"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master."  - St. John Vianney

“Let us never do anything that does not give glory to God; to that end, let us trample underfoot human respect and self-interest.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Pope Pelagius II, in his epistle “Quod ad dilectionern” (c. 585), confirms the following profession of faith from the Council of Nicea (the first ecumenical council): “We believe in one God the Father omnipotent, maker of the visible and invisible things. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, Who [Latin: Hoc] is of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, True God of True God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, whom the Greeks call consubstantial [Latin: “homousion”; Greek for “the same substance as”], through Whom all things are [having been] made [facta sunt] whether those things [were made] in heaven or which [were made] on earth; Who for us men [“homines”] and for our salvation came down, became incarnate, became man, suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, is [/will be] coming [Latin “venturus”] to judge the living and the dead. And [we believe] in the Holy Spirit.
“But those who say: ‘there was once when He was not,’ and ‘prior to [priusquam] being begotten, He was not, and He was made from out of non-existence [Latin “ex nullis exantibus” lit. “out of none existing things”] which the Greeks call ‘exuconton’ or [Latin “vel” meaning “or [interchangeably]”] ‘an other substance’ [Greek text says ‘ex heteras hypostaseos e ousias’ or ‘out of another (different) hypostasis or substance’], stating the Son of God [to be] changeable or convertible; these [persons] the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes [declares to be cursed/set apart from on High (by God).]”—The First Council of Nicaea, Profession of Faith of the Council Fathers, 325 AD

“These are but roses: Jesus Christ has suffered more than this, and I deserve worse for my sins.”  St. Paul of the Cross, responding to a wound which befell him  (“The Life of Blessed Paul of the Cross”, tr. by Fr. Ignatius of S. Paul, pub. 1860, pg. 8.)

"God gave me a father and mother more worthy of heaven than of earth."  —Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

During prayer, I heard these words: My daughter, let your heart be filled with joy. I, the Lord, am with you. Fear nothing. You are in My heart. At that moment, I knew the great majesty of God, and I understood that nothing could be compared with one single perception of God. Outward greatness dwindles like a speck of dust before one act of a deeper knowledge of God  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 1133).

"He remains among us until the end of the world."  - St. Maximilian Kolbe

"I end here because the bell is calling me and urging me. I am going to the wine-press of the Church, to the holy altar where the sacred blood of that singular grape, with which only very few are allowed to inebriate themselves, drips continually. There - and you know I cannot do otherwise - I will present you to the Heavenly Father in union with his Son, to whom, for whom, and through whom I am totally yours in the Lord "  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“If our arm suffers injury, our whole body feels the pain. In like manner, if the Church in any part of the world suffers martyrdom, we should feel pity toward it as part of our body, and that pity should express itself in prayer and good works.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Victory over Vice)

“It seems unbelievable that a man should perish in whose favor Christ said to His Mother: ‘Behold thy son,’ provided that he has not turned a deaf ear to the words, which Christ addressed to him: ‘Behold thy Mother.’”  - St. Robert Bellarmine

In the hours when you feel only oppression and lassitude, you will please God even more if you faithfully believe that He is still working, that He is loving you just the same, and even more: because His love is free and that is how He wants to be magnified in you.  St Elizabeth of the Trinity

“We should read good and useful books, and abstain from reading those that only gratify our curiosity.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“For it is manifest that all Christ's murderers, i.e., the Jews, are expelled from that city. That which had in it them that were fierce against Christ, has now them that adore Christ. Therefore do these men hate it, because Christians are in it.”—St. Augustine, Homily II on First Epistle of St. John

St. Paul the Apostle, Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 1: “5. By whom [Jesus Christ] we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith, in all nations, for his name; 6. Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ: 7. To all that are at Rome, the beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 8. First I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all, because your faith is spoken of in the whole world. 9. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you; 10. Always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey, by the Will of God, to come unto you. 11. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual grace, to strengthen you: 12. That is to say, that I may be comforted together in you, by that which is common to us both, your faith and mine. 13. And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you, (and have been hindered hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14. To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor; 15. So (as much as is in me) I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are at Rome. 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. 17. For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith. 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice: 19. Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them. 20. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; his eternal power also, and divinity: so that they are inexcusable. 21. Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22. For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. 23. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts, and of creeping things. 24. Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. 25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26. For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. 27. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error. 28. And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient; 29. Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers, 30. Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31. Foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. 32. Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.” (Bishop Challoner, commentary: 26. God delivered them up: Not by being author of their sins, but by withdrawing his grace, and so permitting them, in punishment of their pride, to fall into those shameful sins.)

“Men, brethren, you know, that in former days God made choice among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, who knoweth the hearts, gave testimony, giving unto them the Holy Ghost, as well as to us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why tempt you God to put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, in like manner as they also.” Pope St. Peter I, Council of Jerusalem   (Recorded by St. Luke the Evangelist, Acts 15:7-11)

"We shall not purified by looking at our miseries, but by gazing on Him who is all purity and holiness." ~Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

"God desires the smallest degree of purity of conscience in you more than all the works you can perform." ~St John of the Cross   (Sayings of Light and Love, #12)

“The way Jesus shows you is not easy. Rather, it is like a path winding up a mountain. Do not lose heart! The steeper the road, the faster it rises towards ever wider horizons. May Mary, Star of Evangelization, guide you! Docile like her to the Father’s will, take the stages of history as mature and convincing witnesses.” (Pope St. John Paul II; Message for XI World Youth Day, 26 November 1995)

"In these sad times when faith is dead and wickedness is triumphant; when we are surrounded by those who have perpetual hatred in their hearts and blasphemy on their lips, the surest way of remaining immune from the pestiferous disease which surrounds us i s to strengthen ourselves with Eucharistic food. This cannot be achieved by those who, month after month, live without satiating themselves with the Immaculate Flesh of the Divine Lamb."  St Pio of Pietrelcina

“Peter thought, if He was the Son of God, why should He suffer? Satan on the mount of temptation tempted Him from His cross by promising popularity through giving bread, working scientific marvels, or becoming a dictator. Satan did no confess the Divinity of Christ, since he prefaced each temptation with an ‘if’ thou art the Son of God. To the credit of Peter, he did confess Divinity. But along with this difference, there was this likeness: both Peter and satan tempted Christ from His Cross and therefore from redemption. Not to redeem was satan’s mind; to have the crown without the Cross was satan’s spirit. But, it was also Peter’s. Therefore, Our Lord called him satan. Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

”We may seek graces, but shall never find them without the intercession of Mary.”
- St. Cajetan

“Let us work to become very humble, very patient, very mortified, and very charitable. That is the only way to be highly esteemed.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Pope Urban VIII requires a “Protest of the Author” to be published at the beginning of any and every book published which contains any kind of private revelation, unconfirmed miracle, etc. in the following words: “In obedience to the decrees of Urban VIII. of holy memory, I protest that I do not intend to attribute any other than purely human authority to all the miracles, revelations, graces and incidents contained in this book; neither to the titles holy or blessed applied to the servants of God not yet canonized, except in cases where these have been confirmed by the Holy Roman Catholic Church and by the Holy Apostolic See, of whom I profess myself an obedient son ; and, therefore, to their judgment I submit myself and whatever I have written in this book.”

St. Louis, king of France, on his death-bed, was asked by the priest who brought him the Viaticum, whether he really believed that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was present in the host. The saint, collecting all his strength, answered with a loud voice “I believe it as firmly as if I saw Him present in the host, just as the Apostles saw Him when He ascended gloriously into heaven.” (As recounted by Fr. Michael Müller in his work “The Blessed Eucharist Our Greatest Treasure.”, Imprimatur Abp. Martinus Joannes 22 October, 1867., pg. 24)

"May a profound silence grow in the soul of my Guite, an echo of that being the sung in the Trinity. May her prayer never cease, since she possesses what will one day be its Vision, its Beatitude!" -- St Elizabeth of the Trinity to her sister, June 15,1903 (Letter 166)

“The Virgin Mary… being obedient to His word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God.” (Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons; Against Heresies, 5:19:1; A.D. 180)

"Each holy Mass heard with devotion, produces marvelous effects in our souls, spiritual and material graces, that we ourselves do not know. For such purposes do not spend your money uselessly, make a sacrifice of it and come to hear holy Mass. It would be easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the holy sacrifice of the Mass."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Authoritarianism is based on force, and therefore is physical, but authority is founded on reverence and love, and therefore is moral.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life is Worth Living)

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

"I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 327)

Yes, my Beloved, I wish to spend my life thus... I have no other means of proving my love except by strewing flowers, that is to say, letting no little sacrifice pass, no look, no word--profiting by the littlest actions, and doing them out of love. I wish to suffer out of love and to rejoice out of love; thus I shall strew flowers before your throne. - St. Therese

“Jesus is the Mediator of Justice; Mary obtains for us grace; for… it is the will of God to dispense through the hands of Mary whatever graces He is pleased to bestow upon us. With God, the prayers of the saints are the prayers of His friends, but the prayers of Mary are the prayers of His Mother."  - St. Alphonsus Liguori

"The prayer of a humble and loving soul disarms the anger of My Father and draws down an ocean of blessings." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary 320)

"To continue my spiritual prescription: grind all your sufferings in the mill of patience and silence; knead them with the balm of Our Saviour's Passion into a little pill; swallow it with faith and love, and let the heat of charity digest it."  St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

“Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

“You say: We worship stones and walls and boards. But it is not so, O Emperor; but they serve us for remem brance and encouragement, lifting our slow spirits upwards, by those whose names the pictures bear and whose representations they are. And we worship them not as God, as you maintain, God forbid! ...Even the little children mock at you. Go into one of their schools, say that you are the enemy of images, and straightway they will throw their little tablets at your head, and what you have failed to learn from the wise you may pick up from the foolish. You wrote : ‘As the Jewish King Ozias cast the brazen serpent out of the temple after eight hundred years (2 Kings xviii. 4), so I after eight hundred years cast the images out of the Churches.’ Yes, Ozias was your brother, and, like you, did violence to the priests. ...In virtue of the power which has come down to us from St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, we might inflict a punishment upon you, but since you have invoked one on yourself, have that, you and the counsellors you have chosen, ...though you have so excellent a high priest, our brother Germanus, whom you ought to have taken into your counsels as father and teacher. . .The dogmas of the Church are not a matter for the emperor, but for the bishops.” Pope Gregory II, Letter to Emperor Leo III, against iconoclasm    (Horace K. Mann in his work “Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. I”, pp. 191-192)

“prayer is the source of all virtue; it is the channel through which flow to us all Christ’s graces and all divine gifts; it is the best and most indispensable means of advancing in virtue.” St. John Climacus  (Cited by Fr. Lasance in his work “With God”, pg. 88)

4. It is better to be burdened and in company with the strong than to be unburdened and with the weak. When you are burdened you are close to God, your strength, who abides with the afflicted. When you are relieved of the burden you are close to yourself, your own weakness; for virtue and strength of soul grow and are confirmed in the trials of patience. --St John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love

"When assisting at holy Mass, renew your faith and meditate on the victim who immolates Himself for you, to placate Divine Justice, and renders it propitious to you. Do not leave the alter without first shedding tears of sorrow and love for Jesus, crucified for your eternal salvation. When you are well attend Mass, when you are ill and cannot assist, read the Mass."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Those who hate religion are seeking religion; those who wrongly condemn are still seeking justice; those who overthrow order are seeking a new order; even those who blaspheme are adoring their own gods – but still adoring.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Rainbow of Sorrow)

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

“You acquire new merits daily by the unprecedented good you do everywhere and for all sorts of persons.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Dear Lord! To win my heart, from heaven Thou didst come; for me Thy blood didst shed, O King adored! and on our altars makest Thy home. So, if I may not here behold Thy Face, or catch the heavenly music of Thy Voice, I still can live, each moment, by Thy grace, and in Thy Sacred Heart I can rest."  St. Therese of Lisieux (1873.-1897)

“He [i.e. Mamertus] could not abrogate any portion of the right appointed to our brother Leontius by my predecessor of holy memory; since it has been decreed by the law of Christian princes that whatsoever the prelate of the apostolic see may, on his own judgment, have pronounced to churches and their rulers . . . is to be tenaciously observed; nor can those things ever be upset which shall be supported by both ecclesiastical and royal injunction.” Pope St. Hilarius  (Hil. Epp. ix. x. xi. Labbe) (cited by Barmby, J., "Hilarius, bp. of Rome", A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography, (Henry Wace ed.), John Murray and Co., London, 1911)

“God afflicts us because He loves us; and it is very pleasing to Him, when in our afflictions He sees us abandon ourselves to His paternal care.” St. Benedict Joseph Labrè  (Quoted by Don Antonio Maria Coltraro, whose work was translated into English “   The Life of The Venerable Servant of God, Benedict Joseph Labrè.” Trans. Pub. Cum Approbatione Bp. Nicholas , Feb. 2, 1850., pg. 355)

"An evil thought is preceded by passion. The passion is caused by the senses, but the misuse of the senses is clearly the fault of the intellect."  St. Thalassios the Libyan

"...love is like a fire which always rises upwards as though longing to be engulfed in its center." --St. John of the Cross

“The good Lord has granted us the privilege of sharing in this, the greatest, most divine and chief of all names, so that, honoured by the name of Christ, we are called ‘Christians.’ So then we must ensure that in us are seen all the meanings of the name of Christ, so that our title is not false and meaningless but is borne out by our lives.” (St. Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop, A Treatise on Christian Perfection)

"Ah, dear Father, pardon me for using this sort of language; Jesus alone can understand what I suffer when the painful scene of Calvary is enacted before my eyes. It is equally incomprehensible how Jesus can be consoled not merely by those who sympathize with his torments, but when he finds a soul who for love of him asks no consolations and only wants to be allowed to share in his sufferings."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Ideas are poured into the angel by God. Man knows from the bottom up; angels know from the top down."   Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"Praying before the Blessed Sacrament I find strength, courage, light and all the love I need to help those entrusted to me on the way of salvation."  ~Bl. Victoria Diez Bustos de Molino~

“A charitable word is all that is sometimes necessary to convert an obdurate heart. In like manner one bitter word is capable of afflicting a soul and plunging it into a sadness that may be most injurious.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. Thou hast given me all that I am and all that I possess; I surrender it all to thee that thou mayest dispose of it according to thy will. Give me only thy love and thy grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will have no more to desire.” St. Ignatius of Loyola   (From his work “The Spiritual Exorcises”; Pope Leo XIII added an indulgence of 300 days once a day when recited at least with a contrite heart and devotion.)

"Nothing is sweeter after having received Jesus than to give and spread everywhere the fragrance of his virtues."  - St. Francis de Sales. 

"I think that one day my small voice will become like a giant's, because it is a voice that glorifies God thanks to the means He has given me on earth: the pains, suffering, prayer and the sacrifices we encounter in life. Let us submerge ourselves in God, let us found ourselves in Him, let us lose ourselves in Him alone and try to live joyfully for He is calling us: 'Come Bride of Christ.'  Suffering is a sweet and precious kiss from our crucified Lord. I desire only the cross, which is light and love."  Blessed Maria Giuseppina of Jesus Crucified

“The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him. This hope produces in the Saints an unutterable peace, which they preserve even in adversity, because as they love God, and know how beautiful He is to those who love Him, they place all their confidence and find all their repose in Him alone.” (Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)

"If you are not granted the ability to stay a long time in prayer, reading, etc., you must not be discouraged. As long as you receive Jesus every morning you must consider yourself extremely fortunate. During the course of the day, when you are unable to do anything else, call on Jesus,, even in the midst of all your occupations, with resigned groanings of the soul. He will come to stay united to your soul always, through his grace and holy love. Fly in spirit before the tabernacle, when you cannot go there with the body, and there, express your ardent desires. Speak to, pray to and embrace the Beloved of souls, better than if you had been able to receive Him in sacrament."  St  Pio of Pietrelcina

"Many a modern preacher is far less concerned with preaching Christ and Him crucified than he is with his popularity with his congregation. A want of intellectual backbone makes him straddle the ox of truth and the ass of nonsense. Bending the knee to the mob rather than God would probably make them scruple at ever playing the role of John the Baptist before a modern Herod. The acids of modernity are eating away the fossils of orthodoxy" Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (Old Errors and New Labels)

“The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.”  - Padre Pio

“Even among the sisters you will feel lonely. Know then that I want you to unite yourself more closely to Me. I am concerned about every beat of your heart. Every stirring of your love is reflected in My Heart. I thirst for your love.”   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1542a)

“During Adoration, I heard a voice in my soul: ‘These efforts of yours, My daughter, are pleasing to Me; they are the delight of My Heart. I see every movement of your heart with which you worship Me.’”  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1176)

"When God allows you to be praised, do not become boastful on account of this divine providence, lest you then fall into dishonor."  St. Mark the Ascetic (5th c.)

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

Little things done out of love are those that charm the heart of Christ.~St. Therese 

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

“But if you live the time that no man will give you good counsel, nor no man will give you good example, when you shall see virtue punished and vice rewarded, if you will then stand fast and firmly stick to God, upon pain of my life, though you be but half good, God will allow you for whole good.”  —Saint Thomas More

“But if thou even now persuade or compel thy brethren to return to unity, thy good deed will be greater than thy fault; and this will not be set against thee and that praised. But if thou canst not gain over the obstinate, save thine own soul.” Pope St. Dionysius of Alexandria, epistle to [anti-Pope] Novatian  (Ep. ad Novat., par. 130.)

“it is certain that, so long as the guilt of venial sin is not remitted, the  punishment due to it cannot be remitted.”  -St. Alphonsus  (Moral Theol., Bk. VI., Vol. IV., Ch. I., Art. II.)

“People devoted to the assistance of their neighbor are using all their energy and alms to snatch the poor from the jaws of death and poor girls from occasions of sin.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

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

“The world’s greatest need is someone who will understand that there is no greater conquest than victory over oneself; someone who will realize that real worth is achieved not so much by activity, as by silence, who will, like a lightning flash, burn away the bonds of feeble interest which tie down our energies to the world; who with a fearless voice, like John the Baptist, will arouse our enfeebled nature out of the sleek dream of un-heroic response; someone who will gain victories not by stepping down from the Cross and compromising with the world, but who will suffer in order to conquer the world.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Moods and Truths)

I desire to unite Myself to human souls, Know, My daughter, that when I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul. But souls do not even pay any attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy themselves with other things... They treat Me as a dead object.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA

“Blessed Guardians– be watchful. Help us to use well the grace of the moment in the care and instruction of the little ones under our charge. Watch over them with us.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“I am about to speak of the creation of heaven and earth, which was not spontaneous, as some have imagined, but drew its origin from God... Those who were too ignorant to rise to a knowledge of a God, could not allow that an intelligent cause presided at the birth of the Universe; a primary error that involved them in sad consequences. Some had recourse to material principles and attributed the origin of the Universe to the elements of the world. Others imagined ... atoms reuniting or separating, produce births and deaths and the most durable bodies only owe their consistency to the strength of their mutual adhesion... You will finally discover that the world was not conceived by chance and without reason, but for an useful end and for the great advantage of all beings, since it is really the school where reasonable souls exercise themselves, the training ground where they learn to know God; since by the sight of visible and sensible things the mind is led, as by a hand, to the contemplation of invisible things.”—St. Basil the Great, Hexaemeron, Homliy I (Translated by Blomfield Jackson. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 8. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.))

"I am giving you a share in the redemption of mankind. You are solace in My dying hour." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 310) 

“May the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, always smile on your spirit, obtaining for it, from her Most Holy Son, every heavenly blessing.”  - St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Pope Pelagius II: “For which (the Roman state) the priest offers these gifts and prays that a season of rest be granted to the princes, That the enemy be conquered throughout the world by the power of Peter and peace and our faith be with the Gentiles and the people.” (Cited by Duchesne, Lib. Pont., vol. I, p. 310, n. 3.)

• “What St. Francis has done I shall do. What St. Dominic has done I shall do.” St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits   (Taken from “The Life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, of the Society of Jesus” compiled by 16 authors, Richard S. Tierney and his classmates of Rhetoric Class of ’92, St. Francis Xavier’s College, New York City. Easter, 1891, edited by Rev. J. F. X. O’Conor, S. J.)

“When we appeal to the throne of grace we do so through Mary, honoring God by honoring His Mother, imitating Him by exalting her, touching the most responsive chord in the sacred heart of Christ with the sweet name of Mary.” (St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor)

"Do not be discouraged if you do not succeed in doing everything as you desire, force yourself to do what you have to do and see to it that you never fall short of anything in this respect, taking no account of whether you feel comfort or tediousness and boredom. Always be upright in this resolution."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Love has three and only three intimacies: speech, vision, and touch. These three intimacies God has chosen to make his love intelligible to our poor hearts. God has spoken He told us that he loves us: that is Revelation. God has been seen: That is Incarnation. God has touched us by his grace: That is Redemption. Well indeed, therefore, may he say: “What more could I do for my vineyard than I have done? What other proof could I give of my love than to exhaust myself in the intimacies of love? What else could I do to show that my own Sacred Heart is not less generous than your own? If we answer these questions aright, then we will begin to repay love with love. Then we will return speech with speech which will be our prayer; vision with vision which will be our faith; touch with touch which will be our communion.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Eternal Galilean)

”Jesus honored her before all ages, and will honor her for all ages. No one comes to Him, nor even near Him, no one is saved or sanctified, if he too will not honor her. This is the lot of Angels and of men.”  - St. Maximilian Kolbe

“I hope that God in his goodness will draw strength from these weaknesses and His glory from our miseries.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy."  WORDS OF JESUS  TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary 300 )

"O Jesus, I would rather die a thousand deaths than be unfaithful to you!"  St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844 - 1879)

“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)

Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing. - St. Therese

“[Pray] ...that I might appear irreprehensible before the conspection of the judge of all, Our Lord Jesus Christ. [Latin: …ut inreprehensibilis appaream ante conspectum iudicis omnium domini nostri Iesu Christi.]” Pope St. Benedict II, Papal Profession of Faith, Indiculum Pontificis, formula 83   (published in the Liber Diurnis)

“I am in a country, where I am in want of all the conveniences of life. But nevertheless, I feel so much interior consolation, that there is danger of my losing my sight through weeping with joy.” says St. Francis Xavier, writing from Japan to his brethren in Europe, (Fr. Jean Croiset, in his work “Devotion to the sacred heart of Jesus” pub. 1863)

“From this divine heart three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties. From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection.” — St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

“The Heart of Jesus is an open heart. Spend your time there...It is not an ordinary school or a boarding school or a school for examinations, but it is a school of Jesus where you come to learn and to know the Heart of Jesus - where the teachers are His Mother and He. What have we to learn? To be meek and humble; if we are meek and humble, we will learn to pray. If we learn to pray we will belong to Jesus. If we belong to Jesus we will learn to believe and if we believe we will learn to love and if we love we will learn to serve.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta

“But if you live the time that no man will give you good counsel, nor no man will give you good example, when you shall see virtue punished and vice rewarded, if you will then stand fast and firmly stick to God, upon pain of my life, though you be but half good, God will allow you for whole good.”  —Saint Thomas More

“Don’t worry about me no matter what happens in this world. Nothing can happen to me that God doesn’t want. And all that He wants, no matter how bad it may appear to us, is really for the best.” (St. Thomas More, Martyr)

"Father, I feel unworthy to receive Holy Communion. I am unworthy!' Reply: "It is true, we are not worthy of such a gift, but it is one thing to receive unworthily in the state of mortal sin and another to be unworthy. We are all unworthy. We are all unworthy; but it is He who invites us, and He who desires it. Let us humble ourselves and receive Him with our hearts full of love"  St Pio of  Pietrelcina

“You should realize that the community with which you deal is not the one of 42nd Street and Broadway, or Hollywood and Vine. These are the crusts on the great American sandwich. The meat is in between.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Whoever you are that perceive yourself during this mortal existence to be rather drifting in treacherous waters, at the mercy of the winds and the waves, than walking on firm ground, turn not away your eyes from the splendor of this guiding star, unless thou wish to be submerged by the storm. ... Look at the star, call upon Mary. ... With her for guide, you shall not go astray, while invoking her, you shall never lose heart ... if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal.”  - St. Bernard of Clairvaux

“Willingness to hear the word of God is a sign of predestination. Just like the exile, who awaits and gladly hears news from his homeland, shows that he loves his country, so too the Christian who listens attentively to Him who speaks of the heavenly fatherland may say that his heart is directed towards heaven.” — St. Anthony of Padua

"Only those who live by faith really know what is happening in the world."  -- Venerable Fulton J. Sheen~

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

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

“Hearing with what severe and terrible judgement the land of Jerusalem has been smitten by the divine hand, we and our brothers have been confounded by such great horror and affected by such great sorrow that we could not easily decide what to do or say; over this situation the psalmist laments and says: ‘O God, the heathens are come into Thy inheritance.’ (Ps. 78:1)”  Pope Gregory VIII, Audita Tremendi, October 29, 1187

“Would that I could love God with the fervor which His Infinite Majesty deserves! My heart weeps because Christians show such ingratitude towards Him.” St. Aloysius  (Taken from “The Life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, of the Society of Jesus” compiled by 16 authors, the Rhetoric Class of ’92, St. Francis Xavier’s College, New York City. Easter, 1891, edited by Rev. J. F. X. O’Conor, S. J.)

“We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.” (St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)

"My children, we can never prepare ourselves too much for Holy Communion."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The average American is physically, biologically, psychologically and neurologically unable to do anything worthwhile before he has a cup of coffee! And that goes for prayer too.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

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

"In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties,think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal."   Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

"The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host."  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

'Our time is short.' St. John Climacus (525 – 606)

“After a succession of hot, sultry days in the summer, we sense there must be a storm before the cool days come back again. Similarly, in these days of confusion, there is an intuition of impending catastrophe, a feeling that some immense preternatural disturbance must bring the evil of the world to ruins before we can be set free again. As DeGoncourt told Berthelot, who had boasted of the future destructiveness of war through physics: ‘When that day comes, God as a night-watchman will come down from Heaven, rattling His keys, saying, Gentleman! It is closing time!” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Peace of Soul)

"The Holy Eucharist very often invigorates and strengthens even the body. O infinite mercy of our sovereign Good! this marvellous effect proceeds from the great vigor which the bread of angels communicates to the soul, and which reacts on the body."   St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

“The office of Pope... [is] a thorny one, beset on all sides with sharp pricks.” (John of Salisbury said: “The office of Pope, he assured me, was a thorny one, beset on all sides with sharp pricks. He wished indeed that he had never left England, his native land, or at least had lived his life quietly in the cloister of Sts. Rufus rather than have entered on such difficult paths, but he dared not refuse, since it was the Lord’s bidding” Pope Adrian IV, Indirect Quote from John of Salisbury  (Polycraticus, Bk. IV, xxviii).)

“For while the hot restlessness of heretics stirs questions about many articles of the Catholic Faith, the necessity of defending them forces us both to investigate them more accurately, to understand them more clearly, and to proclaim them more earnestly; and the question mooted by an adversary becomes the occasion of instruction.”  St. Augustine, The City of God, p. 16, 2.

"I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 186)

To live in love is to sail forever, spreading seeds of joy and peace in hearts. -St. Therese 

"The soul which loves God seeks and looks for no other reward of its services than to love God perfectly." St. John of the Cross (Spiritual Canticle 9,7)

"My Jesus, my sweetness, how can I love without You? Come always, my Jesus, come; You alone take possession of my heart."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“God be praised that you are ready to do His Will in all things and everywhere and to go to live and die wherever He chooses to call you.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“‘Every soul, and especially the soul of every religious, should reflect My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My beloved must resemble Mine: from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine.’”  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 1148)

"Fly from bad companions as from the bite of a poisonous snake." -Saint John Bosco

"Do not be surprised that you are sometimes unjustly accused. I myself first drank this cup of undeserved suffering for love of you."    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 289) 

“The Church teaches us that mercy belongs to God. Let us implore Him to bestow on us the spirit of mercy and compassion, so that we are filled with it and may never lose it. Only consider how much we ourselves are in need of mercy.”  -- Saint Vincent de Paul

“We can say that this war will be the cause of the damnation of many persons but that God will also make use of it for the grace, the justification, and the glory of many persons.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

“Bishop Eugene, servant of the servants of God, to his most beloved son in Christ, Louis, the illustrious king of the French, and to his beloved sons, the princes, and to all the faithful ones of God who are established throughout Gaul,-greeting and apostolic benediction.How much our predecessors the Roman pontiffs did labour for the deliverance of the oriental church, we have learned from the accounts of the ancients and have found it written in their acts. For our predecessor of blessed memory, pope Urban, did sound, as it were, a celestial trump and did take care to arouse for its deliverance the sons of the holy Roman church from the different parts of the earth. At his voice, indeed, those beyond the mountain and especially the bravest and strongest warriors of the French kingdom, and also those of Italy, inflamed by the ardour of love did come together, and, congregating a very great army, not without much shedding of their own blood, the divine aid being with them, did free from the filth of the pagans that city where our Saviour willed to suffer for us, and where He left His glorious sepulchre to us as a memorial of His passion, -and many others which, avoiding prolixity, we refrain from mentioning.”  Bl. Pope Eugene III, Quantum praedecessores, Dec 1, 1145

“Lactata sum in his, qua dicta sunt mihi, in domum Domini ibimus, [I am gladdened in these words, which are spoken to me, we shall enter the household of the Lord.]” St. Juliana Falconieri, responding to the words of her doctors, that her death was eminent  (As quoted by Fr. Frederick Faber, “The Life of St. Juliana Falconieri”, Ch. IV, pub. 1847)

Use those gifts that you have received, & pass on the love that has been given to you. -St Therese

“Wherefore, O you sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? (Ps 4,3). Why do you not recognize the truth and believe in the Son of God (Jo 9,35)? Behold: daily he humbles himself (Phil 2,8) as when from heaven’s royal throne (Wisd 18,15) he came down into the womb of the Virgin. Daily he himself comes to us with like humility; daily he descends from the bosom of the Father ( Jo 1,18; 6,38) upon the altar in the hands of the priest.” (St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon and Confessor, The Body of the Lord)

"During the rioting of the passions and adverse events, keep in mind the dear hope of his unlimited mercy. Let us run with confidence to the tribunal of penance, where he waits for you at all times with the anxiety of a father; and although we are conscience of our debt towards Him, let us not doubt the solemn pardon of our sins. Let us bury them as our Lord has done."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The evil in the world must not make me doubt the existence of God. There could be no evil if there were no God. Before there can be a hole in a uniform, there must be a uniform; before there is death, there must be life; before there is error, there must be truth; before there is a crime, there must be liberty and law; before there is a war, there must be peace; before there is a devil, there must be a God, rebellion against whom made the devil.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer Book)

"As soon as she [Mary] had the use of reason, that is, from the first moment of her immaculate conception in the womb of St. Anne, from that time she began with all her powers to love her God; and thus she continued to do, ever advancing more in perfection and love through her whole life. All her thoughts, her desires, her affections, were wholly given to God; not a word, not a motion, not a glance of the eye, not a breath of hers that was not for God and for his glory, never departing one step, nor separating herself for one moment from the divine love."  - St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri

“We can say that this war will be the cause of the damnation of many persons but that God will also make use of it for the grace, the justification, and the glory of many persons.”
– St. Vincent de Paul

"The only happiness here below is to strive to be always content with what Jesus gives us."  St. Therese of Lisieux

"Materiality in the case of a house consists of furnishings and food. Materiality in the case of the intellect is self-esteem and sensual pleasure."  St. Mark the Ascetic (5th c.)

Pope John VII, Inscription in a chapel to Our Lady in St. Peter’s, where there is a statue of Our Lady styled in a Byzantine Empress’s garb: “John, an unworthy bishop, the servant of the Blessed Mother of God, carried out this work.” (Source: Horace Kinder Mann, in his work “The Lives of the Popes of the Early Middle Ages”, Part I, pub. 1903, pg. 114, who also says on pg. 110 “This Pope was remarkable for his devotion to the Mother of God. The title he was most proud of was ‘Mary’s servant.’”)

“It is an old custom with the servants of God always to have some little prayers ready, and to be darting them up to heaven frequently during the day, lifting their minds to God out of the filth of this world. He who adopts this plan will get great fruit with little pains.” St. Philip Neri  (Quoted by Fr. Lasance, in his work “With God”, Introcuction, pg. 10)

"I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death, as My own glory. And even if the sins of the soul are as dark as night, when the sinner turns to My mercy, he renders Me the greatest praise, and becomes the glory of My Passion. When a soul praises My goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to the very bottom of hell" WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 378).

“I know I wouldn’t be able to work one week if it were not for the continual force coming from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In our society we begin our day with...” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta)

"Even if you had committed all the sins of the world, Jesus says to you: "Many sins have been forgiven you, because you have loved much." St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Go back to that night when Divine Light, in order to illumine the darkness of men, tabernacled Himself in the world He had made… The angels and a star caught up in the reflection of that Light, as a torch lighted by a torch, and passed it on to the watchers of sheep and the searchers of skies. And lo! As the shepherds watched their flocks about the hills of Bethlehem, they were shaken by the light of the angels And lo! As wise men from beyond the land of Media and Persia searched the heavens, the brilliance of a star, like a tabernacle lamp in the sanctuary of God’s creation, beckoned them on to the stable where the star seemed to lose its light in the unearthly brilliance of the Light of the Word.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Eternal Galilean)

"Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son."
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux

"Ask Jesus to make you a saint. After all, only He can do that. Go to confession regularly and to Communion as often as you can,"  - St. John Bosco

“Those whom you serve should feel the efforts of your kindheartedness.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"St. Bernard teaches that many souls are lost through want of fortitude. Take courage, then, and trust in the power and goodness of God: strong resolutions overcome all difficulties."  St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

"Oh, my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value."  -St. Teresa of Avila

“By this Constitution which is to remain in force for ever, we, with apostolic authority, define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints who departed from this world before the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and also of the holy apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins and other faithful who died after receiving the holy baptism of Christ- provided they were not in need of any purification when they died, or will not be in need of any when they die in the future, or else, if they then needed or will need some purification, after they have been purified after death-and again the souls of children who have been reborn by the same baptism of Christ or will be when baptism is conferred on them, if they die before attaining the use of free will: all these souls, immediately (mox) after death and, in the case of those in need of purification, after the purification mentioned above, since the ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ into heaven, already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment, have been, are and will be with Christ in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom and paradise, joined to the company of the holy angels.”  Pope Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus, 1336 A.D., Ex Cathedra

“Alas! the souls in purgatory are so very poor, and they call on us for help.” St. Gerard Majella   (Quoted by Fr. Karl Dilgskron, in his work “The Life of Blessed Gerard Majella” translated from his German by the Redemptorist Fathers, 173 E. 3d. St., New York., NIHIL OBSTAT: T. Li. Kinkead, Censor Librorum., IMPRIMATUR Michael Augustine, Archbishop of New York. May 6th, 1896.)

“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation. Where there is poverty and joy, there is neither greed nor avarice. Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.” (St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon and Confessor)

“Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” (St. Augustine of Hippo)

"I approve of your work for gaining souls for Jesus. By all means receive Holy Communion for the Holy Father's intentions."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III, p. 463)

“Things are not evil in themselves. And this is true of gold and food and power and stocks and bonds and offices of an elective government. Things become evil only if the men possessing them abuse power.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Crisis in History)

"You know how unwilling we are to deny ourselves, how unwilling to be reproved and contradicted, how a trifling thing will make us sad, how we delight to be commended while, with a sort of natural cruelty we see blame and faults in others which we are scarcely willing to excuse."   - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

The flames of mercy are burning Me-clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don't want to believe in My goodness. "  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 177)

For meditation the ear of the soul is more important than the tongue:St.Paul tells us that faith comes from listening.(Most people make the same mistake with God that they do with their friends:they do all the talking.)God has things to tell us which will enlighten us- we must wait for him to speak.No one would rush into a physician's office,rattle off all the symptoms,and than dash away without waiting for a diagnosis.It is every bit as stupid to ring God's doorbell and then to run away.The Lord hears us more readily than we suspect;it is our listening to Him that needs to be improved.   ~Venerable Fulton J Sheen~

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

"May Jesus be your guide, your support, and your life, always and in everything!"  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Soup is distributed daily to fourteen or fifteen thousand persons who would die of hunger without this assistance.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

'What punishment will not that servant bring upon himself who knows the will of his Master and does not do it?' St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

"One word or a pleasing smile is enough to raise up a saddened and wounded soul."
---St. Therese

“We should not serve the poor like they were Jesus. We should serve the poor because they are Jesus.”  —Saint Teresa of Calcutta

"Blasphemy call down malediction on your home; and as the proverb says, it destroys even the ashes in the fireplace."  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“How many are sufficiently conscious that our Lord is present in the tabernacle to pay a daily visit to Him in His Prison of Love?” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Seven Capital Sins)

"Let us patiently bear the contradictions and repugnance we encounter in the discharge of duty, since our actions are thereby rendered more agreeable to God."  - St. Louise de Marillac.

Suddenly, I saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me, ‘Be at peace, My child. See, you are not alone. My Heart watches over you.’ Jesus filled me with strength concerning a certain person. I feel strength within my soul.”  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 799)

"Do everything calmly and peacefully. Do as much as you can as well as you can. Strive to see God in all things without exception, and consent to His will joyously. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to him in word and deed. Walk very simply with the Cross of the Lord and be at peace with yourself."   - St. Francis de Sales

"The world being unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father, He gave his Son to Mary for the world to receive Him from her."  - Saint Augustine 

"Love and fear...Love will make us quicken our steps, while fear will make us look where we are setting our feet so that we shall not fall."  -Saint Gaspar Bertoni 

Pope Leo VI (†928) issued an appeal for help against Arab raiders who were threatening against Rome: “Whoever died faithful in this struggle will not see himself refused entry into the heavenly kingdom.” (Pierre Riché, The Carolingians: A Family Who Forged Europe (1993), page 311)

“Who could ever soften this heart of mine, which is harder than flint or adamant, but you alone, O Lord! You, O God of mercies, who could draw fountains of water from a rock, and raise up sons of Abraham out of stones, could change a stony heart into one of flesh.”   St. Francis Borgia—Fr. Alban Butler (Lives of the Saints, 1866 ed., Vol. X, October 10, “St. Francis Borgia, Confessor”)

“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation. Where there is poverty and joy, there is neither greed nor avarice. Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.” (St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon and Confessor)

"My Jesus, my sweetness, my love, love which sustains me."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Eternity is without succession, a simultaneous possession of all joys. To those who live toward eternity, it really is not something at the end, it is that which influences every moment of the now.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Footprints in a Darkened Forest)

“…imagine that you are the sovereign of all the world and have the power to dispose of all things according to your good pleasure. You have the power to do all the good you want, and suddenly a little child knocks on your door, all trembling and in tears and, trusting in your kindness, asks for a piece of bread lest he die of starvation. What would you do for this child? Answer Me…"   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 229)