Prayer on the Feast of the Holy Family

Father in heaven, creator of all, 
You ordered the earth to bring forth life
and crowned its goodness by creating the family of man.
In history's moment when all was ready,
You sent Your Son to dwell in time, 
obedient to the laws of life in our world.
Teach us the sanctity of human love,
show us the value of family life,
and help us to live in peace with all men
that we may share in Your life for ever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

10 Christmas Commandments

The following item appeared in a church newsletter and contains some good advice that will help us keep selfishness in check this Christmas:

1. You shall not leave ‘Christ’ out of Christmas, making it ‘Xmas.’ To some, ‘X’ is unknown.
2. You shall prepare your soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts that your soul is forgotten.
3. You shall not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of its spiritual reality.
4. You shall not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with complaints and demands.
5. You shall give yourself with your gift. This will increase its value a hundred fold, and the one who receives it shall treasure it forever.
6. You shall not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold.
7. You shall not neglect the needy. Share your blessings with many who will go hungry and cold if you are generous.
8. You shall not neglect your church. Its services highlight the true meaning of the season.
9. You shall be as a little child. Not until you become in spirit as a little one are you ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
10. You shall give your heart to Christ. Let Him be at the top of your Christmas list.

Anyone keeping these commandments is sure to have a blessed Christmas.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Jesus is the mediator of justice; Mary obtains for us grace; for, as St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Germanus, St. Antoninus, and others say, it is the will of God to dispense through the hands of Mary whatever graces he is pleased to bestow upon us. With God, the prayers of the saints are the prayers of His friends, but the prayers of Mary are the prayers of His mother.

St. Therese of Lisieux

In this brilliant night which illuminates the joy of the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the gentle little child of the hour, will change the darkness of my soul into torrents of light.

A Prayer to St. Joseph

Grant us, dear Joseph, to run life's pathway in innocent fashion:
May we ever be safe under thy blest patronage.

St. Ephraim's Christmas Prayer

The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike enjoy your day.
Your day is celebrated
from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.
But your festival
will be remembered until the end of time.
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.
At Your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,
Since you came from heaven to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;
Spiritual light for the blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren, 
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb

Fr. John Hardon

Raphael tells us that God sends His angels to help us in our needs. This is the teaching of the Church and the deeper and more grave our needs, the more sure we can be that God is providing us with angelic assistance. In other words, the more serious the need the more sure we can be that an angel is there to help us. This is not angelic poetry, this is our faith.

St. Therese of Lisieux

When I feel nothing, when I am incapable of praying or practicing virtue, then is the moment to look for small occasions, nothings that give Jesus pleasure...a smile or a friendly word, when I would much prefer to say nothing at all.

St. Athanasius

God's love of man is such that to those for whom first He is the Creator, He afterwards, according to grace, becomes a Father also.

St. John of the Cross

Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded by them, and even to be understood by them.

We must then dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit. Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all sides.

Prayer to Christ the King

Jesus, King and center of all hearts, by the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, who with the Father and the Son in the beginning hovered over the deep and formless void to give it shape, and breathed the breath of life into humanity and every living creature, come now from Heaven, come now from your throne of glory.

Be with me and help me; work with me and teach me what is pleasing to You. You, who know all things, guide me to be prudent in all my undertakings, and protect me by your glory. Only then will everything I do, be acceptable in your sight. Amen.

St. Augustine

O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.

St. Ambrose

There is no time of life past learning something.

St. Anselm

Teach me to seek You, and reveal Yourself to me when I seek You, for I cannot seek You unless You teach me, nor find You unless You reveal Yourself. Let me seek You in longing, let me long for You in seeking; let me find You by loving You and love You in the act of finding You.

St. Bernardine of Sienna

Prayer is the best preparation for Holy Communion. Prayer is the raising of the mind to God. When we pray we go to meet Christ Who is coming to us. If our Creator and Savior comes from heaven with such great love, it is only fitting that we should go to meet Him. And this is what we do when we spend some time in prayer.

John Paul II

United with the angels and saints of the heavenly Church, let us adore the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Prostrate, we adore this great mystery that contains God’s new and definitive covenant with humankind in Christ.

St. Charles Borromeo

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.

St. Therese of Lisieux

How few there are who accept failure and weakness, who are content to see themselves on the ground and to be found there by others.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Almighty God,
Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you 
for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world 
by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, 
give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts 
we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up ourselves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.

From The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley.

A Prayer for Patience

Teach me, my Lord, to be sweet and gentle in all the events of my life, in disappointments, in the thoughtlessness of others, in the insincerity of those I trusted, in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied. Let me forget myself so that I may enjoy the happiness of others. Let me always hide my little pains and heartaches so that I may be the only one to suffer from them. Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path. Let me so use it that it may mellow me, not harden or embitter me; that it may make me patient, not irritable; that it may make me broad in my forgiveness, not narrow or proud or overbearing. May no one be less good for having come within my influence; no one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble, for having been a fellow traveler with me on our journey towards eternal life. As I meet with one cross after another, let me whisper a word of love to You. May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of power for good, and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

Origen

The coming of the kingdom of God, says our Lord and Saviour, does not admit of observation, and there will be no-one to say “Look here! Look there!” For the kingdom of God is within us and in our hearts. And so it is beyond doubt that whoever prays for the coming of the kingdom of God within himself is praying rightly, praying for the kingdom to dawn in him, bear fruit and reach perfection. For God reigns in every saint, and every saint obeys God’s spiritual laws — God, who dwells in him just as he dwells in any well-ordered city. The Father is present in him and in his soul Christ reigns alongside the Father, as it is said: We will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

St. Thomas Aquinas

It is fitting that the end of all our desires, namely eternal life coincides with the words at the end of the creed, “Life everlasting. Amen.”  The first point about eternal life is that man is united with God. For God himself is the reward and end of all our labours: I am your protector and your supreme reward. This union consists in seeing perfectly: At present we see through a glass, darkly; but then we shall see face to face.  Next it consists in perfect praise, according to the words of the prophet: Joy and happiness will be found in it, thanksgiving and words of praise.  It also consists in the complete satisfaction of desire, for there the blessed will be given more than they wanted or hoped for. ... Again, eternal life consists of the joyous community of all the blessed, a community of supreme delight, since everyone will share all that is good with all the blessed. Everyone will love everyone else as himself, and therefore will rejoice in another’s good as in his own. So it follows that the happiness and joy of each grows in proportion to the joy of all.

St. Therese of Lisieux

I understand now that charity consists in bearing with the faults of others, in not being surprised at their weakness, in being edified by the smallest acts of virtue we see them practice.

St. Gertrude

I understand that, each time we contemplate with desire and devotion the Host in which is hidden Christ's Eucharistic Body, we increase our merits in heaven and secure special joys to be ours later in the beatific vision of God...

St. Padre Pio

Renew your faith by attending Holy Mass. Keep your mind focused on the mystery that is unfolding before your eyes. In your mind's eye transport yourself to Calvary and meditate on the Victim who offers Himself to Divine Justice, paying the price of your redemption.

Flynn Rider from "Tangled"

This is the story of how I died. Don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and the truth is, it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl named Rapunzel.

[I just watched this film for first time today...loved it!]

Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, deliver the holy souls in Purgatory. Amen.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the queen of the universe, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse this day. I venerate thee, great queen, and I thank thee for the many graces thou has bestowed upon me even unto this day; in particular for having delivered me from the hell which I have so often deserved by my sins. I love thee, most dear Lady; and for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee willingly forever and to do what I can to make thee loved by others also. I place in thee all my hopes for salvation; accept me as thy servant and shelter me under thy mantle, thou who art the Mother of mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death. From thee I implore a true love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a holy death. My dear Mother, by the love thou bearest to Almighty God, I pray thee to assist me always, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Forsake me not then, until thou shalt see me safe in heaven, there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies through all eternity. Such is my hope. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi

Everyday, Jesus humbles himself just as He did when He came from His heavenly throne into the Virgin’s womb; everyday He comes to us and lets us see Him in abjection, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.

Prayer to Appreciate Mass

O Lord Jesus, in order that the merits of Your sacrifice on the cross might be applied to every soul of all time, You willed that it should be renewed upon the altar. At the Last Supper, You said: "Do this in remembrance of Me." By these words, You gave Your apostles and their successors the power to consecrate and the command to do what You Yourself did.

I believe that the Mass is both a sacrifice and a memorial--reenacting Your passion, death, and resurrection. Help me to realize that the Mass is the greatest gift of God to us and our greatest gift to God. Amen.

Benedict XVI

Receiving the Eucharist means adoring Him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with Him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself.

St. Charles Borromeo

If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.

St. Madeline Sophie Barat

As iron is fashioned by fire and on the anvil, so in the fire of suffering and under the weight of trials, our souls receive that form which our Lord desires them to have.

St. Bernard

Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints.

St. Faustina

O my Jesus, I have only one task to carry out in my lifetime, in death, and throughout eternity, and that is to adore Your incomprehensible mercy. No mind, either of angel or of man, will ever fathom the mysteries of Your mercy, O God. The angels are lost in amazement before the mystery of divine mercy, but cannot comprehend it. Everything that has come from the Creator's hand is contained in this inconceivable mystery; that is to say, in the very depths of His tender mercy. When I meditate on this, my spirit swoons, and my heart dissolves with joy. O Jesus, it is through Your most compassionate Heart, as through a crystal, that the rays of divine mercy have come to us.

Jesus

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

St. Cyril of Alexandria

It was not otherwise possible for man, being of a nature which perishes, to escape death, unless he recovered that ancient grace, and partook once more of God who holds all things together in being and preserves them in life through the Son in the Spirit. Therefore His only-begotten Word has become a partaker of flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14), that is, He has become man, though being Life by nature, and begotten of the Life that is by nature, that is, of God the Father, so that, having united Himself with the flesh which perishes according to the law of its own nature...He might restore it to His own life and render it through Himself a partaker of God the Father....And He wears our nature, refashioning it to His own life. And He Himself is also in us, for we have all become partakers of Him, and have Him in ourselves through the Spirit. For this reason we have become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4), and are reckoned as sons, and so too have in ourselves the Father Himself through the Son.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Joy isn't found in the material objects surrounding us, but in the inner recesses of the soul. One can possess joy in a prison cell as well as in a palace.

A Prayer from the Divine Office

God our Father,
You conquer the darkness of ignorance
by the light of Your Word.
Strengthen within our hearts
the faith You have given us;
let not temptation ever quench the fire
that Your love has kindled within us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

St. Francis de Sales

Perfection of life is the perfection of love. For love is the life of the soul.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Jesus does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.

Our Lady of Medjugorje

Dear children! Today I call you to have your life be connected with God the Creator, because only in this way will your life have meaning and you will comprehend that God is love. God sends me to you out of love, that I may help you to comprehend that without Him there is no future or joy and, above all, there is no eternal salvation. Little children, I call you to leave sin and to accept prayer at all times, that you may in prayer come to know the meaning of your life. God gives Himself to him who seeks Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.

Our Lady of Medjugorje

Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you anew to prayer and renunciation. May your day be interwoven with little ardent prayers for all those who have not come to know God's love. Thank you for having responded to my call.

St. Teresa of Avila

Truth suffers, but never dies.

Hesychius

Let mind and heart be in your song: this is to glorify God with your whole self.

St. Columbanus

Beloved Saviour, show yourself to us who beg a glimpse of you. Let us know you, let us love you, let us love only you, let us desire you alone, let us spend our days and nights meditating on you alone, let us always be thinking of you. Fill us with love of you, let us love you with all the love that is your right as our God. Let that love fill us and possess us, let it overwhelm our senses until we can love nothing but you, for you are eternal. Give us that love that all the waters of the sea, the earth, the sky cannot extinguish: as it is written, love that no flood can quench, no torrents drown. What is said in the Song of Songs can become true in us (at least in part) if you, our Lord Jesus Christ, give us that grace. To you be glory for ever and for ever. Amen.

St. Bonaventure

Since the whole divine nature was in the womb of the Virgin, I do not fear to teach that she has a certain jurisdiction over all the streams of grace; as her womb was, as it were, an ocean of the divine nature, whence all the streams of grace must emanate.

St. Augustine

Patience is the companion of wisdom.

John Paul II

May Mary, Seat of Wisdom, be a sure haven for all who devote their lives to the search for wisdom. May their journey into wisdom, sure and fi nal goal of all true knowing, be freed of every hindrance by the intercession of the one who, in giving birth to the Truth and treasuring it in her heart, has shared it forever with the world.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Here a question arises, whether it is necessary to have recourse also to the intercession of the saints to obtain the grace of God.

That it is a lawful and useful thing to invoke the saints, as intercessors, to obtain for us, by the merits of Jesus Christ, that which we, by our demerits, are not worthy to receive, is a doctrine of the Church, declared by the Council of Trent: 'It is good and useful to invoke them by supplication, and to fly to their aid and assistance to obtain benefits from God through his Son Jesus Christ.'

Such invocation was condemned by the impious Calvin, but most illogically. For if it is lawful and profitable to invoke living saints to aid us, and to beseech them to assist us in prayers, as the prophet Baruch did: And pray ye for us to the Lord our God (Bar. 1,13) and St. Paul: Brethren, pray for us (1 Thes. 5,25); and as God himself commanded the friends of Job to recommend themselves to his prayers, that by the merits of Job he might look favorably on them: Go to my servant Job,...and my servant Job shall pray for you; his face I will accept (Job 42,8); if, then, it is lawful to recommend ourselves to the living, how can it be unlawful to invoke the saints who in heaven enjoy God face to face? This is not derogatory to the honor due to God, but it is doubling it; for it is honoring the king not only in his person but in his servants. Therefore, says St. Thomas, it is good to have recourse to many saints, 'because by the prayers of many we can sometimes obtain that which we cannot by the prayers of one.' And if anyone objects, But why have recourse to the saints to pray for us, when they are already praying for all who are worthy of it? The same Doctor answers, that no one can be said to be worthy that the saints should pray for him; but that 'he becomes worthy by having recourse to the saints with devotion.'

St. Augustine

God therefore does not command impossibilities; but in His command He counsels you both to do what you can for yourself, and to ask His aid in what you cannot do.

St. Catherine of Siena

You must never turn back for anything at all. You must not break away from holy prayer for any reason except obedience or charity. For often during the time scheduled for prayer the devil comes with all sorts of struggles and annoyances - even more than when you are not at prayer. He does this to make you weary of holy prayer. Often he will say, 'This sort of prayer is worthless to you. You should not think about or pay attention to anything except vocal prayer.' He makes it seem this way so that you will become weary and confused, and abandon the exercise of prayer. But prayer is a weapon with which you can defend yourself against every enemy. If you hold it with love's hand and the arm of free choice, this weapon, with the light of most holy faith, will be your defense.

Today's Morning Prayer from the Divine Office

Lord God,
king of heaven and earth,
direct our minds and bodies throughout this day,
and make us holy.
Keep us faithful to Your law in thought, word and deed.
Be our helper now and always,
free us from sin,
and bring us to salvation in that kingdom
where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

St. Therese of Lisieux

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

St. Jerome

I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

Morning Offering to the Sacred Heart

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates, and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father for this month.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created.

And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, Who taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that, by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St. Gregory the Great

[God is] within all things, outside of all things, above them all, below them all. He is above by power, below by sustenance, exterior by magnitude, interior by penetration. On high ruling, below containing, externally surrounding, internally penetrating. He is not above by one part of his substance, below by another, or outside by one part and inside by another. But wholly one and the same, everywhere sustaining by presiding and presiding by sustaining just as he penetrates by surrounding and surrounds by penetrating....Within he penetrates without being diminished, without he surrounds without being extended. He is therefore, both above and below without being confined in a place. He is rich without breadth. He is fine without loss.

St. Padre Pio

Do not anticipate the problems of this life with apprehension, but, rather, with a perfect hope that God, to Whom you belong, will free you from them accordingly. He has defended you up to now. Simply hold on tightly to the hand of His divine providence, and He will help you in all events, and when you are unable to walk, He will lead you; don't worry....Don't think about tomorrow's events because the same heavenly Father Who takes care of you today will do the same tomorrow and forever.

St. Vincent Ferrer

Study fatigues and wearies the mind and heart. Go from time to time to refresh them at the feet of Jesus Christ under the cross; some moments of repose in His sacred wounds give fresh vigor and new lights.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Silence does good to the soul.

St. Mary Magdalen de'Pazzi

Trials are nothing else but the forge that purifies the soul of all its imperfections.

John Paul II

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.

Prayer for Our Lady of Sorrows

God our Father,
when Jesus, your Son, was raised up on the cross,
it was your will that Mary, his mother, should stand there
and suffer with him in her heart.
Grant that, in union with her,
the Church may share in the passion of Christ,
and so be brought to the glory of his resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

Amen.

St. Andrew of Crete

We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us.

Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled.

Therefore, the cross is something wonderfully great and honourable. It is great because through the cross the many noble acts of Christ found their consummation – very many indeed, for both his miracles and his sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The cross is honourable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of his victory. It stands for his suffering because on it he freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the cross became the one common salvation of the whole world.

Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

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 some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

St. Therese

Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be.

St. John Baptist de Salle

We should have frequent recourse to prayer, and persevere a long time in it. God wishes to be solicited. He is not weary of hearing us. The treasure of His graces is infinite. We can do nothing more pleasing to him than to beg incessantly that He bestow them upon us.

St. Leo the Great

The blessedness of seeing God is justly promised to the pure of heart. For the eye that is unclean would not be able to see the brightness of the true light, and what would be happiness to clear minds would be a torment to those that are defiled. Therefore, let the mists of worldly vanities be dispelled, and the inner eye be cleansed of all the filth of wickedness, so that the soul’s gaze may feast serenely upon the great vision of God.

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.

Prayer for a Deceased Person

Almighty Father, eternal God, hear our prayers for Your son/daughter [Name] whom You have called from this life to Yourself. Grant him/her light, happiness, and peace. Let him/her pass in safety through the gates of death, and live forever with all Your saints in the light You promised to Abraham and to all his descendants in faith. Guard him/her from all harm and on that great day of resurrection and reward raise him/her up with all Your saints. Pardon his/her sins and give him/her eternal life in Your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Faustina

Once I desired very much to receive Holy Communion, but I had a certain doubt, and I did not go. I suffered greatly because of this. It seemed to me that my heart would burst from the pain. When I set about my work, my heart full of bitterness, Jesus suddenly stood by me and said, My daughter, do not omit Holy Communion unless you know well that your fall was serious; apart from this, no doubt must stop you from uniting yourself with Me in the mystery of My love. Your minor faults will disappear in My love like a piece of straw thrown into a great furnace. Know that you grieve Me much when you fail to receive Me in Holy Communion.

St. Augustine

The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass.

St. Paul of the Cross

By habitually thinking of the presence of God, we succeed in praying twenty-four hours a day.

St. Irenaeus

The glory of God is man fully alive.

St. John Chrysostom

It was clear through unlearned men that the cross was persuasive, in fact, it persuaded the whole world. Their discourse was not of unimportant matters but of God and true religion, of the Gospel way of life and future judgement, yet it turned plain, uneducated men into philosophers. How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and his weakness stronger than men!

In what way is it stronger? It made its way throughout the world and overcame all men; countless men sought to eradicate the very name of the Crucified, but that name flourished and grew ever mightier. Its enemies lost out and perished; the living who waged a war on a dead man proved helpless. Therefore, when a Greek tells me I am dead, he shows only that he is foolish indeed, for I, whom he thinks a fool, turn out to be wiser than those reputed wise. So too, in calling me weak, he but shows that he is weaker still. For the good deeds which tax-collectors and fishermen were able to accomplish by God’s grace, the philosophers, the rulers, the countless multitudes cannot even imagine.

St. Rose of Lima

Our Lord and Savior lifted up His voice and said with incomparable majesty: "Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven."

St. Toribio

Christ said, "I am the Truth"; he did not say "I am the custom."

St. Bernard

Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in its practice. I love because I love, I love that I may love. Love is a great thing so long as it continually returns to its fountainhead, flows back to its source, always drawing from there the water which constantly replenishes it. Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return; the sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him.

Prayer from the Divine Office

Lord God,
you have prepared for those who love you
what no eye has seen, no ear has heard.
Fill our hearts with your love,
so that, loving you above all and in all,
we may attain your promises
which the heart of man has not conceived.
[We make our prayer] through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

St. Faustina

After Holy Communion, I heard these words: - You see what you are of yourself, but do not be frightened at this. If I were to reveal to you the whole misery that you are, you would die of terror. However, be aware of what you are. Because you are such great misery, I have revealed to you the whole ocean of My mercy. I seek and desire souls like yours, but they are few. Your great trust in Me forces Me to continuously grant you graces. You have great and incomprehensible rights over My Heart, for you are a daughter of complete trust. You would not have been able to bear the magnitude of love which I have for you if I had revealed it to you fully here on earth. I often give you a glimpse of it, but know that this is only an exceptional grace from Me. My love and mercy knows no bounds.

Fatima Offering

O JESUS, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings, all that this day may bring, be they good or bad: for the love of God, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the sins committed against the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

St. Catherine of Sienna

Everything comes from love,
all is ordained for the salvation of man,
God does nothing without this goal in mind.

St. Louis de Montfort

Pray with great confidence, with confidence based upon the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray.

St. John Climacus

A servant of the Lord stands bodily before men, but mentally he is knocking at the gates of heaven with prayer.

Blessed Mother Teresa

I always say I am a little pencil in God's hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more. Be a little instrument in His hands so that He can use you any time, anywhere. We have only to say "yes" to God.

O Jesus Living in Mary

O Jesus living in Mary
Come and live in Thy servants,
In the spirit of Thy holiness,
In the fullness of Thy might,
In the truth of Thy virtues,
In the perfection of Thy ways,
In the communion of Thy mysteries,
Subdue every hostile power
In Thy spirit, for the glory of the Father.  Amen

St. Teresa of Avila

To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that.

St. Teresa of Avila

From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!

St. Dominic Savio

I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God.

A Prayer

Deliver me, Lord Jesus Christ, from all my iniquities and from every evil; make me ever hold fast to Thy commandments and never allow me to be separated from Thee.

St. Therese of Lisieux

I picture my soul as a patch of bare ground and I beg the Blessed Virgin to clear it from all rubbish (my imperfections) and then build there a vast pavilion fit for heaven and adorn it with her own jewels.

Benedict XVI

If you follow the will of God, you know that in spite of all the terrible things that happen to you, you will never lose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One who loves you.

St. Patrick

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ our God, who is our Redeemer and our supreme good. It is part of the love of God to acquire and to nurture all the virtues which make a man perfect.

Has not God in fact won for himself a claim on all our love? From all eternity he has loved us. And it is in this vein that he speaks to us: “O man, consider carefully that I first loved you. You had not yet appeared in the light of day, nor did the world yet exist, but already I loved you. From all eternity I have loved you.”

St. John of the Cross

Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent.

Prayer by St. Augustine

Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,
and give Your Angels and Saints charge over those who sleep.
Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest Your weary ones.
Bless Your dying ones.
Soothe Your suffering ones.
Pity Your afflicted ones.
Shield Your joyous ones.
And all for Your love's sake. Amen.

St. Augustine

Our Lord’s words teach us that though we labour among the many distractions of this world, we should have but one goal. For we are but travellers on a journey without as yet a fixed abode; we are on our way, not yet in our native land; we are in a state of longing, not yet of enjoyment. But let us continue on our way, and continue without sloth or respite, so that we may ultimately arrive at our destination.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

The Catholic, or universal, Church gets her name from the fact that she is scattered through the whole world from the one end of the earth to the other, and also because she teaches universally and without omission all the doctrines which are to be made known to mankind, whether concerned with visible or invisible things, with heavenly or earthly things. Then again because she teaches one way of worship to all men, nobles or commoners, learned or simple; finally because she universally cures and heals every sort of sin which is committed by soul and body. Moreover there is in her every kind of virtue in words and deeds and spiritual gifts of every sort.

A Prayer from the Litany of the Holy Ghost

Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit enlighten, inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew and make us fruitful in good works; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the Spirit, liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer for Souls in Purgatory

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Many, my beloved, are the true witnesses of Christ. The Father bears witness from heaven to His Son. The Holy Spirit bears witness, coming down bodily in the form of a dove. The Archangel Gabriel bears witness, bringing good tidings to Mary. The Virgin Mother of God bears witness....The holy wood of the cross bears witness, seen among us to the present day, and now almost filling the whole world by means of those who in faith take away from here portions of it.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

He will have a special love and care for you, if you keep yourself interiorly humble, and strive to be gentle and steadfast in suffering abjection in humiliations, which are often the harder to bear the more trifling they are.

Dei Verbum

In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (see Eph. 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature (see Eph. 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4). Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (see Ex. 33:11; John 15:14-15) and lives among them (see Bar. 3:38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself.

St. Basil

What is the mark of love for your neighbor? Not to seek what is for your own benefit, but what is for the benefit of the one loved, both in body and in soul.

St. Jerome

True friendship ought never to conceal what it thinks.

John Paul II

True holiness does not mean a flight from the world; rather, it lies in the effort to incarnate the Gospel in everyday life, in the family, at school and at work, and in social and political involvement.

St. Faustina

When the clock struck twelve, my soul immersed itself more deeply in recollection, and I heard a voice in my soul: Do not fear, My little child, you are not alone. Fight bravely, because My arm is supporting you; fight for the salvation of souls, exhorting them to trust in My mercy, as that is your task in this life and in the life to come. After these words, I received a deeper understanding of divine mercy. Only the soul who wants it will be damned, for God condemns no one.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

Ah! ye holy angels, and all ye blessed spirits, help me to thank my God; and, in thanksgiving for His great benefits, offer to Him not only this Mass, but also all the Masses that are now celebrated throughout the whole world, that His loving goodness may be fully recompensed for all the graces which He has bestowed, and is to bestow upon me now and for eternity. Amen.

Mother Teresa

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.

Benedict XVI

But the believer is convinced that there cannot be any contradiction between reason and faith if both are exercised properly. Without reason, faith would not be truly human; without faith, reason has neither a path nor a guiding light.

Prayer of the Immaculate Conception

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy dwelling place for thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foreseen death of this, thy Son, thou didst preserve her from all stain, so too thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who lives and reigns with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Oh, how well I know that happiness is not found in the things around us. It is found in the secrecy of the soul.

Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.

May I receive the bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, and its reality and power.

Kind God, may I receive the Body of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical Body and numbered among his members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive your beloved Son, under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see Him Face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with You for ever. Amen.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

God is everywhere, in the very air I breathe, yes everywhere, but in His Sacrament of the Altar He is as present actually and really as my soul within my body; in His Sacrifice daily offered as really as once offered on the Cross.

A Prayer to St. Rita

O powerful St. Rita, rightly called Saint of the Impossible, I come to you with confidence in my great need. You know well my trials, for you yourself were many times burdened in this life. Come to my help, speak for me, pray with me, intercede on my behalf before the Father. I know that God has a most generous heart and that he is a most loving Father. Join your prayers to mine and obtain for me the grace I desire (here mention your request). You who were so very pleasing to God on earth and are so much so now in heaven, I promise to use this favor, when granted, to better my life, to proclaim God's mercy, and to make you more widely known and loved. Amen.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

The Lord is loving toward men, swift to pardon but slow to punish. Let no man, then, despair of his own salvation. Peter, the first and foremost of the Apostles, denied the Lord three times before a little servant girl; but he repented and wept bitterly. Weeping is demonstrative of repentance from the depth of the heart, which is why he not only received the forgiveness of his denial, but also kept his apostolic dignity without forfeit.

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Spiritual life demands that you never turn back or stop going forward; but rather that, as soon as you taste it, you make progress day by day and, forgetting what lies behind, strain forward to what lies ahead.

A Short Prayer

My God and my All.

St. John Vianney

When we are before the Blessed Sacrament, instead of looking about us, let us shut our eyes and open our hearts; and the good God will open his. We will go to him, and he will come to us, the one to give, and the other to receive. It will be like a breath passing from one to the other. What delight we find in forgetting ourselves that we may seek God!

A Prayer for Peace

Graciously give peace, O Lord, in our days, that, being assisted by help of Thy mercy, we may ever be free from sin and safe from all disturbance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Augustine

Quite rightly, too, did the Lord after his resurrection entrust his sheep to Peter to be fed. It is not, you see, that he alone among the disciples was fit to feed the Lord’s sheep; but when Christ speaks to one man, unity is being commended to us. And he first speaks to Peter, because Peter is the first among the apostles. Do not be sad, Apostle. Answer once, answer again, answer a third time. Let confession conquer three times with love, because self-assurance was conquered three times by fear. What you had bound three times must be loosed three times. Loose through love what you had bound through fear. And for all that, the Lord once, and again, and a third time, entrusted his sheep to Peter.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.

St. Padre Pio

The Devil is like a mad dog tied by a chain. Beyond the length of the chain he cannot catch hold of anyone. And you, therefore, keep your distance. If you get too close you will be caught. Remember, the Devil has only one door with which to enter into our soul: our will. There are no secret or hidden doors. No sin is a true sin if we have not willfully consented.

St. Thomas Aquinas

The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.

From Today's Office of Readings

We ceaselessly pray to God for you...for you to have the fullest knowledge of God's will.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

The more lofty the degree of loving union to which God destines the soul, so much more profound and persistent must be its purification.

Emile Mersch

Christ has a twofold life on earth: one visible and historical, the other invisible and mystical; the first is the preparation for the second, and the second is the prolongation of the first. In the second, which is His mysterious existence in the depths of souls, Christ is far more active, far more truly alive than ever He was in the days when He walked and preached in Judea.

St. Bernard

I believe though I do not comprehend, and I hold by faith what I cannot grasp with the mind.

St. Ambrose

The Lord was baptized, not to be cleansed Himself but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism.

John Henry Newman

A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.

St. Padre Pio

Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry.

Karl Rahner

The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all.

A Prayer

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we may so please Thy Holy Spirit by our earnest entreaties, that we may by His grace both be freed from all temptations and merit to receive the forgiveness of our sins. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Cyprian

How great is the Lord’s indulgence! How kindly he bends down to us, how he overflows with goodness towards us! For he wishes us to pray in the sight of God in such a way as to call God Father and to call ourselves sons of God, just as Christ is the Son of God. No-one would have dared to claim such a name in prayer, unless he himself had given us permission to pray this. And so, beloved brethren, we should know and remember that when we call God our Father, we must behave as children of God, so that whatever pleasure we take in having God for our Father, he may take the same pleasure in us.

St. Anthony of Padua

The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These different languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal in ourselves these virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. Gregory says: “A law is laid upon the preacher to practise what he preaches.” It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.

St. Benedict

Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.

A Prayer

O Jesus, grant that I may be Thine, wholly Thine, forever Thine.

Mother Teresa

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

Hans Urs von Balthasar

To be a child means to owe one's existence to another, and even in our adult life we never quite reach the point where we no longer have to give thanks for being the person we are.

St. Basil

Simple in himself, the Spirit is manifold in his mighty works. The whole of his being is present to each individual; the whole of his being is present everywhere. Though shared in by many, he remains unchanged; his self giving is no loss to himself. Like the sunshine, which permeates all the atmosphere, spreading over land and sea, and yet is enjoyed by each person as though it were for him alone, so the Spirit pours forth his grace in full measure, sufficient for all, and yet is present as though exclusively to everyone who can receive him. To all creatures that share in him he gives a delight limited only by their own nature, not by his ability to give.

The Spirit raises our hearts to heaven, guides the steps of the weak, and brings to perfection those who are making progress. He enlightens those who have been cleansed from every stain of sin and makes them spiritual by communion with himself.

As clear, transparent substances become very bright when sunlight falls on them and shine with a new radiance, so also souls in whom the Spirit shines become spiritual themselves and a source of grace for others.

From the Spirit comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the mysteries of faith, insight into the hidden meaning of Scripture, and other special gifts. Through the Spirit we become citizens of heaven, we enter into eternal happiness, and abide in God. Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God; indeed, we attain what is beyond our most sublime aspirations – we become God.

St. Athanasius

The generation of the Son from the Father is otherwise than that which accords with the nature of men; and He is not only like, but is in fact inseparable from the substance of the Father. He and the Father are indeed one, as He did say Himself; and the Word is ever in the Father and the Father in the Word, as is the way of radiance in relation to light.

St. Augustine

Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to him? While in heaven he is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.

St. Irenaeus

Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.

A Prayer

Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this dwelling, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy; let Thy holy Angels dwell herein, to preserve us in peace; and let Thy blessing be always upon us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Augustine

Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.

St. Ephraim

Awake, my harp, your songs
in praise of the Virgin Mary!
Lift up your voice and sing
the wonderful history
Of the Virgin, the daughter of David,
who gave birth to the Life of the World.

Didymus of Alexandria

The Holy Spirit renews us in baptism through his godhead, which he shares with the Father and the Son. Finding us in a state of deformity, the Spirit restores our original beauty and fills us with his grace, leaving no room for anything unworthy of our love. The Spirit frees us from sin and death, and changes us from the earthly men we were, men of dust and ashes, into spiritual men, sharers in the divine glory, sons and heirs of God the Father who bear a likeness to the Son and are his co-heirs and brothers, destined to reign with him and to share his glory. In place of earth the Spirit reopens heaven to us and gladly admits us into paradise, giving us even now greater honour than the angels, and by the holy waters of baptism extinguishing the unquenchable fires of hell.

St. Basil

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.

Come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

Dear Holy Spirit,
You are my friend.
I give You myself.
I ask You to dwell deeply inside of me
and make me holy.
I want to know the fire of God's love.
I want to love God with all my heart.
Amen.

St. Augustine

Let joy in the Lord win and go on winning, until people take no more joy in the world. Let joy in the Lord always go on growing, and joy in the world always go on shrinking until it is reduced to nothing. I do not mean that we should not rejoice as long as we are in this world, but that even while we do find ourselves in this world, we should already be rejoicing in the Lord.

Heart of Jesus

Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, set our hearts on fire with love of Thee.

St. Cyril of Alexandria

From Christ and in Christ, we have been reborn through the Spirit in order to bear the fruit of life; not the fruit of our old, sinful life but the fruit of a new life founded upon our faith in him and our love for him. Like branches growing from a vine, we now draw our life from Christ, and we cling to his holy commandment in order to preserve this life. Eager to safeguard the blessing of our noble birth, we are careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, and who makes us aware of God’s presence in us.

St. Ambrose of Milan

When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ.

Benedict XVI

From Introduction to Christianity:

God is such that He identifies Himself with man right down into this abyss and that He judges him by saving him. In the abyss of human failure is revealed the still more inexhaustible abyss of divine love. The Cross is thus the center of revelation, a revelation that does not reveal any previously unknown principles but reveals us to ourselves by revealing us before God and God in our midst.

Avery Cardinal Dulles

From The Craft of Theology:

For the better health of theology I believe that its ecclesial character needs to be more clearly recognized. Theology must serve the Church and be accountable to it. While theology needs to have a measure of autonomy in order to perform its distinctive service, it loses its identity if it ceases to be a reflection of the faith of the Church.

Offering of Daily Actions

Eternal Father, by virtue of Your generosity and love, I ask that You accept all my actions, and that You multiply their value in favor of every Soul in Purgatory. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

St. Therese of Lisieux

I realize that we aren't all made alike. For me, God's infinite mercy is the quality that stands out in my life, and when I contemplate and adore God's other perfections, it's against this background of mercy all the time.

St. Cyprian of Carthage

Because Christ bore us all, in that He bore our sins, we see that by the water, people are signified, while in the wine, indeed, the Blood of Christ is shown. And when the water is mixed with the wine in the cup, the people are made one with Christ, and the multitude of believers is coupled and joined to Him in whom it believes.

St. Francis Xavier

My God, I love Thee! not because
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor because those who love Thee not
Must burn eternally.

Thus, O my Jesus, Thou didst me
Upon the cross embrace!
For me didst bear the nail and spear
And manifold disgrace.

And griefs and torments numberless
And sweat of agony,
Yea, death itself - and all for one
That was Thy enemy.

Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ,
Should I not love Thee well!
Not for the hope of winning heaven
Nor of escaping hell!

Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself has loved me
O everlasting Lord!

E'en so I love Thee and will love
And in Thy praise will sing -
Solely because Thou art my God
And my eternal King!

St. Clement of Rome

Let us fix our gaze on the blood of Christ and know how precious it is to His Father because it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to the whole world. Let us look back over all the generations, and let us learn that in generation after generation the Master has given a place of repentance to all those who have the will to turn to Him.

A Prayer

O Jesus, grant that I may be Thine, wholly Thine, forever Thine.

St. Padre Pio

We should turn our thoughts to heaven, our true homeland, of which our earthly country is but a dim image, and make every effort, with the divine assistance, to preserve at all times, amidst happy or sad events, the cheerful calm that becomes the true followers of the fair Nazarene.

Morning Offering

Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I firmly believe that You are here present; I adore You with the most profound humility; I praise You and give You thanks with all my heart for the favors You have bestowed on me. Your Goodness has brought me safely to the beginning of this day. Behold, O Lord, I offer You my whole being and in particular all my thoughts, words and actions, together with such crosses and contradictions as I may meet with in the course of this day. Give them, O Lord, Your blessing; may Your divine Love animate them and may they tend to the greater honor and glory of Your Sovereign Majesty. Amen.

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Saturday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

7. The Piercing of the Heart inspires me to final perseverance in my life of union with God. His Love for me persevered until His Heart was emptied unto the last Drop. "Take courage," He says, "I have overcome the world." I reply, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?"

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Friday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

6. The Crucifixion urges: never give up the ideal of a life united with God. Jesus now clings to His Eternal Ideal. When I am tempted to give up my old ideals of prayer, sacrifice and purity, I must plead with Him to raise these dead ideals to life.

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Thursday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

5. The Carrying of the Cross emphasizes patience in carrying my cross though life, as the second means of keeping my life in union with God. His Cross crushed Him to the ground. Old Wounds were widened. New Wounds were opened in His hands and Knees. To carry my cross patiently in union with His is my best penance for past sin and the best protection against future sin.

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Wednesday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

4. The Crowning with Thorns counsels mental prayer as the first means of preserving my life of union with God. Spiky thorns almost scalped His Head. As they crowned Him fool and bent the knee before Him in mock prayer and worship, what mental suffering our Lord endured.

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Tuesday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

3. The Scourging warns me against being separated from union with God, forever in Hell. As my Savior He suffers scourges instead of me who deserves them to save me from the scourges of sin, both in this world and in Hell.

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Monday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

2. The Agony in the Garden shows sin as the destroyer of our life of union with God. Jesus sweated Blood because He foresaw me rejecting Him for sin. My many sins crushed His Bleeding Heart.

The Seven Bloodsheddings - Sunday

By the merits of Thy Precious Blood, shed seven times, keep me ever united to Thee; save me at death from the agonizing memory of a wasted life.

1. The Circumcision calls me to a life of union with God. "Abide in Me and I in you!" Jesus receives His Name in a Baptism of Blood. He shares in our human life that I may share in His Divine Life.

A Prayer

Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee!

St. Patrick

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

A Prayer

My dearest Jesus, teach me to be patient, when all the day long my heart is troubled by little, but vexatious crosses. 

St. Louis de Montfort

Mary is the sanctuary and the repose of the Holy Trinity, where God dwells more magnificently and more divinely than any other place in the universe, not excepting His dwelling between the Cherubim and Seraphim.

St. Faustina

Only love has meaning; it raises up our smallest actions into infinity.

Melito of Sardis

The Lord, though he was God, became man. He suffered for the sake of those who suffer, he was bound for those in bonds, condemned for the guilty, buried for those who lie in the grave; but he rose from the dead, and cried aloud: Who will contend with me? Let him confront me. I have freed the condemned, brought the dead back to life, raised men from their graves. Who has anything to say against me? I, he said, am the Christ; I have destroyed death, triumphed over the enemy, trampled hell underfoot, bound the strong one, and taken men up to the heights of heaven: I am the Christ.

Come, then, all you nations of men, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you. I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover that brings salvation. I am the lamb who was immolated for you. I am your ransom, your life, your resurrection, your light, I am your salvation and your king. I will bring you to the heights of heaven. With my own right hand I will raise you up, and I will show you the eternal Father.

Easter Joy

The Lord is Risen!  Alleluia!  Let us rejoice!  Alleluia!

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

O Sacred Head Surrounded

O sacred head, surrounded
by crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding head, so wounded,
reviled and put to scorn!
Our sins have marred the glory
of thy most holy face,
yet angel hosts adore thee
and tremble as they gaze.

John 13:15

After He washed the disciples feet, Jesus said,

"I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

Blessed Columba Marmion

Around the Mass, the centre of all our religion, the Church organizes the worship she alone has the right to offer in the name of Christ her Spouse....Throughout the year she distributes the celebration of the mysteries of her Spouse, so that each year her children may live these mysteries over again, render thanks for them to Jesus Christ and His Father, and draw from them the Divine life that these mysteries, first lived by Jesus, have merited for us.

Psalm 37:23-24

It is the Lord who strengthens the steps of man

  and chooses his path.

Even if he trips he will not fall flat,

  for the Lord is holding his hand.

St. Catherine of Sienna

If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!

Matthew 27:50

But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up His spirit.

St. Gregory Nazianzen

If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy.

If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself.