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.