Another very good path of repentance is to put out of our minds the harm done us by our enemies, in order to master our anger, and to forgive our fellow servants' sins against us. The end our own sins against the Lord will be forgiven us. Thus you have another way to atone for sins. Forgive you forgive your debtors, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

-- St. John Chrysostom

What, on the other hand, was the lot of the Pharisee? Here was a man praying, fasting and doing many good works, and in spite of all that he was censured by God. Why was this? Simply because he prided himself on his good works, and took satisfaction out of them as though they were of his own doing. Here we see a just man lacking humility and declared evil, and a sinner, conscious of his guilt and moved to a real sense of humility, justified because of his lowliness of heart.

-- St Vincent de Paul

If He who was without sin prayed, how much more ought sinners to pray?

-- St. Cyprian

Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear.

-- St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi

There is something in humility that strangely exalts the heart.

-- St. Augustine

Conquer yourself and the world lies at your feet.

-- St. Augustine

That hope is deceitful which hopes to be saved amid the occasions of sin.

-- St. Augustine

Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this Sacrament of love... I come into the heart I have given you in order that through your fervor you may atone for the offenses which I have received from lukewarm and slothful hearts that dishonor me in the Blessed Sacrament.

-- Third apparition of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

It is essential to begin the practice of prayer with a firm resolution of persevering in it.

-- St. Teresa of Avila

He who truly desires Love, seeks it truly. And he who truly seeks it, surely finds it. And he who finds it has found the Fountain of Life.

-- St. Francis de Sales.

What he was, he remained and what he was not, he assumed.

-- St. Leo the Great, Sermo in nativitate Domini

Why are we so sad? Why do we blame God? Evils abound in the world so that the world will fail to seduce us into loving it.

-- St. Augustine

Don't worry about me no matter what happens in this world. Nothing can happen to me that God doesn't want. And all that He wants, no matter how bad it may appear to us, is really for the best.

-- St. Thomas More

Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.

-- St. Thomas Aquinas

Take notice that if souls do not find themselves quite resolved to pardon any injury or affront which may be inflicted upon them, they cannot trust much to their prayer. For the soul which God truly unites to Himself by so lofty a method of prayer, feels none of these things, and no longer cares whether she is esteemed or not, or whether she is spoke well of or ill; nay rather honors and repose give her more pain than dishonor and trials.

-- St. Teresa

But above all it's the Gospels that occupy my mind when I'm at prayer; my poor soul has so many needs, and yet this is the one thing needful. I'm always finding fresh lights there; hidden meanings which had meant nothing to me hitherto.

-- St. Therese of Lisieux

I earnestly hope and desire to have the benefit of the sacraments when death is at hand. Still to my way of thinking, the will of God is more important. I believe that the best disposition I could have to die a happy death would be to submit myself to whatever God would wish in my regard. For this reason I desire whatever kind of death God will be pleased to send me.

-- St. Gertrude

We are to celebrate the Lord's paschal sacrifice with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. The leaven of our former malice is thrown out, and a new creature is filled and inebriated with the Lord himself. For the effect of our sharing in the body and blood of Christ is to change us into what we receive. As we have died with Him, and we have been buried and raised to life with Him, so we bear Him within us, both in body and in spirit, in everything we do.

-- Pope St. Leo the Great

Jesus Christ said, " This is my Body. " You say, " No. It is not His Body!" Who am I to believe? I prefer to believe Jesus Christ.

-- St. Dominic Barberi

There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world.

-- St. Theresa of Avila

An unclean soul is synonymous with a heart full of frivolity. Humility and purity of conduct are the wings which raise us up to God and in a manner deify us. Remember this: The sinner who is ashamed to do evil is closer to God than the upright man who is ashamed to do good.

-- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

I entreat you, keep Sundays holy. Working on Sunday will not make you rich; on the contrary, you will bring down misfortunes on yourselves and your children.

-- St. Bernadette Soubirous

The glory of these forty days we celebrate with songs and praise. For Christ, by whom all things were made, Himself has fasted and prayed. Alone and fasting Moses saw the loving God who gave the law. And to Elijah, fasting, came the steeds and chariots of flame. So Daniel trained his mystic sight, delivered from the lions might. And John, the Bridegroom's friend, became the herald of the Messiah's name. Then grant us, Lord, like them to be full often in fast and prayer with Thee. Our spirits strengthen with Thy grace, and give joy to see Thy face.

-- Pope St. Gregory the Great

In thought there are two ways of sinning mortally. The first is to consent to the evil with the intention of carrying it out, or doing so if one can. The second way of sinning mortally is actually carrying the sin to which consent was given.

-- St. Ignatius Loyola

There is no doubt but that the person who lives without mortifying himself is someone who will never succeed in saving his soul.

-- St. John Vianney

In the first place, the eyes must be mortified. We must abstain from looking at any object that may give occasion to temptation.

-- St. Alphonsus Liguori

He who obeys not the rudder will obey the reef.

-- St. Herve of Brittany

Be mindful, O Lord, of my unworthy self, according to the abundance of your mercies. Forgive all my offenses, deliberate or accidental, and withdraw not the grace of your Holy Spirit because of my sins.

-- St. Basil the Great

The prayer of the sick person in his patience and his acceptance of the sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. This has great worth when it is motivated by the imitation of how much He suffered for us, and by penance for our sins.

-- St. Charles of Seeze

I will go up to the foot of the Cross; I will press my arms tightly around the cold body, the corpse of Christ, with the fire of my love.....I will unail it, with my reparation and mortifications....I will wrap it in the new winding-sheet of my clean life, and I will bury it in the clean rock of my breast, where no one can tear it away from me, and there, Lord, take your rest! Were the whole world to abandon you...serviam! I will serve you Lord.

-- St. Jose Maria Escriva

Take away self-will and there will be no hell.

-- St Bernard