I see that we have to take many steps before arriving at sanctity. We think every step we take can be the last, and then we find that we have done nothing, we have hardly begun. A man who enters religion thinks there is nothing left to be done, but he soon finds that he has taken himself with him and is still worldly even though he has left the world . . . That done, he must go a step further and detach himself from himself, seek only God in God, and not look for any passing gain in holiness . . . to seek nothing but God’s interests. For this, my Lord, you must give us a great grace, for how can we reach such purity of intention by ourselves?

– St Claude de la Colombiere

Joy does not depend on acclaim, advancement, promotion, recognition, fame, prestige, or power. Joy can never come from without. It can only come from the Lord who plants it deep within us. If our joy is contingent upon affirmation, success or career, it is planted in sand and will never endure. Actually, our joy should have nothing to do with where we work, what we are doing, or any external reward or recognition we get. It only depends on who we are, not what we do or have. We are beloved of the Father, configured to his Son, alive with his grace, sealed with his promise. Everything else is extra. If we’re counting on anyone or anything outside of the Lord to cause our joy, we’re setting ourselves up for a fall.

-Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Let us never put aside the thought of our ultimate aim. And what is this ultimate aim? To know God, principally, is why he conceived our days, our years. Therefore, let us try never to forget this ultimate aim, for everything depends on it. And for what reason? To serve Him with faith, with love, and with constancy. Let us try to excel in all of this, then. Since God created us for love, he takes care of us for love, and for love he has promised us the prize.

– St. Pio of Pietrelcina

The dream of creating a ‘new heaven and a new earth’ lives on. It is not determined by my age, my health, or my degrees, but by my heart and the burning desire to act for God, to make God’s love and healing presence visible in a hurting world. I can do something, now, in this time and place. If my eyes and heart are open, I can make a difference, not for the whole world, but for one person or two or twenty. To be in love with God, to follow Christ, means that I must act on behalf of those who need my help. I cannot turn away. I cannot retire. I cannot say, ‘I have done all that I can do.’ As long as I can see, I must look for those who are in need. As long as I can talk, I must speak for those who have no voice. As long as I can move, I must act on behalf of justice for the poor. God has given me this time. It is still my time, my time until I die.

– Sister Regina Rogers

Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives . . . He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the ‘many things’ to the ‘one necessary thing.’. . .Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart . . . What counts is where our hearts are. When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all other things fall into place. What is the center? Jesus calls it the kingdom, the kingdom of his Father.
– Henri Nouwen

Padre Pio Devotions Newest Publication:They Walked with God Book 2: They Walked with God Book 2: St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, St. John Bosco

Being holy means living exactly as our Father inheaven wants us to live. You will say that it is difficult. Itis. The ideal is a very high one. And yet it is also easy. It is within our reach. When a person becomes ill, there may be no appropriate medicine. But in supernatural affairs, it is not like that. The medicine is always at hand. It is Jesus Christ, present in the Holy Eucharist, and he also gives us his grace in the other sacraments which he has established. Let us say again, in word and in action: ‘Lord, I trust in you; your ordinary providence, your helpeach day, is all I need.’ We do not have to ask God to perform great miracles. Rather, we have to beg him toincrease our faith, to enlighten our intellect, and strengthen our will.

– St. Josemaria Escriva

The holy exercise of prayer must be considered one of the chief foundations of Christian life and holiness, since the whole life of Jesus Christ was nothing but a perpetual prayer; which you must continue and express in your life. Neither the earth on which you live, the air you breathe, the bread that sustains you, or the heart that beats in your breast is as necessary for bodily life as prayer is to a Christian. . . Look upon prayer as the first, the principal, the most necessary, the most urgent, and the most important business of your life. As far as possible, free yourself from all less important duties, so you can give as much time as possible to prayer, especially in the morning and evening.

-St. John Eudes

Keep the transcendent dimension of your life burning bright through prayer and sacrament, through love and peace, mercy and justice. It changes every fiber of your being when the transcendent is your priority. Live for God. Nothing else is worth it.

Father Matthew Kelty O.C.S.O.

Remember that your soul is a temple of the living God. The kingdom of God is within you. Night and day let your aim be to remain in simplicity and gentleness, calmness and serenity, and in freedom from created things, so that you will find your joy in the Lord Jesus. Love silence and solitude, even when in the midst of a crowd or when caught up in your work. Physical solitude is a good thing, provided that it is backed up by prayer and a holy life, but far better than this is solitude of the heart, which is the interior desert in which your spirit can become totally immersed in God, and can hear and savor the words of eternal life. With great purity of intention, aim in everything to do what pleases God. Always remain faithful to God and genuinely accept whatever he wishes.

– St. Paul of the Cross

The more we pray, the more we please God, the more we obtain. I do not ask for those sweetnesses in prayer which God grants to certain souls. I am not worthy of them. I do not have enough strength to bear them. Extraordinary graces are not good for me. To give them to me would be to build upon the sand. It would be to pour a costly liqueur into a leaking cask which could hold nothing. I ask of God a prayer that is solid, simple, that will glorify him and not puff me up. Dryness and desolation, accompanied with God’s grace, are very good for me I think.

– St. Claude de La Colombiere