Saint Padre Pio on virtues:
“Give me and preserve in me an ardent faith.”
“I desire no greater pleasure than my faith, my hope, and my love.”
“I have never regretted being gentle.”
“Gentleness doesn’t mean permissiveness.”
“Even when reprimanding, one must be courteous and gentle.”
“We must always have kindness with the neighbor and humility with God.”
“I cannot tolerate criticizing and speaking ill of our neighbor.”
“I would prefer to be stabbed rather than offend anyone.”
“Strong and generous hearts do not complain.”
“As the pearls are held together by the thread, thus the virtues by charity”
“The pearls fall when the thread breaks, thus the virtues are lost if charity diminishes.”
“The pivot of perfection is charity; He who lives in charity lives in God, because God is charity, as the Apostle says.”
“Excuse everyone with Christian charity.”
“Seek solitude but do not lack charity with your neighbor.”
“Charity is the yardstick with which the Lord will judge us all.”
“Go out of your way when you get a chance to act charitably.”
“To lack charity is to wound the pupil of God’s eye.”
“To lack charity is like sinning against nature.”
“Charity is the daughter of Providence.”
“Charity knows how to mix sweet with bitter, and convert transitory suffering in eternal reward.”
“Charity is the cornerstone of perfection.”
“Charity is the queen of virtues.”
“Humility is truth. Everything good in me is of God.”
“False humility brings discouragement.”
“When Jesus sees you prostrated in humility, he will extend his hand and draw you to him.”
“Humility is the recognition of one’s abjection.”
“God speaks to those who truly have a humble heart.”
‘When you fall, humble yourself but without degrading yourself.”
“Abjection means to be humble and powerless.”
“Mary, the more she was filled with heavenly gifts, the more she humbled.”
“The tall ears of grain are vain and empty; the ones bent to the ground are humble and laden with grain.”
“Be humble, tranquil, sweet, and confident in times of darkness.”
“Consider yourself what you really are: a nothing.”
“Never be pleased with yourself.”
"Humility and charity go hand in hand. The one glorifies, the other sanctifies."
“There are two fundamental virtues of holiness: humility and charity.”
“Prudence has the eyes and love the legs: with them you can run to God.”
“Tranquility is the daughter of the love for God.”
“Let’s keep well etched in our mind what the Divine Teacher says: “In our patience we will possess our soul.”
“Wait, your turn will come.”
“Guard jealously the purity of your heart and your body.”
#padrepio #quote #virtues #moraltheology
“Give me and preserve in me an ardent faith.”
“I desire no greater pleasure than my faith, my hope, and my love.”
“I have never regretted being gentle.”
“Gentleness doesn’t mean permissiveness.”
“Even when reprimanding, one must be courteous and gentle.”
“We must always have kindness with the neighbor and humility with God.”
“I cannot tolerate criticizing and speaking ill of our neighbor.”
“I would prefer to be stabbed rather than offend anyone.”
“Strong and generous hearts do not complain.”
“As the pearls are held together by the thread, thus the virtues by charity”
“The pearls fall when the thread breaks, thus the virtues are lost if charity diminishes.”
“The pivot of perfection is charity; He who lives in charity lives in God, because God is charity, as the Apostle says.”
“Excuse everyone with Christian charity.”
“Seek solitude but do not lack charity with your neighbor.”
“Charity is the yardstick with which the Lord will judge us all.”
“Go out of your way when you get a chance to act charitably.”
“To lack charity is to wound the pupil of God’s eye.”
“To lack charity is like sinning against nature.”
“Charity is the daughter of Providence.”
“Charity knows how to mix sweet with bitter, and convert transitory suffering in eternal reward.”
“Charity is the cornerstone of perfection.”
“Charity is the queen of virtues.”
“Humility is truth. Everything good in me is of God.”
“False humility brings discouragement.”
“When Jesus sees you prostrated in humility, he will extend his hand and draw you to him.”
“Humility is the recognition of one’s abjection.”
“God speaks to those who truly have a humble heart.”
‘When you fall, humble yourself but without degrading yourself.”
“Abjection means to be humble and powerless.”
“Mary, the more she was filled with heavenly gifts, the more she humbled.”
“The tall ears of grain are vain and empty; the ones bent to the ground are humble and laden with grain.”
“Be humble, tranquil, sweet, and confident in times of darkness.”
“Consider yourself what you really are: a nothing.”
“Never be pleased with yourself.”
"Humility and charity go hand in hand. The one glorifies, the other sanctifies."
“There are two fundamental virtues of holiness: humility and charity.”
“Prudence has the eyes and love the legs: with them you can run to God.”
“Tranquility is the daughter of the love for God.”
“Let’s keep well etched in our mind what the Divine Teacher says: “In our patience we will possess our soul.”
“Wait, your turn will come.”
“Guard jealously the purity of your heart and your body.”
#padrepio #quote #virtues #moraltheology
Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer.
When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast
St. Philip Neri
#virtues
When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast
St. Philip Neri
#virtues
'Why is He so little in me?
Is it because I am not little enough, not humble enough. Therefore may I become more humble, may I humble myself, and Jesus will increase.
Grow, Jesus, grow in me, in my heart, in my spirit, my imagination, my senses, by your modesty, your purity, your humility, your zeal, your love. Grow with your grace, your light, your peace. Grow despite my resistance, my pride. Grow until you reach the fullness of human perfection. Grow as you did at Nazareth before God and before men, for the glory of your Father.'
St. Bernadette Soubirous
#quote #virtues
Is it because I am not little enough, not humble enough. Therefore may I become more humble, may I humble myself, and Jesus will increase.
Grow, Jesus, grow in me, in my heart, in my spirit, my imagination, my senses, by your modesty, your purity, your humility, your zeal, your love. Grow with your grace, your light, your peace. Grow despite my resistance, my pride. Grow until you reach the fullness of human perfection. Grow as you did at Nazareth before God and before men, for the glory of your Father.'
St. Bernadette Soubirous
#quote #virtues
On experiencing the fear of God
'If wounds in the body have been neglected and left unattended, they do not react to medicine when the doctors apply it to them; but if they have first been cleansed, then they respond to the action of the medicine and so are quickly healed. In the same way, if the soul is neglected and wholly covered with the leprosy of self-indulgence, it cannot experience the fear of God, however persistently it is warned of the terror and power of God's judgment. When, however, through great attentiveness the soul begins to be purified, it also begins to experience the fear of God as a life-giving medicine which, through the reproaches it arouses in the conscience, burns the soul in the fire of dispassion. After this the soul is gradually cleansed until it is completely purified; its love increases as its fear diminishes, until it attains perfect love, in which there is no fear but only the complete dispassion which is energized by the glory of God.
St. Diadochos of Photiki
#virtues
'If wounds in the body have been neglected and left unattended, they do not react to medicine when the doctors apply it to them; but if they have first been cleansed, then they respond to the action of the medicine and so are quickly healed. In the same way, if the soul is neglected and wholly covered with the leprosy of self-indulgence, it cannot experience the fear of God, however persistently it is warned of the terror and power of God's judgment. When, however, through great attentiveness the soul begins to be purified, it also begins to experience the fear of God as a life-giving medicine which, through the reproaches it arouses in the conscience, burns the soul in the fire of dispassion. After this the soul is gradually cleansed until it is completely purified; its love increases as its fear diminishes, until it attains perfect love, in which there is no fear but only the complete dispassion which is energized by the glory of God.
St. Diadochos of Photiki
#virtues
'The deeper our humility, the higher will be our place in heaven
As Lucifer wished to raise himself to the highest place in heaven, and in punishment of his pride was cast into the depths of hell, so the soul that humbles herself most profoundly causes Satan to tremble and be confounded, and God exalts her to the glory of paradise.'
St. Paul of the Cross
#virtues #humility
As Lucifer wished to raise himself to the highest place in heaven, and in punishment of his pride was cast into the depths of hell, so the soul that humbles herself most profoundly causes Satan to tremble and be confounded, and God exalts her to the glory of paradise.'
St. Paul of the Cross
#virtues #humility
Christian Self-Love
by the Priests of the Congregation of St. Paul, 1893
Charity is indispensable. We must have it or we shall never see the face of God in heaven. Nothing whatever can take the place of it. And what is this charity? Charity is another name for love. The charity of God is, then, the same as the love of God. We must love God, or we shall not be united to Him for all eternity. This is what our Blessed Saviour said: "This is the first and greatest commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind and all thy strength."
But what does this love of God consist in? It consists chiefly in keeping faithfully God's commandments. When the young man asked our Lord, "What shall I do to enter into life?" the answer was, "Keep the commandments"; and St. John, inspired by the Holy Ghost, says: "This is the charity (or love) of God, that we keep the commandments."
This being so, I can express the meaning of my text by saying: "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and do not keep the commandments of God, I am become as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal." Yes, we may talk as eloquently as possible about the faith and our holy religion, and profess to love it, but if we at the same time violate the commandments, or any one of them wilfully, then we are hypocrites, the true love of God is not in us; it is all empty noise. The love of God is not in high-wrought feelings or in high-sounding phrases, but in the true disposition of obedience. When we begin to understand in the least what God is, then we should desire to possess Him, which is the same as possessing the Infinite good, and to obey Him in all things, that is, keep His commandments as well as we can. This is the true love of God, although we may be destitute of the feeling of love which we have naturally to our fellow-men whom we like.
If we faithfully keep God's commandments we pay Him true homage and worship--such as is acceptable to Him and worthy of Him. It is not the one who says, "Lord, Lord, that shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Brethren, let us not deceive ourselves. "Be not deceived, for God is not mocked." Many seem to deceive themselves, thinking they can put something else in the place of keeping God's commandments. One says to himself: I will go to Mass. I will repeat prayers while I am there. I will feel devout, but I will continue to drink. I shall get intoxicated from time to time without doubt, but God, seeing my devotion, will not be so hard on me. He will forgive this failing. Another says: I am tempted to impurity and to indulgence in lust. I cannot give this up; it is too much to ask of me; I will sin from time to time, but I will pray. I will go to Confession and Communion occasionally. God will overlook it. You deceive yourself. You have not charity, and without charity all the prayers, all the Masses, all the Confessions, and all the Communions in the world will profit you nothing.
Another says: I will fast; I will give alms; I will help to build churches and schools; I will feed the poor, but I cannot give up that sin that I am addicted to. The Apostle warns you that God will not make any such bargain with you. You must put away that sin; you must cease absolutely from every mortal sin, and not for a day or a week, but for your whole life. Let all your prayers, all your fasting, all your self-denial, all your thoughts, all your desires, during this holy season of Lent, be directed to this one end and object, to get this true charity of God, which will bring you without fail to your true home in heaven, where you shall be united by love to God and happy beyond all expression for the endless ages of eternity.
#charity #virtues
by the Priests of the Congregation of St. Paul, 1893
Charity is indispensable. We must have it or we shall never see the face of God in heaven. Nothing whatever can take the place of it. And what is this charity? Charity is another name for love. The charity of God is, then, the same as the love of God. We must love God, or we shall not be united to Him for all eternity. This is what our Blessed Saviour said: "This is the first and greatest commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind and all thy strength."
But what does this love of God consist in? It consists chiefly in keeping faithfully God's commandments. When the young man asked our Lord, "What shall I do to enter into life?" the answer was, "Keep the commandments"; and St. John, inspired by the Holy Ghost, says: "This is the charity (or love) of God, that we keep the commandments."
This being so, I can express the meaning of my text by saying: "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and do not keep the commandments of God, I am become as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal." Yes, we may talk as eloquently as possible about the faith and our holy religion, and profess to love it, but if we at the same time violate the commandments, or any one of them wilfully, then we are hypocrites, the true love of God is not in us; it is all empty noise. The love of God is not in high-wrought feelings or in high-sounding phrases, but in the true disposition of obedience. When we begin to understand in the least what God is, then we should desire to possess Him, which is the same as possessing the Infinite good, and to obey Him in all things, that is, keep His commandments as well as we can. This is the true love of God, although we may be destitute of the feeling of love which we have naturally to our fellow-men whom we like.
If we faithfully keep God's commandments we pay Him true homage and worship--such as is acceptable to Him and worthy of Him. It is not the one who says, "Lord, Lord, that shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." Brethren, let us not deceive ourselves. "Be not deceived, for God is not mocked." Many seem to deceive themselves, thinking they can put something else in the place of keeping God's commandments. One says to himself: I will go to Mass. I will repeat prayers while I am there. I will feel devout, but I will continue to drink. I shall get intoxicated from time to time without doubt, but God, seeing my devotion, will not be so hard on me. He will forgive this failing. Another says: I am tempted to impurity and to indulgence in lust. I cannot give this up; it is too much to ask of me; I will sin from time to time, but I will pray. I will go to Confession and Communion occasionally. God will overlook it. You deceive yourself. You have not charity, and without charity all the prayers, all the Masses, all the Confessions, and all the Communions in the world will profit you nothing.
Another says: I will fast; I will give alms; I will help to build churches and schools; I will feed the poor, but I cannot give up that sin that I am addicted to. The Apostle warns you that God will not make any such bargain with you. You must put away that sin; you must cease absolutely from every mortal sin, and not for a day or a week, but for your whole life. Let all your prayers, all your fasting, all your self-denial, all your thoughts, all your desires, during this holy season of Lent, be directed to this one end and object, to get this true charity of God, which will bring you without fail to your true home in heaven, where you shall be united by love to God and happy beyond all expression for the endless ages of eternity.
#charity #virtues
On poverty
St. Vincent Ferrer -'Treatise on the Spiritual Life'
He who aspires to be the director of others is bound to despise all earthly goods as so much dross, to accept of nothing but what a rigid necessity allows, and to suffer some inconvenience for the sake of poverty. A certain author observes: "To be poor is a thing which in itself merits no praise; but what renders it meritorious is the fact of loving poverty, and of suffering with joy, for Christ's sake, whatever wants poverty entails on us."
Unhappily, there are many who glory only in the name of poverty, who embrace it merely on the condition that they shall want for nothing. They desire to pass for the friends of poverty, but strenuously shun its daily accomplishments, viz. hunger and thirst, contempt and humiliation. Such is not the example given by Him Who, being sovereignly rich, became poor for our sakes. Such is not what we discover in the acts and instructions of the Apostles; neither is it the model that we find in the life of our Father St. Dominic: this requires no proof.
Ask nothing of any one, except when absolute necessity obliges you; neither accept the presents which people offer you, unless it be to distribute them among the poor. By acting thus, both they whose gifts you refuse, and they who hear of your disinterestedness, will be edified; thus will you the more easily lead them to despise the world and to relieve the poor.
All that is implied in the term necessity, may be reduced to a frugal diet and plain clothing, without caring to provide for the future, but having only what is needful for the wants of each day. I do not include among necessaries a goodly store of books; since, under this pretext, avarice not infrequently lurks. The books of the community, and those that may be borrowed, are sufficient to instruct you. He who would qualify himself in study, ought first of all to practice, with a humble heart, the lessons that have been taught him. If contrariwise, he contradicts these by a spirit of pride, he will never acquire the light of intelligence. Jesus Christ, who has taught us humility by His own example, conceals His truth from the proud, and reveals it only to the humble.
#virtues #spirituallife
St. Vincent Ferrer -'Treatise on the Spiritual Life'
He who aspires to be the director of others is bound to despise all earthly goods as so much dross, to accept of nothing but what a rigid necessity allows, and to suffer some inconvenience for the sake of poverty. A certain author observes: "To be poor is a thing which in itself merits no praise; but what renders it meritorious is the fact of loving poverty, and of suffering with joy, for Christ's sake, whatever wants poverty entails on us."
Unhappily, there are many who glory only in the name of poverty, who embrace it merely on the condition that they shall want for nothing. They desire to pass for the friends of poverty, but strenuously shun its daily accomplishments, viz. hunger and thirst, contempt and humiliation. Such is not the example given by Him Who, being sovereignly rich, became poor for our sakes. Such is not what we discover in the acts and instructions of the Apostles; neither is it the model that we find in the life of our Father St. Dominic: this requires no proof.
Ask nothing of any one, except when absolute necessity obliges you; neither accept the presents which people offer you, unless it be to distribute them among the poor. By acting thus, both they whose gifts you refuse, and they who hear of your disinterestedness, will be edified; thus will you the more easily lead them to despise the world and to relieve the poor.
All that is implied in the term necessity, may be reduced to a frugal diet and plain clothing, without caring to provide for the future, but having only what is needful for the wants of each day. I do not include among necessaries a goodly store of books; since, under this pretext, avarice not infrequently lurks. The books of the community, and those that may be borrowed, are sufficient to instruct you. He who would qualify himself in study, ought first of all to practice, with a humble heart, the lessons that have been taught him. If contrariwise, he contradicts these by a spirit of pride, he will never acquire the light of intelligence. Jesus Christ, who has taught us humility by His own example, conceals His truth from the proud, and reveals it only to the humble.
#virtues #spirituallife
Virginity - Perrin, Joseph Marie, O.P. & G_7135 (1).pdf
4.1 MB
"Virginity"
Authors: Perrin, Joseph Marie, O.P. & Gordon, Katherine
St. Thomas, when he considers the place given to chastity in St. Paul's list of these fruits,¹ sees attributed to it first, the human toil, second the seed whence the fruit will spring (he means the word of faith), lastly the divine savour which comes from above.
#virtues #chastity
Authors: Perrin, Joseph Marie, O.P. & Gordon, Katherine
St. Thomas, when he considers the place given to chastity in St. Paul's list of these fruits,¹ sees attributed to it first, the human toil, second the seed whence the fruit will spring (he means the word of faith), lastly the divine savour which comes from above.
#virtues #chastity