Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

For a long time my place at meditation was near a Sister who fidgeted continually, either with her Rosary, or something else; possibly, as I am very quick of hearing, I alone heard her, but I cannot tell you how much it tried me. I should have liked to turn round, and by looking at the offender, make her stop the noise; but in my heart I knew that I ought to bear it tranquilly, both for the love of God and to avoid giving pain. So I kept quiet, but the effort cost me so much that sometimes I was bathed in perspiration, and my meditation consisted merely in suffering with patience. After a time I tried to endure it in peace and joy, at least deep down in my soul, and I strove to take actual pleasure in the disagreeable little noise. Instead of trying not to hear it, which was impossible, I set myself to listen, as though it had been some delightful music, and my meditation—which was not the "prayer of quiet"—was passed in offering this music to Our Lord.

– Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's patronage: Missionaries; France; Russia; HIV/AIDS sufferers; radio care-a-thons; florists and gardeners; loss of parents; tuberculosis; the Russicum; Alaska

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Andrew of Crete

Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today He returns from Bethany and proceeds of His own free will toward His holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from Heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with Himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of His own free will to make His journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise His voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and He will make His entry in simplicity.

– Saint Andrew of Crete

Click here for the Mass Readings on Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

When you approach the tabernacle remember that He has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.

– Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer

Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer's patronage: Opus Dei.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Isidore of Seville

Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy.

– Saint Isidore of Seville

Saint Isidore of Seville's patronage: The Internet; computer users; computer technicians; programmers; students

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint John of the Cross

At the end of your life, you will be judged by your love.

– Saint John of the Cross

Saint John of the Cross’ patronage: Contemplative life; contemplatives; mystical theology; mystics; Spanish poets.

Click for the Daily Mass Readings for Thursday, March 22, 2018

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Robert Bellarmine

There is no one who is without faults, and who is not in some way a burden to others, whether he is a superior or a subject, an old man or a young one, a scholar or a dunce.

– Saint Robert Bellarmine

Saint Robert Bellarmine's patronage: Canon lawyers; canonists; catechists; catechumens; archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Francis de Sales

When God the Creator made all things, He commanded the plants to bring forth fruit each according to its own kind; He has likewise commanded Christians, who are the living plants of His Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion, each one in accord with his character, his station and his calling.

– Saint Francis de Sales from his work "The Introduction to the Devout Life"

Saint Francis de Sales’ patronage: Authors; Diocese of Baker, Oregon; Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio; Catholic press; Diocese of Columbus, Ohio; confessors; deaf people; deafness; Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware; educators; journalists; teachers; writers.

Saint Quote of the Day: Pope Saint John Paul II

What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith. Joseph of Nazareth is a "just man" because he totally "lives by faith." He is holy because his faith is truly heroic. Sacred Scripture says little of him. It does not record even one word spoken by Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth. And yet, even without words, he shows the depth of his faith, his greatness. Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth contained in the word of the Living God. We see how the word of the Living God penetrates deeply into the soul of that man, that just man. And we, do we know how to listen to the word of God? Do we know how to absorb it into the depths of our human personalities? Do we open our conscience in the presence of this word?

– Pope Saint John Paul II from Daily Meditations

Pope Saint John Paul II's patronage: Archdiocese of Kraków; World Youth Day (Co-Patron); World Meeting of Families 2015 (Co-Patron); Young Catholics; Families; Świdnica

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Children of justice, follow John’s exhortation: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Remove all obstacles and stumbling blocks so that you will be able to go straight along the road to eternal life. Through a sincere faith prepare yourselves so that you may be free to receive the Holy Spirit. My brothers, this is truly a great occasion. Approach it with caution. You are standing in front of God and in the presence of the hosts of angels. The Holy Spirit is about to impress his seal on each of your souls. You are about to be pressed into the service of a great king. And so prepare yourselves to receive the sacrament. The gleaming white garments you are about to put on are not the preparation I am speaking of, but rather the devotion of a clean conscience.

– Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Patrick of Ireland

I came to the Irish people to preach the Gospel and endure the taunts of unbelievers, putting up with reproaches about my earthly pilgrimage, suffering many persecutions, even bondage, and losing my birthright of freedom for the benefit of others. If I am worthy, I am ready also to give up my life, without hesitation and most willingly, for Christ’s name. I want to spend myself for that country, even in death, if the Lord should grant me this favor. It is among that people that I want to wait for the promise made by him, who assuredly never tells a lie. He makes this promise in the Gospel: “They shall come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” This is our faith: believers are to come from the whole world.

– Saint Patrick of Ireland from "The Confessions of Saint Patrick"

Saint Patrick of Ireland's patronage: Ireland; against snakes; against ophidiophobia; archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts; diocese of Burlington, Vermont; engineers; excluded people; fear of snakes; diocese of Fort Worth, Texas; diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; archdiocese of New York; Nigeria; diocese of Norwich, Connecticut; ophidiophobics; diocese of Portland, Maine; diocese of Sacramento, California; snake bites.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint John Vianney

God commands you to pray, but forbids you to worry.

– Saint John Vianney

Saint John Vianney's patronage: Parish priests; Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney; Archdiocese of Dubuque; confessors; Archdiocese of Kansas City

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Louise de Marillac

I felt a great attraction for the holy humanity of Our Lord and I desired to honor and imitate it insofar as I was able in the person of the poor and of all my neighbors.

– Saint Louise de Marillac

Saint Louise de Marillac's patronage: Disappointing children; widows; loss of parents; sick people; social workers; Vincentian Service Corps; people rejected by religious orders.

Saint Quote of the Day: Pope Saint Gregory the Great

If we are, in fact, now occupied in good deeds, we should not attribute the strength with which we are doing them to ourselves. We must not count on ourselves, because even if we know what kind of person we are today, we do not know what we will be tomorrow. Nobody must rejoice in the security of their own good deeds. As long as we are still experiencing the uncertainties of this life, we do not know what end may follow…we must not trust in our own virtues.

– Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Pope Saint Gregory the Great's patronage: Choir boys; educators; gout; masons; music; musicians; choirs; singers; stonecutters; teachers; popes; students; scholars; against plague; against gout; against fever; England; West Indies.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint John Chrysostom

Reflect then how great an evil it is for us, who ought to live so purely as not even to need written words, but to yield up our hearts, as books, to the Spirit; now that we have lost that honor, and are come to have need of these, to fail again in duly employing even this second remedy. For if it be a blame to stand in need of written words, and not to have brought down on ourselves the grace of the Spirit; consider how heavy the charge of not choosing to profit even after this assistance, but rather treating what is written with neglect, as if it were cast forth without purpose, and at random, and so bringing down upon ourselves our punishment with increase.

– Saint John Chrysostom from a homily on the Gospel of Matthew

Saint John Chrysostom's patronage: Constantinople; epilepsy; Istanbul, Turkey; lecturers; orators; preachers; speakers.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Luigi Orione

Without Prayer nothing good is done. God's works are done with our hands joined, and on our knees. Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before Him.

– Saint Luigi Orione

Saint Luigi Orione's patronage: Sons of Divine Providence.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Columbanus

If you are thirsty, drink from the fountain of life; if you are hungry, eat the bread of life. Blessed are they who hunger for that bread and thirst for that fountain; they eat and drink forever and still they desire to eat and drink. For it is lovely above all things, that which is always eaten and drunk, always hungered and thirsted for. Thus David, king and prophet, was moved to say: taste and see that the Lord is good.

– Saint Columbanus

Saint Columbanus’ patronage: Motorcyclists; against floods.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

– Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina's patronage: Pietrelcina, Italy; civil defense volunteers; adolescents; stress relief; January blues; Italy; Malta.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Catherine of Bologna

Sometimes the devil inspires souls with an inordinate zeal for a certain virtue or some special pious exercise, so that they will be motivated by their passion to practice it more and more. This temptation is more to pride rather than virtue....Sometimes, on the other hand, the devil coaches souls to do less than they can really do. This temptation is more to false humility...In both cases, the devil's goal is to make the soul discouraged when the virtue is found to be unattainable; and to be wearied and disgusted if his efforts are below his abilities. The soul ends up neglecting everything. It is necessary to overcome the one snare as the other.

– Saint Catherine of Bologna

Saint Catherine of Bologna's patronage: Bologna; Against temptations; Artists; Liberal arts.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint John of God

If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy, we can never fail to do good so long as we have the strength. For if we share with the poor, out of love for God, whatever He has given to us, we shall receive according to His promise a hundredfold in eternal happiness. What a fine profit, what a blessed reward! With outstretched arms He begs us to turn toward Him, to weep for our sins, and to become the servants of love, first for ourselves, then for our neighbors. Just as water extinguishes a fire, so love wipes away sin.

– Saint John of God from a letter

Saint John of God's patronage: Booksellers; heart patients; hospitals; nurses; the sick; the dying and firefighters.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Teresa Margaret (Redi) of the Sacred Heart

I have been thinking about the text that was preached on Sunday, the unforgiving servant. We come to the great King of Heaven with empty hands, in debt to Him for everything: life itself, and grace, and all the gifts He lavishes on us. Yet all we can say is, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all I owe,’ while all the time we could never pay anything towards the remission of our own debts, if God did not put into our hands the means to do so. And then, how often do we go away and refuse pardon for some slight fault in our neighbors, withholding our love, remaining aloof, or even nursing a grievance against them, and building up grudges that cool charity.

– Saint Teresa Margaret (Redi) of the Sacred Heart

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Colette of Corbie

My eyes, I have filled with Jesus upon Whom I have fixed them at the Elevation of the Host at Holy Mass and I do not wish to replace Him with any other image.

– Saint Colette of Corbie

Saint Colette of Corbie's patronage: Against eye disorders; against fever; against headaches; against infertility; against the death of parents; craftsmen; expectant mothers; Poor Clares; servants; sick children; women seeking to conceive; Corbie, France; Ghent, Belgium.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint John Joseph of the Cross

How do you think that with a bone only three fingers high we should understand the meanings of the designs of God?

– Saint John Joseph of the Cross

Saint John Joseph of the Cross' patronage: Ischia, Italy

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Augustine of Hippo

We should be displeased with ourselves when we commit sin, for sin is displeasing to God. Sinful though we are, let us at least be like God in this, that we are displeased at what displeases Him. In some measure then you will be in harmony with God’s will, because you find displeasing in yourself what is abhorrent to your Creator.

– Saint Augustine of Hippo

Saint Augustine of Hippo's patronage: Brewers; diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan; printers; city of Saint Augustine, Florida; diocese of Saint Augustine, Florida; sore eyes; diocese of Superior, Wisconsin; theologians; diocese of Tucson, Arizona.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint Katharine Drexel

The Eucharist is a never-ending sacrifice. It is the Sacrament of love, the supreme love, the act of love.

– Saint Katharine Drexel

Saint Katharine Drexel's patronage: Philanthropy; racial justice.

Trivia note: Saint Katharine Drexel was the second canonized saint to have been born in the United States and the first to have been born a U.S. citizen.

Saint Quote of the Day: Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig

Whatever we do, whatever we want, is surely simply the grace that carries us and guides us. God’s almighty grace helps us overcome obstacles.

– Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig from a letter to his sister

Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig's patronage: Prisoners.

Saint Quote of the Day: Saint David of Wales

Lords, brothers and sisters, Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed, and do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. And as for me, I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.

– Saint David of Wales

Saint David of Wales’ patronage: Wales; doves; Pembrokeshire; Naas; vegetarians; poets.