Quotations
Saint Peter of Alcantara to Saint Teresa of Avila: “I was astonished to learn that your zeal and piety lead you to submit to the judgment of learned men matters that are beyond their expertise. If it were a question of law or a case of conscience, I believe it would be good to seek the advice of jurists and theologians. But when it comes to deciding on matters concerning the perfection of life, only those who have advanced in it and who practice it are truly capable of offering sound counsel. For, ordinarily, only those who perfectly do good are able to guide others who, like them, seek perfection and the path of the Gospel.”
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul: “The year following my First Communion passed almost entirely without any interior trials for my soul. It was during my retreat in preparation for my Second Communion that I found myself assailed by the terrible illness of scrupulosity… One must have experienced this martyrdom to understand it fully. It would be impossible for me to describe what I suffered for a year and a half… All my thoughts and even my simplest actions became sources of distress for me. I found no peace except when I confided them to Marie, which was very difficult for me, because I believed myself obliged to tell her the extravagant thoughts I had even about her herself. As soon as I had laid down my burden, I would enjoy a moment of peace, but that peace passed like a flash of lightning, and soon my martyrdom began again. How much patience my dear Marie must have needed to listen to me without ever showing the slightest sign of weariness!”
Saint Alphonsus Liguori: “Scrupulosity is nothing more than a vain fear of sinning, arising from false and unfounded apprehensions. These scruples are useful in the early stages of our conversion, because a soul that has only recently emerged from sin needs frequent purification; and this is what scruples bring about. They make the soul humble…”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort: “… towards the end of times, and perhaps sooner than one thinks, God will raise up great men filled with the Holy Spirit and wholly devoted to the veneration of Mary, through whom this divine Sovereign will work great wonders in the world, in order to destroy sin therein and establish the reign of Jesus Christ, her Son, over that of the corrupt world; and it will be through this devotion to the Most Holy Virgin, which I am merely outlining and diminishing through my weaknesses, that these holy men will accomplish everything.”
Saint Teresa of Avila: “Believe me, my daughters, God has given me, for your good, some understanding of the advantages contained in this holy virtue [holy poverty]. Those who practice it will understand them…”
Saint Teresa of Avila: “This happy poverty is a good that contains within itself all goods; it gives us, as it were, sovereign dominion over the goods of this world, for to despise them is to be their master. What does the favour of monarchs and great men matter to me, if I do not desire their riches, and if, in order to please them, I must cause the slightest displeasure to my God? What do their honours matter to me, if I have once truly understood that the greatest honour of a poor person consists in being truly poor? I believe that honours and riches almost always go hand in hand; whoever loves honour cannot hate riches, and whoever abhors riches cares little for honour. This is a truth that must sink deeply into our minds.”
Jean-François of Reims, Capuchin (d. 1660): “The virtue of modesty is one of the most effective means of edifying one’s neighbor, all the more so because it is this virtue that governs our outward appearance, by which others are either edified or scandalized. Therefore, we must take particular care to observe the rules of this virtue, whether in our gestures, our bearing, our clothing, our words, or our conversation.”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort: “Always remember that the best Rosary is the one with the most merit, and there is more merit in praying when it is hard than when it is easy.”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort: “When the Rosary is well said it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and it is more meritorious for the soul than any other prayer. But it is also the hardest prayer to say well and to persevere in, owing especially to the distractions which almost inevitably attend the constant repetition of the same words.”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort: “Among Catholics those who bear the mark of God’s reprobation think but little of the rosary (whether that of five decades of fifteen). They either fail to say it or only say it very quickly and in a lukewarm manner.”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort: “The second big fault a lot of people make when saying the Holy Rosary is to have no intention other than that of getting it over as quickly as possible!… It is really pathetic to see how most people say the Holy Rosary, they say it astonishingly fast and mumble so that the words are not properly pronounced at all. We could not possibly expect anyone, even the most unimportant person, to think that a slipshod address of this kind was a compliment and yet we expect Jesus and Mary to be pleased with it! Small wonder then that the most sacred prayers of our holy religion seem to bear no fruit, and that, after saying thousands of Rosaries, we are still no better than we were before!”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort: “… you should even say your Rosary more slowly sometimes when you particularly find it hard to say.”
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion of Montfort: “Then Saint Dominic had them all say the Rosary very slowly and with great devotion, and a wonderful thing happened: at each Hail Mary that he and the people said together a large group of devils issued forth from the wretched man’s body under the guise of red-hot coals.”
Constantin of Barbanson, Capuchin (d. 1631): “Are you therefore little esteemed, despised, or rejected by this person or that one, by many, or even by everyone? Are you mortified, does everyone have something against you? Take courage… This is the shortest and surest path to God that you could desire.”
James 3:16: “For where there is envy and discord, there is disorder and every kind of evil deed.”
Constantin de Barbanson, Capuchin (d. 1631): “The foundation, then, and origin of all perfection, the root and beginning of every virtue, is this true and sincere knowledge of our littleness, nothingness, and vileness.”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “… I cannot rest as long as there are souls to be saved… But when the Angel shall say, Time is no more!, then I shall rest…”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “In Heaven, no one will look upon another with indifference, because all the elect will recognize that they owe one another the graces that have merited them the crown.”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “Often, without knowing it, the graces and lights we receive are due to a hidden soul, because God wants the Saints to communicate grace to one another through prayer…”
Saint John of the Cross: “Without charity, no virtue can please God.”
Saint John of the Cross: “When a soul has placed all its hope in God, it acquires such strength, such courage, and such an impetus toward eternal things that the whole universe appears to it, in comparison with what it hopes for… empty and desolate, dead and nothingness.”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “I always see the bright side of things. There are people who take everything in such a way as to cause themselves the greatest possible pain. For me, it’s the opposite. If all I have is pure suffering, if the sky is so dark that I cannot see any clearing, well! I make it my joy… I make it… my boast! Like trials from Papa that make me more glorious than a queen.”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “I feel that I am about to enter into rest… But above all, I feel that my mission is about to begin: my mission of making people love God as I love Him, of giving my little way to souls. If God grants my desires, my Heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world. Yes, I want to spend my Heaven doing good on earth.”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “O my God, how different Your judgments are from those of men! This is how we so often deceive ourselves on earth, mistaking in our sisters what is an imperfection for what is a virtue in Your eyes!”
Saint Therese of Lisieux: “When we are misunderstood and judged unfavorably, what good is there in defending ourselves or explaining ourselves? Let us simply let it go, say nothing. How gentle it is to say nothing, to allow ourselves to be judged however others may choose! We do not see in the Gospel that St. Mary Magdalene explained herself when her sister accused her of sitting at the feet of Jesus and doing nothing. She did not say: “O Martha, if only you knew the happiness I am experiencing, if only you could hear the words I am hearing! Besides, it is Jesus who told me to remain here.” No, she preferred to remain silent. O blessed silence, which brings such peace to the soul!”
Saint Rosa of Lima: “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”
Padre Pio: “In the spiritual life, the faster we run, the less tired we feel.”
Lucia of Fatima, 1957: “… let each one of us begin his own spiritual reform, for each one must save not only his own soul, but also all the souls whom God has placed in his path.”
Blessed Angela of Foligno: “… the greater the humility, the greater the purification of the soul… The more the soul is afflicted, stripped bare, and deeply humbled, the more it acquires, along with purity, the capacity to ascend to the heights. The elevation of which it becomes capable is measured by the depth of the abyss in which it has its roots and foundations.”
Blessed Angela of Foligno: “I know well that the world mocks what I say: that one should weep over the sins of others as much as, or even more than, one’s own. This may seem contrary to the natural order. But the charity that does this is not of this world.”
Saint Alphonsus of Liguori: “St. Thomas says that even if the vocation to religious life came from the devil, it should still be embraced, as an excellent counsel, well given by an enemy.”
Saint John of the Cross: “Your Reverence [Anne of Jesus], it is true that you are not accustomed to scholastic theology, which gives us an understanding of divine truths; but you have learned, through the way of love, the mystical science, which not only teaches us these truths, but also makes us savor them.”
St. Joseph of Cupertino: “My Mother is the Blessed Virgin; she who gave birth to me is only my nurse.”
Jacopone of Todi (d. 1306): “As for the love of one’s neighbour, the sign is not to love him less when he has offended me. If I loved him less, it would be proof that I did not love him before, but that I loved myself.”
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori: “The business of eternal salvation is not only the most important, but it is the only business to which we have to attend in this life.”
Saint Alphonsus of Liguori: “Saint Francis Xavier used to say that there is only one good and one evil in this world: the one good is to save our soul, and the one evil is to lose it.”
Saint John of the Cross: “… the path of suffering is far preferable to that of pleasure and personal activity, and infinitely safer. In suffering, God increases our strength, whereas action and pleasure deliver us over to our weaknesses and imperfections. To suffer is also to purify oneself, to exercise oneself in the practice of the virtues, and to grow in wisdom and prudence.”
Saint John of the Cross: “… progress in perfection ordinarily comes precisely from the direction from which it is least expected, when everything seems lost.”
Saint John of the Cross: “… many people whose affections and interior operations turn joyfully toward spiritual things imagine, on that account, that these feelings and attractions are purely supernatural. But this is not so; on the contrary, it is certain that all these acts are, to a greater or lesser degree, natural and human.”
Saint John of the Cross: “… is not the ordinary source of our illusions found in our appetites, our attractions, our reasoning, our conceptions, and our affections, which, more often than not, carry us to excess on one side or the other, expose us to changeability, and cause us to fall into a thousand extravagances?”
Sister Lucia of Fatima, 1957: “There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.”
Sister Lucia of Fatima, 1957: “The two means to save the world are prayer and sacrifice.”
Saint Teresa of Avila (d. 1582): “Our Lord said to me one day: Do you think, my daughter, that merit consists in enjoying? No, but in working, suffering, and loving.”
Saint John of the Cross (d. 1591): “As a rule, those works which mortify nature more deeply… are more precious in the eyes of the Lord, and more worthy of being accepted by Him, than actions which gratify our natural inclinations.”
Saint John of the Cross: “I hold it as certain that most works done publicly are either faulty or of no value; they are imperfect or defective in the sight of God…”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “… neither wisdom, nor knowledge, nor eloquence draws the world to Christ, but a pure and holy life, and the perfect observance of the commandments and counsels of Christ.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “If the foundation of poverty is removed from the Order, I am certain through Christ that it will be overthrown in a vile and miserable way.”
Angelo Clareno (d. 1337): “… he [Francis of Assisi] said that love and the faithful and complete observance of the poverty and humility of Christ were the foundation, the substance, and the root of the evangelical life and of the Rule that had been revealed to him by Christ.”
What an Angel told St. Francis of Assisi: “Setting aside prayer and devotion, they will turn, under the appearance of edifying their neighbor and saving souls, toward the knowledge that puffs up, toward the study of reading and the accumulation of a multitude of books. And because they will prefer words to virtues and knowledge to holiness, they will remain inwardly cold and empty of charity…”
Blessed Giles of Assisi, companion of Saint Francis of Assisi (d. 1262): “O Paris! O Paris! you are destroying the Order of Saint Francis!”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Be patient in suffering, joyful in persecution, humble before God and before men; in this way you will obtain victory over your visible and invisible enemies.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Above all, flee envy, for it was the source of our downfall.”
Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet lose their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Those whom they imagine they have edified and led to repentance by their learning and preaching, the Lord edifies and converts through the prayers and tears of certain holy brothers, poor, humble, and without appearance…”
Saint Francis of Assisi on detractors: “Like swine, they delight in mud and filth, in the faults they eagerly seek to uncover in their brothers, and which perhaps they even falsely claim to have found or seen…”
Blessed Giles of Assisi to two cardinals who asked him to pray for them: “It is not necessary that I pray for you; you have a more robust faith and a greater hope than I do… You live amid honors, riches, and the pleasures of life, and yet you hope to attain salvation; whereas I, on the contrary, spend my days in afflictions and sufferings of every kind, and yet I fear being damned.”
Matthew 7:2: “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For you will be judged in the same way you judge others, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “… the authenticity of holy humility, simplicity, prayer, and poverty — which is our vocation — will be exalted, valued, and glorified, a reality that those puffed up with knowledge have underestimated through their lives and their empty preaching.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “The sterile one is the poor little brother who does not have the duty of giving birth to children in the church through preaching. On judgement day this brother will bring many forth since those who now he is converting by his private prayers will be reckoned to his glory by the judge.”
John of Fano (d. 1539), Capuchin: “Saint Francis used to say that a religious is only as good a preacher as his conduct is good, since the tree is known by its fruits.”
Saint Bonaventure (d. 1274): “… if you wish to uproot all vices from your soul and plant virtues in their place, be a man of prayer, for it is in this holy exercise that one receives the anointing and grace of the Holy Spirit, which teaches all things.”
Matthew 14:12: “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
Rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, chapter 10: “… I warn the brothers, I exhort them in the Lord Jesus Christ, to guard themselves against all pride, vain glory, envy, greed, the cares and anxieties of this world, detraction, and murmuring.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “… Our Lord Jesus Christ was born poor, lived poor, taught poverty, and died in the arms of poverty.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Let us be careful, we who have left everything behind, not to lose the Kingdom of Heaven for a trifle; and if we find money anywhere, let us value it no more than the dust we tread under our feet.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “One can arrive at the knowledge and understanding of God only through the virtue of holy humility; for the right way to go up is to go down.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “… know that it is contrition, holy humility, holy charity, holy joy, and holy devotion that place the soul in a good state and make it happy.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “… there will sit upon the pontifical seat a pontiff not canonically elected, who will think wrongly of the life of Christ and of the Rule that Christ gave them through me and that the Church confirmed and approved.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “Man will be held accountable even for the grace he did not receive; because, if he had worked with zeal and care with the grace he had been given, he would have obtained even that which he did not have.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “… the one who truly knows his misfortunes, the dangers threatening him, and the losses he has suffered — that one, I say, would know well how to pray and would have the will to do so.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “Man should willingly endure the sufferings of this world, because Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the example in His own person.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “An outstanding grace cannot be possessed in peace; at all times obstacles of more than one kind rise up against it. The more a man is filled with graces, the more strongly the devil attacks him…”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “I find many people who work for their bodies, and very few who do as much for their souls. For their bodies, many go to incredible lengths… but for the soul, who works with as much courage, with as much ardor?”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “I consider it more important to preserve the goods granted by the Lord than to acquire them.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “If a man does not attain perfection, he must attribute it to his own negligence.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “It is impossible to acquire virtues without care and effort… The young man who refuses work refuses the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “You should not be scandalized if someone insults you, but rather feel compassion for their sin.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “… you do not want to be persecuted or cursed here below for the love of Christ, and yet you believe you can be received into His kingdom and enjoy His blessings there…”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “If you want to be saved and share in heaven’s glory, never try to get revenge or punish anyone yourself. The way of the saints is always to do good and to receive harm.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “The stronger you are in bearing and patiently enduring insults and tribulations, the greater you will be in the sight of God…”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “All dangers, all great falls in this world have come from wanting to hold one’s head too high…”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “You should ask God not to give you much good in this world, to send you severe trials, and not to comfort you much in the midst of your sufferings, so that your reward may be greater.”
Genesis 3:17: “… it is through hard work that you will get your food from it all your life.”
Saint Bonaventure: “If you wish to acquire virtue and the strength to overcome the enemy’s temptations, be a man of prayer.”
Saint Bonaventure: “If you want to know Satan’s deceptions and defend yourself against his traps, be a man of prayer.”
Saint Peter of Alcantara (d. 1562): “… the true proof of a person’s spiritual progress is not a liking for prayer, but patience in tribulation, self-denial, and the fulfillment of the divine law…”
Saint Peter of Alcantara: “… the contemplative must be deaf, blind, and mute, because the less he expresses himself outwardly, the more he will be gathered within himself.”
Saint Peter of Alcantara: “Devotion, therefore, does not consist in that tenderness of heart or in that sweet consolation that those who pray sometimes experience, but in the readiness and in the fervor with which one sets about doing good.”
Saint Peter of Alcantara: “On the Day of Judgment, we will not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not whether we have spoken or preached well, but whether we have performed good deeds.”
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153): “The one who gives himself too much to the comforts of the world does not deserve those of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Matthew 24:4-5: “And Jesus answered them: Be careful that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying: I am the Christ, and will deceive many.”
Blessed Joachim of Fiore (d. 1202): The beast from the sea will conquer the saints through false signs, demonic deception, and cunning words.
Bishop of Annecy, 18th century: “… to speak only of the clergy, both regular and secular, how many of its members were drawn into the Revolution without wishing it, without realizing it… they understood where they were being led when it had become impossible to stop.”
Ecclesiastes 1:18: “For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; nor about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Blessed Joachim of Fiore: “I do not condemn what is regulated concerning the just or unjust possession of temporal things; but I proclaim blessed the one who has left everything to follow Christ and His disciples.”
Matthew 5:26: “Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Psalm 65:10: “For you, O God, have tested us; you have refined us like silver in the fire.”
Blessed Joachim of Fiore: “… it seems plausible that, just as the beast rising from the sea will have a great king of his sect, like Nero and as an emperor over the whole world, so the beast rising from the earth will have a great prelate, like Simon Magus, and as a universal pontiff over the whole earth; and this one will be the Antichrist of whom Paul says that he exalts himself and opposes everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God, presenting himself as God (2 Thess 2:4).”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “… our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some… Those who preserve their fervour and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and persecutions as rebels and schismatics.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “The sons of the flesh will always bend the holy understanding of the Rule toward their carnal meaning. But God will separate the true sons of the Rule from the sons of carnal prudence…”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “A man only knows what he puts into practice ; he is only wise to the extent that he loves God and his neighbor.”
Saint John of the Cross: “Never listen to a single word about the weaknesses of others; and if someone comes to complain to you about their neighbor, humbly ask them not to tell you anything.”
Saint John of the Cross: “Do not suspect any evil of your brother, for suspicion tarnishes the purity of the heart.”
Matthew 5:46: “… if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the publicans do the same?”
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori: “… the question of vocation, in the world, is considered by many people as something of little importance. It seems to them that it makes little difference whether one lives in the state to which God has called us, or in the one we have chosen according to our own ideas. From this come so many disordered lives, and so many damnations.”
Saint Alphonsus of Liguori: “If, therefore, we want to secure our salvation, we must, in choosing a state of life, obey the divine calling, in which alone God prepares for us the necessary help to save ourselves.”
Saint Alphonsus of Liguori: “… when it comes to eternal salvation, and especially to a religious vocation, we have no greater enemies than our parents…”
Wisdom 5:4-5: “We were fools to think that their lives were madness and their death a disgrace. Now they are counted among the children of God, and their share is with the saints.”
2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Luke 14:11: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 14:10: “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he may say to you: Friend, move up higher. Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.”
1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, have constant charity for one another, for charity covers a multitude of sins.”
Saint Hugh of Saint-Victor: “All the happiness, all the sweetness, all the power, all the riches of the created world may indeed impress the human heart, but they cannot satisfy it.”
Revelations of Saint Teresa of Ávila: “Believe me, my child, the souls most cherished by my Father are those to whom He sends the greatest trials, and the greatness of these trials is the measure of His love.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Tribulation will come, know this, and then books, being of no use, will be thrown out the windows or relegated to some corner.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “There are so many people who aspire to the sciences, that I consider blessed the one who knows only Jesus Christ crucified.”
Saint Leonard of Port Maurice: “It is to you that I speak, poor worldly people, whom I see all so busy: speculating, sweating, studying, wearing yourselves out, tormenting yourselves, but for what? Could it be to secure the salvation of your soul?”
Saint Leonard of Port-Maurice: “Alas! One thinks of everything, except the soul. Salvation, in the eyes of worldly people, is the concern of idle, wild, melancholic men, stirred by the ways of the world.”
Ecclesiasticus 34:7: “For dreams have led many astray, and they have fallen because they placed their hope in them.”
Ecclesiastes 5:6: “When there are many dreams, there is much emptiness and countless words; but you, fear God.”
Matthew 19:21: “Jesus said to him: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
Psalm 39:18: “For me, I am a beggar and poor; but the Lord takes care of me.”
Psalm 54:23: “Cast your cares into the bosom of the Lord, and He Himself will sustain you; He will not allow the righteous to be shaken forever.”
Psalm 22:1: “The Lord guides me, and nothing will be lacking to me.”
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Saint Augustine: “Since I began to serve God, I have hardly found men more perfect than those who have lived well in monasteries, just as I have not found any worse than those who have behaved badly in them.”
Saint Teresa of Ávila: “But, alas! What a different fate awaits those fathers and mothers who, forgetting that their children belong far more to the Lord than to themselves, have not raised them in His fear! When they see one another in hell, what curses will they not hurl at each other, and how great will their despair be for all eternity!”
Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to his disciples: If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 10:38: “And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”
1 Peter 2:21: “For this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.”
Proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Proverbs 15:33: “The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
Ecclesiasticus 3:20: “The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself in all things, and you will find favor before God.”
Pope Nicholas III, Exiit qui seminat, 1279: “… it was reasonable that, in a state in which one voluntarily undertakes to imitate the extreme poverty of Jesus Christ, one should strip oneself of all property, contenting oneself with the necessary use of the things one receives.”
Saint Alphonsus Liguori: “As long as one hates one’s imperfections, there is hope of becoming a saint; but if one commits faults and does not take them into account, then Saint Bernard assures that all hope of holiness is lost.”
Ephesians 5:3-4: “But let fornication, and all impurity, or greed, not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither what is shameful, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, things which are improper, but rather giving of thanks.”
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up the faith, so that it may give grace to those who hear it.”
1 Peter 5:8: “Stay clear-minded and watch carefully. Your enemy, the devil, moves around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to destroy.”
Saint John of the Cross: “… one may hold it as a general rule that a soul goes astray only by following its own inclinations, its tastes, its reasonings, and its personal ideas… inclining it toward what is not fitting for the service of God.”
St. John of the Cross: “… the spiritual person must be convinced that visions, revelations, heavenly feelings, and all that one can imagine as highest in this order of things are not worth the smallest act of humility.”
St. John of the Cross: “The soul that desires to have revelations commits at least a venial sin; and those who encourage this desire or consent to it likewise sin…”
John 7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Matthew 7:2: “… you will be judged in the same way that you judge, and the same measure you use will be used toward you.”
James 3:8-9: “… the tongue, no man can tame; it is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless God our Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the image of God.”
Saint Bonaventure: “It is beneficial for a man beset by temptations, for a man who desires to grow richer more quickly and more effectively, to be separated, at least for a time, from his family and his homeland.”
Luke 18:14: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Hold firmly, therefore, my brothers, that poverty is the supreme path to salvation; it is like the nurse of humility and the seed of perfection. Its fruits are many, though little known.”
Saint Alphonsus of Liguori: “God gives to everyone his vocation, and chooses the state in which He wills him to be saved… How many will be found condemned on judgment day for not having followed their vocation!”
Conferences of John Cassian (5th century): “If we are disturbed by those who attack us, it is certain that humility has not yet laid firm foundations within us, and that the slightest storm can shake and ruin the structure of our soul.”
Saint John of the Cross: “If anyone were to suggest to you broad maxims, even if he performed miracles, do not believe him; rather, increase your penance and detachment from created things.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Those who persecute you, become angry with you, and overwhelm you with insults bring goods of more than one kind to your spirit. All are therefore your friends, and no one should be called an enemy…”
Mary of Jesus of Agreda: “… they look for doctrines and opinions that broaden the paths to eternal life, without reflecting that my most holy Son taught them that these paths were very narrow.”
Saint John of the Cross: “The soul that is not humble is easily deceived by the devil, who makes it believe a thousand lies.”
St. John of the Cross: “The poor in spirit is content with the very substance of devotion itself, and without seeking anything beyond what suffices, finds in the multiplicity of visible things nothing but fatigue and disinterest.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “The glory I await is such that every hardship, every illness, every humiliation, every persecution, every mortification becomes a cause of joy for me.”
2 Timothy 3:12: “… all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “Let us go away from here; we have nothing to gain where we are honored. Our gain is found in places where we are blamed and despised.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “The more the brothers depart from poverty, the more the world will depart from them; they will seek, and they will not find. If they embrace poverty closely… the world will nourish them, because they have been given to the world to save it.”
Ecclesiasticus 2:1-5: “… when you come to the service of God, stand firm… and prepare your soul for trial… Bear the delays of God… and wait patiently… gold and silver are tested by fire, and those who are pleasing to God are tested in the furnace of humiliation…”
St. Francis of Assisi: “He [Jesus Christ] said to me: ‘I want you to be a new fool in the world, preaching by deed and by word the folly of my Cross.’ You, on the contrary, want to draw me toward your learning and your prudence; but your learning will end by confounding you.”
Matthew 7:12: “Therefore, all that you want people to do for you, do also the same for them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “This evangelical poverty is the foundation of our Order. Upon this first base rests the whole structure of our religious life, so that it remains unshaken if the foundation is firm, and collapses from top to bottom if it is overthrown.”
Matthew 6:31-32: “Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the pagans are concerned with all these things…”
Revelation of Our Lord to St. Francis of Assisi: “…suppose that in the whole Order there remain only three brothers: it will still be my Order, and I will never abandon it.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi (d. 1262): “… a man is not saved merely by seeing, speaking, and hearing, but by practicing what he hears that is good; there is more distance between words and deeds than there is between heaven and earth.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “My little children, God has entrusted me with sending you to the land of the Saracens to preach there and confess His faith, and to attack the law of Muhammad.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi (d. 1262): “The world is so corrupt that we can neither speak well of what is good, nor speak ill of what is evil.”
Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me… for this is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
St. Francis of Assisi, talking about Juniper of Assisi: “Not only am I not ashamed of this brother’s simplicity, but I fervently wish that God would give me many men like him.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “He [Jesus Christ] revealed to me that, desiring to lead us to a perfection unknown until now in the Church, we should concern ourselves with nothing except Himself, His most pious Mother, and the apostles.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “I tell you that my first and last intention and will is, if the brothers had believed me, that none of them should have anything other than the clothing allowed by the rule, a belt and trousers.”
Saint Dominic: “Yes, truly, God takes a very special care of his holy poor, and I did not know it; but from now on, I also promise to observe the holy poverty of the Gospel; and, on behalf of God, I curse all the brothers of my Order who would claim to keep any property.”
St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of the Foundations: “… what is the true life, if not the one where neither death nor the events of this world are feared…”
Rule of Saint Francis, Chapter 6: “Wherever the Brothers may be, and whenever they meet, let them treat one another as children of the same household, so that they may confidently make known their needs to one another.”
Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, Capuchin (d. 1594): “… according to the prophecies, this is the last Reform. It will continue in this way even to the universal reform of Holy Church… Then the holy Order will be reduced and limited to just a few good men…”
Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, Capuchin (d. 1594): “Truly the Capuchin Reform was an image of the original state of the Order at the beginning. The Capuchin Reform represented the life of the holy Apostles and of Saint Francis with his Companions.”
Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, Chap. 12: “Let all those Brothers who, by the inspiration of God, wish to go among the Saracens and other Infidels…”
St. Teresa of Avila: “… if, while striving in all things to please Him who is the sole love of your hearts, you were to die of hunger, I would say: Happy, and a thousand times happy, are the Carmelites of Saint Joseph of Ávila!”
St. John of the Cross, The Spiritual Canticles: “… the one who seeks God while continuing to enjoy his rest and his comforts seeks him in the night and will not find him.”
Proverbs 11:2: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “… woe to that religious who takes pleasure in idle and empty words, and who, by them, provokes the laughter of men.”
Capuchin Constitutions, 1529, chap. 18: “… those who are appointed to this Office must remember that the principal quality of a Preacher is his virtuous life and his honest conduct.”
Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, Chap. 10: “I warn and exhort my Brothers in Our Lord Jesus Christ to be very careful of all kinds of pride, vanity, envy, greed, worldly cares and distractions, gossip, and murmuring.”
Saint Bernard: “The main reason that should keep us away from wealth is that one can never, or at least very hardly, possess it without love.”
Saint Bonaventure: “… they [the Friars Minor] do indeed make use of things that are destroyed through use, but not as masters; and in this they follow in the footsteps of the Lord…”
St. John of the Cross: “The truly spiritual person seeks bitterness rather than delights in God; he prefers suffering to consolation, the deprivation of every good to enjoyment, dryness and afflictions to the sweet communications of Heaven…”
Peter John Olivi (d. 1298), Friar Minor, some credit him with first formulation of papal infallibility: “…I do not intend… to deny that the opinions of the Doctors ought to be greatly respected, provided that they contain nothing that is manifestly contrary to the faith…”
St. Peter of Alcantara to St. Teresa: “If your zeal and fervor lead you to follow the counsels of Jesus Christ, observe them with the greatest perfection possible… If you prefer to follow the advice of learned men who do not have the Spirit of God, then seek great revenues…”
St. Francis of Assisi: “There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided…”
St. Francis of Assisi: “The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.”
Revelation of Our Lord to John of Medina, 16th-Century Capuchin: “… those who place all their hope and thoughts in me, and who depend entirely on my Providence, will be especially dear to me. I love them, I sustain them, and I embrace them as my most beloved children.”
Saint Bonaventure, Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi: “Seeing the community grow, the servant of God [Saint Francis] set down on paper for his brothers and for himself a rule of life whose foundation was the observance of the evangelical counsels.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “Since I know that the demons envy me because of the benefits the Lord has granted me, and since I also see that, when they cannot harm me directly, they seek to harm me through my companions.”
Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, a Capuchin friar (d. 1594), reports that Jesus Christ said to St. Francis of Assisi: “… I want the life I and my Apostles led preserved in your Order until the day of Judgement.”
St. Francis of Assisi, Testament: “When the Lord entrusted me with the care of the Brothers, no one instructed me how I ought to conduct myself; but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the form prescribed in the Holy Gospel.”
Revelation of Our Lord to St. Francis of Assisi: “…suppose that in the whole Order there remain only three brothers: it will still be my Order, and I will never abandon it.”
Saint Francis of Assisi: “At first, he should be careful about believing any accusation, until he has looked into it and found out the truth. He should not listen to gossip, should be especially careful with those who make accusations, and should not believe them too quickly.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “…those who have sought only to know and show the way of salvation, without personal works, will appear naked and empty before the tribunal of Christ.”
Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 6: “Such is the excellence of this sublime poverty, my dearest Brothers, which has made you heirs and kings of the Kingdom of Heaven. It has stripped you of earthly goods but has made you great in virtue.”
Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 1: “The Rule and life of the Friars Minor consist in observing the holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, without property, and in chastity.”
Capuchin Const., 1925: “… we declare that we have in fact, whether individually or collectively, no temporal right, domain, ownership, possession, usufruct, or legal use of anything whatsoever, not even of what we are obliged to make use of, nor of the houses in which we live.”
Pope Nicholas III, 1279: “We declare that renouncing all forms of property, both individually and collectively, for the love of God, is meritorious and holy, that Jesus Christ taught it through His words and confirmed it by His example, when He showed the way of perfection…”
When some urged St. Francis of Assisi to allow common property, he turned to Christ in prayer. The Lord replied: “I will remove all possessions, both personal and shared; for I will always be ready to provide for this family, whatever its growth, and I will support it as long as it hopes in me.”
Matthew 5:44: “But I tell you: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and slander you.”
Capuchin Constitutions, Chapter 11: “… Saint Bernard assures that two things can defile and ruin religious persons: familiarity with women and the pursuit of special foods.”
Proverbs 28: “Whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “Know, my Brethren, that Poverty is the straight road to salvation, the nurse of humility, the root of perfection ; its fruits are numerous, but hidden.”
Blessed Angela of Foligno: “True humility and true self-forgetting mean knowing honestly that we are not the source of any good. Anyone who truly feels this has the spirit of truth.”
Rule of St. Francis, Chap. 6: “The Brothers should have nothing of their own, no house, no place, nor any other possession, but should see themselves as travelers and strangers in this world.”
Jacopone of Todi, Friar Minor (d. 1306): True charity loves God even when He does not grant our requests, and loves others just as much when they offend us.
Psalm 33:20: “Many are the tribulations of the righteous, but God will deliver them from all these sufferings.”
Bl. Angela of Foligno: “It is by contemplating the Cross through continual prayer that one receives full knowledge of one’s sins, as well as the sorrow and contrition one ought to have for them, together with the divine light that brings into the soul deep and genuine humility.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “I do not want my brothers to be passionate about knowledge or books; I want them to be rooted in holy humility, to imitate pure simplicity, sacred prayer, and the poverty of the Lord.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “Of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Christ has deigned to pour out upon His servants, the greatest is to conquer oneself and to willingly endure, for love of Jesus, hardships, insults, humiliations, and the most urgent needs…”
Jeremiah 6:16: “… Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1854, Dogma of the Immaculate Conception: “… the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first instant of her Conception… was preserved free and exempt from all stain of original sin…”
Francis of Jesi, Friar Minor: “If we consider it carefully, the Order has never been more badly governed, nor more relaxed, nor given rise to more scandals in the world than when it was full of learned men.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “… those who allow themselves to be led by a frivolous love of knowledge will find their hands empty on the day of tribulation. That is why I would like to see all my brothers strengthen themselves in the practice of virtues…”
St. John of the Cross: “Oh! If people only knew what divine light they deprive themselves of through the darkness caused by their evil inclinations and disordered affections!”
Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, Ch. 2: “Members of the Third Order, in their clothing and grooming, shall set aside overly luxurious elegance and observe, according to each one’s condition, the rule of modesty.”
Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, Ch. 2: “They shall not allow into their home, nor permit to be read by those under their care, books and newspapers that could be harmful to virtue.”
Psalm 18:2: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “I have enough of the seashore to wash my feet, my hands, and my whole body; I consider as foolish the one who torments himself trying to know its depths. Let me have knowledge enough to order my life well; I do not seek to know what is above me.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “Do not be overly anxious to be useful to others, but rather be eager to be useful to yourself. We sometimes wish to know many things for others, and very little for ourselves.”
Blessed Angela of Foligno: “… all our perfection consists only in these two points, that is to say, in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of ourselves.”
Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, Ch. 2: “They will avoid foul language and buffoonish jokes. In the evening, they will examine their conscience to see whether they have committed any fault of this kind; if they have, they will make amends for their fault through penance.”
Capuchin Constitutions, Chap. 5: “The devout Saint Bernard says that nothing is more precious than time and nothing is less valued; he also warns us that we shall be severely examined on the use we have made of it.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “The more a man feels full of vices, the more he needs to speak of virtue; by often speaking of virtue, he returns to it more easily and embraces it more readily.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 : “Do not be deceived: bad conversations corrupt good morals.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “Those who persecute you, become angry with you, and overwhelm you with insults bring goods of more than one kind to your spirit. All are therefore your friends, and no one should be called an enemy…”
St. Basil (d. 379): “All the actions and all the words of the Savior are a rule of piety and virtue, for He clothed Himself in our body so that we might imitate His life according to the measure of our strength.”
Blessed Giles of Assisi: “A man will know that he loves God perfectly if he shows great eagerness to turn away from vice and to grow day by day in good works.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “Their study should not be so much about knowing what to say, but about knowing what to do, so that their actions precede their words and they teach only what they themselves practice.”
Bl. Angela of Foligno: “… there is no doubt that holy souls and true friends of God grow and are perfected in such a manner through humiliations when they come to them without being their fault, and when they suffer them with patience.”
St. Francis of Assisi: “Know, my Brothers, that I have nothing sweeter or more delightful than the memory of the Passion of my Savior, which is the subject of my ordinary meditation, and if I were to live until the end of the world, I would need no other reading.”
Pope Leo XIII, Auspicato Concessum, 1882: “Apply yourselves, then, to making the Third Order known and appreciated at its true worth… teach what it is, how accessible it is to everyone, what privileges it enjoys for the salvation of souls…”