Quote for the Day

[Shin]

'He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will have his place among the wise.'

Proverbs 15:31

[Shin]

'Apply thyself to sacred studies, and fix thy thoughts on the blessings that are of God. Leave temporal things behind, and make for the eternal.'

St. Anselm of Canterbury

[Shin]

'In visiting the dying we should not say many words to them, but rather help them by praying for them.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'It is true that highwaymen, grave-robbers, and sorcerers have their sides torn to pieces; it is also true that the martyrs undergo this same suffering. What is done is the same, but the purpose and reason why it is done is different. And so it is that there is a great difference between the criminals and martyrs.

In these cases we not only consider the torture but we first look for the intention and the reasons why the torture is inflicted. And this is why we love the martyrs - not because they are tortured but because they are tortured for the sake of Christ. But we turn our backs on the robbers - not because they are being punished but because they are being punished for their wickedness.

So, too, in the matter of fasting, you must pass a judgment. If you see people fasting for the sake of God, approve what they do; if you see that they do this against God's will, turn your back on them and hate them more than you do those who drink, revel, and carouse. And in the case of this fasting we must inquire not only into the reason for fasting but we must consider also the place and the time.'

St. John Chrysostom

[Shin]

'Blessed the one who has not defiled his hands with unseemly deeds like one accursed, for about this there will be a judgment in the dread day in the presence of the Lord.'

St. Ephrem of Syria

[Shin]

'Blessed Francis Patrizi, who had the greatest devotion to the "Hail Mary" used to recite five hundred a day. Mary announced the hour of his death to him, and he died as a saint. After forty years, a beautiful lily grew out of his mouth, and on each of the leaves was written the "Hail Mary" in letters of gold. This lily was afterwards taken to France.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Shin]

'I rejoice on account of the interior and exterior sufferings which you have to bear; I rejoice that you love them. You begin to be a disciple of Christ. It is true that yours are light crosses, and you ought to humble yourself by the consideration that they are nothing compared to those of the servants of God, and much less still when weighed in the balance of your Saviour's cross.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'Let a man always think that he has God before his eyes.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'Finally, I pray you, remember always the holy commandment of love that Christ gave to His disciples before going to death: "A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John xiii. 34.) Ah, what sweet language! Remember that you will never please God if you do not love one another. Let there never be any dissension among you, and if an angry word should escape you, become gentle immediately, be silent, and do not allow anger to control your heart.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'All ought to make the holy will of God the center and lever of all their actions, and His Divine qualities the only object of their discourse, the only end of their hopes.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Shin]

'The Christian life does indeed mean battles and trials, but it also means consolations. And though I must leave Tabor and climb to Calvary, one day I will leave Calvary with Jesus and return to Tabor. A foretaste of Heaven awaits me there. My soul follows but one path: from Golgotha to Tabor. It leaves Golgotha to seek strength and courage at Tabor. Life is such a ladder.'

St. Bernadette Soubirous

[Shin]

'If someone said to you, "I would like to become rich; what must I do?" you would answer him, "You must labor:" Well, in order to get to Heaven, we must suffer.'

St. Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney, the Cure of Ars

[Shin]

'It you totally fulfill the command to love your neighbor, you will feel no bitterness or resentment against him whatever he does. If this is not the case, then the reason why you fight against your brother is clearly because you seek after transitory things and prefer them to the commandment of love.

St. Maximos the Confessor

[Shin]

'Let us charge into the good fight with joy and love without being afraid of our enemies. Though unseen themselves, they can look at the face of our soul, and if they see it altered by fear, they take up arms against us all the more fiercely. For the cunning creatures have observed that we are scared. So let us take up arms against them courageously. No one will fight with a resolute fighter.'

St. John Climacus

[eschator83]

Am I correct in assuming that 3229 quote refers to evil spirits, and perhaps when they are within us?  Can I presume when we are confronted or assaulted by a person there must certainly be an evil spirit in or maybe about that person, and can I presume we can fight that spirit too, with prayer, reason, and (?), even as we try to love the person?

[Shin]

This quote is from the book "The Ladder of Divine Ascent".

Yes, that would be the evil spirits referenced in the quote. There may be the influence evil spirits in such a case as you mention, or it may be a human matter, both invisible spirits and human motivations are some of the hardest matters to discern about, if indeed it is possible to discern in many cases. Prayer is the weapon against the evil spirits, and certainly using one's reason is useful too. We must wish the good of our neighbor for the sake of the love of God, though we may suspect the influence of evil spirits.