Saint Polycarp of Smyrna

 

 

Lord, almighty God, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom have come to the knowledge of yourself, God of angels, of powers, of all creation, of all the race of saints who live in your sight, I bless you for judging me worthy of this day, this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ, your anointed one, and so rise again to eternal life in soul and body through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I praise you for all things, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal priest of heaven, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him by glory to you, together with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

-- Saint Polycarp of Smyrna his prayer at his own martyrdom

Read about Saint Polycarp by clicking here.

Saint John Chrysostom

Grace can do nothing without the will and the will can do nothing without grace.

-- Saint John Chrysostom

Saint Louis de Montfort

The Our Father contains all the duties we owe to God, the acts of all the virtues and the petitions for all our spiritual and corporal needs.

-- Saint Louis de Montfort

Saint Augustine of Hippo

I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church's fruitfulness. All of you who stand fast in the Lord are a holy seed, a new colony of bees, the very flower of our ministry and fruit of our toil, my joy and my crown. It is the words of the Apostle that I address to you: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh and its desires, so that you may be clothed with the life of him whom you have put on in this sacrament. You have all been clothed with Christ by your baptism in him. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor freeman; there is neither male nor female; you are all one  in Christ Jesus.

 -- Saint Augustine of Hippo

Saint John Climacus

A man who has embraced poverty offers up prayer that is pure, while a man who loves possessions prays to material images.

 --Saint John Climacus

Saint Francis of Assisi

Nor did demons crucify him; it is you who have crucified him and crucify him still, when you delight in your vices and sins.

 -- Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Isaac Jogues

My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings.

 -- Saint Isaac Jogues

Saint John Vianney

My Jesus, how good it is to love you! Let me be like your disciples on Mount Tabor, seeing nothing else but you, my Savior. Let us be as two friends, neither of whom can bear to offend the other. Amen.

-- Saint John Vianney

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity. 

--Saint Therese of Lisieux

Saint Alphonsus Liguori

He who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin merely through fear of chastisement. 

-- Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Saint Marie Victoire Therese Couderc

Let me live by love, let me die of love, and let my last heartbeat be an act of the most perfect love.  

-- Saint Marie Victoire Therese Couderc

Saint Miguel Febres Cordero Munoz

The heart is rich when it is content, and it is always content when its desires are fixed on God. 

-- Saint Miguel Febres Cordero Munoz

Saint Jerome Emiliani

If then you remain constant in faith in the face of trial, the Lord will give you peace and rest for a time in this world, and for ever in the next.

-- Saint Jerome Emiliani

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

 

 

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 Paul Miki

The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I believe that I am telling the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain. 

-- Saint Paul Miki

Saint Joseph of Leonissa

Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel. 

-- Saint Joseph of Leonissa

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

 

 

I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where the true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God himself.

-- Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Remember, that the devil has only one door by which to enter the soul: the will. There are secret or hidden doors. Temptations, discouragement, and unrest are the wares offered by the enemy. Remember this: if the devil makes noise, it is a sign that he is still outside and not yet within. That which must terrify us is his peace and concord within the human soul.

-- Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Saint Paul of the Cross

 

 

Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy.

-- Saint Paul of the Cross

Saint John Bosco

This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized and still others to hope for God's mercy. And so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart. 

-- Saint John Bosco

Vote For The 2011 Bloggers Choice Awards

The time is right to vote for the 2011 Bloggers Choice Awards. Once again, I was nominated by some kind soul and I do appreciate it!

However, I would like to ask all of the readers to the Faith of the Fathers Blogs, to vote for my favorite Catholic blog, "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" by Father John Zuhlsdorf, known as Father Z to those who regularly read his blog. 

I never miss a day reading his blog, and in fact, I use a service to tweet his posts to my twitter account so those who follow me on twitter can read his posts, and I use the same service to share his blog posts on Facebook, too. His blog is also listed on the right hand sidebar of Faith of the Fathers Blogs under the heading "My Favorite Catholic Blogs" (they are in alphabetical order so scroll down to find WDTPRS).

To vote for Father Z's blog you can click here to vote. You will have to sign up to cast your vote, but don't worry. They don't share your email and do not send you any kind of spam or unwanted emails. So go vote for Father Z now!

And if you don't read his blog, then you are missing out my friends!

If by some chance you'd also like to vote for me (you CAN vote for more than one blog, it would be nice to see THREE Catholic blogs take the top three spots) you can vote for me by clicking here. I'd be happy to get more than the 4 or 5 votes I got last year!

Regardless of who else you vote for, please do cast a vote for Father Z's blog first. He has a strong start at the moment, and I for one would like to see him finish strong because to be honest, the man truly deserves it for all of his hard work!!

Saint Augustine of Hippo

 

 

Even though you possess plenty, you are still indigent. You abound in temporal possessions, but you need things eternal. You listen to the needs of a human beggar, yet yourself are a beggar of God. What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with His beggar. You are filled and you are empty. Fill your empty neighbor with your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled from God's fullness.

-- Saint Augustine of Hippo

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

 

 

Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord's Day, in which our life is blessed by him and by his death.

-- Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Saint Thomas Aquinas

 

 

If you seek the example of love: "Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends." Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake.

If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because "when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth."

If you seek an example of obedience, follow him who became obedient to the Father even unto death. "For just as by the disobedience of one man," namely, Adam, "many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous."

If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow him who is "the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Upon the cross he was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns, and given only vinegar and gall to drink.

Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches, because "they divided my garments among themselves." Nor to honors, for he experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for "weaving a crown of thorns they placed it on my head." Nor to anything delightful, for "in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

-- Saint Thomas Aquinas from his writings

Saint Isidore of Seville

The man who is slow to grasp things but who really tries hard is rewarded, equally he who does not cultivate his God-given intellectual ability is condemned for despising his gifts and sinning by sloth.

-- Saint Isidore of Seville

Saint Peter Julian Eymard

 

 

We believe in the love of God for us. To believe in love is everything. It is not enough to believe in the Truth. We must believe in Love and Love is our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. That is the faith that makes our Lord loved. Ask for this pure and simple faith in the Eucharist. Men will teach you; but only Jesus will give you the grace to believe in Him. You have the Eucharist. What more do you want?

-- Saint Peter Julian Eymard

Saint Francis de Sales

We must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. Now God is present everywhere, and every person is His work. 

-- Saint Francis de Sales

Saint Vincent Pallotti

 

 

Not the goods of the world, but God.
Not riches, but God.
Not honors, but God.
Not distinction, but God.
Not dignities, but God.
Not advancement, but God.
God always and in everything.

-- Saint Vincent Pallotti

Saint Agnes

 

 

Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve.

-- Saint Agnes

Saint John Bosco

Fly from bad companions as from the bite of a poisonous snake. If you keep good companions, I can assure you that you will one day rejoice with the blessed in Heaven; whereas if you keep with those who are bad, you will become bad yourself, and you will be in danger of losing your soul. 

-- Saint John Bosco

Saint Jaime Hilario Barbal

 

 

God be blessed; I'll pray for all of you in heaven. What more could I desire than to die for no other crime but that of being a religious and for having made my contribution to the Christian education of children. Dear father and family, I have been judged and condemned to death. I accept the sentence with joy. No charges have been brought against me. I have been condemned to death only because I am a religious. Do not weep for me, I am not worthy of pity. I shall die for God and for my country. Farewell, I shall be waiting for you in heaven.

-- Saint Jaime Hilario Barbal in a letter to his family after learning of his death sentence

Saint John Baptist de la Salle

 

 

Would we wish that our own hidden sins should be divulged? We ought, then, to be silent regarding those of others.

-- Saint John Baptist de la Salle

Saint John of Damascus

The saints must be honored as friends of Christ and children and heirs of God, as John the theologian and evangelist says: 'But as many as received him, he gave them the power to be made the sons of God....' Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering, and perseverance unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory. 

-- Saint John of Damascus

Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

Christ, who was called the Son of God before the ages, was manifested in the fulness of time, in order that He might cleanse us through His blood, who were under the power of sin, presenting us as pure sons to His Father, if we yield ourselves obediently to the chastisement of the Spirit. And in the end of time He shall come to do away with all evil, and to reconcile all things, in order that there may be an end of all impurities.

-- Saint Irenaeus of Lyons

Saint Jerome

For the Lord is gracious and merciful and prefers the conversion of a sinner rather than his death. Patient and generous in his mercy, he does not give in to human impatience but is willing to wait a long time for our repentance.

-- Saint Jerome

Saint Anthony of Padua

Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions. 

-- Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Hilary of Poitiers

For Christ teaches that only those who become again as it were little children, and by the simplicity of that age cut off the inordinate affections of vice, can enter the kingdom of heaven. These follow and obey their father, love their mother; are strangers to covetousness, ill-will, hatred, arrogance, and lying, and are inclined easily to believe what they hear. This disposition of affections opens the way to heaven. We must therefore return to the simplicity of little children, in which we shall bear some resemblance to our Lord's humility.

-- Saint Hilary of Poitiers

Pope Saint Pius X

Truly we are passing through disastrous times, when we may well make our own the lamentation of the Prophet: "There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land(Hosea 4:1). Yet in the midst of this tide of evil, the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes like a rainbow, as the arbiter of peace between God and man.

 -- Pope Saint Pius X

Saint Quote : Saint Francisca Salesia

Let us establish a permanent Spring season in our heart through ‘yes’ often repeated to all of God’s permissions and wills. 

-- Saint Francisca Salesia

Saint Quote : Saint Gregory of Nyssa

Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in the darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state?

-- Saint Gregory of Nyssa

Saint Quote : Saint Thomas Aquinas

Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge. 

-- Saint Thomas Aquinas

Saint Quote : Saint Justin Martyr

Henceforth, ye Greeks, come and partake of incomparable wisdom, and be instructed by the Divine Word, and acquaint yourselves with the King immortal; and do not recognise those men as heroes who slaughter whole nations. For our own Ruler, the Divine Word, who even now constantly aids us, does not desire strength of body and beauty of feature, nor yet the high spirit of earth’s nobility, but a pure soul, fortified by holiness, and the watchwords of our King, holy actions, for through the Word power passes into the soul.

-- Saint Justin Martyr

Saint Quote : Saint Apollinaris of Hierapolis

 

 

We therefore grossly deceive ourselves in not allotting more time to the study of divine truths. It is not enough barely to believe them, and let our thoughts now and then glance upon them: that knowledge which shows us heaven, will not bring us to the possession of it, and will deserve punishments, not rewards, if it remain slight, weak, and superficial. By serious and frequent meditation it must be concocted, digested, and turned into the nourishment of our affections, before it can be powerful and operative enough to change them, and produce the necessary fruit in our lives. For this all the saints affected solitude and retreats from the noise and hurry of the world, as much as their circumstances allowed them.

-- Saint Apollinaris of Hierapolis

Saint Quote : Saint John of Avila

 

 

Turn yourself round like a piece of clay and say to the Lord: I am clay, and you, Lord, the potter. Make of me what you will.

 -- Saint John of Avila

Saint Quote : Saint Raymond of Penafort

Look then on Jesus, the author and preserver of faith: in complete sinlessness he suffered, and at the hands of those who were his own, and was numbered among the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus (how glorious it is!), give thanks to the Lord, the giver of all blessings.

-- Saint Raymond of Penafort from a letter

Saint Quote : Saint Crispina

I have never sacrificed, nor do sacrifice to any other than to one God, and to our Lord Jesus Christ, his Son, who was born and suffered for us.

-- Saint Crispina

Saint Quote : Saint John Neumann

Since every man of whatever race is endowed with the dignity of a person, he has an inalienable right to an education corresponding to his proper destiny and suited to his native talents, his cultural background, and his ancestral heritage. At the same time, this education should pave the way to brotherly association with other peoples, so that genuine unity and peace on earth may be promoted. For a true education aims at the formation of the human person with respect to the good of those societies of which, as a man, he is a member, and in whose responsibilities, as an adult, he will share. 

-- Saint John Neumann

Saint Quote : Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where the true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God himself.

-- Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Saint Quote : Saint Basil the Great

O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.

-- Saint Basil the Great

Saint Quote : Saint Gregory Nazianzen

 

 

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 Nazianzen