VARIOUS THOUGHTS

Always be faithful to ...

Always be faithful to God in keeping the promises made to Him and do not bother about the ridicule of the foolish. Know that the saints were always sneered at by the world and worldlings; and they have trampled them under foot and triumphed over the world and its maxims.

Continue to pray that ...

Continue to pray that God may console you when you feel that the weight of the Cross is becoming too burdensome. Acting thus you are not doing anything against the will of God, but are with the Son of God who, in the garden, asked his Father for some relief.

Be firm in your ...

Be firm in your resolutions; stay in the ship in which I placed you and let the storm come. Long live Jesus! You will not perish.

He who attaches himself ...

He who attaches himself to the earth remains attached to it. It is by violence that we must leave it. It is better to detach oneself a little at a time, rather than all at once. Let us always think of Heaven.

Walk the way of ...

Walk the way of the Lord in simplicity; do not torment your spirit. Say the truth, always the truth.

Do not be so ...

Do not be so given to the activity of Martha as to forget the silence of Mary. May the Virgin who so well reconciled the one with the other be your sweet model and inspiration.

That which proceeds from ...

That which proceeds from God begins with a salutary fear and finishes with peace of mind.

Jesus and your soul ...

Jesus and your soul must cultivate the vineyard together. It is for you to pick up and carry away the stones, to pull out the thorn bushes. It is the task of Jesus to sow, plant, cultivate, to water.

The Lord, in his ...

The Lord, in his loving kindness, adds to trials a trembling of the spirit and fear, with some taste of desolation and spiritual darkness. But the darkness which surrounds the soul is light. You say well that you see nothing and find yourself in a burning thorn bush.

The thorn bush burns, ...

The thorn bush burns, the entire air is filled with smoke and the spirit sees nothing. But God nevertheless speaks and is present to the soul that listens, understands, loves, trembles.

Do not cease in ...

Do not cease in seeking the truth or in acquiring the greatest good. Be docile to the impulse of grace, following its inspirations. 
Do not be ashamed of Christ or his doctrine.

The mercy of God, ...

The mercy of God, my son, is infinitely greater than your malice.

On this earth everyone ...

On this earth everyone has his cross. But we must act in such away that we be not the bad, but the good thief.

Some persons when they ...

Some persons when they are with the good, are good; when they are with the bad they follow evil. This is to have half a conscience; it is to act like children who, in the presence of strangers, abuse the occasion to eat things that please their taste, certain that the parents will not reprove them.

The time best spent ...

The time best spent is that which is spent for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Have courage! Do not ...

Have courage! Do not wait for Tabor to see the Lord; you see Him already on Sinai.

If we wish to ...

If we wish to reap it is necessary not so much to sow abundantly as to spread the seed in fertile soil, and when this seed becomes a plant, our chief anxiety should be to watch that the weeds do not suffocate the tender plants.

At times our Lord ...

At times our Lord makes you feel the burden of the Cross. This burden seems intolerable to you. But as for you, carry it because the Lord extends his hand and give you strength.

Aridity is the fruit ...

Aridity is the fruit of our defects.

Do not let your ...

Do not let your heart become troubled by the sad spectacle of human injustice, even this has its value in the face of all else. And it is from this that one day you will see the justice of God rising with unfailing triumph.

It is necessary to ...

It is necessary to guard all your senses, particularly your eyes: they are the means by which all the fascination and charm of beauty and voluptuousness enter the heart. When fashion, as in our time, is towards provocation and exposes what formerly was even wrong to necessary you must look without seeing and see without thinking about it.

Vanity makes the heart ...

Vanity makes the heart lighter and thus more easily led into temptation.

Glorification of the heart ...

Glorification of the heart is in contact with that of the senses and one regulates the other.

In reading the present ...

In reading the present booklet (a missal) have your mind's eye on He who immolates Himself and give his life for the Redemption of humanity.

Divine goodness not only ...

Divine goodness not only does not reject the repentant soul, but always seeks to find even the obstinate.

Endeavor to unite to ...

Endeavor to unite to the simplicity of children the prudence of adults.

But also in your ...

But also in your work there is the operation of Jesus. Without Him you can do nothing.

A lie is a ...

A lie is a sin. But everything that corresponds to the truth is not sin.

Let us keep well ...

Let us keep well engraved in our mind what the Divine Master tell us: "In our patience we shall possess our souls".

The Cross is the ...

The Cross is the standard of the elect. Let us always keep close to it and we will succeed in conquering in everything and over everyone.

Never let our Seraphic ...

Never let our Seraphic Father St. Francis depart from your mind, who so beautifully knew how to reproduce in himself the God-man.

To doubt is the ...

To doubt is the greatest insult to the Divinity.

We must know how ...

We must know how to confide. There is the fear of God and the fear of a Judas. Too much fear makes one labour without love, and too much confidence prevents from considering the danger which we must overcome. The one must go hand in hand with the other and proceed a sisters.

In order to console ...

In order to console a soul in its sufferings point out to it all the good it can still do.

The gates of heaven ...

The gates of heaven are open for all creatures. Remember Mary Magdalene.

An unclean soul is ...

An unclean soul is synonymous with a heart full of frivolity.

Humility and purity of ...

Humility and purity of conduct are the wings which raise us up to God and in a manner deify us. Remember this: the sinner who is ashamed to do evil is closer to God than the upright man who is ashamed to do good.

Humility and charity go ...

Humility and charity go hand in hand. The one glorifies, the other sanctifies.

The sublime degree of ...

The sublime degree of humility is not only to recognize one's own abjection but to love it. "I have chose" says the prophet "to be abject in the house of God rather than to dwell in the houses of sinners".
Obedience is mission: "I have come into this world to do the will of my Father, who has sent me".

Obey promptly! Do not ...

Obey promptly! Do not consider the age or merit of the person. And in order to succeed imagine you are obeying the Lord.

Duty before everything else, ...

Duty before everything else, even something holy.

Where there is no ...

Where there is no obedience, there is no virtue; where there is no virtue there is no good; where good is wanting, there is no love; where there is no love, there is no God; where God is not, there is no Heaven.

In order to reach ...

In order to reach our final goal, we must follow our Divine Leader who usually leads chosen Souls by the path He Himself has trodden and by no other; by the path, I tell you, of self-denial and suffering.

Let us follow the ...

Let us follow the Divine Master up the steep slope of Calvary loaded with our cross, and when it pleases Him to place us on the cross by confining us to a bed of sickness, let us be aware that to be on the cross with Jesus is infinitely more perfect than merely contemplating Jesus Himself on the Cross.

Prepare your lips, as ...

Prepare your lips, as the divine Redeemer did, and drink along with Him from the black waters of the Cedron by accepting tribulation and penance with holy resignation.

I beseech His Divine ...

I beseech His Divine Majesty to preserve you, to enable you as a beloved and holy one of His own to grow more and more IN HIS LOVE.

...the Eucharist, oh, the ...

...the Eucharist, oh, the exceeding humility of this Man-God! He is one with the Father, He is the love and delight of the Eternal Parent.

In the midst of ...

In the midst of the trials which may afflict you, just place all your confidence in our Supreme Good in the knowledge that He takes more care of us than a mother takes of her child.

I don't wish you ...

I don't wish you worldly happiness and prosperity, because such things are by no means suited to a soul espoused to the CRUCIFIED.

Take heart, the Savior ...

Take heart, the Savior will never leave you alone or without His help.

May Jesus invariably remain ...

May Jesus invariably remain the Peaceful King of your heart, may He console and bless you as always.

May the Holy Spirit ...

May the Holy Spirit fill your soul with heavenly charisms and may Jesus, most pure Spouse of Souls, always console you in your afflictions.

The soul that tends ...

The soul that tends more and more to abase and humble itself before its Lord and at the same time is induced to suffer and bear all things with a view to winning the approval of its heavenly Spouse, cannot fail to recognise what comes from God.

I will raise my ...

I will raise my voice with ardent yearning in a song of praise to my Saviour and Redeemer. Let us be glad, for one day we shall sing more joyful hymns to our most TENDER LOVER who is the sweetest repose of our hearts, en-amoured of His beauty.

When passing before an ...

When passing before an image of the Madonna one should say: 
"I greet you, oh Mary. 
Greet Jesus for me".

Listen, dear Mother, I ...

Listen, dear Mother, I love you more than any creature on earth and in Heaven...after Jesus, of course...but I love you.

Beautiful Mother, dear Mother, ...

Beautiful Mother, dear Mother, you are so beautiful. If it weren't for Faith, men would make you a goddess. Your eyes shine brighter than the sun; you are beautiful, Mother, I glory in it, I love you. Please! Help me!

Let us be grateful ...

Let us be grateful to the Madonna because it was She who gave us Christ!

May Mary be the ...

May Mary be the entire reason for your existence, and may She guide you to the secure port of eternal well being. May She be your gentle model and inspiration in the virtue of humility.

If Jesus manifests Himself, ...

If Jesus manifests Himself, thank Him; if He hides Himself, also thank Him; It's all a game of love. May the clement and pious Virgin continue to obtain for you from the ineffable bounty of our Lord, the strength to sustain until death, the many trials of charity which He gives you. I am sure that you will succeed in expiring with Jesus on the Cross, and say with Him: Consummatum est.

Oh Mary, sweetest Mother ...

Oh Mary, sweetest Mother of priests, mediatrix and administratrix of all graces, I pray to you from the depths of my heart; I beg and entreat you to thank, today, tomorrow, and always, Jesus, the fruit of your womb.

Humanity wants its share. ...

Humanity wants its share. Even Mary, the Mother of Jesus, knew that through His death, man would be redeemed, and yet She cried and suffered, and suffered much.

May Mary convert all ...

May Mary convert all the troubles of your life to joy

Don't become so engrossed ...

Don't become so engrossed in the activities of Martha, that you forget the silence and surrender of Mary. May the Virgin who reconciles both duties so well, be your model and inspiration.

May Mary fill your ...

May Mary fill your heart with the flowers and fragrance of ever fresh virtues, and place Her maternal hand on your head. Always keep close to our Heavenly Mother, because She is the sea that must be crossed, in order to reach the shores of eternal splendor in the kingdom of Dawn.

Like the Virgin, remain ...

Like the Virgin, remain at the Cross of Jesus, and you will never be deprived of comfort. Mary remained petrified before Her crucified Son, but you cannot say that She was abandoned. Rather, how much more did She love Him while She suffered and was unable to even cry!

Do not leave the ...

Do not leave the altar without shedding tears of pain and love for Jesus, who was crucified for your eternal benefit. Our Lady of Sorrows will keep you company, and will gently inspire you.

My son, you do ...

My son, you do not know the value of obedience, Listen: By saying "Yes", only "yes", fiat secundum verbum tuum, in order to obey the will of God, Mary became the Mother of the Most High, declaring Herself to be His maidservant, but preserving Her virginity which was so dear to God and to Her. 
Because of that "yes" , uttered by Mary Most Holy, the world obtained salvation; humanity was redeemed. 
Let us, too, always obey God's will, and always say "yes" to our Lord.

Even we, who are ...

Even we, who are regenerated by holy baptism, correspond to the grace of our vocation by imitating our Immaculate Mother, and incessantly increasing our knowledge of God, in order to know Him better, to serve Him, and love Him.

My Mother, lavish upon ...

My Mother, lavish upon me that love which burned in your heart for Him, upon me, who, full of misery, admire in you the mystery of your Immaculate Conception. I ardently desire that, because of it, you will render me pure of heart, in order to love your God, and mine; pure in thought, in order to reach Him and contemplate Him, to adore Him and serve Him in truth and in Spirit; pure in body, so that I may become a tabernacle less unworthy of receiving Him when he deigns to come to me in Holy Communion.

Father, today is the ...

Father, today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows; say something to me. Answer: Our Lady of Sorrows who loves us, has born us in pain and love. May Our Lady of Sorrows be ever on your mind, and may Her sorrows be ever imprinted on your heart; may She inflame your heart with love for Her Son.

Mary's blessed soul, like ...

Mary's blessed soul, like a dove set free, disengaged from Her saintly body, flew straight to the bosom of Her Beloved.

After the ascension of ...

After the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven, Mary continued to have a burning desire to be reuntied with Him. Without Her divine Son, She felt completely exiled. 
Those years of separtation from Him, were a painful martyrdom for Her, a martyrdom of love which consumed Her gradually.

Jesus, who was reigning ...

Jesus, who was reigning in Heaven with the most holy humanity which He had received from the womb of the Virgin, also wanted that His Mother be reunited to Him, not only with Her soul, but also with Her body, and that She share in the fullness of His glory. 
And that was right and dutiful. That body which had never been slave of the devil, nor of sin, not even for a moment, could not become the slave of deterioration either.

At all times, try ...

At all times, try to confirm to the will of God in everything that you do, and have no fear. This conformity is the surest way to Heaven.

It is not unknown ...

It is not unknown to you that I wish to die, and to love God, either death or love, since life without this love is worse than death. Oh, my children, help me! I die and am in agony every moment. Everything seems like a dream, and I don't know where to turn. My God! When will the time come when even I can sing: "This is my requiem oh God, in eternity"?

Do the penance of ...

Do the penance of remembering with pain, the offences committed against God, the penance of being constandly good; the penance of combating your faults.

I can't stand it ...

I can't stand it any longer! I feel as if my entire being has been hit by a sledgehammer. My life is completely on fire.

Science, my son, for ...

Science, my son, for all its greatness, is still compared an inferior thing; it is less than nothing when compared to the formidable mystery of Divinity.
You must take another road. Cleanse your heart of mundane passions, humble yourself in dust, and pray! In this manner, you will be sure to find God who will give you the peace and serenity of this life, and the eternal beatitude of the next.

Have you ever seen ...

Have you ever seen a field of fully ripened grain? You can observe that certain ears appear to be tall and fertile; others, however, are bent to the ground. Try to pick the tall, the most vain; you will see that they are empty; if, however, you pick the lowest, the most humble, you will find them loaded with grain. From this you may deduce that vanity is empty.

We should make a ...

We should make a great effort to become saints, and to serve God and our neighbor well.

Let us become saints ...

Let us become saints so that after having been together on earth, we may be together in Heaven.

Oh God! Let his ...

Oh God! Let his poor heart of mine feel your presence more and more; complete in me, the work begun by you. I hear a voice within me saying assiduously: Sanctify yourself and others. Well, then, my dear, I wish it to be so, but don't know where to begin. Give me your help; I know that Jesus loves you so much, and you are so deserving. Therefore, speak to Him for me, ask Him to give me the grace to be a more worthy son of St. Francis, to become a good example for my fellow-priests; the grace that my fervor will always last and grow; so that I may become a perfect Capuchin.

Always be faithful in ...

Always be faithful in keeping your promises to God, and don't worry about the mockery of fools. You may be sure that the saints have always scorned the world and everything mundane, and have risen above the world and its maxims.

The filed of contest ...

The filed of contest between God and Satan, is the human soul. This contest takes place every moment of our lives. The soul must give free access to our Lord, and be completely fortified by Him with every kind of weapon. His light should shine in the soul, in order to combat our tenebrous errors; the soul should be adorned by Jesus with His truth and justice, with the shield of faith, with the word of God, in order to overcome so potent an enemy. In order to be adorned by Jesus Christ, we must die to ourselves.

May the Heart of ...

May the Heart of Jesus be the focal point of all your inspirations.

Let us observe with ...

Let us observe with profound gratitude, that sublime mystery which strongly attracts the Heart of Jesus to His creatures; let us consider that He deigned to assume our very flesh in order to live among us, sharing this miserable earthly life. Let us muster up all our intellectual strength, to worthily contemplate the tenacious fervour and hardship of his apostolate, so that we may recall the horrors of his passion and martyrdom, and adore His blood which was royally offered up to the last drop, for the redemption of the human race. Then with humble faith, with the same ardent love with which He fills and pursues our souls, let us bow our impure heads at His feet.

I wish my voice ...

I wish my voice could reach all sinners: "Come to this wound where all is love."

I never cease to ...

I never cease to ask Jesus to bless you, and I pray to our Lord to transfigure you entirely in Him. Oh, my children! How beautiful is His face, and how tender His eyes, and how good it is to be near on the mountain of His glory! There we should all place our desires and our affection. We are, in spite or our unworthiness, on the steps of Tabor, if we make a firm resolution to serve Him well, and to love His divine goodness.

Let us remember that ...

Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us, not only for own sanctification, but also for that of other souls. He wishes to be helped in saving souls.

What else can I ...

What else can I tell you? May the grace and peace of the Holy Spirit be ever in your heart. Place this heart in the open wound of our Saviour, and unite it to the King of our hearts, so that He will find there a royal throne where He can receive the homage and obedience of all the other hearts, thus holding the door open for anyone who wants to enter for an audience at any time. When your heart speaks to Him, don't forget my dear daughter, to have it speak in favour of mine, so that His divine and cordial majesty may render it good, obedient, faithful, and less miserable than it is.

Your weakness will not ...

Your weakness will not surprise you, but knowing you as I do, you will blush because of your infidelity to God; then you will confide in Him, tranquilly abandoning yourself in the arms of our Heavenly Father, like a baby in the arms of his own mother.

After your abandonment and ...

After your abandonment and dedication to Jesus, bear in mind that you no longer belong to yourself, but to Jesus; and He will take care to sustain and help you. Often renew that desire, and like a true lamb of His most Sacred Heart, depend on His volition, on His desires, which will be manifested in your heart. This should be the true spirit of a spouse of Jesus.

Let us love Jesus ...

Let us love Jesus for His divine greatness, for His power in Heaven and on earth, for His infinite merits; but also, and above all, be filled with gratitude. If He had not been so good towards us, but more severe, how much less would we have sinned! ... But sin, when followed by the profound pain of having committed it, by the loyal resolution of never repeating it, by the sharp realization that its great evil prompted the mercy of God, when after the hardest fibers of our hearts have been cut, results in an outburst of tears full of remorse and love. The sin itself, my son, becomes a step which brings us closer, which raises us, which more securely leads us to Him.

Oh, if I had ...

Oh, if I had an infinite number of hearts, all the hearts in Heaven and on earth, your Mother's heart, (oh, Jesus), all, all would be offered to you!

My Jesus, my sweetness, ...

My Jesus, my sweetness, my love; love which sustains me.

Jesus, I love you ...

Jesus, I love you very much... ; it's useless to keep repeating it to you; I love you. Love, Love! Only you! I praise only you...

May Jesus always be ...

May Jesus always be for you your guide and comfort in all that you do throughout your life.

I approve of your ...

I approve of your gaining souls for Jesus by teaching them how to please Him. Also receive Holy Communion for our Holy Father.

Even if you were ...

Even if you were to commit all the sins in the world, Jesus would repeat to you: "Many of your sins are forgiven because you have loved much."

In the tumult of ...

In the tumult of passions and of adverse circumstances, there arises the dear hope of His inexorable mercy. Let us hurry confidently to the tribunal of penance where he, with fatherly anxiety, waits for us every moment; although cognizant of our debt to Him, let us not doubt that our sins have been solemnly forgiven. Just as our Lord has done, let us bury them.

The Heart of our ...

The Heart of our Divine Master has no law more pleasing than that of gentleness, humility and charity.

My Jesus, my sweetness, ...

My Jesus, my sweetness, how can I live without you? Come always, my Jesus, come; you alone possess my heart.

My children, we cannot ...

My children, we cannot prepare ourselves too much for Holy Communion.

"Father, I feel that ...

"Father, I feel that I am unworthy to receive Holy Communion. I am unworthy of it!". 
Reply: "It is true, we are not worthy of such a gift; but it is one thing to receive unworthily in the state of mortal sin, and something else, to be unworthy. We are all unworthy; but it is He who invites us, and He who desires it. Let us be humble, and receive Him with our hearts full of love".

"Father, why do you ...

"Father, why do you cry when you receive Jesus in Holy Communion?" 
Reply: "If the Church can utter the words: 'You did not disdain the womb of the Virgin', speaking of the Incarnation of the Word in the womb of the Immaculate, what should be said about us miserable creatures?! But Jesus said to us, 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have life everlasting'. So then, let's approach Holy Communion with holy love and fear. May the entire day be preparation and thanksgiving for Holy Communion."

Continue to receive Communion, ...

Continue to receive Communion, and don't worry about not being able to receive the Sacrament of Penance. Jesus will prize your good will. Remember what I have told you so often: as long as we are not certain of being in serious sin, we need not abstain from Communion.

If it is not ...

If it is not possible for you to remain at prayer for a long time, or to read, etc., you must not be perturbed. As long as you receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament each morning, you should consider yourself fortunate. 
In the course of the day, when it is impossible for you to do otherwise, call Jesus, even in the middle of all your occupation, with a cry of resignation from the soul, and He will come and remain always united with your soul, by means of His grace and His holy love. 
Go to the tabernacle in spirit when you are unable to do so physically, and there pour out your ardent desires; talk, pray and embrace the Beloved of our souls, even more than if you had been permitted to receive Him sacramentally.

I should like to ...

I should like to shed, not a few tears, but torrents of tears when faced with the mystery of a God Victim. We priests are the butchers of Jesus during the Mass, while all of Paradise reverently descends on the altar. 
I never tire of standing so long, and could not become tired, because I am not standing, but am on the cross with Christ, suffering with Him. 
The Holy Mass is a sacred union of Jesus and myself. I suffer unworthily all that was suffered by Jesus who deigned to allow me to share in His great enterprise of human redemption.

When attending Holy Mass, ...

When attending Holy Mass, renew your faith and meditate on that Victim Who is being immolated for you in order to placate Divine Justice, and render it to you propitiously. Do not leave the altar without shedding tears of pain and of love for Jesus Who was crucified for your eternal well-being.

When you are well, ...

When you are well, listen to the Mass. When you are not ill and cannot attend, then you say the Mass.

Every Holy Mass, heard ...

Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know. For such purposes, do not spend your money uselessly; sacrifice it and come up here to hear Holy Mass. It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun that without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In these sad times ...

In these sad times when faith is dead, and impiety is triumphant, when we are surrounded by those who have perpetual hatred in their hearts and blasphemy on their lips, the surest means of remaining immune to the pestiferous disease that surrounds us, is to fortify ourselves with Eucharistic food. This cannot be achieved by those who, month after month, live without satiating themselves with the Immaculate Flesh of the Divine Lamb.

I must stop, because ...

I must stop, because the bell is calling, and urging me; I am going to the wine-press of the church, to the Holy altar, where the blood of that delightful and unusual grape, is distilled the sacred wine with which only a few fortunate people are permitted to become inebriated. There - as you know, I can't do otherwise - I shall present you to our Heavenly Father, together with His Son; with Him, for Him, through Him, I am completely yours in our Lord.

My Father - you ...

My Father - you said to me - believe me, it's terrible; I don't know how the Lord can permit all this. I am completely bewildered, and don't know whether I am doing right or wrong. It is not a scruple, I know; but the uncertainty of pleasing or not pleasing our Lord, oppresses me. It happens always, everywhere; on the altar, in the confessional, everywhere. It's almost miraculous that I am able to carry on: but I don't understand anything.