"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."  - St. Thomas Aquinas

“Peace is worth more than all worldly possessions.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“I tell you, charity to our neighbors for God’s sake is the fire that cleanses the soul.” (St. Catherine of Siena)

'When a man is freed from a temptation or any other distress, let him take great care to show fitting gratitude to God for the benefit he has received.' St. Philip Neri (1515-1595)

 Know that as often as you come to Me, humbling yourself and asking My forgiveness, I pour out a superabundance of graces on your soul, and your imperfection vanishes before My eyes, and I see only your love and your humility. You lose nothing but gain much...  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 293)

"He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent."  Saint Augustine

“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)

“The pains which a woman bears in labor help to expiate the sins of mankind, and draw their meaning from the Agony of Christ on the Cross. Mothers are, therefore, not only co-creators with God; they are co-redeemers with Christ in the flesh.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Three to Get Married)

“In our thought and at confession we must not dwell on sins that have been confessed. Because of our contrition Jesus has forgiven them at the tribunal of penance. There He faced us and our miseries like a creditor in front of a debtor. With a gesture of infinite generosity He tore up and destroyed the bills we signed with our sins, which we could certainly not have paid without the help  of his divine clemency. To go back to these sins, to bring them up again just to have them forgiven again, because of doubt that they were really  abundantly remitted, would this not be considered a lack of trust in the goodness which He proved by his tearing up every document of debt contracted through sin?...Dwell on them, if it is a source of comfort to your soul. By all means think of the offenses against justice, wisdom and the infinite mercy of God, but only for the purpose of weeping redemptive tears of repentance and love”.  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Pope Clement XIII, A Quo Die (On Unity Among Christians), September 13, 1758: “2. ...But St. Peter confessed that He was the son of the living God, not revealed by flesh and blood but by the Father. (Mt 16.14f.) 3. From this, you can easily see that there is a difference between the sons of light and the sons of the world. The latter disagree among themselves with various and diverse opinions, while the former, initiated into the mysteries of unity, profess the one faith of all by the mouth of one, through the head of all. Therefore, concentrate all your attention on increasing peace among the faithful. Uproars, contentions, rivalries, animosities, and dissensions should be silenced. (2 Cor 12.20.) In this way those who go by the name of Catholic can all be perfect in the same sense, in the same opinion, (1 Cor 1.10.) saying the same thing together, (2 Cor 13.11.) knowing the same thing and understanding it thoroughly. They should understand that if they want to be members of Christ, they cannot have concord with the head if they want to be in disagreement with the members. Nor can those who have not lived in fraternal love be counted as brothers by the Almighty Father.”

“O happy exchange!” cries out St. Francis de Sales “the soul thus abandoned in the eyes of men, now possesses God instead of creatures.” (Quoted by Fr. Alban Butler in his Lives of the Saint, article on Pope St. Felix I)

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

“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

We have Him so near in the Blessed Sacrament, where he is already glorified.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Book of Her Life - chapter 22 : 6

It seems to me that only one such gentle glance toward souls that You posses as Yours is enough reward for many years of service. St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   Soliloquies - chapter 14 : 1

“Satan will set up a Counter-church which will be the ape of the Catholic Church … It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content.”    Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."   St. Catherine of Siena

“The clients of this most merciful Mother are very fortunate. She helps them both in this life and in the next, consoling them and sponsoring their cause in Purgatory. For the simple reason that the Souls in Purgatory need help so desperately, since they cannot help themselves, our Mother of Mercy does so much more to relieve them. She exercises over these Poor Souls, who are the spouses of Christ, particular dominion, with power to relieve them and even deliver them from their pains. See how important it is then to have devotion to this good Lady, because she never forgets her servants as long as they suffer in these flames. If she helps all the Poor Souls, she is especially indulgent and consoling to her own clients.”  - St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri

"A spirit of license makes a man refuse to commit himself to any standards. The right time is the way he sets his watch. The yardstick has the number of inches that he wills it to have. Liberty becomes license, and unbounded license leads to unbounded tyranny. When society reaches this stage, and there is no standard of right and wrong outside of the individual himself, then the individual is defenseless against the onslaught of cruder and more violent men who proclaim their own subjective sense of values. Once my idea of morality is just as good as your idea of morality, then the morality that is going to prevail is the morality that is stronger." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (On Being Human)

“The darkness that sometimes surrounds the heaven of your soul is light. Because of this you think you are in the dark, and you have the impression of being in the center of a burning bush. In fact when the bush burns, the air around it is filled with smoke clouds and the bewildered soul is afraid of not seeing, of no longer understanding anything. But it is then that God speaks and is present to the soul: who hears, understands, loves and trembles. Therefore, do not wait for Tabor to see God when you already contemplate Him on Sinai! “.  St. Pio of Pietrelcina    (G. Festa, Tra imisteri della scienza e le luci della fede, 174)

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

Pope St. Sixtus II, to St. Laurence the martyr, as recounted by William Hayes Neligan: “Saint Sixtus was arrested and led to execution. The order was that the bishops should be first executed. Saint Laurence, the principal of the deacons, was not on that day among the number of the victims. He, weeping, followed Sixtus, and exclaimed: ‘My father, whither are you going without your son? You are not accustomed to offer sacrifice without the assistance of a minister. How have I displeased you? Try me, whether I am worthy of the choice that you have made of me for the distribution of the blood of our Lord.’ Sixtus replied: ‘I do not abandon you, my son; but God reserves you for a greater combat. Doubt it not; in three days you will be with me.’ Having uttered those prophetic words, he ascended to heaven, and from the height of the abode of God he could look down upon the triumph of his disciple.” (Quote by Neligan in his work “The Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs: From St. Peter to Pius IX., pub. 1867”)

“we are not to carry religion whithersoever we choose, but to follow it whithersoever it leads;” St. Vincent of Lerins. (Quoted by William Hayes Neligan in The Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs: From St. Peter to Pius IX., pub. 1867)

“The flames of mercy are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!

“My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace.

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

f“If God is the center of your life, no words will be needed. Your mere presence will touch their hearts.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

'Shall I show thee what God is? No one finds peace apart from Him.'    -St. Catherine of Genoa~

O blessed heavenly souls ! Help our misery and be our intercessors before the divine mercy.
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Soliloquies - chapter 13:1

"May the burning and must sweet power of Thy love, O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech Thee, absorb my mind, that I may die through love of Thy love, Who wast graciously pleased to die through love of my love."  -St. Francis of Assisi

“The rule of piety admits nothing new. All things are to be delivered to those who come after us with the same fidelity with which they were received by us. It is our duty to follow religion, not make religion follow us.”  St. Vincent of Lerins

”God guards with special protection a confiding client, and such an one may be sure no evil will betide him.” St. Vincent de Paul (1581.-1660.)

“The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.”   ― Saint Pope John Paul II

“The greater my unworthiness, the more abundant is his mercy.”  – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

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

“Were any one to ask me, no matter at what moment, "Of what are you thinking?" it seems to me I could reply, "God alone occupies my mind."' St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

"My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; urge all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls – no one have I excluded!"  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary,1182)

“We have no strong passion for great causes, no great hatred of evil, but only half-drawn swords and one-fisted battles. We have thrown away our maps of life and know not which way to turn. It is horrible to contemplate, but there is probably not enough love of truth in the world to start a crusade.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“If you succeed in overcoming temptation it has the effect of soap on dirty linen.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”  --St. Teresa of Calcutta

O incomprehensible Wisdow ! How necessary is all the love You have for creatures in order to endure so much madness and to wait for our cure.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Soliloquies - chapter 12 : 2

"The world may disagree with the Church, but the world knows very definitely with what it is disagreeing. In the future as in the past, the Church will be intolerant about the sanctity of marriage, for what God has joined together no man shall put asunder; she will be intolerant about her creed, and be ready to die for it, for she fears not those who kill the body, but rather those who have the power to cast body and soul into hell." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

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

“The devil is like a raging dog on a chain; outside the limit of the chain he can bite no-one. So keep your distance. If you get too close, you will be caught.”  St. Pio of  Pietrelcina

"Every Holy Hour we make so pleases the Heart of Jesus that it is recorded in Heaven and retold for all eternity."   - St.Teresa of Calcutta

“The works of God are not accomplished when we wish them, but whenever it pleases God.” – St. Vincent de Paul

St. Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse: “‘And you have left your first love: remember whence you have fallen.’ (Apoc. 2:4-5) He who falls, falls from a height: therefore He said whence: because, even to the very last, works of love must be practised; and this is the principal commandment. Finally, unless this is done, He threatened to remove their candlestick out of its place, that is, to disperse the congregation.” (Translated by Robert Ernest Wallis. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.))

“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

“God sent the human race a physician, a Savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!” — St. Augustine of Hippo

“Temptations, discouragement and unrest are the wares offered by the enemy. Remember this: if the devil makes noise, it is a sign that he is still outside and not yet within. That which must terrify us is his peace and concord with the human soul. That which comes from Satan begins with calmness and ends in storm, indifference and apathy.” -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“God often delays the conclusion of a holy endeavor so that those involved in it might merit the grace by the length of the work, their patience and their prayers.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"God's desire to save you is greater than that of your enemy to destroy you"   St Nicodemos, Unseen Warfare

“You should not pay so much attention to or dwell on certain gifts, but rather go to the Divine Source whence they proceed.”  St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

"Though time is too precious to waste, it must never be thought that what was lost is irretrievable. Once the Divine is introduced, then comes the opportunity to make up for losses. God is the God of the second chance....being born again means that all that went before is not held against us." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Peace of Soul)

“In our thoughts and at confession we must not dwell on sins that have been already confessed. Because of our contrition Jesus has forgiven them at the tribunal of penance. There He faced us and our miseries like a creditor in front of a debtor. With a gesture of infinite generosity He tore up and destroyed the bills we could certainly not have paid without the help of his divine clemency. To go back to these sins, to bring them up again just to have them forgiven again, because of doubt that they were really and abundantly remitted, would this not be considered a lack of trust in the goodness which He proved by his tearing up every document of debt contracted through sin?…. Dwell on them, if it is a source of comfort for your soul. By all means think of the offenses against justice, wisdom and the infinite mercy of God, but only for the purpose of weeping redemptive tears of repentance and love.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina  ( G. Festa, Tra i misteri della scienza e le luci della fede, 169)

“The Church and the world have a great need of eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease.” (Pope St. John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, 1980)

He who seeks not the cross of Christ seeks not the glory of Christ.  St. John of the Cross / Maxims on Love

My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners…[I]t is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 367)

"The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom."  - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Many remain at the foot of the mount who could ascent to the top ?.... I repeat and ask that you always have courageous thoughts. As a result of them, the Lord will give you grace for courageous deeds.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Meditations on the Song of Songs -
chapter 2 : 17

“Let us ask Our Lady to be with us. Let us ask her to give us her heart so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate – her heart so full of love and humility that we may be able to receive Jesus as the bread of life, that we may love Him as she loved Him and serve Him in the distressing disguise of the poor."  - St. Teresa of Calcutta

“Books are the most wonderful friends in the world.  When you meet them and pick them up, they are always ready to give you a few ideas.  When you put them down, they never get mad; when you take them up again, they seem to enrich you all the more.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“If you succeed in overcoming temptation it has the effect of soap on dirty linen.”   St. Pio. of Pietrelcina ( A. Del Fante, Per la Storia, 158)

"My spirit has become dry because it forgets to feed on You." ~St. John of the Cross

“Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, to thee,
All glory, honor, praise, and blessing be.
Thou only art deserving of the same;
No man is worthy to pronounce thy name.”
(St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon, from The Canticle of the Sun)

"What then will a Catholic Christian do, if a small portion of the Church have cut itself off from the communion of the universal faith? What, surely, but prefer the soundness of the whole body to the unsoundness of a pestilent and corrupt member? What, if some novel contagion seek to infect not merely an insignificant portion of the Church, but the whole? Then it will be his care to cleave to antiquity (Tradition), which at this day cannot possibly be seduced by any fraud of novelty".  ~ St. Vincent of Lerins

“Par. 7 ...However it has never been possible to prove oneself a Catholic by affirming those statements of the faith which one accepts and keeping silence on those doctrines which one decides not to profess. But without exception, all doctrines which the Church proposes must be accepted, as the history of the Church at all times bears witness. 8. ...For any man to be able to prove his Catholic faith and affirm that he is truly a Catholic, he must  be able to convince the Apostolic See of this. For this See is predominant and with it the faithful of the whole Church should agree.” Pope Pius IX, Quartus Supra, January 6, 1873 

“O Lord, cause my heart and my body to be undefiled, that I be not confounded.”  St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr. (Quoted by St. Bonaventure’s “The Life of Christ” Preface.)

“He who practices perfect obedience is dead to himself in order to live for God; he is not tossed here and there by his passions, but resembles a calm sea, unruffled by the tempest.”   St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491.-1556.)

“Clothe yourselves with the dispositions which animated your Master. When he approached a sick person, it was always in the name of the Father, and by the virtue of the Holy Spirit: thus, you should always bring with you the goodness and tenderness, the love and mercy of the Father and in your speech and actions remain dependent on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."  -St.Therese of Lisieux

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

The more I hear of Your great marvels and consider that You can add to them, the more my faith is strengthened.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  - Soliloquies - chapter 4:2

"To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there, and to live under her commands is more than to govern." -- Saint John Vianney

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

“It is a good thing, during the week that follows our communion-day, to do something more than usual; for example, to say five Our Fathers and Hail Maries with our arms extended, or an extra rosary.”  St. Philip Neri (1515-1595)

"You will be consoled according to the greatness of your sorrow and affliction; the greater the suffering, the greater will be the reward."  - St. Mary Magdalen de'Pazzi

"In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Don't let her name depart from your lips; never allow it to leave your heart. And that you may more surely obtain the assistance of her prayer, don't neglect to walk in her footsteps."  - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

When I went for adoration, I heard these words: My beloved daughter, write down these words, that today My Heart has rested in this convent [the Cracow house]. Tell the world about My mercy and My love.
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
My daughter, do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it -with peace.
Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary,1074)

“Do not abandon your soul to temptation, says the Holy Spirit, because the joy of the heart is the life of the soul, it is an inexhaustible treasure of sanctity; while sadness is the slow death of the soul and it is of no use to anyone.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina( Orologio della Passione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo … edited by Di Francia )

Pope St. Nicholas I (The Great), Letter 9, in the Collection of the Councils, by Labbe, p. 341., on Pope St. Victor I: “Victor was truly, as well as in name, a Victor [or conqueror] because he was martyrized for the traditions of the Church.” (Indirect Quote by William Hayes Neligan in “The Lives and Times of the Roman Pontiffs: From St. Peter to Pius IX.” pub. 1867)

Brother Roger, a Franciscan  of singular purity, being once asked why he was so reserved in his  intercourse with women, replied, that when men avoid the occasions of  sin, God preserves them; but when they expose themselves to danger, they  are justly abandoned by the Lord, and easily fall into some grievous transgressions.”  -  St. Alphonsus Liguori, The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, Mortification of the Eyes, p. 221

“We take our temperament with us wherever we go.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“The Kremlin is so clumsy in its atomic experiments that it may inadvertently set off a fatal explosion that would crack the planet.  The Russians are like a precocious child with a giant firecracker.  An atom bomb in the hands of St. Francis of Assisi would be no problem, but put an atom bomb in the hands of a Joseph Stalin and a terrible worldwide problem is created.  Russia is due for a tremendous religious reawakening, a return to traditional Holy Russia.  The ordinary Russian people have qualities of the soul.  There is now a psychological possibility for a great political explosion.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Stars and Stripes)

My God and Lord ! Blessed the soul You have raised up and is determined to please You always.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    Soliloquies - chapter 3:2

“Extend your mercy towards others, so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for us if God should withdraw His Mercy from us?”  -St. Vincent de Paul

“Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God’s hands for he will take care of you.” St. John the Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719)

“My past, O Lord, to your Mercy; my present, to your Love; my future, to your Providence!”  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

"Apostle of My mercy, proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties you encounter in proclaiming My mercy. .... this is meant for a great number of souls who will profit from it.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 1142)

“Birth Control – the words are not very proper because those who believe in it actually believe neither in birth or control” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers.”  -St. Maximilian Kolbe

 The Feast (April 23) of St. George “The Dragon Slayer”
Pope St. Gelasius I: “[St. George] whose name... [is] justly reverenced among men, ...whose actions are known ... to God.” (Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). “George, Saint”. Encyclopædia Britannica11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 737. In the canon of Pope Gelasius (494) George is mentioned in a list of those ‘whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God’)

St. Ambrose commenting on The Feast of St. George “The Dragon Slayer”: “George, the most Faithful Soldier of Jesus Christ, when as Religion was elsewhere dissembled, adventur’d boldly to confess the Name of God, to whom it pleased the Lord to give so much of Heavenly Grace, that he not only scorn’d the Tyrants, but contemned their Torments,” (Quoted by Thomas Salmon in his work “A New Historical Account of St. George for England, and the Original of the Most Noble Order of the Garter: Illustrated with Cutts”, who himself  cites a work “Liber Præfationum”)

“Let us depend entirely on God, full of confidence that no matter what men may do or say, all will turn to our good. Yes, should the whole world unite for our destruction, nothing can happen to us but by the permission of God, in whom we have placed our whole trust.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

The gain one can acquire or hope for from you, that is, to please God in all.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  Soliloquies - chapter 1:3

“May your heart always be a temple of the Holy Spirit.“  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

On one occasion, the Lord said to me, "Why are you fearful and why do you tremble when you are united to Me? I am displeased when a soul yields to vain terrors. Who will dare to touch you when you are with Me? Most dear to Me is the soul that strongly believes in My goodness and has complete trust in Me. I heap My confidence upon it and give it all it asks".  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.  (Diary 453)

“It makes no difference what you believe; it’s how you act. It makes no difference whether you have any rules in football; it depends upon how you play.  It makes no difference whether you believe triangles have three sides; it depends on how you draw: Can we not see if we believe wrongly, we will act wrongly?” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer Book)

 “4. ...After he had made of his heart an altar for the Lord, he offered upon it the incense of devout prayers to be taken up to the Lord at the hands of angels whose company he would soon join. 5. But that he might not be the only one to enjoy the blessings of the mountain, clinging exclusively to the embraces of Rachel, as it were to a life of contemplation lovely but sterile, he descended to the forbidden house of Leah to lead into the desert the flock fertile with twins (Cant 4:2) and seeking pastures of life (Gen 29). There, where the manna of heavenly sweetness restores all who have been separated from the noisy world, he would be seated with the princes of his people and crowned with the crown of justice. Sowing his seed in tears, he would come back rejoicing carrying his sheaves to the storehouse of eternity (Ps 125:5-6).”. Pope Gregory IX, Mira Circa Nos, July 16, 1228

“Attend therefore to what I say. The marriages of Jacob were types of that which Christ was about to accomplish. For it was not lawful for Jacob to marry two sisters at once. And he serves Laban for [one of] the daughters; and being deceived in [the obtaining of] the younger, he again served seven years. NowLeah is your people and synagogue; but Rachel is our Church. And for these, and for the servants in both, Christ even now serves. For while Noah gave to the two sons the seed of the third as servants, now on the other hand Christ has come to restore both the free sons and the servants among them, conferring the same honour on all of them who keep His commandments; even as the children of the free women and the children of the bond women born to Jacob were all sons, and equal in dignity. And it was foretold what each should be according to rank and according to fore-knowledge. Jacob served Laban for speckled and many-spotted sheep; and Christ served, even to the slavery of the cross, for the various and many-formed races of mankind, acquiring them by the blood and mystery of the cross. Leah was weak-eyed; for the eyes of your souls are excessively weak. Rachel stole the gods of Laban, and has hid them to this day; and we have lost our paternal and material gods. Jacob was hated for all time by his brother; and we now, and our Lord Himself, are hated by you and by all men, though we are brothers by nature. Jacob was called Israel; and Israel has been demonstrated to be the Christ, who is, and is called, Jesus.”  St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Caput 134

“How fortunate we are to honor the poor family of Our Lord by the poverty and lowliness of our own.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"A ship with a good navigator comes safely to port, God willing. A soul with a good shepherd climbs easily heavenward, even if it has earlier done much wrong." St. John Climacus (525 – 606)

“Seek union with God and buoy yourself up with hope—that sure virtue!—because Jesus will illuminate the way for you with the light of his mercy, even in the darkest night.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá; The Forge)

“O name of Mary! Joy in the heart, honey in the mouth, melody to the ear of Her devout clients!”  - St. Anthony of Padua

Lord, I want to forget myself and look only at how I can serve You and have no other desire than to do Your will.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Meditations on the Song of Songs - chapter 4 : 12

“Give up your own will and submit your judgment whenever you have the opportunity of so doing, for I think that this is very pleasing to God.”  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

All this I created for you, My spouse; and know that all this beauty is nothing compared to what I have prepared for you in eternity. WORDS OF JESES TO ST. FAUSTINA.  (Diary, 158)

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” (St. Augustine of Hippo)

“It is very difficult to do any good without conflict.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"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."  - St. Louis Marie de Montfort

"Beauty in a woman and strength in a man are two of the most evident spurs to love. Physical beauty and vitality increase vigor in each other, but it is to be noticed that beauty in a woman and strength in a man are given by God to serve the purposes of allurement. They come at that age of life when men and women are urged to marry one another. They are not permanent possessions. They are something like the frosting on a cake, or like the electric starter of an automobile motor. If love were based only on the fact that she is a model and he is a fullback on a football team, marriage would never endure. But just as the frosting on the cake leads to the cake itself, so too do these allurements pass on to greater treasures." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Oh what joy there is in spiritual battles! It suffices to know how to fight in order to be certain of victory”.  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

St Optatus, of Mela in Africa, addressing the Donatists: “To err knowingly is a sin: the ignorant are some times pardoned. You cannot deny that you know the Episcopal chair in the city of Rome was first bestowed on Peter: that Peter, the head of all the Apostles, sat therein; in which one chair unity should be preserved by all—so that now, whoever would place another chair against this one, would be guilty of schism.” (S. Optatus)

"O love of my soul, most Holy Sacrament; oh that I could always remember Thee, to forget everything else, and that I could love Thee alone without interruption and without reserve! Ah, my Jesus, Thou alone shalt always be the only Lord of my heart and my will."  St. Alphonsus Liguori~

Behold His wounds, Lord, and since He pardoned those who inflicted them, may You pardon us.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  Soliloquies - chapter 11 : 3W

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

"It is best to learn to silence the faculties and to cause themm to be still, so that God may speak." -St. John of the Cross

I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 1059).

"There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice." St. Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

"If there were any other exit from an empty tomb than through the door of the Cross, Our Lord would have passed through it; if there were any other way to have all things added to us than seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Justice, Our Lord would never have commanded it. We are merely scratching the surface of the world's ills, covering the world's prejudice with face powder, soothing national concerns with alcohol rubs, changing our title of property without uprooting selfishness. Very simply, unless man is reformed, the world will never be remade for there is no escaping the Easter lesson: Reform man and you re-make the world!" Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Confession which is the purification of the soul should be made no later than every eight days; I cannot bear to keep souls away from confession for more than eigh days -St. Pio of Pietrelcina  (Archives )

“The Lord’s triumph, on the day of the Resurrection, is final. Where are the soldiers the rulers posted there? Where are the seals that were fixed to the stone of the tomb? Where are those who condemned the Master? Where are those who crucified Jesus? He is victorious, and faced with his victory those poor wretches have all taken flight. Be filled with hope: Jesus Christ is always victorious.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Forge, 660)

 “[The Apostolic Church] has never erred [Latin: numquam erasse].” (attributed to the Pope by Gratian, as cited by Hugaccio, Summa ad 24 q. 1 c. 9). - Pope St. Eusebius:

 “‘Oh,  my children,’ Mary seems to say to us with these words, ‘when the enemy assails you, lift your eyes to me and behold me and take courage; for in me, who defends you, you will behold, at the same time, your victory.’”  St. Albert the Great. (As quoted by St. Alphonsus in “The Glories of Mary” Section II, “How Powerful is Mary in Protecting Those Who Invoke Her in Temptations of the Devil.”)

“The laborers of the Gospel are treasures who deserve to be well taken care of.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians.” St. Francis Xavier

“Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God’s hands for he will take care of you.”   – St. John the Baptist de La Salle

“Walk with simplicity in the ways of the Lord and do not torment your spirit. You must hate your faults, but with a quiet hate, not troublesome and restless.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina. ( Letters III, p.583)

It seems to me the Holy Spirit must be a mediator between the Soul and God, the One who moves it with such ardent desires, for He enkindles it in avsupreme fire, which is so near.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Meditations on the Song of Songs -
chapter 5 : 5

"Easter is not automatic. Not in vain is its symbol--the egg. The hard shell of egotism, avarice and immorality has to be broken, before the inner life begins to appear. America on the cross-roads of civilization is having forced on it the burdens of the world. Its day of resurrection will be when it sees that, not like Atlas is it bearing the world, but like the Savior, it is walking on it and carrying His Cross." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“We shall steer safely through every storm so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God.” -St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“Beg God to grant us a genuine spirit of mercy which is the spiritual characteristic of God.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Be careful never to become discouraged when you see yourself surrounded by spiritual infirmities. If God lets you fall into some weakness, it is not to abandon you, but only to establish in you humility and make you more careful in the future.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina (A. Serritelli, Notizie su P. Pio, 42)

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

"Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you." Saint Jerome (347-420)

"And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross."  – St. Catherine of Sienna

Love turns work into rest.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Soliloquies - chaptres 5 : 2

"God has no need of anyone to carry out his work of sanctification, but just as he allows a skillful gardener to raise rare and delicate plants, so does he wish to aided in sanctifying souls."  -St. Therese of Lisieux

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”   -Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“God, heal your creature, that he not be ruled by the enemy.”  --St. Poemen~

“Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God’s heart.”  -Saint Maximilian Kolbe

"A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.”  Saint Dominic

“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

“God Himself, all the glorious spirits, and the whole family of the eternal King wait for us, and desire that we should be associated to them; and shall not we pant above all things to be admitted into their happy company? He would appear amongst them with great confusion, who had not in this valley of tears continually raised his soul above all things visible to become already, in ardent desire, an inhabitant of those blessed regions.”—St. Bonaventure. Doctor of the Church
(Quoted in Fr. Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints, on the chapter of the same saint.)

“The two most evident symptoms of the breakdown of the family are: divorce and voluntary or deliberate sterility, i.e. broken contracts and frustrated loves.  Divorce destroys the stability of the family; voluntary sterility destroys its continuity, Divorce makes the right of living souls hang up the caprice of the senses and the terminable pact of selfish fancy; while voluntary sterility makes a covenant with death, extracting from love its most ephemeral gift while disclaiming all its responsibilities.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Philosophies at War)

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.” —St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, The Paschal Sermon

"A ship with a good navigator comes safely to port, God willing. A soul with a good shepherd climbs easily heavenward, even if it has earlier done much wrong."  -- Saint John Climacus

“For her part, Mary did not fail to live up to her station as the Mother of Christ. When the apostles fled, she stood before the Cross and gazed tenderly on the wounds of her Son, because she was waiting, not for her Son’s death, but for the salvation of the world.” -St. Ambrose of Milan, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Oh, hardness of human hearts ! May Your boundless compassion, my God, soften these hearts.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Soliloquies - chapter 10 : 3

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.  - St. Francis de Sales

O Mary, you give assistance to everyone endeavoring to rise to God! - St. Bridget of Sweden

"There is still time for endurance, time for patience, time for healing, time for change. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside.”  St.Basil

Believe the incredible and you can do the impossible. It is our want of faith that holds us back, even as Peter.  When did he begin to sink?  The Gospel gives us the reason. He took account of the winds, he began reading some surveys; it was established statistically that 99.44 percent of mankind cannot walk on water.  All of the incredulities were in the winds.  When he took his eyes off Christ, Peter began to sink.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

This is the wonderful truth, my dear friends: the Word, which became flesh two thousand years ago is present today in the Eucharist.  St John Paul II

Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God's heart. - Saint Maximilian Kolbe

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

“Our faith tells us that all who believe in Christ will never die; indeed faith assures us that Christ is not dead, nor shall we die. The Lord himself will come down from heaven and there will be the command of the archangel’s voice and the sound of the trumpet; then those who were united with Christ in death will rise. Let the hope of resurrection encourage us, then, because we shall see again those whom we lose here below.” — St. Braulio

“I place trust in God, in all things; I love Him with all my heart”. -St. Joan of Arc

"Softened and humbled by aridities and trials in which God exorcises the soul in the courses of this night, individuals become meek toward God and themselves, and also toward their neighbor."  -St. John of the Cross

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 Liguori

I want to possess all, my God. May I enjoy peacefully so much beauty.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  Soliloquies - chapter 14 : 2

“But if these beings angels guard you, they do so because they have been summoned by your prayers.”  St. Ambrose of Milan

“Nature grows weary of austerity.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“It is one thing to observe facts, another thing to interpret them.  Facts as facts mean nothing experience as experience means nothing.  A cat walking through a laboratory sees the test tubes and retorts just as well as the scientist – in fact sees them better in the dark.  But the cat can make no conclusions concerning the facts, simply because it lacks the power of reason.  It is reasoning on experience, then, that makes interpretation, and therefore I say that we are no better equipped today to interpret facts than the ancients were; we have only better facts to interpret.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Old Errors and New Labels)

“I recommend to thee, my Brother, patience in all thy works, so that no matter what impediments thou meetest with either from the brethren or from others, even if they were to strike thee, thou shouldst receive it as a favour, and desire that and nothing else. And thou shouldst love those who act thus towards thee, and not wish them to be different until the Lord grants it for thy consolation—But thou must love them by desiring that they become better Christians.”—St. Francis of Assisi

The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.”  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary, 754)

“Our labor here is brief, but the reward is eternal. So, do not be disturbed by the clamor of the world, which passes like a shadow. Do not the let false delights of  this  world deceive you.”  St Clare of Assisi

'It is not possible, O Lady, that thou shouldst abandon him who has placed his hope in thee.'   --St. Bernard

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

Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore. She ruled our Ruler; she carried Him in whom we are; she gave milk to our Bread. - St. Augustine

'Blessed the one who stands in the assembly and prays like an Angel from heaven, keeping his thoughts pure day by day, and has given no entrance to the Evil One to make his soul a prisoner, far from God his Saviour.'  St. Ephrem of Syria

O love that loves me more than I can love myself or understand !  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila Soliloquies - chapter 17:1

“Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary”   - Pope Blessed Pius IX

“A reason is something we give before a conclusion is reached; an excuse is something we give for not following out the conclusion.  Reasons generally are sincere; excuses generally are a rationalization of conduct.  A reason is a reality; an excuse is an invention, or at least a weak reason.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

”We must have confidence in God, Who is what He always has been, and we must not be disheartened because things turn out contrary to us.” St. Philip

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” (Pope St. John Paul II)

"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." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. ( Diary 1572)

“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

“Rest assured that the more a soul is pleasing to God, the more it must be tried. Therefore, courage, and go forward always.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III, P. 401)

“Unless there is a Good Friday in our lives, there will never be an Easter Sunday. The Cross is the condition of the empty tomb, and the crown of thorns is the preface to the halo of light.”  - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Pope St. Celestine V, on being detained after his voluntary abdication: “I desired nothing in the world but a cell; and a cell they have given me.” (Quoted by Fr. Alban Butler in his work “Lives of the Saints”)

 “It is, in fine, to this Sacred Heart we should continually strive to unite ours—no longer wishing to have other desires or sentiments than those of Jesus—and then we may be sure that His will and His Sacred Heart may, so to speak, merge into our heart, and that the two will be as one. Draw waters at leisure out of the Savior’s fountains: you will never exhaust them.”  St. Peter Damian  (Quoted by Charles Kenny in Half-Hours with the Saints and Servants of God: Including Biographical Notes)

‘When you see the storm coming, if you seek safety in that firm refuge which is Mary, there will be no danger of your wavering or going down.’  -St. Josemaria Escriva

What is necessary, daughters, is that we be content with little. St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  Meditations on the Song of Songs -chapter 2 : 10

“Men think that evil must come in the disguise of a germ, or a bomb, or a raid, or an explosion, or a train wreck, or a bank failure, forgetful that the greatest grief can come to man under the disguise of human ideals.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (For God and Country)

"Jesus Christ, after having given us all He could give, that is to say, the merit of His toils, His sufferings, and bitter death; after having given us His adorable body and blood to be the food of our souls, willed also to give us the most precious thing He had left, which was His holy Mother." - St. John Vianney

THE POWER OF CHRIST'S BLOOD

If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. Sacrifice a lamb without blemish, commanded Moses, and sprinkle its blood on your doors. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord’s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master’s side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord’s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

There flowed from his side water and blood. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit, and from the holy eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim:
"Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh! "
As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.

From the Catecheses
by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

“There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us. And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life in the Holy Spirit, that new life which will reach its fulfillment in the resurrection. This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.” — Pope St. John Paul II

“Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.”  -St. Bonaventure

If only they would learn something, from the humility of the most Blessed Virgin Mary.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Meditations on the Song of Songs -chapter 6 : 7

"Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor."
St. Teresa of Calcutta

"It is fitting that the Son of God should preserve Mary from sin since she was to be his mother. No other man could choose his mother. But if such a thing could be granted to anyone, who would wish for a slave if he could choose a queen? Who would wish for a servant if he could choose a noble lady? And if he could choose a friend of God, would he not wish for the Devil's greatest enemy?"
- St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri

“Since our Divine Lord came to die, it was fitting that there be a Memorial of his death.  Since he was God, as well as man, and since he never spoke of his death without speaking of his Resurrection, should he not himself institute the precise memorial of his own death?  And that is exactly what he did the night of the Last Supper.  His Memorial was instituted, not because he would die and be buried, but because he would live again after the Resurrection.  His Memorial would be the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets; it would be one in which there would be a Lamb sacrificed to commemorate spiritual freedom; above all, it would be a Memorial of a New Covenant, a Testament between God and man.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

“Be firmly convinced that the more the assaults of the enemy increase, the closer God is to the soul. Think of, and ponder well, this great and comforting truth.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

St. Catherine Labouré recounting Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal’s message: “While occupied in contemplating this vision, the Blessed Virgin cast her eyes upon me, and a voice said in the depths of my heart: ‘The globe that you see represents the entire world, and particularly France, and each person in particular.’ . . . And the Blessed Virgin added: ‘Behold the symbol of the graces I shed upon those who ask me for them,’ thus making me understand how generous she is to all who implore her intercession. . . . There now formed around the Blessed Virgin a frame slightly oval, upon which appeared, in golden letteers, these words: ‘O Mary! conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!’ Then I heard a voice which said: ‘Have a medal struck upon this model; persons who wear it indulgenced will receive many graces, especially if they wear it around the neck; graces will be abundantly bestowed upon those who have confidence.’” (Quoted in “The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church” by Rev. A. A. Lambing, LL.D., Nihil Obstat: D. J. McMAHON, D.D., Censor Librorum., Imprimatur: +Michael Augustine, Archbishop of New York; New York, September 1, 1892., CH. XIV.— THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL., pg. 181)

“The physicist proves the earth to be round by one means, the astronomer by another: for the latter proves this by means of mathematics, e.g. by the shapes of eclipses, or something of the sort; while the former proves it by means of physics, e.g. by the movement of heavy bodies towards the centre, and so forth.” St.  Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica

“We must strive to soften our hearts and make them sensitive to the suffering and worries of the neighbor.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"Flee turmoil and anxiety with all your strength. Otherwise all your spiritual efforts will have little success or bear no fruit. We know for certain that when our spirit is in distress, the attacks of the enemy are more frequent and more direct. He profits from our natural weakness to succeed in his purposes. Let us be on the alert about this very important point. Whenever we fall into discouragement, let us stir up our faith and entrust ourselves to the arms of the heavenly Father, who is always ready to receive whoever sincerely comes to him."  -St. Pio of Pietrlcina

"I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy,
I woke and I saw that life is all service.
I served and I saw that service is joy."      
- St. Teresa of Calcutta

“We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery – the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!”  Pope Saint  John Paul II

"When we see how wretched we our, we should not keep looking at ourselves but should look on our well-beloved Jesus.:  -St. Therese of Lisieux

However if the Cross is loved, it is easy to bear; this is certain.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  Meditations on the Song of Songs -chapter 2 : 26

"The measure of love is love without measure".  St. Bernard of Clairvaux

”There will be voices that try to lead you away from God and His will for your life. Be brave enough to listen and respond to His alone.”  Saint John Paul II

"The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary."  - Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

"Sufferings well received will prove our passport to eternity."  - St. Louise de Marillac

"Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you."  --Saint Jerome

“Take heart and don’t fear the gloomy wrath of Lucifer. Always remember this, that it is a good sign when the enemy makes an uproar and roars around your will, as this shows he is not within you. Courage, my most beloved daughter, I offer you these words with great feeling and in Jesus; courage I say! There is no need to fear when we can say with determination, even if without feeling: “Long live Jesus!”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina.  (Letters III, p. 414).

“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 Laboure

“Patience is not a spineless submission to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune; it is not a mere gritting of teeth or hanging on; it is rather the acceptance of what we would reject, the bearing of what we hate, a renewed decision, day after day to accept what we do not want, and to suffer without complaint what we cannot change.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

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

Lord, I want to forget myself and look only at howbI can serve You and have no other desire than to do Your will.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila     Meditations on the Song of Songs - chapter 4 : 12

“When our Lord surrendered His Spirit to the Heavenly Father on Good Friday, and was cold like all dead men, friends who had shut themselves up in their houses, and anonymous admirers who hid their light under a bushel, now began to appear.  They were not with Him in His agony, when He needed them, but they were with Him in His death, as weavers of wreaths, as weepers of glittering tears, and as eulogists of the dead.  One of these friends was Joseph of Arimathea, who secretly loving the Saviour, was yet not bold enough to declare it while he was alive.  He would now diminish his remorse by providing a tomb for the executed friend.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lenten & Easter Inspirations)

"Our Lord does not so much look at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them."  St. Therese of Lisieux

“Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”  -St. Rose of Lima

“They not only fail from resisting this frailty [of fallen human nature] … but do even worse as they commit the cursed sin against nature. Like the blind and stupid, having dimmed the light of their understanding, they do not recognize the disease and misery in which they find themselves. For this not only causes Me nausea, but displeases even the demons themselves, whom these miserable creatures have chosen as their lords. For Me, this sin against nature is so abominable that, for it alone, five cities were submersed, by virtue of the judgment of My Divine Justice, which could no longer bear them…. It is disagreeable to the demons, not because evil displeases them and they find pleasure in good, but because their nature is angelic and thus is repulsed upon seeing such an enormous sin being committed. It is true that it is the demon who hits the sinner with the poisoned arrow of lust, but when a man carries out such a sinful act, the demon leaves.” (St. Catherine of Siena)

"Where neither the appetites nor concupiscence reign there is no disturbance but only God's peace and consolation."  -St. John of the Cross

"My child, do not be discouraged. I know your boundless trust in Me; I know you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in detail about everything that weighs so heavily upon your heart." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary ,1487)

Lord ! If I am not close to You; what am I worth ? If I stray a little from Your Majesty where will I end up ?  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. Meditations on the Song of Songs - chapter 4 : 8

c“Do we have the happiness of having God as our Master, with the result that His virtues find no resistance in us?”  – St. Vincent de Paul

"The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.".  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 1273)

"My dear Father, what is God’s purpose in allowing the devil so much freedom? Despair is trying to take hold of me, yet, believe me, Father, I have no intention of displeasing God. I cannot account for and much less understand how it can ever be possible that such a resolute will prepared to do good can be combined with all these human miseries. If you perceive, then, that my soul is in danger, help me, for I want at all costs to save my soul and to offend God no more.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Let us hasten with confidence to Christ’s throne of grace, and with prayers and profound contrition, let us beg Him to repeat for every one of us the words He said to His mother, ‘Behold your Son.’ In the same way, as He looks at Mary, may He repeat to every one of us the wonderful invitation: 'Behold your mother.’”  - St. Robert Bellarmine

'I seem not to have suffered anything as yet and, consequently, I feel I have done nothing for my God.' St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

”God guards with special protection a confiding client, and such an one may be sure no evil will betide him.”  -Saint Vincent de Paul

"Think what must have been in the soul of the Virgin when, after the Incarnation, she possessed within her the Incarnate Word, the gift of God... In what silence, what recollection, what adoration she must have been wrapped in the depths of her soul in order to embrace this God whose Mother she was." -- St Elizabeth of the Trinity, L183, to her sister

This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us. He will teach us these things. In beholding His Life we find that He is the best example.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Book of Her Life - chapter 22 : 7

"Jesus deems to look only at the little virtues we offer to him, and these virtues give him consolation."  -St. Therese of Lisieux

“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)

"I am in the hands of the devil who is trying to snatch me from the arms of Jesus. Dear God! What a war he is waging against me! There are moments in which I am on the point of losing my reason through the continual violence I must do myself. How many tears and groans, dear Father, I send up to heaven in order to be set free. But no matter, I will never tire of praying to Jesus.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

The next day, after Communion, I heard the voice saying, My daughter, look into the abyss of My mercy and give praise and glory to this mercy of Mine. Do it in this way: Gather all sinners from the entire world and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. I want to give Myself to souls; I yearn for souls, My daughter. On the day of My feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the spring of My mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 206 )

"We must receive with respect whatever God presents to us, and then examine the situation with its circumstances in order to do what is most expedient."  - St. Vincent de Paul

“Let them entertain an ardent and pious devotion towards the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God. Let them strive to imitate her sublime virtues, and merit her seasonable protection admist so many dangers.”  —St. Paul of the Cross. Founder of the Passionist Order

The Lord helps us, strengthens us, and never fails, He is a true friend.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Book of Her Life - chapter 22 : 6

“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.” - St. John Paul II

"The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment"  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. Gf(Diary 699).

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

“Mary was chosen by God to be His Mother and was even prepared for that honor by being preserved free from the primal sin that had infected all humanity. If she were so prepared, would she be free to accept or to reject, and would her answer be the full fruit of her free will? The answer is that her redemption was already completed but that she had not yet accepted or ratified it. It was, in a way, something like our dilemma. We are baptized as infants, and our bodies become temples of God, as our souls have been filled with infused virtues. We become not just creatures made by God but partakers in Divine nature. All this is done in Baptism before our freedom blossoms, the Church standing responsible for our spiritual birth as our parents did for our physical birth. Later on, however, we ratify that original endowment by the free acts of our moral lives — by receiving the Sacraments, by prayers, and by sacrifices. So, too, Mary's redemption was completed — as our Baptism was completed — but she had not yet accepted, ratified, or confirmed it before she gave her consent to the Angel. She was planned for a role in the drama of redemption by God, as a child is planned for a musical career by his physical parents, but it was not fulfilled until this moment. The Holy Trinity never possesses a creature without the consent of his will. When, therefore, Mary had heard how this was to take place, she uttered words that are the greatest pledge of liberty and the greatest charter of freedom the world has ever heard: "Be it done unto me according to thy word." As in Eden there took place the first espousals of man and woman, so, in her, there took place the first espousals of God and man, eternity and time, omnipotence and bonds. In answer to the question "Will you give me a man?" the marriage ceremony of love becomes bathed with new depths of freedom: "I will." And the Word was conceived in her.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (World’s First Love)

“Don't let temptations frighten you. They are the trials of the souls that God wants to put to the test when He sees them strong enough to sustain the battle, weaving with their own hands, the crown of glory. Up to now your life has been that of an infant; now the Lord wants to treat you as an adult. And as the trials of adult life are much greater than those of an infant, this is why you find yourself rather disorganized in the beginning. But the soul will acquire its calm, and the calm will not delay in coming. Be patient a while longer and everything will work out well.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcinar

 “But how we know and speak regarding the Virgin Mother of God, and The Formula of Union, approved by Pope St. Sixtus III: “But how we know and speak regarding the Virgin Mother of God, and about the manner of the incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God, necessary not because of increase but for satisfaction, we have taken and possess from above, from the divine Scriptures as well as from the tradition of the holy fathers, and we speak briefly, adding nothing at all to the faith of the holy Fathers, which was set forth at Nicea. For, as we have already said, this suffices for all understanding of piety and for all renunciation of heretical perfidy. But we speak not presuming the unlawful, but by confession of special weakness excluding those who wish to rise up against what we regard as beyond man.” the manner of the incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God, necessary not because of increase but for satisfaction, we have taken and possess from above, from the divine Scriptures as well as from the tradition of the holy fathers, and we speak briefly, adding nothing at all to the faith of the holy Fathers, which was set forth at Nicea. For, as we have already said, this suffices for all understanding of piety and for all renunciation of heretical perfidy. But we speak not presuming the unlawful, but by confession of special weakness excluding those who wish to rise up against what we regard as beyond man.”  The Formula of Union, approved by Pope St. Sixtus III

 “When for an immense period of time, more than four thousand years, the human race lay in misery, on account of the sin of the first man, not one soul being able to soar to his native Country; the blessed angelical spirits, we can imagine, compassionated so great a fall, and anxious for the restoration of their own ranks, when ‘the fulness of time had now come,’ assembling themselves together, presented themselves before God, and falling down on their faces before Him, devoutly and earnestly pressed upon Him their supplications and said, ‘O Lord, it pleased Thy Majesty to make the rational creature, namely man, because of Thy goodness, that he might be here with us, and that the restoration of our numbers might be brought about by his presence. But behold! the whole race is perishing, and not one is saved; and throughout the ages which are past we see our enemies triumphing over all, when instead of our ranks being filled up, the caverns of hell are crowded. Wherefore then, O Lord, didst Thou make man? “Why are the souls which confess to Thee, delivered to beasts?” (Ps. lxxiv. 20. V.) l And if this be in accord with Thy justice, yet now is the time of mercy. And if their first parents unwarily transgressed Thy commandment, let Thy mercy come to their help. Remember that Thou didst create them in Thy own likeness. Extend, O Lord, mercifully Thy hand to them, and replenish them mercifully. The eyes of all look to Thee, “as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters,” (Ps. cxxiii. 2.) until Thou wilt have mercy, and deliver the human race by a saving remedy.’” St. Bonaventure, The Life of Christ, Ch. 1

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage". St Francis of Assisi

 Just believing that You are all powerful was enough for me to receive all the grandeurs that You work, and this power, as I say, I never doubted.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  The Book of Her Life - chapter 19 : 9

“'Everyone receives what he deserves in accordance with his inner state. But only God understands the many different ways in which this happens.”  St. Mark the Ascetic (5th c.)

“Duplicity is not pleasing to God and to be truly simple we should propose to ourselves no other end but to please God alone.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

”I have great doubts about the salvation of those who do not have special devotion to Mary.”
- St. Francis Borgia

“I keep up the Holy Hour to grow more and more into his likeness. As Paul puts it: "We are transfigured into his likeness, from splendor to splendor." We become like that which we gaze upon. Looking into a sunset, the face takes on a golden glow. Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart in a mysterious way as the face of Moses was transformed after his companionship with God on the mountain. Something happens to us similar to that which happened to the disciples at Emmaus. On Easter Sunday afternoon when the Lord met them, he asked why they were so gloomy. After spending some time in his presence, and hearing again the secret of spirituality - "The Son of Man must suffer to enter into his Glory" - their time with him ended and their "hearts were on fire." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Treasure in Clay)

May the joy of the risen Jesus Christ be with you. To bring joy into our very soul the good God has given Himself to us. In Bethlehem, “joy” said the angel. In His life, He wanted to share His joy with His apostles “that My joy may be in you”. Joy was the password of the first Christians. Saint Paul—how often he repeated himself: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice” (Phil 4:4). In return for the great grace of baptism the priest tells the newly baptized: “May you serve the Church joyfully.” Joy is not simply a matter of temperament in the service of God and souls. It is always hard—all the more reason why we should try to acquire it and make it grow in our hearts.  —St. Teresa of Calcutta

In the first place, let our prayers be directed towards disarming Divine wrath with regard to our own country.  -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"My Heart is sorrowful, Jesus said, because even chosen souls do not understand the greatness of My mercy. Their relationship [with Me] is, in certain ways, imbued with mistrust. Oh, how much that wounds My Heart . Remember My Passion, and if you do not believe My words, at least believe My wounds."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. ( Diary 379)

If something uncharitable is said in your presence, either speak in favor of the absence, or withdraw, or if possible, stop the conversation.  - St. John Vianney

It seemed to me that the more the things of faith go beyond what is natural the stronger the faith and this thought enkindled great devotion in me.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  The Book of Her Life - chapter 19 : 9

'I assure you I possess naught but my Saviour Jesus Christ. Therefore He often says to me: "What wouldst thou do without Me? Thou wouldst be poor indeed!" ' St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

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

“Don’t make an effort to overcome your temptations, because these efforts would strengthen them. Despise them and do not dwell on them. Call to your imagination, Jesus Christ Crucified in your arms and on your breast. And say, kissing his side a number of times: “this is my hope; the living source of my happiness. I will hold You tightly, Jesus, and will not let You go until You have placed me in a safe place”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina.  (Letters III, pp. 573-574).

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

“Our principal aim is the instruction of the country people, and the service we render to the ecclesiastical state is merely accessory to that.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“What is most peculiar about Easter is that although the followers of Jesus had heard Him say He would break the bonds of death, when He actually did, no one believed it…The followers were not expecting a Resurrection and, therefore, did not imagine they saw something of which they were ardently hoping.  Even Mary Magdalene, who within that very week had been told about the Resurrection when she saw her own brother raised to life from a grave, did not believe it.  She came on Sunday morning to the tomb with spices to anoint a body – not to greet a Risen Savior.  On the way, the question of the women was who will roll back the stone?  Their problem was how they could get in; not whether the Savior would get out.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Way to Inner Peace)

We must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptations, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshhold when he knocks.  - St. Francis de Sales

D

"Is not Jesus pointing to children even as models for grownups?"  - Pope John Paul II

"To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look on its greatness, but the greatness of its humility."  -St. John of the Cross

 I write this for the consolation of weak souls like myself that they might never despair or fail to trust in the greatness of God.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Book of Her Life - chapter 19 : 3

"It is not for you to know how this will come about. Your duty is to be faithful to My grace and to do always what is within your power and what obedience allows you to do...". WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.  (Diary 1650)

“Observe well that as long as you are displeased by the temptations you have nothing to fear. But why are you sorry about this, if not because you don’t want to experience it? These troublesome temptations come from the evil of the devil. But the displeasure and suffering we experience come from the mercy of God, who, contrary to our enemy’s will, draws holy tribulations from his malice, through which He purifies the gold that wants to be a part of his treasure. Furthermore, your temptations come from the devil but your suffering and afflictions come from God and Paradise. The mother is from Babylon, but the children are from Jerusalem. Despise the temptations and embrace the tribulation. No, no, my daughter, let the wind blow, and do not believe the noise of leaves is the blast of arms.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina. (Letters III, pp. 636-637).

“It was only fitting that the Virgin to whose care God the Father was pleased to confide His only Son should shine with a dazzling purity surpassing all but that of God Himself."  - St. Anselm

“The very wisdom of God seemed to speak through the Dominicans when there rose up among them such heralds and defenders of Christian wisdom as Hyacinth Polonus, Peter the Martyr, Vincent Ferrer, and such miracles of genius and erudition as Albert the Great, Raymond de Penafort, Thomas Aquinas, in whom especially, a follower of Dominic, God ‘deigned to enlighten his Church.’ This Order, therefore, always in honor as the teacher of truth, acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master and patron of Catholic schools.”  Pope Benedict XV, Fausto Appetente Die, June 29, 1921

 “Thus the theme is clear. And I am in the moral material, therefore on that day only the sheep shall be on his right hand, when he says, ‘And he shall set,’ etc.  Therefore, on that day it will be better to be a sheep of Jesus Christ than to have been a pope, or king, or emperor.  Now, I see in sacred scripture that a man becomes and is revealed to be a sheep of Jesus Christ from five virtues, even if he had been the devil’s goat before, namely by:
   Simple innocence,
   Ample mercy,
   Steadfast patience,
   True obedience,
   Worthy penance.”
St. Vincent Ferrer, Sermon on the Last Judgment, (Mt 25:33  Sheep and goats)

“Raise your soul to God and listen to what He will tell you on the subject.” – St. Vincent de Paul

"Whatever you do, think not of yourself, but of God."  St Vincent Ferrer

“External actions are signs of internal reverence.” — St. Thomas Aquinas

"If there were any other exit from an empty tomb than through the door of the Cross, Our Lord would have passed through it; if there were any other way to have all things added to us than seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Justice, Our Lord would never have commanded it. We are merely scratching the surface of the world's ills, covering the world's prejudice with face powder, soothing national concerns with alcohol rubs, changing our title of property without uprooting selfishness. Very simply, unless man is reformed, the world will never be remade for there is no escaping the Easter lesson: Reform man and you re-make the world!" Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Two Revolutions)

“The kingdom of God is peace in the Holy Spirit; He will reign in you if your heart is at peace. So, be at peace and you will honor in a sovereign way the God of peace and love.”  ― St. Vincent de Paul

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

"What does it mean to take up your cross? It means the willing acceptance, at the hand of Providence, of every means of healing, bitter though it may be, that is offered. Do great catastrophies fall on you? Be obedient to God’s will, as Noah was. Is sacrifice demanded of you? Give yourself into God’s hands with the same faith as Abram had when he went to sacrifice his son. Is your property ruined? Do your children die suddenly? Suffer it all with patience, cleaving to God in your heart, as Job did. Do your friends forsake you, and you find yourself surrounded by enemies? Bear it all without grumbling, and with faith that God’s help is at hand, as the apostles did."  St. Nikolai Velimirovic
"Homilies"

"There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things that we could use."  Saint Teresa of Calcutta

"God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.  – St. Augustine

"Lord Jesus “conform my spirit to your blessed humanity, filling my mind with knowledge and my memory with a continual recollection of You, my will with an ardent affection for your Majesty, [conform] my soul to your very holy soul... Enlighten me inwardly with the light of your Divinity, all the more so as I believe, by it, that you are totally within me. By this means, I very humbly beg you to look from now on through my eyes, speak by my tongue, and accomplish by all my members and senses the things which are agreeable to you.: V.E. f°19."   Bl. Marie of the Incarnation

God always understands us and is with us. There is no doubt about this understanding and presence.
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  The Book of Her Life - chapter 14 : 6

“A spiritual man rises above covetousness and masters it to the point of depriving himself voluntarily of his own satisfactions, but with difficulty do they succeed in truly loving the hurt that comes to them from others.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 300)

"Hail, most pure Virgin Mother, worthy of praise and veneration, fount of gushing waters, treasure of innocence, and splendor of sanctity! O Mary, lead us to the port of peace and salvation, to the glory of Christ who lives in eternity with the Father and with the Holy Spirit."  - St. Germanus

“Doesn't the Holy Spirit tell us that when the soul approaches God it must prepare itself for temptations? Courage, therefore, courage my good daughter. Fight valiantly and you will receive the prize of strong souls.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"On the Way of the Cross, you see, my children, only the first step is painful.
Our greatest cross is the fear of crosses …" St. John Vianney

"It is temptation which harasses you and nothing but empty fears which terrify. What does anxiety about the future bring you, except sadness upon sadness. Sufficient to the day is its own evil (Mt. 6:34). It is a vain and useless thing to be disturbed or pleased about future things, which may never come to pass.

But it is typical of a man to be deceived by such imaginations, and it is the mark of a mind that is still weak, when it allows itself to be so easily drawn to the suggestions of the enemy. For he does not care whether it be by things true or false that he deceives and abuses you, or whether he overthrows you with a love for earthly things or by a fear of things to come. 'Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid' (Jn. 14:27)." - True Devotion: Consecration to Mary - St. Louis de Montfort

“When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted us, we should be careful to do it always with gentleness. A soft answer extinguishes the fire of wrath.”   Saint Alphonse Liguori

 “By many of those who came before us it was declared and ratified in Synod, that the sheep should not reprehend their Pastor, unless they presume that he has departed from the Faith” Pope St. Symmachus, († 514), Fifth Roman Council   (Quoted by Paul Laymann: Theol. Mor., bk. 2, tract I, ch. 7, p. 153)

“Observe further that the word judgment (γνώμη) is used in many ways and in many senses. Sometimes it signifies exhortation: as when the divine apostle says, Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord; yet I give my judgment 1 Corinthians 7:25: sometimes it means counsel, as when the prophet David says, They have taken crafty counsel against Your people: sometimes it means a decree, as when we read in Daniel, Concerning whom (or, what) went this shameless decree forth? At other times it is used in the sense of belief, or opinion, or purpose, and, to put it shortly, the word judgment has twenty-eight different meanings.”. St. John Damascene,  Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Bk. III, Ch. 14

"Easter is not automatic. Not in vain is its symbol--the egg. The hard shell of egotism, avarice and immorality has to be broken, before the inner life begins to appear. America on the cross-roads of civilization is having forced on it the burdens of the world. Its day of resurrection will be when it sees that, not like Atlas is it bearing the world, but like the Savior, it is walking on it and carrying His Cross."  Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"One who was in this affliction heard from the Lord, 'Don't be afflicted, either they will praise me or criticize you and in either case, you gain.'"  -St. Teresa of Avila

"My soul is always in my hands.’ My Master sang this in His soul, and that is why in the midst of all His anguish, He always remained the calm and strong One. My soul is always in my hands! What does that mean but this complete self-possession in the presence of the peaceful One?”  St Elizabeth of the Trinity

I often thought that St Peter didn't lose anything when he threw himself into the sea, even though he grew frightened afterward. These first acts of determination are very important.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Book of Her Life - chapter 13 : 3

“One day when we are able to see the full midday light, we will know what value and what treasures our earthly sufferings have been that have made us gain our everlasting Homeland.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Through a woman (Eve), a curse fell upon the earth; through a woman (Mary), as well, there returned to the earth a blessing."  - Saint Peter Damien

“Nothing is more unworthy of a Christian whose life should be an imitation of a God who is the soul of Honor and Truth itself, than to think one thing and say another.” St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney (1786-1859)

“The Cross had asked the questions; the Resurrection had answered them….The Cross had asked: why does God permit evil and sin to nail Justice to a tree? The Resurrection answered: That sin having done its worst might exhaust itself and thus be overcome by Love that is stronger than either sin or death.  Thus there emerges the Easter lesson that the power of evil and the chaos of any one moment can be defied and conquered for the basis of our hope is not in any construct of human power but in the power of God who has given to the evil of this earth its one mortal wound – an open tomb, a gaping sepulcher, and empty grave.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Cross-Ways)

“I am very surprised that You bid me to talk about this Feast of Mercy, for they tell me that there is already such a feast and so why should I talk about it? And Jesus said to me, ‘And who knows anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves. That is why I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the First Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.’”  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 341)

“One day when we are able to see the full midday light, we will know what value and what treasures our earthly sufferings have been that have made us gain our everlasting Homeland.”  St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

“Charity is not charity if unaccompanied by justice or if it suffers us to do more than we can reasonably perform.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“O Lord, accept me in penitence. O Lord, leave me not. O Lord, lead me not into temptation. O Lord, grant me good thoughts. O Lord, grant me tears and remembrance of death and compunction. O Lord, grant me the thought of confessing my sins. O Lord, grant me humility, chastity and obedience. O Lord, grant me patience, courage and meekness. O Lord, plant in me the root of all blessings, the fear of Thee in my heart. O Lord, grant me to love Thee with all my mind and soul, and always to do Thy will. O Lord, protect me from certain people, and demons, and passions, and from every other harmful thing. O Lord, Thou knowest that Thou actest as Thou wilt; may Thy will be also in me, a sinner, for blessed art Thou for ever. Amen.” — St. John Chrysostom