“Here I am, Lord, to do your will whatever comes.” St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin (1888–1922)

“All the sins of your life seem to be rising up against you. Don’t give up hope! On the contrary, call your holy mother Mary, with the faith and abandonment of a child. She will bring peace to your soul.” » Saint Josemaria Escriva

“God determines some things for certain times, which He does not want at others.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

Pope St. John I, Epistle to Archbishop Zachary, “De non accusandis episcopis”, 523 A.D: “Wherefore also in the Gospel it is written: “if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold.” (Lk. 19)... And it is read in Divine Law: “Cursed is everyone who moves over his neighbour’s landmarks: and all the people shall say: Amen.” (Dt. 27)
　Such things therefore may not be presumed without vengeance, nor exercised without one’s own damnation.”

St. Bernard of Clairvaux saw God everywhere in creation, and once said to a monk: “Believe me, on my own experience, you will find more in the woods than in books; the forrests and rocks will teach you what you cannot learn of the greatest masters.” (Quoted by Mary E. Mannix in her work “Illustrated Lives of Patron Saints for Boys”, pub. 1905, Benzinger Brothers, Inc., Nihil Obstat, Imprimatur.)

"Patience is more perfect when it is less mixed with worries and disturbances. If the good God wants to prolong the time of trial, do not complain or try to investigate the reason, but remember the following: That the children of Israel traveled forty years in the desert before setting foot in the Promised Land."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The new compassion that has crept into our courts and into our literature and drama is the compassion for the breakers of the law, for the thieves, the dope fiends, the murderers, the rapists. This false compassion for the criminal and the readiness to blame the law and the police, has passed from the ‘sob-sisters’ to black –robed justices who, fearful of restraining a liberty turned into license, pardon the mugger and ignore the mugged.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

"What shall you do when tempted by the flesh? Have the Virgin for your advocate. If you are devoted to her, you will feel temptations melting away, like wax before the fire."
- St. John of Avila

Today I heard these words: Pray for souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy. Do not grow weary of praying for sinners. You know what a burden their souls are to My Heart. Relieve My deathly sorrow; dispense My mercy.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 975 )

St, Joan of Arc, Letter to the Duke of Burgandy, July 17, 1429: “Great and formidable Prince, Duke of Burgundy, Joan the Maiden requests of you, in the name of the King of Heaven, my right and sovereign Lord, that the King of France and yourself should make a good firm lasting peace. Fully pardon each other willingly, as faithful Christians should do; and if it should please you to make war, then go against the Saracens.” (Translated by Allen Williamson)

“For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

"The struggle we have prior to a good work we intend to do is like the antiphon that precedes the psalm to be sung."  St. Pio  of Pietrelcina

“Why then did God create a world? God created the world for something like the same reason that we find it hard to keep a secret! Good things are hard to keep. The rose is good and tells its secret in perfume. The sun is good and tells its secret in light and heat. Man is good and tells the secret of his goodness in the language of thought. But God is infinitely Good and therefore infinitely Loving. Why therefore could not He, by a free impulsion of His love, let love overflow and bring new worlds into being? God could not keep, as it were the secret of His Love – and telling it was creation. Love overflowed. Eternity moved and said to time: ‘Begin.’ Omnipotence moved and said to nothingness: ‘Be.’ Light moved and said to darkness: ‘Be Light.’ Out from the finger-tips of God there tumbled planets and worlds.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“For very just reasons, God sometimes conceals from his servants the fruits of their labors, even though he blesses them with very great results.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"'My daughter, help Me to save a certain dying sinner. Say the chaplet that I have taught you for him.' When I began to say the chaplet, I saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul's misery. A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul. But while I was saying the chaplet, I saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the image. The rays which issued from Jesus' Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully breathed his last. When I came to myself, I understood how very important the chaplet was for the dying. It appeases the anger of God"  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 1565)

"To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us."  -Saint Faustina (Diary 1746)

"We will lie down for such a long time after death that it is worth while to keep standing while we are alive. Let us work now; one day we will rest.“ St. Agostina Petrantoni (1864-1894)

"Put yourself in God's hands; He abandons no one." - St. Andre Bessette 

“The important thing is to be aware of our weaknesses and to love the humiliation coming from them.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“The rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at a heart a Christ-centered prayer. It has all the depth of the gospel message in its entirety. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb…It can be said that the rosary is, in some sense, a prayer-commentary on the final chapter of the Vatican II Constitution Lumen Gentium, a chapter that discusses the wondrous presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church” (Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae).

"At Holy Communion, we ought to ask for the remedy of the vice to which we feel ourselves most inclined." - ST. PHILIP NERI 

“The Woman Whom even God dreamed of before the world was made; The Woman of Who, though no priest, could yet on Calvary’s Hill breathe, ‘this is my Body; this is my Blood’ – for none save her gave Him human life. The Woman Who guides my pen, which falters so with words in telling of the Word. The Woman Who, in a world of reds, shows forth the blue of hope. Accept these dried grapes of thoughts from this poor author, who has no wine; work a miracle and save a soul forgetting not my own.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Dedication Poem in World’s First Love)

"If you have a heart, you can be saved." ~ St. Pambo of Nitria, Abbot

"My daughter, know that My Heart is Mercy Itself. From this sea of Mercy, Graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the depths of My Mercy, and every saving and sanctifying Grace flows from this fountain."  WORDS OF JESUS TO JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1777)

"Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy. Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils Glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness."   WORDS OF JESUS TO JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA ( Diary 300)

“Men are so constituted that even the holiest are disposed to contradict each other.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

Pope St. Fabian, Epistle to Bishop Hilary: “Fabian, to my dearly beloved brother Bishop Hilary. We ought to be mindful of the grace of God to us, who, in the compassion of His own regard, hath raised us for this reason to the summit of sacerdotal dignity, that by cleaving to His commandments, and by being set in a certain eminence as overseers of His priests, we may restrain things unlawful, and inculcate things that are to be followed. For we have heard that in those western parts in which you dwell, the craft of the devil rageth so violently against the people of Christ, and breaketh forth in delusions so manifold, that it oppresseth and troubleth not only the secular laity, but the priests of the Lord themselves also. Wherefore, involved as we are in deep grief, we cannot conceal what we ought severely to correct. Accordingly a sufficient remedy must be employed for such wounds, lest a hasty facility in the cure may prove of no service for the deadly disease of the head; and lest the trouble, by being too easily dealt with, may involve, through the defect of an illegitimate mode of cure, the hurt and the healers together in its evil.”

"If we are calm and patient, we will not only find ourselves, but also our souls and, with it, God."   St. Pio  of Pietrelcina

“Courtesy is affection and not affectation. It reaches a point where, in a true lowliness of mind, one esteems others better than self. We know the worst that is in us and of that we can be certain, but we can never know the worst that is in others; we can at best only suspect it. Conscious of this, our feelings toward others become delicate and sensitive; they may even become deeply religious when they reach a point where we forgive others their discourtesies.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (On Being Human)

"O powerful Fiat! O Fiat to be venerated above every other fiat! For with a fiat, God created life, heaven, earth; but with Mary's fiat, God became man."  - St. Thomas of Villanova

"Be humble in this life that God may raise you up in the next." - St. Stephen of Hungary 

"By your prayers, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer". WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1777)

“Let go of your plans. The first hour of your morning belongs to God. Tackle the day’s work that he charges you with, and he will give you the power to accomplish it.” St. Teresia Benedicta (Edith Stein) (1891.-1942.)

“The fears and mistrust you experience come from nature, and only from a distance do they have access to your heart, which is much more generous than that.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"I have not the courage to force myself to seek beautiful prayers... 
I say quite simply to the good God what I want to tell Him, and He always understands me." - ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX 

“Pontianus, bishop, to Felix Subscribonius, greeting. Our heart is exceedingly rejoiced with your goodness, in that you strive by all means in your power to carry out the practice of holy religion, and strengthen sad and destitute brethren in faith and religion. Wherefore we implore the mercy of our Redeemer, that His grace may support us in all things, and that He may grant us to carry out in effect what He has given us to aspire after. In this good thing, therefore, the benefits of recompense are multiplied just in proportion as our zeal for the work increases. And because in all these things we need the assistance of divine grace, we implore with constant prayers the clemency of Omnipotent God, that He may both grant us the desire for these good works which should ever be wrought by us, and give us power also to perform them, and direct us in that way, for the fruit of well-doing—which way the Pastor of pastors declared Himself to be—so that ye may be able to carry out through Him, without whom nothing can be done, those good works which you have begun.” Pope St. Pontian, Decreta ad Episcopum Felicem Scribonium  (Translated by Philip Schaff)

St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises: “When God has appointed a way, we must faithfully follow it and never think of another under pretense that it is more easy and safe. It is one of the Devil’s artifices to set before a soul some state, holy indeed, but impossible to her, or at least different from hers, so that by a love of novelty, she may dislike, or be slack in her present state in which God has placed her and which is best for her. In like manner, he represents to her other acts as more holy and profitable to make her conceive a disgust for her present employment.” (Excerpt quoted in Fr. Alban Butler’s “Lives of Saints”)

"Don’t lose heart if it is your lot to work a lot and gather little. If you considered what one soul alone costs Jesus, you would never complain."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The Tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Conviction)

"In my greatest sufferings, it seems to me that I no longer have a mother on this earth, but a very compassionate one in Heaven." - ST. PIO  OF PIETRELCINA

"And so, we will stand up every time that human life is threatened. When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, we will stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life.
When a child is described as a burden or is looked upon only as a means to satisfy an emotional need, we will stand up and insist that every child is a unique and unrepeatable gift of God, with the right to a loving and united family...When the institution of marriage is abandoned to human selfishness or reduced to a temporary, conditional arrangement that can easily be terminated, we will stand up and affirm the indissolubility of the marriage bond.." Saint John Paul the Great

"If you should fall, be humble, make a resolution to be submissive to God's will, and then get up and carry on." - ST.  PIO  of PIETRELCINA

"Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness." 
"Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 300)

“The ineffable authority of the Divine majesty always doing the ineffable, just as it is extolled wonderful in His saints, and so it is showed in their works, giving them virtue and fortitude to heal all manner of sickness and disease. [Latin: Divinae majestatis inenarrabilis auctoritas semper inenarrabilia faciens, sicut in sanctis suis mirabilis praedicatur, ita et operibus declaratur, dans eis virtutem et fortitudinem curare omnem languorem et omnem infirmitatem.]” Pope Benedict IX, bull canonizing St. Simeon the Recluse, 1041 A.D.

“Once as I was in prayer, the souls of two saints now in glory, appeared to me, one of which seemed to be feeding upon a hard crust of bread, which he held in his hand; and I being desirous to know what pas meant hereby, I heard a Voice, which said, ‘Philip, the Will of God is that you live in the middle of the city, as if you were in a desert.’ By which words I understood I was to live soberly and temperately.” St. Philip Neri  (Quoted by Fr. Francis Weninger his work “Lives of the Saints”, St. Philip Neri.)

"Let us keep in mind what the divine Master said: in our patience we will possess our souls." St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“‘Great’ holiness consists in carrying out the ‘little’ duties of each moment.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 817)

For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more.  --Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“Shall we not say in justice, then, that the man and woman who take the gift of love into their hearts, and then turn it against producing life, for the selfishness of their own pleasure, are betraying life and love’s great trust, stealing heaven’s fire, and enkindling the flame which consumes them and leaves naught but their dust behind? Why, even though such a couple did not believe in God, even though they believed only in love, their own hearts of hearts should tell them that love was meant to be recovered in life, and that to be unfaithful to that gift of love, and refuse to increase life, is to live in a world in which artists are always picking up brushes but never finishing a picture; always lifting chisels but never producing a statue; always touching bow to string, but never emitting a harmony.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Hymn of the Conquered)

“Evenness of temper is a particular virtue, a state which supposes an aggregate of all the virtues, an external manifestation of the peace and beauty of the interior.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"I believe that God helps those who set out to do great things for His sake - and never fails those who trust in Him alone." - ST. TERESA OF AVILA

"I have great doubts about the salvation of those who do not have special devotion to Mary. " St. Francis Borgia (1510-1572)

"The Mother of Sorrows is my confidante, my teacher, my counselor, and my powerful advocate."--  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Pope Victor III says of Pope Benedict IX: “His life as a pope was so vile, so foul, so execrable, that I shudder to think of it.” (Quoted in “Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Libelli de lite” (in Latin) (Dialogi de miraculis Sancti Benedicti Liber Tertius auctore Desiderio abbate Casinensis ed.), Hannover: Deutsches Institut für Erforschung des Mittelalters (1934), p. 141. While some pontiffs were unfortunately very sinful persons as private individuals, it can be said to Benedict IX’s favor that he never promoted unorthodoxy in the faith, the orthodox faith being a necessary prerequisite to obtain and retain the office of the papacy.)

“For it is true, the prayers of the saints have the greatest power; on condition however of our repentance and amendment. Since even Moses, who had rescued his own brother and six hundred thousand men from the wrath that was then coming upon them from God, had no power to deliver his sister; and yet the sin was not equal; for whereas she had done despite but to Moses, in that other case it was plain impiety, what they ventured on.”  St. John Chrysostom, Sermo in Matt. 1:22-23

“Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!” (Saint John Paul II, October 22, 1978)

"Anxiety is one of the greatest traitors that real virtue and solid devotion can ever have. . .One must be careful of this on all occasions, particularly at prayer. And to better succeed it would be well to remember that the graces and consolations of prayer are not waters of this earth, but of Heaven. Therefore all our efforts are not sufficient to make them fall, even though it is necessary to prepare oneself with great diligence but always humbly and tranquilly."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The communist “saint” preach bastard brotherhood without the fatherhood of God, and sacrifice themselves on picket lines for the sake of economic ideals. They have secularized the Beatitudes, at every step they say that the low shall become the high; the last shall be first; the overlooked shall be the preferred; the poor shall be rich; the scored shall be reverenced; that old truth shall be the error, and man shall be reborn. They have perverted truth and the Gospel; they have turned the announcement into their re-announcement; they have taken the Pentecostal fires and made them burn downward instead of upward; they have made this world all important.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"The devil tempts that he may ruin and destroy- God tests that He may crown." - St. Ambrose 

“The maxims of Jesus Christ and the examples of His life are not misleading: they produce their fruit in due time.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"September 25, [1937.] When I learned how great are the difficulties in this whole work, I went to the Lord and said, "Jesus, don't You see how they are hindering Your work?" And I heard a voice in my soul: Do as much as is in your power, and don't worry about the rest. These difficulties prove that this work is Mine. Be at peace so long as you do all that is in your power."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1295)

"Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother." St. Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)

“The day of the Nativity of the Mother of God is a day of universal joy, because through the Mother of God, the entire human race was renewed, and the sorrow of the first mother, Eve, was transformed into joy.” » Saint John Damascene

"WHATEVER GOOD WORK YOU BEGIN TO DO, BEG OF GOD WITH MOST EARNEST PRAYER TO PERFECT IT." - ST. BENEDICT

“We must not drift away from the humble works, because they are the works nobody will do. It is never too small. We are so small and we look at things in a small way. But God, being Almighty, sees everything great. Therefore, even if you write a letter for a blind man or you just go and listen, or you take the mail for him, or you visit somebody or bring a flower to somebody—small things—or wash clothes for somebody, clean the house—very humble work—that is where you and I must be. For there are many people who can do big things. But there are very few people who will do the small things."  —St. Teresa of Calcutta

“I am greatly astonished at your separation from the rest of the Church and I cannot equably endure it. For Augustine, mindful that the Lord established the foundation of the Church on the Apostolic sees, says that whosoever removes himself from the authority and communion of the prelates of those sees is in schism. He states plainly that there is no church apart from one which is firmly established on the pontifical bases of the Apostolic sees. Thus how can you believe that you are not separated from the communion of the whole world if you do not commemorate my name during the sacred mysteries, according to custom? For you see that the strength of the Apostolic See resides in me, despite my unworthiness, through episcopal succession at the present time"  Pope Pelagius II   (Labbe, Conciliorum Collectione, vol. 5, col. 794f and 810)

“The greater one is by birth, the greater one must be in virtue, and the more distinguished we are in station, the more we must distinguish ourselves by our conduct, in order to be a bright ex ample to others.” St. Hedwig (Quoted by Fr. Francis Weninger his work “Lives of the Saints”, Feast of St. Hedwig.)

"THE ROSARY SHOULD BE SAID DAILY. WE SHOULD MEDITATE ON THE MYSTERIES, APPLYING THEM TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR OWN LIVES." - ST. ANTHONY MARY CLARET 

“Humility, obedience, meekness, and love are the virtues that shine through the Cross and the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. O my Jesus, help me imitate you!” (St. Anthony Mary Claret)

"Proverbs praises the strong woman: "She puts her hands to the distaff," we are told, and I willingly say a few words to you on this matter: Your distaff is the accumulation of your desires. Therefore, spin a little every day, thread by thread weave your design until it is finished and you will infallibly succeed. But be careful not to hurry, because you will tangle the thread with knots and confuse the spindle. Therefore, advance always, and even if you progress at a slow pace, you will still travel far."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina  (Letters III, p. 568)

“It may come to your mind that you have not enough intelligence to conduct so large and difficult a house. To this I shall reply that there will be two of you to do it: Our Lord and yourself, and with him, all is possible.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“The man who burns with the fire of divine love is a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame; he deserves and works with all this strength to inflame all men with the fire of God’s love. Nothing deters him; he rejoices in poverty; he labors strenuously; he welcomes hardships; he laughs off false accusations; he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate him by his prayers, his labors, his sufferings, and by caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.” - St. Anthony Mary Claret

"The most fundamental human freedom [is] that of practicing one’s faith openly, which for human beings is their reason for living" -St. John Paul II

St. Louis de Montfort, letter to his uncle Fr. Alain Robert, Sept. 20th, 1694: “Whatever happens I shall not be worried. I have a Father in heaven who will never fail me. He brought me here, He has kept me here until now and He will continue to treat me with His usual kindness. Although I deserve only punishment for my sins, I never stop praying to Him and rely completely on His Providence.”

“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” (Pope St. John Paul II)

“Clothing therefore tells the story of inner and outer worth. It is a symbol of lost innocence, a memento of a former glory. There are therefore two fashions: the passing fashion of the world and the enduring fashion of the spiritual. In the final reckoning it will not matter how we are dressed on the outside; one can go into the Kingdom of Heaven in rags; but it makes an eternity of difference as to how we are dressed on the inside.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life is Worth Living)

“One must be firm and unchanging with regard to the end but gentle and humble as to the means.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Sometimes God leaves us for a long time unable to effect any good, that we may learn to humble ourselves, and never to glory in our efforts.—ST. VINCENT FERRER

"My Secretary, write that I am more generous toward sinners than toward the just. It was for their sake that I came down from heaven; it was for their sake that My Blood was spilled. Let them not fear to approach Me; they are most in need of My mercy."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1275)

“Christianity is the meeting-point of earth and heaven. It lays claim to the whole man, body and soul, intellect and will, inducing him to raise his mind above the changing conditions of this earthly existence and reach upwards for the eternal life of heaven, where one day he will find his unfailing happiness and peace."  “Although I have lived through much darkness,...I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young...Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son."  St. John Paul II

"Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure." - St. John Paul II

"Be not satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." - St. John Paul II

 “Victor, archbishop of the city of the Church of Rome to all the Bishops throughout Africa, constituted in the Lord, salvation.Truly the preordained reparation of mankind always remained immutably in the eternal plan of God, but the order of things through our Lord Jesus Christ in time assumed the commencement of things which are to be borne by the disposition of the Divine Word. Wherefore, it behooves you, brethren, to be of one mind and to lend a helping hand, therefore not to disagree in the right faith and in the divine mysteries, but to be agreed, for although you might be few in comparison with the wicked, if however you will be agreed, by the help of the Lord you will easily overcome those plotting against you. But if you disagree, God forbid, you shall be, not overcoming, but overcome."  Pope St. Victor, Decretalia ad Episcopos Per Africam Constitutos

“Our knowledge is so weak that no philosopher was ever able to investigate perfectly the nature of a single fly. Hence we read that one philosopher passed thirty years in solitude in order that he might know the nature of the bee.”  St. Thomas Aquinas, Symbolum Apostolorum Expositio

“No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness: I shall not tire of repeating this warning to those who, for one reason or another, nourish feelings of hatred, a desire for revenge or the will to destroy.” (Pope St. John Paul II; World Day of Peace; January 1, 2002)

"ARE YOU CAPABLE OF RISKING YOUR LIFE FOR SOMEONE? DO IT FOR CHRIST." - ST. JOHN PAUL II

"Always be happily at peace with your conscience, reflecting that
you are in the service of an infinitely good Father,
who comes down to His creatures out of sheer goodness, to raise and transform them in Him, their Creator. And dispel sadness, because this enters in the hearts of those who are attached to the things of this world."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“If we Catholics believed all the lies and calumnies that are told about the Church, we would hate it ten times more than bigots do. The enemies of the Church often do not hate the Church: they only hate what they erroneously believe to be the Church.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Love One Another)

"PLACE BEFORE YOUR EYES AS MODELS FOR IMITATION, NOT THE WEAK AND COWARDLY, BUT THE FERVENT AND COURAGEOUS." - ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

“Free your mind of anything that troubles you; God will take care of it.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"September 10, [1937]. I learned in the course of meditation that the purer the soul, the greater her communion with God on the spiritual level. She pays little heed to the senses and their protests. God is a Spirit, and so I love Him in spirit and in truth."
(Saint Faustina's Diary 1270)

“The misery of the war is really cooling the enthusiasm of those who could make a contribution.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“None should refuse any kind of meat upon that score [i.e. the teaching of heretics who held certain creatures evil and so likewise the eating of their meat], and with that superstition, seeing God created all creatures good, and made all meats for the use of man;” Pope St. Eleutherius (+189), decretal “Et Hoc Iterum Est” (Quoted by Fr. Pedro de Ribadeneyra, “The Lives of the Saint, With Other Feasts of the Year, According to the Roman Calendar” translated into English by William Petre, 1730)

“Let us do evil that good may come? A thing which you see how the Apostle detests.” St. Augustine, To Consentius, Against Lying

“Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta; National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, February 5, 1994)

"The mercy of God, my son, is infinitely greater than your malice."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“God in His great mercy, has instituted the sacrament by which the sins committed after baptism may be remitted. No human being would ever have thought of this sacrament of reconciliation for it is something like a resurrection; we rise after we are dead. It is a journey back again to God. It enables us to get rid of infections before they become chronic diseases and epidemics. The sacrament of reconciliation is the inflowing of God’s mercy, an opportunity for the increase of the grace of Calvary. It is a medicine for the soul, the healing of our wounds, a homecoming, an undoing of the past; an opportunity to get a fresh start in life, another bath, a kind of secondary baptism.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (talk on “Sin”)

"Do you want to do a good deed? Teach the young! Do you want to do a holy thing? Teach the young! Truly, now and for the future, among holy things, this is the holiest" . -St. John Bosco

"Mary full of grace – mother of Jesus! We love and honor our Jesus when we love and honor her… Our best honor to Mary is the imitation of her virtues – her life a model for all conditions of life."   - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

"Lord God of my heart, You alone know and see all my troubles. You alone are aware that all my distress springs from my fear of losing You, of offending You, from my fear of not loving You as much as I should love and desire to love You. If You, to whom everything is present and who alone can see the future, know that it is for Your greater glory and for my salvation that I should remain in this state, then let it be so. I don’t want to escape from it. Give me the strength to fight and to obtain the prize given to strong souls." - St. Pio  of Pietrelcina

“Let the storm rage and the sky darken - not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful ‘who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.’”
-Pope Saint Pius X

“Rely upon God, and you will have the fulfillment of whatever your heart desires.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendour."  --Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

"As regards the spiritual trials to which the paternal goodness of the heavenly Father is subjecting you, I beg you to be resigned and if possible tranquil on the assurances of he who takes the place of God, and who speaks to you in his name; who loves you in Him and who desires every blessing for you. You are suffering, it is true, but with resignation, because God is with you and you don't offend Him, but you love Him. You are suffering but believe, also, that Jesus is suffering within you, with you, and for you."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The Cross is laid on the shoulders of our pride and envy, our lusts and our angers, until by its friction it wears them away, and thus brings us to the great abiding joys of life.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Clergymen shall not wear long hair…have them to live according to the Doctrine of St. Paul; and as they are to differ from Seculars in virtuous life and conversation, so are they to be distinguished from them in habit, and cut off their hair.” Pope St. Anicetus, Decretal to the Bishops of Gaul [ancient France]  (Quoted by Fr. Pedro de Ribadeneyra, “The Lives of the Saint, With Other Feasts of the Year, According to the Roman Calendar” translated into English by William Petre, 1730)

“Even the heathen can praise and thank God in happy days but Christians praise and thank Him in their suffering as well.”  St. Jerome (Quoted by Fr. Francis Weninger in his book “Lives of the Saints” on the feast of “St. Victor and Companions”)

“No one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist.” Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno (#120), May 15, 1931:

“He then who would be so rash as to boast of extraordinary mission without immediately producing miracles, deserves to be taken for an impostor. Now it is a fact neither the first nor the last ministers have worked a single miracle: therefore they have no extraordinary mission.” St. Francis de Sales, the Catholic Controversy  (As translated by Rev. Henry Benedict, pg. 26)

"A soul who trusts in the Lord and places all its hope in him has nothing to fear. The enemy of our salvation is always around us to snatch from our hearts the anchor that is to lead us to salvation, by which I mean trust in God our Father. Let us keep a firm hold on this anchor and not relinquish it for a single moment."  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“When tempted, invoke your Angel. he is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He trembles and flees at the sight of your Guardian Angel.” (St. John Bosco, Priest, Confessor and Founder of the Salesian Society)

"You must not behave violently unless you wish to risk gaining nothing. you must have great Christian prudence. " St. Pio of Pietrelcina  (Letters III, pp. 419-420)

“The ungodly like religion in the same way that they like lions, either dead or behind bars; they fear religion when it breaks loose and begins to challenge their consciences.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

“The poor common people are starving for the Word of God and are being allowed to die of hunger.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"NO PRAYER IS EVER LOST." - ST. JEAN VIANNEY

“In the same way a powerful medicine cures an illness, so illness itself is a medicine to cure passion. And there is much profit of soul in bearing illness quietly and giving thanks to God.“ St. Amma Syncletice (c. 270 – c. 350)

“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.”  Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church

"As regards the spiritual trials to which the paternal goodness of the heavenly Father is subjecting you, I beg you to be resigned and if possible tranquil on the assurances of he who takes the place of God, and who speaks to you in his name; who loves you in Him and who desires every blessing for you. You are suffering, it is true, but with resignation, because God is with you and you don't offend Him, but you love Him. You are suffering but believe, also, that Jesus is suffering within you, with you, and for you."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.” St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)

“The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.” - St. Anthony of the Desert, Abbot

St. Boniface pointing to his crucifix: “Behold the great book that teaches me everything!” (Quoted by Abbé Lecanu, “Half Hour Pictorials with the Saints”, “St. Boniface”)

“I feel it is time that I also pay tribute to my four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“If we had even a tiny hint of this love, would we remain with our arms folded? Would we allow to perish those whom we could assist? Oh no, charity cannot remain inert and inactive.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"LOVE GOD. SERVE GOD. EVERYTHING IS IN THAT." - ST. CLARE OF ASSISI 

"0 my Jesus, when someone is unkind and unpleasant toward us, it is difficult enough to bear this kind of suffering. But this is very little in comparison to a suffering which I cannot bear; namely, that which I experience when someone exhibits kindness towards me and then lays snares at my feet at every step I take. What great will power is necessary to love such a soul for God's sake. Many a time one has to be heroic in loving such a soul as God demands. If contact with that person were infrequent, it would be easier to endure, but when one lives in close contact with the person and experiences this at each step, this demands a very great effort."  (Saint Faustina's Diary 1241)

"When you see the Lord immolated and lying upon the altar, and the priest bent over that sacrifice praying, and all the people empurpled by that precious blood, can you think that you are still among men and on earth? Or are you not lifted up to heaven?" — St. John Chrysostom

“You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many—on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!”

- Saint Bernardine of Siena

“How happy are those who give themselves to God without reserve to do the works Jesus Christ did and to practice the virtues He practiced.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"Christianity is greatest when it is hated by the world."  Ignatius of Antioch 

"No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.” (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr)

"Those souls who throw themselves into the whirlpool of worldly preoccupations are poor as well as unfortunate. . .they are affected by the shock that breaks their heart."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“O Holy Mary! My Mother; into thy blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of thy mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To thee I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by thy most holy intercession, and by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by thy will and that of thy Son.”
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga

"WHEN WE FEEL OUR CROSS WEIGHING UPON US, LET US HAVE RECOURSE TO MARY, WHOM THE CHURCH CALLS - THE CONSOLER OF THE AFFLICTED." - ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI 

Pope Gregory XIV when just a cardinal had no ambition for the papacy; on the day of his election he burst into tears and said: “God forgive you! What have you done?” In his bull of 21 March 1591, Cogit nos, he forbade under pain of excommunication all betting concerning the election of a Pope, the duration of a pontificate, or the creation of new cardinals.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori relates the following for St. Vitalis: “As the termination of his struggle approached, the Lord Jesus sent an angel to show him, in a vision, the crown which was being prepared for him in heaven. Whereupon Vitalis, with his dying breath, pronounced this prayer-‘Jesus, my Savior, and my God! Command my longing soul to come to Thee, to receive the crown which has been shown me by Thy angel.’ Having uttered these words, he expired.” (from his work “Victories of the Martyrs”, translated form Italian, edited by Fr. Eugene Grimm, C.SS.R, Nihil Obstat, Imprimatur, 1953.)

“Let those who think their work has no value recognize that by fulfilling their insignificant tasks out of Love of God, those tasks assume supernatural worth. The aged who bear the taunts of the young, the sick crucified to their beds, the street cleaner and the garbage collector, the chorus girl who never had a line, the unemployed carpenter – all these will be enthroned above dictators, presidents, kings, and Cardinals if a greater love of God inspires their humbler tasks than inspires those who play nobler roles with less love. Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Seven Capital Sins)

“How happy are those who give themselves to God without reserve to do the works Jesus Christ did and to practice the virtues He practiced.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

As I took the pen in hand, I addressed a short prayer to the Holy Spirit and said, “Jesus, bless this pen so that everything You order me to write may be for the glory of God.” Then I heard a voice: Yes, I bless [it], because this writing bears the seal of obedience to your superior and confessor, and by that very fact I am already given glory, and many souls will be drawing profit from it. My daughter, I demand that you devote all your free moments to writing about My goodness and mercy. It is your office and your assignment throughout your life to continue to make known to souls the great mercy I have for them and to exhort them to trust in My bottomless mercy    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 1567).

“I beg Our Lord that he may be the object of your thoughts and the rule of your actions.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“The purpose of marriage is to help married people sanctify themselves and others. For this reason they receive a special grace in the sacrament which Jesus Christ instituted. Those who are called to the married state will, with the grace of God, find within their state everything they need to be holy, to identify themselves each day more with Jesus Christ, and to lead those with whom they live to God.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá, Conversations, 91)

"You are searching feverishly for the Supreme Good, but in truth, He is within you, keeping you stretched out on the naked Cross, breathing strength into you to bear the intolerable torment, and love, that you may painfully love his love. Your fear of having lost Him, then, is altogether futile, for He is quite near and clasps you to Himself. Equally futile is your anxiety for the future, since the present is a crucifixion of love."  St. Pio  of  Pietrelcina

“To the bad conscience God appears always the God of wrath. The boy who broke the vase by throwing a ball at it, says to his mother: Now Mummy, don’t get mad. Anger is not in the mother; anger is in the boy’s projection to his mother of his own sense of justice. Anger is not in God; anger is in our disordered selves.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Preface to Religion)

"THE TRUE SERVANT OF GOD RECOGNIZES NO OTHER COUNTRY BUT HEAVEN." - ST. PHILIP NERI

There are times in life when the soul finds comfort only in profound prayer. Would that souls knew how to persevere in prayer at such times. This is very important. - St. Faustina (Diary 860)

"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." - St. Teresa of Avila 

"One single act done with aridity of spirit is worth more than many done with feelings of devotion.“ St. Francis de Sales (1567.-1622)

Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendour.   --Saint  Pio of Pietrelcina

"When I see people making great progress, and being resolute and detached and courageous, I conceive a great love for them and should be glad if I could see more of them: I think they are a help to me. People who I see to be timid and who appear to be making half-hearted attempts to do things which so far as human reason can judge they can do perfectly well seem to distress me and make me pray to God for them and to the saints who accomplished these very things which now frighten us. Not that I am good for anything, but I believe that God helps those who set out to do great things for His sake and never fails those who trust in Him alone. And I should like to find someone who would help me to believe this to be so, and to have no anxiety about what I am to eat and put on, but leave it to God."  St. Teresa of Avila

 “One who begins every day his life knowing himself to be in the presence of God must always make progress in God’s service.” St. Charles Borromeo (Quoted by Mary E. Mannix in “Illustrated Lives of Patron Saints for Boys”, Benzinger Brothers, Inc., Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, 1905., “St. Charles Borromeo” pg. 12.)

“Christ has no body now but mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet and loves with my heart.” (St. Teresa of Ávila)

"Don't tire yourself with things that cause anxieties, perturbation and worries. Only one thing is necessary, to lift up your spirit and love God."  St.  Pio  of Pietrelcina

‎"Cheer may be natural, in which case it springs from an inborn vitality and zest for living. But there is another kind of cheerfulness which is Divine in origin. Saint Paul bade others to have it as believing in God. This kind of cheerfulness is found in Francis of Assisi, who expressed the joy of grace to his soul by song. Teresa of Avila who lived a life of great penance, was want to pour out her joy in that inner world of spirituality by clapping her hands and dancing in the Spanish style. In the history of the world there never has been a sad saint, because sanctity and sadness are opposites." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Simple Truths)

“We need no wings to go in search of Him, but have only to look upon Him present within us.” - St. Teresa of Avila

''We know that the Word assumed a body from a virgin, and through a new creation, put on our old nature. We know that He was a man, formed from the same substance as we are. IF HE WERE NOT OF THE SAME NATURE AS OURSELVES, HIS COMMAND TO IMITATE HIM AS A MASTER WOULD BE A FUTILE ONE.''  St. Hippolytus.

"It is necessary to be strong in order to become great: that is our duty. Life is a struggle which we cannot avoid. We must triumph!" St Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)

“It has recently come to our ears, not without great pain to us, that in some parts of upper Germany, [...] Mainz, Köln, Trier, Salzburg, and Bremen, many persons of both sexes, heedless of their own salvation and forsaking the catholic faith, give themselves over to devils male and female, and by their incantations, charms, and conjurings, and by other abominable superstitions and sortileges, offences, crimes, and misdeeds, ruin and cause to perish the offspring of women, the foal of animals, the products of the earth, the grapes of vines, and the fruits of trees, as well as men and women, cattle and flocks and herds and animals of every kind, vineyards also and orchards, meadows, pastures, harvests, grains and other fruits of the earth; [...]”  Pope Innocent VIII, Summis desiderantes, December 5, 1484

"THE HUMAN HEART IS ALWAYS DRAWN BY LOVE." - ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

“A man’s biography is written in terms not so much of what he causes to happen, but rather what happens to him and in him. The difference between men is not in the adversity which comes to them, but rather how they meet the adversity.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (On Being Human)

 During Holy Hour today, I asked the Lord Jesus if He would deign to teach me about the spiritual life. Jesus answered me, My daughter, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself; it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you-respect, your good name-let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1685)

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

"When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer." --St. Louis de Montfort

"All the saints became saints because of mental prayer." St. Alphonsus (1696-1787)

“Do not be constrained by the majority opinion. Chose the one that seems best to you, or your own, provided you give an account of this.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"SAY THE ROSARY EVERYDAY TO OBTAIN PEACE FOR THE WORLD." - OUR LADY OF FATIMA 

"Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God."  —Our Lady of Fatima speaking to Lúcia Santos

 “...[the occurrences at Fatima are] an extraordinary aid from the Mother of God.”  Pope Benedict XV, Letter to the Portuguese Bishops, April 29, 1918  (Pope Benedict XV had re-established the ancient diocese of Leiria on January 17, 1918)

On Oct. 13th, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima asked the three children to continue to pray the Rosary daily and prophesied the end of the World War. After responding to a request for the conversion and healing of certain persons Our Lady, looking sad, said: “Do not offend the Lord Our God any more, because He is already so much offended.”

"The promotion of the culture of life should be the highest priority in our societies...If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, all other references to human rights remain deceitful and illusory." -St. John Paul II

"Do not fear as regards your spirit: they are tricks, treats and signs of predilection on the part of the heavenly Spouse who wants to you similar to Him. Jesus sees the disposition and good will of your soul, which is excellent, and He accepts and rewards this, and not your incapabilities and inabilities, so be tranquil."  St. Pio  of Pietrelcina (Letters III, p. 465)

"The Virgin Mary, being obedient to His word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God."  - St. Irenaeus

"THE ROSARY IS THE PRAYER WHICH SUSTAINS AND INCREASES OUR FAITH." - SERVANT OF GOD LUCIA SANTOS 

-From all My wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy."
(Saint Faustina's Diary 1190)

"The GREATEST DESTROYER OF PEACE is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between." - Mother Teresa

"The power of the Rosary is beyond description."  - Venerable Fulton Sheen

“May God increase your strength and may he make you share more and more in his spirit.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"If I had an Army to say the Rosary I could Conquer the World"~Blessed Pius IX

“The kings of France and Navarre, taking to heart the situation in the Holy Land, and decorated with the Holy Cross, are readying themselves to attack the enemies of the Cross. You wrote to us that you wished to join your father-in-law (the Greek emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos) to assist the Latins. We abundantly praise you for this, but we cannot tell you yet, before having asked to the rulers, what road they are planning to follow. We will transmit to them your advice, so as to enlighten their deliberations, and will inform your Magnificence, through a secure message, of what will have been decided.” Pope Clement IV, letter from Viterbo, 1267

“Have no fellowship with the schismatics, nor any dealings at all with the heretical Arians. For you know how I shunned them on account of their hostility to Christ, and the strange doctrines of their heresy.” St. Antony of the Desert  (Vita S. Antoni—Life of Saint Antony, Chapter 91).

"Be tranquil as far as your soul is concerned. Confide totally, more and more in Jesus. Make an effort to unite yourself always and in everything to the Divine will, both in happy and sad events, and do not worry about the future."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“It is not hatred that is wrong, it is hating the wrong thing that is wrong. It is not anger that is wrong, it is being angry at the wrong thing that is wrong. Tell me your enemy, and I will tell you what you are. Tell me your hatred, and I will tell you your character. Do you hate religion? Then your conscience bothers you. Do you hate the wealthy? Then you are avaricious, and you want to be wealthy. Do you hate sin? Then you love God. Do you hate your hate, your selfishness, your quick temper, your wickedness? Then you are a good soul, for ‘if any man come to me… and hate not his own life, he cannot be my disciple’ Luke 14:26” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Victory over Vice)

I fear nothing for God is with me! - St. Joan of Arc

"Let those, therefore, who deny that the Son is by nature from the Father and proper to his essence deny also that he took true human flesh from the ever-virgin Mary."
- St. Athanasius

"EVIL MAY HAVE ITS HOUR, BUT GOD WILL HAVE HIS DAY." - VENERABLE 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."
(Saint Faustina's Diary 1070)

“Darkness can only be scattered by light. Hatred can only be conquered by love.” (Pope St. John Paul II, Address to Diplomatic Corps, 10 January 2002)

"The Rosary is the weapon given us by Mary to use against the tricks of the infernal enemy." - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Begin now to be what you will be hereafter" St. Jerome (347-420)

"Mary is so full of love, that no one who asks for her intercession is rejected, no matter how sinful he may be." - St. Louis de Montfort 

"The family is the first essential cell of human society." - Pope John XXIII

“I neither seek nor wish for aught but only Thee, my Lord Jesus.”  St. Margaret de Cortona:  (Quoted Fr. Cuthbert, O.F.M. in his work “A Tuscan Penitent, The Life and Legend of St. Margaret of Cortona”, Nihil Obstat, Imprimatur, pub. 1907)u

“Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the ‘economy’ of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practised in the light of truth.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 2009, Caritas in veritate 2b, Encyclical)

"I beg you not to worry about what I am suffering at present and will suffer in the future. No matter how severe this suffering is, when it is placed before the good that awaits us, it is always a delight for the soul."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“When I said that you must be unwavering as to the end and gentle as to the means, I am describing to you the soul of good leadership.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." - Pope St. John XXIII 

Then I heard these words in my soul: "Your purpose and that of your companions is to unite yourselves with Me as closely as possible; through love You will reconcile earth with heaven, you will soften the just anger of God, and you will plead for mercy for the world".

WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 531)

Padre Pio On Abortion: "A Great Sin"

Often Padre Pio seemed to know aspects of the lives of his penitents which they tried to hide from him or even from themselves.

Albert Cardone first learned of Padre Pio in 1944, when he was eighteen, through the testimony of a neighbor, whose name he could not disclose because she may still have been alive at the time when he related the incident in March 1990: "She went to confession. Padre Pio, before giving her absolution, said, 'Try to remember the other sin.' The woman said, 'Padre, I think I gave you all the sins I know and I think this is it.' Padre Pio said, 'Then, for your penance, go to the cross to say fifteen Ave Marias and fifteen Our Fathers.' Now the cross was at the top of the mountain. The penance was not the Aves or the Our Fathers, it was the journey to get there, as it was a very bad road... So she did that and said the prayers and went back to Padre Pio for a second confession and Padre Pio asked, 'Do you remember all your sins?' She said, 'Padre Pio, I've confessed everything.' Padre Pio said. 'No, you still don't remember all. You've got to go to the cross at the top of the mountain again.'

She went for the second time and when she still did not remember he sent her for the third time to the cross on the mountaintop. When she returned for the third time for confession, Padre Pio asked, 'So, do you remember everything now?' She replied, 'No, Padre, I don't have anything more to confess.' Then Padre Pio said in a loud voice, 'What do you mean, you don't remember anything? Don't you know he could have been a good priest, a bishop, even a cardinal?' She started to think and then began to cry, 'Father,' she said, 'I never knew abortion was a sin.' 'What do you mean,' he said, 'you didn't know that this was a sin? That's killing.' Then she said, Nobody knows about this, only me and my mother. How could you say it would have been a priest or a cardinal?' Padre Pio simply responded by saying, 'But it's a sin, a great sin.' "