Some there are who call the Bridegroom their Beloved, but He is not really beloved, because their heart is not wholly with Him. Their prayers are, therefore, not so effectual before God, and they shall not obtain their petitions until, persevering in prayer, they fix their minds more constantly upon…
The “good Catholic” who, with self-satisfaction fulfills his duties, reads a good newspaper, votes well, etc. but for the rest does what he pleases, has a long way to go before he attains a life that is lived in and that comes from the hands of God, with the simplicity…
God has to work in the soul in secret and in darkness because if we fully knew what was happening, and what Mystery, transformation, God and Grace will eventually ask of us, we would either try to take charge or stop the whole process. -St. John of the Cross
“In perfect love this law holds: that the lover become like the one he loves; for the greater their likeness the greater their delight. Surely your bride’s delight would greatly increase were she to see you like her, in her own flesh.” “My will is yours,” the Son replied, “and…
What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God with our appetites and our tongue, for the language He best hears is silent love. -St. John of the Cross
O my Jesus! You never ask what is impossible; You know better than I how frail and imperfect I am; You know that I shall never love my Sisters as You have loved them, unless You love them Yourself within me, my dearest Master. -St. Therese
When one cannot put oneself right by speaking, it is better to have recourse to prayer and silence; and thus to keep one’s peace alone with God. – St. Teresa Margaret Redi
The immense gifts of God can only be contained by empty and solitary hearts. Therefore our Lord, who loves you greatly, wishes you to be quite alone, for he desires to be your only companion. -St. John of the Cross
To be a child of God, to do His will, not one’s own; to place all our hopes and cares in His hands and no longer be concerned about one’s self or future. Thereupon rest the freedom and the good cheer of the child of God. – St. Teresa Benedicta…
The road and ascent to God, then, necessarily demands a habitual effort to renounce and mortify the appetites; the sooner this mortification is achieved, the sooner the soul reaches the top. But until the appetites are eliminated, a person will not arrive, no matter how much virtue he practices. For…