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Occupy Yourself In Beholding And Bewailing Your Own Imperfections Rather Than Contemplating The Imperfections Of Others.

-Ignatius Of Loyola

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Occupy Yourself In Beholding

Ignatius Of Loyola

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Occupy Yourself In Beholding And Bewailing Your Own Imperfections Rather Than Contemplating The Imperfections Of Others.

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Occupy Yourself

More From Ignatius Of Loyola

We Must Put Aside All Judgment Of Our Own, And Keep The Mind Ever Ready And Prompt To Obey In All Things The True Spouse Of Christ Our Lord, Our Holy Mother, The Hierarchical Church.

Just As The Commander Of An Army Pitches His Camp, Studies The Strength And Defenses Of A Fortress, And Then Attacks It On Its Weakest Side, In Like Manner, The Enemy Of Our Human Nature Studies From All Sides Our Theological, Cardinal, And Moral Virtues. Wherever He Finds Us Weakest And Most In Need Regarding Our Eternal Salvation, He Attacks And Tries To Take Us By Storm.

Soul Of Christ, Sanctify Me. Body Of Christ, Save Me. Blood Of Christ, Inebriate Me. Water From The Side Of Christ, Wash Me. Passion Of Christ, Strengthen Me. O Good Jesus, Hear Me. Within Thy Wounds Hide Me. Permit Me Not To Be Separated From Thee. From The Wicked Foe Defend Me. At The Hour Of My Death Call Me. And Bid Me Come To Thee. That With Thy Saints I May Praise Thee For Ever And Ever. Amen.

One Must Wage War Against His Predominant Passion And Not Retreat Until, With God's Help, He Has Been Victorious.

Whatever You Are Doing, That Which Makes You Feel The Most Alive...that Is Where God Is.

He Who Carries God In His Heart Bears Heaven With Him Wherever He Goes.

The Glory Of God Is Humankind Fully Alive.

It Is One Thing To Be Eloquent And Charming In Profane Speech, And Another When The One Speaking As A Religious.

God Will Not Be Outdone In Generosity.

Let Your Modesty Be A Sufficient Incitement, Yea, An Exhortation To Everyone To Be At Peace On Their Merely Looking At You.

Remember That The Good Angels Do What They Can To Preserve Men From Sin And Obtain God's Honor. But They Do Not Lose Courage When Men Fail.

For Those Who Believe, No Proof Is Necessary. For Those Who Disbelieve, No Amount Of Proof Is Sufficient.

Spiritual Exercises Whereby To Conquer Oneself, And Order One's Life, Without Being Influenced In One's Decision By Any Inordinate Affection.

To Withdraw From Creatures And Repose With Jesus In The Tabernacle Is My Delight; There I Can Hide Myself And Seek Rest. There I Find A Life Which I Cannot Describe, A Joy Which I Cannot Make Others Comprehend, A Peace Such As Is Found Only Under The Hospitable Roof Of Our Best Friend.

After You Have Made A Decision That Is Pleasing To God, The Devil May Try To Make You Have Second Thoughts. Intensify Your Prayer Time, Meditation, And Good Deeds. For If Satan's Temptations Merely Cause You To Increase Your Efforts To Grow In Holiness, He'll Have An Incentive To Leave You Alone.

The Acknowledgment Of And Gratitude For Favors And Gifts Received Is Loved And Esteemed In Heaven And On Earth.

The More Completely We Focus Our Attention On Our Creator And Lord, The Less Chance There Is Of Our Being Distracted By Creatures.

Take, O Lord, And Receive My Entire Liberty, My Memory, My Understanding And My Whole Will. All That I Am And All That I Possess You Have Given Me. I Surrender It All To You To Be Disposed Of According To Your Will. Give Me Only Your Love And Your Grace; With These I Will Be Rich Enough, And Will Desire Nothing More.

Among The Many Signs Of A Lively Faith And Hope We Have In Eternal Life, One Of The Surest Is Not Being Overly Sad At The Death Of Those Whom We Dearly Love In Our Lord.

Be Generous To The Poor Orphans And Those In Need. The Man To Whom Our Lord Has Been Liberal Ought Not To Be Stingy. We Shall One Day Find In Heaven As Much Rest And Joy As We Ourselves Have Dispensed In This Life.

Widows And Orphans

Considering That The Blessed Life We So Long For Consists In An Intimate And True Love Of God Our Creator And Lord, Which Binds And Obliges Us All To A Sincere Love.

If, One Day, I Should Offend God In Any Way, Or Grow Remiss, Though Ever So Little, In That Which Concerns His Holy Service And Glory, I Solemnly Implore Him, Rather Let Me Die.

If You Attach Your Heart To Certain Places And Occupations, Obedience Oftentimes Places You In Some Other Place That You May Not Like; To Be Always Cheerful, Be Always Humble And Obedient.

Dearest Lord, Teach Me To Be Generous; Teach Me To Serve You As You Deserve; To Give And Not To Count The Cost.

God Freely Created Us So That We Might Know, Love, And Serve Him In This Life And Be Happy With Him Forever. God's Purpose In Creating Us Is To Draw Forth From Us A Response Of Love And Service Here On Earth, So That We May Attain Our Goal Of Everlasting Happiness With Him In Heaven.

You Have Given It All To Me. To You, Lord, I Return It. Everything Is Yours; Do With It What You Will. Give Me Only Your Love And Grace. That Is Enough For Me.

Spiritual Infirmities Such As Tepidity Are Caused, Not Only By Chills But Also By Fevers, That Is, By Excessive Zeal.

Truth Always Ends By Victory; It Is Not Unassailable, But Invincible.

It Is Not Hard To Obey When We Love The One Whom We Obey.

As For Joy, As Little As One Can Have Of It In This Life, Experience Shows That It Is Not The Idle Who Possess It, But Those Who Are Zealous In The Service Of God.

Idleness Is Hells Fishhook For Catching Souls.

We Should Not Have A Petty Regard For God's Gifts, Though We May And Should Despise Our Own Imperfections.

May God Our Lord Never Let Me Harm Anyone When I Cannot Help Him!

He Who Is Not Getting Better Is Getting Worse.

A Person With Imprecise Ideas Can Understand Little And Be Of Less Help To Others.

Stand Firm And Immovable As An Anvil When It Is Beaten Upon.

Above All, Remember That God Looks For Solid Virtues In Us, Such As Patience, Humility, Obedience, Abnegation Of Your Own Will - That Is, The Good Will To Serve Him And Our Neighbor In Him. His Providence Allows Us Other Devotions Only Insofar As He Sees That They Are Useful To Us.

Concerning The Harsh Treatment Of The Body For Our Lord's Sake, I Would Say, Avoid Anything That Would Cause The Shedding Even Of A Drop Of Blood.

God Our Lord Would Have Us Look To The Giver And Love Him More Than His Gift, Keeping Him Always Before Our Eyes, In Our Hearts, And In Our Thoughts.

All The Things In This World Are Gifts Of God, Created For Us, To Be The Means By Which We Can Come To Know Him Better, Love Him More Surely, And Serve Him More Faithfully.

Imagine That Leader Of All The Enemy, In That Great Plain Of Babylon, Sitting On A Sort Of Throne Of Smoking Flame, A Horrible And Terrifying Sight. Watch Him Calling Together Countless Devils, To Despatch Them Into Different Cities Till The Whole World Is Covered, Forgetting No Province Or Locality, No Class Or Single Individual.

He Who Has Heard The Word Of God Can Bear His Silences.

Receive, Lord, All My Liberty, My Memory, My Understanding And My Whole Will.

So With That Will Prompt And Prepared To Serve All Those Whom I Perceive To Be Servants Of My Lord, I Will Speak Of Three Things With Simplicity And Love As If I Were Speaking To My Own Soul.

Laugh And Grow Strong.

We Should Always Be Disposed To Believe That That Which Appears White Is Really Black, If The Hierarchy Of The Church So Decides.

God Inclines To Shower His Graces Upon Us, But Our Perverted Will Is A Barrier To His Generosity.

The Principal End Both Of My Father And Of Myself In The Conquest Of India... Has Been The Propagation Of The Holy Catholic Faith.

Pardon Me, O Perfections Of My God, For Having Preferred Imperfect And Evil Inclinations To Thee! Pardon Me, O Justice Of My God, For Having Outraged Thee By My Sins. Pardon Me, O Holiness Of My God, For Having So Long Stained Thy Sight's Purity By My Sins. Pardon Me, O Mercy Of My God, For Having Despised So Long Thy Mercy's Voice. In Deep Sorrow And Contrition, I Cast Myself At Thy Feet: Have Mercy On Me.

There Is No Doubt That God Will Never Be Wanting To Us, Provided That He Finds In Us That Humility Which Makes Us Worthy Of His Gifts, The Desire Of Possessing Them, And The Promptitude To Co-operate Industriously With The Graces He Gives Us.

All The Honey That Can Be Gathered From The Flowers Of This World Has Less Sweetness Than The Vinegar And Gall Of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

One Of The Most Admirable Effects Of Holy Communion Is To Preserve The Soul From Sin, And To Help Those Who Fall Through Weakness To Rise Again. It Is Much More Profitable, Then, To Approach This Divine Sacrament With Love, Respect, And Confidence, Than To Remain Away Through An Excess Of Fear And Scrupulosity.

Sin Is Unwillingness To Trust That What God Wants For Me Is Only My Deepest Happiness.

If God Causes You To Suffer Much It Is A Sign That He Has Great Designs For You And That He Certainly Intends To Make You A Saint. And If You Wish To Become A Great Saint, Entreat Him Yourself To Give You Much Opportunity For Suffering; For There Is No Wood Better To Kindle The Fire Of Holy Love Than The Wood Of The Cross, Which Christ Used For His Own Great Sacrifice Of Boundless Charity.

For Those Who Love, Nothing Is Too Difficult, Especially When It Is Done For The Love Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

But Some Most Worthless Persons Are In The Habit Of Carrying About The Name Of Jesus Christ In Wicked Guile, While Yet They Practice Things Unworthy Of God, And Hold Opinions Contrary To The Doctrine Of Christ, To Their Own Destruction, And That Of Those Who Give Credit To Them, Whom You Must Avoid As Ye Would Wild Beasts.

A Religious Ought To Dread More Being Afraid Of Poverty Than Experiencing It.

True, I Am In Love With Suffering, But I Do Not Know If I Deserve The Honor.

To Conquer Himself Is The Greatest Victory That Man Can Gain.

Greatest Victory

May The Perfect Grace And Eternal Love Of Christ Our Lord Be Our Never-failing Protection And Help.

Let Me Look At The Foulness And Ugliness Of My Body. Let Me See Myself As An Ulcerous Sore Running With Every Horrible And Disgusting Poison.

We Must Speak To God As A Friend Speaks To His Friend, Servant To His Master; Now Asking Some Favor, Now Acknowledging Our Faults, And Communicating To Him All That Concerns Us, Our Thoughts, Our Fears, Our Projects, Our Desires, And In All Things Seeking His Counsel.

It Is Not The Finest Wood That Feeds The Fire Of Divine Love, But The Wood Of The Cross.

If God Causes You To Suffer Much, It Is A Sign That He Certainly Intends To Make You A Saint.

Occupy Yourself In Beholding And Bewailing Your Own Imperfections Rather Than Contemplating The Imperfections Of Others.

Occupy Yourself

Love Ought To Show Itself In Deeds More Than In Words.

May It Please Christ Our Lord To Grant Us True Humility And Abnegation Of Will And Judgment, So That We May Deserve To Begin To Be His Disciples.

Do Not Put Faith In Constant Happiness, And Fear Most When All Smiles Upon You.

It Is Proper To Ask For Sorrow With Christ In Sorrow, Anguish With Christ In Anguish, Tears And Deep Grief Because Of The Great Affliction Christ Endures For Me.

They Who Load Us With Insults And Ignominies Give Us The Means Of Acquiring Treasures More Precious Than Any That Man Can Gain In This Life.

God Gives Each One Of Us Sufficient Grace Ever To Know His Holy Will, And To Do It Fully.

If God Gives You An Abundant Harvest Of Trials, It Is A Sign Of Great Holiness Which He Desires You To Attain. Do You Want To Become A Great Saint? Ask God To Send You Many Sufferings. The Flame Of Divine Love Never Rises Higher Than When Fed With The Wood Of The Cross, Which The Infinite Charity Of The Savior Used To Finish His Sacrifice. All The Pleasures Of The World Are Nothing Compared With The Sweetness Found In The Gall And Vinegar Offered To Jesus Christ. That Is, Hard And Painful Things Endured For Jesus Christ And With Jesus Christ.

The Servant Of God Earns Half A Doctorate Through Illness

No Idle Word Should Be Uttered. I Understand A Word To Be Idle When It Serves No Good Purpose, Either For Myself Or For Another, And Was Not Intended To Do So.

The Picture. A Great Plain, Comprising The Entire Jerusalem District, Where Is The Supreme Commander-in-chief Of The Forces Of Good, Christ Our Lord: Another Plain Near Babylon, Where Lucifer Is, At The Head Of The Enemy.

The Safest And Most Suitable Form Of Penance Seems To Be That Which Causes Pain In The Flesh But Does Not Penetrate To The Bones, That Is, Which Causes Suffering But Not Sickness.

O My God, Teach Me To Be Generous To Serve You As You Deserve To Be Served To Give Without Counting The Cost To Fight Without Fear Of Being Wounded To Work Without Seeking Rest And To Spend Myself Without Expecting Any Reward But The Knowledge That I Am Doing Your Holy Will. Amen

If Our Church Is Not Marked By Caring For The Poor, The Oppressed, The Hungry, We Are Guilty Of Heresy.

Remember That Bodily Exercise, When It Is Well Ordered, As I Have Said, Is Also Prayer By Means Of Which You Can Please God Our Lord.

He Who Goes About To Reform The World Must Begin With Himself, Or He Loses His Labor.

Pray As If God Will Take Care Of All; Act As If All Is Up To You.

If One Fears Men Much He Will Never Do Anything Great For God: All That One Does For God Arouses Persecution.

He Who Is Devout To The Virgin Mother Will Certainly Never Be Lost.

In The Case Of Those Who Are Making Progress From Good To Better, The Good Angel Touches The Soul Gently, Lightly, Sweetly, As A Drop Of Water Enters A Sponge, While The Evil Spirit Touches It Sharply, With Noise And Disturbance, Like A Drop Of Water Falling On A Rock.

What Seems To Me White, I Will Believe Black If The Hierarchical Church So Defines.

Finding God In All Things.

Teach Us To Give And Not To Count The Cost.

To Have Prevented One Single Sin Is Reward Enough For The Labors And Efforts Of A Whole Lifetime.

Let Us Work As If Success Depended Upon Ourselves Alone, But With Heartfelt Conviction That We Are Doing Nothing, And God Everything.

Calisto, A Companion Of Ignatius, And Who On Recovering From A Severe Illness Had Heard Of The Imprisonment Of Ignatius, Hastened From Segnovia, Where He Was Staying, And Came To Alcala, That He, Too, Might Be Cast Into Prison.

If Anyone Asks You For Something That You Believe Would Be Injurious To Him, Refuse, But In Such A Manner As Not To Lose His Good-will.

Few Souls Understand What God Would Effect In Them If They Should Give Themselves Entirely Into His Hands And Allow His Grace To Act.

Realize That Illness And Other Temporal Setbacks Often Come To Us From The Hand Of God Our Lord, And Are Sent To Help Us Know Ourselves Better, To Free Ourselves Of The Love Of Created Things, And To Reflect On The Brevity Of This Life And, Thus, To Prepare Ourselves For The Life Which Is Without End.

Discouragement Is Not From God.

The Enemy Is Like A Woman, Weak In Face Of Opposition, But Correspondingly Strong When Not Opposed. In A Quarrel With A Man, It Is Natural For A Woman To Lose Heart And Run Away When He Faces Up To Her; On The Other Hand, If The Man Begins To Be Afraid And To Give Ground, Her Rage, Vindictiveness And Fury Overflow And Know No Limit.

... We Ought Even To Hold As A Fixed Principle That What I See White I Believe To Be Black, If The Superior Authorities Define It To Be So.

Teach Us, Good Lord, To Give And Not Count The Cost; To Fight And Not To Heed The Wounds; To Toil And Not To Seek For Rest; To Labor And Not To Ask For Any Reward Save That Of Knowing That We Do Thy Will.

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