Saint Ambrose of Milan Quote

The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles among so many dangers in the world; it therefore remains unmoved. The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly beat upon the Church with crashing sounds, the Church possesses the safest harbor of salvation for all in distress.

-- Saint Ambrose of Milan

Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria Quote

That which God commands seems difficult and a burden. The way is rough; you draw back; you have no desire to follow it. Yet do so and you will attain glory.

-- Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Saint Thomas More Quote

So blind are we in this mortal life, and so unaware of what will happen, so uncertain of even how we will think tomorrow, that God could not take vengeance on a man more easily in this world than by granting his own foolish wishes.

-- Saint Thomas More

Pope Saint Gregory the Great Quote (On Saint Thomas the Apostle)

Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.” He was the only disciple absent; on his return he heard what had happened but refused to believe it. The Lord came a second time; he offered his side for the disbelieving disciple to touch, held out his hands, and showing the scars of his wounds, healed the wound of disbelief. Dearly beloved, what do you see in these events? Do you really believe that it was by chance that this chosen disciple was absent, then came and heard, heard and doubted, doubted and touched, touched and believed? It was not by chance but in God’s providence. In a marvelous way God’s mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection. Touching Christ, he cried out: “‘My Lord and my God.’ Jesus said to him: ‘Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed.’” Paul said: “Faith is the guarantee of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” It is clear, then, that faith is the proof of what cannot be seen. What is seen gives knowledge, not faith. When Thomas saw and touched, why was he told: “You have believed because you have seen me?” Because what he saw and what he believed were different things. God cannot be seen by mortal man. Thomas saw a human being, whom he acknowledged to be God, and said: “My Lord and my God.” Seeing, he believed ; looking at one who was true man, he cried out that this was God, the God he could not see. What follows is reason for great joy: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” There is here a particular reference to ourselves. We are included in these words, but only if we follow up our faith with good works. The true believer practices what he believes. But of those who pay only lip service to faith, Paul has this to say: “They profess to know God, but they deny him in their works.” Therefore James says: “Faith without works is dead.”

-- Pope Saint Gregory the Great from a homily

Pope Saint Gregory the Great Quote

If we knew at what time we were to depart from this world, we would be able to select a season for pleasure and another for repentance. But God, who has promised pardon to every repentant sinner, has not promised us tomorrow. Therefore we must always dread the final day, which we can never foresee. This very day is a day of truce, a day for conversion. And yet we refuse to cry over the evil we have done! Not only do we not weep for the sins we have committed, we even add to them.

-- Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Quote

Idleness begets a life of discontent. It develops self-love, which is the cause of all our miseries, and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love.

-- Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Saint Thomas of Villanova Quote

Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible.

-- Saint Thomas of Villanova

Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint Paul the Apostle Quotes

Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their accusations.

--Saint Peter from 1 Peter 3: 15 - 16

* * * * * * *

I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of the hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

--Saint Paul in his second letter to Saint Timothy

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons Quote

The Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustained by his own creation which he himself sustains in being. His obedience on the tree of the cross reversed the disobedience at the tree in Eden; the good news of the truth announced by an angel to Mary, a virgin subject to a husband, undid the evil lie that seduced Eve, a virgin espoused to a husband.

Eve in the GardenAs Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.

Christ gathered all things into one, by gathering them into himself. He declared war against our enemy, crushed him who at the beginning had taken us captive in Adam, and trampled on his head, in accordance with God’s words to the serpent in Genesis: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall lie in wait for your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.

The one lying in wait for the serpent’s head is the one who was born in the likeness of Adam from the woman, the Virgin. This is the seed spoken of by Paul in the letter to the Galatians: The law of works was in force until the seed should come to whom the- promise was made.

Mary Crushin the SerpentHe shows this even more clearly in the same letter when he says: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman. The enemy would not have been defeated fairly if his vanquisher had not been born of a woman, because it was through a woman that he had gained mastery over man in the beginning, and set himself up as man’s adversary.

That is why the Lord proclaims himself the Son of Man, the one who renews in himself that first man from whom the race born of woman was formed; as by a man’s defeat our race fell into the bondage of death, so by a man’s victory we were to rise again to life.

-- Saint Irenaeus of Lyons from Against Heresies

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque Quote

The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.

From this divine heart three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties. From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who have attained perfection; these he wishes to unit to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.

This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.

Are you making no progress in prayer? The you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the sacrament of the altar. Offer God his fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: "My God, I do this or I endure that in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions." Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.

But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him.

-- Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque from a letter

Saint Josemaria Escriva Quote

Our neighbours' problems must be our problems. Christian fraternity should be something very deep in the soul, so that we are indifferent to no one. Mary, who brought up Jesus and accompanied him through his life and is now beside him in heaven, will help us recognize Jesus as he crosses our path and makes himself present to us in the needs of our fellow men.

-- Saint Josemaria Escriva

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque Quote

But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him.

-- Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Saint John the Baptist Quote

No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.

-- Saint John the Baptist from the Gospel According To Saint John 3:27-30

Saint Teresa of Avila Quote

To pray for those who are in mortal sin is the best kind of almsgiving. For the love of God, always remember such souls when you pray.

-- Saint Teresa of Avila

Saint John of Damascus Quote

You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine. . . the Blood of Christ. I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them and accomplishes what surpasses every word and thought. . . . Let it be enough for you to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as it was of the Holy Virgin and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord, through and in Himself, took flesh.

-- Saint John of Damascus

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Quote

There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials.

-- Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Saint Thomas Aquinas Quote

The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord's Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion.

-- Saint Thomas Aquinas

Saint Augustine of Hippo Quote

What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with His beggar, you! You are filled and you are empty. Fill your empty neighbor from your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled from God's fullness.

-- Saint Augustine of Hippo

Saint Mark the Ascetic Quote

Even though knowledge is true, it is still not firmly established if unaccompanied by works. For everything is established by being put into practice.

-- Saint Mark the Ascetic

Blessed Pierre-Joseph Cassant

For such a long time we hoped against hope to be able to have the whole family together after my ordination so as to share the joy of being present and receiving Communion together at my first Mass. The good Lord heard our deepest wishes. It now remains to us to thank Him and to enter more and more deeply into the greatness of the priesthood. Let us never dare to equate the Sacrifice of the Mass with earthly things.

-- Blessed Pierre-Joseph Cassant from a letter to his family

Saint Ignatius Loyola Quote

He is generous even to exhaustion; and what is most wonderful is, that He gives Himself thus entirely, not once only, but every day, if we wish it. Every fresh Communion is a new gift which Jesus Christ makes of Himself.

-- Saint Ignatius Loyola

Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus Quote

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 the Hymnographer Quote

And wilt Thou pardon, Lord,

A sinner such as I,

Although Thy book his crimes record,

Of such a crimson dye?

So deep are they engraved,

So terrible their fear,

The righteous scarcely shall be saved,

And where shall I appear?

O Thou Physician blest,

Make clean my guilty soul

And me, by many a sin oppressed,

Restore and keep me whole.

I know not how to praise

Thy mercy and Thy love;

But deign my soul from earth to raise

And learn from Thee above.

-- Saint Joseph the Hymnographer

Saint Anthony of Padua Quote

Solicitude for material things rends the soul; thus distracted, it divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and thereby kills it.

-- Saint Anthony of Padua from a sermon

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus Quote

God accepts our desires as though they were of great value. He longs ardently for us to desire and love him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were doing him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests; nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God's greatness.

-- Saint Gregory of Nazianzus

Saint John Vianney Quote

When it's God speaking.....the proper way to behave is to imitate someone who has an irresistable curiosity and who listens at keyholes. You must listen to everything God says at the keyhole of your heart.

-- Saint John Vianney

Saint Vincent de Paul Quote

We must never glance at what is good in ourselves, much less ponder over it, but we should search out what is wrong and what is lacking. This is an excellent way of remaining humble.

-- Saint Vincent de Paul

Saint José de Anchieta Quote

You must come with a bag-full of virtues.

-- Saint José de Anchieta in letters to fellow missionaries

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons Quote

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 John Chrysostom Quote

Many may not find giving up food and drink and a soft bed too difficult. But bearing an insult, a wrong, or hurtful words.....this is something to be done not by many but by few. God wants us to know how to find Him in all those things he allows to happen, and that can go against our likes and dislikes and preferences and upset our plans.

-- Saint John Chrysostom

Saint Rafael Guízar y Valencia Quote

A Bishop can do without a mitre, a crosier, and even a cathedral, but never without a seminary, because the future of his diocese depends on the seminary.

-- Saint Rafael Guízar y Valencia

Saint Boniface Quote

Let us pray the gracious defender of our life, the only sure refuge of those in trouble, that His right hand may keep us safe amidst these dens of wolves, and that He may guard us from harm, so that the footsteps of apostates walking in darkness may not be found, where should be the beautiful feet of those who carry the peaceful light of the gospel, but that the most gracious Father and God may help us to gird up our loins, with bright candles in our hands, and that he may enlighten the hearts of the heathen to gaze at the glorious gospel of Christ. Amen.

-- Saint Boniface

Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad Quote

We must nourish a great love for God and our neighbors; a strong love, an ardent love, a love that burns away imperfections, a love that gently bears an act of impatience, or a bitter word, a love that lets an inadvertence or act of neglect pass without comment, a love that lends itself readily to an act of charity.

-- Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad

Saint Charles Lwanga Quote

It is as if you are pouring water on me. Please repent and become a Christian like me.

-- Saint Charles Lwanga to his executioner

Saint Alphonsus Liguori Quote

He who trusts in himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things.

-- Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Saint Justin Martyr Quote

As by the Word of God, Jesus our Savior was made Flesh and had both Flesh and Blood for our salvation, so also the food which has been blessed by the word of prayer instituted by Him is both the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Incarnate.

-- Saint Justin Martyr

Saint Peter Julian Eymard Quote

If our life were not under Mary's protection, we might tremble for our perseverance and salvation.

-- Saint Peter Julian Eymard

Saint Joseph Marello Quote

O Glorious Saint Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin, you were the first to hold in your arms the Redeemer. May you teach us; may you assist us, may you make us worthy members of the Holy Family.

-- Saint Joseph Marello

Pope Saint Pius X Quote

My hope is in Christ, who strengthens the weakest by His Divine help. I can do all in Him who strengthens me. His Power is infinite, and if I lean on him, it will be mine. His Wisdom is infinite, and if I look to Him for counsel, I shall not be deceived. His Goodness is infinite, and if my trust is stayed in Him, I shall not be abandoned.

-- Pope Saint Pius X

Saint Angela Merici Quote

We must give alms. Charity wins souls and draws them to virtue.

-- Saint Angela Merici

Saint Julius the Veteran Quote

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 at his trial

Saint Philip Neri Quote

A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one.

-- Saint Philip Neri