Archive

O Eternal Father, that You are blessed and glorious in Yourself is no cause for wonder. That all creatures are blessed and glorious through You is no cause for wonder. But that You communicate Yourself to, and take pleasure in, a creature so vile, this is a cause for wonder....

The soul ought to consider aridity and darkness as fortunate omens; as signs that God is beside it, freeing it from itself, taking the initiative out of its hand.

Behold Him here without suffering, full of glory, before ascending into heaven, strengthening some, encouraging others, our companion in the most Blessed Sacrament; it doesn't seem it was in His power to leave us for even a moment.

To love Jesus, to be His victim of love – the more weak and wretched we are, the more fitted we are for the operations of this consuming and transforming love.

Our life is the life of heaven. St John of the Cross has said that the contemplative has no task here below that she will not have in heaven. The difference is that on earth that task is done in the obscurity of faith; in heaven there will be no veil between God and us.

I cannot be downcast, since in everything that happens to me, I see the loving hand of Jesus.

I understood that I had a great obligation to serve our Lady and St Joseph; for often when I went off the path completely, God gave me salvation again through their prayers.

His Majesty couldn't grant us a greater favor than to give us a life that would be an imitation of the life His beloved Son lived.

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 soul, and it remains filled with sunlight and much more consolation.

With what peace, what serenity and recollection Mary rendered and gave herself to all things! How the most commonplace events were divinized by her, for she remained ever in adoration of the Gift of God. Nothing kept her from giving of herself outwardly when it was a question of performing charity; the gospel tells us that Mary went with haste into the hill country of Judah in order to be of help to her cousin, Elizabeth. The ineffable visions which she contemplated within her will never diminish her exterior charity.

What does it matter if I fall at every moment! In that way I realize my weakness, and the gain is considerable. My God, You see how little I am good for, away from Your divine arms; and if You leave me alone, well, it is because it pleases You to see me lie on the ground. Then why should I be troubled?

Crucified inwardly and outwardly with Christ, you will live in this life with fullness and satisfaction of soul, and possess your soul in patience.