St. John Paul II: God Is Never Far From Those Who Suffer

Be assured that you are not alone. God is never far from those who suffer. If you know how to find him, then you will experience him. The highest value in human life is nearness to God. Now, suffering, even if it seems intolerable, puts us in the best position to assess the poverty of earthly goods and discover the ineffable riches of God. And then suffering is transformed into an element of strength and a source of joy.

Thus, whoever learns to suffer in the love of God is not alienated from life but helps to enrich the world.

You see: I have come among you to remind you of this, and I would like to say it again to all the sick people of the world. I have come to ask for the contribution of your prayers and the precious offering of your daily cross, to help the world of men become more human and more Christian.

I have come to say also to those who take such loving care of you, in various capacities, that their work, too, though often ignored, is written indelibly in the book of  God. Nothing will go unrewarded.

- St. John Paul II

 

St. Pio of Pietrelcina: Be Cheerful!

Be cheerful! Jesus will take care of everything. Let us pay no attention to people who do not know what they are talking about. Let us trust in Jesus and our heavenly Mother, and everything will work out well.

 

- St. Pio of Pietrelcina

 

 

St. Athanasius: Let's Seek Virtue Strenuously!

Let's continue to be strenuous in pursuing virtue. Let's not grow tired of seeking it, for our Lord has become a guide for us and for every person who has a desire for the virtues. And so that it might not be tedious for us, St. Paul became our example when he said, "I die daily" (see 1 Cor 15:31). Now, if we were to think each day that we had to die that day, we would never sin at all. This is the explanation of Paul's saying. If in the morning we imagined that we would never last until evening, and if at evening we thought that we would never see morning, we would never sin.

If we were to keep the imminence of our death in mind, we would never be overcome by sin: lust which is fleeting would not reign over us; we would never harbor anger against another human being; we would not love the possessions which pass away; and we would forgive every person who offended us. Therefore, beloved, let's be zealous in carrying out the work we have committed ourselves to, and let's travel to the end of the road on which we have begun our journey.

- St. Athanasius

St. Pio of Pietrelcina: Give the Lord Your Heart!

Remember the goodness of the Lord in his treatment of you up until now. He will continue his work of perfection to your benefit. He will continue to pour out abundantly on you not only the oil of his mercy to make you rejoice but also the oil of his power to make you strong to fight successfully. It is said that wrestlers rubbed oil on their limbs to make themselves more agile, more flexible, and sturdier.

Live at peace, because divine compassion is never lacking and certainly will not be lacking to you if you show yourself docile to his divine workings. Come now... do not be stingy with the heavenly physician. For love's sake, do not make him wait for you any longer. "Give me your heart" (Proverbs 23:26), he is saying to you. "Give me your heart, my daughter, so that I may pour out my oil on it."

- St. Pio of Pietrelcina

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Doing God's Will

The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.

-Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), Feast Day January 4

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: The Most Holy Name of Jesus

Jesus is honey on the lips, melody in the ear, joy in the heart. Yet not alone is that name light and food. It is also a remedy. Is any one amongst you sad? Let the name of Jesus enter his heart; let it leap thence to his mouth; and lo! the light shining from that name shall scatter every cloud and restore peace.

 

- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon - Most Holy Name of Jesus, Feast Day January 3

Saint Gregory of Nazianzen: God Accepts Our Desires!

God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.

- Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church, Feast Day January 2

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Fruit of faith

Faith in action is love and love in action is service - therefore "the way of life" is but the fruit of faith - faith has to be put in action of love if it has to live - and love to be true and living - to be God's love in action - must be service . . .

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

St. John Chrysostom: Suffering Thankfully Profits Us

If you suffer thankfully your profit will increase in proportion to the greatness of what you suffer.  

- St. John Chrysostom

St. Francis de Sales: Choose Some Saints

Choose some particular saints that you may enter more deeply into their spirit and imitate them, and have a special confidence in their intercession. 

 - St. Francis de Sales

St. Augustine about Saints

God, who created all things, is in all places, and is everywhere to be worshiped. Yet his infinite wisdom thinks fit to work wonders at the intercession of his saints.  

- St. Augustine of Hippo

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Become a child in God's hands

"Unless you become a little child . . . " I am sure you will understand beautifully everything if you would only "become" a little child in God's hands. Your longing for God is so deep, and yet He keeps Himself away from you. He must be forcing Himself to do so, because He loves you so much - as to give Jesus to die for you and for me. Christ is longing to be your Food. Surrounded with fullness of living Food, you allow yourself to starve. The personal love Christ has for you is infinite; the small difficulty you have regarding His Church is finite. Overcome the finite with the infinite. Christ has created you because He wanted you. I know what you feel - terrible longing with dark emptiness. And yet, He is the one in love with you.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Faith is a gospel of love

Our holy faith is nothing but a gospel of love, revealing to us God's love for men and claiming in return man's love for God.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: To see Christ in the poor

We need the eyes of deep faith to see Christ in the broken body and dirty clothes under which the most beautiful One among the sons of men hides. We shall need the hands of Christ to touch those bodies wounded by pain and suffering.

How pure our hands must be if we have to touch Christi's Body as the priest touches Him in the appearance of bread at the altar. With what love and devotion and faith he lifts the sacred Host! These same feelings we too must have when we lift the body of the sick poor.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Not called to be successful

We do nothing. He does everything. All glory must be returned to Him.

God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Faith is a gift of God

Faith is a gift of God. Without it there would be no life. And our work, to be fruitful, and to be all for God, and to be beautiful, has to be built on faith - faith in Christ, who has said, "I was hungry, I was naked, I was sick and I was homeless, and you ministered to Me." On these words of His all our work is based.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

St. Anthony of Egypt: Things That Make the Devil Afraid

The devil is afraid of us when we pray and make sacrifices. He is also afraid when we are humble and good. He is especially afraid when we love Jesus very much. He runs away when we make the Sign of the Cross.

- St. Anthony of Egypt (251-356)

St. Charles of Sezze: What God Commands

God does not command us to live in hair shirts and chains, or to chastise our flesh with scourges, but to love Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.

- St. Charles of Sezze 

Saint Dwynwen: Cheerfulness Wins Hearts!

Nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness.

- Saint Dwynwen (d. 460)

St. Joseph Sebastian Pelczar Quotation

One of the most ardent desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is that his Most Holy Mother be venerated and loved by all:  firstly, because the Lord himself has ineffable love for her, and then because he made her the mother of all men, so that with her sweetness she might attract to herself even those who flee the Holy Cross, and bring them to the Divine Heart.

- St. Joseph Sebastian Pelczar