“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
“It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world.”
– St. Aloysius Gonzaga
“He who trusts in himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things.”
“What does it cost us to say, ‘My God help me! Have mercy on me!’ Is there anything easier than this? And this little will suffice to save us if we be diligent in doing it.”
– St. Alphonsus Liguori
“It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.”
– St. André Bessette
“If according to times and needs you should be obliged to make fresh rules and change current things, do it with prudence and good advice.”
“The last word that I address to you and one I urge upon you with all the ardor of my soul, is that you live in harmony, united together in one heart and one will. Be bound to one another by the bonds of charity, treating each other with respect, helping one another, bearing with each other in Christ Jesus: if you really try to live like this, there is no doubt that the Lord, our God, will be in your midst.”
“Do not lose heart, even if you should discover that you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need he will stretch out his saving hand.”
– St. Angela Merici
“No one will have any other desire in heaven than what God wills; and the desire of one will be the desire of all; and the desire of all and of each one will also be the desire of God.”
-St. Anselm
“Nowhere other than looking at himself in the mirror of the Cross can man better understand how much he is worth.”
“Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey. They must have the Passion of Christ deeply embedded in their minds and hearts, because only from it can they derive peace, grace, and truth.”
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”
– St. Anthony of Padua
“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”
“What does love look like?
It has the hands to help others.
It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.
It has eyes to see the misery and want.
It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.
That is what love looks like.”
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”
– St. Augustine
“O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all you necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.”
“As the sun surpasses all the stars in lustre, so the sorrows of Mary surpass all the
tortures of the martyrs.”
– St. Basil the Great
“Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will.”
– St. Bede the Venerable
“No one should follow what he considers to be good for himself, but rather what seems good for another. Let them put Christ before all else; and may he lead us all to everlasting life.”
– St. Benedict
“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.”
“How good and pleasant it is to dwell in the Heart of Jesus! Who is there who does not love a heart so wounded? Who can refuse a return of love to a Heart so loving? Amen.”
– St. Bernard of Clairvaux
“When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than that proceeding from the mouth.”
“In all your deeds and words you should look upon this Jesus as your model. Do so whether you are walking or keeping silence, or speaking, whether you are alone or with others.”
“If you learn everything except Christ, you learn nothing. If you learn nothing except Christ, you learn everything.”
“Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.”
“In everything, whether it is a thing sensed or a thing known, God himself is hidden within.”
– St. Bonaventure
“In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.”
– St. Boniface
“Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven.”
– St. Camillus de Lellis
“If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire!”
“Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind.”
“You are rewarded not according to your work or your time but according to the measure of your love.”
“Everything that has being comes from God. Nothing, therefore, that happens to us—trouble or temptation or injury or torment or slander or anything else that could possibly happen to us—can or will disturb us. Rather, we are content and hold these things in reverence, reflecting that they come from God and are given to us as good favors, not out of hatred but out of love.”
“Start being brave about everything, driving out darkness and spreading light as well. Don’t look at your weakness, but realize that in Christ crucified you can do everything.”
– St. Catherine of Siena
“Let us contend with all earnestness, knowing that we are now called to the combat. Let us run in the straight road, the race that is incorruptible.”
– St. Clement
“If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness.”
– St. Charles Borromeo
“As soon as I believed there was a God, I understood I could do nothing else but live for him, my religious vocation dates from the same moment as my faith: God is so great. There is such a difference between God and everything that is not.”
– Blessed Charles de Foucauld
“Love God, serve God; everything is in that.”
“Totally love Him, who gave Himself totally for your love.”
– St. Clare of Assisi
“The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrise.”
– St. Clement
“Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed.”
– St. David of Wales
“Arm yourself with prayer rather than a sword; wear humility rather than fine clothes.”
– St. Dominic
“I can’t do big things. But I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God.”
– St. Dominic Savio
“How could I wear a crown of gold when my Lord wears a crown of thorns and he wears it for me?”
-St. Elizabeth of Hungary
“Pure love … knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love – love, and always love.”
“A magnificent building will never rise if we reject the insignificant bricks.”
“Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”
“I fixed my gaze upon His sacred wounds and felt happy to suffer with Him. I suffered, and yet I did not suffer, because I felt happy to know the depth of His love, and the hour passed like a minute.”
“The past does not belong to me; the future is not mine; with all my soul I try to make use of the present moment.”
“In difficult moments I will fix my gaze upon the silent heart of Jesus, stretched upon the cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart, will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.”
– St. Faustina
“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.”
“We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.”
– St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
“Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”
“We all have a vocation. We believe that God has placed us in this life to fill a special need that no one else can accomplish.”
“Everyone of us needs half an hour of prayer each day, except when we are busy – then we need an hour.”
“Nothing is so strong as gentleness; nothing is so gentle as real strength.”
“Never miss an opportunity to do good.”
“The soul cannot live without love. We can never love our neighbor too much.”
“Lord, I am Yours, and I must belong to no one but You. My soul is Yours, and must live only by You. My will is Yours, and must love only for You. I must love You as my first cause, since I am from You. I must love You as my end and rest, since I am for You. I must love You more than my own being, since my being subsists by You. I must love You more than myself, since I am all Yours and all in You. Amen.”
“Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
– St. Francis de Sales
“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.”
“I am who I am before God, no more and no less.”
– St. Francis of Assisi
“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.”
– St. Francis Xavier
“O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary.”
– St. Gertrude the Great
“One cannot love without suffering or suffer without loving.”
“In order to bring true peace back to my soul, the only way that there exists on the Earth is Confession, because Jesus awaits me with His immense heart.”
“The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that He, in His goodness, sends to us day after day.”
“If one were to consider how much Jesus has suffered, one would not commit the smallest sin.”
“When one does one’s own duty, one must not be concerned, because God’s help will not be lacking.”
“Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance: through its crystal the world should see God.”
“Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women.”
“If you must choose between me and the baby….save the baby!”
– St. Gianna Beretta Molla
“Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?”
– St. Gerard Majella
“Give something, however small, to the one in need. For it is not small to one who has nothing. Neither is it small to God, if we have given what we could.”
-St. Gregory Nazianzen
“The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.”
“The contemplative life means the keeping of charity towards God and our neighbors and fixing all our desires on our Creator.”
– St. Gregory the Great
“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
“Love ought to show itself in deeds more than words.”
“There are very few men who realize what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves entirely to his hands, and let themselves be formed by His Grace.”
“What has He done for me? He has loved me and given me His whole self. What shall I do for Him? I shall love Him and give myself to Him without reserve.”
– St. Ignatius of Loyola
“Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession.”
– St. Isidore of Seville
“Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no-one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.”
– St. Jerome
“Act and God will act, work and He will work.”
– St. Joan of Arc
“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.”
– St. John Damascene
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
“The secret of everything is to let oneself be carried by God and so to carry Him to others.”
“If God created shadows, it was to better emphasize the light.”
“Direct all your actions and your sacrifices to this end: that they may all serve to make you more happy and content in Paradise.”
– St. John XXIII
“Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you.”
“Walk with your feet on earth, but in your heart be in heaven.”
– St. John Bosco
“God asks little but He gives much.”
“Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.”
“Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”
– St. John Chrysostom
“He belongs to you, but more than that, He longs to be in you, living and ruling in you, as the head lives and rules in the body. He wants His breath to be in your breath, His heart in your heart, and His soul in your soul.”
“Our wish, our object, our chief preoccupation must be to form Jesus in ourselves, to make His spirit, His devotion, His affections, His desires and His disposition live and reign there. All our religious exercises should be directed to this end. It is the work which God has given us to do unceasingly.”
– St. John Eudes
“The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.”
“A soul that walks in love neither rests nor grows tired.”
“At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity.”
“God is more pleased by one work, however small, done secretly, without desire that it be known, than a thousand done with the desire that people know of them. Those who work for God with purest love not only care nothing about whether others see their works, but do not even seek that God himself know of them. Such persons would not cease to render God the same services, with the same joy and purity of love, even if God were never to know of these.“
– St. John of the Cross
“None of us is alone in this world. Each of us is a vital piece of the great mosaic of humanity as a whole.”
“Today, in adoring the Sacred Heart, let us pray fervently for peace. First of all for peace in our hearts, but also for peace in our families, in our nation and in all the world. Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us!”
“There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already born for us, and does not now bear with us.”
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
“I plead with you – never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”
“Christ is the center of the universe and of human history…”
“Darkness can only be scattered by light. Hatred can only be conquered by love.”
“Be not afraid.”
“Grant, O Lord of life,…when the moment of our definitive ‘passage’ comes, that we may face it with serenity, without regret for what we shall leave behind. For in meeting you, after having sought you for so long, we shall find once more every authentic good which we have known here on earth, in the company of all those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and hope….Amen.”
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.”
“Jesus is living next to you, in the brothers and sisters with whom you share your daily existence.”
“Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
“Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”
“It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.”
“Friendship, as has been said, consists in a full commitment of the will to another person with a view to that person’s good.”
“Love between man and woman cannot be built without sacrifices and self-denial.”
“Motherhood implies from the beginning a special openness to the new person: and this is precisely the woman’s ‘part’. In this openness, in conceiving and giving birth to a child, the woman ‘discovers herself through a sincere gift of self.'”
“The future starts today, not tomorrow.”
– St. John Paul II
“Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.”
“The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.”
“He is the one who has loved us so much; why shouldn’t we love Him in return?”
“You do not need many words when you pray. We believe on faith that the good and gracious God is there in the tabernacle; we open our souls to Him; and feel happy that He allows us to come before Him; this is the best way to pray.”
“Ardent prayer addressed to God: this is man’s greatest happiness on earth!”
“A soul adorned with the virtue of chastity cannot help loving others; for it has discovered the source and font of love—God.”
“The works of penance abound in such delights and joys that once they have been tasted, nothing will ever again root them out of the soul…. Only the first steps are difficult for those who eagerly choose this path.”
“There is no better way to experience the good God than to find him in the perfect sacrifice of the Mass.”
“My children, it is in loving the cross that we find true peace, not running from it.”
“The soul should move toward prayer the way a fish should move toward water; they are both a purely natural state.”
“If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you.”
“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.”
“Here is a rule for everyday life: Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.”
“My little children, reflect on these words: the Christian’s treasure is not on earth but in heaven. Our thoughts, then, ought to be directed to where out treasure is. This is the glorious duty of man: to pray and to love.”
“We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well. We know that God is there in his Holy Tabernacle; let us open our hearts to him; let us rejoice in His Presence: This is the best prayer.”
“I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the cross than in serving the world and its pleasures.”
“We are each of us like a small mirror in which God searches for His reflection.”
– St. John Vianney
“Prayer is the foundation of the spiritual edifice. Prayer is all powerful.”
“Don’t let your life be sterile. Be useful. Blaze a trail. Shine forth with the light of your faith… and light up all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you carry in your heart.”
“God calls us through what happens during our day: through the suffering and happiness of the people we live with, through the human interests of our colleagues and the things that make up our family life.”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
“Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!”
– St. Josephine Bakhita
“Always forward, never back.”
– St. Junipero Serra
“Jesus, I love you.”
“Who will teach me what is most pleasing to God, that I may do it?”
“I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”
– St. Kateri Tekakwitha
“Peacefully do at each moment what at that moment ought to be done. If we do what each moment requires, we will eventually complete God’s plan, whatever it is. We can trust God to take care of the master plan when we take care of the details.”
“The patient and humble endurance of the cross – whatever nature it may be – is the highest work we have to do.”
“If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them. Let us open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us. Press forward and fear nothing.”
– St. Katharine Drexel
“The cross of Christ is the true ground and chief cause of Christian hope.”
“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
“The Hail Mary is dew falling from heaven to make the soul fruitful. It is a pure kiss of love we give to Mary.”
“If you put all the love of the mothers into one heart it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary for her children.”
“Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus.”
“We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her son.”
“God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray.”
– St. Louis de Montfort
“Jesus Christ is all my riches; he alone is sufficient for me.”
– St. Louis of Toulouse
“I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.”
“The Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things, wherein poor souls can cast all their needs; it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, an ocean of humility to drown our folly, an ocean of mercy to those in distress, an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty.”
– St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
“Let us love the Cross very much, for it is there that we discover our life, our true love, and our strength in our greatest difficulties.”
– St. Maria Goretti
“Have courage no matter what your crosses are.”
“Love one another and help one another.”
“Cling to the will of God.”
“Have courage.”
“Let no obstacles deter you from proceeding with courage.”
“God knows what is best for us all.”
“In God and for God.”
“It is by love that God has always led me, by love that God reproves me, by love that God lets me see love in all.”
“Let not weakness make you discouraged.”
“People should never see a need and do nothing to help.”
“Trust in God’s Providence, interfering – as it always does – for our own good.”
“Always remember to love one another.”
“God is truly good to us all.”
“God is so good.”
“We must do the will of Him we love.”
“Bear your little trials with patience and love.”
“With these crosses He gives many precious graces to make the soul bear them.”
“He will Himself be your support and strength.”
“Do be faithful in little things.”
“My heart would sink but for the firm conviction that God’s word can never fail.”
“May the Sacred Heart shield you and uphold you in every trouble.”
“We have all very much for which to thank and love God.”
“Who am I to stand in God’s way?”
“Reject no one. You never know what grace can do.”
“We must teach more by example than by word.”
“May God grant you courage and true wisdom in all you do and say.”
“Remember, there is, even on this earth, a day of bright reward for all your prayers and faithful perseverance.”
“Seek to please God.”
“How truly wonderful are God’s ways and how little we understand them.”
“We must often feel weary and tired yet God brings us through all these things.”
“May God’s grace enable you to see and do the right thing.”
“Let us ever hope that you look for strength from God who alone can give it.”
“Lean more on God and less on ourselves.”
“With God’s aid we shall get on and gain fresh strength and energy for the work.”
“Never expect perfection, and bear quietly the defects that from time to time come under your notice.”
“Pray to be ever ready for God’s will even when it takes you by surprise.”
“Bear in mind that you have only to answer for your own faults.”
“God is merciful because He knows how weary we are.”
“God understands us better than we understand ourselves or each other.”
“I cannot feel sufficiently grateful to our good God.”
“The cross appears lighter when carried with Jesus.”
“May God be praised for all, and keep me strong.”
“Trust in God.”
“Live in perfect charity and love, aiding and mutually encouraging one another in the thorny yet strong sweet path marked out for each of us to follow.”
“When I want something very much I thank God beforehand for I feel God will certainly grant what He has been thanked for.”
“Always try to have success in your work but remember God is often glorified in your failure.”
“No duty is too little to be done well.”
“God is so good – we ought to cling to Him with love and hope”
“Hoping that you will be happy and full of courage”
“Lean upon God.”
“The work of God goes on, and for this we have much to thank Him.”
“The work of God goes on, and for this we have much to thank Him.”
“All will be right with time and a little patience.”
“Try always to be generous with God.”
“Try to make yourself happy and do not give way to low spirits or anxiety of any kind.”
“Whatever troubles may be before you, accept them cheerfully, remembering whom you are trying to follow.”
“Do all you can to work in unity.”
“There where you are, you will find God.”
“Have courage, trust in God, St Joseph and our Blessed Mother, and you need have no fear.”
“I cannot forget that there is a dear good God watching over us.”
“To me, the will of God is a dear book which I am never tired of reading and which has always some new charm for me. Nothing is too little to be noticed.”
“May God give you patience and courage in your sufferings.”
“May God help me to do what is right.”
“Oh how good God is!”
“God’s presence seems to follow me everywhere and makes everything I do or wish to do a prayer.”
“He is a just and merciful God, you may be sure that the trial is sent in love.”
“Let us be joyful and thank God.”
“Courage, courage, trust in God who helps you in all things.”
“May God be praised for all.”
“In every difficulty apply to St Joseph with confidence and you will never be disappointed.”
“I am sorry sometimes to see a kind of little-mindedness where there ought to be more generosity and simple trust.”
“I saw that God would provide the means, would guide me on the way, and would provide a friend to do for me what I could not do myself.”
“Look upon your crosses as stepping stones to the eternal life of happiness.”
“Do not, to please others, go beyond your strength, and attempt more than you are able for.”
“Do not, to please others, go beyond your strength, and attempt more than you are able for.”
“Do not let your troubles disturb your trust in God.”
“I knew God would take care of all and make everything right in the end.”
“Today God has been so good to me.”
“Value your crosses as the most precious presents from a good and loving God.”
“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”
“God’s will be done”
– St. Mary MacKillop
“Look upon the poor with compassion and Jesus will look kindly upon you on your last day.”
– St. Mary of the Cross (Jeanne Jugan)
“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
“And as for a book from which to grow in the love of God, there is no better book than Jesus Christ crucified.”
“The greatest poison of our time is indifference.”
“I prayed very hard to Our Lady to tell me what would happen to me. She appeared, holding in her hands two crowns, one white, one red. She asked if I would like to have them—one was for purity, the other for martyrdom. I said, ‘I choose both.’ She smiled and disappeared.”
– St. Maximilian Kolbe
“Nothing is far from God.”
– St. Monica
“The Holy Spirit also gives you the grace to discover the image of the Lord in the hearts of men, and teaches you to love them as brothers and sisters. Again, He helps you to see the manifestations of His love in events. If we are humbly attentive to men and things, the Spirit of Jesus enlightens us and enriches us with His wisdom, provided that we are imbued with the spirit of prayer.”
“The world calls for and expects from us simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility…..Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile.”
“This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. It is beauty, like truth, which brings joyto the heart of man and is that precious fruit which resists the wear and tear of time, which unites generations and makes them share things in admiration.”
“No more war, war never again. It is peace, peace which must guide the destinies of peoples and of all mankind.”
– St. Paul VI
“As soon as we know the will of God, we ought without delay to follow it.”
– St. Paul of the Cross
“If you have too much to do, with God’s help you will find time to do it all.”
– St. Peter Canisius?
“Fasting is the soul of prayer. Mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast. If you fast, show mercy: if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself.”
– St. Peter Chrysologus
“Man’s salvation and perfection consists of doing the will of God which he must have in view of all things, and at every moment of his life.”
“To love God as he ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love. We must love nothing but Him, or if we love anything else, we must love it only for his sake.”
– St. Peter Claver
“May Christ be heard in our language, may Christ be seen in our life, may he be perceived in our hearts.”
– St. Peter Damian
“The Eucharist is the life of the people. The Eucharist gives them a center of life. All can come together without the barriers of race or language in order to celebrate the feast days of the Church. It gives them a law of life, that of charity, of which it is the source; thus it forges between them a common bond, a Christian kinship.”
– St. Peter Julian Eymard
“Do not let a day pass without doing some good in it.”
“Nothing helps a man more than prayer.”
“We must always remember that God does everything well, although we may not see the reason of what He does.”
– St. Philip Neri
“Pray, hope and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer. Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart.”
“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 your trust in God.”
“Do not tire yourself over things that cause anxiety and worry. Only one thing is necessary: to lift up your spirit and love God.”
“Be cheerful. Jesus will take care of everything. Let us trust in Jesus and our heavenly Mother, and everything will work out well.”
“The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice, and with extreme effort.”
“Jesus is with you even when you don’t feel His presence. He is never so close to you as He is during your spiritual battles. He is always there, close to you, encouraging you to fight your battle courageously. He is there to ward off the enemy’s blows so that you may not be hurt.”
“How consoling it is to know you are always under the protection of a heavenly spirit who never abandons you, not even when you are actually offending God. How delightful is this great truth to the one who believes. Who is to be feared, then, by the devout soul who is trying to love Jesus, when accompanied by such an illustrious warrior?
“Let us bind ourselves tightly to the Sorrowful Heart of our Heavenly Mother and reflect on its boundless grief and how precious is our soul.”
– St. Pio da Pietrelcina
“Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.”
“… nobody ever knew Christ so profoundly as she [the Blessed Mother] did, and nobody can ever be more competent as a guide and teacher of the knowledge of Christ.”
– St. Pius X
“Love is a marvelous and heavenly thing. It never tires and never thinks that it has done enough.”
“Whoever finds God finds everything, whoever loses God loses everything.”
“Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved.”
“Let prayer delight thee more than disputations, and the charity which builds up more than the knowledge which puffs up.”
“What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, than to love goodness, beauty, and love, the fullness of which you are, O Lord, my God.”
“Know that you have been created for the glory of God and your own eternal salvation. This is your goal; this is the center of your life; this is the treasure of your heart.”
“The school of Christ is the school of charity. On the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus.”
“An ounce of charity is better than a hundred loads of reason.”
“Freedom of belief is pernicious, it is nothing but the freedom to be wrong.”
“Flee idleness…for no one is more exposed to such temptations than he who has nothing to do.”
“Peace and union are the most necessary of all things for men who live in common, and nothing serves so well to establish and maintain these as the forbearing charity whereby we put up with one another’s defects.”
“It is not difficult for one seal to make many impressions exactly alike, but to vary shapes almost infinitely, which is what God has done in creation, this is in truth a divine work.”
– St. Robert Bellarmine
“Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”
“… the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase.”
– St. Rose of Lima
“I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious.”
– St. Rose of Viterbo
“Lord, I lean on You alone for strength. Give me your arm to support me, your shoulders to carry me, your breast on which to lay my head, your Cross to uphold me, your Eucharist to nourish me. On you Lord, I shall sleep and rest in peace.”
“He who has Jesus has everything.”
“Learn to let others do their share of the work. Things may be done less well, but you will have more peace of soul and health of body. And what temporal interest should we not sacrifice in order to gain these blessings?”
“It fills me with joy to realize that I can lay down my life daily for God, that I can sacrifice it willingly for Him. I may not be a martyr for the faith, but I can be a martyr of charity.”
“Let us bear our cross and leave it to God to determine the length and the weight.”
“There are no difficulties except for those who worry too much about tomorrow.”
“Do not look back to the past, nor forward to the future. Claim only the present, for it holds God’s will.”
“Never forget that the road to Heaven is the Way of the Cross. Jesus has called us to follow Him, bearing the Cross as He did.”
“The more I reflect on the graces I have received, the more they astonish me and make me tremble.”
“If you have no earthly consolation, why do you not seek consolation in the Heart of Jesus? To love him is truest joy.”
“We may not understand His Will for us in time, but in eternity the veil will be drawn and we shall see that He acted only for our happiness.”
“If we love Jesus, we shall be loved in return by Him, and that is perfect happiness.”
“He will never let the trial surpass the strength He gives you, and at the very moment you think yourself overwhelmed by sorrow, He will lift you up and give you peace.”
“Love aright and you will never be sad. Embrace God’s will and you will be filled with joy and peace.”
“God alone and the desire of His glory – nothing else matters.”
– St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
“I want eternity. I was born for greater things.”
– St. Stanislaus
“Mary’s maternity is the model of all motherhood.”
“If anyone comes to me, I want to lead them to Him.”
“Love is an end already, since God is love.”
“Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it.”
“God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need. Then the rest of the day can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace. And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him. Then you will be able to rest in Him — really rest — and start the next day as a new life.”
– St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
“The devil may try to use the hurts of life, and sometimes our own mistakes to make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you, is really cleaving to you. This is a danger for all of us, and so sad, because it is completely the opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you…he loves you always, even when you don’t feel worthy.”
“The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.”
“I can do the things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
“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.”
“When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”
– St. Teresa of Calcutta
“Let nothing trouble you, let nothing make you afraid. All things pass away. God never changes. Patience obtains everything. God alone is enough…”
“For the storms, like a wave, pass quickly. And the fair weather returns, because the presence of the Lord they experience makes them soon forget everything.”
“Though you have recourse to many saints as your intercessors, go especially to St. Joseph, for he has great power with God.”
“Life is short; our trials last but a moment.”
“To have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.”
– St. Teresa of Avila
“A word or smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul.”
“You know well enough that our Lord does not look so much on the greatness of our actions nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.”
“The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.”
“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…”
“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.”
“May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.”
“I know now that true charity consists in bearing all our neighbors’ defects – not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues.”
“I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.”
“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.”
“One must have passed through the tunnel to understand how black its darkness is.”
“It is your arms, Jesus, which are the elevator to carry me to heaven.”
– St. Thérèse of Lisieux
“Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.”
“As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary.”
– St. Thomas Aquinas
“…To serve the poor is to go to God. You must see God in the faces of the poor.”
“Extend mercy toward others, so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for us if God should withdraw His Mercy from us?”
– St. Vincent de Paul