St. John Paul the Great: What Really Matters

What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ, and that we love him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And without the love of Jesus, everything else is useless.

~ St. John Paul the Great

St. Teresa of Calcutta: Mothers, Heart of the Home

Mothers are the heart of the home; they build family life by wanting, loving and taking care of their children. . . . 

Recently, in L——, a young woman of twenty-one years, who had been scolded in the morning, attempted suicide later in the day by swallowing kerosene. Taken to the hospital, she said to the priest: “My mother chased me out of the house and I did not know where to go; so I thought the best thing would be to kill myself.” 

Much suffering of young people is attributable to the family and particularly to mothers. Mothers make the home a center of love. Their role is sometimes hard, but there is the example of the Blessed Virgin, who teaches us to be good with our children. We Missionaries of Charity also have to be mothers and make our communities happy homes (LC, 24).

~ St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

St. Augustine: Set Us on Fire

Come, Lord, work upon us, set us on fire and clasp us close, be fragrant to us, draw us to your loveliness, let us love, let us run to you. 

~ St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Therese of Lisieux: Not Always Faithful

It is true I am not always faithful, but I never lose courage. I leave myself in the Arms of Our Lord. 

– St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux: Love, Not Fear!

Your soul is called to raise itself to God by the elevator of love and not to climb the rough stairway of fear. 

- St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Teresa of Calcutta: No Time to Enjoy

I think the world today is upside down, and is suffering so much, because there is so very little love in the homes and in family life. We have no time for our children, we have no time for each other; there is no time to enjoy each other. If we could only bring back into our lives the life that Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, if we could make our homes another Nazareth, I think that peace and joy would reign in the world.

~ St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

St. Thomas Aquinas on True Satisfaction

When your glory is seen, I shall be satisfied

It is fitting that the end of all our desires, namely eternal life coincides with the words at the end of the creed, “Life everlasting. Amen.”

 

  The first point about eternal life is that man is united with God. For God himself is the reward and end of all our labours: I am your protector and your supreme reward. This union consists in seeing perfectly: At present we see through a glass, darkly; but then we shall see face to face.

 

  Next it consists in perfect praise, according to the words of the prophet: Joy and happiness will be found in it, thanksgiving and words of praise.

 

  It also consists in the complete satisfaction of desire, for there the blessed will be given more than they wanted or hoped for. The reason is that in this life no one can fulfil his longing, nor can any creature satisfy man’s desire. Only God satisfies, he infinitely exceeds all other pleasures. That is why man can rest in nothing but God. As Augustine says: You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart can find no rest until it rests in you.

 

  Since in their heavenly home the saints will possess God completely, obviously their longing will be satisfied, and their glory will be even greater. That is why the Lord says: Enter into the joy of your Lord. Augustine adds: The fullness of joy will not enter into those who rejoice, but those who rejoice will enter into joy. I shall be satisfied when your glory is seen, and again: He who satisfies your desire with good things.

 

  Whatever is delightful is there in superabundance. If delights are sought, there is supreme and most perfect delight. It is said of God, the supreme good: Boundless delights are in your right hand.

 

  Again, eternal life consists of the joyous community of all the blessed, a community of supreme delight, since everyone will share all that is good with all the blessed. Everyone will love everyone else as himself, and therefore will rejoice in another’s good as in his own. So it follows that the happiness and joy of each grows in proportion to the joy of all.

 

- St. Thomas Aquinas

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Therese on the Key to Her Vocation

Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that the Church being a body composed of different members, the most essential, the most noble of all the organs would not be wanting to her; I understood that the Church has a heart and that this heart is burning with love; that it is love alone which makes the members work, that if love were to die away apostles would no longer preach the Gospel, martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. I understood that love comprises all vocations, that love is everything, that it embraces all times and all places because it is eternal!

- St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux: Who the Lord Calls

He does not call those who are worthy but those whom He pleases.

- St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux: Confidence Works Miracles

When we do not give up praying, confidence works miracles.

- St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi: Sweet Silence

If you do not practice sweet silence, it is impossible to taste the things of God.

- St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

St. Therese of Lisieux: God's Timing

I realize better than ever before how tender and merciful Our Lord is;  He has sent me this cross when I am capable of bearing it,  whereas before I should have given way to discouragement. 

– St. Therese of Lisieux

Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Why faith is lacking

Faith is lacking because there is so much selfishness and so much gain only for self. But faith, to be true, has to be a giving love. Love and faith go together. They complete each other.

People don't know they have lost their faith. If they were convinced that the person lying in the dirt is their brother or sister, I believe they would do something for that person. People don't know what compassion is. They don't know people. If they understood, they would immediately realize the greatness of the people lying in the street and would simply love them. And the love would surely lead them to place themselves at their service.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

St. Francis de Sales: Have Patience

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew. 

 

- St. Francis de Sales

 

 

St. Therese of Lisieux: Not Your Home

The world's thy ship and not thy home.

- St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Thomas Aquinas: God Alone!

Nothing created has ever been able to fill the heart of man. God alone can fill it infinitely.

- St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Vincent de Paul: A Powerful Remedy For All Evils

A most powerful and efficacious remedy for all evils, a means of correcting all imperfections, of triumphing over temptation, and preserving our hearts in an undisturbed peace, is conformity with the will of God. 

- St. Vincent de Paul

  

St. Augustine: Great Things?

You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.

- St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Francis of Assisi: Darkness and Light

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.

 

 - St. Francis of Assisi

 

 

 

 

St. Therese: Do Everything for God!

I do everything for God, and in this way I lose nothing, and I'm always well repaid for the trouble I go to for other people.

 

- St. Therese of Lisieux

 

 

St. Jerome: The Dignity of the Soul

How great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.

- St. Jerome

St. Francis of Assisi: We Must Be Simple, Humble, Pure

We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- St. Francis of Assisi 

St. Therese of Lisieux Quotation: Dying of Love

Our Lord died on the Cross in agony, and yet this is the most beautiful death of love. To die of love is not to die in transports.

 

- St. Therese of Lisieux

 

 

St. Teresa of Avila: Paid in Troubles!

Oh my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value.

- St. Teresa of Avila

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque on Prayer

Are you making no progress in prayer? Then you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the sacrament of the altar. Offer God his fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: "My God, I do this or I endure that in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions." Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.

- Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

St. Alcuin Quotation, November 10, 2014

I rejoice my dearest son, in your devoted good will regarding both your generous almsgiving and your gentle rule. All this surely pleases God and deserves the mercy of his perpetual blessing. Always work to the utmost for the honor of God Almighty. In goodness and piety, follow the example of your most excellent father so that by Christ’s divine clemency you may inherit his blessing. 

Listen faithfully to the poor and judge their cause with absolute justice. Do not permit the judges under you to judge for presents and gifts. For Holy Scripture says gifts blind the hearts of the wise and subvert the words of the just. Hold in honor those who are true servants of God, for some come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves. The Truth says that by their fruits shall you know them. Have as counselors wise men, who fear God. Not flatterers, for a flatterer is a bland enemy and often seduces those who consent to him. Be prudent in thought and cautious in speech. Always set your hope on God, for he never fails them whose hope is set on him. 

My greatest joy is hearing about a good manner of life on your part. For God prospers a kingdom where the rulers of a Christian people live most strict lives, and conduct their relationships among men in a way pleasing to him. Thus a blessing from heaven is certain to come on the nation and kingdom.

- St. Alcuin

St. Francis of Assisi: Avoid the Sin of Envy!

The Apostle affirms that “no man can say the Lord Jesus but by the Holy Ghost,” and “there is none that doth good, no not one.” Whosoever, therefore , envies his brother on account of the good which the Lord says or does in him , commits a sin akin to blasphemy, because he envies the Most High Himself who says and does all that is good.

- St. Francis of Assisi

St. Albert the Great: Withdraw From The Distractions of Earth

He who enters into the secret place of his own soul passes beyond himself and truly ascends to God. 

Therefore, banish from your heart the distractions of earth. Turn your eyes to spiritual joys so that you may learn at last to rest in the light of the contemplation of God. Indeed, the soul’s true life and repose are to abide in God, held fast by love and refreshed by divine consolations. In your spiritual ascent and your search for a closer union with God, you must allow yourself no rest, no slipping back. You must go forward till you have obtained the object of your desires. Follow the example of mountain climbers. If your desires turn aside after objects that pass below, you will lose yourself in byways and your mind will be drawn in all directions. Your progress will be uncertain. You will not reach your goal. And you will not find rest after your labors. 

But if your heart and mind, led by love and desire, withdraw from the distractions of the world, you will grow strong. Your recollection will deepen the higher you rise on the wings of knowledge and desire. Little by little as you abandon baser things to rest in the one true and unchangeable Good, you will dwell there, held fast by the bonds of love.

- St. Albert the Great

St. Philip Neri: Saints

Imagine yourselves to be spiritual beggars in the presence of God and his saints. You should go round from saint to saint, imploring an alms with the same real earnestness with which the poor beg.

- St. Philip Neri

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. Therese of Lisieux: Heavy Crosses and Being Afraid

Jesus offers you the cross, a very heavy cross, and you are afraid of not being able to carry it without giving way. Why? Our Beloved Himself fell three times on the way to Calvary, and why should we not imitate Him?

 

- St. Therese of Lisieux

 

 

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

Prayer of St. Peter Julian Eymard

Virgin Immaculate, perfect lover of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we ask you to obtain for us the graces we need to become true adorers of our Eucharistic God. Grant us, we beg of you, to know Him better, to love Him more, and to center our lives around the Eucharist, that is, to make our whole life a constant prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. 

Amen.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament

R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!

- St. Peter Julian Eymard

***

Please pray for the intercession of Our Lady of the Most  Blessed Sacrament so that Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration may spread worldwide.

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. Bernard of Clairvaux: The Way to the Kingdom

Present tribulation is the way to glory – the way to the kingdom.  

-St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bernard of Clairvaux on Suffering

We must begin with patience and detachment, and at last we shall learn to love the sufferings which liken us to the Passion of our Redeemer.  

- St. Bernard of Clairvaux 

St. Teresa of Avila about St. Joseph

I do not remember to this day ever having asked St. Joseph for anything that he did not grant me... I wish that I could persuade everyone to venerate this glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings that he obtains from God... he gives very real help to the souls who commend themselves to him.
- St. Teresa of Avila

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

Wednesday With St. Anthony of Padua

Prayer

Most Holy Trinity, one God, let me never forget your goodness. Help me to trust you more than I have ever done before. Please teach me through the example of St. Anthony how I may best serve you in the future. May his prayers secure for me the help I need.

Reflection: Your hope in the Holy Trinity rests on the promises of Christ, and on His merits rather than on your own resources. That is why St. Anthony wishes you to give your heart to God alone.

Practice: Ask St. Anthony to help you abandon yourself completely to God's provident care for this day.