"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)

Walk cheerfully and with a sincere and open heart as much as you can, and when you cannot always maintain this holy joy, at least do not lose heart or your trust in God.   St.  Pio of  Pietrelcina

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

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

“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

“And that is the story of life. God sets up the target, you are the bow, and your children are the arrows. You have a messianic mission. In your life, you represent the conquest of love over the ego. You symbolize the defeat of your selfishness and represent the victory of charity. Every child begets sacrifice, tends toward an incarnation, and every child becomes for you a pledge of your own salvation.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Do not neglect your spiritual reading. Reading has made many saints    ---St. Josemaria Escriva 

“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)

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

Mother of the Word, oh tell me your mystery. After the moment of the Incarnation, Tell me how you spent your life buried in adoration.    St.Elizabeth of the Trinity

“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)

Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God: The Father is your table, the Son is your food, and the Holy Spirit waits on you and then makes His dwelling in you. – St. Catherine of Siena

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

"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 OS JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary1777)

“When disturbed by passions and misfortunes, may the sweet hope of his inexhaustible mercy sustain us. Let us hasten confidently to the tribunal of penance where He awaits us at every instant with the anxiety of a father; and even though we are aware of our inability to repay Him, let us have no doubts about the solemn pardon pronounced over our errors. Let us place a tombstone over them, just as the Lord has done!”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

“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)

Now the Church consists of both her earthly and heavenly parts, for the Son of God came to earth and became man that He might lead man into heaven and make him once again a citizen of Paradise, returning to him his original state of sinlessness and wholeness and uniting him unto Himself.
This is accomplished by the action of Divine grace grated through the Church, but man’s effort is also required. God saves His fallen creature by His own love for him, but man’s love for his Creator is also necessary; without it he cannot by saved. Striving towards God and cleaving unto the Lord by its humble love, the human soul obtains power to cleanse itself from sin and to strengthen itself for the struggle to complete victory over sin.   - St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco, “The Church as the Body of Christ.”

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

"The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy" (Diary,H423)
"Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 1146)

“The purpose of marriage is to help married people sanctify themselves and others. For this reason they receive a special grace in the sacrament which Jesus Christ instituted. Those who are called to the married state will, with the grace of God, find within their state everything they need to be holy, to identify themselves each day more with Jesus Christ, and to lead those with whom they live to God.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá, Conversations, 91)

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

“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)

“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)

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

“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

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

“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

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 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 IIR

“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 purpose of marriage is to help married people sanctify themselves and others. For this reason they receive a special grace in the sacrament which Jesus Christ instituted. Those who are called to the married state will, with the grace of God, find within their state everything they need to be holy, to identify themselves each day more with Jesus Christ, and to lead those with whom they live to God.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá, Conversations, 91)

“‘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.”    St. . Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse

“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

"Have courage, then, and move forward. God is with you, and the world, the flesh, and the devil, to their dismay, will one day lay down their weapons and confess once more that they can do nothing against a soul who possesses and is possessed by God.....
There is open warfare against you, my dear, so you need to be vigilant at all times and to put up strong resistance against it, always having the eyes of faith turned to the Lord of Hosts, who fights with you and for you. Have absolute confidence in the goodness of God that victory is assured. Why should you believe otherwise? Isn't our God more interested in our salvation than we are? Who can resit and ever prevail over the monarch of the heavens? What power do the world, the flesh, and the devil have before the Lord?    St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

“Indiscreet zeal is not good– people often spoil good works by rushing ahead and by acting according to their own inclinations, which, contrary to common sense, make them think that the good they see to be done is feasible and timely, although this is not so; their error is recognized in the resulting lack of success.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"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

“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)

“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)

During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...
These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.
These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 299)

“I would undergo death an infinite number of times rather than deliberately offend the Lord.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

"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

In the face of so many enemies it's not possible for us to sit with our hands folded.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    Meditations on the Song of Songs -chapter 2 : 2

“Our Blessed Savior revealed to Mary Magdalene the truth that He was no longer to be seen under the form of time and in the world of sensations, but only by the soul and in the world of eternity….This great truth needs to be stressed strongly on this new Easter Day when human beings no longer speak of eternity, but only of time; when they are more concerned about citizenship in the Kingdom of this world than citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven; when their interests center more about passing questions of science, politics, economics, wealth, and power, instead of around the Risen Christ who sits eternally at the right hand of God.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Manifestations of Christ)

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

"Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy...You will give me pleasure if you hand over to Me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace...Come close to My wounds and draw from the fountain of Life whatever your heart desires...Look at the splendors of My mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy." WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.   (Diary 1485)

“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 eight days.”    St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"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

“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.)

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

"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 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

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

"In the world today who are envious of wealth would probably lose their souls if they had that wealth. Envy never thinks of responsibilities. Looking only to self it misuses every gift that comes its way. Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Seven Capital Sins)

"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

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

 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)

'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)

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

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.”    - St. Anthony of Padua

"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

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

"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

“Education should not be based on the substitution of one idea by another, but on the deepening and widening of a single body of knowledge and understanding.  Education does not mean the substitution of Freud for James.  Rather, knowledge is like life, which grows from unity to multiplicity, just as the oak unfolds the mystery of the acorn.  College courses should be so constructed as to give those basic principles and disciplines which will unfold and deepen all through life.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life is Worth Living)

“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

“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)

“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

There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy- Pope St. John Paul II

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   (Diary1074).

“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

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

“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

“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)

All the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light from a single candle.   -St. Francis of Assisi

And if in our days we look sorrowfully into the future, and if the enemy presses hard upon our mother, the Church, she too, will arise from the grave of oppression.  That this will be the case every century testifies; the deeper they dig her grave, the tighter they seal and close it, the more gloriously has she ever arisen from the grave, and the more victoriously does she unfurl her flag.  Her founder, who rose from the grave today, has said: "The gates of hell shall never prevail against her."  And this founder proclaims joyfully to the redeemed world today: "All hail, Conqueror of Golgotha, Conqueror like unto non other!  Alleluia!  St. John Vianney

“There are some persons who are content with everything and others who are scarcely content with anything. These latter need patience to bear with themselves.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"Go through life like a little child, always trusting, happy in every circumstance."    -St. Faustina

“The devil has only one door through which to enter into our soul: the will. There are no secret doors. There is no sin, if it has not been committed willfully. When the will does not consent, there is no sin but human weakness.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

This Sunday is the Feast of Divine Mercy!

Jesus told St. Faustina: "On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open... The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment." (Diary 699)

"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

“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)

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

How insignificant earth seems to me when I consider Heaven.     - St. Ignatius of Loyola

"Jesus, Your ineffeble image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your Sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth. My love discovers the charms of Your Face adorned with tears. I smile through my won tears when I contemplate Yours Sorrows."    -St. Therese of Lisieux

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

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

“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)

“My Secretary, write that I am more generous towards sinners than toward the just. It was for their sake that I came down from heaven; it was for their sake that My Blood was spilled. Let them not fear to approach Me; they are most in need of My mercy.”   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA  (Diary)

“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

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

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

“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)

"Yes, Mary is our great helper; she it is, who presents to her divine Son, all our prayers, our tears, and our sighs; she it is who obtains the graces for us which we need for our sanctification."   Saint John Vianney

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

"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."  Pope St. John Paul II (1920-2005)

"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).

“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)

“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 eight days.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Every step we take all day long is a step of nature or a step of grace.”   – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

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 : 3

"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)

“God's way in dealing with those whom He intends to admit soonest after this life into the possession of His everlasting glory, is to purify them in this world by the greatest afflictions and trials.”   —St. Ignatius of Loyola

“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

"I saw the Lord Jesus nailed upon the Cross amidst great torments. A soft moan issued from His Heart. After some time, He said, I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners.
I saw two rays issue from His side, just as they appear in the image. I then felt in my soul the desire to save souls and to empty myself for the sake of poor sinners. I offered myself, together with the dying Jesus, to the Eternal Father, for the salvation of the whole world."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 648 & 1032)

“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

"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

“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

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

“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)

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

"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

I will never rest until I am sure I have mastered love for thee, a constant and tender love for thee, my Mother.   - St John Berchmans 

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

“Jesus Christ meets the man of every age, including our own, with the same words: ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ These words contain both a fundamental requirement and a warning: the requirement of an honest relationship with regard to truth as a condition for authentic freedom, and the warning to avoid every kind of illusory freedom, every superficial unilateral freedom, every freedom that fails to enter into the whole truth about man and the world.” (Pope St. John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor Hominis, 1979)

“We should believe that our peace and glory lie in virtue, and our virtue is a resemblance to Jesus Christ.”   – 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."   -- Saint John Climacus

“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

"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

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    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 1074).

“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

“Teach poor girls as much as you possibly can, and remember that the most necessary thing of all is whatever concerns the knowledge of God and his love.”   – St. Louise de Marillac

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

"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

“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)

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

"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

“God is very good to tolerate me!”   – St. Vincent de Paul

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

"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

“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

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

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

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

"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

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

“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

"Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will".
"Say unceasingly the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive the grace of My infinite mercy".
"At the hour of their death, I defend every soul that will say this Chaplet as I do My own glory. When this Chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated and His unfathomable mercy envelops the soul"   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST.  FAUSTINA   (Diary 687, 811 & 1731)

“There, too, I listen on my knees, great Queen of all the Angels! To that sweet canticle that flows in rapture from your soul; so do you teach me how to sing like heavenly, glad angels. And glorify my Jesus, who alone can make me whole.”   - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"The executioners expected Jesus to cry, for everyone pinned to the gibbet of the Cross has done it before him. Cicero recorded that at times it was necessary to cut out the tongues of those who were crucified to stop their terrible blasphemies. Hence the executioners expected a word, but not the kind of word that they heard. Like some fragrant trees which bathe in the very axe which gashes them, the great Heart of the Tree of Love poured out from its depths something less a cry than a prayer-the soft, sweet, low prayer of pardon and forgiveness." Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Life of Christ)

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

“God speaks in the silence of the heart, and we listen. And then we speak to God from the fullness of our heart, and God listens. And this listening and this speaking is what prayer is meant to be…”    St. Teresa  of Calcutta

“I beg and beesech you, Lord: grant to all who have gone astray a true knowledge of You, so that each and every one may come to know Your glory.” — St. Isaac of Nineveh

I give myself to you as a prey to be consumed; enclose yourself in me that I may be absorbed in you so as to contemplate in your light the abyss of your Splendor!   -St Elizabeth of the Trinity

 

"Jesus, I smile through my own tears when I contemplate Your Sorrows"    St. Therese of Lisieux

“Always, the hand of God is outstretched for those who wish to clasp it.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

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

”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.)

“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

“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

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

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

“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

“I therefore exhort you again to be trustful. A soul who trusts in her Lord and places all her hope in Him has nothing to fear. The enemy of our salvation is always around us to snatch from our hearts the anchor that is to lead us to salvation, by which I mean trust in God our Father. Let us keep a very firm hold on this anchor and not relinquish it for a single moment. Otherwise all would be lost.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

My daughter, do not omit Holy Communion unless you know well that your fall was serious; apart from this, no doubt must stop you from uniting yourself with Me in the mystery of My love. Your minor faults will disappear in My love like a piece of straw thrown into a great furnace. Know that you grieve Me much when you fail to receive Me in Holy Communion   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 156).

"O powerful Fiat! O Fiat to be venerated above every other fiat! For with a fiat, God created life, heaven, earth; but with Mary's fiat, God became man."   - St. Thomas of Villanova

“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

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

“The sight of a crucifix has a continuity with Golgotha; at times its vision is embarrassing. We can keep a statue of Buddha in a room, tickle his tummy for good luck, but it is never mortifying.  The crucifix somehow or other, makes us feel involved.  It is much more than a picture of Marie Antoinette and the death-dealing guillotine.  No matter how much we thrust it away, it makes its plaguing reappearance like an unpaid bill.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Those Mysterious Priests)

"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."   -Pope St. John Paul II

"From the Virgin Mary, life was born in person, and thus did Mary become the Mother of all living."   - St. Epiphanius

At the present time, the hatred of the Muslim countries against the West is becoming a hatred against Christianity itself. Although the statesmen have not yet taken it into account, there is still grave danger that the temporal power of Islam may return, and with it, the menace that it may shake off a West which has ceased to be Christian, and affirm itself as a great anti-Christian world power. Muslim writers say, "When the locust swarms darken countries, they bear on their wings these Arabic words: We are God's host, each of us has ninety-nine eggs, and if we had a hundred, we should lay waste the world, with all that is in it."

~ Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Read more: http://m.whatistruth.webnode.com/apologetics-topics/mary/mary-and-the-muslims-by-archbishop-fulton-j-sheen/

"Look at His adorable Face. Look at His glazed and sunken eyes, look at His wounds. Look Jesus in the Face. There, you will see how He loves us."    -St. Therese OF Lisieux

”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

“Like thrifty housekeepers, we should turn all things to real profit; let us not seek our consolation in creatures nor in self-gratifications, but let us go straight to God by the path of interior and exterior mortification, traced out for us by his Divine Son.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory (Diary, 47, 48). I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You (Diary, 327). I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world (Diary, 47).   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA

“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

“I understand that temptations seem to stain rather than purify the soul, but this is not really the case. Let us see what the saints have to say about it. For you it suffices to know what the great St. Francis de Sales says, namely that temptations are like the soap, which when spread on the laundry seems to soil, but in reality cleanses it.”     St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“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

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

“Christ is really known only as a subject, as the husband and wife know one another in the marriage act.  He is possessed and we are possessed, the distinction between lover and beloved is merged in love.  We are not spectators looking at Christ on the stage.  Some action on our part is necessary.  He is the same Christ, but His action is different according to our reaction.  The sun shines on mud and hardens it; the sun shines on wax and melts it.  It is the same Christ; and our destiny is determined by our attitude to Him.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Those Mysterious Priests)

"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

“Perseverance is needed on the narrow path on which we have entered.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“In God we should chant the divine praises; we should do all things in God.”    St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)

“The good God does not need years to accomplish His work of love in a soul; one ray from His Heart can, in an instant, make His flower bloom for eternity.”   - St Therese of Lisieux

Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love.
Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 1447; 1448)

“You must turn to God when you are assaulted by the enemy; you must hope in Him and expect everything that is good from Him. Don't voluntarily dwell on what the enemy presents to you. Remember that, he who flees, wins, and at the first sign of your aversion for those people, you must stop thinking of it and turn to God. Bend your knees before Him, and with the greatest humility say this short prayer: "Have mercy on me, a poor weakling," Then get up and, with holy indifference, go on about your business.”    St.  Pio of Pietrelcina

From the Catecheses
by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop

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.

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

"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

“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

“Why are you untying it (the ass the disciples were sent to find), this must be your answer.  The Lord has need of it (Lk 19:31).  Perhaps no greater paradox was ever written than this – on the one hand the sovereignty of the Lord, and on the other hand his ‘need.’  This combination of Divinity and dependence, of possession and poverty was the consequence of the Word becoming flesh.  Truly, he who was rich became poor for our sakes, that we might be rich.  Our Lord borrowed a boat from a fisherman from which to preach; he borrowed barley loaves and fishes from a boy to feed the multitude; he borrowed a grave from which he would rise; and now he borrowed an ass on which to enter Jerusalem.  Sometimes God preempts and requisitions the things of man, as if to remind him that everything is a gift from him.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Life of Christ)

"If your nature is a subject of combat, a battlefield, oh, do not be discouraged, do not become sad. I would gladly say to you: love your misery, for that is where God exercises His mercy!"   St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

“Reflect on the worth of an individual animated by the Spirit of God.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“How it outrages one's patience to be obliged to listen to the insulting language of certain libertines, who, from time to time, utter scandalous propositions, which savour of atheism, and are the very bane of true piety.”   —St. Leonard of Port Maurice

"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?"   --Saint Vincent de Paul

"January 28, 1938. Today the Lord said to me, My daughter, write down these words: All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle"   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 1540)

"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

“Temptations against faith and purity are the merchandise offered by the enemy, but do not fear him, despise him. As long as he makes an uproar it is a sign that he has not yet possessed the will. Don't be upset by what you experience through the work of this rebellious angel. Let your will always be contrary to his suggestions, and live tranquilly, because you are not at fault, but rather, you please God and gain progress for your soul.”    St Pio of Pietrelcina

"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

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

“The gentleman is the one who is modest and retiring, who waits first on the others and thinks of everyone but himself, and finds his chief happiness in making someone else happy; who, however poor and humble anyone else may be, bears to them the open palm of true nobility.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

“Small negligences create the greatest useless expense.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"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 inside it. 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

"Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My Mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My Mercy."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST FAUSTINA   (Diary, 1146)

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

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

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

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

“I feel that I shall die happy if during life I entertain a great love for the Most Blessed Sacrament and for the Blessed Virgin, my Mother.”   --St. Peter Julian Eymard~

“Advertising tries to stimulate our sensuous desires, converting luxuries into necessities, but it only intensifies man’s inner misery.  The business world is bent on creating hungers which its wares never satisfy, and thus it adds to the frustrations and broken minds of our times.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart

“In order to raise a soul to the highest perfection God allows it to pass through dryness, brambles, and combats."   - St. Vincent de Paul

“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.”   WORDS OF JESUS to St. Catherine of Siena regarding homosexuality

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

“Poor sinners! When I think that there are some who will die without having even tasted for one hour the happiness of loving God! ...When we are tired of our exercises of piety, and conversation with God wearies us, let us go to the gates of hell, and look at those poor lost souls, who can no longer love the good God. If we could lose our souls without making our Lord suffer! but we cannot.”   —St. Jean Marie Vianney

“All the way to heaven is heaven, because Jesus said, I am the way.”     -St. Catherine of Siena

“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

I want the Feast of Mercy to be an escape and shelter for all souls, especially for poor sinners. On this day, the guts of My mercy are open, I pour out a whole sea of favors upon souls who will come closer to the source of My mercy. Which soul will come to confession and Holy Communion, will receive the complete remission of guilt and punishment.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 699)

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

“My dear Mother Mary, I think that I am more happy than you. I have you as a Mother and you haven’t the Blessed Virgin to love as I have.”   - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“It is not so much what happens in your life that matters; it is rather how you react to it.  The talents we have must be put to work, but if they yield only a certain return, we do not murmur because the return is not greater.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“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

“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)

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

“Temptations against faith and purity are the merchandise offered by the enemy, but do not fear him, rather, despise him. As long as he makes an uproar it is a sign that he has not yet possessed the will. Don't be upset by what you experience through the work of this rebellious angel. Let your will always be contrary to his suggestions, and live tranquilly, because you are not at fault, but rather, you please God and gain progress for your soul.”   St Pio of Pietrelcina

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

"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 Guite, November 22, 1903..

"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

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

"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

“As a kind person in the face of pain seeks to relieve the sufferings of his friend, so does moral kindness in the face of evil take on the punishment which evil deserves.  Every mother would willingly, if she could, bear the aches of her child.  A father will pay the debts of his wayward son as if they were his own.  Our Lord, though guilty of no sin, nevertheless in His agony in the garden permitted Himself to feel the inner effects of sin, as on the cross He experienced also the external effects of sin.  These internal effects were sadness, fear, and a sense of loneliness.  ‘I looked for one that would grieve together with Me, and I found none.’  He permits His head to feel blasphemies as if his lips had pronounced them; His hands to feel the sins of theft, as if He had stolen; His body to sense the guilt of defilement, as if it were the cause.  Innocence knows sin better than the guilty, because the guilty are already part of it.  Sin is in the blood.  The drunkard, the libertine, the tyrant have registered sin not only in their souls, but in their brain, the cells of their body, and the very expression of their faces.  If, therefore, sin is in the blood, to atone for it, blood must be poured out.  Our Lord never intended that any other blood than His own should be shed in expiation for sins.  Because men have not invoked the blood of Christ for their sins, they are now at war shedding one another’s blood.  The agony in the garden is not a triumph of the plans and the schemes of betrayers and enemies, but is permitted by divine decree.  This is your hour, our Lord said to His enemies.  Evil has its hour, but God has His day!” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Fifteen Mysteries)

"The way to overcome the devil when he excites feelings of hatred for those who injure us is immediately to pray for their conversion."   --- St. John Vianney.

“Don't let temptations frighten you. They are the trials of those souls whom 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 Pietrelcina

“It is no time to speak to creatures when we are before the Eucharistic throne where dwells the Lord of lords, the Master of the world.”    St. Paul of the Cross

”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

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

“No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.”    St. Ignatius of Antioch

“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

"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

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

“Why does God not stop war? God could stop war but the cost of doing so would be the destruction of human freedom.  Are we not fighting to defend dictators? Then why do we ask that God become a dictator?” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer Book)

All the saints have a great devotion for Mary.   - St John Vianney 

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

“To enjoy interior peace, we must always reserve in our hearts amidst all affairs, as it were, a secret closet, where we are to keep retired within ourselves, and where no business of the world can ever enter.”   St. Antonino Pierozzi (1389 – 1459)

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

”God is so good and so merciful, that to obtain Heaven it is sufficient to ask it of Him from our hearts.”   -Saint Benedict Joseph Labre

“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

"Give yourself to God and declare to Him that you desire to serve Him in the way most pleasing to Him.”   - St. Vincent de Paul

"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)

“Put an end to these apprehensions. Remember that it is not the thought that makes the sin, but consenting to those thoughts. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will groans under the trial presented by the tempter and does not want it, there is not only no sin, but there is virtue.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“As a sleepwalker will not awaken to every sound but will often respond when his name is called, so the soul in silence hears the Divine vocation and awakens -- for the Shepherd calls His sheep by name.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen

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

"My way is all confidence and Love."    -St. Therese of Lisieux

O my beloved Christ, crucified for love, would that I might be for you a spouse of your heart!
I would anoint you with glory, I would love you - even unto death!
Yet I sense my frailty and ask you to adorn me with yourself; identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, submerge me, overwhelm me, substitute yourself in me that my life may become but a reflection of your life.  Come into me as Adorer, Redeemer and Savior.    -St Elizabeth of the Trinity

"The Lord is with you; he fights with you and for you. With such a warrior on your side, you can have no doubt about complete victory over that foul and impure apostate, the devil. Groan before Jesus, knock fervently and insistently at his sacred heart, but the response he is sending you through me is no different from what he said to the Apostle to the Gentiles; 'My grace is sufficient for you' [2 Corinthians 12:9]. Yes, keep a guard over yourself, flee idleness and all base conversation.... Always remember the apostle's saying that our treasure is kept in a fragile earthen vessel [ see 2 Corinthians 4:7]....
Be at peace in all things, because the enemy, who always fishes in troubled waters, takes advantage of our discouragement to achieve his intentions more readily."   -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“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

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

"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)

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