Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
It will be as well, I think, to explain these locutions of God, and to describe what the soul feels when it receives them.
We are always in the presence of God, yet it seems to me that those who pray are in His presence in a very different sense.
Learn to self-conquest, persevere thus for a time, and you will perceive very clearly the advantage which you gain from it.
All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding His life we find that He is the best example.
In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.
God deliver me from people who are so spiritual that they want to turn everything into perfect contemplation, come what may.
With all this wide and beautiful creation before me, the restless soul longs to enjoy its liberty and rest beyond its bound.
Seldom or never is a poor man honored by the world; however worthy of honor he may be, he is apt rather to be despised by it.
Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All things pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for.
Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love.
To argue over who is the more noble is nothing more than to dispute whether dirt is better for making bricks or for making mortar.
If God should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.
Consider seriously how quickly people change, and how little trust is to be had in them; and hold fast to God, Who does not change.
Suffering is a great favor. Remember that everything soon comes to an end . . . and take courage. Think of how our gain is eternal.
Humility, however deep it be, neither disquiets nor troubles nor disturbs the soul; it is accompanied by peace, joy and tranquillity.
What friends or kindred can be so close and intimate as the powers of our soul, which, whether we will or no, must ever bear us company?
What value is there in faith without works? And what are they worth if they are not united to the merits of Jesus Christ, our only good?
I often thought my constitution would never endure the work I had to do, (but) the Lord said to me: 'Daughter, obedience gives strength.'
The saints rejoiced at injuries and persecutions, because in forgiving them they had something to present to God when they prayed to Him.
How friendly all men would be one with another, if no regard were paid to honour and money! I believe it would be a remedy for everything.
His Majesty [the Lord] . . . rewards great services with trials, and there can be no better reward, for out of trials springs love for God.
Hope, O my soul, hope. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience turns a very short time into a long one.
True perfection consists in the love of God and our neighbour, and the better we keep both these commandments, the more perfect we shall be.
When the soul, through its own fault... becomes rooted in a pool of pitch-black, evil smelling water, it produces nothing but misery and filth.
Always think of yourself as everyone's servant; look for Christ Our Lord in everyone and you will then have respect and reverence for them all.
I fully realize that this gratitude of mine is not in the least a sign of perfection: it must be my nature - I could be suborned with a sardine.
Union is as if in a room there were two large windows through which the light streamed in; it enters in different places but it all becomes one.
True love grows by sacrifice and the more thoroughly the soul rejects natural satisfaction the stronger and more detached its tenderness becomes.
There is no affliction, trial, or labor difficult to endure, when we consider the torments and sufferings which Our Lord Jesus Christ endured for us.
We may speak of love and humility as the true flowers of spiritual growth; and they give off a wonderful scent, which benefits all those who come near.
Oh, my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value.
Desire to see God, be fearful of losing Him, and find joy in everything that can lead to Him. If you act in this way, you will always live in great peace.
It is impossible for human tongue to exaggerate the riches which a vision from God brings to the soul: it even bestows health and refreshment on the body.
Christ does not force our will, He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him.
Let nothing disturb thee, let nothing affright thee. All things are passing. Patience obtains all things. He who has God has everything - God alone suffices.
In order that love be fully satisfied, It is necessary that It lower Itself and that It lower Itself to nothingness and transform this nothingness into fire.
So dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to Himself, and that in a thousand ways.
This body of ours has one fault: the more you indulge it, the more things it discovers to be essential to it. It is extraordinary how it likes being indulged.
How is it that there are not many who are led by sermons to forsake open sin? Do you know what I think? That is because preachers have too much worldly wisdom.
I don't know what heavy penance could have come to mind that frequently I would not have gladly undertaken rather than recollect myself in the practice of prayer.
Let there be no disappointment when obedience keeps you busy in outward tasks. If it sends you to the kitchen, remember that the Lord walks among the pots and pans.
Don't imagine that, if you had a great deal of time, you would spend more of it in prayer. Get rid of that idea; it is no hindrance to prayer to spend your time well.
Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it seems that no other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, because the name of Jesus was fixed and embedded in his heart.
Whoever has not begun the practice of prayer, I beg for the love of the Lord not to go without so great a good. There is nothing here to fear but only something to desire.
Let us consider what the glorious Virgin endured, and what the holy apostles suffered, and we shall find that they who were nearest to Jesus Christ were the most afflicted.
I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions.
Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Our Father said, now and then, from our heart, than by the whole prayer repeated many times in haste and without attention.
Everything seems to me to pass so quickly that we must concentrate on how to die rather than on how to live. How sweet it is to die if one has lived on the Cross with Christ.
It is a most certain truth, that the richer we see ourselves to be, confessing at the same time our poverty, the greater will be our progress, and the more real our humility.
Each of us has a soul, but we forget to value it. We don't remember that we are creatures made in the image of God. We don't understand the great secrets hidden inside of us.