May 30th
St Ferdinand III (1198-1252), King, Confessor; Leon, Spain; Feast day May 30th
"Thou, O Lord, who searchest the secrets of heart, knowest that I desire thy glory, not mine; and the increase of thy faith, and holy religion, not of transitory kingdoms."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Seneca affirms that he who closed his heart to the claims of unruly desires was not inferior in wealth or happiness to Jupiter himself. By this he signified that as man's misery springs from unfulfilled desires, he may be said to be very near the summit of happiness who has learned to subdue his desires so that they cannot disturb him."
St Bernard (1090-1153), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Fontaine-les-Dijon, France; Feast day August 20th
"Humility is contempt of self founded on a true knowledge of our baseness. The effect of this virtue is to pluck from our heart all the roots of pride as well as all love of earthly honors and dignities. It inspires us to seek the lowest place, persuading us that had another received the graces we enjoy he would have been more grateful and would have used them more profitably for the glory of God."
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
May 29th
St Conan and Sons (d. 275), Martyrs; Iconia, Turkey; Feast day May 29th
"Those who live according to the spirit of the world are fond of pleasures and ease; but those who live according to the Spirit of God,study to purchase the kingdom of heaven by pain and tribulation. As for me, my desire is to forfeit my life here, that I may for ever reign with Jesus Christ."
St Cyril (3rd cent.), Martyr, Ceasarea, Palestine; Feast day May 29th
"I rejoice in suffering reproaches for what I have done. God will receive me, with whom I shall be better than with my father. I cheerfully renounce earthly estates and house, that I may be made rich in heaven. I am not afraid of death, because it will procure me a better life."
St Bernard (1090-1153), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Fontaine-les-Dijon, France; Feast day August 20th
" If we take away self-love, there will be no longer any reason for the existence of Hell."
St Conan and Sons (d. 275), Martyrs; Iconia, Turkey; Feast day May 29th
"Those who live according to the spirit of the world are fond of pleasures and ease; but those who live according to the Spirit of God,study to purchase the kingdom of heaven by pain and tribulation. As for me, my desire is to forfeit my life here, that I may for ever reign with Jesus Christ."
St Cyril (3rd cent.), Martyr, Ceasarea, Palestine; Feast day May 29th
"I rejoice in suffering reproaches for what I have done. God will receive me, with whom I shall be better than with my father. I cheerfully renounce earthly estates and house, that I may be made rich in heaven. I am not afraid of death, because it will procure me a better life."
St Bernard (1090-1153), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Fontaine-les-Dijon, France; Feast day August 20th
" If we take away self-love, there will be no longer any reason for the existence of Hell."
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
May 28th
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Drive from your heart the bitterness of hatred and yield to the sweetness of fraternal charity. Independently of your eternal interests, which impose this duty upon you, there is nothing sweeter than love, and nothing more bitter than hatred, which preys like a cancer on the heart of it s victim, where it was first engendered."
St Bernard (1090-1153), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Fontaine-les-Dijon, France; Feast day August 20th
"In regard to eating there are four things to be regulated: the time, the manner, the quantity, and the quality. The time should be limited to the usual hours of our repast; the manner should be free from that eagerness which makes us appear absorbed in what is set before us; the quantity and quality should not exceed what is granted others, except when a condition of health manifestly requires delicacies."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Drive from your heart the bitterness of hatred and yield to the sweetness of fraternal charity. Independently of your eternal interests, which impose this duty upon you, there is nothing sweeter than love, and nothing more bitter than hatred, which preys like a cancer on the heart of it s victim, where it was first engendered."
St Bernard (1090-1153), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Fontaine-les-Dijon, France; Feast day August 20th
"In regard to eating there are four things to be regulated: the time, the manner, the quantity, and the quality. The time should be limited to the usual hours of our repast; the manner should be free from that eagerness which makes us appear absorbed in what is set before us; the quantity and quality should not exceed what is granted others, except when a condition of health manifestly requires delicacies."
Monday, May 27, 2013
May 27th
St Bede (673-735), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Northumbria, England; Feast day May 27th
"It is now time for me to return to Him who made me, and gave me a being when I was nothing. I have lived a long time; my merciful Judge most graciously foresaw and ordered the course of my life for me. The time of my dissolution draws near. I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. Yes; my soul desires to see Christ my king in His beauty."
"And I pray Thee, loving Jesus, that as Thou hast graciously given me to drink in with delight the words of Thy knowledge, so Thou wouldst mercifully grant me to attain one day to Thee, the fountain of all wisdom, and to appear forever before Thy face."
"Holy Scripture is above all other books not only by its authority because it is Divine, or by its utility because it leads to eternal life, but also by its antiquity and its literary form."
"Highest Father of lights, by whom every excellent thing is given and from whom every perfect gift descends, you have given me, the humblest of your servants, both the love and the aid to consider the wonders of your law, and have manifested to me, unworthy though I am, the grace to not only grasp the ancient offerings in the treasury of this prophetic book but also to discover new ones beneath the veil of the old and to bring them forth for the use of my fellow servants -- remember me with favor, oh my God."
"Christ is the morning star, who when the night of this world has passed, brings to his saints the promised light of life, and opens to them everlasting day. Amen."
"Whenever we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we ought to approach with all humility and fear, both because of the presence of the angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the sacred oblation. For as the angels are said to have stood by the Lord's body when it lay in the tomb, so we must believe that they are present in the celebration of the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time of consecration."
St Julius (d. 302), Martyr; Bulgaria; Feast day May 27th
"Lord Jesus, for whose name I suffer death, vouchsafe to receive my soul in the number of thy saints."
St Bede (673-735), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Northumbria, England; Feast day May 27th
"It is now time for me to return to Him who made me, and gave me a being when I was nothing. I have lived a long time; my merciful Judge most graciously foresaw and ordered the course of my life for me. The time of my dissolution draws near. I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. Yes; my soul desires to see Christ my king in His beauty."
"And I pray Thee, loving Jesus, that as Thou hast graciously given me to drink in with delight the words of Thy knowledge, so Thou wouldst mercifully grant me to attain one day to Thee, the fountain of all wisdom, and to appear forever before Thy face."
"Holy Scripture is above all other books not only by its authority because it is Divine, or by its utility because it leads to eternal life, but also by its antiquity and its literary form."
"Highest Father of lights, by whom every excellent thing is given and from whom every perfect gift descends, you have given me, the humblest of your servants, both the love and the aid to consider the wonders of your law, and have manifested to me, unworthy though I am, the grace to not only grasp the ancient offerings in the treasury of this prophetic book but also to discover new ones beneath the veil of the old and to bring them forth for the use of my fellow servants -- remember me with favor, oh my God."
"Christ is the morning star, who when the night of this world has passed, brings to his saints the promised light of life, and opens to them everlasting day. Amen."
"Whenever we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we ought to approach with all humility and fear, both because of the presence of the angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the sacred oblation. For as the angels are said to have stood by the Lord's body when it lay in the tomb, so we must believe that they are present in the celebration of the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time of consecration."
St Julius (d. 302), Martyr; Bulgaria; Feast day May 27th
"Lord Jesus, for whose name I suffer death, vouchsafe to receive my soul in the number of thy saints."
Sunday, May 26, 2013
May 26th
St Philip Neri (1515-1595), Confessor; Firenze, Italy; Feast day May 26th
"God has no need of man."
"Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is actually necessary, because there is no better means of obtaining God's graces than through His most holy Mother."
"We must accept the adversities which God sends us without reasoning too much upon them, and we must take for granted that it is the best thing which could happen to us."
"We must always remember that God does everything well, although we may not see the reason of what He does."
"There is nothing more to the purpose for exciting a spirit of prayer, than the reading of spiritual books."
"There is nothing good in this world: Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas."
"A man without prayer is an animal without the use of reason."
"A most excellent means of learning how to pray, is to acknowledge ourselves unworthy of such a benefit, and to put ourselves entirely into the hands of the Lord."
"The true preparation for prayer consists in the exercise of mortification; for he who wishes to give himself up to prayer without mortification, is like a bird wishing to fly before it is fledged."
"In the warfare of the flesh, only cowards gain the victory; that is to say, those who fly."
"When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, "I shall not fall, I shall not commit sin," it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with all the greater damage to his soul."
"It is a most useful thing to say often, and from the heart, 'Lord, do not put any confidence in me, for I am sure to fall if Thou dost not help me;' or, 'O my Lord, look for nothing but evil from me.'"
"The stench of impurity before God and the angels is so great, that no stench in the world can equal."
"One of the very best means of obtaining humility, is sincere and frequent confession."
"In trying to get rid of bad habits, it is of the greatest importance not to put off going to confession after a fall, and also to keep to the same confessor."
"In visiting the dying we should not say many words to them, but rather help them by praying for them."
"If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a crucifix, and think that Christ has shed all His blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but prayed the Eternal Father to forgive them also."
"Men are generally the carpenters of their own crosses."
"Let us concentrate ourselves so completely in the divine love, and enter so far into the living fountain of wisdom, through the wounded side of our Incarnate God, that we may deny ourselves and our self-love, and so be unable to find our way out of that Wound again."
"He who wishes to attain to perfection must have no attachment to anything."
"The Holy Spirit is the master of prayer, and causes us to abide in continual peace and cheerfulness, which is a foretaste of Paradise."
"If we wish the Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray, we must practice humility and obedience."
"He who runs away from one cross, will meet a bigger one on his road."
The Maxims and Sayings of St Philip Neri
St Philip Neri (1515-1595), Confessor; Firenze, Italy; Feast day May 26th
"God has no need of man."
"Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is actually necessary, because there is no better means of obtaining God's graces than through His most holy Mother."
"We must accept the adversities which God sends us without reasoning too much upon them, and we must take for granted that it is the best thing which could happen to us."
"We must always remember that God does everything well, although we may not see the reason of what He does."
"There is nothing more to the purpose for exciting a spirit of prayer, than the reading of spiritual books."
"There is nothing good in this world: Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas."
"A man without prayer is an animal without the use of reason."
"A most excellent means of learning how to pray, is to acknowledge ourselves unworthy of such a benefit, and to put ourselves entirely into the hands of the Lord."
"The true preparation for prayer consists in the exercise of mortification; for he who wishes to give himself up to prayer without mortification, is like a bird wishing to fly before it is fledged."
"In the warfare of the flesh, only cowards gain the victory; that is to say, those who fly."
"When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, "I shall not fall, I shall not commit sin," it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with all the greater damage to his soul."
"It is a most useful thing to say often, and from the heart, 'Lord, do not put any confidence in me, for I am sure to fall if Thou dost not help me;' or, 'O my Lord, look for nothing but evil from me.'"
"The stench of impurity before God and the angels is so great, that no stench in the world can equal."
"One of the very best means of obtaining humility, is sincere and frequent confession."
"In trying to get rid of bad habits, it is of the greatest importance not to put off going to confession after a fall, and also to keep to the same confessor."
"In visiting the dying we should not say many words to them, but rather help them by praying for them."
"If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a crucifix, and think that Christ has shed all His blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but prayed the Eternal Father to forgive them also."
"Men are generally the carpenters of their own crosses."
"Let us concentrate ourselves so completely in the divine love, and enter so far into the living fountain of wisdom, through the wounded side of our Incarnate God, that we may deny ourselves and our self-love, and so be unable to find our way out of that Wound again."
"He who wishes to attain to perfection must have no attachment to anything."
"The Holy Spirit is the master of prayer, and causes us to abide in continual peace and cheerfulness, which is a foretaste of Paradise."
"If we wish the Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray, we must practice humility and obedience."
"He who runs away from one cross, will meet a bigger one on his road."
The Maxims and Sayings of St Philip Neri
Saturday, May 25, 2013
May 25th
St Mary Magdalena di Pazzi (1566-1607), Virgin; Florence, Italy; Feast day May 25
"See what the infinite love of God has suffered for my salvation. This same Love sees my weakness, and gives me courage. They who call to mind the sufferings of Christ, and offer their own to God through His passion, find their pains sweet and amiable."
"O Love! Love is not loved, not known by His own creatures! O my Jesus! if I had a voice strong and loud enough that I could be heard by all men in all parts of the world, how would I cry out that this Love might be known, loved, and esteemed by all men as the only true incomprehensible good! But the cursed poison of self-love robs men of this high knowledge, and renders them incapable of it."
"Is it possible that I should take any rest while I consider how much God is offended on earth? O Love! I do it by obedience, and to fulfill Your Holy Will."
"The Will of God is ever most amiable."
"How rich a traffic have we with God when we do everything with a pure and vehement intention to please and honor Him."
"Come, souls, come, love your God who so much loves you. O Love, I die with mortal anguish when I see how little You are known and loved. O Love! Love! if You find no place to rest in, come all to me; I will lodge You. O souls created by Love, why do not you love?"
"It is impossible for one who does not love silence to take pleasure in divine things; before long he will throw himself into the very midst of the pleasures of the world."
"O Jesus, You have become foolish with love. I say it and I shall never grow weary repeating it, love has made You foolish, My Jesus."
"He who has given himself entirely to the love of his Crucified Lord needs but to look at the cross to be buried in the contemplation of the boundless love that Jesus Christ has borne him."
"If in the course of his life, a man never spoke ill of his fellowman, I would consider him a saint."
"Say nothing of an absent brother that you would not wish to say in his presence."
"When I am acting out of obedience, I am certain that I am doing the Will of God, but at other times this is not the case."
"Self-love is like the worm that gnaws at the root and destroys not only the fruit, but even the very life of the plant."
"The traitor that we have to fear most is self-love, for self-love betrays us as Judas betrayed Our Lord with a kiss. He who conquers self-love has conquered all."
St Mary Magdalena di Pazzi (1566-1607), Virgin; Florence, Italy; Feast day May 25
"See what the infinite love of God has suffered for my salvation. This same Love sees my weakness, and gives me courage. They who call to mind the sufferings of Christ, and offer their own to God through His passion, find their pains sweet and amiable."
"O Love! Love is not loved, not known by His own creatures! O my Jesus! if I had a voice strong and loud enough that I could be heard by all men in all parts of the world, how would I cry out that this Love might be known, loved, and esteemed by all men as the only true incomprehensible good! But the cursed poison of self-love robs men of this high knowledge, and renders them incapable of it."
"Is it possible that I should take any rest while I consider how much God is offended on earth? O Love! I do it by obedience, and to fulfill Your Holy Will."
"The Will of God is ever most amiable."
"How rich a traffic have we with God when we do everything with a pure and vehement intention to please and honor Him."
"Come, souls, come, love your God who so much loves you. O Love, I die with mortal anguish when I see how little You are known and loved. O Love! Love! if You find no place to rest in, come all to me; I will lodge You. O souls created by Love, why do not you love?"
"It is impossible for one who does not love silence to take pleasure in divine things; before long he will throw himself into the very midst of the pleasures of the world."
"O Jesus, You have become foolish with love. I say it and I shall never grow weary repeating it, love has made You foolish, My Jesus."
"He who has given himself entirely to the love of his Crucified Lord needs but to look at the cross to be buried in the contemplation of the boundless love that Jesus Christ has borne him."
"If in the course of his life, a man never spoke ill of his fellowman, I would consider him a saint."
"Say nothing of an absent brother that you would not wish to say in his presence."
"When I am acting out of obedience, I am certain that I am doing the Will of God, but at other times this is not the case."
"Self-love is like the worm that gnaws at the root and destroys not only the fruit, but even the very life of the plant."
"The traitor that we have to fear most is self-love, for self-love betrays us as Judas betrayed Our Lord with a kiss. He who conquers self-love has conquered all."
Friday, May 24, 2013
May 24th
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"Slight faults are sometimes more dangerous than greater ones, for the latter, when we behold their hideousness, awaken remorse and resolutions of amendment; but the former make less impression on us, and thus, by easily relapsing into them, we soon contract a strong habit."
St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th
"Do not despise venial sins because they appear trifling, but fear them because they are numerous. Small animals in large numbers can kill a man. Grains of sand are very small, yet, if accumulated, they can sink a ship. Drops of water are very small, yet how often they become a mighty river, a raging torrent, sweeping everything before them!"
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"Slight faults are sometimes more dangerous than greater ones, for the latter, when we behold their hideousness, awaken remorse and resolutions of amendment; but the former make less impression on us, and thus, by easily relapsing into them, we soon contract a strong habit."
St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th
"Do not despise venial sins because they appear trifling, but fear them because they are numerous. Small animals in large numbers can kill a man. Grains of sand are very small, yet, if accumulated, they can sink a ship. Drops of water are very small, yet how often they become a mighty river, a raging torrent, sweeping everything before them!"
May 23rd
St Michael the Confessor (d. 818), Bishop, Confessor; Constantinople, Turkey; Feast day May 23rd
"I venerate the immaculate and divine image of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and of His most holy Mother."
St Julia (d. 439), Martyr; Carthage, Tunisia; Feast day May 23rd
"My liberty is the service of Christ, whom I serve every day with a pure mind. As for that error of yours, I not only do not venerate it, I detest it."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Priest, Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Venial sin, however slight, is always prejudicial to the soul. It weakens our devotion, troubles the peace of our conscience, diminishes the fervor of charity, exhausts the strength of our spiritual life, and obstructs the work of the Holy Ghost in our souls. I pray you then to do all in your power to avoid these sins, for there is not enemy too weak to harm us if we make no resistance. Sight anger, gluttony, vanity, idle words and thoughts, immoderate laughter, loss of time, too much sleeping, trivial lies or flatteries -- such are the sins against which I would particularly warn you. Great vigilance is required against offenses of this kind, for occasions of venial sin abound."
St Michael the Confessor (d. 818), Bishop, Confessor; Constantinople, Turkey; Feast day May 23rd
"I venerate the immaculate and divine image of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and of His most holy Mother."
St Julia (d. 439), Martyr; Carthage, Tunisia; Feast day May 23rd
"My liberty is the service of Christ, whom I serve every day with a pure mind. As for that error of yours, I not only do not venerate it, I detest it."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Priest, Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Venial sin, however slight, is always prejudicial to the soul. It weakens our devotion, troubles the peace of our conscience, diminishes the fervor of charity, exhausts the strength of our spiritual life, and obstructs the work of the Holy Ghost in our souls. I pray you then to do all in your power to avoid these sins, for there is not enemy too weak to harm us if we make no resistance. Sight anger, gluttony, vanity, idle words and thoughts, immoderate laughter, loss of time, too much sleeping, trivial lies or flatteries -- such are the sins against which I would particularly warn you. Great vigilance is required against offenses of this kind, for occasions of venial sin abound."
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
May 22nd
St Rita of Cascia (1381-1457), Confessor; Roccaporena, Italy; Feast day May 22nd
"By begging, I am acting in accordance with the state I profess, and I also give my neighbor the occasion of exercising charity and of meriting an eternal reward in heaven."
"There is nothing impossible to God."
"Remain in the holy love of Jesus. Remain in obedience to the holy Roman Church. Remain in peace and fraternal charity."
"I am not afraid to die. I know already what it is to die. It is to close the eyes to the world and open them to God."
"Love God above all things. His goodness being infinite and His beauty without comparison, you should keep always before your minds the great love He has for you as Father, Spouse, and Master. Love on another with a reciprocal chaste and holy love. Observe faithfully the rule you have professed, and venerate with a religious affection our great and holy father St. Augustine, who has pointed out to you, by his rule, the royal road to glory. Be obedient to Holy Mother church, and to your superioress, as you promised when you made your solemn profession."
"May God bless you and may you always remain in holy peace and love with your beloved Spouse Jesus Christ."
St Rita's Shrine
St Rita of Cascia (1381-1457), Confessor; Roccaporena, Italy; Feast day May 22nd
"By begging, I am acting in accordance with the state I profess, and I also give my neighbor the occasion of exercising charity and of meriting an eternal reward in heaven."
"There is nothing impossible to God."
"Remain in the holy love of Jesus. Remain in obedience to the holy Roman Church. Remain in peace and fraternal charity."
"I am not afraid to die. I know already what it is to die. It is to close the eyes to the world and open them to God."
"Love God above all things. His goodness being infinite and His beauty without comparison, you should keep always before your minds the great love He has for you as Father, Spouse, and Master. Love on another with a reciprocal chaste and holy love. Observe faithfully the rule you have professed, and venerate with a religious affection our great and holy father St. Augustine, who has pointed out to you, by his rule, the royal road to glory. Be obedient to Holy Mother church, and to your superioress, as you promised when you made your solemn profession."
"May God bless you and may you always remain in holy peace and love with your beloved Spouse Jesus Christ."
St Rita's Shrine
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
May 21st
St Felix of Cantilicio (1513-1587), Confessor; Cantilicio, Italy; Feast day May 21st
"I pray God you may become a saint."
"Every creature in the world will raise his heart to God if he looks upon the world with a good eye."
Bl Augustin Caloca Cortes (1898-1927), Priest, Martyr; El Teul, Zacatecas, Mexico; Feast day May 21st
"We live for God and for Him we die."
St Francis de Sales (1557-1622), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Haute Savoie, France; Feast day January 29th
"To avoid faults in speech we must have the lips buttoned together, so that while unbuttoning them we may think of what we are going to say."
St Felix of Cantilicio (1513-1587), Confessor; Cantilicio, Italy; Feast day May 21st
"I pray God you may become a saint."
"Every creature in the world will raise his heart to God if he looks upon the world with a good eye."
Bl Augustin Caloca Cortes (1898-1927), Priest, Martyr; El Teul, Zacatecas, Mexico; Feast day May 21st
"We live for God and for Him we die."
St Francis de Sales (1557-1622), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Haute Savoie, France; Feast day January 29th
"To avoid faults in speech we must have the lips buttoned together, so that while unbuttoning them we may think of what we are going to say."
Monday, May 20, 2013
May 20th
St Bernadine of Siena (1380-1444), Priest, Confessor; Massa, Italy; Feast day May 20th
“In all your actions seek in the first place the kingdom of God and his glory; direct all you do purely to his honour; persevere in brotherly charity, and practice first all that you desire to teach others. By this means the Holy Ghost will be your master, and will give you such wisdom and such a tongue that no adversary will be able to stand against you.”
St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562), Priest, Confessor; Alcantara, Spain; Feast day October 19th
"Think of the wisdom of this world, its glory and the grandeur of its aims; yet at the end, like life itself, does not this glory also vanish? What is more wretched than to win with so much labor what one can but so briefly enjoy? However far-reaching your knowledge, it is yet as nothing; but if you exercise yourself in the love of God, quickly will you come to see Him, and seeing Him, to see all."
St Bernadine of Siena (1380-1444), Priest, Confessor; Massa, Italy; Feast day May 20th
“In all your actions seek in the first place the kingdom of God and his glory; direct all you do purely to his honour; persevere in brotherly charity, and practice first all that you desire to teach others. By this means the Holy Ghost will be your master, and will give you such wisdom and such a tongue that no adversary will be able to stand against you.”
St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562), Priest, Confessor; Alcantara, Spain; Feast day October 19th
"Think of the wisdom of this world, its glory and the grandeur of its aims; yet at the end, like life itself, does not this glory also vanish? What is more wretched than to win with so much labor what one can but so briefly enjoy? However far-reaching your knowledge, it is yet as nothing; but if you exercise yourself in the love of God, quickly will you come to see Him, and seeing Him, to see all."
May 19th
St Peter Celestine (1221-1296), Pope, Confessor; Apulia, Italy; Feast day May 19th
"I desired nothing in the world but a cell; and a cell they have given me."
St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th
"O God, Founder of the universe, help me, that, first of all, I may pray aright: and next, that I may act as one worthy to be heard by Thee: and, finally, set me free. God, through whom all things are, which of themselves could have no being; God, who dost not permit that to perish, whose tendency it is to destroy itself: God, who hast created out of nothing this world, which the eyes of all perceive to be most beautiful! God, who dost not cause evil, but dost cause that it shall not become the worst! God, who dost reveal to those few fleeing for refuge to that which truly is, that evil is nothing! God, through whom the universe, even with its perverse part, is perfect! God, to whom dissonance is nothing, since in the end the worst resolves into harmony with the better! God, whom every creature capable of loving, loves, whether consciously or unconsciously!"
St Peter Celestine (1221-1296), Pope, Confessor; Apulia, Italy; Feast day May 19th
"I desired nothing in the world but a cell; and a cell they have given me."
St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th
"O God, Founder of the universe, help me, that, first of all, I may pray aright: and next, that I may act as one worthy to be heard by Thee: and, finally, set me free. God, through whom all things are, which of themselves could have no being; God, who dost not permit that to perish, whose tendency it is to destroy itself: God, who hast created out of nothing this world, which the eyes of all perceive to be most beautiful! God, who dost not cause evil, but dost cause that it shall not become the worst! God, who dost reveal to those few fleeing for refuge to that which truly is, that evil is nothing! God, through whom the universe, even with its perverse part, is perfect! God, to whom dissonance is nothing, since in the end the worst resolves into harmony with the better! God, whom every creature capable of loving, loves, whether consciously or unconsciously!"
Sunday, May 19, 2013
May 18th
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"It is true that some saints have been guided directly by God, but such examples are rather to be admired than imitated, for thinking ourselves above the guidance of men, we might easily be led into error."
St Jerome (347-420), Priest, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Dalmatia; Feast day September 30th
"Truly, when we consider the frailty of our flesh and how at every point and moment of time we increase and decrease, without ever remaining in the same state, and how that which at this very instant forms the subject of our discourse, of our schemes and meditations, is to such an extent cut off from our life, we shall not hesitate to speak of our flesh as a little grass and all its glory as the flower of the field."
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"It is true that some saints have been guided directly by God, but such examples are rather to be admired than imitated, for thinking ourselves above the guidance of men, we might easily be led into error."
St Jerome (347-420), Priest, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Dalmatia; Feast day September 30th
"Truly, when we consider the frailty of our flesh and how at every point and moment of time we increase and decrease, without ever remaining in the same state, and how that which at this very instant forms the subject of our discourse, of our schemes and meditations, is to such an extent cut off from our life, we shall not hesitate to speak of our flesh as a little grass and all its glory as the flower of the field."
Friday, May 17, 2013
May 17th
St Paschal Baylon (1540-1592), Confessor; Torre-Hermosa, Spain; Feast day May 17th
"The consolation which the Holy Ghost frequently infuses into pious souls, is greater than all the pleasures of the world together, could they be enjoyed by one man. It makes the heart to dissolve and melt through excess of joy, under which it is unable to contain itself."
"I was born poor, and I am resolved to live and die in poverty and penance."
St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510), Widow; Genoa, Italy; Feast day September 15th
"Jesus in your heart! Eternity in your mind! The will of God in all your actions! But above all, love, God's love, entire love!"
"If you wish to know how much a person loves his God, see how much he loves his neighbor."
St Paschal Baylon (1540-1592), Confessor; Torre-Hermosa, Spain; Feast day May 17th
"The consolation which the Holy Ghost frequently infuses into pious souls, is greater than all the pleasures of the world together, could they be enjoyed by one man. It makes the heart to dissolve and melt through excess of joy, under which it is unable to contain itself."
"I was born poor, and I am resolved to live and die in poverty and penance."
St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510), Widow; Genoa, Italy; Feast day September 15th
"Jesus in your heart! Eternity in your mind! The will of God in all your actions! But above all, love, God's love, entire love!"
"If you wish to know how much a person loves his God, see how much he loves his neighbor."
May 16th
Padre Pio (1887-1968), Confessor, Stigmatic; Pietrelcina, Italy; Feast day September 23rd
“Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!”
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Confessor; Kempen, Germany
"If you wish to share Christ's banquet in the kingdom of His Father, then do not let your heart crave sumptuous dishes or expensive wines, neither comfortable couches nor fine clothing. Such things are altogether contrary to Jesus' simple manner of life and sorrowful Passion.
"Do not permit yourself to be overcome by the delights of the flesh, but keep a rein on the stirrings of concupiscence by exercising moderation at table. However, if you have gone overboard by overeating or in your desire for delicacies, then set this aright by daily labors and night vigils, at the same time reflecting with sadness on the bitter cup that Christ was given to drink."
Padre Pio (1887-1968), Confessor, Stigmatic; Pietrelcina, Italy; Feast day September 23rd
“Go to the Madonna. Love her! Always say the Rosary. Say it well. Say it as often as you can! Be souls of prayer. Never tire of praying, it is what is essential. Prayer shakes the Heart of God, it obtains necessary graces!”
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Confessor; Kempen, Germany
"If you wish to share Christ's banquet in the kingdom of His Father, then do not let your heart crave sumptuous dishes or expensive wines, neither comfortable couches nor fine clothing. Such things are altogether contrary to Jesus' simple manner of life and sorrowful Passion.
"Do not permit yourself to be overcome by the delights of the flesh, but keep a rein on the stirrings of concupiscence by exercising moderation at table. However, if you have gone overboard by overeating or in your desire for delicacies, then set this aright by daily labors and night vigils, at the same time reflecting with sadness on the bitter cup that Christ was given to drink."
May 15th
St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th
"God gives himself only to those who desire him and seek him with all the zeal such a lofty aim deserves."
"Extend thy charity over the entire earth if thou wilt love Christ for the members of Christ are to be found everywhere in the world. If thou lovest only a part thou are divided; if thou art divided, thou are not in the Body; if thou are not in the Body, thou are not under the Head.
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"If, then, you perceive in yourself any mark of such anger, be not without fear. Remember that you need no help but your own passions and the devil's temptations to carry you along the broad road to destruction. Stop while you have time. Implore the divine mercy to aid you in retracing your steps till you discover that narrow way which leads to everlasting life. Having found it, walk manfully in it, ever mindful of the justice of God, and of the terrible truth that while thousands throng the road to death, their are few who find the way of life."
"'Hope in the Lord and do that which is good,' we are told by the psalmist; 'offer the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord.' (Ps 36:3 and 4:6). This is hope; any other confidence is presumption. The ark of the true Church will not save its unworthy members from the deluge of their iniquities, nor can you reap any benefit from the mercy of God if you seek His protection in order to sin with impunity."
St Augustine (354-430), Confessor, Bishop, Father of the Church; Thagaste, Algeria; Feast day August 28th
"God gives himself only to those who desire him and seek him with all the zeal such a lofty aim deserves."
"Extend thy charity over the entire earth if thou wilt love Christ for the members of Christ are to be found everywhere in the world. If thou lovest only a part thou are divided; if thou art divided, thou are not in the Body; if thou are not in the Body, thou are not under the Head.
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"If, then, you perceive in yourself any mark of such anger, be not without fear. Remember that you need no help but your own passions and the devil's temptations to carry you along the broad road to destruction. Stop while you have time. Implore the divine mercy to aid you in retracing your steps till you discover that narrow way which leads to everlasting life. Having found it, walk manfully in it, ever mindful of the justice of God, and of the terrible truth that while thousands throng the road to death, their are few who find the way of life."
"'Hope in the Lord and do that which is good,' we are told by the psalmist; 'offer the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord.' (Ps 36:3 and 4:6). This is hope; any other confidence is presumption. The ark of the true Church will not save its unworthy members from the deluge of their iniquities, nor can you reap any benefit from the mercy of God if you seek His protection in order to sin with impunity."
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
May 14th
St Laurence Giustiniani (1381-1456), Bishop, Confessor; Venice, Italy; Feast day September 5th
"In prayer, the soul cleanses itself from sin, charity is nourished, faith is strengthened, hope made secure; the spirit rejoices, the soul grows tender, and the heart is purified, truth discovers itself, temptation is overcome, sadness takes to flight, the senses are renewed, failing virtue is made good, tepidity disappears, the rust of sin is rubbed away. In it are brought forth lively flashes of heavenly desires, and in these fires burns up the fame of divine love. Great are the excellences of prayer, great its privileges. The heavens open before it, and unveil therein their secrets, and to it are the ears of God ever attentive."
St John Chrysostom (347-407), Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Antioch; Feast day September 13th
"Our Lord is the summary of all God's works, the epitome of all the perfections to be found in God and in His creatures. Jesus Christ is everything that you can and should wish for. Long for Him, see for Him, because He is that unique and precious pearl for which you should be ready to sell everything you possess."
St Laurence Giustiniani (1381-1456), Bishop, Confessor; Venice, Italy; Feast day September 5th
"In prayer, the soul cleanses itself from sin, charity is nourished, faith is strengthened, hope made secure; the spirit rejoices, the soul grows tender, and the heart is purified, truth discovers itself, temptation is overcome, sadness takes to flight, the senses are renewed, failing virtue is made good, tepidity disappears, the rust of sin is rubbed away. In it are brought forth lively flashes of heavenly desires, and in these fires burns up the fame of divine love. Great are the excellences of prayer, great its privileges. The heavens open before it, and unveil therein their secrets, and to it are the ears of God ever attentive."
St John Chrysostom (347-407), Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Antioch; Feast day September 13th
"Our Lord is the summary of all God's works, the epitome of all the perfections to be found in God and in His creatures. Jesus Christ is everything that you can and should wish for. Long for Him, see for Him, because He is that unique and precious pearl for which you should be ready to sell everything you possess."
May 13th
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"If you are tempted to gluttony or sensuality, retrench something from your usual repasts, even though they in no way exceed the limits of sobriety, and give yourself with more fervor to fasting and other practices of devotion. If you are assailed by avarice, increase the amount of your alms and the number of your good works. If you feel the promptings of vainglory, lose no opportunity of accepting humiliations. Then, perhaps, the devil may fear to tempt you, seeing that you convert his snares into occasions of virtue, and that he only affords you opportunities of greater good. Above all things fly idleness. Even in your hours of relaxation do not be wholly unoccupied. And, on the other hand, do not be so absorbed in your labors that you cannot from time to time raise your heart to God and treat with Him in prayer."
St Bonaventure (1221-1274), Bishop, Doctor of the Church; Bagnoregio, Italy; Feast day July 14th
"If you would endure with patience the adversities and miseries of this life, be a man of prayer. If you would acquire strength and courage to vanquish the temptations of the enemy, be a man of prayer. If you would crush your self-will with all its inclinations and desires, be a man of prayer. If you would know the wiles of Satan and defend yourself against his snares, be a man of prayer. If you would live with a joyful heart, and pass lightly along the road of penance and sacrifice, be a man of prayer. If you would drive away vain thoughts and cares which worry the soul like flies, be a man of payer. If you would nourish the soul with the sap of devotion and have it always filled with good thoughts and desires, be a man of prayer. If you would strengthen and establish your heart in the way of God, be a man of prayer. Finally, if you would uproot from your soul all vices, and plant virtues in their place, be a man of prayer, for herein does a man receive the unction and grace of the Holy Spirit, who teaches all things. Nay more, would you mount to the summit of contemplation, and enjoy the sweet embraces of the Spouse, exercise yourself in prayer, for it is the road that leads to contemplation and to the taste of what is heavenly."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"If you are tempted to gluttony or sensuality, retrench something from your usual repasts, even though they in no way exceed the limits of sobriety, and give yourself with more fervor to fasting and other practices of devotion. If you are assailed by avarice, increase the amount of your alms and the number of your good works. If you feel the promptings of vainglory, lose no opportunity of accepting humiliations. Then, perhaps, the devil may fear to tempt you, seeing that you convert his snares into occasions of virtue, and that he only affords you opportunities of greater good. Above all things fly idleness. Even in your hours of relaxation do not be wholly unoccupied. And, on the other hand, do not be so absorbed in your labors that you cannot from time to time raise your heart to God and treat with Him in prayer."
St Bonaventure (1221-1274), Bishop, Doctor of the Church; Bagnoregio, Italy; Feast day July 14th
"If you would endure with patience the adversities and miseries of this life, be a man of prayer. If you would acquire strength and courage to vanquish the temptations of the enemy, be a man of prayer. If you would crush your self-will with all its inclinations and desires, be a man of prayer. If you would know the wiles of Satan and defend yourself against his snares, be a man of prayer. If you would live with a joyful heart, and pass lightly along the road of penance and sacrifice, be a man of prayer. If you would drive away vain thoughts and cares which worry the soul like flies, be a man of payer. If you would nourish the soul with the sap of devotion and have it always filled with good thoughts and desires, be a man of prayer. If you would strengthen and establish your heart in the way of God, be a man of prayer. Finally, if you would uproot from your soul all vices, and plant virtues in their place, be a man of prayer, for herein does a man receive the unction and grace of the Holy Spirit, who teaches all things. Nay more, would you mount to the summit of contemplation, and enjoy the sweet embraces of the Spouse, exercise yourself in prayer, for it is the road that leads to contemplation and to the taste of what is heavenly."
Sunday, May 12, 2013
May 12th
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Roccasecca, Italy; Feast day March 7th
"God with patience and mercy awaits the sinner until his death in order to have pity upon him, should he, even in this last moment, regret his evil ways and turn toward Him. For the Lord who is merciful does not rejoice in the loss of the living. But we, in our impatience, before the grave is even dug for the sinner, cursing him and crying out for justice, would like to see him swallowed up at that very instant. We reproach God for bearing so long with the evil that the wicked cause the just to suffer, and we do not wish to consider the good that His wisdom expects to draw even from the malice of the impious.... it demonstrates God's tremendous mercy to take pity on and spare the sinner."
"God forgives immediately the gravest and most numerous offenses, if we make a firm resolution to turn from them and truly to amend. Even more, God forgets those offenses in return for a single lamentation of a contrite heart...nor does He contemplate reproaching us with them in order to dismay us, nor charging us with them in order to love us less, nor driving us away from Him by withdrawing His intimacy....[I]t is with difficulty that we agree from the heart to forgive a single small offense of one who implores our forgiveness! If it happens that we do forgive, we almost never forget; we rejoice in the embarrassment of our debtor; we have small pity for him in adversity; or else we love him less than we did before. If we do not reproach him it is certain, however, that we exclude him from our intimacy, and that even in times of trial we refuse him our counsel and our support."
St John Chrysostom (347-407), Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Antioch; Feast day September 13th
"Nothing makes us more like God than to allow ourselves to be easily appeased and to be pitiful to the wayward and to those who harm us. For the height of perfection is to love our enemies, and to pray for them as did the Lord Jesus."
"God wishes that all should become holy and that none should neglect the practice of virtue. You make a great mistake if you think that anything different is required from people in the world than from monks. The one difference is that the one takes a wife and the other does not. In all other things the same reckoning will be demanded from each."
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Roccasecca, Italy; Feast day March 7th
"God with patience and mercy awaits the sinner until his death in order to have pity upon him, should he, even in this last moment, regret his evil ways and turn toward Him. For the Lord who is merciful does not rejoice in the loss of the living. But we, in our impatience, before the grave is even dug for the sinner, cursing him and crying out for justice, would like to see him swallowed up at that very instant. We reproach God for bearing so long with the evil that the wicked cause the just to suffer, and we do not wish to consider the good that His wisdom expects to draw even from the malice of the impious.... it demonstrates God's tremendous mercy to take pity on and spare the sinner."
"God forgives immediately the gravest and most numerous offenses, if we make a firm resolution to turn from them and truly to amend. Even more, God forgets those offenses in return for a single lamentation of a contrite heart...nor does He contemplate reproaching us with them in order to dismay us, nor charging us with them in order to love us less, nor driving us away from Him by withdrawing His intimacy....[I]t is with difficulty that we agree from the heart to forgive a single small offense of one who implores our forgiveness! If it happens that we do forgive, we almost never forget; we rejoice in the embarrassment of our debtor; we have small pity for him in adversity; or else we love him less than we did before. If we do not reproach him it is certain, however, that we exclude him from our intimacy, and that even in times of trial we refuse him our counsel and our support."
St John Chrysostom (347-407), Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Antioch; Feast day September 13th
"Nothing makes us more like God than to allow ourselves to be easily appeased and to be pitiful to the wayward and to those who harm us. For the height of perfection is to love our enemies, and to pray for them as did the Lord Jesus."
"God wishes that all should become holy and that none should neglect the practice of virtue. You make a great mistake if you think that anything different is required from people in the world than from monks. The one difference is that the one takes a wife and the other does not. In all other things the same reckoning will be demanded from each."
May 11th
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"All animals are born with weapons for combat. The bull has horns; the boar has tusks; the bird has a beak and claws; the bee has a sting, and even the tiny fly or other insect has power to bite. But man, destined to live at peace with his fellow creatures, comes into the world naked and unarmed. Reflect, then, how contrary to your rightful nature it is to seek to be revenged upon one of your kind, to return evil for evil, particularly by making use of weapons which nature has denied you."
"If you overcome your passion, you gain a more glorious victory than he who conquers a city. Our noblest triumph is won by subduing ourselves, by subjecting our passions to the empire of reason."
"If anger urges that our enemy does not deserve forgiveness, ask yourself how far you have merited God's pardon. Will you have God exercise only mercy toward you, when you pursue your neighbor with implacable hatred? And if it be true that your enemy does not deserve pardon from you, it will be equally true that you do not deserve pardon from God. Remember that the pardon which man has not merited for himself, Christ has superabundantly merited for him. For love of Him, therefore, forgive all who have offended you."
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"We gain no merit from good works if we have not learned to endure injuries with patience."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"All animals are born with weapons for combat. The bull has horns; the boar has tusks; the bird has a beak and claws; the bee has a sting, and even the tiny fly or other insect has power to bite. But man, destined to live at peace with his fellow creatures, comes into the world naked and unarmed. Reflect, then, how contrary to your rightful nature it is to seek to be revenged upon one of your kind, to return evil for evil, particularly by making use of weapons which nature has denied you."
"If you overcome your passion, you gain a more glorious victory than he who conquers a city. Our noblest triumph is won by subduing ourselves, by subjecting our passions to the empire of reason."
"If anger urges that our enemy does not deserve forgiveness, ask yourself how far you have merited God's pardon. Will you have God exercise only mercy toward you, when you pursue your neighbor with implacable hatred? And if it be true that your enemy does not deserve pardon from you, it will be equally true that you do not deserve pardon from God. Remember that the pardon which man has not merited for himself, Christ has superabundantly merited for him. For love of Him, therefore, forgive all who have offended you."
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"We gain no merit from good works if we have not learned to endure injuries with patience."
Friday, May 10, 2013
May 10th
St Antoninus (1389-1459), Bishop, Confessor; Florence, Italy; Feast day May 10th
"To enjoy interior peace, we must always reserve in our hearts amidst all affairs, as it were, a secret closet, where we are to keep retired within ourselves, and where no business of the world can ever enter."
Bl Ivan Merz (1896-1928), Confessor; Bosnia; Feast day May 10th
"One can't express what one feels when Christ unites with us in Holy Communion. There is a wish for more and more, for the whole Christ, for Light, for God, the Creator."
"Don't let us forget Christ's immeasurable love and let's pay more attention to the little white Host which waits for us lonely, in small chilly churches."
"To educate and lead people to Jesus is more important than art, and in this work, art, as well as everything created, has to help people to draw closer to Jesus."
St Antoninus (1389-1459), Bishop, Confessor; Florence, Italy; Feast day May 10th
"To enjoy interior peace, we must always reserve in our hearts amidst all affairs, as it were, a secret closet, where we are to keep retired within ourselves, and where no business of the world can ever enter."
Bl Ivan Merz (1896-1928), Confessor; Bosnia; Feast day May 10th
"One can't express what one feels when Christ unites with us in Holy Communion. There is a wish for more and more, for the whole Christ, for Light, for God, the Creator."
"Don't let us forget Christ's immeasurable love and let's pay more attention to the little white Host which waits for us lonely, in small chilly churches."
"To educate and lead people to Jesus is more important than art, and in this work, art, as well as everything created, has to help people to draw closer to Jesus."
Thursday, May 9, 2013
May 9th
St Gregory the Theologian (329-389), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Cappadocia; Feast day May 9 (Nazianzus)
"I have given all I have to Him from whom I received it, and have taken Him alone for my whole possession. I have consecrated to Him my goods, my glory, my health, my tongue and talents. all the fruit I have received from these advantages has been the happiness of despising them for Christ's sake."
"Let us never esteem worldly prosperity or adversity as things real or of any moment, but let us live elsewhere, and raise all our attention to heaven, esteeming sin as the only true evil, and nothing truly good but virtue, which unites us to God."
"Let us offer ourselves entire to God that in Him we may find ourselves again entire. It is truly great riches to be destitute of earthly goods for His sake who was pleased to suffer poverty for the love of us."
"Admire the excess of God's goodness. He vouchsafes to accept our desires as if they were a thing of great value. He burns with an ardent desire that we vehemently desire and love Him; and He receives the petition we put up for His benefits as if this were a benefit to Himself, and a favor we did Him: He gives with greater joy than it can be to us to receive what He gives. Let us only be careful not to be too indifferent in our requests, or to set too narrow bounds to our desires and pretensions; and let us never ask frivolous things which it would be unworthy of His magnificence to petition Him for. There is nothing so great before God which the least among men is not able to offer Him, as well as the greatest prince or most profound scholar: give but yourself to Him with the most pure and perfect love."
Bl Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger (1797-1879), Virgin, Foundress; Bavaria; Feast day May 9th
"Let us never forget the love of Jesus for children, whom He took upon His lap and blessed."
St Gregory the Theologian (329-389), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Cappadocia; Feast day May 9 (Nazianzus)
"I have given all I have to Him from whom I received it, and have taken Him alone for my whole possession. I have consecrated to Him my goods, my glory, my health, my tongue and talents. all the fruit I have received from these advantages has been the happiness of despising them for Christ's sake."
"Let us never esteem worldly prosperity or adversity as things real or of any moment, but let us live elsewhere, and raise all our attention to heaven, esteeming sin as the only true evil, and nothing truly good but virtue, which unites us to God."
"Let us offer ourselves entire to God that in Him we may find ourselves again entire. It is truly great riches to be destitute of earthly goods for His sake who was pleased to suffer poverty for the love of us."
"Admire the excess of God's goodness. He vouchsafes to accept our desires as if they were a thing of great value. He burns with an ardent desire that we vehemently desire and love Him; and He receives the petition we put up for His benefits as if this were a benefit to Himself, and a favor we did Him: He gives with greater joy than it can be to us to receive what He gives. Let us only be careful not to be too indifferent in our requests, or to set too narrow bounds to our desires and pretensions; and let us never ask frivolous things which it would be unworthy of His magnificence to petition Him for. There is nothing so great before God which the least among men is not able to offer Him, as well as the greatest prince or most profound scholar: give but yourself to Him with the most pure and perfect love."
Bl Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger (1797-1879), Virgin, Foundress; Bavaria; Feast day May 9th
"Let us never forget the love of Jesus for children, whom He took upon His lap and blessed."
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
May 8th
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Confessor; Kempen, Germany
"There is no creature so small and abject, that it represents not the goodness of God."
"Whoever would fully and feelingly understand the words of Christ, must endeavor to conform his life wholly to the life of Christ."
"You should stand for a time next to the Virgin Mother and learn from her, whose bitter tears are capable of penetrating the depths of your heart, what it is to lament...Next to the Cross, she maintains her constancy, exhibits her patience, manifests her loyalty, proves her love -- fearless of those who threaten her with death and ignoring those who shower her with curses. She endures all this with equal calm and by remaining silent before her abusive enemies, she imitates her humble Son.
"No discourteous words fall from her hips, nor does she show any indignation in her gestures. She only utters deep sighs, weeps profoundly, and intimately shares in her Son's pain...She expresses no anger against those crucifying her Son, but prays for them, evil though they be...and by this example of her loving patience, she is a model to all who are troubled by trials and tribulation."
"If you seek rest in this life, how will you then attain to the everlasting rest? Dispose not yourself for much rest, but for great patience. Seek true peace -- not in earth, but in heaven; not in men, nor in any other creature, but in God alone."
"When the time of tribulation comes upon you, be meek as well as courageous. And when something you especially love is taken from you, or when something you deem necessary is denied you, neither be disturbed nor yield to despair. For Jesus' dearest friends are often tried by such severe struggles. If God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up to such unspeakable suffering for our benefit, why are you hankering for the joys of this world?"
Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Confessor; Kempen, Germany
"There is no creature so small and abject, that it represents not the goodness of God."
"Whoever would fully and feelingly understand the words of Christ, must endeavor to conform his life wholly to the life of Christ."
"You should stand for a time next to the Virgin Mother and learn from her, whose bitter tears are capable of penetrating the depths of your heart, what it is to lament...Next to the Cross, she maintains her constancy, exhibits her patience, manifests her loyalty, proves her love -- fearless of those who threaten her with death and ignoring those who shower her with curses. She endures all this with equal calm and by remaining silent before her abusive enemies, she imitates her humble Son.
"No discourteous words fall from her hips, nor does she show any indignation in her gestures. She only utters deep sighs, weeps profoundly, and intimately shares in her Son's pain...She expresses no anger against those crucifying her Son, but prays for them, evil though they be...and by this example of her loving patience, she is a model to all who are troubled by trials and tribulation."
"If you seek rest in this life, how will you then attain to the everlasting rest? Dispose not yourself for much rest, but for great patience. Seek true peace -- not in earth, but in heaven; not in men, nor in any other creature, but in God alone."
"When the time of tribulation comes upon you, be meek as well as courageous. And when something you especially love is taken from you, or when something you deem necessary is denied you, neither be disturbed nor yield to despair. For Jesus' dearest friends are often tried by such severe struggles. If God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up to such unspeakable suffering for our benefit, why are you hankering for the joys of this world?"
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
May 7th
St Anselm (1033-1109), Confessor, Bishop; Aosta, Burgundy; Feast day April 21st
"Many things were revealed to the Apostles by Mary."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"How can you gain Heaven by the path of gross and sensual pleasures?..Consider how often the Sacred Host has rested upon your tongue, and do not permit death to enter by that gate through which life is conveyed to your soul....What incomprehensible folly to flatter with such delicate care a body which is destined to be the food of worms! For this miserable body you neglect your soul, which will appear before the tribunal of God as poor in virtues as its earthly companion is rich in sensual pleasures."
St Anselm (1033-1109), Confessor, Bishop; Aosta, Burgundy; Feast day April 21st
"Many things were revealed to the Apostles by Mary."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"How can you gain Heaven by the path of gross and sensual pleasures?..Consider how often the Sacred Host has rested upon your tongue, and do not permit death to enter by that gate through which life is conveyed to your soul....What incomprehensible folly to flatter with such delicate care a body which is destined to be the food of worms! For this miserable body you neglect your soul, which will appear before the tribunal of God as poor in virtues as its earthly companion is rich in sensual pleasures."
Monday, May 6, 2013
May 6th
St John Damascen (676-749), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Damascus, Syria; Feast day May 6th
"Conscious to myself of my own baseness and unworthiness, I ought rather to condemn myself to an eternal silence, weeping, and confessing my sins before God. But seeing the Church, which is founded on a rock, assailed by a furious storm, I think I ought no longer to remain silent, because I fear God more than an emperor of the earth."
"Without assiduous prayer, reasoning is a great dissipation of the mind, and learning often extinguishes the humble interior spirit of prayer, as wind does a candle."
"Suffer not yourself to be bewitched with the enchantment of geometry. Nothing will sooner dry up in you the interior spirit of recollection and devotion."
Bl Edmund Rice (1762-1844), Founder, Confessor; Callan, Co. Kilkenney, Ireland; Feast day May 6th
"But let us do ever so little for God, we will be sure He will never forget it, nor let it pass unrewarded."
"Were we to know the merit and value of only going from one street to another to serve a neighbor for the love of God, we should prize it more than silver and gold."
"One thing you may be sure of, that whilst you work for God, whether you succeed or not, he will amply reward you."
"The will of God be done in this and every thing we undertake."
"Have courage; the good seed will grow up in the children's hearts later on."
"O God, did we even now rightly begin to serve you, your loving heart would take us all to its final embrace."
"Be intent on prayer and whatever may happen will turn to our good."
"Cast all your cares into the arms of divine Providence."
"Give to the poor in handfuls."
"If you only acquire this virtue (humility), it will always guide you safely let your paths be ever so cross or difficult."
"Never allow vain notions of your own sense, abilities, or other natural or acquired qualifications to take root in your mind, but always beseech God to make known to you, your sins and imperfections."
St John Damascen (676-749), Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Damascus, Syria; Feast day May 6th
"Conscious to myself of my own baseness and unworthiness, I ought rather to condemn myself to an eternal silence, weeping, and confessing my sins before God. But seeing the Church, which is founded on a rock, assailed by a furious storm, I think I ought no longer to remain silent, because I fear God more than an emperor of the earth."
"Without assiduous prayer, reasoning is a great dissipation of the mind, and learning often extinguishes the humble interior spirit of prayer, as wind does a candle."
"Suffer not yourself to be bewitched with the enchantment of geometry. Nothing will sooner dry up in you the interior spirit of recollection and devotion."
Bl Edmund Rice (1762-1844), Founder, Confessor; Callan, Co. Kilkenney, Ireland; Feast day May 6th
"But let us do ever so little for God, we will be sure He will never forget it, nor let it pass unrewarded."
"Were we to know the merit and value of only going from one street to another to serve a neighbor for the love of God, we should prize it more than silver and gold."
"One thing you may be sure of, that whilst you work for God, whether you succeed or not, he will amply reward you."
"The will of God be done in this and every thing we undertake."
"Have courage; the good seed will grow up in the children's hearts later on."
"O God, did we even now rightly begin to serve you, your loving heart would take us all to its final embrace."
"Be intent on prayer and whatever may happen will turn to our good."
"Cast all your cares into the arms of divine Providence."
"Give to the poor in handfuls."
"If you only acquire this virtue (humility), it will always guide you safely let your paths be ever so cross or difficult."
"Never allow vain notions of your own sense, abilities, or other natural or acquired qualifications to take root in your mind, but always beseech God to make known to you, your sins and imperfections."
Sunday, May 5, 2013
May 5th
St Pius V (1504-1572), Pope, Confessor; Bosco Morengo, Piedmont, Italy; Feast day May 5th
"You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world! See to it that the people are edified by your example, by the purity of your lives, by the moderation of your conduct, and the brilliance of your holiness! God does not ask of you mere ordinary virtue. he demands downright perfection!"
"He that reigns in the highest, to Whom has been given all power in Heaven and Earth, entrusted the government of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, outside of which there is not salvation, to one man alone on the Earth, namely to Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and to Peter's successor, the Roman pontiff, in fullness of power. This one man He set up as chief over all nations and kingdoms, to pluck up, destroy, scatter, dispose, plant and build..."
"Do not evil so that good may come!"
"In union with the perfect confidence and hope that the Holy and Blessed Virgin placed in Thee, do I hope, O Lord."
"Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord's Prayer with each decade. Interposed with these prayers are certain meditations showing forth the entire life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus completing the method of prayer devised by the Fathers of the Holy Roman Church...Christ's faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed...Following the example of our predecessors, seeing that the Church militant, which God has placed in our hands, in these our times is tossed this way and that by so many heresies, and is grievously troubled and afflicted by so many wars, and by the depraved morals of men, we also raise our eyes, weeping but full of hope, unto that same mountain, whence every aid comes forth, and we encourage and admonish each member of Christ's faithful to do likewise in the Lord."
"O Lord, increase my sufferings and my patience!"
"It shall be unlawful henceforth and forever throughout the Christian world to sing or to read Masses according to any formula other than that of this Missal published by Us...which shall have the farce of law in perpetuity, We order and enjoin under pain of Our displeasure that nothing be added to Our newly published Missal, nothing omitted therefrom, and noting whatsoever altered therein."
St Pius V (1504-1572), Pope, Confessor; Bosco Morengo, Piedmont, Italy; Feast day May 5th
"You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world! See to it that the people are edified by your example, by the purity of your lives, by the moderation of your conduct, and the brilliance of your holiness! God does not ask of you mere ordinary virtue. he demands downright perfection!"
"He that reigns in the highest, to Whom has been given all power in Heaven and Earth, entrusted the government of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, outside of which there is not salvation, to one man alone on the Earth, namely to Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and to Peter's successor, the Roman pontiff, in fullness of power. This one man He set up as chief over all nations and kingdoms, to pluck up, destroy, scatter, dispose, plant and build..."
"Do not evil so that good may come!"
"In union with the perfect confidence and hope that the Holy and Blessed Virgin placed in Thee, do I hope, O Lord."
"Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord's Prayer with each decade. Interposed with these prayers are certain meditations showing forth the entire life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus completing the method of prayer devised by the Fathers of the Holy Roman Church...Christ's faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed...Following the example of our predecessors, seeing that the Church militant, which God has placed in our hands, in these our times is tossed this way and that by so many heresies, and is grievously troubled and afflicted by so many wars, and by the depraved morals of men, we also raise our eyes, weeping but full of hope, unto that same mountain, whence every aid comes forth, and we encourage and admonish each member of Christ's faithful to do likewise in the Lord."
"O Lord, increase my sufferings and my patience!"
"It shall be unlawful henceforth and forever throughout the Christian world to sing or to read Masses according to any formula other than that of this Missal published by Us...which shall have the farce of law in perpetuity, We order and enjoin under pain of Our displeasure that nothing be added to Our newly published Missal, nothing omitted therefrom, and noting whatsoever altered therein."
Saturday, May 4, 2013
May 4th
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Let us wean our hearts from worldly honors and possessions, and seek only spiritual riches, for such treasures are not diminished when enjoyed by numbers, but, on the contrary, are increased. It is otherwise with the goods of the earth, which must decrease in proportion to the numbers who share them. For this reason envy finds easy access to the soul which covets the riches of this life, where one necessarily loses what another gains.
"Do not be satisfied with feeling no grief at the prosperity of your neighbor, but endeavor to benefit him all you can, and the good you cannot give him ask God to grant him. Hate no man. Love your friends in God, and your enemies for God. He so loved you while you were still His enemy that He shed the last drop of His Blood to save you from the tyranny of your sins.
"Your neighbor my be wicked, but that is no reason for hating him. In such a case imitate the example of a wise physician, who loves his patient, but hates his disease. We must abhor sin, which is the work of man, but we must always love our neighbor, who is the work of God. Never say in you heart: 'What is my neighbor to me? I owe him nothing. We are bound by no ties of blood or interest. He has never done me a favor, but has probably injured me.'
"Reflect rather on the benefits which God unceasingly bestows upon you, and remember that all He asks in return is that you be charitable and generous, not to Him, for He has no need of you or your possessions, but to your neighbor, whom He has recommended to your love."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Let us wean our hearts from worldly honors and possessions, and seek only spiritual riches, for such treasures are not diminished when enjoyed by numbers, but, on the contrary, are increased. It is otherwise with the goods of the earth, which must decrease in proportion to the numbers who share them. For this reason envy finds easy access to the soul which covets the riches of this life, where one necessarily loses what another gains.
"Do not be satisfied with feeling no grief at the prosperity of your neighbor, but endeavor to benefit him all you can, and the good you cannot give him ask God to grant him. Hate no man. Love your friends in God, and your enemies for God. He so loved you while you were still His enemy that He shed the last drop of His Blood to save you from the tyranny of your sins.
"Your neighbor my be wicked, but that is no reason for hating him. In such a case imitate the example of a wise physician, who loves his patient, but hates his disease. We must abhor sin, which is the work of man, but we must always love our neighbor, who is the work of God. Never say in you heart: 'What is my neighbor to me? I owe him nothing. We are bound by no ties of blood or interest. He has never done me a favor, but has probably injured me.'
"Reflect rather on the benefits which God unceasingly bestows upon you, and remember that all He asks in return is that you be charitable and generous, not to Him, for He has no need of you or your possessions, but to your neighbor, whom He has recommended to your love."
Friday, May 3, 2013
May 3rd
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Make it a point of honor to owe no man, and you will thus enjoy peaceful slumbers, a quiet conscience, a contented life, and a happy death. The means of acquiring these precious results is to control your desires and appetites and to govern your expenditure by your income, not by your caprices. Our debts proceed from our ill-regulated, uncontrolled desires more than from our necessities, and consequently moderation is more profitable than the largest revenues.
"Let us be convinced that the only real riches, the only real treasures, are those which the Apostle bids us seek when he tells us to fly covetousness and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, and mildness, for godliness with contentment is great gain. Be contented with the position in which God has placed you. Man would always enjoy peace did he accept the portion which God gives him; but, seeking to gratify ambition or cupidity, which craves more than God has given him, he exposes himself to trouble and disquiet, for real happiness or success can never be known by one who strives against the will of God."
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"It often happens that one who was tepid and indifferent before his fall becomes, through repentance, a strong and fervent soldier of Christ."
"We gain no merit from good works if we have not learned to endure injuries with patience."
Ven. Louis of Granada (1505-1588), Confessor; Granada, Spain
"Make it a point of honor to owe no man, and you will thus enjoy peaceful slumbers, a quiet conscience, a contented life, and a happy death. The means of acquiring these precious results is to control your desires and appetites and to govern your expenditure by your income, not by your caprices. Our debts proceed from our ill-regulated, uncontrolled desires more than from our necessities, and consequently moderation is more profitable than the largest revenues.
"Let us be convinced that the only real riches, the only real treasures, are those which the Apostle bids us seek when he tells us to fly covetousness and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, and mildness, for godliness with contentment is great gain. Be contented with the position in which God has placed you. Man would always enjoy peace did he accept the portion which God gives him; but, seeking to gratify ambition or cupidity, which craves more than God has given him, he exposes himself to trouble and disquiet, for real happiness or success can never be known by one who strives against the will of God."
St Gregory the Great (540-604), Confessor, Pope, Doctor of the Church; Rome, Italy; Feast day March 12th
"It often happens that one who was tepid and indifferent before his fall becomes, through repentance, a strong and fervent soldier of Christ."
"We gain no merit from good works if we have not learned to endure injuries with patience."
Thursday, May 2, 2013
May 2nd
St Athanasius (296-373); Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Alexandria, Egypt
"The Son of God took upon Himself our poverty and miseries, that He might impart to us a share of His riches. His sufferings will render us one day impassible, and His death immortal. His tears will be our joy, His burial our resurrection, and His baptism is our sanctification, according to what He says in His gospel: For them I sanctify myself, that they also may be made holy in fruits."
"Hold fast to the tradition, teaching, and faith proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers."
"Jesus that I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God."
"Both from the confession of the evil spirits and from the daily witness of His works, it is manifest, then, and let none presume to doubt it, that the Savior has raised His own body, and that He is very Son of God, having His being from God as from a Father, Whose Word and Wisdom and Whose Power He is. He it is Who in these latter days assumed a body for the salvation of us all, and taught the world concerning the Father. He it is Who has destroyed death and freely graced us all with incorruption through the promise of the resurrection, having raised His own body as its first-fruits, and displayed it by the sign of the cross as the monument to His victory over death and its corruption."
"But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, so far as human nature can, the truth concerning God the Word. One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life. Anyone who wants to look at sunlight naturally wipes his eye clear first, in order to make, at any rate, some approximation to the purity of that on which he looks; and a person wishing to see a city or country goes to the place in order to do so. Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Thus united to them in the fellowship of life, he will both understand the things revealed to them by God and, thenceforth escaping the peril that threatens sinners in the judgment, will receive that which is laid up for the saints in the kingdom of heaven."
"These are fountains of salvation that they who thirst may be satisfied with the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take out from these. For concerning these, the Lord put to shame the Sadducees, and said, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures" and He reproved the Jews, saying, "Search the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of ME."
"The Son of God became man so that we might become God."
St Athanasius (296-373); Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church; Alexandria, Egypt
"The Son of God took upon Himself our poverty and miseries, that He might impart to us a share of His riches. His sufferings will render us one day impassible, and His death immortal. His tears will be our joy, His burial our resurrection, and His baptism is our sanctification, according to what He says in His gospel: For them I sanctify myself, that they also may be made holy in fruits."
"Hold fast to the tradition, teaching, and faith proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers."
"Jesus that I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God."
"Both from the confession of the evil spirits and from the daily witness of His works, it is manifest, then, and let none presume to doubt it, that the Savior has raised His own body, and that He is very Son of God, having His being from God as from a Father, Whose Word and Wisdom and Whose Power He is. He it is Who in these latter days assumed a body for the salvation of us all, and taught the world concerning the Father. He it is Who has destroyed death and freely graced us all with incorruption through the promise of the resurrection, having raised His own body as its first-fruits, and displayed it by the sign of the cross as the monument to His victory over death and its corruption."
"But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, so far as human nature can, the truth concerning God the Word. One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life. Anyone who wants to look at sunlight naturally wipes his eye clear first, in order to make, at any rate, some approximation to the purity of that on which he looks; and a person wishing to see a city or country goes to the place in order to do so. Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Thus united to them in the fellowship of life, he will both understand the things revealed to them by God and, thenceforth escaping the peril that threatens sinners in the judgment, will receive that which is laid up for the saints in the kingdom of heaven."
"These are fountains of salvation that they who thirst may be satisfied with the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take out from these. For concerning these, the Lord put to shame the Sadducees, and said, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures" and He reproved the Jews, saying, "Search the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of ME."
"The Son of God became man so that we might become God."
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
May 1st
St James the Less (AD 62), Apostle, Martyr; Palestine; Feast day May 1st
"but if any of you is wanting wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives abundantly to all men, and does not reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask with faith, without hesitation."
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration."
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him."
"But let every man be sift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not work the justice of God."
"And if anyone thinks himself to be religious, not restraining his tongue but deceiving his own heart, that man's religion is vain. Religion pure and undefiled before God the father is this: to give aid to orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unspotted from this world."
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith also without works is dead."
"For every kind of beast and bird, and of serpents and the rest, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind; but the tongue no man can tame -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless God the Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made after the likeness of God."
"But the wisdom that is from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, moderate, docile, in harmony with good things, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation. The fruit of justice is sown in peace by those who make peace."
"Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God."
"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you....Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you."
St James the Less (AD 62), Apostle, Martyr; Palestine; Feast day May 1st
"but if any of you is wanting wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives abundantly to all men, and does not reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask with faith, without hesitation."
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration."
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been tried, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him."
"But let every man be sift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not work the justice of God."
"And if anyone thinks himself to be religious, not restraining his tongue but deceiving his own heart, that man's religion is vain. Religion pure and undefiled before God the father is this: to give aid to orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unspotted from this world."
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith also without works is dead."
"For every kind of beast and bird, and of serpents and the rest, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind; but the tongue no man can tame -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless God the Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made after the likeness of God."
"But the wisdom that is from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, moderate, docile, in harmony with good things, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation. The fruit of justice is sown in peace by those who make peace."
"Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God."
"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you....Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you."
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