"Obedience will enable you to advance untiringly, and to gain more readily the road to Heaven; inasmuch as you will be journeying, in a manner, under the guidance of another, and not by your own will and judgment."  St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491.-1556.)

"I have found heaven on earth, since heaven is God and God is in my soul.” Bl Elizabeth of the Trinity

"Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause."  -St. John of Kanty

“We rightly teach that the glorious Holy ever Virgin Mary is acknowledged by Catholic men [to be] both properly and truly the one who bore God, and the Mother of God’s Word, become incarnate from her. For He Himself deigned from earliest times properly and truly to become incarnate and likewise to be born of the holy and glorious Virgin Mother. Therefore, because the Son of God was properly and truly made flesh from her and born of her, we confess that she was properly and truly the Mother of God made incarnate and born from her, and (properly indeed), lest it be believed that the Lord Jesus received the name of God through honor or grace, as the foolish Nestorius thinks; but truly for this reason, lest it be believed that He took flesh in a phantasm or some other manner, not true flesh from the virgin, just as the impious Eutyches has asserted.”  Pope John II, “Olim Quidem” to the senators of Constantinople, March, 534

“Well then did the Lord say: ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’ (Matthew 16:24) For they who are dead and buried in Christ ought not again to make their conclusions as though living in the world. ‘Touch not,’ it is said, ‘nor attend to those things which tend to corruption by their very use, for the very customs of this life corrupt integrity.’” St. Ambrose, Concerning Repentance (Book II), par. 97

“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)

“Let us climb Calvary without getting tired, carrying our Cross and be certain that the climb will lead us to the beatific vision of our dear Savior.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The world is never without crisis, for crisis means a judgment on the way it lives and thinks and acts toward others. Every crisis is a rehearsal for the final judgment.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Thoughts for Daily Living)

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

"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. My daughter, I desire that your heart be an abiding place of My mercy. I desire that this mercy flow out upon the whole world through your heart. Let no one who approaches you go away without that trust in My mercy which I so ardently desire for souls.
Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST.FAUSTINA (Diary 1777)

"I want to give myself to souls and to fill them with My love, but few there are who want to accept all the graces My love has intended for them. My grace is not lost; if the soul for whom it was intended does not accept it, another soul takes it." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary1017)

“Let us be more careful to extend the empire of Jesus Christ than our own possessions.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“To love God is something greater than to know Him.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)

"Detachment grows from an experience and taste of the knowledge of God and from a meditation on the account to be rendered at death."  St. John Climacus (525 – 606)

"You should realize that God wants you to be glad and that, if you do all you can, you will be happy, very, very happy, although you will never for a moment be without the Cross."  - Saint Josemaria Escriva

"The Rosary is my favorite prayer." ~St. Pope John Paul II

"He who forgets himself for God's service may be sure that God will not forget him."  -St. Ignatius Loyola

 “According to the Catholic faith we believe this also, that after grace has been received through baptism, all the baptized with the help and cooperation of Christ can and ought to fulfill what pertains to the salvation of the soul, if they will labor faithfully. We not only do not believe that some have been truly predestined to evil by divine power, but also with every execration we pronounce anathema upon those, if there are [any such], who wish to believe so great an evil. This, too, we profess and believe unto salvation, that in every good work we do not begin, and afterwards are helped by the mercy of God, but He Himself, with no preceding good services [on our part], previously inspires us with faith and love of Him, so that we may both faithfully seek the sacraments of baptism, and after baptism with His help be able to perform those [acts] which are pleasing to Him. So very clearly we should believe that the faith-so admirable-both of that famous thief, whom the Lord restored to his native land of paradise [Luke 23:43], and of Cornelius the centurion, to whom the angel of the Lord was sent [ Acts 10:3], and of Zacheus, who deserved to receive the Lord Himself [Luke 19:6], was not from nature, but a gift of God’s bounty.” Pope Boniface II confirmed the Council of Orange II, 529  (Denz. 199, Confirmed in his papal letter “Per Fillium Nostrum”, Jan. 25, 531 A.D.)

“May the Lord lay His hand on all that I do so that it may be in accordance with His holy will; this is always my desire, although my actions may be as imperfect as I myself am.” -St. Teresa D’Avila, Way of Perfection

“Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta)

“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God…and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.”  - Pope Saint Pius X

"The sacred gift of prayer is in the right hand of our Savior, and according to the measure that you empty yourself of yourself, that is if love of your senses and of your own will, and make progress in rooting yourself in holy humility, to that extent the Lord will speak to your heart.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"How many universities in our land founded as religious institutions for the propagation of a particular Christian creed, today adhere to the creeds they were founded to propagate?" Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Whence Come Wars)

"The eternal Father takes pleasure in looking upon the heart of the most holy Virgin Mary as a masterpiece of His hands. The Son takes pleasure in it as the heart of His mother, the source from which He drew the blood that ransomed us. The Holy Spirit dwells in Mary as in His temple."  - St. John Vianney

"Always keep in mind that the people of Israel spent forty years in the desert before reaching the Promised Land, even though the journey should not have taken more than six weeks. They were not permitted to ask why God led them in circuitous and arduous ways, and all those who complained about it died before reaching their destination. Even Moses, that great friend of God, died on the border of the Promised Land and saw it only from afar, without being able to enjoy it himself. Do not focus so much on the path you have: keep your eyes fixed instead on the one who guides you and on the heavenly home to which he is guiding you. Why should you care if you are walking through the desert or through meadows, provided that God is always with you and you succeed in possessing blessed eternity?"  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"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"  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 1578).

"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you."   - Saint Thomas Aquinas

"Open, O Lord,my heart in Thy law, teach me to walk in Thy commandments."  - St. Therese

“In the spiritual life, the more you run the less you get tired; moreover, peace, the preclude to eternal joy, will come upon us, and we shall be happy and strong according to the extent that we live in this study of making Jesus live in us, and of mortifying ourselves.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Courtesy is not condescension of a superior to an inferior, or a patronizing interest in another’s affairs. It is the homage of the heart to the sacredness of human worth.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Thoughts for Daily Living)

"My loving host, pray for priests, especially during this time of harvest. My Heart is pleased with you, and for your sake I am blessing the earth."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary980)

"My delight is to unite myself with you. It is when you submit yourself to My will that you give Me the greatest glory and draw down upon yourself a sea of blessings. I would not take such special delight in you if you were not living by my will." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 954)

“By the grace of God we belong to Him; what else should we desire except to please him?”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"My daughter, let us understand and be resigned to this great and terrible truth: Self-love will never die before we do. The sad truth that we have inherited the guilt of original sin as a punishment certainly grieves us. Nevertheless, we need to resign ourselves and have patience with ourselves, since as the divine teaching says, by patience we will gain our souls. This self-possession will be much firmer when it is less assailed by cares and anxieties-even anxieties about our imperfections.

We will always experience the palpable attacks and the secret workings of self-love, until we leave this earth. To avoid offending God and disfiguring our souls, it is enough that we do not deliberately consent to it by our will....

Come, my daughter, be at peace. If you violate the principle of detachment by spontaneous impulses of self-love or passion concerning things that should be treated with indifference, just prostrate yourself as soon as you can, and lift your heart to God. Say to him in a confident and humble spirit, 'Lord, have mercy on me, because I am only a weakling.' Then rise up in peace and, with a serene, tranquil heart and holy detachment, go about your business."

-St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence."  - Saint Francis de Sales

"Leave to every one the care of what belongs to him, and disturb not thyself with what is said or done in the world." St. Thomas Aquinas (1225.–1274.)

"No matter how sinful one may have been, if he has devotion to Mary, it is impossible that he be lost."  -Saint Hilary of Poitiers

“Contentment is not an innate virtue. It is acquired through great resolution and diligence in conquering unruly desires; hence it is an art which few study.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Way to Happiness)

“The Rosary is the prayer that touches most the heart of the Mother of God. If you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the Family Rosary."  - Pope St. Pius X

Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them. My mercy works in all those hearts which open their doors to it. Both the sinner and the righteous person have need of My mercy. Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of My mercy  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1577).

"No loss is greater than that of time ; for, it was given to us by Divine Goodness to work out our salvation, and, once lost, it can never be recalled." St. Bonaventure  (Fr. Francis Weninger, D.D., S.J., "Lives of the Saints" Vol. II, pg. 11.)

"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)

"Blessed the one who has become long-suffering and compassionate and not become the slave of the barbarian, I mean anger and evil wrath, for such a one will be exalted by the Lord."   St. Ephrem of Syria (306 – 373)

“We must act, we must enter into all the fields of social, familiar and political action. And to work, because all the dark and threatening forces of evil are united. It is necessary that the forces of good be all united and form a kind of dam, a barrier as if to say: ‘There is no passing over here.’ ”  —St. Gianna Molla

“Those genuine and clear [truths] which flow from the very pure fountains of the Scriptures cannot be disturbed by any arguments of misty subtlety. For this same norm of apostolic doctrine endures in the successors of him upon whom the Lord imposed the care of the whole sheepfold [John 21:15 ff.], whom [He promised] He would not fail even to the end of the world [Matt. 28:20], against whom He promised that the gates of hell would never prevail, by whose judgment He testified that what was bound on earth could not be loosed in heaven [Matt. 16:18 ff.]. (6). . . Let whoever, as the Apostle proclaimed, attempts to disseminate something other, than what we have received, be anathema[ Gal. 1:8 f.]. Let no approach to your ears be thrown open to the pernicious plans of undermining, let no pledge of revising any of the old definitions be granted, because, as it must be repeated very often, what has deserved to be cut away with the sharp edge of the evangelical pruninghook by apostolic hands with the approval of the universal Church, cannot acquire the strength for a rebirth nor is it able to return to the fruitful shoot of the master’s vine, because it is evident that it has been destined to eternal fire. Thus, finally, the machinations of all heresies laid down by decrees of the Church are never allowed to renew the struggles of their crushed attack.” Pope St. Simplicius, “Cuperem quidem” to Basiliscus Augustus January 10, 476 A.D.  (Den. 160)

“A few decades ago, nobody believed in the confession of sins except the Church. Today everyone believes in confession – with this difference: some believe in confessing their own sins; others believe in confessing other people’s sins. The popularity of psychoanalysis has nearly convinced everyone of the necessity of some kind of confession for peace of mind. This is another instance of how the world, which threw Christian truths into the wastebasket in the nineteenth century, is pulling them out in isolated secularized form in the twentieth century, meanwhile deluding itself into believing that it has made a great discovery. The world found it could not get along without some release for its inner unhappiness. Once it had rejected confession and denied both God and guilt, it had to find a substitute.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Footprints in a Darkened Forest)

“To ask something of the Blessed Virgin is not the same as to ask something of God. She knows well what to do with all my little desires and it is for her to decide whether to ask for them or not.”  - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1075 )

“Our business is to gain heaven; everything else is a sheer waste of time.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

" I am not capable of doing big things but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God"  - Saint Dominic Savio

“Look at the mothers who truly love their children—how many sacrifices they make for them. They are ready for everything, even to give their own blood so that their babies grow up good, healthy and strong.” (St. Gianna Molla, 1922 – 1962)

Pope St. Peter, Second Epistle, Chapter 3, Verse 9: “The Lord delayeth not His promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance.”

“Nulla dies sine linea: Do not let a day pass without doing some good during it.” St. Philip Neri   (Quoted by Fr. F. W. Faber, in his work “The Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri”)

“O Jesus, my Love, may my heart be consumed in loving Thee; make me humble and holy; give me childlike simplicity; transform me into thy holy love. O Jesus, life of my life, joy of my soul, God of my heart, accept my heart as an altar, on which I will sacrifice to Thee the gold of ardent charity, the incense of continual, humble and fervent prayer, and the myrrh of constant sacrifices! Amen.” (St. Paul of the Cross)

"Detach yourself from the world. Listen to me. One person drowns on the high seas, another chokes on a glass of water. What difference is there between these two: are they not both dead?"   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“God does not frown on your complaint. Did not His Mother in the Temple ask: ‘Son why hast Thou done so to us? ‘And did not Christ on the Cross complain: ‘My God why hast Thou abandoned Me?’ If the Son asked the Father, and the Mother, the Son – why should not you? But let your wails be to God, and not to man. And at end of your sweet complaining prayer you will say: ‘Father into Thy Hands I commend my spirit.’ They who complain to others never see God’s purposes. They who complain to God find that their passion, like Christ’s turns into compassion.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lenten & Easter Inspirations)

"Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 965)

"Both these attitudes in St. Paul proceed from perfect love. His desire to depart from this life means he would be in perfect union with Jesus Christ in glory, and that would be better for him, that is, it would be more desirable than continuing to live on this earth. This desire is grounded in the perfect charity he has toward God. The other desire also proceeds from perfect charity, but its immediate goal is the salvation of his neighbor. This second desire, then, is motivated by his principal goal, God, but its outworking is expressed in relation to the salvation of souls.

Leaving his body is more beneficial to him, and he desires that as ardently as any righteous soul desires to be united to God. As for continuing to remain on earth in the midst of toil and trouble for the salvation of souls, being full of the spirit of Jesus Christ he sees that his staying would be more beneficial for others."

-St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Oh, how I like those little mortifications that are seen by nobody, such as rising a quarter of an hour sooner, rising for a little while in the night to pray! but some people think of nothing but sleeping.” (St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney, Cure d’Ars)

“We acknowledge that penance is being denied the dying and no assent is given to the ardent wishes of those who at the time of their death desire to come to the assistance of their souls with this remedy. We are horrified, I confess, that anyone is found of such great impiety, that he despairs of the love of God, as if He were not able at any time whatever to hasten to the aid of the one who runs to Him for help and to free from his burden a man endangered by the weight of sins, from which he longs to be liberated. For what else is this, I ask, than to add death to the dying and to kill his soul with one’s own cruelty, that it may not be able to be absolved? Since God, most ready to succor, inviting to repentance, thus promised: In whatever day, He says, the sinner shall be converted, his sins shall not be imputed to him [cf. Eze. 33:16]. . . Since therefore the Lord is the examiner of the heart, penance must not be denied at any time to one who asks for (it) . . .” Pope St. Celestine I, “Cuperemus quidem”, to the bishops of the provinces of Vienne and Narbo, July 26, 428 A.D.  (Denz. 111)

“1. If, according to the decree of heavenly truth, we have to give account of every idle word which we have spoken, (Matthew 12:36) and if every servant will incur no small blame when his lord returns, who, either like a timid money-lender or covetous owner, has hidden in the earth the talents of spiritual grace which were entrusted to him in order that they might be multiplied by increasing interest, I, who, although possessed of but moderate ability, yet have a great necessity laid on me of making increase of the sayings of God entrusted to me, must rightly fear lest an account of the profit of my words be demanded of me, especially seeing that the Lord exacts of us effort, not profit. Wherefore I determined to write something, since, too, my words are listened to with greater risk to modesty than when they are written, for a book has no feeling of modesty.
2. And so distrusting indeed my own ability, but encouraged by the instances of divine mercy, I venture to compose an address, for when God willed even the donkey spoke. (Numbers 22:28) And I will open my mouth long dumb, that the angel may assist me also, engaged in the burdens of this world, for He can do away with the hindrances of unskilfulness, Who in the donkey did away those of nature. In the ark of the Old Testament the priest’s rod budded; (Numbers 17:8) with God it is easy that in Holy Church a flower should spring from our knots also. And why should we despair that God should speak in men, Who spoke in the thorn bush? (Exodus 3:4) God did not despise the bush, and would He might give light also to my thorns. Perhaps some may wonder that there is some light even in our thorns; some our thorns will not burn; there will be some whose shoes shall be put off their feet at the sound of my voice, that the steps of the mind may be freed from bodily hindrances.”  St. Ambrose, Concerning Virginity, Book 1, Chapter 1

"Give praise to God alone; honor the Creator and not the creature. During your life, learn to endure bitterness, in order to participate in the sufferings of Christ."  St. Pio. pf Pietrelcina

“Christ says to Saul: Why persecutest thou Me? Precisely, the Church is Christ and Christ is the Church – such is the Divine equation. Saul learned a lesson which he afterwards taught as Paul: The Church is the body of Christ. This new body, sometimes called the mystical body, is to be understood after the analogy of the human body which is made up of many members performing different functions and yet all cooperating toward the harmony of the whole. The hand is not the foot, the eye is not the ear, the heart is not the lung. So, too, the priest is not the layman, the apostle is not the disciple, the Vicar of Christ is not the deacon – and yet all are one in the same spirit.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“…It is enough for you to know that Mary is the Mother of Jesus…She loves us so much that she offered to God the Father His only natural Son to save His adopted sons…She is a great and inestimable treasure who encloses in herself an infinite treasure, the Son of God.”
- St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily."
—Saint Francis de Sales

“The poor who do not know where to go or what to do, who are suffering already and who increase daily, are my burden and my sorrow.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"The cross is a precious treasure to be kept secret, lest we be robbed of it." St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

"The apostle rejoices at the thought that he will not be ashamed of anything and will not in any way neglect his duty as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He rejoices, even in the midst of the chains of his imprisonment, that Jesus will always be exalted in his body. If he lives, he will exalt Jesus Christ through his life and his preaching, even while he is in prison. he had always preached until that time, and now he preaches to the praetorian guard. If he will be martyred, then he will glorify Jesus Christ by offering the supreme testimony of his love.

Thus he declares openly that for him his life is Christ, who is the heart and center of his entire life, the motive for all his actions, the ultimate goal of all his aspirations. Paul then adds that death would be a gain for him, because through his martyrdom he would give solemn testimony to Jesus by his love. It would make his union with Jesus even more indissoluble and would increase the glory that awaits him."

-St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine.

- St. Padre Pio

The virtue of patience is the one which most assures us of perfection. - St. Francis de Sales

"Love never says: I have done enough "  - Saint Marie Eugenie of Jesus

"When bearing Baby Jesus in her arms, Our Lady thought of the cross to which He was to be nailed"  - St. Alphonsus De Liguori

“And because afterwards this error became so fixed that they even dared to say with sacrilegious words that the Holy Spirit was made by the Son:
... We anathematize those who proclaim quite freely that he is not of one power and substance with the Father and the Son.” Pope St. Damasus, Tome of Damasus (read at the Council of Rome), (Denz. 58-59)

“Brothers, because of the love I have for you, I wish I were able to reassure you with the prospect of eternal happiness by saying to each of you: You are certain to go to paradise; the greater number of Christians is saved, so you also will be saved. But how can I give you this sweet assurance if you revolt against God’s decrees as though you were your own worst enemies? I observe in God a sincere desire to save you, but I find in you a decided inclination to be damned. So what will I be doing today if I speak clearly? I will be displeasing to you. But if I do not speak, I will be displeasing to God.”  St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Sermon “The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved”

"Let us try to serve the Lord with all our heart and will. He will always give us more than we deserve."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina  (G.P. 180)

“I do not tremble when I see my weakness, for the treasures of a mother belong also to her child, and I am thy child, O dear Mother Mary.”  - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"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)

"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?..."  St. Teresa of Calcutta

" A Nation that kills its own children has no future."  St. John Paul II

“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.” (Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, February 5, 1994)

"By the anxieties and worries of this life Satan tries to dull man's heart and make a dwelling for himself there."  St. Francis of Assisi (1181.–1226.)

"It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes."  - Saint Thomas Aquinas

“When she was asked to become the mother of the Messiah, Mary's faith enabled her to give a humble and generous response... Mary's faith was frequently tested during the public life of Jesus, especially when she witnessed the rejection of her son. At the foot of the cross, her pilgrimage of faith had its moment of most severe testing. Mary continued to believe that, because Jesus was the Son of God. His sacrifice would bring salvation to humanity.”
- Saint John Paul II

"Be ashamed when you sin, not when you repent" -St. John Chrysostom

"Terrible is the justice of God. But let us not forget also that his mercy is infinite."  St Pio  of Pietrelcina (GP, 138)

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier"  -St. Teresa  of Calcutta

“If you want to be holy, if you seek meaning in your life, start looking into your own life and attacking your pride in all of its many forms. God will give you extraordinary light and the ultimate reward of holiness. For your holiness relies not on what you do, but on what you allow God to do through you. Have courage. God will perfect you.” -Mother Angelica

“It is therefore not a trifling, but a very great irreverence to say that the Lord was made in some way. For if the Son was made, there was a time when He did not exist; and yet He always was, if He undoubtedly is, as He himself declares, in the Father [John 14:10 f.]. Moreover, and if Christ is the word, the wisdom, and the power (for the divine Scriptures teach that Christ is [John 1:14; 1 Cor. 1:24], as you yourselves know), surely these are the powers of God. Wherefore, if the Son was made, there was a time when these powers did not exist; and so there was a time when God was without them; which is very absurd.”  Pope St. Dionysius, Epistle 2, against the Tritheists and Sabellians, c. 260 A.D.:

“From Syria even to Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are kindly treated.”  —St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Romans, 5.

“Many people are concerned with children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is the greatest destroyer of peace today—abortion which brings people to such blindness.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta; National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, February 5, 1994)

"Write: I am Thrice Holy, and I detest the smallest sin. I cannot love a soul which is stained with sin; but when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity toward it. My mercy embraces and justifies it. With My mercy, I pursue sinners along all their paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me. I forget the bitterness with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their return. Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart... when will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1728)

"Always remember that God sees everything."    - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Remember that the means for acting in a useful manner in your office are mistrust of self and confidence in the Lord who, if He needed the help of men for the successful outcome of His plans, would have put in your place a Doctor and a saint.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"The longer the trial to which God subjects you, the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and in the exaltation after the combat."  - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. ~St. John Paul II

“It is the will of God that we shall receive everything through Mary.”  St. Bernard of Clairvaux  (Quoted by Fr. Francis Weninger, (D.D., S.J.), “Lives of the Saints”, Vol. II, pub. 1875, permissu superiorum, p. 10)

"I feel a great desire to abandon myself with greater trust, to the divine mercy, and to place my hope in God alone."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters I, p. 254)

“The first direct, human limitation of infant life in the history of Christianity took place in the village of Bethlehem through an infant-controller whose name was Harod. The prevention of infant life was simultaneously an attack upon Divinity in the person of God made man, Jesus Christ our Lord. No one strikes at birth who does not simultaneously strike at God, for birth is earth’s reflection of the Son’s eternal generation.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Three to Get Married)

“O Virgin Mary, change my heart into a beautiful pure corporal, to receive that white Host in which our sweet Lamb hides Himself.”  - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"Let, then, the life of Mary be as it were virginity itself, set forth in a likeness, from which, as from a mirror, the appearance of chastity and the form of virtue is reflected. From this you may take your pattern of life, showing, as an example, the clear rules of virtue: what you have to correct, to effect, and to hold fast. The first thing which kindles ardor in learning is the greatness of the teacher. What is greater than the Mother of God?"  - Saint Ambrose

"An intelligent use of conceptual images and their corresponding physical objects produces self-restraint, love and spiritual knowledge; an unintelligent use produces licentiousness, hatred and ignorance."  St. Maximos the Confessor (580. – 662.)

"Detach yourself from the world. Listen to me. One person drowns on the high seas, another chokes on a glass of water. What difference is there between these two: are they not both dead?"  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"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." -Saint Josemaria Escriva

"In solitude He guides her, He alone, Who also bears in solitude the wound of love."
- St John of the Cross

 “...truth can not lie, nor the faith of Peter waver or change.” Pope Pelagius I (+559)  (as quoted by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, F. X., in "On the apostolical and infallible authority of the Pope, when teaching the faithful, and on his relation to a general council", New York, D. & J. Sadler, pub. 1868, pg. 167)

“Rome has spoken, the dispute is at an end.” St. Augustine   (as quoted by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, F. X., in "On the apostolical and infallible authority of the Pope, when teaching the faithful, and on his relation to a general council", pub. 1868, pg. 161)

"I find it absolutely impossible to explain the workings of love. Infinite love has finally conquered the hardness of my heart through its immense power, and I find myself annihilated and reduced to helplessness.

He has been pouring himself completely into the small vessel of the creature I am. I am suffering an unspeakable martyrdom and feel myself incapable of carrying the weight of this immense love. Oh! Who will come to relieve me? How will I be able to carry the infinite in such a small heart? How will I ever be able to contain the infinite inside the small, narrow room of my soul?"  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Humanism has been defined as ‘the endeavor to keep the best spiritual values of religion while surrendering any theological interpretation of the universe.’ In its broadest sense it is an endeavor to have Christianity without Christ, godliness without God, and Christian hope without the promise of another life.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Old Errors and New Labels)

“Christ does not force our will, He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him.” - St. Teresa of Avila †

"Union, intimate union with Jesus, heart to heart with Jesus like Saint John, in purity and in love."  St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844 - 1879)

"For you, Jesus... if you want it, I want it too!" -Blessed Chiara Luce Badano 

"One cannot desire freedom from the Cross when one is especially chosen for the Cross" ~St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

“Every human person—no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society—is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival—yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenceless ones, those as yet unborn.” (Pope Saint John Paul II, September 19, 1987)

"Never fall back on yourself alone, but place all your trust in God."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters II, p. 70)

“The root principle of birth-control is unsound. It is a glorification of the means and a contempt of the end; it says that the pleasure which is a means to the procreation of children is good, but the children themselves are no good. In other words, to be logical, the philosophy of birth-control would commit us to a world in which trees were always blooming but never giving fruit, a world full of sign-posts that were leading nowhere. In this cosmos every tree would be a barren fig tree and for that reason would have upon it the curse of God.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Charity converts necessity into virtue by acquiescing to God’s good pleasure in all the afflictions we inevitably suffer.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“If devotion to the Blessed Virgin is necessary for all men simply to work out their salvation, it is even more necessary for those who are called to a special perfection. I do not believe that anyone can acquire intimate union with our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the most Blessed Virgin and an absolute dependence on her support.”  - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

"We must never trust ourselves, for it is the devil's way first to get us to feel secure, and then to make us fall."  St. Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“God is more pleased by one work, however small, done secretly, without desire that it be known, than a thousand done with desire that men know of them.” (St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church)

From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. -St. John Paul II 

“The mark of man is initiative, but the mark of woman is cooperation. Man talks about freedom; woman about sympathy, love, sacrifice. Man cooperates with nature; woman cooperates with God. Man was called to till the earth, to rule over the earth; woman to be the bearer of a life that comes from God.” (Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, The World’s First Love)

"Temptation is a sure sign the soul is very pleasing to the Lord."   St Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III p. 52}

“The press and sometimes theologians said that the Holy Father should never have issued the letter Humanae Vitae because it divided the Church. Of course it divided the Church as Elijah divided those who had to choose either Baal or God; it divided the Church as the Lord divided it: He that gathereth not with Me, scattereth.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Those Mysterious Priests)

"I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice."

(St. Faustina's Diary, 1572)

God alone satisfies and infinitely surpasses man's desire, which for that reason is never at rest except in God.  - St. Thomas Aquinas

"He who serves God with a pure heart, laying aside all human interests and seeking only the divine honor, may hope to succeed in his affairs even when to others they seem desperate, since the operations of God are beyond the ken of mortal vision, and depend on a loftier than human policy."  - St. Charles Borromeo

"My children, do not fear harsh winter storms, because to the extent that winter is harsh, so much more will the spring be full of flowers and the harvest more abundant. Whatever the tempter says or does, God is accomplishing his wonderful purpose for you, which is to complete your full transformation in him. My children, do not believe the malignant whisperings and shadows of the enemy. Hold firm the truth of what I declare to you with a clear conscience in my authority as your spiritual director. Being afraid of casting yourself into the arms of divine goodness is even stranger than a baby being afraid while it is held tightly in its mother's arms. Banish whatever doubts or anxieties you have, even though infinite charity can permit them for the same reason I mentioned above."  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The truly blessed are not the ones who can work miracles or see angels; the truly blessed are the ones who can see their own sins.” — St. Anthony the Great

“As for your Castors [pagan deities], whose worship you refuse to abandon, why did they not give you tranquil seas so that the ships might reach here with grain in winter and the city suffer less with want?”  Pope St. Gelasius (c.494), Tractate in Denunciation of the Lupercalia  (Cited in footnote on Gelasius in Liber Pontificalis as translated by Louise Ropes Loomis, Ph.D.)

“Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.”  - Saint Jerome

"We must accept the adversities which God sends us without reasoning too much upon them, and we must take for granted that it is the best thing which could happen to us."  St. Philip Neri (1515-1595)

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

"When the soul grieves and is afraid of offending God, it does not offend Him and is very far from committing sin." St Pio of Pietrelcina

“Let us rely on Our Lord and allow Him to act, since it is He who governs and not we.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“From a material point of view, we are worth so little. The content of a human body is equivalent to as much sugar as there is in two lumps, as much oil as there is in seven bars of soap, as much phosphorus as there is in 2200 matches, and as much magnesium as it takes to develop on photograph. In all, the human body, chemically, is worth a little less than two dollars – O why should any mortal Spirit be proud? But Spiritually we are worth more than the universe.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Seven Capital Sins)

“Kindness has converted more people than zeal, science, or eloquence.” (St. Teresa of Calcutta; No Greater Love)

"Those who wish to enter upon the religious life, should first of all mortify themselves for a long time, and particularly mortify their will in things to which they have the greatest repugnance."  St. Philip Neri (1515-1595)

“Souls hat really love God, will never neglect to pray for poor sinners.”~St. Alphonsus

“… no one can ‘assent to the preaching of the Gospel,’ as he must to attain salvation, without the illumination and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who gives to all a sweetness in consenting to and believing the truth.”  Pope Pius IX, Vatican I (+1870)

“Those who are led by the Holy Spirit think right thoughts. That is why there are so many unlettered people who know more than scholars.” St. Jean-Marie Vianney, The Curé D’Ars  (Quoted by Michel De Saint Pierre in “La Vie Prodigieuse du Curé d’Ars”, Copyright Editions du Centurion, Paris, 1958, traslated by M. Angeline Bouchard)

"Don't let the many snares of this infernal beast frighten you. Jesus, who is always with you, and who will fight with and for you, will never permit you to be tricked and overcome."  St. e Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III, p. 51)

“Once our helplessness is rendered up to the power of God, life changes and we become less and less the victims of our moods. Instead of letting the world determine our state of mind, we determine the state of soul with which the world is to be faced. The earth carries its atmosphere with it as it revolves about the sun; so can the soul carry the atmosphere of God with it in disregard of turbulent events in the world outside.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)

“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

"My daughter, I have inclined My Heart to your requests. Your assignment and duty here on earth is to beg for mercy for the whole world. No soul will be justified until it turns with confidence to My mercy, and this is why the first Sunday after Easter is to be the Feast of Mercy. On that day, priests are to tell everyone about My great and unfathomable mercy. I am making you the [dispenser] of My mercy. Tell the confessor that the Image is to be on view in the church and not within the enclosure in that convent. By means of this Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so, let every soul have access to it" WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 570).

"In a word, let us try to make our meals be preparation for the divine meal of the most holy Eucharist.

...Do not eat more food than you need, and try to have moderation in all things. Most of all, determine in your heart to be disposed toward less rather than more at meals. I do not mean, however, that you should leave the table fasting. No, that is not what I mean. Let everything be done prudently, which is the rule for all human actions.

Do not go to bed without having first examined your conscience about what happened during the day and directing all your thoughts to God. Then offer and consecrate yourself and all Christians to him-especially me, a lowly brother who does the same for you.

In addition, offer your sleep to the glory of God's divine majesty, and do not forget the guardian angel who is always with you and never leaves you, no matter what wrong thing you might do."  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Trials from on high are always salutary.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"The more obedient you are, the more tranquil and indifferent will you be as to employments that may be assigned to you."  St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

“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)

“It is no small pity, and should cause us no little shame, that, through our own fault, we do not understand ourselves, or know who we are.” (St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, Interior Castle, First Mansion, Chapter 1)

"The more obedient you are, the more tranquil and indifferent will you be as to employments that may be assigned to you."  St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother."  --Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“An error which is not resisted is approved; a truth which is not defended is suppressed... He who does not oppose an evident crime is open to the suspicion of secret complicity.” -Pope Felix III, quoted by Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical, Inimica Vis, Dec. 8, 1892, no.7

“[H]ear now the Judge. ‘Verily I say unto you.’ The Truth says, God says, the Judge says it.” -St. Augustine, Sermo 65, Novi Testamenti, Par. 2

“It used to be that the most popular biographies were the lives of good men for the sake of imitation, rather than scandals for the sake of making ourselves believe we are more virtuous.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Way to Inner Peace)

"Immaculate Virgin! Your spotless spiritual beauty is for us a living source of confidence and hope. To have you as Mother, Holy Virgin, reassures us on the path of life as a pledge of eternal salvation. Because of this, O Mary, we have recourse to you with confidence. Help us to build a world where human life is always cherished and defended, every form of violence banished, the peace of all tenaciously sought."  - Pope St. John Paul II

“A Christianity which keeps a grip on itself, refuses every compromise with the world, takes the commands of God and the Church seriously, preserves its love of God and of men in all its freshness, such a Christianity can be, and will be, a model and a guide to a world which is sick to death and clamors for directions, unless it be condemned to a catastrophe that would baffle the imagination.”  ~ Pope Pius XI, 

"Do not immerse yourself in your work and other activities to such a degree that you lose the divine presence. To that purpose, I urge you continually to renew the right intention you had at the beginning and to recite ejaculatory prayers from time to time. Those prayers are like arrows that wound God's heart and oblige him-and this word is not at all exaggerated in this case-oblige him, I tell you, to grant you his graces and his help in everything.

... When you sit down to eat, prayerfully reflect that you have in your midst the divine Master and his holy apostles at the last meal he had with them when he instituted the sacrament of the altar."  -St. Pio  of Pietrelcina

“...the foundation of charity is faith pure and undefiled... Everyone knows that John himself, the Apostle of love, who seems to reveal in his Gospel the secrets of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and who never ceased to impress on the memories of his followers the new commandment ‘Love one another,’ altogether forbade any intercourse with those who professed a mutilated and corrupt form of Christ’s teaching: ‘If any man come to you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house nor say to him: God speed you’ (II John 10).”  Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos #9, Jan. 6, 1928   

“Man, then, was thus snared by the assault of the arch-fiend, and broke his Creator’s command... and was banished from Paradise by God’s just judgment, and condemned to death, and made subject to corruption.”—St. John Damascene, De Fide Orth., Bk. III, Ch. 1

"In all that you do always be humble, guarding jealously the purity of your heart and the purity of your body; these are the two wings which will raise us to God and make us almost divine."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“God does not love us because we are loveable of and by ourselves, but because he has put his own love into us. He does not even wait for us to love; his own love perfects us. Letting it do this, with no resistance, no holding back for fear of what our egotism must give up, is the one way to the peace that the world can neither give nor take away.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)

“To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.”
- Pope St. Pius X

"Worrying about an action that did not achieve its pure intention does not constitute humility. It is merely a clear sign that the soul did not place the perfection of an activity in the hands of divine assistance but rather trusted too much in its own strength.

You will be safe from the hidden schemes of Satan by rejecting his suggestions as soon as they come. May the vigilant grace of the Lord always guard you completely from becoming a prey to that malevolent spirit. It is no small matter for a soul devoted to the Son of God to fall into this terrible monster's wicked snares because of minor shortcomings."  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina