Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman

Right reason, that is, reason rightly exercised, leads the mind to the Catholic faith, and plants it there, and teaches it in all its religious speculations to act under its guidance.

-- Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman

Pope Saint Gregory the Great

When Mary Magdalen came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: “The disciples went back home,” and it adds: “but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.” We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: “Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.”

-- Pope Saint Gregory the Great from a homily

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus

Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with Him; let us go down with Him to be raised with Him; and let us rise with Him to be glorified with Him. 

-- Saint Gregory of Nazianzus

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. 

-- Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Saint Melito of Sardis (For Easter)

The Lord, though he was God, became man. He suffered for the sake of whose 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.

-- Saint Melito of Sardis from a letter

Saint Melito of Sardis

Born as a son, 
led forth as a lamb, 
sacrificed as a sheep, 
buried as a man, 
He rose from the dead as a God, 
for He was by nature God and Man. 
He is all things: He judges, and so He is Law; 
He teaches, and so He is Word; 
He saves, and so He is Grace; 
He begets, and so He is Father, 
He is begotten, and so He is Son; 
He suffers, and so He is Sacrifice; 
He is buried, and so He is Man; 
He rises again, and so He is God. 
This is Jesus Christ, to Whom belongs Glory for all ages.

-- Saint Melito of Sardis, Bishop, Martyr, and Early Church Father

Saint Francis de Sales

God desires that we should be saved. We too need constantly to desire what God desires. God not only means us to be saved, but actually gives us all we need to achieve salvation. So we are not to stop at merely desiring salvation, but go a step further and accept all the graces God has prepared for us, the graces constantly offered to us. It is all very well to say, "I want to be saved." It is not much use merely saying, "I want to take the necessary steps." We must actually take the steps. We need to make a definite resolution to take and use the graces God holds out to us. Our wills must be in tune with God's. Because God wants us to be saved, we should want to be saved. We should also welcome the means to salvation that God intends us to take....that is why general acts of devotion and prayer should always be followed by particular resolutions. 

-- Saint Francis de Sales