St. Therese of Lisieux Quote

To offer oneself as a victim to Divine Love is not to offer oneself to sweetness - to consolation; but to every anguish, every bitterness, for Love lives only by sacrifice; and the more a soul wills to be surrendered to Love, the more must she be surrendered to suffering.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Courage

Easter Quote

It is not Jesus' absence from an empty grave that convinces us, it is his presence in our empty lives.

~ Frederick Buechner

Inspirational Quote- Bishop Fulton Sheen

Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness.

It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs

when we let our minds rest on a rosebud,

a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall.

~ Bishop Fulton Sheen

Inspirational Quote

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

Quotes on Humility

"To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that."

~St. Teresa of Avila

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" Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility"

~St Augustine

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"Where there is discord may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. Where there is despair, may we bring hope."

~St. Francis of Assisi

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"We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed."

~Brother Lawrence

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"Whatever makes us feel superior to other people, whatever tempts us to convey a sense of superiority, that is the gravity of our sinful nature, not grace."

~Phillip Yancey

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"A humble knowledge of ourselves is a surer way to God than is the search for depth of learning."

~Thomas a'Kempis

Funny Quote

Inside every seventy year old is a thirty five year old asking, "What happened?"

What The Saints Say About Our Lady

“Hail Full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

---St. Gabriel

“My children, do you want to obtain perseverance? Then be devoted to our Blessed Lady!”

---St. Philip Neri

“If you want to grow in perfection, you cannot advance by yourselves - you need a guide. Hence, when you go to God, go through Mary and with Mary!”

--- St. Maximilian Kolbe

“The Blessed Virgin Mary comforts and refreshes those who are in their last agony. Then she also receives their souls at death.”

--- St. Vincent Ferrer

“Those who love Mary must silence within themselves the desires of the senses. They must also silence the disordered longings of passions.”

--- St. John Eudes

“As a consoler of the human race, Mary never ceases to pour out before her Son her prayer for the salvation of the faithful crushed by the weight of their sins.”

---St. Pius V

“Human beings will never comprehend sufficiently the anguish and immensity of Mary’s sorrows. Very few Christians partake of those sufferings and even fewer offer any consolation to her.”

---St. Bridget of Sweden

“In danger, anguish, or doubt, think of Mary and call upon her! Following her, you will never lose your way. Praying to her, you will never sink into despair. Contemplating her, you will never go wrong.”

---St. Bernard

“Mary’s words were discreet, and her voice was measured. She did not shout and she was careful not to say anything bad about another person - nor even to listen willingly to wrong that was spoken.”

---St. Athanasius

“Ask Mary for the grace to love our Lord as she loves Him and to remain faithful to Him in life and in death.”

---St. Bernadette

Two Wolves-Dealing with Adversity

On Paula's insightful blog, Receiving Light she has brought forth quite a few topics on our sensibilities and how we can and should view adversity. Her pieces reminded me of an old Cherokee saying.

An elder cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old cherokee simply replied,"The one you feed."

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How we deal with adverse comments, gossip or actions done against us will define what 'wolf' we are feeding.

At times it is very easy to confuse sensitive with over-senstive, whats the difference? A sensitive person is aware of another's feeling, they speak with honesty and compassion towards all, they in essence put another persons feelings above their own. An over-sensitive person on the other hand will become defensive and take everything as a slight towards themselves, they essentially place themselves over and above everyone else.

We can also look towards one of our greatest Saint to understand the difference between a sensitive soul and an over-sensitive one. To borrow a quote, from that great Mystic St. Teresa of Avila.

"They are too attached to their honor. . . .These souls, for themost part, grieve over anything said against them. They donot embrace the cross but drag it along, and so it hurts andwearies them and breaks them to pieces. However, if thecross is loved, it is easy to bear, this is certain."

This state of over-sensitivity is a form of pride, though those who habour these feelings may think themselves quite humble, they are instead the opposite.

In the end we must ask ourselves, what wolf are you feeding?

What The Saints Say About Our Lady

“Mary is the Divine Page on which the Father wrote the Word of God, His Son.”

--- St. Albert the Great

“Think often of the Blessed Virgin with love. Those who have received the grace to do so posses a great sign of predestination.”

--- St. Ambrose

“We cannot enter a house without first speaking to the porter. Similarly, we cannot enter heaven without calling upon the aid of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the Portress of Heaven.”

--- St. John Vianney

“When the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a soul, He flies to it. He enters therein and communicates Himself to that soul in abundance.”

--- St. Louis de Montfort

“The purer are your words and your glances, the more pleasing will you be to the Blessed Virgin. And the greater will be the graces that she will obtain for you from her Divine Son.”

---St. John Bosco

“Those who burn with the fire of Divine Love are children of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and wherever they go they enkindle that flame. Nothing distresses them; they rejoice in poverty, labor strenuously, welcome hardships, laugh off false accusations, and rejoice in anguish.”

--- St. Anthony Claret

“The Blessed Virgin once said to me: ‘You think that I obtained grace and virtue without effort. Know that I received no graces from God without great labor, constant prayer, ardent desires, and many tears and mortifications.”

--- St. Elizabeth of Hungary

“Mary would never have found such grace had she not been moderate in food. For grace and gluttony cannot exist together. Blessed are those who abandon themselves into Our Lady’s hands. Their names are written in the Book of Life.”

--- St. Bonaventure

“In heaven Mary remains always in the presence of her Divine Son. There she is continually praying on behalf of sinners.”

---St. Bede

“The Holy Spirit did not describe Mary in the Gospels but left it to you to picture her in your heart. In this way, you might comprehend that there is no grace, no perfection, and no glory conceivable in a simple creature that is lacking to her.”

--- St. Thomas of Villanova

Saint Quote-St John of the Cross

At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity.

~St. John of the Cross

Inspirational Quote

The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects of others.

Saint Quote-Saint Francis de Sales

"Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset. If you find that you have wandered away from the shelter of God, lead your heart back to Him quietly and simply."

~ St. Francis de Sales