Christian Saints

"If we truly think of Christ as our source of holiness, we shall refrain from anything wicked or impure in thought or act and thus show ourselves to be worthy bearers of his name. For the quality of holiness is shown not by what we say but by what we do in life."

"Who gives you the day will give you also the things necessary for the day."

"Every concept that comes from some comprehensible image, by an approximate understanding and by guessing at the Divine nature, constitutes an idol of God and does not proclaim God."

"People who look down from some high peak on a vast sea below, probably feel what my mind has felt, looking out from the sublime words of the Lord as from a mountain-top at the inexhaustible depth of their meaning."

"Indeed, it was for this that intelligent beings came into existence; namely, that the riches of the Divine blessings should not lie idle. The All-creating Wisdom fashioned these souls, these receptacles with free wills, as vessels as it were, for this very purpose, that there should be some capacities able to receive His blessings and become continually larger with the inpouring of the stream."

"As virtue is a thing that has no master, that is, is free, everything that is free will be united with virtue."

"Evil will come to nought and will be completely destroyed. The divine, pure goodness will contain in itself every nature endowed with reason; nothing made by God is excluded from his kingdom once everything mixed with some elements of base material has been consumed by refinement in fire."

"He knew everything in Scriptures and used to quote it by heart; he knew even its most arcane and difficult passages."

"Si quaeris miracula, Mors, error, calamitas, Daemon, lepra fugiunt, Aegri surgunt sani. Cedunt mare, vincula: Membra resque, perditas Petunt et accipiunt Iuvenes et cani. Pereunt pericula, Cessat et necessitas: Narrent hi, qui sentiunt, Dicant Paduani."

"Sicut turris defendit castrum sic humilitas cordis defendit castitatem corporis a iaculis fornicationis."

"Sollicitudo mentem distrahit, distractam dividit, divisam diabolus rapit, et sic animam interficit."

"Sicut radix portat arborem, sic humilitas animam. Spiritus humilitatis est super mel dulcis, quo qui regitur dulcia poma facit."

"Stellae sunt sancti, quos Christus sub signaculo suae providentiae claudit, ne appareant quando velint, semper parati ad tempus a Deo statutum, ut, cum audierint aure cordis vocem iubentis, a secreto contemplationis egrediantur ad opera necessitatis."

"Vivo y viviré por la Iglesia; vívo y moriré por ella."

"God's great work in man takes place in the Interior. The order that appears and is shown outside is the work and effect of the order inside."

"Now for the other union. The first one sees God as infinitely lovable and beautiful; its aim is the contemplation of his attributes and perfections. The second union sees him as the creator, conserver, governor, redeemer, glorifier and vivifier of the whole world. At certain moments, the spirit of the Lord will move and lead you towards this second union and you have to cooperate. He will be presented to you as the Lord, king and governor of the world, the Lord God of hosts, and wil take you to objects resembling this presence. Since the first union is not strengthened or prefected or completed except in the second, you need to start by this."

"When you feel restless, sad, sorrowful and embittered, look for the cause, and if it is not worth being sorry about (and nothing that does not offend God is worth being sorry about), get rid of your anxiety; if you do not see the causes but feel restless and dissatisfied all the same, put up with it, arm yourself with patience, let the storm pass, and your inner peace will return. This union, my sister, demands a heart at peace, calm, unalterable, like some place in heaven, and we can and must acquire it fighting hard whatever threatens if from outside ourselves."

"When you examine your conscience (attention to what I am going to tell you) do not go too far; look at it as we look at the seashore from the top of the Alps or the Pyrenees, lightly, without going into details. If you do not see anything clearly and certainly wrong, go ahead and be at peace with your God. Mind this, I repeat, and do tell me how you are faring, because the devil could trick you and do you serious hard with his false doctrine and suggestions. This union produces peace of mind; then search for peace. Let nothing disturb you, be it good or bad."

"The soul looks to God under two aspects or forms: First as the object of all its affections, or as an infinitely good and lovable being, and this imagine robs the heart; and insofar as he is good, infinitely beautiful, this is, infinitely perfect, he captures our intellectual vision, our thoughts and meditations. In this regard, the theological virtues and their gifts cause God and the soul to become on single thing through love and purity of thoughts. While this divine union takes place primarily and mainly in the soul, all the other virtues are like aids, attendants and armies of that guard, assist and protect this work. This is the love of God for the soul and the love of the soul for God."

"The three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity , aided by the highest and most sublime gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as understanding, wisdom, knowledge, and counsel, unite the creature, the human spirit, with his God, the souls with the Word of God. It is this sacred union that you must seek, hold and possess; in it lie the spiritual life, health and strength, and from it originate all the other virtues."

"Hi sunt, quos timent etiam qui timentur."

"Ex hoc barbaricis abacta plectris spernit senipedem stilum Thalia, ex quo septipedes videt patronos."

"Quid me, etsi valeam, parare carmen Fescenninicolae iubes Diones inter crinigeras situm catervas et Germanica verba sustinentem, laudantem tetrico subinde vultu quod Burgundio cantat esculentus infundens acido comam butyro?"

"Mors obruit illos, non timor; invicti perstant animoque supersunt jam prope post animam."

"O neccessitas abiecta nascendi, vivendi misera dura moriendi."

"Nam qui maxume doctus sibi videtur, dictionem sanam et insanam ferme appetitu pari revolvit, non amplius concupiscens erecta quae laudet quam despecta quae rideat. atque in hunc modum scientia pompa proprietas linguae Latinae iudiciis otiosorum maximo spretui est, quorum scurrilitati neglegentia comes hoc volens tantum legere, quod carpat, sic non utitur litteris, quod abutitur."

"Thou who wouldest that we overcome evil with good, and pray for those who persecute us, have pity on mine enemies, Lord, as on myself; and lead them together with me to Thy heavenly kingdom. Thou who grantest the prayers of Thy servants one for another, remember, Lord, for good, and pity all those who remember me in their, prayers, or whom I have promised to remember in mine. Thou who acceptest diligence in every good work, remember, Lord, as if they prayed to Thee, those who for any good reason give not time to prayer."

"Master Lillies immoderate commending him, by little and little I was drawne on to bee an auditor of his: since when, whensoever I heard him, I thought it was but hard and scant allowance that was giv'n him, in comparison of the incomparable gifts that were in him."

"It is only when we have saturated ourselves in his prose, followed the movement of his thought, that we find his examination of words terminating in the ecstasy of assent. Andrewes takes a word and derives the world from it; squeezing and squeezing the word until it yields a full juice of meaning which we should never have supposed any word to possess. In this process the qualities which we have mentioned, of ordonnance and precision, are exercised."

"This reverend shadow cast that setting Sun, Whose glorious course through our Horrizon run, Left the dimme face of this dull Hemisphaeare, All one great eye, all drown'd in one great Teare. Whose faire illustrious soule, led his free thought Through Learnings Universe, and (vainely) sought Roome for her spatious selfe, untill at length Shee found the way home, with an holy strength Snathc't herself hence, to Heaven: fill'd a bright place, Mongst those immortall fires, and on the face Of her great Maker fixt her flaming eye, There still to read true pure divinity. And now that grave aspect hath deign'd to shrinke Into this lesse appearance; If you thinke, Tis but a dead face, Art doth here bequeath: looke on the following leaves, and see him breath."

"The bishop of Chichester is appointed to aunswer Bellarmin about the oth of allegeaunce, which taske I doubt how he will undertake and performe, beeing so contrarie to his disposition and course to meddle with controversies."

"I have read and daily read this work [Responsio ad ‘Apologiam’ Card. Bellarmine] in which sincere piety contends for the first place with varied learning and a certain most sweet elegance... Truly wretched Cardinal, who has thus found in his effete old age an antagonist full of genius, rare erudition, and eloquence... If there is any sense of shame left in him I do not think he will ever again dare to descend into the arena with this adversary—certe enim impar congressus Achilli."

"I had dinner to-day with the Bishop of Ely [Andrewes] and heard him read chapter VIII of his book [Responsio ad ‘Apologiam’ Card. Bellarmine]. It is wonderful with what elegance this most learned man confutes the theological scum, the folly, and sometimes the impious blasphemies of Bellarmine."

"We then remembering, O sovereign Lord, in the presence of Thy holy mysteries, the salutary passion of Thy Christ, His life‑giving cross, most precious death, three days’ sepulture, resurrection from the dead, ascent into heaven, session at the right hand of Thee, the Father, His fearful and glorious coming; we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we, receiving in the pure testimony of our conscience, our portion of Thy sacred things, may be made one with the holy Body and Blood of Thy Christ; and receiving them not unworthily, we may hold Christ indwelling in our hearts, and may become a temple of Thy Holy Spirit."

"Blessed, and praised, and celebrated, and magnified, and exalted, and glorified, and hallowed, be Thy Name, O Lord, its record, and its memory, and every memorial of it; for the all-honourable senate of the Patriarchs, the ever‑venerable band of the Prophets, the all‑glorious college of the Apostles, the Evangelists, the all-illustrious army of the Martyrs, the Confessors, the assembly of Doctors, the Ascetics, the beauty of Virgins, for Infants the delight of the world,— for their faith, their hope, their labours, their truth; their blood, their zeal, their diligence, their tears, their purity; their beauty. Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee, glory to Thee who didst glorify them, among whom we too glorify Thee."

"The power of the Father guide me, the wisdom of the Son enlighten me, the working of the Spirit quicken me. Guard Thou my soul, stablish my body, elevate my senses, direct my converse, form my habits, bless my actions, fulfil my prayers, inspire holy thoughts, pardon the past, correct the present, prevent the future."

"I believe that Thou hast created me; despise not the work of Thine own hands;— that Thou madest me after Thine image and likeness, suffer not Thy likeness to be blotted out;— that Thou host redeemed me in Thy blood, suffer not the cost of that redemption to perish; that Thou host called me Christian after Thy name, disdain not Thine own title; that Thou host hallowed me in regeneration; destroy not Thy holy work;— than Thou halt grafted me into the good olive‑tree, the member of a mystical body; the member of Thy mystical body, cut not off. O think upon Thy servant as concerning Thy word, wherein Thou hast caused me to put my trust. My soul hath longed for Thy salvation, and I have good hope because of Thy word."

"Fill our garners with all manner of store; preserve our marriages in peace and concord, nourish our infants, lead forward our youth, sustain our aged, comfort the weak‑hearted, gather together the scattered, restore the wanderers, and knit them to Thy Holy Catholic Apostolic Church...Be, Lord, within me to strengthen me, without me to guard me, over me to shelter me, beneath me to stablish me, before me to guide me, after me to forward me, round about me to secure me."

"Perfect for me what is lacking of faith, of hope of Thy gifts, help Thou mine unbelief, establish my trembling hope, of love kindle its smoking flax. Shed abroad Thy love in my heart, so that I may love Thee, my friend in Thee, my enemy for Thee. O Thou who givest grace to the humble-minded, also give me grace to be humble-minded."

"Let us pray to God...for the Catholic Church, its establishment and increase; for the Eastern, its deliverance and union; for the Western, its adjustment and peace; for the British, the supply of what is wanting in it, the strengthening of what remains in it; for the episcopate, presbytery, Christian people...for all whom I have promised to remember in my prayers; or from mutual offices, for all who remember me in their prayers, and ask of me the same; or from stress of engagements, for all who on sufficient reasons fail to call upon Thee; for all who have no intercessor in their own behalf..."

"But because in the Sacrament all those doe meete together, therefore nothing so availeable to take away sinne, as the touching of bread and wine, with our lips."

"A cold coming they had of it at this time of the year, just the worst time of the year to take a journey, and specially a long journey. The ways deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off, in solstitio brumali, ‘the very dead of winter’."

"Gildas's On the Ruin of Britain is not an attempt at a reasoned account of his times: it is...a brilliant vitriolic diatribe on the wickedness of all things British and the virtue of all things Roman. It is a sermon, obscure, learned and immensely difficult to read, almost as though the writer's pen were choked with the fury of his words."

"Considering the avowed purpose of his work, which is rather hortatory than historical, we are fortunate indeed to be given so much first-hand information by this embittered preacher."

"Prae aliis itaque Britanniae scriptoribus, solus mihi Gildas...imitabilis esse videtur."

"Interea non cessant uncinata nudorum tela, quibus miserrimi cives de muris tracti solo allidebantur."

"Interea glaciali figore rigenti insulae et velut longiore terrarum secessu soli visibili non proximae verus ille non de firmamento solum temporali sed de summa etiam caelorum arce tempora cuncta excedente universo orbi praefulgidum sui coruscum ostendens, tempore, ut scimus, summo Tiberii Caesaris, quo absque ullo impedimento delatoribus militum eiusdem, radios suos primum indulget, id est sua praecepta, Christus."

"Et tacens vetustos immanium tyrannorum annos, qui in aliis longe positis regionibus vulgati sunt, it ut Porphyrius rabidus orientalis adversus ecclesiam canis dementiae suae ac vanitatis stilo hoc etiam adnecteret: "Britannia", inquiens, "fertilis provincia tyrannorum"."

"Igitur rursum miserae mittentes epistolas reliquiae ad Agitium Romanae potestatis virum, hoc modo loquentes: "Agitio ter consuli gemitus Britannorum"; et post pauca querentes: "repellunt barbari ad mare, repellit mare ad barbaros; inter haec duo genera funerum aut iugulamur aut mergimur"."

"Tum erumpens grex catulorum de cubili laeanae barbarae, tribus, ut lingua eius exprimitur, cyulis, nostra longis navibus."