Quotations and Prayers from the Saints

Friday, 13 April 2012

  • St. Angela Merici, Foundress Of The Ursulines

    St. Angela Merici, Foundress Of The Ursulines

    Each one of the sisters should be solicitous about prayer, mental as well as vocal, that is a companion to fasting. For Scripture says prayer is good with fasting. As by fasting we mortify the carna appetites and the senses, so by prayer we beg God for the true grace of spiritual life. Thus, from the great need we have of divine aid, we must pray always with mind and heart, as it is written, "Pray constantly" (1 Th 5:17). To all we counsel frequent vocal prayer that prepares the mind by exercising the bodily senses. So each one of you, every day will say with devotion and attention at least the Office of the Blessed Virgin and the seven penitential psalms (Ps 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143) because in saying the office we are speaking with God.

    To afford matter and some method in mental prayer, we exhort each other to raise her mind to God and to exercise herself in it every day. And so in the secret of her heart, let her say:

    "My Savior, illumine the darkness of my heart, and grant me grace rather to die than to offend your Divine Majesty any more. Guard, O Lord, my affections and my senses, that they may not stray, nor lead me away from the light of your ace, the satisfaction of every afflicted heart.

    "I ask you, Lord, to receive all my self-will that by the infection of sin is unable to distinguis good from evil. Receive, O Lord, all my thoughts, words, and deeds, interior and exterior, that I lay at the feet of your Divine Majesty. Although I am utterly unworthy, I beseech you to accept all my being."

    - St. Angela Merici



     

     

     

Thursday, 12 April 2012

  • More Wisdom From Blessed Angela Of Foligno

    More Wisdom From Blessed Angela Of Foligno

    I was inspired with the thought that if I wanted to go to the cross, I would need to strip myself in order to be lighter and go naked to it. This would entail forgiving all who had offended me, stripping myself of everything worldly, of all attachments to men and women, of my friends and relatives, and everyone else, and likewise, of my possessions and of my very self. Then I would be free to give my heart to Christ from whom I had received so many graces, and to walk along the thorny path, that is, the path of tribulation.

    - Blessed Angela of Foligno



     

Tuesday, 10 April 2012

  • Wisdom From Blessed Angela Of Foligno: Pray!

    Wisdom From Blessed Angela Of Foligno

    No one can be saved without divine light. Divine light causes us to begin and to make progress, and it leads us to the summit of perfection. Therefore if you want to begin and to receive this divine light, pray. If you have begun to make progress, pray. And if you have reached the summit of perfection, and want to be super-illumined so as to remain in that state, pray.

    If you want faith, pray. If you want hope. Pray. If you want charity, pray. If you want poverty, pray. If you want obedience, pray. If you want chastity, pray. If you want humility, pray. If you want meekness, pray. If you want fortitude, pray. If you want any virtue, pray.

    And pray in this fashion: always reading the Book of Life, that is, the life of the God-man, Jesus Christ, whose life consisted of poverty, pain, contempt, and true obedience.

    - Blessed Angela of Foligno



     

  • Wisdom From Blessed Anne Mary Taigi

    Wisdom From Blessed Anne Mary Taigi

    The practices of mortification should be moderated by prudence and a wise director's advice because the devil often urges a soul to excessive penances to tire her and render her unfit for the service of God and the fulfillment of her duties.

    - Blessed Anne Mary Taigi

     

     

  • Blessed Pope John XXIII: Prayer To Jesus In The Blessed Sacrament

    Blessed Pope John XXIII: Prayer To Jesus In The Blessed Sacrament

     

    O Jesus, divine Food of the soul, this immense concourse turns to you. It wishes to give to its human and Christian vocation a new, vigorous power of interior virtue, and to be ready for sacrifice, of which you were such a wonderful pattern in word and in example.

     

    You are our elder Brother; you have trodden our path before us, O Christ Jesus, the path of every one of us; you have forgiven all our sins; you inspire us each and all to give a nobler, more convinced and more active example of Christian life.

     

    O Jesus, our true Bread, and the only substantial Food for our souls, gather all the peoples around your table. Your altar is divine reality on earth, the pledge of heavenly favour, the assurance of a just understanding among peoples, and of peaceful rivalry in the true progress of civilization.

     

    Nourished by you and with you, O Jesus, men will be strong in faith, joyful in hope, and active in the many varied expressions of charity.

     

    Our wills will know how to overcome the snares of evil, the temptations of selfishness, the listlessness of sloth. And the eyes of men who love and fear the Lord will behold the vision of the land of the living, of which the wayfaring Church militant is the image, enabling the whole earth to hear the first sweet and mysterious voice of the City of God.

     

    O Jesus, feed us and guard us, and grant that we may see the good things in the land of the living! Amen.

     

    - Blessed Pope John XXIII

     

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

  • St. Aelred Quotation On Spiritual Friendship

    St. Aelred Of Rievaulx
    Quotation On Spiritual Friendship

    It is no small consolation in this life to have someone who can unite with you in an intimate affection and the embrace of a holy love. Someone in whom your spirit can rest, to whom you can pour out your soul, to whose pleasant exchanges, as to soothing songs, you can fly in sorrow. To the dear breast of whose friendship, amidst the many troubles of the world, you can safely retire. A person who can shed tears with you in your worries, be happy with you when things go well, search out with you the answers to your problems, whom with the ties of charity you can lead into the depths of your heart. A person who, though absent in body, is yet present in spirit, where heart to heart you can talk to him, where the sweetness of the Spirit flows between you, where you so join yourself and cleave to him that soul mingles with soul and two become one.

    And so praying to Christ for your friend, and longing to be heard by Christ for your friend's sake, you reach out with devotion and desire to Christ himself. And suddenly and insensibly, as though touched by the gentleness of Christ close at hand, you begin to taste how sweet he is is and to feel how lovely he is. Thus from that holy love with which you embrace your friend, you rise to that love by which you embrace Christ.

    - St. Aelred of Rievaulx




Monday, 30 January 2012

  • St. Pio of Pietrelcina: Why We Are Alive

    St. Pio of Pietrelcina:
    Why We Are Alive

    Why are we alive? After our consecration through baptism, we belong to Jesus Christ. Therefore every Christian soul should be familiar with the saying of the holy apostle,  "To me to live is Christ" [Philippians 1:21]. I live through Jesus Christ, I live for his glory, I live to serve him, I live to love him. When God brings our lives to an end, the sentiment or feeling that we should have is exactly the feeling of someone who receives a reward after working hard or a crown after battle.

    - St. Pio of Pietrelcina




  • Currently
    The Practice of the Presence of God and The Spiritual Maxims
    By Brother Lawrence
    see related

    Classic Brother Lawrence Quotation On Prayer

    Classic Brother Lawrence
    Quotation On Prayer

    A little lifting of the heart suffices; a little remembrance of God, one act of inward worship are prayers which, however short, are nevertheless acceptable to God.

    - Brother Lawrence



  • Currently
    Gabrieli: Symphoniae sacrae II, 1615
    see related

    Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Quotations For January 30, 2012

    Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Quotations
    January 30, 2012.

    Charity begins today. Today somebody is suffering, today somebody is in the street, today somebody is hungry. Our work is for today, yesterday has gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, sheltered. Do not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will not have them if we do not feed them today.

    ***

    Sometime ago, a woman came with her child to me and said, 'Mother, I went to two or three places to beg for food, for we have not eaten for three days but they told me that I was young and that I should work and earn my living. No one gave me anything.' I went to get some food for her and by the time I returned, the baby in her arms had died of hunger.

    ***

    Everything starts from prayer. Without asking God for love, we cannot possess love and still less are we able to give it to others. Just as people today are speaking so much about the poor but they do not know or talk to the poor, we too cannot talk so much about prayer and yet not know how to pray.

    ***

    How do we learn to pray? When Jesus was asked by his disciples how to pray, He did not teach them any methods or techniques. He said that we should speak to God as our Father, a loving Father. Let us say this prayer and live it:

    Our Father who art in heaven
    Hallowed be thy name
    Thy kingdom come
    Thy will be done on earth
    as it is in Heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread
    And forgive us our trespasses
    As we forgive them that trespass against us
    And lead us not into temptation
    But deliver us from evil

    - Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta


Sunday, 29 January 2012

Saturday, 28 January 2012

  • St. Jane Frances de Chantal Quotation About Prayer

    St. Jane Frances de Chantal About Prayer

    Follow your own way of speaking to our Lord sincerely, lovingly, confidently, and simply, as your heart dictates.

    - St. Jane Frances de Chantal





  • St. Basil Quotation, January 28, 2012.

    Saint Basil Quotation
    January 28, 2012.

    The reason why sometimes you have asked and not received, is because you have asked amiss, either inconsistently, or lightly, or because you have asked for what was not good for you, or because you have ceased asking.

    - St. Basil





  • St. Ignatius Loyola Quotation

    St. Ignatius Loyola Quotation

    Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.

    - St. Ignatius Loyola





  • Currently
    Corrette:Les Six Symphonies De Noel
    By La Fantasia
    see related

    Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Quotations For January 28, 2012

    Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Quotations
    January 28, 2012    .

    Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet, especially your family. Be holy -- let us pray.

    ***

    Lord give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will find joy in humouring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers. O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.

    ***

    It is not enough for us to say 'I love God.' I also have to love my neighbour. In the Scriptures, St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you do not love your neighbour. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbour whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And he uses a very big word. 'You are a liar.' It is one of those words that is frightening to read, and yet it is really true.

    ***

    It is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes to not harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.

    - Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta



Tuesday, 08 November 2011

  • Blessed Pope John XXIII: Peace In The Home

    Blessed Pope John XXIII:
    Peace In The Home

    Peace is first found and enjoyed in the family, in a man's home. To obtain this we need understanding and generosity because even where there is mutual affection, there is always something to cause displeasure to one member or another. So patience is required, holy patience, the source of happiness; we must know how to correct our own characters, and moderate those desires which do not always conform to the divine law. The Redeemer came to teach us to live good honest lives as individuals, in our families and in the social order of cities, nations and the whole world.

    The gift of peace is immensely precious for the human family. Every priest, every bishop, and the pope in particular, prays for this with great confidence in God. The good wishes of the Chief Shepherd and of all the other shepherds of God's church are in this: "Peace be with you!" and this prayer rises, ever more longing, and more widely spread throughout the world. The enthusiastic and magnificent response of all believers finds its expression in a vast program of labor and life. "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14-14).

    - Blessed Pope John XXIII

Monday, 07 November 2011

  • Blessed Pope John XXIII: The Feast Of St. Anthony Of Padua

    Blessed Pope John XXIII:
    The Feast Of St. Anthony Of Padua

    The seed of grace sown in St. Anthony of Padua at his baptism, and the infused virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which he later received -- as all Christians do -- bore most abundant fruit for God. Ever faithful to the indelible mark he had received, he became transformed into the likeness of God, proceeding "from one degree of glory to the other, for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (cf. II Cor. 3. 18), so that everyone felt the compelling charm of his personality, of one who lived for Christ. As the Apostle said: "We are the aroma of Christ to God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (II Cor. 2. 15).

    So this is for you too an essential duty: to live according to the promises made when you were baptized, in willing fidelity to divine grace, and to draw all to Christ, who is the source of truth, of purification and of perfection.

    Everyone must act according to the promptings of grace and his own personal calling, but all must share the same firm resolve to bear witness to the Divine Founder of Christianity, and this is essentially the life of God in men, and men's expectation of the life of heaven.

    Anthony's mission was pleasing to God. The proof of this is seen in the extraordinary manifestations of divine power which were visible throughout his life. We cannot all expect this for ourselves, but certainly to be allowed to share in the work for the kingdom of heaven is already a great privilege, and a miracle in itself. And this is what the Church expects from you; this is the mandate entrusted to you today by St. Peter's humble succesor.

    You will always be able to carry on the apostolate of a good example, in a world that is not ashamed to offer bad examples but needs good ones, and very good ones, from all who profess the Christian faith. Do this without fear, and graciously, in order to spread around you the warmth of your convictions and the serenity of your faith.

    - Blessed Pope John XXIII

Sunday, 06 November 2011

  • Blessed Pope John Paul II: You Are My Brothers And Sisters In A Special Way

    Blessed Pope John Paul II:
    You Are My Brothers And Sisters In A Special Way

    Dearest brothers and sisters,

    I wish to greet from my heart all the sick, the bedridden, and the handicapped in the name of the Lord Jesus, who was himself "a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief."

    I would like to greet you one by one, bless you all individually, and speak to you -- to each of you individually -- about Jesus Christ, who took on himself the suffering of mankind in order to bring salvation to the whole world. God loves you as his honored children. You are unique for two reasons: through the love of Christ who unites us and, in particular, because you have a profound role in the mystery of the Cross and the redemption of Jesus.

    Thank you for the sufferings that you endure in your body and in your heart. Thank you for your example of acceptance, patience, and union with Christ who suffers. Thank you, because "you complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body."

    May the peace and joy of the Lord Jesus be with you always.

    - Blessed Pope John Paul II the Great

    UNITED STATES
    OCTOBER 5, 1979
      

  • Blessed Pope John XXIII: Sing To God

    Blessed Pope John XXIII:
    Sing To God

    St. Paul encouraged the faithful Colossians, who were rather remote from the great centres, to find joy in the singing of the Psalms: "Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col. 3. 16).

    In fact, in the early centuries the Christian communities were heartened by the Old Testament canticles, and by those prayers said in common which were afterwards added to the Psalter, and which are alive with the same inspiration and express a more extended effort to rise towards Jesus, the Divine Word that has become the first member of the human family, reformed and regenerated in the sacrifice of the divine Blood.

    When this way of praying, which is all contemplation, was set in an order better adapted to the increasingly numerous and extended opportunities of the Christian ministry, the Psalms kept all their liturgical importance, thus demonstrating the truth of what St. Ambrose so well described in his admirable introduction to his commentary on the first Psalms (Migne, PL, 14, 963). . . :

    "The Psalm is the people's blessing, the praise of God, the exaltation of humble folk, the joyful song of the Church, the ancient avowal of faith, the height of happiness. It calms anger, soothes anxiety, alleviates suffering. It is our safety by night, our guide in daylight hours: a pledge of peace and concord, like the lyre which mingles many notes in a single chord. It greets the rising day and makes the evening holy."

    - Blessed Pope John XXIII




Friday, 04 November 2011

  • Blessed Pope John Paul: The Cross Is The Instrument Of Redemption

    Blessed Pope John Paul the Great:
    The Cross Is The Instrument Of Redemption
     
    The Church places great trust in the contribution of your prayers and your sufferings. They constitute a precious treasure that is drawn on by the entire community of believers, which is in need of light and support. Always have a lively consciousness of the important role that you are called on to play in the mystical body of Christ.
     
    If the sufferings brought on by illness are your cross, do not refuse to embrace it with strength of spirit, as Jesus did during the journey on the Via Crucis and on Calvary, for you and for the world, the Cross is the instrument of Redemption and salvation. Offer your suffering for the benefit of the Church.
     
    Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you will regain your health, so that you may return home and take up your occupations. Your loved ones await you, and you can still do so much for them.
     
    Yet, as long as illness keeps you in the hospital, learn how to make this time spiritually valuable. I wish to leave you today with an assignment: collaborate with Christ and the Church, collaborate with the Pope in his ministry in the service of the people of God. Be near me with the offering of your sacrifices, in which the saving power of Christ's Cross is active. For your solidarity, for your support, I am profoundly grateful.
     
    - Blessed Pope John Paul the Great
     
    MESTRE,
    JUNE 17, 1985.





PrayersOfTheSaints

Archives

Don't worry - your calendar is here… to see it in action just click "Save" above and refresh the page.

About Me

  • The Saints are your big brothers and sisters in the Lord and they love YOU! As they behold the Beatific Vision, they also see your sufferings, trials, tears, fears, and hidden crosses, and they care about YOU deeply, in union with the Holy Trinity. They are more fully alive and more fully loving than they were even here upon earth. They are with God, and to be with God means to love you as He loves you, and that is deeply, unconditionally, radically, affectionately, and lavishly. My aim in publishing this blog is to remind all of us that when the circumstances of our lives leave us feeling alone - abandoned - forsaken by family and friends, the Lord God has given us - you and me - the communion of Saints to cheer us on, to intercede for us, to encourage us by the example of their lives, and most of all to point us to Jesus. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! YOU ARE PART OF GOD'S FAMILY!!!

Pulse

PrayersOfTheSaints has no pulse!...