You, my God, have declared yourself my captain; you have raised the standard of the Cross, saying: ‘Take up the cross and follow in my footsteps.’ To correspond with this invitation, I promise to resist your love no longer; rather, I will follow you to Calvary without hesitation. – St.…
We cannot give him anything, he needs nothing and asks for nothing. ‘He wants but one thing, the exaltation of the soul.’ The only thing that gives him pleasure is the enrichment of the soul. – St. John of the Cross
God does not bestow these favors on a possessive soul, since He gives them out of a very special love for the recipient. For the individual receiving them is one who loves God with great detachment. – St. John of the Cross
Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you any more; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our…
For on this road there is room only for self denial (as our Savior asserts) and the cross. The cross is a supporting staff and greatly lightens and eases the journey. – St. John of the Cross
Yet, as is evident through experience, souls who will pass on to so happy and lofty a state as is the union of love must usually remain in these aridities and temptations for a long while no matter how quickly God leads them. – St. John of the Cross
Let your desire be to see God; your fear lest you lose Him; your joy in that which will take you to Him, and thus shall you live in great peace. – St. Teresa of Avila
Love is nourished only by sacrifices, and the more a soul refuses natural satisfactions, the stronger and more disinterested becomes her tenderness. – St. Therese
I understood that each person is free to respond to the call of Jesus, to do little or much for Him, to select among the sacrifices He asks. Then I cried out: “My God, I choose ALL!” -St. Therese
God communicates Himself to the soul in this interior union with a love so intense that the love of a mother who tenderly caresses her child, the love of a brother or the affection of a friend bears no resemblance to it. -St. John of the Cross