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Reason convinces the soul that as outside its interior castle are found neither peace nor security, it should cease to seek another home abroad, its own being full of riches that it can enjoy at will.

Often they beseech God, with great yearnings, that He will take from them their imperfections and faults, but they do this that they may find themselves at peace, and may not be troubled by them, rather than for God’s sake; not realizing that, if He should take their imperfections from them, they would probably become prouder and more presumptuous still.

What you most seek and desire you will not find by this way of yours, nor through high contemplation, but in much humility and submission of heart.

We have to learn to see others carry the cross and not be able to remove it from them. It is more difficult than to carry our own, but we cannot avoid it.

When God finds a soul penetrated by an intense faith He pours out His grace in abundance.

To make acts of penance of all my contradictions, temporal or spiritual pains, as well as all the actions that could displease me is what I call the penance of the moment.

I understand very well why St. Peter fell. Poor Peter, he was relying upon himself instead of relying only upon God's strength...Before Peter fell, Our Lord said to him: 'And once you are converted, strengthen your brethren.' This means: Convince them of the weakness of human strength through your own experience.

Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and there you will draw out love

While one is alive, progress doesn't come from trying to enjoy Me more but trying to do My will.

Since, O my God, You inspire me to make myself like You in everything, as much as I can, I want particularly to imitate You in those virtues that are so pleasing to Your most loving Heart, namely: humility, meekness, and obedience.

Nothing so pleases Him as to see those souls developing and nothing can raise them so high as to become, in some way, equal with God. That is why He asks of the soul the tribute of its love, since it is the property of love to equalize, as far as possible, the lover with the beloved.

For often it is God's will that His elect should be conscious of their misery and so He withdraws His help from them a little -- and no more than that is needed to make us recognize our limitations very quickly. They then realize that this is a way of testing them, for they gain a clear perception of their shortcomings, and sometimes they derive more pain from finding that, in spite of themselves, they are still grieving about earthly things, and not very important things either, than from the matter which is troubling them.