“A weathervane is not more subject to air currents than the mind of a man to exterior agitations which draw him now to one thing, again to another. God permits this to test the good and to make them turn more strongly to him. Blessed are those who submit to his guidance, trusting his goodness and remaining peaceful amid these storms!”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"So, you will ask me, who then are the people most tempted? They are these, my friends; note them carefully. The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those things which most people eagerly seek. It is not one devil only who tempts them, but millions seek to entrap them." - St John Vianney.

"Do not be depressed. Do not let your weakness make you impatient. Instead, let the serenity of your spirit shine through your face. Let the joy of your mind burst forth." St. Peter Damian  (1007 – 1072)

“Many people are concerned with children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is the greatest destroyer of peace today—abortion which brings people to such blindness.”   - St. Teresa of Calcutta; National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, February 5, 1994

“The enemies of the truth must rather be convinced by the example of humility and patience, than by the pomp and grandeur of worldly show. Let us arm ourselves with prayer and humility, and so let us go barefooted against these Goliaths.”   - St. Dominic Guzmán,

In my opinion we shall never completely know ourselves  if we don't strive to know God.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Interior Castle - chapter 1 : 2 : 9

Divine Mercy Hour.
My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 1572)

“It is a great grace to begin to serve this good God when youth renders one susceptible to everything. Oh how this offering, by which one offers the flowers and the first fruits of the tree, is appreciated. And what can restrain you from making a total offering of your entire self to the good God, by deciding, once and for all, to give the world, the devil and the flesh a kick, as our god-parents did for us in a determined manner when they held us at Baptism? Perhaps the Lord does not deserve this further sacrifice from you?”   St Pio of Pietrelcina

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

“The people who are dragging their shame into a confessional box, with their feet hanging out from under a curtain like wiggling worms, have courage to face their own shame.  It is the cowards who are running off to pillboxes, and to a thousand and one other escapes, who have not the courage to face that which has within themselves the possibility of great dignity.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (On Being Human)

"We help to make that apostolic continuity more evident in the eyes of all men by demonstrating with exquisite fidelity our union with the Pope, which is union with Peter. Love for the Roman Pontiff must be in us a delightful passion, for in him we see Christ. If we talk with the Lord in prayer, we will go forward with a clear gaze that will permit us to perceive the action of the Holy Spirit, even in the face of events we do not understand or which produce sighs or sorrow."   – St. Josemarie Escriva, In Love with the Church

“ Alas, daughter, how few there are who truthfully love me, I would reveal to them my secrets. Do you know what it is to love Me truthfully ? It is to understand that everything that is to displeasing to me is a lie.”   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 40 : 1

“Much remains to be done to support those whose lives are wounded and to restore hope to those who are afraid of life. Courage is needed to resist pressures and false slogans, to proclaim the supreme dignity of all life, and to demand that society itself give it its protection. A distinguished American, Thomas Jefferson, once stated: ‘The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the just and only legitimate object of good government’ -March 31, 1809. I wish therefore to praise all the members of the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches, all men and women of the Judeo-Christian heritage, as well as all people of good will who unite in common dedication for the defense of life in its fullness and for the promotion of all human rights.” (Saint John Paul II, Homily in Washington, D.C., October 7, 1979)

“There is no reason to marvel at God's granting such sublime and strange gifts to souls He decides to favor. If we consider that He is God and that He bestows them as God, with infinite love and goodness, it does not seem unreasonable. For He declared that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit would take up their abode in those who love him by making them live the life of God and dwell in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”.  -St John of the Cross - “The Living Flame of Love” - Prologue, Section 2

"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude." St. John Chrysostom (347-407)

"What happiness do we not feel in the Presence of God, when we are alone at His feet before the Sacred Tabernacle!....Redouble your fervour; you are alone to adore your God; His eyes rest on you alone" - St John Vianney.

On a certain occasion, the Lord said to me, "I am more deeply wounded by the small imperfections of chosen souls than by the sins of those living in the world". It made me very sad that chosen souls make Jesus suffer, and Jesus told me, "These little imperfections are not all. I will reveal to you a secret of My Heart: what I suffer from chosen souls. Ingratitude in return for so many graces is My Heart's constant food, on the part of a chosen soul. Their love is lukewarm, and My Heart cannot bear it; these souls force Me to reject them. Others distrust My goodness and have no desire to experience that sweet intimacy in their own hearts, but go in search of Me, off in the distance, and do not find Me. This distrust of My goodness hurts Me very much. If My death has not convinced you of My love, what will? Often a soul wounds Me mortally, and then no one can comfort Me. They use My graces to offend Me. There are souls who despise My graces as well as all the proofs of My love. They do not wish to hear My call, but proceed into the abyss of hell. The loss of these souls plunges Me into deadly sorrow. God though I am, I cannot help such a soul because it scorns Me; having a free will, it can spurn Me or love Me. You, who are the dispenser of My mercy, tell all the world about My goodness, and thus you will comfort My Heart"    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 580)

“It is a great grace to be able to serve this good God when youth renders one susceptible to everything. Oh how this offering, by which one offers the first fruits of the tree, is appreciated. And what can restrain you from making a total offering of your entire self to the good God, by deciding, once and for all, to give the world, the devil and the flesh a kick, as our god-parents did for us in a determined manner when they held us at Baptism? Perhaps the Lord does not deserve this further sacrifice from you?”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina   ( Letters III, p.422 )

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

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

“If we would please this divine Infant, we too must become children, simple and humble; we must carry to him flowers of virtue, of meekness, of mortification, of charity; we must clasp him in the arms of our love.” (St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, C.Ss.R., Bishop and Doctor of the Church; reflecting on Saint Bonaventure’s words about Christ)

Saint John Bosco on Islam

"It would take too long to tell you all the stories about this famous impostor (...) Mohamed's religion consists of a monstrous mixtures of Judaism, Paganism and Christianity. Mohamed propagated his religion, not through miracles or persuasive words, but through the force of arms. [It is] a religion that favors every sort of licentiousness and which, in a short time, allowed Mohamed to become the leader of troop of brigands. Along with them he raided the countries of the East and conquered the people, not by introducing the Truth, not by miracles or prophecy; but for one reason only: to raise his sword over the heads of the conquered shouting: believe or die."

"There is no sinner in the world, however much at enmity with God, who cannot recover God's grace by recourse to Mary, and by asking her assistance" St. Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 1373)

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

“I beg Our Lord that in all things He may be your all!”   – St. Vincent de Paul

What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that which the Son, who is Truth, uttered with His own lips?    - St John Chrysostom

“Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say many times, especially when you make some sacrifice: ‘O Jesus, it is for Thy love, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”    - Our Lady of Fatima

Mary remains ever the path that leads to Christ.     -Pope St. Paul VI

God's mercy makes me feel safe.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 38 : 7

“We must become accustomed to the sufferings which Jesus will be pleased to send us. Jesus, who cannot bear to keep you in a state of affliction at length, will come to help and comfort you, by instilling new courage in your spirit.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart... When will it beat for Me? Write that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want"   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary 1728)

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

“The Church is like Noah’s ark that was full of both clean and unclean animals. It must have had an unholy smell, and yet it was carrying eight persons to salvation. The world today is tearing up the photographs of a good society, a good family, a happy, individual personal life. But the Church is keeping the negatives. And when the moment comes when the world wants a reprint, we will have them.” (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

While I was feeling really desolate, the Lord said to me, “Don't you know that I am mighty ? What do you fear ?”   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 36 : 16.   

“Much remains to be done to support those whose lives are wounded and to restore hope to those who are afraid of life. Courage is needed to resist pressures and false slogans, to proclaim the supreme dignity of all life, and to demand that society itself give it its protection. A distinguished American, Thomas Jefferson, once stated: ’The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the just and only legitimate object of good government’ -March 31, 1809. I wish therefore to praise all the members of the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches, all men and women of the Judeo-Christian heritage, as well as all people of good will who unite in common dedication for the defense of life in its fullness and for the promotion of all human rights.” Pope St.John Paul II, Homily in Washington, D.C., October 7, 1979

“Since Christ himself has said, "This is my Body" who shall dare to doubt that it is his Body?”   -  St. Cyril of Jerusalem

“Let us serve God as he wishes, leaving to him the disposal of all.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

If I want my interior city to have some similarity and likeness to that “of the King of eternal ages” and to receive this great illumination from God, I must extinguish every other light and, as in the holy city, the Lamb must be “its only light.”   - St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

"If you have too much to do, with God's help you will find time to do it all"    - St. Peter Canisius (1521—1597)

“Now could it possibly happen that the sun be smote or sliced, which otherwise encompasses the axe and the tree? So therefore in Christ, his body indeed is the tree, the axe His passion, the sun is His Godhead. Christ suffered [endured His Passion], without His Divinity suffering any diminution on account of his Passion.   - Pope St. Sylvester I

"We must always choose the most perfect. Two good works present themselves to be done, one in favour of a person we love, the other in favour of a person who has done us some harm. Well, we must give preference to the latter." - St. John Vianney.

“The Lord points out and calls, but we do not want to see and answer because we prefer our own interests.  It also sometimes happens that because the voice is always audible, we no longer hear it; but the Lord enlightens and calls. It is man who puts himself in the position of no longer being able to hear.”. St. Pio of Pietrelcina

At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion....WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Notebook-VI-1320)

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

“unless God Almighty sends to this world a great saint we cannot expect deliverance from the spirit of evil.  Why a saint?  Because the rest of us are too close to our times…The world will not be saved by anyone living in it now, but by someone lifted up from it.”  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

“It was said of St. Catherine Labouré that some sort of electric current [existed] between Catherine and humble people, between her and children. Those who were puzzled or embarrassed went to her as if she were a beloved granny, a staunch member of the household – but would later leave the ‘old lady’ when they had learnt to fly with their own wings.”   - St. Vincent de Paul

"The conflict with Hell cannot be maintained by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata (Mother Mary) alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan"    - St. Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941)

“Love keeps Him there (in the Blessed Sacrament) as a victim completely and perpetually delivered over to sacrifice for the glory of the Father and for our salvation. Unite yourself with Him, then, in all that you do. Refer everything to His glory. Set up your abode in this loving Heart of Jesus and you will there find lasting peace and the strength both to bring to fruition all the good desires He inspires in you, and to avoid every deliberate fault. Place in this Heart all your sufferings and difficulties. Everything that comes from the Sacred Heart is sweet. He changes everything into love.”    -  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

“Although it is a great grace from God to practise self-examination, yet ‘too much is as bad as too little,’ as they say; believe me, by God’s help, we shall advance more by contemplating the Divinity than by keeping our eyes fixed on ourselves, poor creatures of earth that we are.”    - St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church; Interior Castle, First Mansions, Chapter 2

"...So, you will ask me, who then are the people most tempted? They are these, my friends; note them carefully. The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those things which most people eagerly seek. It is not one devil only who tempts them, but millions seek to entrap them....".   - St John Vianney.

“Jesus had said in one of His parables: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son’ (Mt 22:2). The Eucharist is the sacramental anticipation and, in a certain sense, a ‘foretaste’ of that royal feast which the Book of Revelation calls ‘the marriage supper of the Lamb’ (cf. Rev 19:9). The bridegroom who is at the center of that marriage feast and of its Eucharistic foreshadowing and anticipation is the Lamb who ‘took away the sins of the world,’ the Redeemer.”     - Pope St. John Paul II

I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it.    -St. Faustina

”If devotion to the Blessed Virgin is necessary for all men simply to work out their salvation, it is even more necessary for those who are called to a special perfection. I do not believe that anyone can acquire intimate union with our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the most Blessed Virgin and an absolute dependence on her support.”   -Saint Louis Marie de Montfort   True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary

God is waiting for us, like a father in the parable, with open arms, even though we don't deserve it.    — St. Josemaria Escriva

They who really love You, my God, walk safely on a broad and royal road. They are far from the precipice. Hardly have they begun to stumble when You, Lord, give them Your hand.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 35 : 14

“I hate sin! Our country would be fortunate if, as mother of law, it would perfect the laws and customs in the light of honesty and Christian principles.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“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

“He who made his mother is born of his mother.  He who made all flesh is born of flesh.  The bird that built the nest is hatched therein.  Maker of the sun, under the sun; molder of the earth, on this earth; ineffably wise, a little infant; filling the world, lying in a manger; ruling the stars, suckling a breast; the mirth of heaven weeps; God becomes man; Creator, a creature.  Rich becomes poor; Divinity, incarnate; Majesty, subjugated; Liberty, captive; Eternity, time; Master, a servant; Truth, accused; Judge, judged; Justice, condemned; Lord scourged; Power, bound with ropes; King, crowned with thorns; Salvation wounded; Life, dead. And thought we shall live on through eternity, eternity will not be long enough for us to understand the mystery of that Child Who was a Father and of the mother who was a child.”    Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Divine Romance)

“The humble person is embarrassed with praise because he knows that his voice, his talents or his power come to him from God. In his heart of hearts, he passes the thanks on to God when the lips of men exalt him. He takes praise as a window receives light, never to possess it and hoard it unto himself, but to pass it through with thanksgiving to God who so endowed him.”   - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

“On the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary”: “O my Lady, my Sovereign, You who rule over me, Mother of my Lord . . . Lady among handmaids, Queen among sisters.”   - St. Ildephonsus of Toledo,

“Things have to be done gradually. Grace has its small beginnings and its progress.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

If I want my interior city to have some similarity and likeness to that “of the King of eternal ages” and to receive this great illumination from God, I must extinguish every other light and, as in the holy city, the Lamb must be “its only light.”   - St Elizabeth of the Trinity

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.”    - St. Ambrose

“Alone with none but Thee, my God, I journey on my way. What need I fear when Thou art near, oh King of night and day? More safe am I within Thy hand, than if a host did round me stand.”    - St. Columba

"Let the whole of mankind tremble, the whole world shake and the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is on the altar in the hands of a priest."    - Saint Francis of Assisi

Nor does God ever fail anyone who serves Him.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 35 : 2

“Why is there evil in the world? Listen carefully. There is a mother who is embroidering. Her son sitting on a low stool sees her work, but upside down. He sees the knots of the embroidery; the tangled threads, and says: "Mother, what are you doing? Your work is not at all clear?"
Then the mother lowers the embroidery frame and shows the right side of her work. Each colour is in its place and the variety of threads form a harmonious design.
So, we are seeing the reverse side of the embroidery. We are sitting on the low stool.  St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

"Before, by yourself, you couldn't. Now, you've turned to our Lady, and with her, how easy!"   - St. Josemaría Escrivá

“The new compassion that has crept into our courts and into our literature and drama is the compassion for the breakers of the law, for the thieves, the dope fiends, the murderers, the rapists.  This false compassion for the criminal and the readiness to blame the law and the police, has passed from the ‘sob-sisters’ to black –robed justices who, fearful of restraining a liberty turned into license, pardon the mugger and ignore the mugged.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

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

My secret is simple: I pray.   -  St. Teresa of Calcutta

“Out of gratitude and love for him we should desire to be reckoned fools.”    - St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

“The Church will be punished because the majority of her members, high and low, will become so perverted. The Church will sink deeper and deeper until she will at last seem to be extinguished, and the succession of Peter and the other Apostles to have expired. But, after this, she will be victoriously exalted in the sight of all doubters.”   -St Nicholas of Flue

“I beg of you not to rush that affair, but let Divine Providence act.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing."    - St. John of the Cross

"Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be - and becoming that person." - Saint Therese of Lisieux

"Whenever anything displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent."   -St. John of Cross

"When we want to obtain anything of the good God, let us, after Holy Communion, offer Him His well-beloved Son, with all the merits of His Death and Passion; He will be able to refuse us nothing."     - St John Vianney.

“None of us are judged for what we do not know, and no one is called blessed beacuse he has education and knowledge. Instead, each person will be judged according to whether they have kept the faith and truly observed the commandments.”     - St. Anthony the Great

Fortitude is the disposition of soul which enables us to despise all inconveniences and the loss of things not in our power.    –St. Augustine

Do good while you still have time.     - St. Josemaria Escriva

Those who sincerely say "Jesus, I trust in You" will find comfort in all their fears and anxieties    - Pope St. John Paul II

May it please His Majesty not to let me out of His hand lest I fall again, for I have alreadyseen where I would end up.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 32: 7

“Place all your worries in God alone, because He has the greatest care of you, and those three angelic children with whom He has blessed you. By their conduct, these children will be a comfort and consolation to you during your lifetime. Take care, not so much of their scientific as of their moral education. And you should take this very seriously, and guard it as the pupil of your eye. As you educate their minds with good studies, assure the education of their hearts, along with that of our holy religion; one without the other causes a mortal wound to the human heart.   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"I do not reward for good results but for the patience and hardship undergone for My sake. It is not for the success of a work, but for the suffering that I give reward”    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary 86, 90)

"If you ever feel distressed during your day — call upon our Lady — just say this simple prayer: 'Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.' I must admit — this prayer has never failed me."   - St. Teresa of Calcutta

“Even when the will is perverse – even when a creature is enthralled and captivated by one great sinful adhesion, which makes one’s days a flight from God toward lust or power – even then some few good and commendable acts contradict one’s general attitude.  These isolated acts of virtue are like a clean handle on a dirty bucket; with them, God can lift a soul to His peace.”    Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)

“If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.”   St.Bernadette

“We should be satisfied with the state in which we have been placed by the designs of Providence, and in which God blesses us.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“Remember the past with Gratitude. Live the present with Enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with Confidence.   - Pope St. John Paul II

"It is better to say one Our Father fervently and devoutly than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction"    - St. Edmund the Martyr (841. - 869.)

"What does Jesus Christ represent, dear brethren, when He is carried around the church in the procession?  He is like a good and gracious king in the midst of His subjects, a kind father surrounded by His children, and a good shepherd gathering His sheep."    - St. John Vianney

Jesus Christ is all my riches; he alone is sufficient for me.    - St. Louis of Toulouse

"Remove from me, O my God, everything that leads me away from You; give me everything that will bring me nearer to You. Enrapture me, so that I will live wholly and always for You”   - St. Nicholas of Flue

It is a dangerous thing to be satisfied with ourselves, nor should the soul that falls at every step into mortal sin be at rest or content. But for the love of God we should avoid the occasions.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Book of Her Life - chapter 302: 7

"When, on one occasion, instead of interior prayer, I took up a book of spiritual reading, I heard these words spoken distinctly and forcefully within my soul, You will prepare the world for My final coming. These words moved me deeply, and although I pretended not to hear them, I understood them very well and had no doubt about them. Once, being tired out from this battle of love with God, and making constant excuses on the grounds that I was unable to carry out this task, I wanted to leave the chapel, but some force held me back and I found myself powerless. Then I heard these words, You intend to leave the chapel, but you shall not get away from Me, for I am everywhere. You cannot do anything of yourself, but with Me you can do all things"   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 429).

“Take comfort then, my dear lady, take comfort, because the sustaining arm of the Lord has not been shortened. Oh yes, He is the Father of all, but He is more so for the unhappy and even more so for you who are a widow, and a widowed mother.”   St Pio of Pietrelcina

"Whosoever shall die wearing my Scapular shall not suffer the flames of Hell."   - Our Lady of Mount Carmel

“Even when the will is perverse – even when a creature is enthralled and captivated by one great sinful adhesion, which makes one’s days a flight from God toward lust or power – even then some few good and commendable acts contradict one’s general attitude.  These isolated acts of virtue are like a clean handle on a dirty bucket; with them, God can lift a soul to His peace.”   Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lift Up Your Heart)

"The virtue of obedience makes the will supple… It inspires the courage with which to fulfill the most difficult tasks." - St John Vianney.

“‘Great’ holiness consists in carrying out the ‘little’ duties of each moment.”    - St. Josemaría Escrivá; The Way

“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

"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if he wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength." St. Phillip Neri  (1515-1595)

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

His Majesty gives value to little things like these that are done for Him, and He gives the help for doing greater things.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 24

“Courage, courage, children are not nails.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"I demand of you a perfect and whole-burnt offering; an offering of the will. No other sacrifice can compare with this one. I myself am directing your life and arranging things in such a way that you will be for Me a continual sacrifice and will always do My will. And for the accomplishment of this offering, you will unite yourself with Me on the Cross. I myself will give you many orders directly, but I will delay the possibility of their being carried out and make it depend on others (...) but know, My daughter, that this offering will last until your death."   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.
(Diary 923)

“If God really is, then it is absurd to say that He is one thing in the fifteenth century and another in the twentieth.  This is equivalent to saying that a thing is true at three o’clock but false at half, past four and that two apples plus two apples make four apples on Monday but not on Friday.  That all this should be called progress is a mystery, as if there could be progress without a fixed term.”    Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Religion Without God)

“Give thanks to Almighty God who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, and offer Him all the glory that this Maiden accorded to His majesty by her practice of the richest humility during her childhood and throughout the rest of her life.”    - St. John Eudes

"Life with Christ is a Wonderful adventure." Pope St. John Paul II.

"He rightly reads the Scripture when he turns the Word into deeds" St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090.-1153.)

Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle.   - St. Josemaria Escriva

"If you cannot give alms yourself you can pray that God will inspire someone else to do so." - St John Vianney.

We are striving to be joined with God through union, and we seek to follow His counsels coming from Christ.   St. Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 22

Today I heard the words, "In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy". I replied, 'O my Jesus, speak to souls Yourself, because my words are insignificant'    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary 1588)

“The principal self-denial takes place in the home.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.”   - Pope St. Pius X

"Some psychologists and sociologists like to rap their knuckles at the door of truth about mankind, but they would run away if the door ever opened, showing man's contingency on God. The only people who ever arrive at a knowledge of God are those who, when the door is opened, accept that Truth and shoulder the responsibilities it brings.    - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“As long as we are Christians we are obligated to support ill-humor of our neighbor and try to sweeten it.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“What seems to me white, I will believe black if the hierarchical Church so defines.” St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491.-1556.)

"Grieve over the contempt cast upon Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and try to make amends for it by a greater and more ardent love." - St John Vianney.

“Let the mouth fast from disgraceful and abusive words, because, what gain is there when, on the one hand we avoid eating chicken and fish and, on the other, we chew-up and consume our brothers?”    - St. John Chrysostom

"Just one minute of intense prayer is enough." Someone who never prayed used to say that. Would someone in love think it enough to contemplate intensely the person they love for just a minute?     - St. Josemaria Escriva

"God is closer to us than water is to a fish" St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

However small the point of honor may be, .......this concern is something that does damage to the soul in all areas, but in this path of prayer it is a pestilence.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 21

“May God’s blessing accompany, sustain and guide you! Form a Christian family if you want a little bit of peace in this life. May the Lord give you children and then the grace to direct them on the way to Heaven.”  St. Pio of Pietrelcina   (P. Pio Archives )

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

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

“It is one of the paradoxes of creation that you gain control by submission.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“You have a thousand reasons for rejoicing in God and for hoping for everything from him through Our Lord who dwells within you.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“Christianity’s…doctrines…cannot be treated as matters of private opinion.”   - John Henry Newman

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

“But God made you without you. You didn’t, after all, give any consent to God making you. How were you to consent, if you didn’t yet exist? So, while he made you without you, he doesn’t justify you without you. So, he made you without you knowing it, he justifies you with your willing consent to it.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 169)

"Let us, therefore, be students of the laws of God so that we may conduct ourselves according to them. When you walk, these will guide you; when you lie down, watch over you; when you wake, talk with you. Wherever we may be or go, may they go with us to direct our footsteps. May they be so near us when we sleep that they may fill our thoughts as soon as we awaken. His voice will speak to us in them. He will refresh us for the day ahead.

"Through his laws, we will gain the victory over our doubts. We will cast away every obstacle. We will free ourselves from that sluggishness of nature which is the enemy of strength, the foe of devotion, and the lover of ease.

"The law of life will help us to overcome our fears in the time of temptation and to follow eagerly in the way of obedience. May it always be at hand to counsel us, so that by it we may find the strength to follow God’s call with generous hearts and willing souls."   St. Raphael of St. Joseph   Excerpt from his Exhortations

When the Lord begins to give a virtue, it should be highly esteemed; and we should in no way place ourselves in the danger of losing it.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 20

Jesus said, "Secretary of My most profound mystery, know that yours is an exclusive intimacy with Me. Your task is to write down everything that I make known to you about My mercy, for the benefit of those who by reading these things will be comforted in their souls and will have the courage to approach Me"   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 1693)

One time in 1949 Padre Pio was talking with a certain doctor who was very close to him. They were discussing prayers for the dead. Padre Pio said to him, “Maybe you don't know that even now I can pray for the happy death of my great-grandfather!” But the doctor remarked that he has been dead for many, many years. Then Padre Pio explained, “For the Lord the past does not exist. Everything is an eternal present. These prayers had already been taken into account. And so I repeat that even now I can pray for the happy death of my great-grandfather!”

“It is never true to say that we have no time to meditate; the less one thinks of God, the less time there will always be for God. The time we have for anything depends of how much we value it. Thinking determines the uses of time; time does not rule over thinking.  The problem of spirituality is never, then, a question of time; it is a problem of thought.  For it does not require much time to make us saints; it requires only much love.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (God Love You)

“But the power of Mary over all the devils will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lay his snares against her heel: that is to say, her humble slaves and her poor children, whom she will raise up to make war against him. They shall be little and poor in the world’s esteem, and abased before all like the heel, trodden underfoot and persecuted as the heel is by the other members of the body. But in return for this they shall be rich in the grace of God, which Mary shall distribute to them abundantly. They shall be great and exalted before God in sanctity, superior to all other creatures by their lively zeal, and so well sustained with God’s assistance that, with the humility of their heel, in union with Mary, they shall crush the head of the devil and cause Jesus Christ to triumph.”   - St. Louis Marie de Montfort

God freely created us that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever.  God’s purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.   -  St. Ignatius Loyola

When you know how much God is in love with you, then you can only live your life radiating that love    - St. Teresa of Calcutta

If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire.    - St. Vincent Ferrer

"Let the whole of mankind tremble, the whole world shake and the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is on the altar in the hands of a priest."    - Saint Francis of Assisi

“Blessed are those who commune each day! They will be purified of all defilement of soul and body. If you think it is impossible to partake daily of the awesome mysteries with tears, what ignorance! What insensitivity!”    - St. Symeon the New Theologian

"When there is no room for the poor, there is no room for me"   - St. Candida Maria of Jesus (1845 – 1912)

“The actions performed by the priest in Mass are not ridiculous gestures, since they are done so as to represent something else. The priest in extending his arms signifies the outstretching of Christ’s arms upon the cross. He also lifts up his hands as he prays, to point out that his prayer is directed to God for the people, according to Lamentations 3:41: ‘Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens’: and Exodus 17:11: ‘And when Moses lifted up his hands Israel overcame.’ That at times he joins his hands, and bows down, praying earnestly and humbly, denotes the humility and obedience of Christ, out of which He suffered. He closes his fingers, i.e. the thumb and first finger, after the consecration, because, with them, he had touched the consecrated body of Christ; so that if any particle cling to the fingers, it may not be scattered: and this belongs to the reverence for this sacrament.”    - St. Thomas Aquinas

Virtues are supernatural goods, or against our natural inclination.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 18 

'' My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially poor sinners.''   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 1537)

“God gave me my poor sister, and God has taken her away. Blessed be his holy name. In this resignation and exclamation I find the strength to avoid giving way to sorrow. I exhort you, too, to resign yourselves to the divine will, and you will find, like me, relief for your sorrow.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina   ( Letters IV, p.904 )

“Mary is the whole hope of our salvation.”   - St. Thomas Aquinas

“Why is it that any time we speak of temptation we always speak of temptation as something that inclines us to wrong.  We have more temptations to become good than we do to become bad.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Our Father who art in Heaven!” Oh, how beautiful it is, my children, to have a Father in Heaven! “Thy kingdom come.” If I make the good God reign in my heart, He will make me reign with Him in His glory. “Thy will be done.” There is nothing so sweet, and nothing so perfect, as to do the will of God. In order to do things well, we must do them as God wills, in all conformity with His designs. “Give us this day our daily bread.” We are composed of two parts, the soul and the body. We ask the good God to feed our poor body, and He answers by making the earth produce all that is necessary for our support…. But we ask Him to feed our soul, which is the best part of ourselves; and the earth is too small to furnish enough to satisfy it; it hungers for God, and nothing but God can satisfy it. Therefore the good God thought He did not do too much in dwelling upon the earth and assuming a body, in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls. “My Flesh,” said Our Lord, “is meat indeed…. The bread that I will give is my Flesh, for the life of the world.” The bread of souls is in the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the storehouse of Christians…. Oh, how beautiful it is, my children! When the priest presents the Host, and shows it to you, your soul may say, “There is my food.” O my children, we are too blessed!… We shall never comprehend it till we are in Heaven. What a pity that is!" - St John Vianney.

“Many contradictory things happen to us: unfavorable opinions about ourselves, our works, our intentions. These contradictions have the advantage of preventing vain-glory, of obliging us to throw ourselves more confidently into the arms of God.”– St. Vincent de Paul

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

"When there is no room for the poor, there is no room for me"    -?St. Candida Maria of Jesus (1845 – 1912)

"Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for, besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and lack of spirit"   - St John of the Cross (Counsels 12)

"If the Son of God will have all men to be saved, how is it that so many suffer the torments of Hell? I answer in one word: they wish it. He sends preachers of His Gospel to all parts of the world to proclaim: "He who believes, and is baptized, shall be saved. "And if any are unwilling to enter on this way, they perish by their own fault and not by the lack of will on the part of the Redeemer. For an hour the perfidious Jews exulted over Christ in His sufferings; for an hour Judas enjoyed the price of his avarice; for an hour Pilate gloried that he had regained the friendship of Herod and not lost the friendship of Caesar. But for nearly two thousand years they have all been suffering the torments of Hell, and their cries of despair will be heard for ever and ever." (The Seven Words Spoken by Christ on the Cross, Westminster, MD: Carroll Press, Thomas Baker, 1933) e- "If the Son of God will have all men to be saved, how is it that so many suffer the torments of Hell? I answer in one word: they wish it. He sends preachers of His Gospel to all parts of the world to proclaim: "He who believes, and is baptized, shall be saved. "And if any are unwilling to enter on this way, they perish by their own fault and not by the lack of will on the part of the Redeemer. For an hour the perfidious Jews exulted over Christ in His sufferings; for an hour Judas enjoyed the price of his avarice; for an hour Pilate gloried that he had regained the friendship of Herod and not lost the friendship of Caesar. But for nearly two thousand years they have all been suffering the torments of Hell, and their cries of despair will be heard for ever and ever."    - Saint Robert Bellarmine  (The Seven Words Spoken by Christ on the Cross, Westminster, MD: Carroll Press, Thomas Baker, 1933)

For perfection is not attained quickly, unless the Lord wants to  grant someone this favor by a special privilage.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Book of Her Life - privilage31 : 17

During one of the adorations, Jesus promised me, "With souls that have recourse to My mercy, and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will deal according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death. My Heart is 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 TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 379)

"More souls of the dead from Purgatory than of the living climb this mountain to attend my Masses and seek my prayers."   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Sacrifice without love is pain Pain with love is sacrifice Pain without love is misery. Love without pain is Heaven. Love with pain is purgatory. Pain without love is hell.”   Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Wartime Prayer book)

“All ships are exposed to storms but are not thereby doomed to perish. May Our Lord be your Strength, your Protector, your Sanctifier.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"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...don't listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love...
"Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing..."
"The guest of our soul knows our misery; He comes to find an empty tent within us - that is all He asks."   - St. Therese of Lisieux

For a soul surrendered into God's hands doesn't care whether they say good or evil about it.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 16

For a soul surrendered into God's hands doesn't care whether they say good or evil about it.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 16

Be not afraid of your Savior; O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 1485)

“I see that all the seasons of the year can be found in your souls. Sometimes you feel the winter of much sterility, distractions, listlessness and boredom; sometimes the dews of the month of May with the perfume of holy little flowers (small sacrifices); sometimes the heat of the desire to please our divine Spouse. Nothing remains but the autumn in which you don't see much fruit, but it often happens that when the grain is threshed and the grapes crushed, there is a bigger harvest than the harvesting promised.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

"Tears were consecrated and made sacred when Christ, the God-man, wept three times; once over death, in the case of Lazarus; once over the decay of civilization, when He wept over Jerusalem; and once for the sins of men as He crimsoned the olive roots of Gethsemane with tears of blood. In contrast to this compassionate love for the ills and woes of men which sin had brought, the ancient poet could fix no worse epithet on Pluto than: "He was a person who could not weep."   Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“We must never be surprised when those upon whom we relied fail us; it is then that God steps in to do His work.”  – St. Vincent de Paul

Writing on the Lord’s gift of the Eucharist…
“He could not have commanded anything more beneficial, for this Sacrament is the fruit of the tree of life. Anyone who receives this Sacrament with the devotion of sincere faith will never taste death. It is a tree of life for those who grasp it, and blessed is he who holds it fast. The man who feeds on Me shall live on account of Me.”    - St. Albert the Great, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor

Writing on the Lord’s gift of the Eucharist… “He could not have commanded anything more beneficial, for this Sacrament is the fruit of the tree of life. Anyone who receives this Sacrament with the devotion of sincere faith will never taste death. It is a tree of life for those who grasp it, and blessed is he who holds it fast. The man who feeds on Me shall live on account of Me.”    - St. Albert the Great, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

"The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one's enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. He who is more fair than all the sons of men offered his fair face to be spat upon by sinful men; he allowed
those eyes that rule the universe to be blindfolded by wicked men; he bared his back to the scourges; he submitted that head which strikes terror in principalities and powers to the sharpness of the thorns; he gave himself up to be mocked and reviled, and at the end endured the cross, the nails, the lance, the gall, the vinegar, remaining always gentle, meek and full of peace.
"In short, he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before the shearers he kept silent, and did not open his mouth. "Who could listen to that wonderful prayer, so full of warmth, of love, of unshakeable serenity - Father, forgive them - and hesitate to embrace his enemies with overflowing love? Father, he says, forgive them. Is any gentleness, any love, lacking in this prayer?
"Yet he put into it something more. It was not enough to pray for them: he wanted also to make excuses for them. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. They are great sinners, yes, but they have little judgement; therefore, Father, forgive them. They are nailing me to the cross, but they do not know who it is that they are nailing to the cross: if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory; therefore, Father, forgive them. They think it is a lawbreaker, an impostor claiming to be God, a seducer of the people. I have hidden my face from them, and they do not recognise my glory; therefore, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
"If someone wishes to love himself he must not allow himself to be corrupted by indulging his sinful nature. If he wishes to resist the promptings of his sinful nature he must enlarge the whole horizon of his love to contemplate the loving gentleness of the humanity of the Lord. Further, if he wishes to savour the joy of brotherly love with greater perfection and delight, he must extend even to his enemies the embrace of true love.
"But if he wishes to prevent this fire of divine love from growing cold because of injuries received, let him keep the eyes of his soul always fixed on the serene patience of his beloved Lord and Saviour."   - St. Aelred, Abbot ( Spiritual Friendship:)

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

“Throw melted wax into melted wax, and the one interpenetrates the other perfectly. In the same way, when the body and blood of Christ are received, the union is such that Christ is in the recipient and he in Christ.”  -  St. Cyril of Jerusalem

All these little fears and pains and this appearance of humility came from serious imperfection and from not being mortified.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 16

“In family life have strong convictions, smile in the face of self-denial and in the constant sacrifice of your whole self.”   St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina    ( A. Serritelli – Notizie su P. Pio,43)

I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world-mercy triumphed over justice.
My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration for My mercy from every creature, but above all from you, since it is to you that I have given the most profound understanding of this mystery.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Notebook-V-1572)

Decisions and resolutions taken during an enthusiastic moment mean little unless tested by time and by waiting. The immediate request for places on the right and left side of the kingdom by James and John he ordered tested by the ability to bear sacrifice and to drink the cup of His Passion and Crucifixion. When after multiplying the bread, the multitude wished to make him a bread king, Our Lord fled into the mountains alone. It is always a good policy never to choose the most enthusiastic person in a gathering as a leader. Wait to see how much wood there is for the flame.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

"Because Mary was free from original sin, she found no obstacle in obeying God; she was like a wheel, which was easily turned by every inspiration of the Holy Spirit."    - St. Bonaventure

Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it.    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 1075)

Sometimes I experienced that it seemed to be virtue and humility but now I see plainly it was a temptation.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 12

“Be like little spiritual bees, bringing nothing into their hive but honey and wax. May your home be full of sweetness, peace, agreement, humility and piety as regards conversation.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"As in the natural life a child must have a father and a mother, so in the supernatural life of grace a true child of the Church must have God for his Father and Mary for his mother. If he prides himself on having God for his Father but does not give to Mary the tender affection of a true child, he is an impostor and his father is the devil."   - St. Louis Marie de Montfort

“Christ’s coming into the world was not like that of a sightseer to a strange city, but rather like that of an artist visiting His own studio, or an author paging the books he himself has written, for in becoming incarnate the Divine Word was tabernacling Himself in His own creation.  His human nature in no way limited His Divine Wisdom, but it did give Him a new way of communicating it to humans, and one quite comfortable to their own nature.  Through a human tongue like their own, speaking their own dialect, people hear him say “I am the light of the world’” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (In the Fullness of Time)

“May the good pleasure of God be forever the peace and calm of your afflicted hearts.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

"I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him.”    - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

“Obedience to our parents is one of God’s commandments, not only in our childhood but also when we have reached the age of reason.”   - St. Damien of Molokai (1840 – 1889)

“I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him.”    - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin and Foundress

“Who and what manner of man this blessed Joseph was, you may gather from the title, with which, although only as a deputy, he deserved to be honored so that he was both called and thought to be the father of God. You may gather it from his very name, which, being interpreted, means Increase. At the same time remember that great man, the former patriarch, who was sold into Egypt; and know that Joseph not only inherited the latter’s name, but attained to his chastity, and equalled his grace and innocence.”   -  St. Bernard, Sermon on St. Joseph   (Quoted in the Roman Breviary)

Persevere in prayer. Persevere, even when your efforts seem barren. Prayer is always fruitful.    - St. Josemaria Escriva

“The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosened by Mary’s obedience. The bonds fastened by the virgin Eve through disbelief were untied by the virgin Mary through faith.”   - St. Irenaeus of Lyon

WHAT TO DO WHEN OTHERS PRAISE YOU

"Humble yourself, then, when you hear the song of praise, and refer all to the glory of God. Thus you will render yourself not unworthy of what He bestows upon you. For it is incontestable that the respect men pay you, and the good for which they honor you, are due to God. You rob Him, therefore, of all the merit which you appropriate to yourself. Can any servant be more unfaithful than one who steals his master's glory?"   -From the Sinner's Guide
Ven Louis of Granada

“Open your minds and hearts to the beauty of all that God has made and to His special, personal love for each one of you.”     -Pope St. John Paul II

We should know that each time we pay no attention to devils, they are weakened, and the soul gains much more mastery.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 10

During Holy Mass, 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 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.   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary, 1032)

“Make Christian use of your money and savings and then so much misery will disappear and so many suffering bodies and afflicted beings will find relief and comfort.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“In that first ‘fusion’ with Jesus (holy communion), it was my Heavenly Mother again who accompanied me to the altar, for it was she herself who placed her Jesus into my soul.”   - St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"O how great is the priest!...If he realized what he is, he would die. …God obeys him:  He utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host.”

“Were we to fully realize what a priest is on earth, we would die.  Not of fright, but of love. …Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail.  It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth. … What use would be a house filled with gold, where there no one to open its door?"    St. John Vianney

“Shall we not say in justice, then, that the man and woman who take the gift of love into their hearts, and then turn it against producing life, for the selfishness of their own pleasure, are betraying life and love’s great trust, stealing heaven’s fire, and enkindling the flame which consumes them and leaves naught but their dust behind?  Why, even though such a couple did not believe in God, even though they believed only in love, their own hearts of hearts should tell them that love was meant to be recovered in life, and that to be unfaithful to that gift of love, and refuse to increase life, is to live in a world in which artists are always picking up brushes but never finishing a picture; always lifting chisels but never producing a statue; always touching bow to string, but never emitting a harmony.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Hymn of the Conquered)

“I beg Our Lord that he may be the object of your thoughts and the rule of your actions.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

Don't neglect your spiritual reading.  Reading has made many saints.    - St. Josemaria Escriva

Prayer gives us strength for great ideals, for keeping up our faith, charity, purity, generosity; prayer gives us strength to rise up from indifference and guilt, if we have had the misfortune to give in to temptation and weakness. Prayer gives us light by which to see and to judge from God's perspective and from eternity. That is why you must not give up on praying!   - Pope St.  John Paul II

“There is nothing more dangerous to the spiritual life than to wish to rule ourselves after our own way of thinking.”    - St. Philip Neri

Teach us to give and not count the cost.    -St. Ignatius de Loyola

"Pride scourges Jesus Christ; humility scourges the devil."   -   St Madeleine Sophie Barat

May the Lord be praised for everything, for the prayer of those who serve Him can do much.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 8

”I beseech you. for the love of God, do not fear God, because  He doesn’t want to do you any harm at all. Love Him a great deal because He wants to do you a great deal of good. Walk simply, with certainty in your resolutions, and reject the reflections of spirit concerning your suffering, treating them as cruel temptations.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina  (Letters III, p. 573)

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

“The Glorious Virgin did not have a stain in her birth because she was sanctified in her mother's womb and safeguarded there by angels."   - St. Anthony of Padua

“It is the conscience that tells us when we do wrong, so that we feel on the inside as if we have broken a bone.  The bone pains because the bone is not where it ought to be.  Our conscience troubles us because the conscience is not where it ought to be.  Thanks to this power of self-reflection that we have, we can see ourselves, particularly so at night.   Your freedom is never destroyed but you feel the sweet summons, and you ask why it is not stronger.  It is strong enough if we would listen.”   Archbishop Fulton Sheen

"Let those, therefore, who deny that the Son is by nature from the Father and proper to His essence deny also that He took true human flesh from the ever-virgin Mary"    - Saint Athanasius

"When it is all over you will not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered so little, and suffered that little so badly."   -  St. Sebastian Valfre (1629–1710)

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

God is love, and all His operations proceed from love.  - St. Lawrence of Brindisi

“You too, doctors, you came to the world as I did with a mission to accomplish. Take note: I speak to you of duties when everyone talks about rights.... You have the mission of curing the sick, but if you do not bring love to the bed of the patient, I do not think the medicines will be of much use.... Love cannot do without words. How can you express it if not with words that relieve the patient spiritually? Bring God to the patient. It will be worth more than any other cure.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

If His Majesty be served by my doing so He might give me patience.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 31 : 3

'' I heard this voice in my soul: Do not fear anything; nothing will happen to you against My Will.''   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary 541)

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

“God in His great mercy, has instituted the sacrament by which the sins committed after baptism may be remitted.  No human being would ever have thought of this sacrament of reconciliation for it is something like a resurrection; we rise after we are dead. It is a journey back again to God. It enables us to get rid of infections before they become chronic diseases and epidemics. The sacrament of reconciliation is the inflowing of God’s mercy, an opportunity for the increase of the grace of Calvary. It is a medicine for the soul, the healing of our wounds, a homecoming, an undoing of the past; an opportunity to get a fresh start in life, another bath, a kind of secondary baptism.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen (talk on “Sin”)

“Rejoice, O Virgin Mary! Rejoice a thousand times!”   -St. Louis Marie de Montfort

“Be a Catholic: When you kneel before an altar, do it in such a way that others may be able to recognize that you know before whom you kneel.” — St. Maximilian Kolbe

No one heals himself by wounding another.     St. Ambrose

Souls to whom God through His goodness gives abundantly this fire of His love suffer no small trial in lacking bodily strength to do something for Him. It is truly a great suffering ......This is a terrible torment, although it is a delightful one.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila     The Book of Her Life - chapter 30 : 20

"Jesus, Your ineffable 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

But there is time, so that I the Lord will fulfill all your wishes. I delight in you as in a living host; let nothing terrify you; I am with you   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 923).

My daughter, too great are your demands. “Jesus, You know that for You it is easier to grant much rather than a little.” That is so, it is less difficult for Me to grant a soul much rather than a little, but every conversion of a sinful soul demands sacrifice. . . . My dear daughter, I comply with your request.    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary, 961).

"Always despise him [the enemy] and arm yourself against him with increasing steadfastness of faith, as it is written, 'Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him,  steadfast in your faith.' Don't let the many snares of this infernal beast frighten you. Jesus, who is always with you and who will fight with and for you, will never permit you to be tricked and overcome."   -St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"You know the poor creatures who oppose you dearest Mother. Please enlighten them, help them, because we know that you love them too. In this way they will come to know your goodness and your power as we know it and they will come to love you as we do. In fact, they will love you even more than we do and they will make sure that every grace that is bestowed by you, even in the remotest corner of the world, will be universally known, so that in everyone's heart love and trust will flourish.".   - St. Maximilian Kolbe

“It may take a long time for Western civilization to realize that the good it is seeking is the good that it left.  The world will not quickly realize that the Church which it believed was so restraining to liberty is really the only force that can make us free, and that which was so much behind the times is the only institution which has survived the times.” Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Prodigal World)

“But Mary's power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him. In the eyes of the world they will be little and poor and, like the heel, lowly in the eyes of all, down-trodden and crushed as is the heel by the other parts of the body. But in compensation for this they will be rich in God's graces, which will be abundantly bestowed on them by Mary.”   - St. Louis de Montfort

"Let us therefore give ourselves to God with a great desire to begin to live thus, and beg Him to destroy in us the life of the world of sin, and to establish His life within us."   -  St. John Eudes (1601 – 1680)

"I used to Believe that Prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change everything."    St. Teresa. of Calcutta

"If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured." St. Colette of Jesus  (1381-1447)

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

"Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?"  -  St. Gerard Majella (1726-1755)

"What a weakness it is to love Jesus Christ only when He caresses us, and to be cold immediately once He afflicts us. This is not true love. Those who love thus, love themselves too much to love God with all their heart."     -  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the Cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.     - St. Leo the Great

Love is always stirring and thinking about what it will do. It cannot contain itself, just as that water doesn't seem to fit in the earth, but the earth casts it out of itself.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Book of Her Life - chapter 30 : 19

The doctor did not allow me to go to the chapel to attend the Passion Service, although I had a great desire for it; however, I prayed in my own room. Suddenly I heard the bell in the next room, and I went in and rendered a service to a seriously sick person. When I returned to my room, I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said, "My daughter, you gave Me greater pleasure by rendering Me that service than if you had prayed for a long time". I answered, "But it was not to You, Jesus, but to that patient that I rendered this service". And the Lord answered me, "Yes, My daughter, but whatever you do for your neighbour, you do for Me".   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.    (Diary 1029)

“Reflect on what you write, because the Lord will ask you to account for it. Be careful, journalist! May the Lord grant you the satisfactions you desire in your career.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

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

“As a drop of blood can live in the body, but the drop of blood cannot live apart from the body, so neither can any of us live the fullness of the Christ Life except in His Mystical Body, the Church.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Let us endeavor to grow more and more in the confidence that in whatever state we are placed by God we shall be secure, although we may think that we would be better off somewhere else.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“Give Jesus not only your hands to serve, but your heart to love. Pray with absolute trust in God’s loving care for you. Let Him use you without consulting you. Let Jesus fill you with joy that you may preach without preaching.”
- St. Teresa of Calcutta

“The Hour of Adoration prepares one for Holy Mass and Holy Communion. Frequent encounters and familiar conversation with Jesus produce friendship, resemblance, and identity of thought, of feeling and of willing with Jesus.”    -  Blessed James Alberione

"He who possesses the Holy Spirit has the highest Good; he has Divine grace itself.He has God and the Angels for his friends; he has the pledge of eternal salvation. He has the forgiveness of all his sins and all the good he can desire. The Holy Spirit instructs him in holiness, enkindles his heart with Divine love, adorns him with virtues, purifies him from the stain of sin, cares for him like a devoted father, loves him like a tender mother."   -St Jean Marie Vianney.

"I am the mother of all the souls in purgatory; and all the sufferings which they merit for the sins committed in life are every hour, while they remain there, alleviated in some measure by my prayers."   - Our Lady to St Bridget

Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am - you alone. I am your sheep; make me worthy to overcome the devil.   St. Agatha

“Five times does the priest turn round towards the people [in the Traditional Latin Mass], to denote that our Lord manifested Himself five times on the day of His resurrection, as stated above in the treatise on Christ’s resurrection (Q55,A3,OBJ 3). But the priest greets the people seven times, namely, five times, by turning round to the people, and twice without turning round, namely, when he says, ‘The Lord be with you’ before the Preface, and again when he says, ‘May the peace of the Lord be ever with you’: and this is to denote the sevenfold grace of the Holy Ghost. But a bishop, when he celebrates on festival days, in his first greeting says, ‘Peace be to you,’ which was our Lord’s greeting after resurrection, whose person the bishop chiefly represents.”   -  St. Thomas Aquinas

This is the experience of those to whom God gives the great impulses of love. These impulse are like some little springs flowing; they never cease to move the sand upward.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 30 : 19

“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)

'' Tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. "   WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA.  (Diary, 699)

“God does not frown on your complaint.  Did not His Mother in the Temple ask: ‘Son why hast Thou done so to us?  ‘And did not Christ on the Cross complain: ‘My God why hast Thou abandoned Me?’  If the Son asked the Father, and the Mother, the Son – why should not you?  But let your wails be to God, and not to man.  And at end of your sweet complaining prayer you will say: ‘Father into Thy Hands I commend my spirit.’  They who complain to others never see God’s purposes.  They who complain to God find that their passion, like Christ’s turns into compassion.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Lenten & Easter Inspirations)

“We must know how to dispose of our time with order and method, otherwise nothing is done; or if we do work, we get through very little, because the work is not regular. Irregularity and inconsistency never obtain a good result.”   – St. Vincent de Paul

“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

“When you are before the altar where Christ reposes, you ought no longer to think that you are amongst men; but believe that there are troops of angels and archangels standing by you, and trembling with respect before the sovereign Master of Heaven and earth. Therefore, when you are in church, be there in silence, fear, and veneration.”    -  St. John Chrysostom

“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”   - Saint Basil

"....Let us go down into our own souls; let us question our hearts, my children, and see if we do not love some creature more than the good God. We are permitted to love our relations, our possessions, our health, our reputation; but this love must be subordinate to the love we should have for God, so that we may be ready to make the sacrifice of it if He should require it…." - St John Vianney.

“He who interrupts the course of his spiritual exercises and prayer is like a man who allows a bird to escape from his hand; he can hardly catch it again.”   - St John of the Cross

It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards a one's progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.   -St. Francis Xavier

The Hail Mary well said - is the enemy of the devil which puts him to flight, and the hummer which crushes him.  - St. Louis de Monfort

The soul comes out of the crucible like gold, more refined and purified, so as to see the Lord within itself.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila    The Book of Her Life - chapter 30 : 14

“Always and in everything let there be more uprightness of intention, more exactitude, more punctuality, more generosity in serving the Lord and then you will be as the Lord wants you.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

I perform works of mercy in every soul. The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool    WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA    (Diary 723)

"Mary guides and lights our way. She is our most tender mother, and she accompanies us in joy and sorrow, in good times and in those of physical and spiritual trial. She helps us in every circumstance say 'yes' to God's will. We ask her today to help us all experience sincere conversion of heart, an abundance of God's mercy, and the joy of a fuller communion with our brothers and sisters."   -  Pope St. John Paul II

“The cheerful person always sees in any present evil some prospective good; in pain he sees a Cross from which will issue a Resurrection; in trial, he finds correction and discipline and an opportunity to grow in wisdom; in sorrow, he gathers patience and resignation to the Will of God.  Helping others is not only the cause of cheerfulness, but also the fuel which keeps it burning.  As Helen Keller, seeing through blindness wrote “Join the great company of those who make the barren places of life fruitful with kindness.”  Archbishop Fulton Sheen (Guide to Contentment)

“There is no better way to experience the good God than to find Him in the perfect sacrifice of the Mass.”    -St. John Vianney

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. Teresa of Calcutta    

It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey.    -St. Ignatius of Loyola

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

"Find happiness in making others happy."   - St. Mary MacKillop

The Cross is a sure sign that He loves you.     - St. Louis de Monfort

“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.”   - St. Josemaria Escriva

This suffering was well repaid, for almost always the favors afterward came in great abundance.   St Teresa of Jesus of Avila   The Book of Her Life - chapter 30 : 14

“In order to aim at perfection it is necessary to take the greatest care to do everything in order to please God and to try to avoid even the smallest fault; to do one's duty and everything else with more generosity.”   St. Pio of Pietrelcina

I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world — mercy triumphed over justice. My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant  WORDS OF JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA   (Diary,1572).

There is no one, O Most Holy Mary who cannot know God except through thee; no one who can be saved or redeemed but through thee, O Mother of God; no one who can be delivered from dangers but through thee, O Virgin Mother; no one who obtains mercy but through thee O Filled - With - All -  Grace!   - St. Cajetan