Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for joy, a source of constant happiness, a protection aginst sadness.

-St. John Chrysostom

We believe that doing little things for God is as much a way of loving him as doing great deeds. Besides, we are not very well informed about the greatness of our acts. There are nevertheless two things we know for sure: first, whatever we do can’t help but be small; and second, whatever God does is great. And so we go about our activities with a sense of great peace. We know that all our work consists in not shifting about under grace; in not choosing what we would do; and that it is God who acts through us. There is nothing difficult for God; the one who grows anxious at difficulties is the one who counts on his own capacity for action . . . Our feet march upon a street, but our heartbeat reverberates through the whole world. That is why our small acts . . . perfectly join together the love of God and the love of our neighbor . . . And thus life becomes a celebration.

– Madeleine Delbrel

Lord, you know that you alone are the life of my soul, my highest love, my light, my God, my all. Without you life is so dead, so empty. Without you, Lord, life is not worth living.

– Blessed Pauline von Mallinekrodt

O Lord, what is the trust that I can have in this life, or what is my greatest solace among all things under heaven? Is it not you, my Lord God, whose mercy is without measure? When have things been well with me without you, and when have things not been well with me if you were present? I would rather be poor with you than rich without you. I would rather be with you as a pilgrim in this world, than without you in heaven. Where you are is heaven, and where you are not is both death and hell. You are to me, all that I desire, and therefore it is fitting for me to cry to you and heartily to pray to you. I have nothing save you to trust in that can help me in my necessity, for you are my hope, you are my trust, you are my comfort, and you are my most faithful helper in every need.

– Thomas à Kempis

Whatever be my age, whatever the number of my years, I am ever narrowing the interval between time and eternity. I am ever changing in myself . . . I know O my God, I must change, if I am to see thy face. I must undergo the change of death. Body and soul must die to this world. My real self, my soul, must change by a true regeneration. Let me day by day be molded upon thee, and be changed from glory to glory, by ever looking toward thee, and ever leaning on thy arm . . . I know not what lies before me but I know as much as this. I know, too, that if thou art not with me, my change will be for the worse, not for the better. All will turn to good if I have Jesus with me, yesterday and today the same, and forever.

– St. John Henry Newman

The evening before Jacob (of the Old Testament) was to meet his brother and attempt a reconciliation, he fell asleep beside a river. Such perfect virtue makes a soul quiet, peaceful, unchanging. This is what our Lord meant by his words, ‘I leave you peace, my peace I give you.’ . . Those who are striving for perfection do not allow themselves to be moved easily by events of the world. They are not afraid whatever trouble comes their way. They are not constantly paralyzed with worry; they meet pain with courage. With their feet firmly planted on the shore, they watch without fear as the waves of human storms arise. It is Christ who gives this steadfastness to Christian souls. . .It was in this way that Jacob, who had cleansed his heart of resentment and so was a man of peace, went ahead of his family to be alone; it was then that he wrestled with God. And the truth is that everyone who frees themselves from worldly things draws near to the likeness and image of God. And this struggle with God means nothing less than to strive for perfection; to encounter Him who is so much greater than ourselves is to gain a unique likeness to the Lord.

– St. Ambrose

It’s true Lord that you are always thinking of us. From the beginning of time, before we existed, even before the world existed, you have been dreaming of me, thinking of me, loving me. And it is true that your love created me. It’s true Lord, that you have conceived for my life a unique destiny. It’s true that you have an eternal plan for me, a wonderful plan that you have always cherished in your heart, as a father thinks over the smallest detail of the life of his little one, still unborn. It’s true that, always bending over me, you guide me to bring your plan about, light on my path and strength for my soul. . .You the divine Attentive One, you, the divine Patient One, you the divine Present One, see that at no time I forget your presence. I don’t ask you to bless what I myself have decided to do, but give me the grace to discover and to live what you have dreamed for me.

– Father Michel Quoist

The Word of God is not a word to apply in our daily lives at some later date; it is a word to heal us through, and in our listening, here and now. The questions therefore are: How does God come to me as I listen to the Word? Where do I discern the healing hand of God touching me through the Word? How is my sadness, my grief and my mourning being transformed at this very moment? Do I sense the fire of God’s love purifying my heart and giving me new life? These questions lead me to the sacrament of the Word, the sacred place of God’s real presence.

– Henri Nouwen

In all his dealings with us, the Lord teaches us how to live on this earth. There is not a person in this world who is not a voyager, even if not all are anxious to return to the Homeland. In the course of this voyage, the waves and the storms make us seasick. At least we are in the ship. Outside the ship, death would be inevitable. When one is swimming among the breakers, however energetic one’s arms are, sooner or later one is defeated by the size of the ocean and allows oneself to drown. To complete the crossing, therefore, it is essential to remain in the ship, to be supported by its planks. The plank that supports our weakness is the cross of Our Lord. He keeps us safe from the world that threatens to drown us. We suffer because we are tossed about by the waves, but the Lord himself supports us.

– St. Augustine

In the degrees of humility, there is always a question of the inner person, the heart. We progress to the interior, where I know myself and know that I am known by God . . . This knowledge is always an awareness of my ‘creatureliness’ – that is, I have not brought myself into being, that another has caused me to be and that other is God himself . . . My purpose is to become a person who worships God through and through . . . It supposes the essence of humility – a constant contact with my nature, a constant mindfulness of the fact that I cannot be at the center of my universe, but it must be God who is the center.

– Father Simon O’Donnell, O.S.B.