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Wait upon God with loving and pure attentiveness, working no violence on yourself lest you disturb the soul's peace and tranquility. God will feed your soul with heavenly food since you put no obstacle in His way... And it is not remarkable that the soul does not see this, for our senses cannot perceive what God does in the soul. . . if the soul stays in God's care it will certainly make progress.

I know that I was made only for Him, that I am going only to Him, that 'union' is 'our desires' or rather 'our desire.' And if I wish it, all in me will be only for Jesus, by Jesus, in Jesus, In Christo. He will take possession of me, He will annihilate me, and I will be lost, annihilated in Him - for all His merits are mine, and my vocation is to offer them to His Father.

The highest perfection obviously does not consist in interior delights or in great raptures or in visions or in the spirit of prophecy but in having our will so much in conformity with God's will that there is nothing we know He wills that we do not want with all our desire, and in accepting the bitter as happily as we do the delightful when we know that His Majesty desires it. This seems most difficult (not the doing of it, but this being content with what completely contradicts our nature); and indeed it truly is difficult. But love has this strength if it is perfect, for we forget about pleasing ourselves in order to please the one we love.

...we will not reach perfection in the love of neighbor if that love doesn't rise from love of God as its root.

If Our Lord were to offer me a choice between dying in ecstasy or in the loneliness of Calvary, I would prefer the latter, not for the sake of the merit, but to glorify Him and be like Him. If I had died in my former state of soul, it would have been too easy! It is in pure faith that I now leave and I prefer it that way. I am thus more like my Master and more in truth.

I say, daughters, that we should set our eyes on Christ, our Good, and on His saints. There we shall learn true humility, the intellect will be enhanced, as I have said, and self-knowledge will not make one base and cowardly.

The great proof of holiness is not to not have temptations or weariness, but to always go on, to react, to climb towards God.

God highly esteems these works...done for him in aridity and hardship, for by such means the virtues and gifts are acquired in a high degree. Those acquired through this labor are for the most part more select, refined, and stable than if they were obtained with spiritual relish and enjoyment, for virtue takes root in dryness, difficulty, and labor, as God says to St. Paul: Virtue is made prefect in weakness.

When you feel as if you are about to lose your patience, or say something uncharitable, bring yourself back to Him. Let go of this natural inclination in order to please Him.

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.

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.

Oh, ask Him that I may be equal to my vocation and not abuse the graces He lavishes on me; if you knew how fearful that makes me sometimes...Then I cast myself on Him whom Saint John calls 'the Faithful and True,' and I beg Him to be Himself my fidelity!