Quote for the Night

[Shin]

'Let us submit to the orders of our Sovereign Master, and confess that -- in spite of all that seems harsh and distressing -- He is good and just in all He does and that He has a right at all times to our praise and love.'

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

[Shin]

'If love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:10), he who is full of rancor towards his neighbor and lays traps for him and curses him, exulting in his fall, must surely be a transgressor deserving eternal punishment.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

[Shin]

'To brood on evil makes the heart brazen; but to destroy evil through self-restraint and hope breaks the heart.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

[Shin]

'Do not let the devil frighten you. Keep yourself hidden in God, and nothing can hurt you.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'To preserve our cheerfulness amid sicknesses and troubles, is a sign of a right and good spirit.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'There is not a sacrifice sweeter or more agreeable to God than obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice, says the Scripture.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Shin]

'For the love of God, therefore, be neither careless nor tepid. For if tautness snaps the bow, slackness snaps the soul; while on the contrary, according to Solomon, the soul of them that work shall be richly supplied [Prov. 13:4]. Try to maintain a holy and discreet fervor in your work and in the pursuit of learning as well as virtue. With both alike, one energetic act is worth a thousand that are listless, and what a lazy man cannot accomplish in many years an energetic man can usually achieve quickly.

In the matter of learning, the difference between the earnest and the careless student stands out clearly. The same holds true in the mastering of passion and the weaknesses to which our nature is subject, as in the acquiring of virtue. It is certain that, because the negligent do not struggle against self, they never achieve peace of soul or do so tardily, and never possess any virtue in its fullness, while the energetic and industrious make notable advances on both fronts.

Experience proves that in this life peace and satisfaction are had, not by the listless but by those who are fervent in God's service. And rightly so. For in their effort to overcome themselves and to rid themselves of self-love, they rid themselves of the roots of all passion and unrest. And by acquiring habits of virtue, they naturally succeed in acting with ease and cheerfulness in accordance with these same virtues.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Shin]

'We must love God always, even when He sends us afflictions, looking up to God alone.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'There are certain souls who desire to arrive at perfection all at once, and this desire keeps them in constant disquiet. It is necessary first to cling to the feet of Jesus, then to kiss his sacred hands, and at last you may find your way into his divine heart.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Shin]

'Your soul needs a brief winter. The winter purifies the air and the earth of foul vapors; it even invigorates the human body. If it strips the trees of their leaves, it is only to the end that they take deeper roots. The spring comes afterwards, and clothes them again with verdure and blossoms.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'I fear and tremble, all the while that I long to fulfill your expectations, lest I should prove to be an unworthy panegyrist. For there is in me neither sanctity nor eloquence, worthily to praise the Blessed and glorious Virgin. . . Although none can be found who is worthy to praise her, yet let not even the sinner desist from glorifying her with all his might.'

St. Jerome

[Shin]

'Let young men be cheerful, and indulge in the recreations proper to their age, provided they keep out of the way of sin.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'Listen to the words of those who have been granted perfect love: "What can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? 'As it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded as sheep for slaughtering' (Ps. 44:22). But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35-39). Those who speak and act thus with regard to divine love are all saints.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

[Shin]

'Listen to your divine Spouse, and let yourself be taught by Him.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'Treat sinners as a good mother treats her sick child; she lavishes more caresses on him than when he is well.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Shin]

'Before going to confession or taking counsel with our director, it will be very useful to pray for a sincere good will to become a really holy man.'

St. Philip Neri