Quote for the Night

[Shin]

'All vices must first be eradicated by the practice of good works in the active life, so that, the mind's eye being purified, one may advance to the contemplation of God in the contemplative life.'

St. Isidore of Seville

[James - a humble servant]

A very inspiring quote! Thank you my friend! 

If you think deeply for a minute you'll find he is speaking of contemplation.

[odhiambo]

“Son, if you want peace, you must first rid your heart of the devil.”
St. John Bosco

[Shin]

How could one have peace otherwise?

[odhiambo]

Many are so misguided as to think they can 

[Shin]

'I cannot sufficiently be astonished that such is the insanity of some men, such the impiety of their blinded understanding, such, finally, their lust after error, that they will not be content with the rule of faith delivered once and for all from antiquity, but must daily seek after something new, and even newer still, and are always longing to add something to religion, or to change it, or to subtract from it!'

St. Vincent of Lerins

[Shin]

'The passions lying hidden in the soul provide the demons with the means of arousing impassioned thoughts in us. Then, fighting the intellect through these thoughts, they force it to give its assent to sin. When it has been overcome, they lead it to sin in the mind; and when this has been done they induce it, captive as it is, to commit the sin in action. Having thus desolated the soul by means of these thoughts, the demons then retreat, taking the thoughts with them, and only the specter or idol of sin remains in the intellect. Referring to this our Lord says, "When you see the abominable idol of desolation standing in the holy place (let him who reads understand) . . . " (Matt. 24:15). For man's intellect is a holy place and a temple of God in which the demons, having desolated the soul by means of impassioned thoughts, set up the idol of sin. That these things have already taken place in history no one, I think, who has read Josephus will doubt; though some say that they will also come to pass in the time of the Antichrist.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

[odhiambo]

 "Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast."
St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

An encouraging quote!

'It is God's custom to interweave human life with a trouble and a consolation, at least, of an interior sort, alternately.'

St. Philip Neri

'Any tempest which assails us and which we did not bring on ourselves through any fault of ours, foretells a consolation soon to follow it.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

'When a sinful soul does not accept the afflictions that come to it, the angels say: "We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed" (Jer. 51:9)'

St. Mark the Ascetic

'He who accepts present afflictions in the expectation of future blessings has found knowledge of the truth; and he will easily be freed from anger and remorse.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

'Let him who is in consolation think how he will be in the desolation which will come after, taking new strength for then.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Shin]

'But you see before you the mountain of Christian perfection, which is very high, and you exclaim in fearfulness that you can never ascend it. Be of good cheer, my child. When the young bees first begin to live they are mere grubs, unable to hover over flowers, or to fly to the mountains, or even to the little hills where they might gather honey; but they are fed for a time with the honey laid up by their predecessors, and by degrees the grubs put forth their wings and grow strong, until they fly abroad and gather their harvest from all the country round. Now we are yet but as grubs in devotion, unable to fly at will, and attain the desired aim of Christian perfection; but if we begin to take shape through our desires and resolutions, our wings will gradually grow, and we may hope one day to become spiritual bees, able to fly. Meanwhile let us feed upon the honey left us in the teaching of so many holy men of old, praying God that He would grant us doves' wings, so that we may not only fly during this life, but find an abiding resting-place in Eternity.'

St. Francis de Sales

[Shin]

'If you share secretly in the joy of someone you envy, you will be freed from your jealousy; and you will also be freed from your jealousy if you keep silent about the person you envy.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan

[James - a humble servant]

THAT, is a quote to remember and put into practice. How often we silently say, "I wish I had that".

[Shin]

Yes isn't it great! It's a cure, the precise medicine for the trouble!

[Shin]

'Zealous anger troubles the eye of reason, whereas sinful anger blinds it.'

Pope St. Gregory the Great

[Shin]

'The intellect that has shut out the senses, and has achieved a balance in the body's temperament has to fight only against its memories.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan

[Shin]

'It is your self love which makes you resent not being able to do what others can do or having so much dismay on finding that you have need of the help of others; if you were dead to self, you would not be so unhappy.'

The Lord, to St. Gemma Galgani