Quote for the Day

[Shin]

'If in times of dryness in prayer we make acts of humility, self-knowledge, protestations of our own inability to help ourselves, and petitions for God's assistance, all this is real and substantial prayer.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'We must become detached from self gratification, our own opinions and sentiments, that we may escape the dangers of a spiritual curiosity, and practise true poverty of spirit.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'Every day make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and when the duties of your state of life prevent you, visit Him in spirit.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'Oh! Lord, I desire thee wholly, for in thy clear and strong light I see that the soul can never be at peace until she has attained her last perfection. Oh, sweet Lord! if I believed that I should lose one spark of thee, I could no longer live.'

St. Catherine of Genoa

[Shin]

'The state of love may be recognized in the giving of money, and still more in the giving of spiritual counsel and in looking after people in their physical needs.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

[Shin]

'O men too slow to listen to the appeal of the poor! It was one of your brothers the angels crying to you. He came to prove you and to assure himself whether you forgot the Saviour in your merry makings. I wish to God you had guessed who it was.'

St. Lydwine of Schiedam

[Shin]

'The fraternity of Christ, is closer than the fraternity of blood.'

St. Ambrose of Milan

[Shin]

'As the wax which we place near the fire assumes any form we wish to give it, so the loving soul ought to obey as soon as her Beloved has spoken.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'While man can scarcely keep what belongs to him by nature, Christ gives the grace of sonship through the Cross.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

[Shin]

'When a sparrow tied by the leg tries to fly, it is held back by the string and pulled down to the earth. Similarly, when the intellect that has not yet attained dispassion flies up towards heavenly knowledge, it is held back by the passions and pulled down to the earth.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

[Shin]

'St. Prosper says that to save his own soul it will not be enough for a priest to lead a holy life, for he shall be damned with those that are lost through his fault. . . The Council of Cologne declared that if a person take the Order of priesthood without the intention of performing the office of vicar of Jesus Christ, or of saving souls, a great and certain chastisement is reserved for him, as for a wolf and a robber, which he is called in the Gospel. . . And St. John Chrysostom says, "Not on account of their own, but on account of the sins of others that they did not prevent, priests are often condemned to hell."'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Shin]

'Another force that drives me to preach and hear confessions is my desire to make my neighbor happy. If there is so much joy in healing the sick, freeing the prisoner, consoling the afflicted, and cheering the sad, then there is far greater joy in bringing one's neighbor to the glory of heaven. It means saving him from every evil and bringing him to the enjoyment of every good -- and for all eternity. Mortals cannot understand this just now, but when they are in glory they will know the great good that was offered them and that they will have, happily, attained. Then they will sing the everlasting mercies of the Lord and bless those who have been merciful to them.'

St. Anthony Mary Claret

[Shin]

'When we enter ornate and clean Basilicas, adorned with crosses, sacred images, altars and burning lamps, we most easily conceive devotion. But on the other hand, when we enter the temples of the heretics, where there is nothing except a chair for preaching and a table for making a meal, we feel ourselves to be entering a profane hall and not the House of God.'

St. Robert Bellarmine

[Shin]

'There are mothers who have so little religion or, if you like, are so ignorant that if they want to show off their baby to some neighbouring mothers, they will show it to them naked. Others, when they are putting on diapers, will leave the babies, for a long period of time, uncovered before everyone. Now even if there is no one present at all, you should not do this. Should you not respect the presence of their Guardian Angels? It is the same thing when you are feeding them. Should any Christian mother allow her breasts to remain exposed? And even if they are covered, should she not turn aside to some place where there is no one else? Then there are others who, under the pretext of being foster-nurses, are continually only half-covered. This is very disgusting. It is enough to make even the pagans blush. People are compelled to avoid their company in order not to expose themselves to evil thoughts.

But, you will say to me, even if everyone is around, we must feed our children and change their diapers when they cry! And I shall tell you that when they cry, you ought to do everything you possibly can to quieten them but that it is a far better thing to let them cry a little than to offend God. Alas! How many mothers are the cause of evil glances, of bad thoughts, of immodest touches! Tell me, are these the Christian mothers who should be so reserved? Oh, dear God! What judgment should they expect? Others are so cruel that they let their children run around for the whole morning, during the summer, only half-dressed. Tell me, unhappy people, would it not be better for you to take your places among the savage beasts? Where is your religion, then, and your anxiety to do your duty? Alas! As far as religion is concerned, you have none. As for your duties, have you ever known what they were? That you have not, you give proof every day. Ah, poor children, how unfortunate you are to belong to such parents!'

St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney

[Shin]

'We must be very careful in the practice of modesty.'

St. Francis de Sales

[Shin]

'Knowledge of what is good for him has been given to every-one by God; but self-indulgence leads to negligence, and negligence to forgetfulness.'

St. Mark the Ascetic