Good Readings: Quotes of St. John of Cross (translated into English)

1. “Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world disturb it.”
2. “The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great light.”
3. “Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the Spirit of love.”
4. “In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
5. “Take God for your spouse and friend and walk with him continually, and you will not sin and will learn to love, and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.”
6. “It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.”
7. “To saints, their very slumber is a prayer.”
8. “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”
9. “If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.”
10. “Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.”

Good Reading: Quotes from Saint Catherine of Siena (translated into Portuguese)

Avalia-se o bom soldado de cavalaria no campo da batalha.Também vossa alma tem de ser experimentada na luta das grandes dores.

 

Quem é perseguido e atribulado neste mundo, depois será saciado, consolado e iluminado na contemplação da divindade

 

Quem não ama a Deus, não lhe agradece.

 

Quem ama a si mesmo, não conhece a Deus, ardente chama de amor.

 

Sobretudo os sacerdotes, que Deus chama de “ungidos” (Sl 104,15; 2Rs 1,14), devem ser anjos, não homens!

 

O sacerdote desempenha o ofício dos anjos!

 

Há padres e religiosos cruéis consigo mesmos, amigos do demônio e companheiros dele antes da hora. São cruéis também com os outros, pois não amam o próximo na caridade. Não protegem as almas; devoram-nas.

 

O remédio contra o egoísmo é este: permanecer na cela do coração, reconhecer que por nós mesmos nada somos, reconhecer a bondade divina, pois de Deus tudo recebemos, reconhecer os próprios defeitos, reprimir a sensualidade.

 

a caridade, roupa nupcial indispensável para a vida eterna.

 

odiai o pecado mortal, odiai a culpa contra Deus, odiai a sensualidade, odiai a lei perversa (Rm 7,23), sempre rebelde ao Senhor.

 

Odiai o ódio ao próximo. Quem odeia outra pessoa ofende a Deus.

 

Nem os inimigos, que sem razão nos ofendem e prejudicam, podemos odiar.

 

Quem odeia mortalmente alguém, de fato odeia mais a si mesmo que ao adversário.

 

O caminho de Cristo é seguro, sem ameaças de inimigos, sejam demônios, sejam homens.

 

Desde agora o homem pode saborear a vida eterna, convivendo com Deus em diálogo de amor.

 

Se nos acharmos pecadores, ofensores de Deus, imploremos misericórdia. Se não estamos a julgar e condenar os outros, Deus nos perdoará. Pois devo usar com o próximo a misericórdia que desejo para mim.

 

Afogai-vos no sangue de Cristo, pregai-vos na cruz com ele, banhai-vos no seu sangue.

 

O desejo de Deus é que nos santifiquemos. Tudo o que Ele nos manda ou permite tem esta finalidade.

 

O criador sempre nos ama como criaturas suas. Somente o pecado Deus detesta em nós.

 

É condição da amizade que eu ame tudo aquilo que meu amigo ama.

 

Escondei‐vos no peito de Cristo crucificado, que é uma gruta (...); banhai‐vos no seu dulcíssimo sangue.

 

...confesso, e não o nego, que sois vigário de Cristo, que tendes as chaves do celeiro da Santa Igreja, onde está o sangue do imaculado Cordeiro;

 

...vindes tomar e possuir o lugar do vosso antecessor e campeão, apóstolo Pedro. Porquanto vós, como vigário de Cristo, deveis repousar no lugar que vos é próprio.

 

O caminho para atingir o conhecimento verdadeiro e a experiência do meu ser - Vida eterna que sou - é este: nunca abandones o autoconhecimento!

 

Ao conhecer a Verdade, a alma sofrerá terrivelmente, pois toma consciência dos próprios pecados e vê a cega ingratidão humana.

 

Alimenta, pois, a chama do teu amor! Não deixes passar um só minuto sem clamar diante de mim, com oração humilde e contínua, em favor dos pecadores.

 

É na adversidade que se prova ter paciência e amor. Comportai-vos, portanto, virilmente.

 

Para fazer o mal, basta que se deixe de fazer o bem.

 

O egoísmo envenenou o mundo inteiro e fez adoecer a hierarquia da Igreja e o povo cristão.

 

Quem me ama, procura ser útil ao próximo.

 

Como nada podeis fazer de útil para mim, deveis ser de utilidade ao homem.

 

Quem se apaixona por mim, jamais cessa de trabalhar pelos outros

 

Assim, graças ao amor que o une a mim, o homem torna-se útil ao próximo; preocupado com a salvação alheia, ama o próximo, presta-lhe serviços em suas necessidades.

 

... é obrigação de todos edificar os demais com uma vida boa, santa e honesta.

 

Quem me ama, pratica todo o bem possível, em seu estado de vida, para o benefício dos outros.

 

...pagando o mal com o bem, tais pessoas frequentemente atiram brasas de amor, as quais consumirão a raiva e o rancor do coração

 

Quem se penitencia há de valorizar o amor, desprezar a si mesmo, ser humilde...

 

... paciente cumpre para com os outros a grande dívida do amor e da oração humilde e contínua...

 

... como é seu dever; ensina, dá bom exemplo, auxilia materialmente segundo as necessidades.

 

Quem tem discernimento, qualquer que seja seu estado de vida - patrão, prelado ou súdito - sempre trata o próximo com amor.

 

A alma é uma árvore nascida para o amor; sem ele não vive.

 

 

Good Reading: Quotes from Saint Zélie Martin (translated into English)

“You well know that life is not long. You and I will soon be at the end, and we’ll be very grateful that we lived in a manner that doesn’t make our last hour too bitter.” – Zelie to her brother, Isidore.

 

“At certain times in my life, when I said I was happy, I couldn’t think of it without trembling because it’s certain and proven by experience that happiness is not on earth. No, happiness can’t be found here below, and it’s a bad sign when all goes well. In His wisdom, God wanted it this way to make us remember that the world is not our true home.” – Zelie to Isidore.

 

“But very often I admire Louis’ scruples, and I say to myself, ‘Here’s a man who never tried to make a fortune. When he set up his business, his confessor told him to open his jewelry store on Sunday until noon. He didn’t want to accept permission to do so, preferring to pass up good sales. And nevertheless, he’s rich.’” – Zelie to Marie, her sister-in-law.

 

“I’m very satisfied with you because you’re a good little girl, very affectionate and very sweet. In other words, you’re everything that we would want, but still not pious enough.” -Zelie to her daughter, Pauline.

 

“It was eleven years ago, yesterday, that little Helene was born, and I thought about her a lot. I’ll be very happy to see her again in the next world.” – Zelie to Pauline, regarding her late daughter.

 

“The baby [Therese] is an absolute imp. She comes to caress me while wishing me dead, ‘Oh! How I wish you would die, my poor little Mother!’ We scold her and she says, ‘But it’s so you’ll go to Heaven, since you say that we have to die to go there.’ She wishes for the death of her father, as well, when she’s in the middle of her outpourings for love for him.” – Zelie to Pauline.

 

“One night, quite recently, while saying my prayers after having read Madame de Chantal, I suddenly thought that Marie would be a nun. But I didn’t focus on it because I’ve noticed that the opposite of what I predict always happens. Don’t say anything about this to her because she’ll imagine this is what I want, and, truly, I only want it if it’s God’s will. As long as she follows the vocation He gives her, I’ll be happy.” – Zelie to Pauline regarding her oldest daughter, Marie.

 

“‘If I’m not good, then I’ll go to hell? But no, I know what I’ll do. I would fly off to be with you who’d be in Heaven. Then you would hold me very tightly in your arms. How would God be able to take me?’ I saw in her expression that she was convinced God could do nothing to her if she was in the arms of her mother.” – An excerpt of a conversation with Therese written by Zelie to her second eldest, Pauline.

 

“Sunday, Therese took it upon herself to leave her little bed to go sleep with Celine. The maid was looking for her to dress her. She finally found her, and the little one said to her, while hugging her sister tightly, ‘Leave us alone, my poor Louise, you can see that we’re both like the little white hens; we can’t be separated!’” – Zelie to Pauline.

“You well know that life is not long. You and I will soon be at the end, and we’ll be very grateful that we lived in a manner that doesn’t make our last hour too bitter.” – Zelie to her brother, Isidore.

 

“At certain times in my life, when I said I was happy, I couldn’t think of it without trembling because it’s certain and proven by experience that happiness is not on earth. No, happiness can’t be found here below, and it’s a bad sign when all goes well. In His wisdom, God wanted it this way to make us remember that the world is not our true home.” – Zelie to Isidore.

 

“But very often I admire Louis’ scruples, and I say to myself, ‘Here’s a man who never tried to make a fortune. When he set up his business, his confessor told him to open his jewelry store on Sunday until noon. He didn’t want to accept permission to do so, preferring to pass up good sales. And nevertheless, he’s rich.’” – Zelie to Marie, her sister-in-law.

 

“I’m very satisfied with you because you’re a good little girl, very affectionate and very sweet. In other words, you’re everything that we would want, but still not pious enough.” -Zelie to her daughter, Pauline.

 

“It was eleven years ago, yesterday, that little Helene was born, and I thought about her a lot. I’ll be very happy to see her again in the next world.” – Zelie to Pauline, regarding her late daughter.

 

“The baby [Therese] is an absolute imp. She comes to caress me while wishing me dead, ‘Oh! How I wish you would die, my poor little Mother!’ We scold her and she says, ‘But it’s so you’ll go to Heaven, since you say that we have to die to go there.’ She wishes for the death of her father, as well, when she’s in the middle of her outpourings for love for him.” – Zelie to Pauline.

 

“One night, quite recently, while saying my prayers after having read Madame de Chantal, I suddenly thought that Marie would be a nun. But I didn’t focus on it because I’ve noticed that the opposite of what I predict always happens. Don’t say anything about this to her because she’ll imagine this is what I want, and, truly, I only want it if it’s God’s will. As long as she follows the vocation He gives her, I’ll be happy.” – Zelie to Pauline regarding her oldest daughter, Marie.

 

“‘If I’m not good, then I’ll go to hell? But no, I know what I’ll do. I would fly off to be with you who’d be in Heaven. Then you would hold me very tightly in your arms. How would God be able to take me?’ I saw in her expression that she was convinced God could do nothing to her if she was in the arms of her mother.” – An excerpt of a conversation with Therese written by Zelie to her second eldest, Pauline.

 

“Sunday, Therese took it upon herself to leave her little bed to go sleep with Celine. The maid was looking for her to dress her. She finally found her, and the little one said to her, while hugging her sister tightly, ‘Leave us alone, my poor Louise, you can see that we’re both like the little white hens; we can’t be separated!’” – Zelie to Pauline.

Good Readings: Quotes from Carlo Acutis (translated into English)

1) “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”

2) “Our soul is like a hot air balloon. If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again. . . It is important to go to confession often.”

3) “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”

4)  “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.”

5) “I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God.”

6) “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.”

7) “I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church.”

8) “Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape: in eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”

9) “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven”.

10) “When we face the sun we get a tan… but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”

11)  “By standing before the Eucharistic Christ, we become holy.”

12) “Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.”

13) “Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.”

14) “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”

15) “What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles if you cannot win against your own corrupt passions? It doesn’t matter. The real battle is with ourselves.”

Good Readings: Quotes of St. John of Cross (translated into Portuguese)

1. “Se está em mim aquele a quem minha alma ama, como não o encontro nem o sinto? É por estar ele escondido. Mas não te escondas também; assim podes encontrá-lo e senti-lo…”

2. “Não faça coisa alguma, nem diga palavra alguma que Cristo não faria ou não diria se encontrasse as mesmas circunstâncias.”

3. “Renuncie aos desejos e encontrará o que seu coração deseja.”

4. “Quem se queixa ou murmura não é cristão perfeito, nem mesmo um bom cristão.”

5. “Para se progredir, o que mais se necessita é saber calar diante de Deus…a linguagem que ele melhor ouve é a do silêncio de amor.”

6. “O demônio teme a alma unida a Deus como ao próprio Deus.”

7. “A pessoa que caminha para Deus e não afasta de si as preocupações, nem domina suas paixões, caminha como quem empurra um carro encosta a cima.”

8. “A constância de ânimo, com paz e tranquilidade, não só enriquece a pessoa, como a ajuda muito a julgar melhor as adversidades, dando-lhes a solução conveniente.”

9. “As criaturas são os vestígios das pegadas de Deus, pelas quais se reconhece sua grandeza, poder e sabedoria”.

10. “Deus quer mais de ti um mínimo de obediência e docilidade, do que todas as ações que realizas por ele.”

Good Readings: Quotes of Saint John Bosco (translated into Portuguese)

1) “As mentiras, além de serem uma ofensa a Deus, nos tornam filhos do demônio”

2) “O demônio faz de tudo para impedir a oração”

3) “O demônio não tem medo da penitência e sim da obediência.”

4) “O demônio quer que fiquemos no ócio; se estamos no ócio ele diz: não preciso trabalhar mais”

5) “Onde existe trabalho, não está o demônio”

6) “Os três inimigos do homem são: a morte que o surpreende, o tempo que escapa, e o demônio que nos arma seus laços”

7) “Um sustentáculo grande para vós, uma arma poderosa contra as insídias do demônio tende, caros jovens, na devoção a Maria Santíssima”

8) “O primeiro e principal engano com que o demônio costuma afastar os jovens da virtude é fazê-los pensar que servir a nosso Senhor consista numa vida melancólica e distante de qualquer divertimento e prazer. Não é assim, caros jovens. Eu quero ensinar-vos um método de vida cristã, que possa ao mesmo tempo fazer-vos alegres e felizes, indicando-vos quais são os verdadeiros divertimentos e os verdadeiros prazeres…”

      A segunda artimanha do demónio consiste em fazê-los conceber uma falsa esperança duma longa vida que permite converter-se na velhice ou na hora da morte. Prestai atenção, meus caros jovens: muitos deixaram-se prender por esta mentira. Quem nos garante que chegaremos à velhice?”

9) “Sabe o que quer dizer cair em pecado mortal? Quer dizer renunciar o Filho de Deus e ser escravo de Satanás”

10) O mesmo acontece com a conversação obscena. Uma palavra, um gesto, um gracejo basta para ensinar a malícia a um ou também a muitos meninos, os quais tendo vivido até então como inocentes cordeirinhos, por causa daquelas conversas e maus exemplos perdem a graça de Deus e se tornam infelizes escravos do demónio.

11) “Quereis que o Senhor vos dê muitas graças? Visitai-O muitas vezes. Quereis que Ele vos dê poucas graças? Visitai-O poucas vezes. Quereis que o demônio vos assalte? Visitai raramente a Jesus Sacramentado. Quereis que o demônio fuja de vós? Visitai a Jesus muitas vezes. Quereis vencer o demônio? Refugiai-vos sempre aos pés de Jesus. Quereis ser vencidos? Deixai de visitar Jesus…”

Good Readings: Quotes of Saint Edith Stein (translated into English)

     via Wikiquote.

    What is meant by "the Law of the Lord"? Psalm 118 which we pray every Sunday and on solemnities at Prime, is entirely filled with the command to know the Law and to be led by it through life. The Psalmist was certainly thinking of the Law of the Old Covenant. Knowing it actually did require life-long study and fulfilling it, life-long exertion of the will. But the Lord has freed us from the yoke of this Law. We can consider the Savior's great commandment of love, which he says includes the whole Law and the Prophets, as the Law of the New Covenant. Perfect love of God and of neighbor can certainly be a subject worthy of an entire lifetime of meditation. But we understand the Law of the New Covenant, even better, to be the Lord himself, since he has in fact lived as an example for us of the life we should live. We thus fulfill our Rule when we hold the image of the Lord continually before our eyes in order to make ourselves like him. We can never finish studying the Gospels.

        Collected Works Vol. IV. Part 1 : Before the Face of God, Ch.1 : "On the History and Spirit of Carmel"

from "The Ethos of Woman's Professions" (1930)

             Everything abstract is ultimately part of the concrete. Everything inanimate finally serves the living. That is why every activity dealing in abstraction stands in ultimate service to a living whole.

           Only the person blinded by the passion of controversy could deny that woman in soul and body is formed for a particular purpose. The clear and irrevocable world of Scripture declares what daily experience teaches from the beginning of the world: woman is destined to be wife and mother.

          Everything abstract is ultimately part of the concrete. Everything inanimate finally serves the living. That is why every activity dealing in abstraction stands in ultimate service to a living whole.

          The motive, principle, and end of the religious life is to make an absolute gift of self to God in a self-forgetting love, to end one's own life in order to make room for God's life.

        Every profession in which woman's soul comes into its own and which can be formed by woman's soul is an authentic woman's profession.

         For a wholesome collaboration of the sexes in professional life will be possible only if both achieve a calm and objective awareness of their nature and draw practical conclusions from it.