March 9th
St Frances of Rome (1384-1440), Widow, Foundress; Rome, Italy

"God's will is mine."

St Gregory of Nyssa (330-395), Bishop, Confessor; Cappadocia, Turkey

"Perfection consists in fearing, as the only thing to be dreaded, to lose the friendship of God; and in having only one desire, viz., of God's friendship, in which also man's spiritual life consists.  This is to be obtained by fixing the mind only on divine and heavenly things."

St Pacian of Barcelona (310-391), Bishop, Confessor, Father of the Church; Barcelona, Spain

"Not I, but only God, who both blots out sin in baptism, and does not reject the tears of penitents.  What I do is not in my own name, but in the Lord's.  Wherefore whether we baptize, or draw to penance, or give pardon to penitents, we do it by Christ's authority.  You must see whether Christ can do it, and did it, -- Baptism is the sacrament of our Lord's passion; the pardon of penitents is the merit of confession.  All can obtain that, because it is the gratuitous gift of God; but this labour is but of a small number who rise after a fall, and recover by tears, and by destroying the flesh."