, and He rewards them with eternal glory.” 
- St. Teresa of Avila

"Have great compassion on all priests, preachers and directors of souls, and see how they are spread out over the face of the earth, because there is no part of the earth where they arr not numerous. Pray to God for them so that by saving themselves, they might gain salvation for souls." St. Pio of Pietrelcina]

“[If I were king] I would fight first against #divorce, which so many wicked men desire, and make people respect as much as possible the sacrament of #matrimony.” –Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, written at age 14 as part of a school assignment

“to show a sincere union of the members with their head, it has decided and commanded under penalties to be applied at the judgment of the Ordinary that wherever a Roman pontiff is to be commemorated, especially at the Offertory of the Mass, it should be made in clear and definite words which can signify none other than the universal Bishop of Rome.” Pope Benedict XIII confirmed the Provincial Synod of Zamoscia, 1720 A.D.

“O infinite love! O my Spouse, I have not deserved to love Thee so much, but from Thee, my Jesus, I have received such immense love. Yes, Thou, my God and my Redeemer, hast espoused this soul, inclined to all evil, full of all deformity, buried in every sin. My God, I am confounded at having received so many gifts from you.” St. Catherine de Ricci (“The Lives of St. Catherine of Ricci, of the Third Order of St. Dominick: St. Agnes of Montepulciano; B. Benvenuta of Boja; and B. Catherine of Raconigi, of the Order of St. Dominick” edited by [Fr. Faber?], pub. 1852, pg. 24)

"All of us are not called by God to save souls and propagate his glory by the noble apostolate of preaching...(but) one can promote God's glory and work for the salvation of souls by means of a truly Christian life, by praying without ceasing that "his kingdom come..." that "we may not be led into temptation" and that He deliver us from evil." That is what you ought to do offering yourself continually to the Lord for this purpose."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Just as a man cannot live in the flesh unless he is born in the flesh, even so a man cannot have the spiritual life of grace unless he is born again spiritually. This regeneration is effected by Baptism: ‘Unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church; cf. John 3:5)

“The most honest of those who appear on radio or television, as regards to their material, are the comedians. At the end of every program, regardless of who the comedian is, there will always be found listed the names of his writers. The comedians admit, though they speak the humorous lines, that they actually are indebted to others for putting them in their mouths. One never sees on a television screen at the end of a program given by a politician the names of the one who wrote his speech. Here we pay tribute to the four writers who have given us the greatest inspiration: 1. A Collector of internal revenue 2. A reporter 3. A physician 4. An official in a fishing company. These four writers are perhaps better known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Though none of them has written the material that is used in our books, they nevertheless have given us the philosophy and theology behind all that we write.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Thinking Life Through)

Humble yourself beneath God’s powerful hand.  - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Invoke your Guardian Angel that he illuminate you and will guide you. God has given him to you for this reason." - St. Padre Pio

"Believe me, there is no more powerful means to obtain God’s grace than to employ the intercessions of the Holy Virgin.”   - St. Philip Neri

"During Holy Mass, I saw the Lord Jesus nailed upon the Cross amidst great torments. A soft moan issued from His Heart. After some time, He said, I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners." WORD OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA
( Diary 1032)

"He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands." St. Benedict (480 – 543)

"I practice my religion because it is true; it teaches me to know God, and brings me to eternal happiness: I know of no such thing as apostasy." ~St. Andrew Kim Taegon, to a court mandarin shortly before his martyrdom

Pope Clement XII, IN EMINENTI (ON FREEMASONRY), April 28, 1738: “Therefore, bearing in mind the great harm which is often caused by such Societies or Conventicles not only to the peace of the temporal state but also to the well-being of souls, and realizing that they do not hold by either civil or canonical sanctions; and since We are taught by the divine word that it is the part of faithful servant and of the master of the Lord's household to watch day and night lest such men as these break into the household like thieves, and like foxes seek to destroy the vineyard; in fact, to prevent the hearts of the simple being perverted, and the innocent secretly wounded by their arrows, and to block that broad road which could be opened to the uncorrected commission of sin and for the other just and reasonable motives known to Us; We therefore, having taken counsel of some of Our Venerable Brothers among the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, and also of Our own accord and with certain knowledge and mature deliberations, with the plenitude of the Apostolic power do hereby determine and have decreed that these same Societies, Companies, Assemblies, Meetings, Congregations, or Conventicles of Liberi Muratori or Francs Massons, or whatever other name they may go by, are to be condemned and prohibited, and by Our present Constitution, valid for ever, We do condemn and prohibit them.”

Fr. Alban Butler relates of Fidelis of Sigmaringen that he met twenty Calvinist soldiers with a minister at their head. They called him a false prophet, and urged him to embrace their sect. He answered: “I am sent to you to confute, not to embrace your heresy. The Catholic religion is the faith of all ages, I fear not death.” One of them beat him down to the ground by a stroke on the head with his backsword. Fidelis rose again on his knees, and stretching forth his arms in the form of a cross, said with a feeble voice “Pardon my enemies, O Lord: blinded by passion they know not what they do. Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Mary, Mother of God, succor me!” (Butler’s Lives of the Saints)

“Let us abandon ourselves to the direction of God’s loving Providence, and we shall be safe from all sorts of inconveniences that our haste may draw down on us.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wonderous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers. Thus the decisions your children have made don't make you a failure as a parent in God's eyes. You are entitled to feel sorrow, but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God's grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary,at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to Mary, "With these beads, bind my children to your Immaculate Heart". She will attend to their souls."   - St. Louise de Marillac

Today I heard a voice in my soul: Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me; speak to them of My great mercy.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary  1396 )

"The real test of charity is to love the poor, the wretched and the loveless. It is easy enough to feel drawn to good, healthy people, who have pleasant manners, but that is only natural love and not charity."  St. Robert Bellarmine

"In all human love it must be realized that every man promises a woman, and every woman promises a man that which only God alone can give, namely, perfect happiness. One of the reasons why so many marriages are shipwrecked is because as the young couple leave the altar, they fail to realize that human feelings tire and the enthusiasm of the honeymoon is not the same as the more solid happiness of enduring human love. One of the greatest trials of marriage is the absence of solitude. In the first moments of human love, one does not see the little hidden deformities which later on appear." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Three to Get Married)

"If we do not risk everything for God, we will never do anything great for Him." St. Louis de Montfort (1673.-1716.)

…”we must give them a life worthy of the name.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"EVERY WORD OF THE ROSARY IS A PRAYER TO GOD." - SERVANT OF GOD FRANK DUFF

Bishop Zola of Lece, letter to Fr. Isidore Roubaud, May 24, 1880, relates the following of Pope Leo XIII: “In 1879 our Holy Father Leo XIII deigned to honor Mélanie with a private audience and also charged her with compiling the rules for the new Order recommended and requested by Our Lady of La Salette under the title of the Apostles of the Latter Days. In order to complete a draft of this kind, the ex-shepherdess stayed in Rome for five months at the convent of the Salesian Sisters. During this time she became better known and more highly esteemed, especially by these good nuns, who furnished favorable reports very much to the credit of the blessed shepherdess of La Salette.
“I know from my own sources of information that when Mr. Nicolas, a lawyer from Marseille was in Rome on Holy Saturday 1880, he was commissioned by His Holiness Leo XIII to put out a brochure explaining the Secret in its entirety, so that the public might understand it properly. I feel sure these particulars will suffice to strengthen you in your conviction. I could tell you very much more, but, that would require a book, not a letter.”

Our Lady of La Salette to the seer children, Maximin and Melanie: “Come near, my children, be not afraid, I am here to tell you great [important] news.
　If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let go the hand of my Son. It is so strong, so heavy, that I can no longer withhold it. For how long a time do I suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am compelled to pray to Him with out ceasing. And as to you, you take no heed of it. However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you. Six days have I given you to labour, the seventh I have kept for myself, and they will not 'give it me. It is this which makes the hand of my Son so heavy. Those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my Son. These are the two things which make the hand of my Son so heavy.”

“Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved.” (St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor)

”It is impossible to save one's soul without devotion to Mary and without her protection.”
- St. Anselm

"Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is-trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1578)

“Man is the shadow, who would be the substance; the pendulum who would swing without being suspended from the clock; the painting which would deny that an artist’s hand ever touched it. The most daring of all sins is that of self-deification, and it is possible only because of a divine creation for who would want to be God unless he had come from the hand of God?” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The World’s First Love)

“Religion does not limit the powers of the affections, for our Blessed Savior sanctifies and approves in us all the endearing ties and connections of our existence. Religion alone can bind the cord over which neither circumstances, time, nor death have any power.”
– St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

"The deceitful charms of prosperity destroy more souls than all the scourges of adversity."—ST. BERNARD

"If we have good ideas or good desires but lack strength to put them into practice, we must present them to God with a firm hope that He will help us. If we place all our confidence in Divine Goodness, the Lord will not fail to grant whatever is necessary to persevere in His service."   - St. Francis de Sales

“Do not let yourself get carried away by the impetuosity of your impulsive ideas.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"Truth is not determined by a majority vote." - POPE BENEDICT XVI

“Does the Friar [Savonarola] think that he alone was excepted when our Lord conferred the power of binding and loosing on our predecessor S. Peter ? . . . Our duty as Pastor of the flock forbids us to tolerate such conduct any longer. We there fore once more command you either to send Savonarola to Rome, or to shut him up in some convent where he can neither preach nor speak to any one until he comes to himself and renders himself worthy to be absolved. If this is not done we shall lay Florence under Interdict; all that we require is that Savonarola shall acknowledge our supreme authority.”  Pope Alexander VI, Papal Brief dated March 9th, 1498

“Hail, thou fountain springing forth by God's design, whose rivers flowing over in pure and unsullied waves of orthodoxy put to flight the hosts of error.” St. Germanus of Constantinople, “Oration on the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (Quoted by Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical “Adiutricem”)

"Time spent for the glory of God and the health of the soul is never wasted."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom he wishes to save."  - St. John Damascene

"I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God's Holy Will, not my own!" - St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother

"There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God."   St. Pope John Paul II

"With tenderness, I have given everything to His divine heart." -St. Therese of Lisieux

"The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A prayer so simple and so rich. From deepest heart, I exhort all to recite it."  - Pope John Paul II

“The good God will not fail to supply your need since it concerns His service, and He will do it in one way or another.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“How glad I am that the crop is so good. The poor will feast, for their share must be larger. The more God is liberal towards us, the more we must be liberal towards the needy. God gives to us that we may give to them. He is the fountain and we the channels. If our channels are narrow and small, small also will be the supply from the fountain.” St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo  (“The Life of the Venerable Joseph Benedict Cottolengo: Founder of the Little House of Providence in Turin — Compiled from the Italian Life of DON P. GASTALDI, by a priest of the Society of Jesus” pub. 1893., Ch. V, pg. 19)

“Since grace enhances our human nature and glory adds a still greater perfection to grace, it is certain that our Lord remains in heaven just as much the Son of Mary as he was on earth. Consequently he has retained the submissiveness and obedience of the most perfect of all children towards the best of all mothers.” (St. Louis Marie de Montfort; True Devotion to Mary, #27)

"When the afflictions of this life overcome us, let us encourage ourselves to bear them patiently by the hope of heaven." - St. Alphonsus Liguori

"Remember: the sinner who is ashamed of his bad deeds is closer to God than the just man who is ashamed of acting well."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children."  - St. John Vianney

"RAISE THY HEART AND THY LOVE TOWARD THE SWEET AND MOST HOLY CROSS, WHICH SOOTHES EVERY PAIN." - ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

"Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them".  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 848)

“What usually deceives us is the appearance of good according to human reason, which never or rarely attains the divine.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Let us abandon everything to the merciful providence of God." - BL. ALBERT THE GREAT 

You are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives! -St. John Paul II

“Salve (hello) [Bishop Timothy]!”Pope St. Linus [Tradition has it that the Linus recorded in 2 Timothy 4:21 is the same Linus who became the second Pontiff, quoted indirectly by St. Paul: “Make haste to come before winter Eubulus and Pudens, and Linus and Claudia, and all the brethren, salute thee.” If this is the case, this is one of only a couple extant quotes we have of Linus’s, the other being the "Communicantes" prayer from the Mass.]

“It seems to me that Our Lord would always rather have us act with trust in Him than with [human] prudence.” St. Louise de Marillac  (Quoted by Fr. Bernard Vaughan, S.J., in his Preface for “LIFE OF THE VENERABLE LOUISE DE MARILLAC” by Alice Lady Lovat, pub. by LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., 1917)

"We must not stop doing good even if it scandalizes the Pharisees." St. Pio of Pietrelcina

1146 [Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice... WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1146)

"Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle."  - St. Josemaría Escrivá

Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and that you do not have even the strength to covnerse with me. So I will speak to you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart? Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a source of your sanctification.
WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary  1487)

"We should not spare expense, fatigue, nor even our life, when there is a question of accomplishing the holy will of God.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

“We are living at a time when one must not incur useless expense. Public distress surrounds us on all sides. It is feared that it may overtake us; and, even should we be spared, compassion should urge us to do all we can for those who suffer.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

 Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Pope Pius VII granted 300 day’s Indulgence, for reciting seven Hail Marys, and the following aspiration after each: “Vouchsafe, O Mother of Sorrows, conceived without sin, to imprint all the wounds of thy Crucified Son and all thy Dolours deeply on my heart.”

“As Christ has begotten us to a spiritual life, in the word of truth, by suffering on the cross, so, likewise, Mary has begotten us, and brought us forth in the midst of most acute pains, by sharing in the sufferings of the crucifixion of her Son.” St. Antoninus (Quoted in “Manual of Devotions in Honour of the Seven Dolours of the Virgin Mary” by Father Sebastian of the Blessed Sacrament, Religious of the Congregation of the Cross and Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, pub. 1868.)

"Jesus and your soul must cultivate the vine in agreement. Your task is to remove the stones, pull away the thorns. Jesus is to sow, plant, cultivate and water. But even in your work is the work of Jesus. Without Him, you can do nothing."  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

"All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle..." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1540)

"Have death always before your eyes as a salutary means of returning to God." - ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 

The Furrow 263: "Allow me to remind you that among other evident signs of a lack of humility are:

—Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say;

—Always wanting to get your own way;

—Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners;

—Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so;

—Despising the point of view of others;

—Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan;

—Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own;

—Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation;

—Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you;

—Making excuses when rebuked;

—Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you;

—Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you;

—Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you;

—Refusing to carry out menial tasks;

—Seeking or wanting to be singled out;

—Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige...;

—Being ashamed of not having certain possessions..."

-St. Josemaria

If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?"   - Cyprian of Carthage [A.D. 251]

“The things of God come about by themselves.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.~St. Thérèse

"The Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried. They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist. Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: if these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church’s teaching about the indissolubility of marriage." - POPE JOHN PAUL II  Familiaris Consortio, 1980

“Accordingly, dearly-beloved, Christ being lifted up upon the cross, let the eyes of your mind not dwell only on that sight which those wicked sinners saw, to whom it was said by the mouth of Moses, ‘And your life shall be hanging before your eyes, and you shall fear day and night’, and shall not be assured of your life Deuteronomy 28:66 . For in the crucified Lord they could think of nothing but their wicked deed, having not the fear, by which true faith is justified, but that by which an evil conscience is racked. But let our understandings, illumined by the Spirit of Truth, foster with pure and free heart the glory of the cross which irradiates heaven and earth, and see with the inner sight what the Lord meant when He spoke of His coming Passion: The hour has come that the Son of man may be glorified: and below He says, ‘Now is My spirit troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Your Son.’ And when the Father’s voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again’, Jesus in reply said to those that stood by, ‘This voice came not for Me but for you. Now is the world's judgment, now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things unto Me.’”  Pope Leo the Great, Sermon 59

“Holy Mother the Church celebrates today a feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, which we honor twice in the year. The first is the Discovery, in the month of May (May 3). The second today (Sept. 14) on the Exultation. Reason, because after the Holy Cross was discovered by St. Helena, it came into the possession of the infidels, who contemptuously held it. But Heraclius, the Most Holy and Christian Roman Emperor, extracted it from the possession of the infidels and exalted it honorably, and today is the feast of that exaltation. So that our words be fruitful, let us now say the Hail Mary.
It is a common Catholic doctrine of sacred theology that although Christ had other innumerable ways of redeeming and saving mankind, he nevertheless chose to save us through his cross, and to redeem obedient and believers for himself. St. Thomas in his (Summa theologiae) III, q. 46, a. 4, assigns seven reasons why this was fitting. I shall speak of one, the second, as an introduction of this material to you.
This reason is, because when satisfaction needs to be made for some sin, it is reasonable that the satisfaction correspond to the sin. For example, if someone sins against God or neighbor by thinking evil in his heart, or by speaking evil, or doing bad things, for such a person to make fitting satisfaction (condigne satisfacere), he ought to take on pain in the heart from this sin, and to strike his heart. If one sins by mouth by defaming or swearing, proper satisfaction ought not only to be confessed by mouth but he should also to seek pardon from God and neighbor by mouth, if he offended him. Therefore if through the eyes you have sinned by gazing etc. proper satisfaction is to weep, etc. Also if you have sinned by ears, by listening to evil things about a neighbor, healing is made by hearing mass and sermons etc. If through taste, by breaking the fast of the church, etc., to abstain, and so the satisfaction corresponds to the offense. If you have sinned by hand, extend it in prayer. If you have shed blood, the proper penitence is to shed your own blood by the discipline. So it says in Genesis 9: “Whosoever shall shed man’s blood, his blood shall be shed.” (v. 6). If you have sinned by the body through carnal sins, you ought to wear a hair shirt (cilicium). See how appropriate satisfaction is made when the penalty corresponds to the offense. Scriptural proof if taken from that which [Christ, in fact John the Baptist] said in Luke 3 “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance,” (v. 8). The fruits of penance are worthy when they correspond to the offense.”  St. Vincent Ferrer

"Remain humble, remain simple. The more you are so, the more good you will do." ~ St. Jean Vianney

"You will never complain about offenses , no matter where they came from, remembering that Jesus was saturated with ignominy from the malice of men He Himself had aided. You will excuse everyone with Christian charity, keeping before your eyes the example of the divine Master who excused even his crucifiers before the Father."  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

"In return for My blessings, I get ingratitude. In return for My love, I get forgetfulness and indifference. My Heart cannot bear this." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1537)

"The Passion of Jesus was a sea of sorrows, but it is also an ocean of love." - St. Paul of the Cross

"Whatsoever good work you undertake, pray earnestly to God that He will enable you to bring it to a successful termination.—ST. BENEDICT."