CONTEMPLATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT LIFE AND LOVE FROM SAINTS AND SINNERS

Here are some inspirational thoughts about life  generated by great thinkers that help inspire me as I meditated on  Phil 2:5, during my Lectio Divina exercise.

They are in no order of importance and do not reflect any theme or agenda. Just enjoy them as I did. Not all great thoughts come from Scriptures, although Scripture contains all good thoughts. I wanted to put them down so you could read them as you stand vigil before the Blessed Sacrament. They are about what it means to love as Christ loved us.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS https://www.azquotes.com/author/490-Thomas_Aquinas

Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.

For those with faith, no evidence is necessary; for those without it, no evidence will suffice.

The things that we love tell us what we are.

We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject, for both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in finding it.

Nothing created has ever been able to fill the heart of man. God alone can fill it infinitely.

SAINT AUGUSTINE

A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.

Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.

If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds what you are not yet ready for. He wants you to have a lively desire for His greatest gifts. All of which is to say, pray always and do not lose heart.

The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.  Saint Augustine

ST. AMBROSE

No one heals himself by wounding another.

If someone offends you, don’t tell anyone about it except your elder, and you will be peaceful. Bow to everyone, paying no attention whether they respond to your bow or not. You must humble yourself before everyone and consider yourself the worst of all. If we have not committed the sins that others have, perhaps this is because we did not have the opportunity – the situation and circumstances were different. In each person there is something good and something bad; we usually see only the vices in people and we see nothing that is good.

“When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking about Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking about Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking about Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking about Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking about Christ.” ~ Ambrose

“The devil’s snare does not catch you, unless you are first caught by the devil’s bait.” ~ Ambrose

ST. JEROME

“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” ~ St. Jerome

“Make knowledge of the Scripture your love … Live with them, meditate on them, make them the sole object of your knowledge and inquiries.” ~ St. Jerome

“The Church was founded upon Peter: although elsewhere the same is attributed to all the Apostles, and they all receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the strength of the Church depends upon them all alike, yet one among the twelve is chosen so that when a head has been appointed, there may be no occasion for schism.” ~ St. Jerome

“It is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance.” ~ St. Jerome

“We must love Christ and always seek Christ’s embraces. Then everything difficult will seem easy.” ~ St. Jerome

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX

“Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father’s love – difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul’s miseries, her burdens, her needs – everything, because through them, she learns humility, realizes her weakness. Everything is a grace because everything is God’s gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events – to the heart that loves, all is well.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy. It depends upon the way we occupy that place.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“My vocation, at last I have found it; my vocation is love.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“Perfect love means putting up with other people’s shortcomings, feeling no surprise at their weaknesses, finding encouragement even in the slightest evidence of good qualities in them.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“Silence does good to the soul.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“Jesus does not demand great actions from us, but simply surrender and gratitude.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“You know well that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“When one loves, one does not calculate.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

SAINT JOSEPH

“Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession” ~ Saint Joseph

“We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more.” ~ Saint Joseph

SAINT PETER

“God loves us beyond comprehension, and we cannot diminish God’s love for us.” ~ Saint Peter

“What matters is not your outward appearance. . . but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle gracious kind that God delights in.” ~ Saint Peter

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” ~ Saint Peter

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” ~ Saint Peter

“It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” ~ Saint Peter

“For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil.” ~ Saint Peter

SAINT PAUL

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” ~ Paul the Apostle

“Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own [will], is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” ~ Paul the Apostle

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” ~ Paul the Apostle

“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” ~ Paul the Apostle

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grapsed, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearnace as a man, he humbled himself and becamse obedient to death-even death on a cross!” ~ Paul the Apostle

“Bad company ruins good morals.” ~ Paul the Apostle

SAINT LUKE

“Remember the past, plan for the future, but live for today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.” ~ Luke the Evangelist

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” ~ Luke the Evangelist

“To you who hear I say, love your enemies,do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,pray for those who mistreat you.To the person who strikes you on one cheek,offer the other one as well,and from the person who takes your cloak,do not withhold even your tunic.Give to everyone who asks of you,and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.Do to others as you would have them do to you.” ~ Luke the Evangelist

“Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you” ~ Luke the Evangelist

“The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” ~ Luke the Evangelist

“What is impossible with men is possible with God.” ~ Luke the Evangelist

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” ~ Luke the Evangelist

ST. JOHN CRYSTOSTOM

“If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.” ~ Saint John Chrysostom

“Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude.” ~ Saint John Chrysostom

“Not to share our own wealth with the poor is theft from the poor and deprivation of their means of life; we do not possess our own wealth, but theirs.” ~ Saint John Chrysostom

“When you are weary of praying, and do not receive, consider how often you have heard a poor man calling, and have not listened to him.” ~ Saint John Chrysostom

“The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.” ~ Saint John Chrysostom

SAINT BENEDICT

“Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pressing appeal to Christ our Lord to bring it to perfection.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“There is nothing better to display the truth in an excellent light, than a clear and simple statement of facts.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“He should first show them in deeds rather than words all that is good and holy.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“The first degree of humility is prompt obedience.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“Girded with faith and the performance of good works, let us follow in his [Jesus] paths by the guidance of the Gospel.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“To attribute to God, and not to self, whatever good one sees in oneself; but to recognize always that the evil is one’s own doing, and to impute it on one’s self.” ~ Benedict of Nursia

“He who has ears for hearing, let him listen” ~ Benedict of Nursia

ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

“There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“The three most important virtues are humility, humility, and humility.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“The measure of love is love without measure.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“What we love we shall grow to resemble.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“Spiritual life is like living water that springs up from the very depths of our own spiritual experience. In spiritual life everyone has to drink from his or her own well.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“there are four degrees of love: 1) Love of self for self’s sake. 2) Love of God for self’s sake. 3) Love of God for God’s own sake. 4) Love of self for God’s sake.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment. I love because I love; I love in order that I may love.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, thou Light of men, From the best bliss that earth imparts We turn unfilled to Thee again. We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still: We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead, And thirst our souls from Thee to fill. O Jesus, ever with us stay, Make all our moments calm and bright; Chase the dark night of sin away, Shed o’er the world Thy holy light.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“You wish to see; listen. Hearing is a step toward Vision.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“The rivers of Grace cannot flow uphill, up the steep cliff of the proud man’s heart.” ~Bernard of Clairvaux

“Action and contemplation are very close companions; they live together in one house on equal terms. Martha and Mary are sisters.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“Many appear full of mildness and sweetness as long as everything goes their own way; but the moment any contradiction or adversity arises, they are in a flame, and begin to rage like a burning mountain. Such people as these are like red-hot coals hidden under ashes. This is not the mildness which Our Lord undertook to teach us in order to make us like unto Himself.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

“Many appear full of mildness and sweetness as long as everything goes their own way; but the moment any contradiction or adversity arises, they are in a flame, and begin to rage like a burning mountain. Such people as these are like red-hot coals hidden under ashes. This is not the mildness which Our Lord undertook to teach us in order to make us like unto Himself.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

SAINT BARTHOLOMAEUS

“Love is an undulating energy that moves through you, within you, and radiates out of you, and changes everything.” ~ Bartholomaus

“No one who is being himself is going to be approved of all the time. The whole world could love you, but if you do not love yourself, you would not even notice. The opposite is also true – the whole world could disapprove of you, but if you love yourself, you would not even notice. Accept yourself within you and the entire world becomes totally acceptable.” ~ Bartholomaus

ST. JAMES

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.” ~ James, son of Zebedee

TERESA OF AVILA

“Let nothing Disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, Though all things pass, God does not change. Patience wins all things. But he lacks nothing who possesses God; For God alone suffices.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“Prayer is an act of love. Words are not needed.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“Before prayer, endeavour to realise Whose Presence you are approaching and to Whom you are about to speak, keeping in mind Whom you are addressing. If our lives were a thousand times as long as they are we should never fully understand how we ought to behave towards God, before Whom the very Angels tremble, Who can do all He wills, and with Whom to wish is to accomplish.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” ~ Teresa of Avila

“What peace can we hope to find elsewhere if we have none within us” ~ Teresa of Avila

ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

“Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel the most alive…that is where God is.” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

“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” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

“Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you.” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

“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.” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

“To conquer himself is the greatest victory that man can gain.” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

“It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey.” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

“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.” ~ Ignatius of Loyola

ST. POLYCARP

“Eighty and six years have I served Christ, nor has He ever done me any harm. How, then, could I blaspheme my King who saved Me?….I bless Thee for deigning me worthy of this day and this hour that I may be among Thy martyrs and drink the cup of my Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ Polycarp

“Hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian.” ~ Polycarp

“Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness and in all freedom from anger and forbearance and steadfastness and patient endurance and purity.” ~ Polycarp

“Let us, therefore, forsake the vanity of the crowd and their false teachings, and turn back to the word delivered to us from the beginning.” ~ Polycarp

SAINT MOTHER TERESA

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies: Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank people will try to cheat you: Be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight: Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous of you: Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten by tomorrow: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give your best anyway.” ~ Mother Teresa

“Your true character Is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do ‘Nothing’ for you” ~ Mother Teresa

“The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” ~ Mother Teresa

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” ~ Mother Teresa

“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” ~ Mother Teresa

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” ~ Mother Teresa

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ~ Mother Teresa

“A life not lived for others is not a life.” ~ Mother Teresa

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” ~ Mother Teresa

POPE BENEDICT XVI

“The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“God loves us; we need only to summon up the humility to allow ourselves to be loved.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“Truth is not determined by a majority vote.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“Do you want to know yourself better? Then discover silence.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“If we allow the love of Christ to change our heart, then we can change the world. This is the secret of authentic happiness.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“Christianity is not a new philosophy or new morality. We are Christians only if we encounter Christ… Only in this personal relationship with Christ, only in this encounter with the Risen One do we really become Christians… Therefore, let us pray to the Lord to enlighten us, so that, in our world, he will grant us the encounter with his presence, and thus give us a lively faith, an open heart, and great charity for all, capable of renewing the world.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“The happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“We must trust in the mighty power of God’s mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

“In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

POPE SAINT JOHN XXIII

“What unites us, is much greater than what divides us.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“Do not walk through time without leaving worthy evidence of your passage.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“Prayer is the raising of the mind to God. We must always remember this. The actual words matter less.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“To keep me from sin and straying from Him, God has used devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. My life vows destined to be spent in the light irradiating from the tabernacle, and it is to the Heart of Jesus that I dare go for the solution of all my problems” ~ Pope John XXIII

“See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“I live by the mercy of Jesus, to whom I owe everything and from whom I expect everything.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“The solidarity which binds all men together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights. The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent on one another and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“Every time I hear anyone speak of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or of the Blessed Sacrament I feel an indescribable joy. It is as if a wave of precious memories, sweet affections and joyful hopes swept over my poor person, making me tremble with happiness and filling my soul with tenderness.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“Before everything else, fidelity to the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Jesus did not found several churches, but one single Church.” ~ Pope John XXIII

“O Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I would like to be filled with love for You; keep me closely united with You, may my heart be near to Yours. I want to be to You like the apostle John. O Mary of the Rosary, keep me recollected when I say these prayers of yours; bind me forever, with your rosary, to Jesus of the Blessed Sacrament. Blessed be Jesus, my love.” ~ Pope John XXIII

SAINT PADRE PIO

“Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact on certain occasions you should only speak to Him with your heart.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“The devil is like a rabid dog tied to a chain; beyond the length of the chain he cannot seize anyone. And you: keep at a distance. If you approach too near, you let yourself be caught. Remember that the devil has only one door by which to enter the soul: the will.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“Do not let your heart become troubled by the sad spectacle of human injustice. Even this has its value in the face of all else. And it is from this that one day you will see the justice of God rising with unfailing triumph.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“Always humble yourself lovingly before God and man, because God speaks to those who are truly humble of heart, and enriches them with His gifts.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“You must not be discouraged or let yourself become dejected if your actions have not succeeded as perfectly as you intended. What do you expect? We are made of clay and not every soil yields the fruits expected by the one who tills it. But let us always humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are nothing if we lack the Divine assistance.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“Love is the first ingredient in the relief of suffering.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“Always remain close to the Catholic Church, because it alone can give you true peace, since it alone possesses Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the true Prince of Peace.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“He who does not meditate acts as one who never looks into the mirror and so does not bother to put himself in order, since he can be dirty without knowing it. The person who meditates and turns his thoughts to God who is the mirror of the soul, seeks to know his defects and tries to correct them, moderates himself in his impulses and puts his conscience in order.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance!” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

“Your temptations are from the devil and from Hell; but your sufferings and afflictions are from God and Heaven.” ~ Pio of Pietrelcina

SAINT BERNADETTE

“If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces… never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. That’s the beauty of being alive… We can always start all over again. Enjoy God’s amazing opportunities bestowed on us. Have faith in Him always.” ~ Bernadette Soubirous

“The Eucharist bathes the tormented soul in light and love. Then the soul appreciates these words, ‘Come all you who are sick, I will restore your health.'” ~ Bernadette Soubirous

“My hope is in you, Lord. Be my refuge, for You are my strength…. Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. You have redeemed me, Lord, God of Truth.” ~ Bernadette Soubirous

“The Blessed Virgin used me like a broom, and then put me back in my place.” ~ Bernadette Soubirous

“Watch over me, Father, so that everything I do may be with the intention of pleasing Jesus.” ~ Bernadette Soubirous

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA

“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.” ~ Anthony of Padua

“Learn to love humility, for it will cover all your sins. All sins are repulsive before God, but the most repulsive of all is pride of the heart. Do not consider yourself learned and wise; otherwise, all your efforts will be destroyed, and your boat will reach the harbor empty. If you have great authority, do not threaten anyone with death. Know that, according to nature, you too are susceptible to death, and that every soul sheds its body as its final garment.” ~ Anthony of Padua

“Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; without love, faith dies.” ~ Anthony of Padua

“He prays best who does not know that he is praying.” ~ Anthony of Padua

“The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.” ~ Anthony of Padua

“Regret not that which is past; and trust not to thine own righteousness.” ~ Anthony of Padua

Praise be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. The God who is, who was, and who is to come at the end of the ages. Amen and Amen. –Cistercian doxology