Quote for 5/11/10
And touching our Society, be it known to you that we have made a league - all the Jesuits in the world - cheerfully to carry the cross you shall lay upon us, and never to despair your recovery, while we have a man left to enjoy your Tyburn, or to be racked with your torments or consumed with your prisons. The expense is reckoned, the enterprise is begun; it is of God, it cannot be withstood. So the faith was planted; so it must be restored.

--Saint Edmund Campion (one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
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Quote for 5/10/10
Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.
--Saint John of Kanty
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Quote for 5/7/10
The Lord has called us from different nations, but we must be united with one heart and one soul. In the divine Heart of Jesus we will always meet one another, and there we seek our strength to face the difficulties of life. May we be strengthened to practice the beautiful virtues of charity, humility, and patience. Then our religious life will be the antechamber to Heaven.

--Blessed Maria Elizabetta Hesselblad
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Quote for 5/6/10
When a fire is lit to clear a field, it burns off all the dry and useless weeds and thorns. When the sun rises and darkness is dispelled, robbers, night-prowlers, and burglars hide away. So when Paul's voice was raised to preach the Gospel to the nations, like a great clap of thunder in the sky, his preaching was a blazing fire carrying all before it. It was the sun rising in full glory. Infidelity was consumed by it, false beliefs fled away, and the truth appeared like a great candle lighting the whole world with its brilliant flame.
By word of mouth, by letters, by miracles, and by the example of his own life, Saint Paul bore the name of Jesus wherever he went. He praised the name of Jesus "at all times," but never more than when "bearing witness to his faith."
Moreover, the Apostle did indeed carry this name "before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel" as a light to enlighten all nations. And this was his cry wherever he journeyed: "The night is passing away, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves honorably as in the day." Paul himself showed forth the burning and shining-light set upon a candlestick, everywhere proclaiming "Jesus, and him crucified."
And so the Church, the bride of Christ strengthened by his testimony, rejoices with the psalmist, singing: "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds." The psalmist exhorts her to do this, as he says: "Sing to the Lord, and bless his name, proclaim his salvation day after day." And this salvation is Jesus, her savior.
--from a sermon by Saint Bernadine of Siena
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Quote for 5/5/10
The faith given to me in baptism suggests to me surely: by yourself you will do nothing, but if you have God as the center of all your action, then you will reach the goal.
--Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
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Quote for 5/4/10
The hands should be at work, the heart with God.
--Saint Mary Joseph Rosello
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Quote for 5/3/10
"In my mind I already began to envision my own funeral. But I kept praying for strength to persevere and to remain faithful to the Catholic Church."
--Blessed Basil Hopko
Bishop Hopko was taken to the central investigatory prison in Ruzin, near Prague, in order to "condition him" for a trial. First he was locked up in a dark solitary cell where he completely lost count of time. Then he was forced to walk without any rest for 122 consecutive days. During that period of time his diet consisted of a piece of stale bread and a glass of water. At the end of it, his legs became swollen like logs. In the above quote, Bishop Hopko refers to this ordeal. 
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Quote for 4/29/10
Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children.
-- Saint Bonaventure
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Quote for 4/28/10
Yesterday, Sunday, on climbing the stairs to go to the upper choir for the sung Mass, I was quite recollected, yet without any particular thought, when I heard clearly within me, “My delight is to be with the children of men.” These words, which made a strong impression on me, I understood were not for me this time, but rather in the nature of a request the Lord was making me to offer the whole of myself to give Him these souls He so much desires. It is hard to explain, but I say clearly, that a soul [that] sanctifies itself becomes fruitful in attracting souls to God. This so moved me that I offered with my whole heart to the Lord all my sufferings of body and soul for this purpose, despite my poverty.

--Saint Maria Maravillas de Jesus (In a letter to her spiritual directors)
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Quote for 4/27/10
Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him. That is all the doing you have to worry about.

--Saint Jeanne de Chantal
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Quote for 4/26/10
"Dear God, please don't let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you."
-- prayer of Saint Germaine Cousin

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Quote for 4/23/10
Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel. This is what Saint Paul says to the Corinthians, 'Clearly you are a letter of Christ which I have delivered, a letter written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh in the heart' (2 Corinthians 3:3). Our heart is the parchment; through my ministry the Holy Spirit is the writer because 'my tongue is nimble as the pen of a skillful scribe' (Psalms 45:2).

-- from a sermon by Saint Joseph of Leonissa
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Quote for 4/22/10
For our sake Christ offered himself to the Father upon the altar for the cross. He now looks down from heaven on our actions and secret thoughts, and one day he will give each of us the reward his deeds deserve.

It must, therefore, be our endeavor to destroy the right of sin and death, and by nurturing faith and uprightness of life, to build up the Church of Christ into a holy temple of the Lord.

The harvest is good, and one reaper or even several would not suffice to gather all of it into the granary of the Lord. Yet the Roman Church remains the head of all the churches and the source of Catholic teaching. Of this there can be no doubt. Everyone know that the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given to Peter. Upon his faith and teaching the whole fabric of the Church will continue to be built until we all reach full maturity in Christ and attain to unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God.

Of course, many are needed to plant and many to water now that the faith has spread so far and the population become so great. Nevertheless, no matter who plants or waters, God gives no harvest unless what he plants is the faith of Peter and unless he himself assents to Peter's teaching. All important questions that arise among God's people are referred to the judgment of Peter in the person for the Roman Pontiff. Under him the ministers of Mother Church exercise the powers committed to them, each in his own sphere of responsibility.

Remember then how our fathers worked out their salvation; remember the sufferings through which the Church has grown, and the storms the ship of Peter has weathered because it has Christ on board. Remember how the crown was attained by those whose sufferings gave new radiance to their faith. The whole company of saints bears witness to the unfailing truth that without real effort no one wins the crown.

--from a letter by Saint Thomas à Beckett
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Quote for 4/21/10
Love Mary! She is loveable, faithful, constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a heart that wants to love her. She comes quickly and opens her merciful heart to you, embraces you and consoles and serves you. She will even be at hand to accompany you on the trip to eternity.

-- Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother
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Quote for 4/20/10
Oh, if you had tasted the delights with which God fills the souls of those who serve him and suffer for him, how would you condemn all that the world can promise! I now begin to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, since for his love I am in prison, where I suffer much. But I assure you, that when I am fainting with hunger, God hath fortified me by his sweet consolations, so that I have looked upon myself as well recompensed for his service. And though I were yet to pass many years in prison, the time would appear short, through the extreme desire which I feel of suffering for him, who even here so well repays our labors. Besides other sickness, I have been afflicted with a continual fever a hundred days without any remedies or proper nourishment. All this time my heart was so full of joy that it seemed to me too narrow to contain it. I have never felt any equal to it, and I thought myself at the gates of paradise.

--Blessed Charles Spinola
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Quote for 4/19/10
O Lord, grant us that love which can never die, which will enkindle our lamps but not extinguish them, so that they may shine in us and bring light to others. Most dear Savior, enkindle our lamps that they may shine forever in your temple. May we receive unquenchable light from you so that our darkness will be illuminated and the darkness of the world will be made less. Amen.

--Saint Columba
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Quote for 4/15/10
Love is sufficient of itself; it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in the practice. Of all the movements, sensations, and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return, however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return. The sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him.

-- from a sermon by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
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Quote for 4/14/10
Far be it from Christians that to do such deeds [as are done by pagan sinners] should enter their mind; for temperance dwells with them, self-restraint is practiced, monogamy is observed, chastity is guarded, injustice is exterminated, sin is rooted out, righteousness is exercised, law is ministered, reverence is preserved, God is acknowledged: truth controls, grace guards, peace protects, the holy Word guides, wisdom teaches, life directs, God reigns.

--Saint Theophilus of Antioch
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Quote for 4/13/10
It was as if you opened to me the heart in your most sacred body; I seemed to see it directly before my eyes. You told me to drink from this fountain, inviting me, that is, to draw the waters of my salvation from your wellsprings, my Savior. I was most eager that streams of faith, hope, and love should flow into me from that source. I was thirsting for poverty, chastity, obedience. I asked to be made wholly clean by you, to be clothed by you, to be made resplendent by you.

--St. Peter Canisius
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Quote for 4/12/10
Clearly, what God wants above all is our will, which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique possession.

--Saint Joseph of Cupertino, from the reading for his feast in the Franciscan breviary
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Quote for 4/9/10
The Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, like those who draw their charity from the very source of love, that is, from the Heart of Jesus Christ, must burn with the same love of the Divine Heart for their neighbor: purest charity that has no aim save for the glory of God and the good of souls; universal charity that excludes no one but embraces all; generous charity that does not draw back from suffering, is not alarmed by contradiction, but rather, in suffering and opposition, grows in vigor and conquers through patience.

- Saint Teresa Eustochio Verzeri
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Quote for 4/8/10
If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask Him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire.

--Saint Vincent Ferrer from On the Spiritual Life
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Quote for 4/7/10
The Word of God, incorporeal, incorruptible, and immaterial, entered our world. Out of his loving kindness for us he came to us, and we see this in the way he revealed himself openly to us. Taking pity on mankind's weakness and moved by our corruption, he could not stand aside and see death have the mastery over us. He did not want creation to perish and his Father's work in fashioning man to be in vain. He therefore took to himself a body, no different from our own, for he did not wish simply to be in a body or only to be seen. By dying for others, he immediately banished death for all mankind. The corruption of death no longer holds any power over mankind, thanks to the Word, who has come to dwell among us through his one body.

--from a talk by Saint Athanasius
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Quote for 4/6/10
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

--St. Stephen the Martyr from Acts 7:55
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Quote for 4/5/10
". . . a preacher must be prepared in his soul to speak the truth, both in denouncing and correcting shortcomings and in praising virtue, to such a point that he is willing in that cause even to face death."

--Saint John of Sahagun
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Quote for 4/1/10

You are our Patroness—continue to protect our small Congregation with your holy omophorion,* and under your holy protection we shall not perish, even if all hell is against us. ~Blessed Josaphata Mykhailyna Hordashevska (from one of her private prayers to Our Lady)  

* In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the omophorionis the distinguishing vestment of a bishop and the symbol of his spiritual and ecclesiastical authority.By symbolizing the lost sheep that is found and carried on the Good Shepherd's shoulders, it signifies the bishop's pastoral role as the icon of Christ.Clergy and ecclesiastical institutions subject to a bishop's authority are often said to be "under his omophor."The equivalent vestment in Western Christian usage is the archiepiscopal pallium, the use of which is subject to different rubrics and restrictions. All Orthodox bishops wear the omophor.

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Quote for 3/31/10

Earthly ideals are fading away. I see the ideal of life in sacrifice and the ideal of sacrifice in priesthood.

~~Saint Joseph Sebastian Pelczar(as a young man)
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Quote for 3/30/10

If the Church is true, all in her is true; he who admits not the one believes not the other.

-- Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
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Quote for 3/29/10
 
Every time that God converts a hardened sinner, he is working a far greater miracle.

--Saint John Regis
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Quote for 3/26/10

Pray that neither self indulgence nor pride, nor any other evil passion, prevent me from seeing in my patients Jesus who suffers, and from healing and comforting Him.

-Saint Richard Pampuri in a letter to his sister, a missionary nun
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Quote for 3/25/10
If we wish to make any progress in the service of God, we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.

-- Saint Charles Borromeo
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Quote for 3/24/10
 
The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wonderous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers. Thus the decisions your children have made don't make you a failure as a parent in God's eyes. You are entitled to feel sorrow but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God's grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary, at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to her, "With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart”; she will attend to their souls.

-- St. Louise de Marillac
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Quote for 03/22/10

A slight sabre-cut will separate my head from my body, like the spring flower which the Master of the garden gathers for His pleasure. We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time: some a little sooner, some a little later...Father and son, may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu.

--Saint Theophane in a letter to his father just before his martyrdom
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Quote for 12/23/09