May

MARY was the most perfect among the saints only because she was always perfectly united to the will of God.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

After the love which we owe Jesus Christ, we must give the chief place in our heart to the love of His Mother Mary.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

When we feel our cross weighing upon us, let us have recourse to Mary, whom the Church calls the "Consoler of the Afflicted."—ST. ALPHONSUS.

The devotions we practise in honor of the glorious Virgin Mary, however trifling they be, are very pleasing to her divine Son, and He rewards them with eternal glory.—ST. TERESA.

There is nothing which is more profitable and more consoling to the mind than to frequently remember the Blessed Virgin.—ST. TERESA.

Blessed are the actions enclosed between two Hail Marys.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Let us consider what the glorious Virgin endured, and what the holy apostles suffered, and we shall find that they who were nearest to Jesus Christ were the most afflicted.—ST. TERESA.

The servants of Mary who are in purgatory receive visits and consolations from her.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

If you persevere until death in true devotion to Mary, your salvation is certain.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

He who remembers having invoked the name of Mary in an impure temptation, may be sure that he did not yield to it.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Mary being destined to negotiate peace between God and man, it was not proper that she should be an accomplice in the disobedience of Adam.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Mary having co-operated in our redemption with so much glory to God and so much love for us, Our Lord ordained that no one shall obtain salvation except through her intercession.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

He who wishes to find Jesus will do so only by having recourse to Mary.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Mary having always lived wholly detached from earthly things and united with God, death, which united her more closely to Him, was extremely sweet and agreeable to her.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Mary being in heaven nearer to God and more united to Him, knows our miseries better, compassionates them more, and can more efficaciously assist us.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

The Virgin Mother, all pure and all white, will make her servants pure and white.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

To assure our salvation it does not suffice to call ourselves children of Mary, therefore let us always have the fear of God.—ST. TERESA.

Let us offer ourselves without delay and without reserve to Mary, and beg her to offer us herself to God.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Such is the compassion, such the love which Mary bears us, that she is never tired of praying for us.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

O Queen of heaven and earth! The universe would perish before thou couldst refuse aid to one who invokes thee from the depth of his heart.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

O most blessed Virgin, who declarest in thy Canticle that it is owing to thy humility that God hath done great things in thee, obtain for me the grace to imitate thee, that is, to be obedient; because to obey is to practise humility.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

May the two names so sweet and so powerful, of Jesus and Mary, be always in our hearts and on our lips!—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Whatsoever we do, we can never be true children of Mary, unless we are humble.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Let us highly esteem devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and let us lose no opportunity of inspiring others with it.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

As a mother feels no disgust in dressing the sores of her child, so Mary, the heavenly infirmarian, never refuses to care for sinners who have recourse to her.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Each of our days is marked with the protection of Mary, who is exceedingly anxious to be our Mother, when we desire to be her children.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

When the devil wishes to make himself master of a soul, he seeks to make it give up devotion to Mary.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Let us have recourse to Mary; for of all creatures she is the highest, the purest, the most beautiful, and the most loving.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

Let the name of Mary be ever on your lips, let it be indelibly engraven on your heart. If you are under her protection, you have nothing to fear; if she is propitious, you will arrive at the port of salvation.— ST. BERNARD.

Know that of all devotions the most pleasing to Mary is to have frequent recourse to her, asking for favors.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Let the servants of Mary perform every day, and especially on Saturday, some work of charity for her sake.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

CAN WE, amongst all hearts, find one more amiable than that of Jesus? It is on His Heart that God looks with special complacency—ST. ALPHONSUS.

One must wage war against his predominant passion, and not retreat, until, with God's help, he has been victorious.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

An act of perfect conformity to the will of God unites us more to Him than a hundred other acts of virtue.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

The love of God inspires the love of our neighbor, and the love of our neighbor serves to keep alive the love of God.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

Live always in the certainty that whatever happens to you is the result of divine Providence; because nothing hard or laborious falls to your lot without the Lord permitting it.—VEN. LOUIS DE BLOIS.

Whatsoever good work you undertake, pray earnestly to God that He will enable you to bring it to a successful termination.—ST. BENEDICT.

What is a fruitless repentance, defiled almost immediately by new faults?—ST. BERNARD.

You propose to give up everything to God; be sure, then, to include yourself among the things to be given up.—ST. BENEDICT.

If you can find a place where God is not, go there and sin with impunity.—ST. ANSELM.

He can not err who is constantly with the visible Head which Jesus Christ has left to His Church, as its foundation, rule, teacher, and defender of the Faith.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

The more numerous the gifts we have received from God, the greater the account we must render to Him.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

True penance consists in regretting without ceasing the faults of the past, and in firmly resolving to never again commit that which is so deplorable.—ST. BERNARD.

We are not raised the first day to the summit of perfection. It is by climbing, not by flying, that we arrive there.—ST. BERNARD.

What we do for ourselves during life is more certain than all the good we expect others to do for us after death.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

Idleness begets a discontented life. It develops self-love, which is the cause of all our misery, and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love.—ST. IGNATIUS.

Have death always before your eyes as a salutary means of returning to God.—ST. BERNARD.

If the devil tempts me by the thought of divine justice, I think of God's mercy; if he tries to fill me with presumption by the thought of His mercy, I think of His justice.—ST. IGNATIUS.

In time of temptation continue the good thou hast begun before temptation.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

In the eyes of the sovereign Judge the merit of our actions depends on the motives which prompted them.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

The benefits to be derived from spiritual reading do not merely consist in impressing on the memory the precepts set forth, but in opening the heart to them, that they may bear fruit.—VEN. LOUIS DE BLOIS.

As clouds obscure the sun, so bad thoughts darken and destroy the brightness of the soul.—VEN. LOUIS OF GRANADA.

To judge rightly of the goodness and perfection of any one's prayer, it is sufficient to know the disposition he takes to it, and the fruits he reaps from it.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

To commence many things and not to finish them is no small fault; we must persevere in whatever we undertake with upright intention and according to God's will.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

The perfect champion is he who establishes complete control over his mind by overcoming temptations and the inclination of his nature to sin.—VEN. JOHN TAULER.

If the love of God is in your heart, you will understand that to suffer for God is a joy to which all earthly pleasures are not to be compared.—ST. IGNATIUS.

The world around us is, as it were, a book written by the finger of God; every creature is a word on the page. We should apply ourselves well to understand the signification of the volume.—VEN. BARTHOLOMEW OF MARTYRS.

A man of prayer is capable of everything. He can say with St. Paul, "I can do all things in Him who strengthened me."—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Whilst here below our actions can never be entirely free from negligence, frailty, or defect; but we must not throw away the wheat because of the chaff.—VEN. JOHN TAULER.

Strive always to preserve freedom of spirit, so that you need do nothing with the view of pleasing the world, and that no fear of displeasing it will have power to shake your good resolutions.—VEN. LOUIS DE BLOIS.

Wo to us poor sinners if we had not the Divine Sacrifice to appease the Lord!—ST. ALPHONSUS.

HOW few there are who avail themselves of the precious blood of Jesus to purchase their salvation!—ST. IGNATIUS.

O Queen of heaven and earth! Thou art the gate of mercy ever open, never closed. The universe must perish before he who invokes thee from his heart is refused assistance.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

Our Faith will never be true unless it is united to that of St. Peter and the Pontiff, his successors.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Short pleasures and long sufferings are all the world can give.—VEN. JOHN TAULER.

Learn to be silent sometimes for the edification of others, that you may learn how to speak sometimes.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Gratitude for graces received is a most efficacious means of obtaining new ones.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

To a useless question we should answer only by silence.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

We should not judge things by their exterior or appearance, but consider what they are in the sight of God, and whether they be according to His good pleasure.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Preserve purity of conscience with care, and never do anything to sully it or render it less agreeable to God.—ST. THOMAS AQUINAS.

Give not thyself too much to any one. He who gives himself too freely is generally the least acceptable.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

Affliction strengthens the vigor of our soul, whereas happiness weakens it.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

To acquire purity of the soul, it is necessary to guard against passing judgment on our neighbor, or useless remarks on his conduct.—ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.

Turn away the eyes of thy body and those of thy mind from seeing others, that thou mayest be able to contemplate thyself.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

The brightest ornaments in the crown of the blessed in heaven are the sufferings which they have borne patiently on earth.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

We are not innocent before God if we punish that which we should pardon, or pardon that which we should punish.—ST. BERNARD.

Is there any one in the world who has invoked thee, O Mary, without having felt the benefit of thy protection, which is promised to those who invoke thy mercy?—ST. BERNARD.

It is the key of obedience that opens the door of paradise. Jesus Christ has confided that key to His vicar, the Pope, Christ on earth, whom all are obliged to obey even unto death.—ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.

It is true that God promises forgiveness if we repent, but what assurance have we of obtaining it to-morrow?—VEN. LOUIS DE BLOIS.

We should offer ourselves and all we have to God, that He may dispose of us according to His holy will, so that we may be ever ready to leave all and embrace the afflictions that come upon us.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

No one has a right to mercy who can not himself show mercy.—VEN. LOUIS DE GRANADA.

We should reflect on all our actions, exterior and interior, and before we commence, examine well if we are able to finish them.—VEN. JOHN TAULER.

The reason why the lukewarm run so great a risk of being lost is because tepidity conceals from the soul the immense evil which it causes.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

We should learn of Jesus Christ to be meek and humble of heart, and ask Him unceasingly for these two virtues. We ought, particularly, to avoid the two contrary vices which would cause us to destroy with one hand what we seek to raise with the other.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

The sufferings endured for God are the greatest proof of our love for Him.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

It is in vain that we cut off the branches of evil, if we leave intact the root, which continually produces new ones.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

How little is required to be a saint! It suffices to do in all things the will of God.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Wouldst thou know what thou art? Thou art that to which thy heart turns the most frequently.—VEN. BARTHOLOMEW OF MARTYRS.

When you covet that which delights you, think not only of the sweet moments of enjoyment, but of the long season of regret which must follow.—ST. BERNARD.

They who voluntarily commit sin show a contempt for life eternal, since they willingly risk the loss of their soul.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

It suffices not to perform good works; we must do them well, in imitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is written, "He doeth all things well."—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Put not off till to-morrow what you can do today.—ST. IGNATIUS.

CHRIST Himself guides the bark of Peter. For this reason it can not perish, although He sometimes seems to sleep.—ST. ANTONINUS.

Prayer teaches us the need of laying before God all our necessities, of corresponding with His grace, of banishing vice from our heart and of establishing virtue in it.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Take this to heart: Owe no man anything. So shalt thou secure a peaceful sleep, an easy conscience, a life without inquietude, and a death without alarm.—VEN. LOUIS DE GRANADA.

If you would know whether you have made a good confession, ask yourself if you have resolved to abandon your sins.—ST. BERNARD.

He who does that which is displeasing to himself has discovered the secret of pleasing God.—ST. ANSELM.

An ordinary action, performed through obedience and love of God, is more meritorious than extraordinary works done on your own authority—VEN. LOUIS DE BLOIS.

Vigilance is rendered necessary and indispensable, not only by the dangers that surround us, but by the delicacy, the extreme difficulty of the work we all have to engage in the work of our salvation.—VEN. LOUIS DE GRANADA.

Among the different means that we have of pleasing God in all that we do, one of the most efficacious is to perform each of our actions as though it were to be the last of our life.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

I have to seek only the glory of God, my own sanctification, and the salvation of my neighbor. I should therefore devote myself to these things, if necessary, at the peril of my life.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Idleness is hell's fishhook for catching souls.—ST. IGNATIUS.

Whoever imagines himself without defect has an excess of pride. God alone is perfect.—ST. ANTONINUS.

As we take the bitterest medicine to recover or preserve the health of the body, we should cheerfully endure sufferings, however repugnant to nature, and consider them efficacious remedies which God employs to purify the soul and conduct it to the perfection to which He called it.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

To give up prayer because we are often distracted at it is to allow the devil to gain his cause.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Curb the desire of display, and do nothing from human respect.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

O Mary, vessel of purest gold, ornamented with pearls and sapphires, filled with grace and virtue, thou art the dearest of all creatures to the eyes of eternal Wisdom.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

We must be careful not to omit our prayers, confession, communion, and other exercises of piety, even when we find no consolation in them.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Let us leave to God and to truth the care of our justification, without trying to excuse ourselves, and peace will truly spring up within us.— VEN. JOHN TAULER.

Read good and useful books, and abstain from reading those that only gratify curiosity.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

So great is the goodness of God in your regard, that when you ask through ignorance for that which is not beneficial, He does not grant your prayer in this matter, but gives you something better instead.—ST. BERNARD.

Men can use no better arms to drive away the devil, than prayer and the sign of the cross.—ST. TERESA.

He who knows well how to practise the exercise of the presence of God, and who is faithful in following the attraction of this divine virtue, will soon attain a very high degree of perfection.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

One of the most admirable effects of holy communion is to preserve the soul from sin, and to help those who fall through weakness to rise again. It is much more profitable, then, to approach this divine Sacrament with love, respect, and confidence, than to remain away through an excess of fear and scrupulosity.—ST. IGNATIUS.

Let us remember that every act of mortification is a work for heaven. This thought will make all suffering and weariness sweet.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Correction should be given calmly and with discernment, at seasonable times, according to the dictates of reason, and not at the impulse of anger.—VEN. LOUIS DE GRANADA.

There is nothing more certain, nothing more agreeable, nothing richer than a good conscience.—VEN. BARTHOLOMEW OF MARTYRS.

God, to procure His glory, sometimes permits that we should be dishonored and persecuted without reason. He wishes thereby to render us conformable to His Son, who was calumniated and treated as a seducer, as an ambitious man, and as one possessed.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

All that God gives us and all that He permits in this world have no other end than to sanctify us in Him.—ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.

If you can not mortify your body by actual penance, abstain at least from some lawful pleasure.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

One whose heart is embittered can do nothing but contend and contradict, finding something to oppose in every remark.—VEN. JULIENNE MOREL.

Without prayer we have neither light nor strength to advance in the way which leads to God.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

I have never gone out to mingle with the world without losing something of myself.—BL. ALBERT THE GREAT.

HE who perseveres with constancy and fervor will, without fail, raise himself to a high degree of perfection.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

An upright intention is the soul of our actions. It gives them life, and makes them good.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

You wish to reform the world: reform yourself, otherwise your efforts will be in vain.—ST. IGNATIUS.

Let all thy care be to possess thy soul in peace and tranquillity. Let no accident be to thee a cause of ill-humor.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Humility is a fortified town; it repels all attacks. The sight of it obliges the enemy to turn and flee.—VEN. LOUIS OF GRANADA.

The world is deceitful and inconstant. When fortune forsakes us, friendship takes flight.—BL. HENRY SUSO.

Perform all your actions in union with the pure intention and perfect love with which Our Lord did all things for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.—ST. MECHTILDIS.

An air of meekness and a modest speech are pleasing alike to God and men.—VEN. JOHN TAULER.

The saints owed to their confidence in God that unalterable tranquillity of soul, which procured their perpetual joy and peace, even in the midst of adversities.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

Look not to the qualities thou mayest possess, which are wanting to others; but look to those which others possess and which are wanting to thee, that thou mayest acquire them.—VEN. LOUIS DE GRANADA.

Your heart is not so narrow that the world can satisfy it entirely; nothing but God can fill it.—ST. IGNATIUS.

If you wish to raise a lofty edifice of perfection, take humility for a foundation.—ST. THOMAS AQUINAS.

It ordinarily happens that God permits those who judge others, to fall into the same or even greater faults.—ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Raise thy heart and thy love toward the sweet and most holy cross, which soothes every pain!—ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.

Often read spiritual books; then, like a sheep, ruminate the food thou hast taken, by meditation and a desire to practise the holy doctrine found therein.—ST. ANTONINUS.

Love others much, but visit them seldom.—ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.

God sends us trials and afflictions to exercise us in patience and teach us sympathy with the sorrows of others.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Armed with prayer, the saints sustained a glorious warfare and vanquished all their enemies. By prayer, also, they appeased the wrath of God, and obtained from Him all they desired.—VEN. LOUIS DE GRANADA.

All souls in hell are there because they did not pray. All the saints sanctified themselves by prayer.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

The thought of the presence of God renders us familiar with the practice of doing in all things His holy will.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

If we consider the number and excellence of the virtues practised by the saints, we must feel the inefficiency and imperfection of our actions.— ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Prayer without fervor has not sufficient strength to rise to heaven.— ST. BERNARD.

The path of virtue is painful to nature when left to itself; but nature, assisted by grace, finds it easy and agreeable.—VEN. LOUIS OF GRANADA.

Always give the preference to actions which appear to you the most agreeable to God, and most contrary to self-love.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

As the branch separated from the roots soon loses all life and verdure, so it is with good works which are not united with charity.—ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.

We should constantly thank the Lord for having granted us the gift of the true faith, by associating us with the children of the holy Catholic Church.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

We should not spare expense, fatigue, nor even our life, when there is a question of accomplishing the holy will of God.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

Some are unable to fast or give alms; there are none who can not pray.— ST. ALPHONSUS.

We meet with contradictions everywhere. If only two persons are together they mutually afford each other opportunities of exercising patience, and even when one is alone there will still be a necessity for this virtue, so true it is that our miserable life is full of crosses.—ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.

We should bear our sufferings in expiation for our sins, to merit heaven, and to please God.—ST. ALPHONSUS.

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