How did you learn Spanish Gemma?

I moved from New York to Puerto Rico when I was ten. Then I went to school there for 10 years.

I am afraid I only know two: English and Spanish. Would love to learn Latin though so I can read the prayers.

Sacred Heart of Jesus make me what you want me to be
 

Amen.

Most sacred heart of Jesus,
 I place my trust in thee.
Most sacred heart of Jesus,
 I place my trust in thee.
Most sacred heart of Jesus,
 I place my trust in thee.

 

I love this prayer!

Then you must thank God very much. Not too many people come to read the saints and recognize their value! It is a priceless gift he has given you! 

I do thank the Saints. They have brought me closer to God. Their main theme is that surrendering to the Divine Will brings us closer to God.

I am in the middle of "Introduction to the Devout Life" by St. Francis. I'm also reading "The Ways of Mental Prayer."

I'd say it's the latter, due to excessive reading when I was a boy. I also continue to work a lot with them.

I like to think anyone can pick them up if they just spend enough time at it.

I've only read a little of the Consolation, perhaps I will pick it up again someday.

What was the first book by a saint you read?

I think the first one I tried to read was St. Teresa of Avila's autobiography. I still haven't finished that one. I preferred St. Therese's "Autobiography of a Soul."
Work with them? Are you a professor?

It appears to me she is speaking of concupiscence and material things and our desires for them, such as desire for food, drink, etc.

And then she is speaking of our desire for spiritual things, which comes especially once we have tasted the supernatural life as Christians.

But we desire the latter in our own way, rather than in God's way, ie. our own timing, place, amount, etc.

When God knows best how and when to console us and how and when to let us journey unsupported by sweet things so as to show and gain virtue.
 
In her letters she talks about patience and surrender to God's Providence in all. For example, in another letter yet to be shared, to a lady whose only daughter died she wrote:

'It seems that God is calling you to great perfection. And I perceive it by this, that He takes away from you every tie that might hinder it in you. For as I have heard, it seems that He has called to Himself your daughter, who was your last tie with the outer world. For which thing I am deeply content, with a holy compassion, that God should have set you free, and taken her from her labours. Now then, I want that you should wholly destroy your own will, that it may cling to nothing but Christ crucified.'

And..

'Dearest daughter in Christ sweet Jesus : I Catherine, servant and slave of the servants of Jesus Christ, write to you in His Precious Blood, with the desire to see you established in true patience, since I consider that without patience we cannot please God.'

Thanks I had no idea what she was going on about either! Did you study these texts in a class or you just naturally have a facility for medieval texts? I wish there were Cliff Notes on these texts and its not only these spiritual ones I find difficult. I tried reading some of the Stoic philosophers and encountered the same problem! In fact I did find a study guide for Boethius' "The Consolation of Philosophy" which really helped. Ever read that one?

No I don't have it yet but can easily get it for my Kindle on Amazon.com.

Quote
God is faithful says the Apostle, and will not permit you to be tempted (or afflicted) beyond your strength

This thought has always puzzled me - what of the people in mental institutions (by reason of some trauma)? What of those who die (from earthly existence) from cancer? .............

From what I've read above it must be the case that wherever we find ourselves at any given time or in any given condition, then that must be the place where deemed by God in His wisdom which offers us the best possible chance of repentance, holiness or whatever else we are lacking in for our eternal salvation.
No one knows what battles may be going on in the souls of the mentally ill or for what reasons they ended up in that condition but it's sure from the above reading that God has allowed it for the good and His providence is still at work.
As for the cancer patients. I'd like to relate about a friend of mine who I got to know after her conversion from a bad lifestyle to complete surrender to God. A year after her conversion she was struck with terminal cancer.
I went with her brother many times to visit her in hospital. She was radiant and couldn't wait to die to be with God. On the last visit she showed us the new tumors that had appeared on her arms and called them her little friends who were helping her to get to her home with God and she would stroke them lovingly. A few days later she died in total peace holding tight to her rosary and
it is something that  I will never forget.
She accepted that her illness came from the loving hands of God and that was such a joy to her.
I've learnt a lot from this saintly woman and most of all that it's not what befalls us good or bad that really counts, but how we view it through the eyes of faith.

I'm gonna have to read this Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence over and over till I really start accepting and believing it with my heart.

Thank you for this. I had my own questions about this as well. Some things that happen are just so monstrous I find it very hard to believe that they are just sent by God as "trials."

I know this one is probably hard but how about "The Dialogues of St. Catherine of Siena?"