Congratulations and Welcome!
You are reading one of the missions you can do to help spread the writings and words of the saints throughout the world. This sort of work is work for Heaven, that lasts forever, unlike so much other work, this work leads to greater eternal happiness, and spreads it beauties throughout the world.
The work is very simple and very beneficial to the spiritual life. Each potential mission is both similar and different.. they all have to do with the writings of the saints in various ways.
Remember the motto of St. Benedict: Pray and work! But this sort of work is in many ways hardly work at all.
Please do as much or as little as you please, and collaborate as much or as little as you like. Enjoy the work.
Here we have a rather detailed explanation of a simple mission, Mission #1. If you find other ways to do the work than as suggested that you find easier, that is fine as long as the minimum criteria are fulfilled. Saints' Quotes - Volunteer WorkMission #1 This mission is basically reading books and selecting quotations from them for others.
The first step is like this:
This work is very simple, you find quotes from the saints and collect them in a Notepad or Wordpad file. This little scratch pad is where you spiff up the quote by putting on quotations marks and making certain there are no typographical errors.
You can collect these quotations from anywhere, but to really collect a good number you have to work from a book by a saint and put them down steadily. There are many books from Saints' Books that you can work from, and from other online book archives if you choose. I can also provide you with the plain text versions of these books, so you can easily copy and paste the quotes, just ask and I'll email it to you. Most of the PDF books are not copy/pasteable, but some are, for those that aren't, ask for text files!
You will need these if you do any more than a little work as it is much easier than retyping a whole quote.
There is a hitch however. The reason I do not yet provide the plain text versions is that they are often typo-filled and have spelling errors or format problems from where the scanning software couldn't tell one letter from another. One of the other missions is correcting these so we can put up the plain text books too. (Feel free to dive into this more difficult book mission too!)
Step two of the mission is as follows:
There is a special way you have to send it in so it can be put straight into the computer software. If you just do the first step and send it to me that way, there is more work and so the work is done more slowly. So do the second step if you're a volunteer worker.
Each quotation must look like this:
quote:'It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for "God is Charity."'
author:St. Albert the GreatInside the random quote software file all the quotes look like these samples:
quote:'Let us abandon everything to the merciful providence of God.'
author:St. Albert the Great
quote:'I have never gone out to mingle with the world without losing something of myself.'
author:St. Albert the Great
quote:'The truly humble man fears only that some honor might be shown him; and if such a thing should happen to him, he is interiorly alarmed and distressed at it; he compares himself with no one, neither his superiors, his inferiors, nor yet with his equals, for he esteems himself the last of all. He despises no one but himself; he desires ardently to be despised by all the world, and sincerely rejoices in contempt. Such a man fears no dishonor, because he loves no honor.'
author:St. Albert the Great
And when the software finds a quote it pops them out looking like this:
'It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for "God is Charity."'
St. Albert the Great
So when you gather the quotes and prepare them as the above it makes it very simple to enter into the generator.
Notice that the exterior quotes are single quotes, and the interior ones double -- you switch from one to the other as the quotes get deeper. That's a tidbit of knowledge from this work!Now here are the criteria for quotations for the generator.
If they don't meet the criteria, they're still kept, and still enjoyable to receive, so that's OK! And they may have some future other uses too!
The quotation should generally not be out of context. If you can't tell, don't worry, I will help out. Some quotations of the saints are meant to be hard to understand.
The quotation must be from a saint!
Yes we are very particular for Saints' Quotes itself. If it is from a Blessed or Venerable person, it may or may not make it in - A good rule of thumb is to see a Blessed or Venerable is in the database already, check the list of authors who are so titled in the websites's 'About' link!
It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the websites generally.
No authors are considered who are not saints, blessed, or venerable for Saints' Quotes! None! But we don't send them all down below.
There are slightly more lenient standards for the other websites like Saints' Prayers.
The quotations should be relatively short. If it is very long it is more suitable for Saints' Books so it is OK to send long quotes, some of the long ones are included in Saints' Quotes too.
Here are three examples:
A nice short quote:
quote:'Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him.'
author:St. Dominic Savio
A nice medium sized quote:
quote:'We ought to fast, and to abstain from all vice, and from all that will lead us into sin, as well as from extravagance and superfluity. We should often visit the churches, and venerate and reverence all ecclesiastics on account of their office, and because they distribute the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ, which they offer in sacrifice, receive themselves, and administer to others. And let everyone know and hold for certain that we cannot be saved except through the sacred Words and the Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which priests preach, announce, and distribute, and of which they are the sole ministers.'
author:St. Francis of Assisi
A long quotation that was entered without being clipped into smaller pieces:
quote:'Thus it is clear that our whole fight is against the passions within. Once these have been extirpated from our heart by the grace and help of God, we will readily be able to live not simply with other men, but even with wild beasts, Job confirms this when he says: 'And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you' (Job 5:23). But first we must struggle with the demon of dejection who casts the soul into despair. We must drive him from our heart. It was this demon that did not allow Cain to repent after he had killed his brother, or Judas after he had betrayed his Master. The only form of dejection we should cultivate is the sorrow which goes with repentance for sin and is accompanied by hope in God. It was of this form of dejection that the Apostle said: 'Godly sorrow produces a saving repentance which is not to be repented of (2 Cor. 7:10). This 'godly sorrow' nourishes the soul through the hope engendered by repentance, and it is mingled with joy. That is why it makes us obedient and eager for every good work: accessible, humble, gentle, forbearing and patient in enduring all the suffering or tribulation God may send us. Possession of these qualities shows that a man enjoys the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith, self-control (cf. Gal. 5:11). But from the other kind of dejection we come to know the fruits of the evil spirit: listlessness, impatience, anger, hatred, contentiousness, despair, sluggishness in praying. So we should shun this second form of dejection as we would unchastity, avarice, anger and the rest of the passions. It can be healed by prayer, hope in God, meditation on Holy Scripture, and by living with godly people.'
author:St. John CassianWhen you have spiffied up the quote and prepared it for the software, email it to me and I will prepare it for entry. Some quotes might not make it, some will!
A final word on the philosophy and criteria for the quotations.
The quotes are meant to educate to holiness, make an impression in the mind, and be good to read rather than anything superficial.
As you read the saints take yourself out of the equation and select quotations with the view of learning from them, imitating and becoming someone who would be like them, rather than at all influencing what they have to say. Try to put forth a pure quote. The purer the quote the more certain it is to be part of the Saints' Quotes.
The more you read of the saints the more you will see Christ is in them all, unchanging and pure and true.
Pray to do well and may the Lord, and the Lord with His saints and angels help you! All in the Lord's infinite splendor Heaven!