Ponder these. .
To purposely allow one’s mind to wander in prayer is sinful and hinders the prayer from having fruit. -St. Thomas Aquinas
Prayer should be accomplished by grace and not by artifice.
-St.Jane Frances de Chantal
The crosses with which our path through life is strewn associates us with Jesus in the mystery of His crucifixion. -St. John Eudes
As every mandate of grace that is sent by a king passes through the palace gates, so does every grace that comes from Heaven to the world pass through the hands of Mary. -St. Bernard
O Holy Mary! My Mother, into your blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of your mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and my body. To you I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by your most holy intercession, and by your merit, all my actions may be directed and governed by your will and that of your Son. Amen -St. Aloysius Gonzaga
He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully when he says even the smallest prayer, will also be faithful in great things. -St. Louis de Monfort
Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear.
-St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi
Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven. There are others: innocence, for instance, but that is for little children. Penance, but we are afraid of it. Generous endurance of the trials of life, but when they come we weep and ask to be spared. The surest, easiest, shortest way is by the Eucharist.
-Pope St. Pius X
Having confidence in you, O Mother of God, I shall be saved. Being under your protection, I shall fear nothing. With your help I shall give battle to my enemies and put them to flight; for devotion to you is an arm of salvation. -St. John Damascene
He who knows how to live well knows how to pray well. -St. Augustine
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. -St. Teresa of Jesus
In all your actions keep your end in sight, and how you will stand before your judge, your God, from whom nothing is hidden. -Thomas a Kempis
It is imprudent to take up prayer after eating, because by doing so, immediately after, before digestion is advanced, besides being heavy and drowsy, the health may be injured. -St. Francis de Sales
regarding Purgation -This ordinary purification or healing of the body or soul is not instantaneously effected, but takes place gradually, by passing from one degree to another, with labor and patience. There have been miraculous purgations: St Paul in a moment, was cleansed with a perfect purgation, so was St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Mary Magdelene, St. Pelalia, and some others. These kinds of purgations, however, were as miraculous and extraordinary in the order of grace as the resurrection of the dead is in that of nature. -St. Francis de Sales
It is vanity to seek riches, honors, lust of the flesh, to wish for a long life, to excessively concentrate on this present life. The true objective of life is to concentrate on the heavenly kingdom, God and His love for us and our love for Him. -Thomas a Kempis
To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing.
-St. John of the Cross
It should be noted, then that all the harm the soul receives is born of its enemies . . .the world, the devil, and the flesh. The world is the enemy least difficult to conquer; the devil is the hardest to understand; but the flesh is the most tenacious, and its attacks continue as long as the old self lasts.
-St. John of the Cross
Why do you not use the time when you have nothing to do for reading or for prayer? Why do you not go and visit Christ our Lord and speak with Him and listen to Him? For when we pray we speak with God, and when we read, we listen to God. -St. Ambrose
There is no doubt that through the reading of the Sacred Scriptures the soul is set aflame in God and becomes purified from all vices. -St. Jerome
You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon be observed in his progress. -St. Athanasius
It is necessary, too, that we shun the occasions which have been the cause of sin. We must have recourse to fervent prayer, receive frequently and worthily the sacraments. He who does this will be sure to persevere. -St. John Vianney
In this dark vale of tears, I wish solely to feed upon this secret manna, this delicious substance. -St. Cajetan
He who walks along a precipice, although he may not fall over, yet he trembles and often falls through that very fear. Even so, he who flies not far from sin, but keeps near to it, lives in continual fear, and often falls. -St. John Chrysostom
Pray with great confidence, in confidence based upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray. -St. Louis de Montfort
No one should judge that he has greater perfection because he performs great penances and gives himself in excess to the staying of the body than he who does less, inasmuch as neither virtue or merit consists therein; for otherwise he would be an evil case, who for some legitimate reason was unable to do actual penance. Merit consists in the virtue of love alone, flavored with the light of true discretion, without which the soul is worth nothing. -St. Catherine of Siena
Who is so strong as never to be overcome by temptation, except he who has the grace of the Lord for his helper? -St. Augustine
In the first place, the eyes must be mortified. We must abstain from looking at any object that may give occasion to temptation. -St. Alphonsus Liguori
We must also mortify our tongue, by abstaining from words of detraction, abuse, and obscenity. An impure word spoken in jest may prove a scandal to others, and sometimes a word of double meaning, said in a witty way, does more harm than a word openly impure. -St. Alphonsus Liguori
Grace can do nothing without the will and the will can do nothing without grace. -St. John Chrysostom
She seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children. -St. Bonaventure
O Sacred Heart of Jesus! I fly to Thee, I unite myself with Thee, I enclose myself to Thee! Receive this, my call for help, O my Saviour, as a sign of my horror of all within me contrary to Thy Holy Love. Let me rather die a thousand times than consent! Be Thou my Strength, O God: defend me, protect me. I am thine, and desire forever to be Thine! -St. Margaret Mary Alocoque
Believe me, the writing of pious books, the composing of the most sublime poetry; all that does not equal the smallest act of self-denial. -St. Therese of Lisieux
If you wish to go to extremes, let it be in sweetness, patience, humility and charity. -St. Philip Neri
You ought to make every effort to free yourselves even from venial sin, and to do what is most perfect. -St. Teresa of Avila
Under the influence of fear, we bear the Cross of Christ with patience. Under the more inspiring influence of hope, we carry the Cross with a firm and valiant heart. But under the consuming power of love, we embrace the Cross with ardor. -St. Bernard
Know that the experience of pain is something so noble and precious that the Divine Word, who enjoyed the abundant riches of Paradise, yet, because He was not clothed with this ornament of sorrow, came down from Heaven to seek it upon the earth. -St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi
O God, seeing you are so infinitely lovable, why have you given us but one heart to love you, and this so little and so narrow? -St. Philip Neri
One should never deny the body what is due to it, that the body itself may not hinder what is due the soul. -St. Peter of Alcantara
The more we have denied ourselves during the day, the nearer are we each evening to the Heart of our Lord. -St. Madeline Sophie Barat
It is only by sacrifice and suffering, offered as penance, that you will be able, by the grace of God, to convert sinners. -St. John Vianney
One soul saved is worth more than our lives. -St. Madeline Sophie Barat
God in his omnipotence could not give more, in His wisdom He knew not how to give more, in His riches He had not more to give, than the Eucharist. -St. Augustine
But since all your satisfactions and penances are too small and deficient to atone for so many sins, unite them to those of you Savior Jesus lifted upon the Cross. Receive his Divine Blood as it flows from His wounds, and offer It up to appease Divine justice. Unite your reparation to that of the most Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross and from the love of Jesus for His Mother, you will obtain everything. -St. Peter Julian Eymard
January 19 2009 10:30 am