The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one’s enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. – St. Aelred
When the Apostle tells us: Pray without ceasing, he means this: Desire unceasingly that life of happiness which is nothing if not eternal, and ask it of him who alone is able to give it. – St. Augustine
See that your praise comes from your whole being; in other words, see that you praise God not with your lips and voices alone, but with your minds, your lives and all your actions. – St. Augustine
If you desire to praise him [God] then live what you express. Live good lives, and you yourselves will be his praise. – St. Augustine
To prepare the way means to pray well; it means thinking humbly of oneself. – St. Augustine
Our Lord and God does not want to know what we want (for he cannot fail to know it) but wants us rather to exercise our desire through our prayers, so that we may be able to receive what he is preparing to give us. His gift is very great indeed, but our capacity is too small and limited to receive it. – St. Augustine
Like worms that germinate in the intestines of children and need to be driven out by the bitterest medicine, so sins abide in the depths of the soul are killed by fasting – provided it is truly worthy to be called such – as soon as it touched the soul. – St. Basil
He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor. – St. Bede the Venerable
You must not break away from holy prayer for any reason except obedience or charity. For often during the time scheduled for prayer the devil comes with all sorts of struggles and annoyances–even more than when you are not at prayer. – St. Catherine of Siena
Charity alone places us in perfection; but obedience, chastity and poverty are the three great means of acquiring it. Obedience consecrates our heart, chastity our body, and poverty our possessions to the love and service of God. – St. Francis de Sales
My brothers, Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. – St. Fulgentius of Ruspe
Try to gather together more frequently to give thanks to God and to praise him. For when you come together frequently, Satan’s powers are undermined. – St. Ignatius of Antioch
If man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. – St. Isidore
Even so do you honor him with this honor, which he ordained: spending your wealth on poor people. Because God has no need at all of golden vessels but of golden souls. – St. John Chrysostom
At the close of life you will be examined as to your love: learn then to love God as he wishes to be loved, and give up all that is your own. – St. John of the Cross
Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that. – St. John Vianney
The person who shows love and compassion to those in any kind of affliction is blessed, not only with the virtue of good will but also with the gift of peace. – St. Leo the Great
There is no more profitable practice as a companion to holy and spiritual fasting than that of almsgiving. – St. Leo the Great
Any time is the right time for works of charity. – St. Leo the Great
The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety brings this advantage to those who are true Christians, that in the matter of almsgiving not only the rich and affluent but also those of average means and the poor are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal in the love within their hearts. – St. Leo the Great
No act of devotion on the part of the faithful gives God more pleasure than that which is lavished on his poor. Where he finds charity with its loving concern, there he recognizes the reflection of his own fatherly care. – St. Leo the Great
A charitable mind is not displayed simply in giving money; it is manifested still more by personal service as well as by the communication of God’s Word to others. – St. Maximus the Confessor
If a man possesses any strong attachment to the things of this earth, he cannot possess true charity. For anyone who really loves God prefers to know and experience God rather than his creatures. – St. Maximus the Confessor
If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery. – St. Peter Chrysologus
Give to the poor, and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give
to others. – St. Peter Chrysologus
Without God, we are too poor to help the poor. – St. Teresa of Kolkata
The more we have the less we can give. – St. Teresa of Kolkata
Do we look at the poor with compassion? They are hungry not only for food, they are hungry to be recognized as human beings. They are hungry for dignity and to be treated as we are treated. They are hungry for our love. – St. Teresa of Kolkata
It’s not how much you do but how much love you put into the doing and sharing with others that is important. – St. Teresa of Kolkata
All the most perfect gifts are nothing without love. Charity is the excellent way that leads most surely to God. – St. Thérèse of Lisieux
If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. God is not neglected if you leave him for such service. – St. Vincent de Paul
QUOTES BY OTHER FAITHFUL MEN & WOMEN
The only way one can ever prove love is by making an act of choice; mere words are not enough. – Archbishop Fulton Sheen
All dysfunction within the human family ultimately flows from a lack of love. It’s not poverty or struggle or failure that causes us to fall apart from one another. Lack of love is always the problem. – Bishop Barron
For charity is the reason why anything should be done or left undone. – Blessed Isaac of Stella
There are two things you should know about the poor: they tend to smell, and they are ungrateful. – Dorothy Day
For people of prayer are, in the final analysis, people who are able to recognize in others the face of the Messiah. They are people who make visible what was hidden, who make touchable what was unreachable. – Henri JM Nouwen
Fasting is learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to ‘devour’ everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts. – Pope Francis
The divine office, in keeping with ancient Christian tradition, is so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God. – Sacrosanctum Concilium
No matter how deep our meditations, nor how severe our penances, how grand our liturgy, how pure our chant, how noble our thoughts about the mysteries of God; they are all useless if we do not really mean what we say. – Thomas Merton
