Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

 

 

O Holy Mary! My Mother; into thy blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of thy mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To thee I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by thy most holy intercession, and by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by thy will and that of thy Son.

-- Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Saint Polycarp of Smyrna

 

 

You never saw Him, and yet believe in Him with sublime and inexpressible joy - a joy which many desire to experience. You are assured that you have been saved by a gratuitous gift, not by our actions -no, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.

-- Saint Polycarp of Smyrna

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

Baptism gives us the grace of new birth in God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit. For those who bear God's Spirit are led to the Word, that is, to the Son, and the Son presents them to the Father, and the Father confers incorruptibility on them. And it is impossible to see God's Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the knowledge of God's Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit. 

-- Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

Saint Julius the Veteran

It was he who died for our sins to give us eternal life. This same man, Christ, is God and abides for ever and ever. Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life; whoever denies Him will have eternal punishment. 

-- Saint Julius the Veteran

Saint Philip Neri

Bear the cross and do not make the cross bear you.

-- Saint Philip Neri

Saint Bede the Venerable

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” With these words Mary first acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Above all other saints, she alone could truly rejoice in Jesus, her savior, for she knew that He who was the source of eternal salvation would be born in time in her body, in one person both her own son and her Lord.

-- Saint Bede the Venerable

Saint Louis de Montfort

 

 

He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully when he says even the very smallest prayer, will also be faithful in great things.

-- Saint Louis de Montfort

Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus

 

 

There is a perfect Trinity, in glory and eternity and sovereignty, neither divided nor estranged. Wherefore there is nothing either created or in servitude in the Trinity; nor anything superinduced, as if at some former period it was non-existent, and at some later period it was introduced. And thus neither was the Son ever wanting to the Father, nor the Spirit to the Son; but without variation and without change, the same Trinity abideth ever.

-- Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus

Saint Joseph Calasanz

As Scripture says, "Those who instruct many in justice will shine as stars for all eternity." They will attain this more easily if they make a covenant of perpetual obedience and strive to cling to Christ and please him alone, because, in his words, "What you did to one of the least of my brethren, you did to me."

-- Saint Joseph Calasanz

Saint Moses the Ethiopian

God will not hear our prayers unless we acknowledge ourselves to be sinners. We do this when we ponder on our own sins alone, and not on those of our neighbor.

-- Saint Moses the Ethiopian

Saint Bernadine of Siena

When a fire is lit to clear a field, it burns off all the dry and useless weeds and thorns. When the sun rises and darkness is dispelled, robbers, night-prowlers and burglars hide away. So when Paul's voice was raised to preach the Gospel to the nations, like a great clap of thunder in the sky, his preaching was a blazing fire carrying all before it. It was the sun rising in full glory. Infidelity was consumed by it, false beliefs fled away, and the truth appeared like a great candle lighting the whole world with its brilliant flame. 

-- Saint Bernadine of Siena 

Saint Vincent de Paul

 

 

We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.

-- Saint Vincent de Paul

Saint John Chrysostom

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests. 

-- Saint John Chrysostom

Saint Peter Chrysologus

There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other. Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God's ear to yourself.

-- Saint Peter Chrysologus

Saint 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.

-- Saint Madeline Sophie Barat

Saint Teresa of Avila

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.

--Saint Teresa of Avila

Saint Dominic Savio

Death, but not sin. 

-- Saint Dominic Savio

Saint Thomas of Villanova

 

 

Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little. Remember that he of whom you are speaking is your brother, and, as he is in the way of salvation, God can make him a Saint, in spite of his present weakness.

-- Saint Thomas of Villanova

Saint Catherine of Siena

Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes, you are a fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the mind with its light, and causes me to know your truth. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love. 

-- Saint Catherine of Siena

Saint Therese of Lisieux

You ask me a method of attaining perfection. I know of love - and only love. Love can do all things.

-- Saint Therese of Lisieux

Saint Francis de Sales

If we say less than we should, it is easy to add. But having said too much, it is hard to take it away.

-- Saint Francis de Sales

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Many people today are disoriented and lost in search of genuine fellowship. Often their lives are either too superficial or shattered by brokenness. Their work often is dehumanizing. They long for an experience of genuine encounter with others, for true fellowship. Well, is this not precisely the vocation of a parish? Are we not called to be a warm, brotherly family together? Are we not people united together in the household of God through our common life? Your parish is not mainly a structure, a geographical area or a building. The parish is first and foremost a community of the faithful. This is the task of a parish today: to be a community, to rediscover its identity as a community. You are not a Christian all by yourself. To be a Christian means to believe and to live one’s faith together with others. For we are all members of the body of Christ…. For fellowship to grow, the priest’s role is not enough, even though he plays an essential role. The commitment of all parishioners is needed. Each of their contributions is vital. 

-- Blessed Pope John Paul II from "Draw Near to God"