Quote for the Day

[Benedict]

"Father Bernardine de Bustis relates that a hawk darted upon a bird which had been taught to say Ave Maria; the bird said Ave Maria, and the hawk fell dead.
By this our Lord wished to show us, that if an irrational bird was saved from such destruction by invoking Mary, how much more surely will he be prevented from falling into the powers of evil spirits, who is mindful to invoke Mary in temptation!"
Saint Alphonsus Liguori from the Glories of Mary Chapter 2 "Our Life, Our Sweetness"

[Shin]

'Perfection of life consists in drawing close to God. Heaven is the possession of God. In heaven God is contemplated, adored, loved. But to attain heaven it's necessary to be detached from what is earthly. What is the life of a Carmelite if not one of contemplating, adoring and loving God incessantly? And she, by being desirous for that heaven, distances herself from the world and tries to detach herself as much as possible from everything earthly.'

St. Teresa of the Andes

[Shin]

'By the Angelic Salutation God became man, a virgin became the Mother of God, the souls of the just were delivered from Limbo, the empty thrones in heaven have been filled, sin has been pardoned, grace been given to us, the sick been made well, the dead brought back to life, exiles brought home, the Blessed Trinity has been appeased, and men obtained eternal life.'

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

[Shin]

'The hermits of old, those great servants of God, communicated rarely; but because they prepared themselves carefully they received such special graces that, in a short time, they arrived at perfection.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'My only desire would be to remain in silence, or else to speak only of God, for in this my heart takes so great a delight that it can never tire of so doing.'

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

[Shin]

Conformity to the will of God is an easy and certain means of acquiring a great treasure of graces in this life.'

St. Vincent de Paul

[Shin]

'He who has tasted the things for which he hopes will spurn the things of this world: all his longing will be spent on what he hopes for.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan

[Shin]

'The upright intention is the soul of our actions. It gives them life and makes them good.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Shin]

'There is nothing more displeasing to God, than our being inflated with self-esteem.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'Jesus is born poor in a stable; the angels of heaven in deed acknowledge him, but men abandon and forsake him on earth. Only a few shepherds come and pay him homage. But our Redeemer was desirous of communicating to us the grace of his redemption, and begins therefore to manifest himself to the Gentiles, who knew him least. Therefore he sends a star to enlighten the holy Magi, in order that they may come and acknowledge and adore their Saviour. This was the first and sovereign grace bestowed upon us, our vocation to the faith; which was succeeded by our vocation to grace, of which men were deprived.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

[Shin]

'You know that virtue is not practiced without effort, but for one moment of suffering there follows an eternity of reward.'

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

[Shin]

'Often say short prayers, but always with your whole heart. I will point out some to you: "Ah! my God, would that I never offended Thee! Ah! my Sovereign Good, wound, wound my heart with Thy holy love! He that loves Thee not, O my God! knows Thee not! When will my soul be filled with Thy divine charity!"'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'"But I say to you, do not resist evil; but if someone hits you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek as well. And if anyone sues you in the courts, and takes away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And if anyone forces you to go a mile, go with him for two miles" (Matt. 5:39-41). Why did He say this? Both to keep you free from anger and irritation, and to correct the other person by means of your forbearance, so that like a good Father He might bring the two of you under the yoke of love.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

[Shin]

'I resolve to force myself to pay close attention to minor details and as far as possible avoid every imperfection. I resolve to observe the holy rule faithfully and not to depart from it a hairsbreadth, come what may.'

St. Conrad of Parzham, resolutions in the novitiate

[Shin]

'Each of our days is marked with the protection of Mary, who is exceedingly anxious to be our Mother, when we desire to be her children.'

St. Vincent de Paul

[Shin]

'Let the earth be silent before the great God. I repeat it: I would fain say many things, but I feel as one dumb.'

St. Paul of the Cross