Quote for the Day

[Shin]

'What is meritorious is not that a man should be poor, but that, being poor, he should love poverty.'

St. Vincent Ferrer

[Shin]

'The Lord is hidden in His own commandments, and He is to be found there in the measure that He is sought.'

St. Mark the Ascetic

[George]

Imitate a little child, who holds tight with one hand to his father's, while the other gathers blackberries from the wayside hedge. Even so, while you gather and use this world's goods with one hand, always let the other be secure in your Heavenly Father's hand, and look round from time to time to make sure he is satisfied with what you are doing, at home or abroad. Beware of letting his hand go, seeking to make or receive more, if God forsakes you, you will fall to the ground at the very first step.
St. Francis de Sales

[Shin]

St. Francis de Sales is always making use of God's creation in his advice.

[George]

Alas! O God! there is reason enough to be terrified, to think that one is accursed.....accursed of God! And why? For what do men expose themselves to be accursed of God? For a blasphemy, for a bad thought, for a bottle of wine, for two minutes of pleasure! For two minutes of pleasure to lose God, one's soul, heaven for ever!
St. John Vianney

[George]

The more we look to Mary in our prayers, contemplation, actions and sufferings, the more perfectly we will find Jesus Christ, who is always with Mary; great, powerful, operative and incomprehensible.
St. Louis de Montfort

[George]

Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections.
St. Francis de Sales

[Shin]

I was reading 'The Way of Divine Love' recently and some of the passages..

Though the Master drew her so powerfully to His Heart, He did not allow her to forget her great natural weakness. He left her the repugnances and difficulties of her character, wanted her to reproach herself with even her smallest imperfections. "Yes, I see how weak you are," He said to her that evening, when at night prayers she recalled some feelings for which she was sorry.

"He told me all my failings," she wrote, "and then said: 'What are you, Josefa, after all? A mere pinch of dust that one blows away with a breath.'"

From the bottom of her heart she begged his forgiveness.

"You know that I always forgive you. If I tell you of your faults, this is because of My love for you, that your 'self' may dissappear and I may live in you. And now, I will change the flame in your heart and kindle it afresh to give you new vigour for the work of your own destruction."

[ . . . ]

Then Jesus, grasping a flame from His burning Heart, let it fall on her.

[Shin]

That Our Lord left her with her defects. . to bear with them, and wait upon Him, gives me more peace.  .

The passages about His heart, and the dust stay with me.

[susanna]

This reminds me of my favorite from the Imitation of Christ: 

But Mine eye hath spared thee, because thy soul was precious in My sight; that thou mightest know My love, and mightest always live thankful for My favors; and that thou mightest continually give thyself to true subjection and humility and bear patiently thine own contempt. 

[George]

Among all things that are lovable, there is one that is more lovable than the rest, and the most lovable of all things is life.
St. Anthony of Padua

[George]

The angels assist in the offering of prayers; even when one is praying alone, his prayer is joined to the choir of angels.
St. Clement of Alexandria

[Shin]

'We are not created for this earth. The end for which God has placed us in the world, is this, that by our good works we may merit eternal life. "The end is life everlasting."'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Shin]

'We should not wish to see or do anything which could not be done in the presence of God and His creatures, and we shall thus imagine that we are always in His presence.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[George]

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and all my will,
all that I have and possess.
You, Lord, have given all that to me.
I now give it back to you, O Lord.
All of it is yours.
Dispose of it according to your will.
Give me love of yourself
along with your grace, for that is enough for me.
St. Ignatius Loyola

[George]

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14