Consolation is solitude.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Foundation - Chapter 1:6

“The human being is single, unique, and unrepeatable, someone thought of and chosen from eternity, someone called and identified by name”.   Pope Saint John Paul II

"God asks little, but He gives much."  St. John Chrysostom (347-407)

“We must beware lest, when we use anger as an instrument of virtue, it overrule the mind, and go before it as its mistress, instead of following in reason's train, ever ready, as its handmaid, to obey.”  Pope St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604)

"Do small things with great love." —St. Teresa of Calcutta

In everything concerning themselves they trust in His mercy.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.   The Interior Castle - VII:3: 14

“Our Lord sends the crosses; we do not have to invent them.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

“Happiness does not come to those who want to know all, or to possess all, or to enjoy all; rather it comes to those who set limitations upon the satisfaction of self.  A man, for example cannot get the whole world into his hands, but he can wash himself of the world.  Our powers of dispossession are greater than our powers of possession; there is a limit to what we can gain, but there is no limit to what we can renounce.  In the end, the man who wants nothing is the man who has everything, for there is nothing that he desires.  To deny self is to refuse indulgence to lower desires, to put a restraint upon ourselves, to act differently from the way the sensual in our nature would lead us.  Self-denial is the test of love, whether it be human or divine.  There may be pain in self-denial for a moment, but pain in the pursuit of the highest is certainly more joyful than ease in the neglect of duty.  The agony in self-denial is momentary, but the joy that flows from it is lasting.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Power of Love)

“I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”
― Pope St. John Paul II, Pope John Paul II: In My Own Words

I hold that Mary is now with Christ and in Christ. She is in Christ, because “in Him we live and move and have our being.” She is with Christ, because she has been assumed into glory. —St. Augustine

"The psychological reason for the cruelty in the modern world is this: those who have a deep hidden sense of guilt, feel the need of making some reparation for it. But since they refuse to face their own moral guilt, they inflict on others a punishment which should have been inflicted on themselves." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You” . .St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

"In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear."  --St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church

"Refer what good one sees in himself, not to self, but to God." St. Benedict (480 – 543)

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is,
whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”  - Sister Lucia dos Santos, Fatima seer

"What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 1486)

“I have observed that any good resolutions or exercises begun at the recurring period of our birthday are more seriously impressed upon the mind, when we reflect that a birthday on earth more easily transfers our thoughts to the birthday of our future existence.”  – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Pope Adrian II, Epistle to King Lothar, 867 A.D.: “For Our Lord thrice commended to blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, His sheep, that is to say, the whole Church, yet as then redeemed by His precious blood, after the bonds of His Passion, after the wounds of His nails, and the derisions of the cross, as also the glory of the resurrection, saying: ‘Feed my sheep; feed my lambs.’ (Jn. 21.)”

 “It is then our best course to bestow our greatest care upon the soul; so shall that which is the first and highest in dignity be not the lowest and last in consideration. Amongst us Christians, let that which is the first in order be the first cared for; let salvation, which is the chiefest profit, be our chiefest employment. Let the safeguard and the defense of this take up all our forces; let it be not only our chiefest, but our sole delight. As it surpasseth all other things in exellency, so let it in our care and consideration. Our supreme duty is that which we owe to God, and the next appertains to the soul. And yet these two are such loving correlates, that though every one of the is a duty of supreme consequence, and such as by no means we may presume to neglect or omit, yet cannot we possibly perform any one of them without the other. So that whosoever will serve God doth at the same time provide for his own soul; and he that is careful for his own soul doth at the same time serve God. So that the state of these two sovereign duties in man, is by a certain compendious dependency and co-intention rendered very easy, while the faithful performance of the one is a perfect consumation of both: for by the unspeakable tenderness and mercy of God, the good we do to our own souls is the most acceptable service and sacrifice that we can offer unto Him.” -St. Eucherius of Lyons  (“On Contempt for the World” by St. Eucherius of Lyons, pg. 3)

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

“Those who sought to discourage the Israelites from going up to the Promised Land, told them that it was ‘a land which eateth up the inhabitants thereof;’ that is, that the climate was so unhealthy that the inhabitants could not live long, and that the people thereof were ‘men of a great stature,’ who looked upon the new-comers as mere locusts to be devoured.
It is just so, my child, that the world runs down true devotion, painting devout people with gloomy, melancholy aspect, and affirming that religion makes them dismal and unpleasant. But even as Joshua and Caleb protested that not only was the Promised Land a fair and pleasant country, but that the Israelites would take an easy and peaceful possession thereof, so the Holy Spirit tells us through His Saints, and our Lord has told us with His Own Lips, that a devout life is very sweet, very happy and very loveable.”—St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Pt. I, Ch. II

"Rather now than tomorrow, and tomorrow than the day after!" -St. Joan of Arc

“It is an obligation for us to inconvenience ourselves for the service of the poor.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Lord Jesus, Who in the Eucharist make your dwelling among us and become our traveling companion, sustain our Christian communities so that they may be ever more open to listening and accepting your Word. May they draw from the Eucharist a renewed commitment to spreading in society, by the proclamation of your Gospel, the signs and deeds of an attentive and active charity Pope St.  John Paul II.

"If I am tempted to leave Thee, do not Thou, O my God, leave me."  --part of a prayer by Blessed John Henry Newman

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

“The really great things of the world are not always the immense things; great men are always little men in the sense that they are humble, as Cardinal Mercier was.  They are so big they can always be seeming little, because it is only ‘seems’.  Greatness is not in size.  Little things are much more impressive.  Man never stumbles over a cosmos, though he does stumble over a rug.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Old Errors and New Labels)

The glorious Virgin was raised to the dignity of Mother of the King of kings. Accordingly, the Church honors her with the radiant title of Queen and asks us to do the same. —St. Alphonsus Liguori

Their glory lies in being able some way to help the Crucified, especially when they see He is offended and that few there are who, detached from everything else, really look after His honor.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - VII : 3 : 6

“Afflictions are the most certain proofs that God can give us of His love for us.”   St. Vincent de Paul (1581.-1660.)

Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914), Pascendi Dominici Gregis, September 8, 1907, Par. 42.: “Modernists and their admirers should remember the proposition condemned by Pius IX: The method and principles which have served the doctors of scholasticism when treating of theology no longer correspond with the exigencies of our time or the progress of science (Syll. Prop. 13). They exercise all their ingenuity in diminishing the force and falsifying the character of tradition, so as to rob it of all its weight. But for Catholics, nothing will remove the authority of the Second Council of Nicaea, where it condemns those who dare, after the impious fashion of heretics to deride ecclesiastical traditions, to invent novelties of some kind or to endeavor by malice or craft to overthrow any one of the legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church.”

Saint Pacian of Barcelona, Letter to Sympronian, 375 A.D.: “Christian is my name, and Catholic my surname. The one designates me, while the other makes me specific. Thus am I attested and set apart... When we are called Catholics it is by this appellation that our people are kept apart from any heretical name.”

“Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Let us pine for the City where we are citizens… By pining, we are already there; we have already cast our hope, like an anchor, on that coast. I sing of somewhere else, not of here; for I sing with my heart, not my flesh. The citizens of Babylon hear the sound of the flesh, the Founder of Jerusalem hears the tune of the heart.”  —Saint Augustine of Hippo

“God always blesses humble beginnings more than those that make a big stir!”  – St. Vincent de Paul

The soul's pain lies in seeing that what it can now do by its own efforts amounts to nothing.  For no earthly thing would it fail to do all it can and understands to be for the service of our Lord.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Interior Castle - VII : 3 : 3

Gratitude is characteristic only of the humble.  The egotistic are so impressed by their own importance that they take everything given them as if it were their due.  They have no room in their hearts for recollection of the underserved favors they received.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (On Being Human)

“Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future,”.    St. Augustine 

I want to be a devoted servant of the Heavenly Father. Therefore, I faithfully desire to be the servant of the Mother. —St. Ildephonsus

Forgetfulness of self... employs all it has in procuring the honor of God ... For this purpose the soul would very willingly lay down its life.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - VII : 3 : 2

“When we meet with things very pleasing, before yielding to the joy they elicit, let us raise our hearts to God and thank His loving mercy which sends us the consolation.”   – St. Louise de Marillac

"In the light of faith you see things quite differently." -St. John Baptist de La Salle

“We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta

My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying this chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 1541).

“Be patient and persevere in the practice of meditation. Be content, to start with, to make progress only by degrees. Later on, you will have legs that will ask for nothing but to run or, better, wings for flying with.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Grace makes man more than a ‘new creature,’ and infinitely higher than his former conditions, than an animal would be if it spoke with the wisdom of Socrates.  There is nothing in all creation like that gift by which God calls man a son, and man calls God, Father.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Life of All Living)

“Bitterness has never served any purpose but to embitter.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Praise be to Mary! Let all hearts give themselves to Mary so that she may fill them with her Heart and the Heart of Jesus! —St. John Eudes

“The worst kind of heretic is the one who, while teaching mostly true Catholic doctrine, add a word of heresy, like a drop of poison in a cup of water.” — Pope Leo XIII

"The title of Mary as our mother is not merely symbolic. Mary is our mother in the most real and lofty sense, a sense which surpasses that of earthly maternity. She begot our life of grace for us because she offered up her entire being, body and soul, as the Mother of God."  - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

“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)

“Picture to yourself that there are millions of souls with outstretched arms calling you!”  – St. Vincent de Paul

This state is the place where the little butterfly we mentioned dies, and with the greatest joy  because its life is now Christ.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - VII : 2 : 5

“No person can love anything unless he can get his arms around it.  But once God became a babe and was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, men could say, ‘this is Emmanuel, this is God with us.’  By his reaching down to frail human nature and lifting it up to the incomparable prerogative of union with himself, human nature became dignified.  So real was this union that all of his acts and words, all of his agonies and tears, all of his thoughts and reasonings, resolves and emotions, while being properly human, were at the same time the acts and words, agonies and tears, thoughts and reasons, resolves and emotions, of the Eternal Son of God.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

“Today, I saw the Lord in great beauty, and He said to me, ‘My loving host, pray for priests, especially during this time of harvest. My Heart is pleased with you, and for your sake I am blessing the earth.’” WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.  (Diary, 980)

“I remind you that I belong with great ardor to everyone and for this reason I am suffering immensely for all.”  St. Pio of Pietelcina

Let us not accept violence as the way of peace. Let us instead begin by respecting true freedom: the resulting peace will be able to satisfy the world's expectations, for it will be a peace built on justice, a peace founded on the incomparable dignity of the free human being.  Pope St. John Paul II.

As the Queen of Mercy, Mary throws open the abyss of God’s mercies to anyone she pleases, when she pleases, and as she pleases. Hence, there are no sinners who will be lost when she intercedes for them! —St. Bernard

Between the spiritual betrothal and the spiritual marriage the difference is as great as that which exists between two who are betrothed and two who can no longer be separated.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  The Interior Castle - VII : 2 : 2

"The most beautiful day: Today
The easiest thing: Equivocate
The biggest obstacle: Fear
The gravest error: give up, to despair
The root of all evils: Egoism
The most beautiful occupation: Work
The worst route to follow: Faintheartedness
The best teachers: Children
The first necessity: TO communicate
The greatest happiness: To be useful to others
The greatest mystery: Death
The worst defect: Bad temper
The most dangerous being: The liar'
The most wretched feeling: The grudge
The most beautiful gift: Forgiveness
The most indispensable: home
The quickest way: The correct one
The most comfortable feeling: Interior peace
The most powerful weapon: The smile
The best remedy: Optimism
The greatest satisfaction: The duty done
The most powerful force: Faith
The most needed beings: The parents
The most beautiful of all: Love."

- St. Teresa of. Calcutta

"If God send thee adversity, receive it in patience and give thanks to our Saviour and bethink thee that thou hast deserved it, and that He will make it turn to thine advantage. If He send thee prosperity, then thank Him humbly, so that thou becomest not worse from pride or any other cause, when thou oughtest to be better. For we should not fight against God with his own gifts.".  - St. Loius , King of France (Feast Day: August 25)

“The duty of daughters of Our Lord who live and serve Him together and have only one same intention of making themselves pleasing in the eyes of God, is to cherish, help, and bear with one another while showing mutual respect.”

– St. Vincent de Paul

The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church's history.  Pope St.  John Paul II

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

Writing to his students, Bl. Frederic wrote: “Gentlemen, have faith in the era in which you are living. If you see that the old walls of Christian civilization fall down destroyed, trust that new, solid parapets will be raised for your protection and defense. For this civilization, which has cost a great deal for the Martyrs, Saints, and Popes to build will never perish. With these words of hope, I bid you goodbye.”  – Bl. Frederic Ozanam

“Jesus will assist you and give you the grace to live a heavenly life and nothing whatever will be able to separate you from His love.”  St. Pio of  Pietrelcina

"Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion". WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 1146).

“There must always be a relationship between the gift and the recipient – there is no point in giving anyone a treasure he cannot use.  A father would not give a boy with no talent for music a Stradivarius violin.  Neither will God give to egocentrics those gifts and powers and energies that they never propose to put to work in the transformation of their lives and souls.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)

When the Blessed Virgin conceived the Eternal Word in her womb and gave Him birth, she obtained half the Kingdom of God. She became Queen of Mercy, and her Son remained King of Justice! —St. Thomas Aquinas

The Lord represented Himself to her, just after she had received Communion, in the form of shining splendor, beauty, and majesty, as He was after His resurrection, and told her that now it was time that she consider as her own what belonged to Him and that He would take care of what was hers.  St. Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Interior Castle - VII:2:1

Our Lady of La Salette to Maximian: “If the people persist in disregarding the laws which they are bound to observe [not working on Sunday; not blaspheming], they may sow their corn if they will, it will come to nothing, the worms and insects shall devour it in the blade, and the blight shall consume the little that falls into ear. The grapes shall rot and fall off; the nut trees shall be blasted. Then shall follow a famine, when convulsions shall seize upon the little children, and they shall die in the arms 0f their mothers and nurses.” (Quoted by Rev. Henry Formby in his work “Our Lady of La Salette” to Bishop Ullathorne, pub. 1857, pg. 14)

Arch-Bishop William Bernard Ullathorne cites Pope Pius IX’s indult: “In fine, by an Indult of 2nd December, His Holiness Pius IX. grants, at the request of the Bishop of Grenoble, the permission to solemnize each year, on the 19th of September, the anniversary of the Apparition, (vel ipso apparittonis die) in all the Churches of the Diocese; or, to celebrate it on the follow ing Sunday, by a solemn Mass, and by singing the Vespers of the Blessed Virgin. In the same Indult His Holiness authorises the clergy, if they prefer it, to celebrate the memory of the Apparition, (memoriam hujus apparitionis recolkre,) by adopting the entire office, and celebrating the Mass of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin, under solemn rite, as a Doable of the Second Class.” (Quoted in “The Holy Mountain of La Salette: a pilgrimage of the year 1854” by Bishop Ullathorne, pub. 1854, pg. 127)

“Nothing is impossible for God and Mary Help of Christians.”   St. John Bosco

“When we leave the holy banquet, we are as happy as the Wise Men would have been, if they could have carried away the Infant Jesus.”  St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney, Cure d’Ars

The best, the surest and the most effective way of establishing PEACE on the face of the earth is through the great power of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Pope St. John Paul II

“Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”   Saint Teresa of Calcutta

“Believe me, there is no more powerful means to obtain God’s grace than to employ the intercessions of the Holy Virgin.”   - St. Philip Neri

“Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing-ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is Heaven to which we must continually aspire.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Beg for mercy for the whole world. No soul that has called upon My mercy has ever been disappointed."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. ( Diary 570 & 1541)

“Our hunger for the infinite is never quieted; even those disillusioned by excess of pleasures have always kept in their imagination a hope of somewhere finding a truer source of satisfaction than any they have tried.  Our search for the never-ending love is never ended-no one could really love anything unless he thought of it as eternal. Not everyone gives a name to this infinity toward which he tends and for which he yearns, but it is what the rest of us call God.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Mary consented to be the Mother of the Eternal Word. At that very moment, she merited to be made the Queen of the world and all creatures. —St. Alphonsus Liguori

It has strong confidence that since God has granted this favor He will not allow it to lose the favor. Though the soul thinks this, it goes about with greater care than ever not to displease Him in   anything.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Interior Castle - VII : 1 : 8

“Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gift of grace increases as the struggles increase.” (St. Rose of Lima)

“Everyone is disheartened by sharp reprimands and by the most amiable corrections as well.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.”   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 50)

Every act of reverence, every genuflection that you make before the Blessed Sacrament is important because it is an act of faith in Christ, and act of love for Christ. And every sign of the cross and gesture of respect made each time you pass a church is also an act of faith.  Pope St. John Paul II

"We can only lead others to what we practice ourselves..". St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

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

Mary sits at the right hand of Jesus like a Queen. She is the most safe refuge for and the most fruitful helper of all who are in danger, so there is no reason to fear. —St. Pius X

“We are living in perilous times when the hearts and souls of men are sorely tried. Never before has the future been so utterly unpredictable; we are not so much in a period of transition with belief in progress to push us on, rather we seem to be entering the realm of the unknown, joylessly, disillusioned, and without hope.  The whole world seems to be in a state of spiritual widowhood, possessed of the harrowing devastation of one who set out on life’s course joyously in intimate comradeship with another, and then is bereft of that companion forever.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Prodigal World)

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

St. Anthony Mary Claret: “I tell myself: A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God's love. Nothing daunts him; he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander, and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering, and striving constantly and single-mindedly for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.” (pg. 84 from the autobiography of St. Anthony Mary Claret)

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Pope Pius XII, Le Pelerinage De Lourdes, JULY 2, 1957, Par. 53: “Our thoughts turn also to Christian families. to ask them to remain faithful to their vital mission in society. May they consecrate themselves in this jubilee year to the Immaculate Heart of Mary! For married couples this act of piety will be a valuable aid in performing their conjugal duties of chastity and faithfulness. It will keep pure the atmosphere in which their children grow up. Even more, it will make the family, inspired by its devotion to Mary, a living center of social rebirth and apostolic influence.”

Here all three Persons communicate themselves to it, speak to it, and explain those words of the Lord in the Gospel : that He and the Father and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell with the soul that loves Him and keeps His commandments.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  The Interior Castle - VII : 1 : 6

“Charity is like a flame which soars aloft. When present in a soul, charity raises it aloft to God and draws God to it in such a way that if you could see the beauty of it, you would fall in love with it and be transported with astonishment.”

– St. Vincent de Paul

“When we were little, we kept close to our mother in a dark alley or if dogs barked at us. Now, when we feel temptations of the flesh, we should run to the side of Our Mother in Heaven, by realizing how close she is to us, and by means of aspirations. She will defend us and lead us to the light.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá)

“Try to serve Jesus and make resolutions to do your best. Try, when you think anything will make you angry, to reflect: Is this preparing me to receive my Jesus?”   St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

"A woman shall not be clothed with manly apparel, nor shall a man make use of feminine apparel. For whoever does these things is abominable with God."  Deuteronomy 22:5

Whoever Spreads the Rosary will be Saved!~Blessed Bartolo Longo

"Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul".  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.  (Diary 1777)

“You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“In every friendship hearts grow and entwine themselves together, so that the two hearts seem to make only one heart with a single common thought.  That is why separation is so painful; it is not so much two hearts separating, but one being torn asunder.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Seven Capital Sins)

Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on His Mother. The more Mary is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. —St. Bernard

When our Lord is pleased to have pity in this soul that He has already taken spiritually as His Spouse because of what it suffers and has suffered through its desires, He brings it, before the spiritual marriage is consummated, into His dwelling place which is this seventh.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - VII : 1 : 3

"It must be remembered that every flight from responsibility is a flight from liberty. Perhaps it is the very burden of responsibility that flows from free choice that makes so many ready to surrender their great gift of freedom." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“My daughter, I desire that your heart be formed after the model of My merciful Heart. You must be completely imbued with My mercy.” WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 167a)

“We cannot with all our heart forgive someone who does us wrong unless we possess real knowledge. For this knowledge shows us that we deserve all we experience.”  St. Mark the Ascetic (5th c.)

“Abandon yourself to God’s paternal embrace in the hope that He Himself will accomplish in you what He expects of you and will bless whatever you do for Him. Therefore keep your heart ready to receive peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

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

"Whoever bears the mark of devotion to Mary, God recognizes as His own."- St. Alphonsus Liguori

"We can't be like St. Bernard who had 12 steps to perfect humility (I am sure that just as soon as you reach the twelfth step of humility, you will be very proud you are humble.)" Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Treasured Love Story)

Each one of us has a soul, but since we do not prize souls as it deserved by creatures made in the image of God we do not understand the deep secrets that lie in them.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - VII : 1 : 1

The Heart of Mary is a sun that spreads its rays and its warmth throughout the world. It is constantly working in every possible way for the salvation of souls. —St. John Eudes

"I tell you that it is enough to recognize one's nothingness and to abandon one's self like a child in the arms of God."  - St. Therese of Lisieux

“When we leave the holy banquet, we are as happy as the Wise Men would have been, if they could have carried away the Infant Jesus.” (St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney, Cure d’Ars)

“I do not want to curse anybody, nor take vengeance, I want to be good towards everyone.”
~ Blessed Georg Häfner, OCDS

“Picture an orchestra on stage with a celebrated conductor directing the beautiful symphony he himself composed.  Each member of the orchestra is free to follow the conductor and thus to produce harmony.  But each member is also free to disobey the conductor.  Suppose one of the musicians deliberately plays a false note and then induces a violinist alongside of him to do the same.  Having heard the discord, the conductor can do one of two things.  He could either strike his baton and order the measure replayed, or he could ignore the discord.  It would make no difference which he did, for the discord has already gone out into space at a certain temperature at the rate of about 1100 feet a second.  On and on it goes, affecting even the infinitesimally small radiations of the universe.  As the stone dropped in a pond causes a ripple which affects the most distant shore, so this discord affects even the stars.  As long as time endures, somewhere in God’s Universe there is disharmony, introduced by the free will of man.  Could the discord be stopped?  Not by man himself, for man could never reach it; time is irreversible, and man is localized in space.  It could, however, be stopped by the Eternal coming out of His agelessness into time, laying hold of the false note, arresting it in its flight.  But would it still be discord in God’s Hands?  No!  Not if God wrote a new symphony and made the false note its first note!  Then all would be harmony again.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Peace of Soul)

"My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it".   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 742)

And the soul is so consoled and happy it wouldn't want to do anything but always praise His Majesty, and praise Him more for the fact that what He told it was fulfilled.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - VI : 3 : 8

“Remember that God is within us when we are in a state of grace and outside of us when we are in a state of sin; but His angel never abandons us. . . He is our most sincere and faithful friend even when we sadden him with our bad behavior.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Peace is built on the foundation of justice.” (Saint John Paul II; Encyclical – Centesimus annus, §5, May 1, 1991)

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

O Blessed Virgin, nothing resists your power. God the Father looks upon your glory as if it were His own. And God the Son takes delight in glorifying you and grants your every petition as if He were paying a debt. —St. Gregory of Nicomedia

“And I saw a river over which every soul must pass to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, and the name of that river was suffering … and then I saw a boat which carried souls across the river, and the name of that boat was Love”  St. John of the Cross

What God wants from you, you need try to find out from Him face to face.
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

It does great harm not to believe that God has the power to do thing that our intellects do not understand.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  The Interior Castle - VI : 3 : 7

“He who refuses to forgive others breaks down the bridge over which he himself must pass, for everyone has need to be forgiven.  The Divine Law is that only those who forgive will be forgiven.  It is much easier to forgive the weak who have injured us or those who are beneath us in dignity than it is to forgive the powerful or the better or the nobler whom we have injured.  IN this truth is hidden the explanation of why the Divine who came to bring forgiveness to humans was crucified at the moment of greatest forgiveness.  Though the Divine forgiveness comes to those who forgive, nevertheless, some say ‘I cannot forgive myself.’  As Cardinal Newman answered: ‘No true penitent forgets or forgives himself; an unforgiving spirit towards himself is the very price of God’s forgiving him.’  Of course, no person can forgive himself.  He can only be forgiven by Him whom he has injured.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Walk With God)

When we pray to the Mother of God, we are heard more quickly than when we call directly on Jesus—for He is not only our Lord but also our Judge. However, Mary has no other office except to show compassion. —St. Anselm

“The animals which nourish man do not live in another world. If Christ then was to be the life of the world, He must be tabernacle among men as Emmanuel or “God with us”, supplying a life for the soul as earthly bread is the life of the body. As man died spiritually by physically eating in the garden of Eden, so he would live again spiritually through eating the fruit of the tree of life.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

He who wounds the soul draws out the arrow, it indeed seems, in accord with the deep love the soul feels, that God is drawing these very depths after Him.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila The Interior Castle - VI : 2 : 4

The Holy Roman General Inquisition under Paul V on 20 January, 1613, in a Decree to the following effect: “It is permitted to the Carmelite Fathers to preach that the Christian people may piously believe in the help which the souls of brothers and members, who have departed this life in charity, have worn in life the scapular, have ever observed chastity, have recited the Little Hours [of the Blessed Virgin], or, if they cannot read, have observed the fast days of the Church, and have abstained from flesh meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays (except when Christmas falls on such days), may derive after death — especially on Saturdays, the day consecrated by the Church to the Blessed Virgin — through the unceasing intercession of Mary, her pious petitions, her merits, and her special protection.” (Quoted by Joseph Hilgers. “Sabbatine Privilege.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912)

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to St. Simon Stock: “Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant.” (Quoted by Joseph Hilgers. “Scapular.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912)

"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)

From this moment on, live the Eucharist fully; be persons for whom the Holy Mass, Communion, and Eucharistic adoration are the center and summit of their whole life. Pope St. John Paul II

“No matter where we are or what we are doing, we will always be tempted and distressed; that is our cross. If we wish to follow Jesus Christ, we must carry it.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

" Abandon yourself into the hands of Mary. She will take care of you." St. Pio.of Pietrelcina

"In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God than a whole lifetime without it."  - St. Peter Julian Eymard

“If you are inclined toward evil you know that God is incomparably more inclined to do good and to do it even in and through you.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

His majesty will awaken the soul. His action is as quick as a falling comet. And as clearly as it hears a thunder clap, And even though no sound is heard, the soul understands that it was called by God.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  The Interior Castle - VI : 2 : 2

“What the Ascension was to our Lord, that the Assumption is to our Lady. Certainly she, the new Garden of Paradise, in which grew the Lily of divine sinlessness and the red Rose of the Church, should not be delivered over and forgotten by the heavenly Gardener. She, in whose womb was celebrated the nuptials of eternity and time is more of eternity than time. If husband and wife in marriage are made two in one flesh, then shall not she who is the new Eve of the new Adam, be not two in one spirit with Him? As Christ ascended into heaven to the unity of the divine nature, so Mary is assumed into heaven in the unity of Christ’s human nature. Her mystical flight is the event to which our whole generation moves. Our age of carnalities, which loves the body beautiful is lifted out of its despair by the Assumption, to honor a body that is beautiful because it is a temple of God, a gate through which the Word of heaven passed to earth, a Tower of Ivory up which climbed divine Love to kiss upon the lips of His Mother a mystic rose.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Fifteen Mysteries)

“Mary becomes the first human person to realize the historical destiny of the faithful as members of Christ’s mystical Body, beyond time, beyond death, and beyond judgment. By her Assumption she goes ahead like her Son to prepare a place for us.  Mary always seems to be the Advent of what is in store for man. She anticipates Christ for nine months, as she bears Heaven within her; she anticipates His Passion at Cana and His Church at Pentecost. Now in the last great Doctrine of the Assumption, she anticipates heavenly glory, and the definition comes at a time when men think of it least. Archbishop Fulton Sheen (World’s First Love)

The heavenly host came forth rejoicing in festal array, to meet the Mother of God. Surrounded with effulgent light, Mary was led amid praises and canticles to the throne prepared for her from the world’s beginning. —St. Jerome

It always brings profit to other souls during the time that it continues to live virtuously.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - V:3:1

"Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is-trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts."  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 1578)

Under Pope Innocent XIII, approved by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on the 7th of August, 1723, the following narrative: “According to ancient and pious tradition, St. James the Greater, led by Providence into Spain, spent some time at Saragossa. (Then called Cæsar- Augusta.) He there received a signal favour from the Blessed Virgin. As he was praying with his disciples one night, upon the banks of the Ebro, as the same tradition informs us, the Mother of God, who still lived, appeared to him, and commanded him to erect an oratory in that place. The apostle delayed not to obey this injunction, and with the assistance of his disciples soon constructed a small chapel. In the course of time a larger church was built and dedicated, which, with the dedication of St. Saviour’s, is kept as a festival in the city and diocese of Saragossa on the 4th of October.” (Quoted in “LEGENDS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN” by J. COLLIN DE PLANCY. LONDON 1852, Approbation P. Dupanloup, Vicar-General. By order of His Grace the Archbishop of Paris. P. Cruice, Secretary to the Commission., pg. 261-262)

Our Lady of the Pillar to St. James the Greater: “Build me a Church in this place,” said Our Lady, “I know that this part of Spain will be particularly devout to me, and from this moment I take it under my patronage.” (Cited in “Church of Our Lady of Esperanza” by THE REV. CRESCENT ARMANET, A.A.; Permissu Superiorum, NIHIL OBSTAT: ARTHUR SCANLAN, S.T.D. Censor Librorum., Imprimatur: +PATRICK J. HAYES, D.D. Archbishop of New York; New York, May 14, 1921, pg. 137) [There is a well established tradition that Our Lady while still living bilocated to St. James while he was evangelizing in Spain to encourage him in his endeavors there. St. James was martyred in Spain after establishing the Catholic religion there in circa 40-44A.D., approved by many papal bulls and most notably by Pope Calixtus III, and Pope St. Pius X., this is considered the first Marian apparition of sorts.]

“In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will. Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you. “  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“The vow of chastity releases the flesh not only from the narrow and circumscribed family where there can still be selfishness, but also for the service of that family which embraces all humanity. That is why the Church asks those who consecrate themselves to the redemption of the world to take a vow and to surrender all selfishness, that they may belong to no one family and yet belong to all.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Cross and the Beatitudes)

The sorrow proceeds from the deep pain it feels at seeing that God is offened and little esteemed in this world.....It fears that many are being condemned.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - V : 2 : 10

Mary sowed much in tears while on earth, and now she is reaping much in heavenly joy. The same will be true for us. The more spiritual victories we obtain while on earth, the more we will receive in heaven. —St. Bernard

"Ave Crux, spes unica! (Hail O Cross, our only hope!) May this acclamation … remain ever on our lips, for the Cross is a mystery of life and death. The Cross has become for the Church a 'tree of life'. For this reason we proclaim that life has triumphed over death."  - Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis

I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself  "How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way? ” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.  St. Theresa of Calcutta

“One word or a pleasing smile is often enough to raise up a saddened and wounded soul.” -St. Therese of Lisieux

“…what the Old Testament promised, the New Testament made visible; what the former announces in a hidden way, the latter openly proclaims as present. Therefore the Old Testament is a prophecy of the New Testament; and the best commentary on the Old Testament is the New Testament.” (Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church, Homiliae in Ezechielem I, VI, 15: PL 76, 836B.)

“Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” (St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions – Book I. Chapter I.)

“Know, O beautiful soul, that you are the image of God.” -St. Ambrose of Milan

“It suffices that God sees our hearts.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“The difference between LOVE and DEVOTION is just that which exists between fire and flame;—love being a spiritual fire which becomes devotion when it is fanned into a flame;—and what devotion adds to the fire of love is that flame which makes it eager, energetic and diligent, not merely in obeying God’s Commandments, but in fulfilling His Divine Counsels and inspirations.”—St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Pt. I, Ch. 1

"Mary, mother of our Redeemer… through you, God’s holy people, His Church on earth, appeals for light and strength in this pilgrimage of faith. You have gone before us on the same journey and are now glorified in heaven. Be for us who are still on that journey of faith a true Star of the Sea, leading us to the presence of your Son where He sits at the right hand of the Father, enthroned in glory.”
- Pope St. John Paul II

“We must make a rule that they may not, under any pretext whatsoever, eat what is intended for the poor.”  -St. Vincent de Paul

"True generosity never looks to reciprocity; it gives neither because it expects a gift in return, nor because there is a duty or obligation to give. Charity lies beyond obligation, its essence is the "adorable extra". Its reward is the joy of giving. Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Love one another)

If you want to grow in perfection, you cannot advance by yourselves—you need a guide. Hence, when you go to God, go through Mary and with Mary! —St. Maximilian Kolbe

Everything wearies the soul, for it has learned through experience that creatures cannot give it true rest.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - V : 2v: 8

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

“I have often raised my hand in the silence of the night and in my solitary cell, blessing you all and presenting you to Jesus and to our father, St. Francis of Assisi.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Circumcision in the Old Testament was a prefiguring of Baptism in the New Testament.  Both symbolize a renunciation of the flesh with its sins.  The first was done by wounding of the body; the second, by cleansing the soul.  The first incorporated the child into the body of Israel; the second incorporates the child into the body of the new Israel or the Church.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

O Mary, may all nations glorify your Immaculate Heart! May the whole earth invoke and bless your Immaculate Heart! —St. John Vianney

If we don't want to have anything more to do with our own lowliness and misery and if we understand that we are unworthy of being servants of a Lord who is so great we cannot comprehend His wonders !  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - V : 1 : 13

“The work of Our Lord is dependent less upon many workers, than upon the fidelity of the few He calls.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Whatever you have little or much He wants everything for Himself.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Interior Castle - V:1:3

“The atheist is properly defined as the person who has no invisible means of support.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Seven Words of Jesus and Mary)

“Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendor.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“This is true contentment – to hope for nothing, desire nothing, expect nothing.”  – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

What we must do is beg like the needy poor before a rich and great emperor, and then lower your eyes and wait with humility.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Interior Castle - IV:3:5

My daugther, encourage souls to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace and the hour of their death will be a happy one..WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary,1541)

"I do not have any other means to prove my love to You, but to throw flowers, that is to let no little sacrifice, no look, no word pass, to take advantage of all the littlest of things and to do them out of love...Hence, I pluck every flower I find on my way, for Jesus. And then as I strew my flowers before Him I desire to sing, although I have had to pluck them among thorns. And the sharper and longer the thorns, the sweeter is my song."  St. Therese of Lisieux

Do not forget that true love sets no conditions; it does not calculate or complain, but simply loves. Pope St. John Paul II

O Mary, you who are the Mother of Life had to remain always with Life. For you, death could never be anything more than sleep and the Assumption anything more than an act of waking up. —St. Germanus

At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary, 1320).

"In the end we will see one of two faces. The merciful face of Jesus or the horrible face of Satan."   -- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

"As sailors are guided by a star to the port, so are Christians guided to Heaven by Mary."  -Saint Thomas Aquinas

Do not be afraid to take a chance on Peace, to Teach Peace, to Live Peace…Peace will be the last word of history. ―Pope  St. John Paul II.

“Take God for your spouse and friend and walk with Him continually, and you will not sin and will learn to love, and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.”  ~ St. John of the Cross

You will be more quickly freed from temptation when close to the Lord than when far. Beseech Him and ask Him to deliver you from evil as you do so often each day in the (Our Father).  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Way of Perfection - chapter 39 : 7

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

Mary’s prayers and requests are so powerful with God that they pass for commands with His Majesty. He never resists the prayer of His dear Mother because it is always humble and in accord with His will. —St. Louis Grignion de Montfort

“When in charity we feel we must give some spiritual counsel, we must never be so egotistical as to expect a hungry man, or one distracted by worry over the rent to listen to our words about God until we have helped to relieve his misery.”  – Bl. Frederic Ozanam

“There is always hope for the man who knows that he is doing wrong; but there is no hope for the man who is doing wrong and calls the wrong right.  The Catholic gets off the road like anyone else, but he never throws away the map.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer Book)

O Mary, Mother of Love, love your Jesus and mine for me. And make me share the love that you bear for Him! —St. John Eudes

Slowly recovering from my vacation - physically I am ok but spiritually I am not yet back into my prayer schedule which is effecting my posting schedule too but as you can see I am almost there 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😇😇😇👍👌😀😀😀

“Evil is thus a kind of parasite on goodness.  If there were no good by which to measure things, evil could not exist.  Men sometimes forget this, and say, there is so much evil in the world that there cannot be a God.  They are forgetting that, if there were no God, they would have no way of distinguishing evil from goodness.  The very concept of evil admits and recognizes a Standard, a Whole, a Rule, an Order.  Nobody would say that his automobile was out of order if he did not have a conception of how an automobile ought to run.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Crisis in History)

"The title of Mary as our mother is not merely symbolic. Mary is our mother in the most real and lofty sense, a sense which surpasses that of earthly maternity. She begot our life of grace for us because she offered up her entire being, body, and soul as the Mother of God." – St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

“Go and keep company with Jesus in His Passion, and with His Sorrowful Mother.”  St.  Pio

“If a man wishes to be sure of the road, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.” - St. John of the Cross

“I am satisfied to sow in tears if I may reap in Joy.”
– St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

'Have the mentality of an exile in the place where you live, do not desire to be listened to and you will have peace.' St. Poemen (c. 340–450)

"If there is a soul for whom there seems to be no more hope, know that Mary can lift it to the highest degree of holiness. Even the weakest, those who have strayed the farthest, can be rescued by her. We must say to her: 'If I am lost and go to hell, others will follow me. But if you stretch out your hand, Mother, I could become a great saint and draw many others to heaven." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

“Things were in God's plan which I had not planned at all. I am coming to the living faith and conviction that - from God's point of view - there is no chance and that the whole of my life, down to every detail, has been mapped out in God's divine providence and makes complete and perfect sense in God's all-seeing eyes.”  — St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Sein)

However sublime the contemplation, let your prayer always begin and end with self-knowledge.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Way of Perfection - chapter 39 : 5

Through this Virgin, the whole earth is filled with the glory of God. Through this Virgin, all have known the great God. All have seen the salvation of God. —St. Ildephonsus

“Transfiguration is not the same as futurism, which regards this world as becoming better and better until it is turned into an early paradise.  Transfiguration means that through catastrophe, crisis, and final judgment, old things are made new. This new kingdom is not in time at all, but in eternity; its existence is not due to an eruption of the mundane with the heavenly, but a visitation of the spiritual with the human – a visitation morally conditioned. It is the very reverse of the Tower of Babel.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

The soul's profit and what the world calls honor can never go together. It's frightful thing; the world moves in the opposite direction. Blessed be the Lord who drew us out of it.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Way of Perfection - chapter 36 : 3

We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.  Pope St. John Paul II

O Mary, to whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! These are the prayers by which you intervene on our behalf before God. Indeed, you never cease to work wonders for us. —St. Germanus

But after received the Lord, since you have the Person Himself, strive to close the eyes of the body and open those of the soul and look into your own heart.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Way of Perfection - chapter 34 : 12

The Eucharist is the full realization of the worship which humanity owes to God, and it cannot be compared to any other religious experience.... The risen Lord ... calls the faithful together to give them the light of His Word and the nourishment of His Body as the perennial sacramental wellspring of redemption. The grace flowing from this wellspring renews mankind, life, and history.
Pope St. John Paul II

Ask the Virgin Mary constantly to come to you with her glorious Son. Be bold. Ask her to give you her Son, Who in the Blessed Sacrament is truly the Food of your soul. She will give Him to you readily. —St. Cajetan

Well every day on a vacation is hard to post — so little free time and then if I am not too tired  I tried to post untill my battery went dead

“If you are faithful to do the Will of God in time, yours shall be accomplished throughout eternity.”  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)

“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning.” -  Blessed John Henry Newman

How powerless I am to express in human language the secrets of heaven.  -St. Therese of Lisieux

“We must conform ourselves to the will of God and adore the wisdom of God’s ways.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.  - from Fides et Ratio, Pope St. John Paul II

The thought and the countenance of Mary inspire the purity of life that is the first dignity of human beings. They also constitute the salvation of those who struggle against evil and those who are called to greater perfection of life. —Pope Pius XI

Sorry for the lack of posts I am out of town and my battery went dead..I will try to catch up now

"Looking into a sunset the face takes on a golden glow. Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart." Fulton Sheen

"I want to give myself to souls and to fill them with My love, but few there are who want to accept all the graces My love has intended for them. My grace is not lost; if the soul for whom it was intended does not accept it, another soul takes it."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST .  FAUSTINA. (Diary 1017)

The Immaculate Conception also entails sacrifice on the part of Mary. Therefore, we cannot consider ourselves favored children of the Lord and His Mother if our lives know nothing of sacrifice. —Pope John XXIII

If obedience should command something, Sisters, strive to leave your soul with the Lord.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Way of Perfection - chapter 34 : 10

"God no more takes his eyes off us than does a mother take them off her child who is just starting to walk."  —St. John Vianney.

“Our dear Savior was never in extremes.”  – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“Do not let your soul be troubled at the sad spectacle of human injustice; even this has its value in the economy of events. Do not stop in your search for the truth and in the acquisition of the Most High. Be docile to the inspirations of grace.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“It is not to the point to say that our life is merely like the light of a match when it is struck, for we perish like the squirrels and the foxes to rot in the earth. Even the very analogy of the match which is used suggests immortality, for once that light is struck, the light goes out into space at the rate of about 186,000 miles an hour and exists forever in the universe. So, too, when the human light of the soul is struck in the entails of a mother, the light continues through eternity.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (On Being Human)

"Humanity looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and its destiny." -St. John Paul II

So I turn to you, you - chosen souls, will you also fail to understand the love of My Heart? Here, too, My Heart finds disappointment; I do not find complete surrender to My love. So many reservations, so much distrust, so much caution. To comfort you, let Me tell you that there are souls living in the world who love Me dearly. I dwell in their hearts with delight. But they are few. In convents too, there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My features; therefore the Heavenly father looks upon them with special pleasure. They will be marvels to Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a defense for the world before the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a soul specially chosen by Me wounds My heart most painfully. Such infidelities are swords which pierce My Heart. WORDS OF JESUS (Diary,367)
My Heart if sorrowful... 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 (Diary,379)  

“My dear brethren, I call that man bad company who is without religion, who does not concern himself with either the commandments of God or those of the Church, who does not recognize Lent or Easter, who seldom comes to church or, if he does come, then only to scandalize others by his irreligious ways. You ought to shun his company; otherwise you will not be long in becoming like him without your even noticing it.” (St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney, Curé d’Ars, The Sermons of the Curé of Ars: Bad Company)

“We should assist the poor in every way and do it both by ourselves and by enlisting the help of others… to do this is to preach the gospel by word and by work.”

– St. Vincent de Paul

Do you know the surest way to learn the will of God? It is the way of prayer to our good Mother Mary! —St. John Vianney

“Be like little spiritual bees, bringing nothing into their hives but honey and wax. May your homes be full of sweetness, peace, agreement, humility and piety as regards conversation.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III, p.567)

Pope Leo XIII, Mirae Caritatis, May 28, 1902, par.: “Now if any one will seriously consider the benefits which flow from the Eucharist he will understand that conspicuous and chief among them all is that in which the rest, without exception, are included; in a word it is for men the source of life, of that life which best deserves the name. ‘The bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world’ (St. John vi., 52). In more than one way, as We have elsewhere declared, is Christ ‘the life.’ He Himself declared that the reason of His advent among men was this, that He might bring them the assured fulness of a more than merely human life. ‘I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly’ (St. John x., 10). Everyone is aware that no sooner had ‘the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared’ (Tit. iii., 4), than there at once burst forth a certain creative force which issued in a new order of things and pused through all the veins of society, civil and domestic. Hence arose new relations between man and man; new rights and new duties, public and private; henceforth a new direction was given to government, to education, to the arts; and most important of all, man's thoughts and energies were turned towards religious truth and the pursuit of holiness. Thus was life communicated to man, a life truly heavenly and divine. And thus we are to account for those expressions which so often occur in Holy Writ, ‘the tree of life,’ ‘the word of life,’ ‘the book of life,’ ‘the crown of life,’ and particularly ‘the bread of life.’”

St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 66 (c. A.D.  110-165): “For not as  common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh and blood for our  salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is  blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.”

America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance — it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded.” -Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

"My daughter, what I demand from you is prayer, prayer, and once again prayer, for the world and especially for your country. For nine days receive Holy Communion in atonement and unite yourself closely to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. During these nine days you will stand before God as an offering; always and everywhere, at all times and places, day or night, whenever you wake up, pray in the spirit. In spirit, one can always remain in prayer". WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA. (Diary 325)

“An honorable man would never abandon his friend in time of need.”– St. Vincent de Paul

“Before I went to school I was free to believe, for example, that Shakespeare was born in 1224. But finally, I was told that Shakespeare was not born in 1224 but rather in 1564. I found out that education in truth was really restricting my freedom to fall into error.  Before I went to school I also thought that “H2O” was really the initials of a spy. Then I fell into the hands of a reactionary teacher. He stopped all of my liberalism. Do you know what he told me H2O meant? He said it was the symbol for water. Thus, the more I studied, the freer I became to know error.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things.”  - Saint Alphonsus Liguori

But with simplicity and humility, which will acheive everything, say : Thy will be done.  St Teresa of Jesus of Avila. The Way of Perfection - chapter 32 : 14

The look of Mary, the smile of Mary, the sweetness of Mary, the majesty of Mary, Queen of heaven and earth! Mary’s beauty stands out among all other beauties, which pale next to hers. Mary is the most beautiful of God’s creatures. —Pope Pius XII

I myself hold that the measure for being able to bear a large or small cross is love.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila  The Way of Perfection - chapter 32 : 7

Seek grace in the smallest things, and you will find also grace to accomplish, to believe in, and to hope for the greatest things. - Saint Peter Faber (1506-1546), priest,

'In your trials, have recourse to Mary, and she will remedy them.'--St. Paul of the Cross~

"….be careful not to do too much. It is a ruse of the devil, by which he deceives good people, to induce them to do more than they are able so they end up not able to do anything. The spirit of God urges one gently to do the good that can be done reasonably, so it may be done perseveringly and for a long time. Act, therefore, in this way, and you will be acting in the spirit of God. " - St. Vincent de Paul

'Blessed the one who is fired by the fear of God, ever having in himself the fervour of the Holy Spirit, and who has burned up the thorns and thistles of the thoughts.' St. Ephrem of Syria (306 – 373)

“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… The guest of our soul knows our misery; He comes to find an empty tent within us – that is all He asks.” (St. Thérèse of Lisieux—of the Child Jesus—Virgin and Doctor of the Church)

When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, I have eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation. My daughter, secretary of My mercy, your duty is not only to write about and proclaim My mercy, but also to beg for this grace for them, so that they too may glorify My mercy. WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA (Diary, 1160)

“All those things are nothing but exercises for your purgation, illumination, and perfection, and so that you can sympathize with those whom you see in similar dispositions. It is God’s plan that those who are to help others spiritually fall into the temptation of mind and body by which others can be tormented.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

“Sinful envy of the salvation of a thief is a greater sin than thievery.  One thief was saved: therefore, let no one despair.  One thief was lost: therefore, let no one presume.  Have pity, then on the miserable, and divine mercy will be the reward for your pity.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Victory over Vice)

“Come out of anxiety, because it is one of the greatest deceivers of true virtue and sound devotion.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

In her own life the Blessed Virgin lived an example of maternal love. This love should animate all who cooperate in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of human beings. —Vatican II: Church, 65

“You must always have prudence and love. Prudence has the eyes, love the legs. Love that has the legs would like to run to God, but its impulse to rush towards Him is blind, and might sometimes stumble if it was not guided by prudence which has the eyes. When prudence sees that love should be restrained, it lends its eyes “. St. Pio of Pietrelcina

He knows what each one can suffer. He does not delay in doing His will in anyone  He sses has strength.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila.  The Way of Perfection - chapter 32 : 5

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

– St. Vincent de Paul

Empower me to surrender what I must to gain you as the treasure of my heart.  You are a pearl of great price.  - St. Therese of Lisieux

"When people want to destroy religion, they start by attacking priests, because when there are no priests, there is no sacrifice; and when there is no sacrifice, there is no religion.”   -St. John Vianney

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)

“Religion does not limit the powers of the affections, for our Blessed Savior sanctifies and approves in us all the endearing ties and connections of our existence. Religion alone can bind the cord over which neither circumstances, time, nor death have any power.”

– St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

“It is not to be thought that life is a snare or an illusion because the bubbles cease in a champagne glass.  No true unhappiness comes to human beings unless they place their hearts in a false infinite.  Those who see that all human life is nothing but Divine Love on pilgrimage will use it as a kind of Jacob’s ladder to climb back again through virtue to the source of all love which is God himself.  Such spiritual fires never cool, because they are not fed by glands, but glow with the coals lighted at the furnace of heaven.  To be enthusiastic in that case is to live out the meaning of the word, for enthusiasm comes from two Greek words meaning ‘to be in God.’”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life is Worth Living)

Prayer finds its source in God's holiness and it is our response to the holiness.. - Pope St. John Paul II

Heap together all the love of mothers for their children, all the love of husbands for their wives, and all the love of the Angels and Saints for their clients. The total could never equal Mary’s love for even a single soul! —St. Alphonsus Liguori