"Virgin Mary, hear my prayer: through the Holy Spirit you became the mother of Jesus; from the Holy Spirit may I too have Jesus."   -St. Idephonsus

"Easter is a time of joy – a joy not confined to this period of the liturgical year, but to be found really and fully in the Christian’s heart. For Christ is alive. He is not someone who has gone, someone who existed for a time and then passed on, leaving us a wonderful example and a great memory."  - St. Josemaria Escriva

Once the Lord said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back away when he gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You too, should not back away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing — take these graces not only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have complete confidence in Me — I will do everything for them. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 294 )

“On a dark night,
Kindled in love with yearnings
— oh, happy chance! —
I went forth without being observed,
My house being now at rest.”

(St. John of the Cross; Ascent of Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, Stanza 1; translated by E Allison Peers)

“Imprint, O Lady, thy dolours upon my heart, that I may read therein sorrow and love: sorrow, to endure every sorrow for thee; love, to despise every love for thee.”  --Pope Pius VII, Excerpt from his Litany to Our Lady of Sorrows, written during his captivity, 1809-1813

“St. Bernadine of Siena even says, that, ‘the sufferings of Mary were such, that had they been divided amongst all creatures capable of suffering, they would have caused their immediate death.’ Who, then, can ever doubt that the martyrdom of Mary was without its equal, and that it exceeded the sufferings of all the martyrs; since, as Saint Antoninus says, ‘they suffered in the sacrifice of their own lives; but the Blessed Virgin suffered by offering the life of her Son to God, a life which she loved far more than her own.’” (Pg. 599 from ‘The Glories of Mary’ by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, from his Sermon the Dolors of Mary)

"The little vessel which is your soul always possesses the strong anchor of trust in the Divine Goodness. This mystical vessel will always have Jesus as helmsman and Mary as its beacon. Hence there is no room for fear."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Humanists of our day had their prototypes on Calvary on Good Friday. They were those whom Sacred Scripture calls the passersby; a significant term indeed for it suggests those who never remain long enough with religion to know anything about it, those who think themselves wise because they have had a passing acquaintance with Christ.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Seven Words to the Cross)

“We should help and support one another and strive for peace and union among ourselves. This is the wine that cheers and strengthens travelers along this narrow path of Jesus Christ.”  - St. Vincent de Paul

“As I was praying for Poland, I heard the words: I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming.”   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 1732)

“Love is inventive, even to infinity.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Lord, deprive me not of Thy heavenly joys. Lord, deliver me from eternal torments. Lord, if I have sinned in mind or thought, in word or deed, forgive me. Lord, deliver me from all ignorance, forgetfulness, cowardice and stony insensibility. Lord, deliver me from every temptation. Lord, enlighten my heart which evil desires have darkened. Lord, I being human have sinned, but Thou being the generous God, have mercy on me, knowing the sickness of my soul. Lord, send Thy grace to my help, that I may glorify Thy holy name. Lord Jesus Christ, write me Thy servant in the Book of Life, and grant me a good end. O Lord my God, even though I have done nothing good in Thy sight, yet grant me by Thy grace to make a good start. Lord, sprinkle into my heart the dew of Thy grace. Lord of heaven and earth remember me, Thy sinful servant, shameful and unclean, in Thy kingdom. Amen.” — St. John Chrysostom

"O Mother of Perpetual Help, confidence in thee is a certain pledge of everlasting salvation. "  -Bl. Pope Pius IX

"The truth is Capitalism and Socialism, from an economic point of view alone, are related as retail and wholesale." -Fulton Sheen

Pope Clement VIII, Instruction concerning the rites of the Italo-Greeks, August 30, 1595: “Those ordained by schismatic bishops, who have been otherwise duly ordained, the due form having been observed, receive, indeed, ordination, but not jurisdiction.”

“It is written (Jn 1:29): ‘Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who taketh away the sin of the world’: and the reason for the employment of the singular is that the ‘sin of the world’ is original sin, as a gloss expounds this passage.”—St. Thomas Aquinas, Sum. Theo., Prima Secundae, Q. 82, Art. 2

"Imagine Jesus crucified in your arms and on your chest, and say a hundred times as you kiss His chest, “This is my hope, the living source of my happiness; this is the heart of my soul; nothing will ever separate me from His love."  St. Pio  of Pietrelcina

“The sun refused to shine on the crucifixion! The light that rules the day, probably for the first and last time in history, was snuffed out like a candle when, according to every human calculation, it should have continued to shine. The reason was that the crowning crime of man, the killing of nature’s Lord, could not pass without a protest from nature itself.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Seven Last Words)

“We should wait in silence for the gifts of the Spirit. Mary was in the upper room with the apostles. She kept silence while awaiting the descent of the Spirit.”  - St. Catherine Labouré

Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one's misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse the miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full.

WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1448)

"Be always ready; I will not leave you in this exile for long. My holy will must be fulfilled in you." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 1539) 

“Live together as having but one heart and one soul so that by this union of spirit you may be a true image of the unity of God.”  - St. Vincent de Paul

"In my opinion, you ought not lay so much stress on your little trials, your spiritual darkness and dryness. When we truly and sincerely love God, we regard as little that which we suffer for our divine Lover."   -St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

"O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity." ~ Saint Basil the Great

“To pray the Rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His mother.” -St. John Paul II

"It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal." -Pope St. John Paul II

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

"Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The Church is not a continuous phenomenon through history, rather, it is something that has been through a thousand Resurrections after a thousand crucifixions. The bell is always sounding for its execution which, by some great power of God, is everlastingly postponed.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Three to Get Married)

"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

"Turn your eyes incessantly to the Blessed Virgin; she, who is the Mother of Sorrows and also the Mother of Consolation, can understand you completely and help you. Looking to her, praying to her, you will obtain that your tedium will become serenity, your anguish change into hope, and your grief into love."  --St. John Paul II

"Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta

"Have only a few private devotions, but be constant in them.  - St. Josemaria Escriva

"If people spent an hour a week in Eucharistic adoration, abortion would be ended."  St. Teresa of Calcutta

“Remember, you will be faulted not because you are ignorant against your will, but because you neglect to seek out what makes you ignorant”.  -Saint Augustine

Pope Pius IX, Vatican Council, Session 2, Jan. 6, 1870, profession of faith: “I, Pius, bishop of the catholic church, with firm faith believe and profess each and every article contained in the profession of faith which the holy Roman church uses, namely: I believe in one God, the father almighty... And in one Lord Jesus Christ... Who for us humans and for our salvation came down from heaven... He was crucified also for us, he suffered under Pontius Pilate and was buried. The third day he rose again according to the scriptures.”

“Thou art, my God, sole object of my love, Not for the hopes of endless joys above, Nor for the fears of endless pains below, Which those who love thee not must undergo. For me, and such as me, thou deignest to bear The ignominious cross, the nails, the spear; A thorny crown transpierced thy sacred brow, While bloody sweats from every member flow; For me, in tortures thou resign’st thy breath, Embraced me on the cross, and saved me by thy death.”  St. Francis Xavier, “O Deus! Ego Amo Te”, Prayer composed by him

"Remember that our soul is the temple of God, and as such, we must keep it pure and spotless before God and His angels."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“There is in each of us a shadow-self, and a real-self. The shadow-self seeks only its own will and pleasure. The more we keep the sun behind us, the greater the length of the shadow, the less Christ is in our lives. Every pain patiently borne, every blow to self, shapes the real eternal self. It was the Crucifixion of Our Lord that prepared the way for His resurrection and Glory. Our Lord is weaving your heavenly robes for the heavenly nuptials, though you know it not, in moments that seem so loveless. You cannot see entirely God’s Plan for you. The uncharted ocean is before you, as you toss in the narrow cabin of your suffering; but the Divine Pilot is bringing you to port.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation (Lenten & Easter Inspirations)

"I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1520)

“You should be strictly conscientious in the preparation of the medicines you handle.”
– St. Vincent de Pau

"Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, 
they will fall into My Just Hands" WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1728).

"I am pleased with what you are doing. And you can continue to be at peace if you always do the best you can in respect to this work of mercy. Be absolutely as frank as possible with your confessor." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTIA   (Diary 1499)

“I ask God to give you a twofold share of His Spirit: the first share to unite you to Him, to act in His holy presence and for love of Him; and the other, for the guidance of the souls entrusted to you.”   - St. Vincent de Paul

"Mary having co-operated in our redemption with so much glory to God and so much love for us, Our Lord ordained that no one shall obtain salvation except through her intercession." ~ St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

"To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it."  -- Saint Teresa of Calcutta  

“All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone – for the good, and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good.” (St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney, Cure d’Ars)

“Any cross would be easy to bear if we could only tailor it to fit ourselves. Our Lord’s cross was not made by Him, but for Him. Crosses and burdens are thrust upon us. Our acceptance makes them personal. Our Lord even said that there would be at least seven crosses a week: ‘Take up your cross daily and follow Me.’ Crosses are of two kinds: pure ones, which come from the outside, such as pain, persecution, and ridicule; and inner, or impure crosses, which come as the result of our sins, such as sadness, despair, and unhappiness. These latter crosses can be avoided. They are made by contradicting the will of God. The vertical bar of the cross stands for God’s will; the horizontal bar stand for our wills. When one crosses the other, we have the cross. Our Lord never promised that we would be without a cross; He only promised that we would never be overcome by it. St. Peter so loved the cross, that when the time came for his execution he asked to be crucified upside down. May He who was found guilty of no other crime than that of the excess of love, make us hate the load of sin that made His cross. The whole cross borne in union with His will and following in His footsteps is easier to bear than the splinters against which we rebel.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Fifteen Mysteries)

“All gifts, virtues, and graces of the Holy Ghost are administered by the hands of Mary to whomever she desires, when she desires, and in the manner she desires, and to whatever degree she desires.”  - St. Bernardine of Siena

“No man is delivered or preserved from the worldwide snares of Satan save through Mary, and God grants His graces to no one except through her alone.”   - St. Germanus

“You always leave the Rosary for later, and you end up not saying it at all because you are sleepy. If there is no other time, say it in the street without letting anybody notice it. It will, moreover, help you to have presence of God.”  - St. Josemaria Escriva

"It seems that God has poured out into the depths of my heart many graces of compassion for the misery of others, especially for the needy and the poor. The intense compassion that I feel when I see a poor person ignites a vehement desire in my heart to help him. if it were up to me alone, I would rush to take off my clothes in order to clothe that needy man.

If I know that some man is afflicted, whether in body or in soul, what would I not do in the Lord to see him set free of his troubles? I would willingly take on all his afflictions in order to see him spared, offering the fruit of my suffering on his behalf, if the Lord allowed me to do that....

I see full well that this is a very special favor from God, because, before this, although through his divine mercy I never overlooked helping the needy, I had very little or no pity for their troubles."  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"The soul that the Lord places in such a state and enriches with such heavenly experiences should be more loquacious. But no, my soul has become almost mute. I do not know if this phenomenon is happening only to me. I succeed in expressing-in rather generic terms and more often without making much sense-only a very small part of what my soul's Bridegroom is doing.

Believe me, my father, my inability to do so is not a light torment for my soul. What happens to me could be compared to the experience of a poor shepherd boy who is brought into a royal exhibition room full of precious objects that are 'out of this world' and that he has never seen before. After leaving that room, the boy would certainly have in his mind all those precious and beautiful objects, but he certainly would not know the exact number of them or what names to call them. He would want to tell others about everything he saw and would marshal his intellectual and analytical strength to describe them. Then, seeing that all has attempts would not succeed in making himself understood, he prefers to keep silent."

-St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love, I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 1489}

“Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the holiest act of religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more nor profit your soul more than devoutly assisting at It, and assisting as often as possible.” — St. Peter Julian Eymard

O my God, my only hope, I have placed all my trust in You, and I know I shall not be disappointed   (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 317)

“Punctuality is an essential point to observe in the accomplishment of your duties.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

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

"Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine, and mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine; and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me. What do you ask, then, and seek, my soul? Yours is all of this, and all is for you. Do not engage yourself in something less or pay heed to the crumbs that fall from your Father's table. Go forth and exult in your Glory! Hide yourself in it and rejoice, and you will obtain the supplications of your heart."   St. John of the Cross

“Suffering is against nature, but through the supernatural grace of Our Lord, we can accept what our nature rejects. Do not feel that suffering is an obstacle on the road to heaven; it can be the road itself. To help another person physically, you must be present. To help another person spiritually, you do it through Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. Be a Missionary! Offer the pains in your hands and feet in union with the pierced Hands and Feet on the Cross for the conversion of Asia. Offer the aches in your head in union with the Crown of Thorns for the conversion of the Americas. Offer the agonies of your body in union with the Scourging, for the conversion of Oceania. Offer your open wounds in union with the pierced side of Christ for the conversion of Europe. Offer the torture and worry of an operation in union with the Crucifixion for the conversion of Africa. Don’t let pain go to waste! Save a soul – and save your own!” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (About Crosses)

"Fear nothing; you shall be my true daughter, and I will always be your good mother."
- Our Lady to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

"My child, make the resolution never to rely on people. Entrust yourself completely to My will saying, "Not as I want, but according to Your will, O God, let it be done unto me." These words, spoken from the depths of one's heart, can raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent Communions. So approach this fountain of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need."WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1487)

“I ask Our Lord to redouble your strength, to sustain you with the essence of His Spirit, to gladden you with the hope of His glory and the success of your work, and to fill the family with peace and confidence in His divine guidance.”  - St. Vincent de Paul

“At the end of your life, you will be judged by your love.” (St. John of the Cross)

"O men how can you offend a God Who declares that it is with you that He finds His delights!"   St. Teresa

"When you are alone in your room, take your crucifix, kiss its five wounds reverently, tell it to
preach to you a little sermon, and then listen to the words of eternal life that it speaks to your heart; listen to the pleading of the thorns, the nails, the precious Blood. Oh, what an eloquent sermon!"  - Saint Paul of the Cross 

"Come what may, the great thing is to embrace the Cross. The Lord was deprived of all consolation, and forsaken in His trials. Let us not forsake Him." - St Teresa of Avila

The sight of the world in which we live, the need and misery, and an abyss of human malice, again and again dampens jubilation over the victory of light. The world is still deluged by mire, and still but a small flock has escaped from it to the highest mountain peaks. The battle between Christ and the Antichrist is not yet over. The followers of Christ have their place in this battle, and their chief weapon is the cross.  St. Edith Stein  Love of the Cross

“...It is distinguished for you in all diligence and charity that if any of the schismatics who were once cardinals, now detestable heretics, shall arrive in places of your jurisdiction, specifically Bernardinus Carvajal and Federicus of San Severino, they are to be captured at once, and in our name detained, even kept in custody until [such a time] we shall state otherwise.” [ My translation from the Latin: “Enitendum tibi est omni diligentia et caritate ut si qui ex scismaticis olim cardinalibus nunc hereticis detestabilibus in loca tuae ditionis pervenerint presertim Bernardinus Carvajal et Federicus de S. Severino illico capiantur et nomine nostra retineantur atque custodiantur donee aliud statuerimus.” Pope Julius II, to Francesco Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua, Dec. 17, 1511 (The copy is in the Gonzaga Archives, Mantua.) Cited in “The History of the Popes: From the Close of the Middle Ages” from the German of Dr. Ludwig Pastor.]

“...inflated with pride, he [Lucifer] wished to be called God.” St. Augustine, De Qu. Vet. Test. CXIII

"Keep strongly and constantly united to God, consecrating all your affections, torments, and your entire self to Him, patiently awaiting the return of that beautiful sun, whenever the Spouse is pleased to visit you through trials of aridity, desolation and darkness of spirit." St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“In the Annunciation, the birth of the Son of God in the flesh is made to hinge on the consent of a woman, as the fall of man in the garden of paradise hinged on the consent of a man. God in His power might have assumed a human nature by force, as the hand of a man lays hold of a rose. But He willed not to invade His great gift of freedom without a creature’s free response. Through the angel who salutes Mary in words that have become the first part of the Hail Mary, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” Mary is asked if she will give God a man! Mary learning that she will conceive without human love, but with the overshadowing of divine Love, consents, and a new humanity begins, with Mary as the new Eve, and Christ the new Adam. The Annunciation is the Mystery of the joy of freedom. Our free will is the only thing in the world that is our own. God can take away anything else, our health, wealth, power, but God will never force us to love Him or to obey Him. The charm of Yes is in the possibility that one might have said No. Mary has taught us to say Fiat to God. ‘Be it done to me according to Thy word.’ But God Himself has taught us that if He would not invade the freedom of a woman, then a man should never do it.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Fifteen Mysteries)

“We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son."  - St. Louis Marie de Montfort

"Before confession, I heard these words in my soul, My daughter, tell him everything and reveal your soul to him as you do before Me. Do not fear anything. It is to keep you in peace that I place this priest between your soul and Myself. The words he will speak to you are My words. Reveal to him your soul's greatest secrets. I will give him light to know your soul."
WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA(Diary 232)

“We must always do things with the greatest possible simplicity.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.’ Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven?…What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven.” — St. John Chrysostom

"My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love, I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 1489) 

 “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.”  Pope St. John I, Epistle to Archbishop Zachary, “De non accusandis episcopis”, 523 A.D

“The execrable and hitherto unheard of abuse has grown up in our day, that certain persons, imbued with the spirit of rebellion, and not from a desire to secure a better judgment, but to escape the punishment of some offense which they have committed, presume to appeal to a future council from the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Jesus Christ, to whom in the person of the blessed PETER was said: "Feed my sheep" [John 21:17], and, "Whatever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven" [Matt. 16:19]. . . . Wishing therefore to expel this pestiferous poison far from the Church of Christ and to care for the salvation of the flock entrusted to us, and to remove every cause of offense from the fold of our Savior . . . we condemn all such appeals and disprove them as erroneous and detestable.” Pope Pius II, “Exsecrabilis”, Jan. 18, 1460

“I have often thought with wonder of the great goodness of God; and my soul has rejoiced in the contemplation of His great magnificence and mercy. May He be blessed for ever! For I see clearly that He has not omitted to reward me, even in this life, for every one of my good desires.” St. Teresa D’Avila, Autobiography   (As translated from the Spanish by David Lewis in “The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel, Written by Herself”, compared with the original autograph text and re-edited by Very Rev. Benedict Zimmerman, O.C.D., pub. 1916)

"Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us not only for our own sanctification, but also for that of other souls. He wants to be helped in the salvation of souls."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

”Let those who think that the Church pays too much attention to Mary give heed to the fact that Our Blessed Lord Himself gave ten times as much of His life to her as He gave to His Apostles.”  - Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Write this: before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 83 )

“Have foresight when tending your patients; anticipate their needs.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Take advantage of little sufferings even more than of great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer. . . Turn everything to profit as the grocer does in his shop." St. Louis De Monfort (1673.-1716.)

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. "
-St. Jude Thaddeus

"Keep strongly and constantly united to God, consecrating all you affections, torments, and your entire self to Him, patiently awaiting the return of that beautiful sun, whenever the Spouse is pleased to visit you through trials and aridity, desolation and darkness of spirit." St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for "God is Charity" (1John 4:8)" St. Albertus Magnus (1206 - 1280)

Joy isn’t found in the material objects surrounding us but in the inner recesses of the soul -St.Therese

"Assuming a human nature from the Blessed Mother, the procession of Divine Life moved on the earth in the Person of Jesus Christ and finally wound its way up the hill of Calvary, and on Good Friday a soldier struck a lance into the side of that Sacred Humanity and blood and water poured forth: blood the price of our Redemption, and water the symbol of our regeneration. The Son sent by His Father now returns to the Father, and from the Eternal Godhead the procession of life moves on as the Father and the Son send their Holy Spirit full of Truth and Love to the Mystical Body on the day of Pentecost. Striking that Mystical Body as the brightness of the sun striking a prism splits up into the seven rays of the spectrum. The procession of Divine Life broke up into the seven sacraments to flood the members of that Body with Divine Life for the seven states from the cradle to the grave. The procession of Life moves on as Christ once more walks the earth in His Mystical Body, the Church."  -Archbishop Fulton Sheen 

“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.”  - Pope St. Pius X

“Let us then cast ourselves at the feet of this good Mother, and embracing them let us not depart until she blesses us, and accepts us for her children.”  Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

“...it was whispered unto his spirit that spiritual merchandise has its beginning in the contempt of the world, and that the warfare of Christ is to be begun by victory over self.” 
―St. Bonaventure

“I have seen,” says St. Bernardine, “two cocks fighting a long and severe battle together, tearing one another to pieces with beak and spurs, and when they were both utterly exhausted, and could fight no more, their rage against one another had not diminished but increased. And so I have seen many of these faction-men, so utterly wretched as to have wasted their whole substance upon their feuds, and to have nothing at all left, except the rabid fury of their party spirit.” (Quoted in “The Contemporaries of Saint Bernardine” written by H.B. and published pg. 268 in “The Month and Catholic Review: Volume XXVII”, pub. 1876 BURNS AND OATES, London.)

“We must redouble our efforts and our ordinary duties on certain occasions when the service of God requires it; then, God will not fail to increase also our strength and our courage.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Do not fear anything; nothing will happen to you against My will."  - WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 541)

“Love, and do what you will: whether you hold your peace, through love hold your peace; whether you cry out, through love cry out; whether you correct, through love correct; whether you spare, through love do you spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good.” (St. Augustine; Homily 7 on 1 John ¶ 8: PL 35)

“Mary has the authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven. As a reward for her great humility, God gave her the power and mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride. Such is the will of the almighty God who exalts the humble, that the powers of heaven, earth and hell, willingly or unwillingly, must obey the commands of the humble Virgin Mary. For God has made her queen of heaven and earth, leader of his armies, keeper of his treasure, dispenser of his graces, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his enemies, and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs.”  - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

"Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more." -St. Joseph Cafasso

“Oh, dying souls are in such great need of prayer!~St. Faustina

"Let us not spare ourselves on our ascent to Calvary for love of He who sacrificed Himself for love of us and let us be patient, certain of our flight for Tabor."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"The only answer to the mystery of death would be for someone to break the death barrier. Someone must pierce the mystery from within and when that Death was preceded by poverty, hunger, thirst, hatred, miscarriage of justice, intellectual barbarisms, and scourging, and the seeming abandonment of heaven, then I know that nothing that happens to me or anyone else can be worse and that it is eventually to be swallowed up in joy and peace. Christ answers, "Can you not see that everything that touched you first touched me. I am in the midst of your sorrows; your tears run down my cheeks; your thirst is but an echo of my parched cry of the Cross. I died the very death that I conquered." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Footprints in a Darkened Forest)

My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 742 )

 “Together with Mary, let us seek to be sharers in this death which brought forth fruits of “new life” in the Resurrection: a death like this on the cross was infamous, and it was the death of her Son! But precisely there, at the foot of the cross, “where she stood, not without a divine plan,” did not Mary realize in a new way everything that she had already heard on the day of Annunciation?”  St. John Paul II

"Every one that teaches anything beyond what is commanded, though he be [deemed] worthy of credit, though he be in the habit of fasting, though he live in co...  Saint Ignatius of Antioch

“In order to acquire a solid habit of any virtue, it is necessary to form good resolutions on the particular acts of this virtue and be faithful in executing them.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“ … If anyone only looks at the image of the Cross of Jesus Christ with a holy intention, God rewards him with such goodness and mercy that he receives in his soul, as in a spotless mirror, an image which is so agreeable that the whole court of Heaven delights therein; and this serves to increase his eternal glory in the life to come in proportion as he has practiced this act of devotion in this life.”  Saint Gertrude the Great

"Our body is not made of iron. Our strength is not that of stone. Live and hope in the Lord, and let your service be according to reason."  -St. Clare of Assissi

Our Guardian Angels are our most faithful friends~St. John Vianney 

Pope Urban V, “Ex suprernae clementiae dono”, Condemned Errors of Dionysius Foullechat, Dec. 23, 1368: “(1) ‘This blessed, indeed most blessed and sweetest law, namely, the law of love, takes away all propriety and power,’—false, erroneous, heretical.”

“Sweetest Jesus, be not my Judge, but my Saviour.” St. Jerome Æmiliani  (Quoted in the Raccolta—An indulgence of 300 days.)

If you suffer with resignation in doing His will, you do not offend Him. And your heart will find great comfort in remembering that in your hour of pain Jesus Himself suffers in you and for you. He did not abandon you when you fled from Him; why should He abandon you now that you are proving your love for Him by the martyrdom of your souls. St. Padre Pio

“The only ones who suffer from the problem of identity are those who have no goal, no destiny, no eternal shore. How do we know our identity? By limits, by laws, by destinies, by God. Once the Good Friday-Easter Sunday syndrome is made the rule of life, then one sees that only the Christ-fettered are free.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Those Mysterious Priests)

“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.”  - St. Francis de Sales

“The Lord visited me today and said, ‘My daughter, do not be afraid of what will happen to you. I will give you nothing beyond your strength. You know the power of My grace; let that be enough.’ After these words, the Lord gave me a deeper understanding of the action of His grace.”   (Diary, 1491)

“Condescension in evil or dangerous matters is not a virtue; it is a weakness and a disorder.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Why should we defend ourselves when we are misunderstood and misjudged? Let us leave that aside. Let us not say anything. It is so sweet to let others judge us in any way they like. O blessed silence, which gives so much peace to the soul!" St. Therese of Lisieux (1873.-1897

"Take advantage of little sufferings even more than of great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer. . . Turn everything to profit as the grocer does in his shop."  -Saint Louis De Monfort

These rays of mercy will pass through you,just as they have passed through this Host,
and they will go out through all the world. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary 441 )

St. Teresa of Avila said regarding St. Joseph: "I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant."

“The special motives for which St. Joseph has been proclaimed Patron of the Church, and from which the Church looks for singular benefit from his patronage and protection, are that Joseph was the spouse of Mary and that he was reputed the Father of Jesus Christ. From these sources have sprung his dignity, his holiness, his glory. In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together. Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life’s companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honor, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity.”  Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries, August 15, 1889, Par. 3

“If, then, that Joseph, sold by fraternal envy and carried into Egypt, foreshadowed the selling of Christ; this Joseph, fleeing from the envy of Herod, carried Christ into Egypt. The former, loyal to his master, would have nothing to do with his master’s lady; the latter, recognizing his Lady, the mother of his Lord, to be a virgin, and being himself chaste, guarded her faithfully. To the former was given discernment in the mysteries of dreams; to the latter it was given to know and to share in the heavenly mysteries.” St. Bernard, Sermon on St. Joseph  (Quoted in the Roman Breviary

"Do not fear adversities because they place the soul at the foot of the cross and the cross places it at the gates of Heaven where it will find He who triumphed over death and will introduce it to eternal life."  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

“the type of marriage which took place between Mary and Joseph; it was such as the stars have, whose light unites in the atmosphere, though the stars themselves do not; a marriage like the flowers in the garden in springtime, who give forth perfume, though they themselves do not touch; a marriage like an orchestration where a great melody is produced, but where one instrument is without contact with the other. In such a marriage the use of the right to another is surrendered for a higher purpose. Mary wanted to know how she could be a virgin and a mother, and Joseph wanted to know how he could be a virgin and a father. It took an angel to reassure both that God had found a way. Only those who listen to angels’ voices can pierce that mystery. How much more beautiful Mary and Joseph become when we see in their lives what might be called the first Divine Romance. God loves bellowing waterfalls, but I believe He loves them better not when they overflow and drown His flowers, but when they are harnessed and bridled to light a city and to slake the thirst of a child. Not then in Joseph and Mary do we find one pure controlled waterfall and one dried-up lake, but rather two youths who before they knew the beauty of the one, and the handsome strength of the other, willed to surrender it for the ‘passionless passion’ and ‘wild tranquility’ of Jesus.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"That one woman is both mother and virgin, not in spirit only, but even in body. In spirit she is mother, not of our head, who is our Savior himself—of whom all, even she herself, are rightly called children of the bridegroom—but plainly she is the mother of us who are his members, because by love she has cooperated so that the faithful, who are the members of that head, might be born in the Church. In body, indeed, she is the Mother of that very head."  - St. Augustine

"At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion (Diary 1320).
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.
My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant."
Merciful Jesus, to Saint Maria Faustina.

“How pleased Our Lord is with your concern for the relief of His suffering members.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"Hell is full of the talented, but Heaven of the energetic." St. Jane Francis de Chantal (1572 - 1641)

"God is everywhere, in the very air I breathe, yes everywhere, but in His Sacrament of the Altar He is as present actually and really as my soul within my body; in His Sacrifice daily offered as really as once offered on the Cross."  -St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

"It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for "God is Charity" (1John 4:8)"  -Saint Albertus Magnus

“Though you have recourse to many saints as your intercessors, go especially to St. Joseph, for he has great power with God.”  -St Teresa of Avila

“Ireland deserves our aid for so many reasons. The clergy and people of Ireland have always revered the Apostolic See. Indeed that nation has persevered in professing the Catholic religion in all distressful times, and the Irish clergy has worked industriously to spread the Catholic religion in the farthest parts of the globe. Finally the Irish nation zealously honors and understands divine Peter whose humble representative We are, and whose dignity, to quote the words of Leo the Great, ‘does not fail in the person of an unworthy heir.’ (Sermon 2)”  Pope Pius IX, “Praedecessores Nostros”, On Aid for Ireland, March 25, 1847, Par. 3

 “A just man indeed was this man [St. Patrick]; with purity of nature like the patriarchs; a true pilgrim, like Abraham; gentle and forgiving, like Moses; a praiseworthy Psalmist, like David; an emulator of wisdom, like Solomon; a chosen vessel for proclaiming truth, like the Apostle Paul; a man full of grace and the knowledge of the Holy Ghost, like the beloved John; a fair flower-garden to children of grace; a fruitful vine-branch; a sparkling fire, with force and warmth of heat to the sons of life, for instituting and illustrating charity; a lion in strength and power, a dove in gentleness and humility; a serpent in wisdom, and cunning to do good; gentle, humble, merciful to the sons of life — dark, ungentle towards the sons of death; a servant of labour and service of Christ; a king in dignity and power for binding and loosening, for liberating and convicting, for killing and giving life.”  St. Evin, Tripartite, pg. 500

"Suffering has been loved joyfully by great souls. It is the auxiliary of creation after the unfortunate fall: it is a most powerful lever to raise man up again, it is the helping hand of Infinite Love for our regeneration."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“But when one searches for the reasons why Christian art should have pictured Joseph as aged, we discover that it was in order to better safeguard the virginity of Mary. Somehow, the assumption had crept in that senility was a better protector of virginity than adolescence. Art thus unconsciously made Joseph a spouse chaste and pure by age rather than virtue...To make Joseph appear pure only because his flesh had aged is like glorifying a mountain stream that has dried. The Church will not ordain a man to the priesthood who has not his vital powers. She wants men who have something to tame, rather than those who are tame because they have no energy to be wild. It should be no different with God.
...Joseph was probably a young man, strong, virile, athletic, handsome, chaste, and disciplined; the kind of man one sees sometimes shepherding sheep, or piloting a plane, or working at a carpenter's bench. Instead of being a man incapable of love, he must have been on fire with love....Instead, then, of being dried fruit to be served on the table of the king, he was rather a blossom filled with promise and power. He was not in the evening of life, but in its morning, bubbling over with energy, strength, and controlled passion.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (World’s First Love)

“After the love which we owe Jesus Christ, we must give the chief place in our heart to the love of His Mother, Mary.” - St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri

At that moment I saw Jesus, and from His Heart there issued those same two rays, which enveloped me, whole and entire. At the same moment, all my torments vanished. My daughter, the Lord said, know that of yourself you are just what you have gone through, and it is only by My grace that you are a participant of eternal life and all the gifts I lavish on you. And with these words of the Lord, there came to me a true knowledge of myself. Jesus is giving me a lesson in deep humility and, at the same time, one of total trust in Him. My heart is reduced to dust and ashes, and even if all people were to trample me under their feet, I would still consider that a favor.
I feel and am, in fact, very deeply permeated with the knowledge that I am nothing, so that real humiliations will be a refreshment for me. St. Faustina (Diary 1559 )

“we can effect no work of grace in ourselves, nor for our neighbour, without charity; charity is that sweet and holy bond which binds the soul with her Creator; it bound God in man and man in God. This inestimable charity kept God and Man fastened and nailed upon the wood of the most holy Cross.” St. Catherine of Siena, Letters, Letter 1, 1372 A.D.  (Cited by Edmund Gardner in “Saint Catherine of Siena, A Study in the Religion, Literature, and History of the Fourteenth Century in Italy.”)

“Those persons who console you today may humiliate you tomorrow.”  – St. Vincent de Pau

"Remember this, Sister, for your whole life, as waters flow from the mountains down into the valleys, so, too, do God's graces flow only into humble souls." St. Maria Faustina H. Kovalska (1905 – 1938)

"The steeper the road, the faster it rises towards even wider horizons."   -St. John Paul II

“To the Bishops of Ireland, Venerable Brothers, Although all and every part of the Lord’s flock entrusted to our care we embrace with deep affection and love, nevertheless, our concern and thoughts go out above all to those we see suffering misfortune... We, accordingly, have always been moved with exceptional sympathy and the most kindly consideration for the Catholics of Ireland so violently and constantly tried by long and lasting hardships. Their remarkable steadfastness in patient endurance has always aroused our deepest esteem, for no tribulation has ever been able to destroy or diminish the faith that is the gift of their fathers... 4. We are in no doubt that it is more and more evident that our fatherly love for the Irish has never changed... 5. We pray for every best gift of heavenly grace for you, venerable brother, clergy and the faithful whom you serve and the whole of Ireland, and lovingly impart our Apostolic Blessing.”  Pope Leo XIII, Etsi Cunctas, On the Church in Ireland, Dec. 21, 1888

“After these great miracles, therefore — i.e., after resuscitating the dead; after healing lepers, and the blind, and the deaf, and the lame, and all diseases; after ordaining bishops, and priests, and deacons, and people of all orders in the Church; after teaching the sons of Erin, and after baptizing them ; after founding churches and monasteries; after destroying idols, and images, and druidical arts — the hour of death of St. Patrick approached. He received the Body of Christ from Bishop Tassach, according to the advice of the angel Victor. He resigned his spirit afterwards to heaven, in the one hundred and twentieth year of his age. His body is here still in the earth, with honour and reverence. Though great his honour here, greater honour will be to him in the Day of Judgment, when judgment will be given on the fruits of his teaching, like every great Apostle; in the union of the Apostles and disciples of Jesus; in the union of the nine orders of angels, which cannot be surpassed; in the union of the divinity and humility of the Son of God; in the union of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”  St. Evin, Tripartite, pg. 500