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All True And Living Devotion Presupposes The Love Of God And Indeed It Is Neither More Nor Less Than A Very Real Love Of God, Though Not Always Of The Same Kind; For That Love One While Shining On The Soul We Call Grace, Which Makes Us Acceptable To His Divine Majesty; When It Strengthens Us To Do Well, It Is Called Charity; But When It Attains Its Fullest Perfection, In Which It Not Only Leads Us To Do Well, But To Act Carefully, Diligently, And Promptly, Then It Is Called Devotion.

-Saint Francis De Sales

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All True And Living

Saint Francis De Sales

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All True And Living Devotion Presupposes The Love Of God And Indeed It Is Neither More Nor Less Than A Very Real Love Of God, Though Not Always Of The Same Kind; For That Love One While Shining On The Soul We Call Grace, Which Makes Us Acceptable To His Divine Majesty; When It Strengthens Us To Do Well, It Is Called Charity; But When It Attains Its Fullest Perfection, In Which It Not Only Leads Us To Do Well, But To Act Carefully, Diligently, And Promptly, Then It Is Called Devotion.

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You Learn To Speak By Speaking, To Study By Studying, To Run By Running, To Work By Working; And Just So, You Learn To Love By Loving. All Those Who Think To Learn In Any Other Way Deceive Themselves.

We Shall Steer Safely Through Every Storm, So Long As Our Heart Is Right, Our Intention Fervent, Our Courage Steadfast, And Our Trust Fixed On God. If At Times We Are Somewhat Stunned By The Tempest, Never Fear. Let Us Take Breath, And Go On Afresh.

There Is Nothing As Strong As Tenderness, And Nothing As Tender As True Strength.

The Highest Degree Of Meekness Consists In Seeing, Serving, Honoring, And Treating Amiably, On Occasion, Those Who Are Not To Our Taste, And Who Show Themselves Unfriendly, Ungrateful, And Troublesome To Us.

Big Fires Flare Up In A Wind, But Little Ones Are Blown Out Unless They Are Carried In Under Cover.

It Is A Great Imperfection To Complain Unceasingly Of Little Things.

If After All Your Efforts You Cannot Succeed, You Could Not Please Our Lord More Than By Sacrificing To Him Your Will, And Remaining In Tranquility, Humility, And Devotion, Entirely Conformed And Submissive To His Divine Will And Good Pleasure.

He Who Stays Not In His Littleness, Loses His Greatness.

Christian Inspirational

Examine From Time To Time What Are The Dominant Passions Of Your Soul, And Having Ascertained This, Mold Your Life, So That In Thought, Word, And Deed You May As Far As Possible Counteract Them.

When The Bee Has Gathered The Dew Of Heaven And The Earth's Sweetest Nectar From The Flowers, It Turns It Into Honey, Then Hastens To Its Hive. In The Same Way, The Priest, Having Taken From The Altar The Son Of God (who Is As The Dew From Heaven, And True Son Of Mary, Flower Of Our Humanity), Gives Him To You As Delicious Food.

It Is Wonderful How Attractive A Gentle, Pleasant Manner Is, And How Much It Wins Hearts.

Pride Dies 20 Minutes After Death.

Let The Enemy Rage At The Gate; Let Him Knock, Pound, Scream, Howl; Let Him Do His Worst. We Know For Certain That He Cannot Enter Our Soul Except By The Door Of Our Consent.

There Is No Better Means Of Attainment To The Spiritual Life Than By Continually Beginning Again.

Faith Fills A Man With Love For The Beauty Of Its Truth, With Faith In The Truth Of Its Beauty

It Is The Mark Of A Mean, Vulgar And Ignoble Spirit To Dwell On The Thought Of Food Before Meal Times Or Worse To Dwell On It Afterwards, To Discuss It And Wallow In The Remembered Pleasures Of Every Mouthful. Those Whose Minds Dwell Before Dinner On The Spit, And After On The Dishes, Are Fit Only To Be Scullions.

Doing Little Things With A Strong Desire To Please God Makes Them Really Great.

One Single Day Of Devotion Is Worth More Than A Thousand Years Of Worldly Life.

Be Who You Are And Be That Well.

There Are No Galley-slaves In The Royal Vessel Of Divine Love - Every Man Works His Oar Voluntarily!

The Devil Doesn't Fear Austerity But Holy Obedience.

God Takes Pleasure To See You Take Your Little Steps; And Like A Good Father Who Holds His Child By The Hand, He Will Accommodate His Steps To Yours And Will Be Content To Go No Faster Than You. Why Do You Worry?

Do Everything Calmly And Peacefully. Do As Much As You Can As Well As You Can. Strive To See God In All Things Without Exception, And Consent To His Will Joyously. Do Everything For God, Uniting Yourself To Him In Word And Deed. Walk Very Simply With The Cross Of The Lord And Be At Peace With Yourself.

It Is Better To Remain Silent Than To Speak The Truth Ill-humoredly, And Spoil An Excellent Dish By Covering It With Bad Sauce.

The State Of Marriage Is One That Requires More Virtue And Constancy Than Any Other; It Is A Perpetual Exercise In Mortification.

How Are You To Meet The Swarm Of Foolish Attachments, Triflings, And Undesirable Inclinations Which Beset You? By Turning Sharply Away, And Thoroughly Renouncing Such Vanities, Flying To The Saviour's Cross, And Clasping His Crown Of Thorns To Your Heart, So That These Little Foxes May Not Spoil Your Vines. Beware Of Entering Into Any Manner Of Treaty With The Enemy; Do Not Delude Yourself By Listening To Him While Intending To Reject Him.

When You Encounter Difficulties And Contradictions, Do Not Try To Break Them, But Bend Them With Gentleness And Time.

Be Neat, Philothea; Let Nothing Be Negligent About You. It Is A Kind Of Contempt Of Those With Whom We Converse, To Frequent Their Company In Uncomely Apparel; But, At The Same Time, Avoid All Affectation, Vanity, Curiosity, Or Levity In Your Dress. Keep Yourself Always, As Much As Possible, On The Side Of Plainness And Modesty, Which, Without Doubt, Is The Greatest Ornament Of Beauty, And The Best Excuse For The Want Of It.

I Have The Same Opinion Of Dances That Physicians Have Of Mushrooms: The Best Of Them Are Good For Nothing.

Marital Intercourse Is Certainly Holy, Lawful And Praiseworthy In Itself And Profitable To Society, Yet In Certain Circumstances It Can Prove Dangerous, As When Through Excess The Soul Is Made Sick With Venial Sin, Or Through The Violation And Perversion Of Its Primary End, Killed By Mortal Sin; Such Perversion, Detestable In Proportion To Its Departure From The True Order, Being Always Mortal Sin, For It Is Never Lawful To Exclude The Primary End Of Marriage Which Is The Procreation Of Children.

Obedience Is A Virtue Of So Excellent A Nature, That Our Lord Was Pleased To Mark Its Observance Upon The Whole Course Of His Life; Thus He Often Says, He Did Not Come To Do His Own Will, But That Of His Heavenly Father.

During The Night We Must Wait For The Light.

We Do Not Very Often Come Across Opportunities For Exercising Strength, Magnanimity, Or Magnificence; But Gentleness, Temperance, Modesty, And Humility, Are Graces Which Ought To Colour Everything We Do. There May Be Virtues Of A More Exalted Mould, But... These Are The Most Continually Called For In Daily Life.

True Virtue Has No Limits, But Goes On And On, And Especially Holy Charity, Which Is The Virtue Of Virtues, And Which Having A Definite Object, Would Become Infinite If It Could Meet With A Heart Capable Of Infinity.

All Of Us Can Attain To Christian Virtue And Holiness, No Matter In What Condition Of Life We Live And No Matter What Our Life Work May Be.

Be Not Miserable About What May Happen Tomorrow. The Same Everlasting Father, Who Cares For You Today, Will Care For You Tomorrow.

Though Perseverance Does Not Come From Our Power, Yet It Comes Within Our Power.

Humility Consists In Not Esteeming Ourselves Above Other Men, And In Not Seeking To Be Esteemed Above Them.

The Test Of A Preacher Is That His Congregation Goes Away Saying, Not "what A Lovely Sermon!" But "i Will Do Something."

If We Say A Little It Is Easy To Add, But Having Said Too Much It Is Hard To Withdraw And Never Can It Be Done So Quickly As To Hinder The Harm Of Our Success.

Work Hard Every Day At Increasing Your Purity Of Heart, Which Consists In Appraising Things And Weighing Them In The Balance Of God's Will.

True Progress Quietly And Persistently Moves Along Without Notice.

Represent To Yourself A Dark City All Burning And Stinking With Fire And Brimstone. The Damned Are In The Depth Of Hell Within This Woful City, Where They Suffer Unspeakable Torments In All Their Senses And Members. Consider Above All The Eternity Of Their Pains, Which Above All Things Makes Hell Intolerable.

We Must Fear God Out Of Love, Not Love Him Out Of Fear.

Great Occasions For Serving God Come Seldom, But Little Ones Surround Us Daily.

Christian Service

We Must Visit Jesus In The Blessed Sacrament A Hundred Thousand Times A Day.

In Everything, Love Simplicity.

The Whole World Is Not Worth One Soul.

There Is No Artifice As Good And Desirable As Simplicity.

While Extremely Sensitive As To The Slightest Approach To Slander, You Must Also Guard Against An Extreme Into Which Some People Fall, Who, In Their Desire To Speak Evil Of No One, Actually Uphold And Speak Well Of Vice.

Is It Not A Great Temptation To Be So Valiant In Imagination And So Cowardly In Execution?

Never Be Hurried In Anything. Do All Things Calmly And In A Spirit Of Repose. Do Not Lose Your Inward Peace Even If Everything Seems To Be Going Wrong. What Is Anything In Life Compared To Peace Of Soul?

What We Need Is A Cup Of Understanding, A Barrel Of Love, And An Ocean Of Patience.

Every Vocation Becomes More Agreeable When United With Devotion.

When You Have Received Him, Stir Up Your Heart To Do Him Homage; Speak To Him About Your Spiritual Life, Gazing Upon Him In Your Soul Where He Is Present For Your Happiness; Welcome Him As Warmly As Possible, And Behave Outwardly In Such A Way That Your Actions May Give Proof To All Of His Presence.

Go To Your Confessor; Open Your Heart To Him; Display To Him All The Recesses Of Your Soul; Take The Advice That He Will Give You With The Utmost Humility And Simplicity. For God, Who Has An Infinite Love For Obedience, Frequently Renders Profitable The Counsels We Take From Others, But Especially From Those Who Are The Guides Of Our Souls.

We Can Never Attain To Perfection While We Have An Affection For Any Imperfection.

Every Christian Needs A Half-hour Of Prayer Each Day, Except When He Is Busy, Then He Needs An Hour.

A Judicious Silence Is Always Better Than Truth Spoken Without Charity.

To Lose Ourselves In God Is Simply To Give Up Our Own Will To Him. When A Soul Can Truly Say Lord I Have No Other Will Than Thine It Is Truly Lost In God And United To Him.

Be Patient With Everyone, But Above All With Yourself. I Mean Do Not Be Disheartened By Your Imperfections, But Always Rise Up With Fresh Courage. How Are We To Be Patient In Dealing With Our Neighbour's Faults If We Are Impatient In Dealing With Our Own? He Who Is Fretted By His Own Failings Will Not Correct Them. All Profitable Correction Comes From A Calm And Peaceful Mind.

Truly It Is A Blessed Thing To Love On Earth As We Hope To Love In Heaven, And To Begin That Friendship Here Which Is To Endure For Ever There.

The Highest Point Of Humility Consists In Not Merely Acknowledging One's Abjection, But In Taking Pleasure Therein, Not From Any Want Of Breadth Or Courage, But To Give The More Glory To God's Divine Majesty, And To Esteem One's Neighbour More Highly Than One's Self.

Let Is Walk ... Joyously, Dear Souls, Among The Difficulties Of This Passing Life ... These Pains Will Have An End When Our Life Ends, After Which There Will Be Only Joy, Only Contentment, Only Eternal Consolation.

Many Would Be Willing To Have Afflictions Provided That They Not Be Inconvenienced By Them.

Hell Is Full Of Good Intentions And Wills.

Good Intentions

And When Children Begin To Use Their Reason, Fathers And Mothers Should Take Great Pains To Fill Their Hearts With The Fear Of God. This The Good Queen Blanche Did Most Earnestly By St. Louis, Her Son: Witness Her Oft-repeated Words, "my Son, I Would Sooner See You Die Than Guilty Of A Mortal Sin;" Words Which Sank So Deeply Into The Saintly Monarch's Heart, That He Himself Said There Was No Day On Which They Did Not Recur To His Mind, And Strengthen Him In Treading God's Ways.

One Great Remedy Against All Manner Of Temptation, Great Or Small, Is To Open The Heart And Lay Bare Its Suggestion, Likings, And Dislikings Before Some Spiritual Adviser; For, . . . The First Condition Which The Evil One Makes With A Soul, When He Wants To Entrap It, Is Silence.

Nothing Appeases An Enraged Elephant So Much As The Sight Of A Little Lamb.

To Be Pleased At Correction And Reproofs Shows That One Loves The Virtues Which Are Contrary To Those Faults For Which He Is Corrected And Reproved. And, Therefore, It Is A Great Sign Of Advancement In Perfection.

Have Jesus Always For Your Patron, His Cross For A Mast On Which You Must Spread Your Resolutions As A Sail. Your Anchor Shall Be A Profound Confidence In Him, And You Shall Sail Prosperously.

A Quarrel Between Friends, When Made Up, Adds A New Tie To Friendship.

Friendships Begun In This World Will Be Taken Up Again, Never To Be Broken Off.

If The Heart Wanders Or Is Distracted, Bring It Back To The Point Quite Gently... And Even If You Did Nothing During The Whole Of Your Hour But Bring Your Heart Back, Though It Went Away Every Time You Brought It Back, Your Hour Would Be Very Well Employed.

Those Who Pray From The Heart Do Not Think About The Prayer They Are Saying, But About The God To Whom They Pray.

We Are Sometimes So Busy Being Good Angels That We Neglect To Be Good Men And Women.

O My Child, Bethink You That Just As The Bee, Having Gathered Heaven's Dew And Earth's Sweetest Juices From Amid The Flowers, Carries It To Her Hive; So The Priest, Having Taken The Saviour, God's Own Son, Who Came Down From Heaven, The Son Of Mary, Who Sprang Up As Earth's Choicest Flower, From The Altar, Feeds You With That Bread Of Sweetness And Of All Delight.

Let God Be The Air In Which Your Heart Breathes At Ease.

Do Not Lose Courage In Considering Your Own Imperfections.

Provided That God Be Glorified, We Must Not Care By Whom.

For Every Great Temptation There Will Be Many Small Ones. Wolves And Bears Are More Dangerous Than Flies, But We Are Bothered Most By Flies.

There Is Nothing Small In The Service Of God.

Every Moment Comes To Us Pregnant With A Command From God, Only To Pass On And Plunge Into Eternity, There To Remain Forever What We Have Made Of It.

Do Not Scrutinize So Closely Whether You Are Doing Much Or Little, Ill Or Well, So Long As What You Do Is Not Sinful And That You Are Heartily Seeking To Do Everything For God. Try As Far As You Can To Do Everything Well, But When It Is Done, Do Not Think About It. Try, Rather, To Think Of What Is To Be Done Next. Go On Simply In The Lord's Way, And Do Not Torment Yourself. We Ought To Hate Our Faults, But With A Quiet, Calm Hatred; Not Pettishly And Anxiously.

Oh What Remorse We Shall Feel At The End Of Our Lives, When We Look Back Upon The Great Number Of Instructions And Examples Afforded By God And The Saints For Our Perfection, And So Carelessly Received By Us! If This End Were To Come To You Today, How Would You Be Pleased With The Life You Have Led This Year?

Those Who Commit These Types Of Scandals Are Guility Of The Spiritual Equivalent Of Murder, But I, Here Among You To Prevent Something Far Worst For You. While Those Who Give Scandal Are Guilty Of The Spiritual Equivalent Of Murder, Those Who Take Scandal- Who Allow Scandals To Destroy Faith- Are Guilty Of Spiritual Suicide.

One Of The Most Evil Dispositions Possible Is That Which Satirizes And Turns Everything To Ridicule. God Abhors This Vice, And Has Sometimes Punished It In A Marked Manner

Whatever Happens, Abide Steadfast In A Determination To Cling Simply To God.

Whatever Happens

He Who Complains, Sins.

Be Patient With Everyone, But Above All With Yourself. I Mean Do Not Be Disheartened By Your Imperfections, But Always Rise Up With Fresh Courage

A Good Discourse Is That From Which Nothing Can Be Retrenched Without Cutting Into The Quick.

A Dance Is The Devil's Procession, And He That Entereth Into A Dance, Entereth Into His Possession.

The Prayer Of The Sick Person Is His Patience And His Acceptance Of His Sickness For The Love Of Jesus Christ. Make Sickness Itself A Prayer, For There Is None More Powerful, Save Martyrdom!

Nothing Is More Like A Wise Man Than A Fool Who Holds His Tongue.

Professions Of Humility Are The Very Cream, The Very Essence Of Pride; The Really Humble Person Wishes To Be, And Not To Appear So. Humility Is Timorous, And Starts At Her Shadow; And So Delicate That If She Hears Her Name Pronounced It Endangers Her Existence.

Have Patience With All Things, But Chiefly Have Patience With Yourself. Do Not Lose Courage In Considering Your Own Imperfections But Instantly Set About Remedying Them -- Every Day Begin The Task Anew.

Souls Do Not Wish To Be Bullied, But Gently Brought Back; Such Is The Nature Of Man.

The Declared Enemies Of God And His Church, Heretics And Schismatics, Must Be Criticized As Much As Possible, As Long As Truth Is Not Denied. It Is A Work Of Charity To Shout: 'here Is The Wolf!' When It Enters The Flock Or Anywhere Else.

To Live According To The Spirit Is To Love According To The Spirit.

Those Who Love To Be Feared Fear To Be Loved, And They Themselves Are More Afraid Than Anyone, For Whereas Other Men Fear Only Them, They Fear Everyone.

Be Who You Are And Do That Well.

The Elephant, Not Only The Largest But The Most Intelligent Of Animals, Provides Us With An Excellent Example. It Is Faithful And Tenderly Loving To The Female Of Its Choice, Mating Only Every Third Year And Then For No More Than Five Days, And So Secretly As Never To Be Seen, Until, On The Sixth Day, It Appears And Goes At Once To Wash Its Whole Body In The River, Unwilling To Return To The Herd Until Thus Purified. Such Good And Modest Habits Are An Example To Husband And Wife.

Never Be In A Hurry; Do Everything Quietly And In A Calm Spirit. Do Not Lose Your Inner Peace For Anything Whatsoever, Even If Your Whole World Seems Upset.

Consider All The Past As Nothing, And Say, Like David: Now I Begin To Love My God.

Lately I Was Near The Beehives And Some Of The Bees Flew Onto My Face. I Wanted To Raise My Hand, And Brush Them Off. 'no,' Said A Peasant To Me, 'do Not Be Afraid, And Do Not Touch Them. They Will Not Sting You At All, If You Touch Them They Will Bite You.' I Trusted Him; Not One Bit Me. Trust Me; Do Not Fear These Temptations. Do Not Touch Them; They Will Not Hurt You.

Do Not Desire Crosses, Unless You Have Borne Those Already Laid Upon You Well — It Is An Abuse To Long After Martyrdom While Unable To Bear An Insult Patiently.

Without A Doubt, One Of The Things Which Keeps Us From Attaining Perfection Is Our Tongue. When One Has Reached The Point Of No Longer Committing Faults In Speech, He Has Surely Reached Perfection, As Was Said By The Holy Spirit. The Worst Defect In Talking Is Talking Too Much. Hence, In Speech Be Brief And Virtuous, Brief And Gentle, Brief And Simple, Brief And Charitable, Brief And Amiable.

He Prays Well Who Is So Absorbed With God That He Does Not Know He Is Praying.

Strive To See God In All Things Without Exception. Do Not Smother Yourself...if You Start Smothering Yourself With A Host Of Cares And Longings And Wishes ... You Will Be Disabling Yourself From Serving God With All Your Heart.

The Truly Patient Man Neither Complains Of His Hard Lot Nor Desires To Be Pitied By Others. He Speaks Of His Sufferings In A Natural, True, And Sincere Way, Without Murmuring, Complaining, Or Exaggerating Them.

All True And Living Devotion Presupposes The Love Of God And Indeed It Is Neither More Nor Less Than A Very Real Love Of God, Though Not Always Of The Same Kind; For That Love One While Shining On The Soul We Call Grace, Which Makes Us Acceptable To His Divine Majesty; When It Strengthens Us To Do Well, It Is Called Charity; But When It Attains Its Fullest Perfection, In Which It Not Only Leads Us To Do Well, But To Act Carefully, Diligently, And Promptly, Then It Is Called Devotion.

Humor Is The Foundation Of Reconciliation.

Mount Calvary Is The Academy Of Love.

Passion Of The Christ

Do Not Be Ashamed Of Being Poor, Or Of Asking Alms. Receive What Is Given You With Humility, And Accept A Refusal Meekly. Frequently Call To Mind Our Lady's Journey Into Egypt With Her Holy Child, And Of All The Poverty, Contempt And Suffering They Endured. If You Follow Their Example You Will Indeed Be Rich Amid Your Poverty.

Don't Get Upset With Your Imperfections. It's A Great Mistake Because It Leads Nowhere - To Get Angry Because You Are Angry, Upset At Being Upset, Depressed At Being Depressed, Disappointed Because You Are Disappointed. So Don't Fool Yourself. Simply Surrender To The Power Of God's Love, Which Is Always Greater Than Our Weakness.

Every Morning Prepare Your Soul For A Tranquil Day.

True Humility Scarcely Ever Utters Words Of Humility.

Do Not Complain Then Of Your Poverty, My Daughter, - We Only Complain Of That Which Is Unwelcome, And If Poverty Is Unwelcome To You, You Are No Longer Poor In Spirit.

Fear Is A Greater Evil Than Evil Itself.

By Turning Your Eyes On God In Meditation, Your Whole Soul Will Be Filled With God. Begin All Your Prayers In The Presence Of God.

To Love Our Neighbor In Charity Is To Love God In Man.

I Recommend To You Holy Simplicity.

Frequent Not The Company Of Immodest Persons, Especially If They Be Also Impudent, As Is Generally The Case; ...these Corrupted Souls And Infected Hearts Scarcely Speak To Any, Either Of The Same Or A Different Sex, Without Causing Them To Fall In Some Degree From Purity; They Have Poison In Their Eyes And In Their Breath, Like Basilisks. On The Contrary, Keep Company With The Chaste And Virtuous; Often Meditate Upon And Read Holy Things; For The Word Of God Is Chaste, And Makes Those Also Chaste That Delight In It.

Nothing Is So Strong As Gentleness, Nothing So Gentle As Real Strength.

A Heart-memory Is Better Than A Mere Head-memory. Better To Carry Away A Little Of The Love Of Christ In Our Souls, Than If We Were Able To Repeat Every Word Of Every Sermon We Ever Heard.

Be Patient With Everyone, But Above All With Yourself. I Mean, Do Not Be Disturbed Because Of Your Imperfections, And Always Rise Up Bravely From A Fall. I Am Glad That You Make A Daily New Beginning; There Is No Better Means Of Progress In The Spiritual Life Than To Be Continually Beginning Afresh, And Never To Think That We Have Done Enough.

Don't Get Upset With Your Imperfections. Surrender To The Power Of God's Love, Which Is Greater Than Our Weakness.

Make Yourself Familiar With The Angels And Behold Them Frequently In Spirit; For Without Being Seen, They Are Present With You.

Losing A Loved One

Don't Sow Your Desires In Someone Else's Garden; Just Cultivate Your Own As Best You Can; Don't Long To Be Other Than What You Are, But Desire To Be Thoroughly What You Are. Direct Your Thoughts To Being Very Good At That And To Bearing The Crosses, Little Or Great, That You Will Find There. Believe Me, This Is The Most Important And Least Understood Point To The Spiritual Life. We All Love According To What Is Our Taste; Few People Like What Is According To Their Duty Or To God's Liking. What Is The Use Of Building Castles In Spain When We Have To Live In France?

Humility Makes Our Lives Acceptable To God, Meekness Makes Us Acceptable To Men.

It Is To Those Who Have The Most Need Of Us That We Ought To Show Our Love More Especially.

What Son Would Not Bring His Mother Back To Life And Would Not Bring Her Into Paradise After Her Death If He Could?

By Giving Yourself To God, You Not Only Receive Himself In Exchange, But Eternal Life As Well.

If You Have To Do With One Who Is Unquestionably A Slanderer, Do Not Excuse Him By Calling Him Frank And Free-spoken; Do Not Call One Who Is Notoriously Vain, Liberal And Elegant; Do Not Call Dangerous Levities Mere Simplicity; Do Not Screen Disobedience Under The Name Of Zeal; Or Arrogance, Of Frankness; Or Evil Intimacy, Of Friendship. No, My Friends, We Must Never, In Our Wish To Shun Slander, Foster Or Flatter Vice In Others: But We Must Call Evil Evil, And Sin Sin, And So Doing We Shall Serve God's Glory.

Faith Is Like A Bright Ray Of Sun Light. It Enables Us To See God In All Things As Well As All Things In God.

Go In All Simplicity; Do Not Be Anxious To Win A Quiet Mind, And It Will Be All The Quieter. Do Not Examine So Closely Into The Progress Of Your Soul. Do Not Crave Too Much To Be Perfect, But Let Your Spiritual Life Beformed By Your Duties, And By The Actions Which Are Called Forth By Circumstances.

God Will Either Shield You From Suffering Or Give You Unfailing Strength To Bear It.

Those Who Love To Be Feared Fear To Be Loved.

Let Us Run To Mary, And, As Her Little Children, Cast Ourselves Into Her Arms With A Perfect Confidence.

I Have Made A Pact With My Tongue, Not To Speak When My Heart Is Disturbed.

It Is Not Those Who Commit The Least Faults Who Are The Most Holy, But Those Who Have The Greatest Courage, The Greatest Generosity, The Greatest Love, Who Make The Boldest Efforts To Overcome Themselves, And Are Not Immediately Apprehensive About Tripping.

We Have Freedom To Do Good Or Evil; Yet To Make Choice Of Evil, Is Not To Use, But To Abuse Our Freedom.

Do Not Wish To Be Anything But What You Are, And Try To Be That Perfectly.

Many Who Confess Their Venial Sins Out Of Custom And Concern For Order But Without Thought Of Amendment Remain Burdened With Them For Their Whole Life And Thus Lose Many Spiritual Benefits And Advantages.

The Spirit Cannot Endure The Body When Overfed, But, If Underfed, The Body Cannot Endure The Spirit.

Make Friends With The Angels, Who Though Invisible Are Always With You. Often Invoke Them, Constantly Praise Them, And Make Good Use Of Their Help And Assistance In All Your Temporal And Spiritual Affairs.

We May Be Excused For Not Always Being Bright, But We Are Not Excused For Not Being Gracious, Yielding And Considerate.

The Damned Are In The Abyss Of Hell, As Within A Woeful City, Where They Suffer Unspeakable Torments, In All Their Senses And Members, Because As They Have Employed All Their Senses And Their Members In Sinning, So Shall They Suffer In Each Of Them The Punishment Due To Sin.

It Matters Little How One Begins, Provided That He Be Resolved To Go On Well, And To End Well.

Chastity Is The Lily Of Virtues, And Makes Men Almost Equal To Angels. Everything Is Beautiful In Accordance With Its Purity. Now The Purity Of Man Is Chastity, Which Is Called Honesty, And The Observance Of It, Honor And Also Integrity; And Its Contrary Is Called Corruption; In Short, It Has This Peculiar Excellence Above The Other Virtues, That It Preserves Both Soul And Body Fair And Unspotted.

When Charity Requires It We Must Freely And Mildly Communicate To Our Neighbor Not Only What Is His Instruction, But Also What Is Profitable For His Consolation.

Let Us Think Only Of Spending The Present Day Well. Then When Tomorrow Shall Have Come, It Will Be Called Today, And Then We Will Think About It.

The Enemy Often Tries To Make Us Attempt And Start Many Projects So That We Will Be Overwhelmed With Too Many Tasks, And Therefore Achieve Nothing And Leave Everything Unfinished. Sometimes He Even Suggests The Wish To Undertake Some Excellent Work That He Foresees We Will Never Accomplish. This Is To Distract Us From The Prosecution Of Some Less Excellent Work That We Would Have Easily Completed. He Does Not Care How Many Plans And Beginnings We Make, Provided Nothing Is Finished.

If I Want Only Pure Water, What Does It Matter To Me Whether It Be Brought In A Vase Of Gold Or Of Glass? What Is It To Me Whether The Will Of God Be Presented To Me In Tribulation Or Consolation, Since I Desire And Seek Only The Divine Will?

If You Would Fall Into Any Extreme, Let It Be On The Side Of Gentleness. The Human Mind Is So Constructed That It Resists Rigor, And Yields To Softness.

One Single Act Done With Aridity Of Spirit Is Worth More Than Many Done With Feelings Of Devotion.

Have Patience With All Things - But First With Yourself. Never Confuse Your Mistakes With Your Value As A Human Being. You Are Perfectly Valuable, Creative, Worthwhile Person Simply Because You Exist. And No Amount Of Triumphs Or Tribulations Can Ever Change That.

There Are Many Who Say To The Lord, "i Give Myself Wholly To Thee, Without Any Reserve," But There Are Few Who Embrace The Practice Of This Abandonment, Which Consists In Receiving With A Certain Indifference Every Sort Of Event, As It Happens In Conformity With Divine Providence, As Well Afflictions As Consolations, Contempt And Reproaches As Honor And Glory.

There Are Many Who Want Me To Tell Them Of Secret Ways Of Becoming Perfect And I Can Only Tell Them That The Sole Secret Is A Hearty Love Of God, And The Only Way Of Attaining That Love Is By Loving. You Learn To Speak By Speaking, To Study By Studying, To Run By Running, To Work By Working; And Just So You Learn To Love God And Man By Loving. Begin As A Mere Apprentice And The Very Power Of Love Will Lead You On To Become A Master Of The Art.

A Spoon Full Of Honey Gets More Flies Than A Barrel Full Of Vinegar.

Half An Hour's Meditation Each Day Is Essential, Except When You Are Busy. Then A Full Hour Is Needed.

Obedience Is A Consecration Of The Heart, Chastity Of The Body, And Poverty Of All Worldly Goods To The Love And Service Of God. Blessed Indeed Are The Obedient, For God Will Never Permit Them To Go Astray.

I See Crosses At Every Turn. My Flesh Shudders Over It, But My Heart Adores Them. Yes, I Hail You, Crosses Little And Great, I Hail You, And Kiss Your Feet, Unworthy Of The Honor Of Your Shadow.

Have Patience With All Things, But, First Of All With Yourself.

The Greatest Method Of Praying Is To Pray The Rosary.

Be Patient With Everyone, But Above All With Yourself.

Do Not Fret Under Such Assistance As Is Needful; Therein Lies One Great Grace Of Poverty. It Were Overambitious To Aim At Being Poor Without Suffering Any Inconvenience, In Other Words, To Have The Credit Of Poverty And The Convenience Of Riches.

God Is Present Everywhere, And Every Person Is His Work.

In No Other Action Can Our Savior Be Considered More Tender Or More Loving Than In This, In Which He, As It Were, Annihilates Himself And Reduces Himself To Food, That He May Penetrate Our Souls And Unite Himself To The Hearts Of His Faithful.

You Can Attract More Bees With A Spoonful Of Sugar Than A Cupful Of Vinegar.

Make Sickness Itself A Prayer.

All The Science Of The Saints Is Included In These Two Things: To Do, And To Suffer. And Whoever Had Done These Two Things Best, Has Made Himself Most Saintly.

Do Not Look Forward To What May Happen Tomorrow; The Same Everlasting Father Who Cares For You Today Will Take Care Of You Tomorrow And Every Day. Either He Will Shield You From Suffering, Or He Will Give You Unfailing Strength To Bear It. Be At Peace, Then, Put Aside All Anxious Thoughts And Imaginations, And Say Continually: 'the Lord Is My Strength And My Shield; My Heart Has Trusted In Him And I Am Helped. He Is Not Only With Me But In Me And I In Him.'

Anxious Thoughts

God Requires A Faithful Fulfillment Of The Merest Trifle Given Us To Do, Rather Than The Most Ardent Aspiration To Things To Which We Are Not Called.

We Must Never Undervalue Any Person. The Workman Loves Not That His Work Should Be Despised In His Presence. Now God Is Present Everywhere, And Every Person Is His Work.

Trouble That Is Easily Recognized Is Half-cured.

Better Make Penitents By Gentleness Than Hypocrites By Severity.

Friendship Requires Great Communication.

Great Communication

Where There Is Peace And Meditation, There Is Neither Anxiety Nor Doubt.

Meditation Practice

Since God Often Sends Us Inspirations By Means Of His Angels, We Should Frequently Return Our Aspirations To Him By Means Of The Same Messengers.

The Merit Of The Cross Does Not Consist In Its Heaviness, But In The Manner In Which We Carry It. I Would Even Say That It Is Sometimes More Virtuous To Carry A Cross Of Straw Than A Heavy Cross Because We Have To Be More Attentive For Fear Of Losing It.

It Is Right That You Should Begin Again Every Day. There Is No Better Way To Complete The Spiritual Life Than To Be Ever Beginning It Over Again.

While I Am Busy With Little Things, I Am Not Required To Do Greater Things.

One Rarely Does Well What One Rarely Does.

Cook The Truth In Charity Until It Tastes Sweet.

He Who Can Preserve Gentleness Amid Pains, And Peace Amid Worry Multitude Of Affairs, Is Almost Perfect.

Naturally We All Have An Inclination To Command, And A Great Aversion To Obey; And Yet It Is Certain That It Is More For Our Good To Obey Than To Command; Hence Perfect Souls Have Always Had A Great Affection For Obedience, And Have Found All Their Joy And Comfort In It.

Take Care Of Your Health, That It May Serve You To Serve God.

Consider The Pains Which Martyrs Have Endured, And Think How Even Now Many People Are Bearing Afflictions Beyond All Measure Greater Than Yours, And Say, "of A Truth My Trouble Is Comfort, My Torments Are But Roses As Compared To Those Whose Life Is A Continual Death, Without Solace, Or Aid Or Consolation, Borne Down With A Weight Of Grief Tenfold Greater Than Mine."

Do Not Look Forward To The Changes And Chances Of This Life In Fear; Rather Look To Them With Full Hope That, As They Arise, God, Whose You Are, Will Deliver You Out Of Them. He Is Your Keeper. He Has Kept You Hitherto. Do You But Hold Fast To His Dear Hand, And He Will Lead You Safely Through All Things; And, When You Cannot Stand, He Will Bear You In His Arms. Do Not Look Forward To What May Happen Tomorrow. Our Father Will Either Shield You From Suffering, Or He Will Give You Strength To Bear It.

Let Us Be What God Likes, So Long As We Are His, And Let Us Not Be What We Want To Be, If It Is Against His Intention.

The Lord Delights In Every Little Step You Take.

If, When Stung By Slander Or Ill-nature, We Wax Proud And Swell With Anger, It Is A Proof That Our Gentleness And Humility Are Unreal, And Mere Artificial Show.

Charity And Devotion Differ No More, The One From The Other, Than The Flame From The Fire.

In So Far As Divine Love Beautifies Our Souls. And Makes Us Pleasing To His Divine Majesty, It Is Called Grace; In So Far As It Gives Us Strength To Do Good, It Is Called Charity; But When It Reaches Such A Degree Of Perfection, That It Makes Us Not Only Do The Good, But Do So Carefully, Frequently And Readily, Then It Is Called Devotion.

You Learn To Love By Loving.

Anxiety Is The Greatest Evil That Can Befall A Soul, Except Sin. God Commands You To Pray, But He Forbids You To Worry.

Many Great Persons Have Been Of Opinion That Love Is No Other Thing Than Complacency Itself, In Which They Have Had Much Appearance Of Reason. For Not Only Does The Movement Of Love Take Its Origin From The Complacency Which The Heart Feels At The First Approach Of Good, And Find Its End In A Second Complacency Which Returns To The Heart By Union With The Thing Beloved--but Further, It Depends For Its Preservation On This Complacency, And Can Only Subsist Through It As Through Its Mother And Nurse; So That As Soon As The Complacency Ceases, Love Ceases.

People Can Pass Thirty Nights In Dancing And No One Complains About It, But If They Watch Through A Single Christmas Night They Cough And Claim Their Stomach Is Upset The Next Morning. Does Anyone Fail To See That The World Is An Unjust Judge, Gracious And Well Disposed To Its Own Children But Harsh And Rigorous Towards The Children Of God?

Have Patience To Walk With Short Steps Until You Have Wings To Fly.

Having Patience

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