So then, the great Mother of God, so mysteriously united to Jesus Christ from all eternity by the same decree of predestination, immaculately conceived, an intact virgin throughout her divine motherhood, a noble associate of our Redeemer as he defeated sin and its consequences, received, as it were, the final crowning privilege of being preserved from the corruption of the grave and, following her Son in his victory over death, was brought, body and soul, to the highest glory of heaven, to shine as Queen at the right hand of that same Son, the immortal King of Ages.

It is impossible for a person who prays regularly to remain in serious sin; because the two are incompatible, one or the other will have to be given up. 

Believe me, the writing of pious books, the composing of the sublimest poetry; all that does not equal the smallest act of self-denial

Let us meditate today on the condition of our soul. Are we making a sincere effort to rectify our intentions, to sanctify our daily responsibilities? There are things we fail to remember, not because we have short memories but because we are short of love. The person in love does not forget!

As iron is fashioned by the fire on an anvil, so in the fire of suffering and under the weight of trials, our souls receive the form that our Lord desires for them to have.

A revelation is religious doctrine viewed on its illuminated side; a mystery is the selfsame doctrine viewed on the side illuminated.

To harbor no envy, no anger, no resentment against an offender is still not to have charity for him. It is possible, without any charity, to avoid rendering evil for evil. But to render, spontaneously, good for evil -- such belongs to a perfect spiritual love.

-- St Maximus the Confessor

God is always almighty; He can at all times work miracles, and He would work them now as in the days of old were it not that faith is lacking!

Don't say you have a chaste mind if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart.

If we have any natural defect, either in mind or body, let us not grieve and feel sorry for ourselves. Who can tell whether, if we had been given a larger share of ability or stronger health, or greater wealth, we would have possessed them to the destruction of our soul!

We should love and feel compassion for those who unjustly oppose us, since they harm themselves and do us good, for they adorn us with crowns of everlasting glory.

God overthrows the thrones of those who are disobedient to His law. My political views are those of the Our Father.

I do not really know if it is a gain to exchange the crown of martrydom with two or three years of life in freedom. But I leave the good Lord to decide.

The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime.

Greed will demand of you labor, danger, hardships, and troubles, and you will readily agree to its demands. And for what purpose? So you can have what will fill up your purse but empty out your peace of mind!.

O Lord my soul is sick, I bring to you all my sins and misfortunes. All my salvation and joy are in You, O Crucified Christ, and in whatever state I happen to be, I shall never take my eyes away from Your Cross.

The grace of contemplation is granted only in response to a longing insistent desire.

And of what should we be afraid? Our captain on this battlefield is Christ Jesus. We have discovered what we have to do. Christ has bound our enemies for us and weakened them that they cannot overcome us unless we so choose to let them. So we must fight courageously and mark ourselves with the sign of the most Holy Cross.

The Prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom!

The woman who stayed behind (at the tomb) to seek Christ was the only one who saw Him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the Voice of Truth tells us: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved." [Matt: 10:22]

Try to gather more frequently to celebrate God's Eucharist and to praise Him. For when you meet with frequency, Satan's power are overthrown and his destructiveness is undone by the unanimity of your faith

We must understand then, that even though God doesn't always give us what we want, He always gives us what we need for our salvation.

-- St Augustine

It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer and a virtuous life..