The whole aim of any person who is beginning prayer-and don’t forget this, because it’s very important-should be that he work and prepare himself with determination and every possible effort to bring his will into conformity with God’s will…The greatest perfection attainable along the spiritual path lies in this conformity.…
O Lord, my God, who will seek You with simple and pure love and not find You are all he desires, for You show Yourself first and go out to meet those who desire You? – St. John of the Cross
Because the light and wisdom of this contemplation is very bright and pure, and the soul in which it shines is dark and impure, a person will be deeply afflicted on receiving it. – St.John of the Cross
One must erase the word discouragement from one’s dictionary of love; the more you sense your weakness and meet with difficulties in your recollection, the more Our Lord seems hidden — all the more you ought to rejoice for then you are giving to Him. – St. Elizabeth of the…
There are many Christians who are virtuous men, and who do great things, but their virtues and good works are utterly useless in the matter of eternal life, because they seek themselves in them, and not solely the honor and glory of God. -St. John of the Cross
In order to reach the ideal life of the soul, I believe we must live in the realm of the supernatural and be persuaded that God dwells in our innermost being, and go to everything with Him. Then nothing can be trivial, no matter how commonplace in itself, for we…
The door by which we can enter this castle is prayer. It is absurd to think that we can enter Heaven without first entering our own souls — without getting to know ourselves, and reflecting upon the wretchedness of our nature and what we owe to God, and continually imploring…
It is in prayer that the soul learns to know Jesus and thus to love him. Since love cannot be satisfied with difference but with equality, the result is union in similarity. – St. Teresa of the Andes
In sum, there is no remedy in this tempest but to wait for the mercy of God. For at an unexpected time, with one word or a chance happening, He so quickly calms the storm that it seems there had not been even as much as a cloud in that…
I have made more acts of faith during the past year than in all the rest of my life. Whenever my enemy provokes me to combat, I try to behave like a gallant soldier. Aware that a duel is an act of cowardice, I turn my back on the foe…