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