Category Archives: Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips, Quotes; St. Hyacinth of Poland, Feast Day August 17



St. Hyacinth of Poland
Public Domain Image




St. Hyacinth of Poland

 
The Feast Day of St. Hyacinth of Poland is celebrated on August 17. 


St. Hyacinth was born in 1185 to noble parents in Odrowacz, Poland.  He was educated by his uncle who was a pious priest who eventually became the Bishop of Cracow.  He was a very happy and pious child with an early calling to the religious life.  He studied at Bologna earning the degree of Doctor of Canon Law and Divinity.


St. Hyacinth returned to Poland.  On a trip to Rome with his uncle he met St. Dominic.  He was one of the first to join the Order of Preachers, becoming a Dominican.  He returned to Poland to establish the Dominican Order.


St. Hyacinth was a wonderful preacher.  He converted many people and was able to build churches and convents.  He visited the sick and was a friend to the poor.  He became known for the many miracles which occurred.  The most famous happened during the Tartars siege of the city of Kiev.  Hyacinth had a tender devotion to the Mother of God.  After celebrating Mass unaware of the siege occurring, he retrieved the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Mary and fled with the community to the river Dnieper.  Although the river was deep he led them across the river walking on the water.  His footprints could be seen on the water for centuries.


The last years of St. Hyacinth’s life were lived in a convent at Cracow.  On the feast of St. Dominic, he fell ill with a fever.  He celebrated Mass on the Feast of the Assumption in spite of his illness.  He was anointed at the Altar and died later that day on August 15, 1257.


St. Hyacinth was canonized by Pope Clement VIII in 1594.
 
“The greater danger for most of us
is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low and we reach it.”

Quote of Michelangelo
 


August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary




Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Stephen of Hungary, Feast Day August 16




St. Stephen of Hungary Public Domain Image
St. Stephen of Hungary

 

The Feast Day of St. Stephen of Hungary is celebrated on August 16. 

St. Stephen was born in the year 973.  His mother  was the Duchess Sarolt.  She had had a vision in which the first St. Stephen, the first martyr of the church had appeared to her.  She was told she would bear a son who would evangelize the land.

St. Stephen’s father was the Duke Geza.  Both his mother and father were converted to Christianity by Bishop St. Adalbert of Prague.  The Bishop baptized St. Stephen at the age of ten. St. Stephen married Gesela who was a sister to the Duke of Bavaria in 995.  Sadly, he survived all his children.  Only one child lived to be an adult.  This son, Emeric,  died in a hunting accident in 1031.

St. Stephen use their wealth to build a monastery and encouraged the people of the land to convert to Christianity.  The laws of the land which St. Stephen enacted favored Christianity over paganism.  He sent a request to Pope Sylvester II to proclaim him as King of Hungary.  Pope Sylvester II was happy to oblige.  He sent Stephen a crown and gold processional cross.

As King, St. Stephen was generous to the poor and sick.  He was devoted to the Virgin Mary, building several churches in her honor.  Mary is credited with preventing both a war and the assassination of King Stephen.  While he was king, St. Stephen also established a monastery in Jerusalem.

St. Stephen died on August 15, 1038, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary after suffering an illness.  He was buried next to his son Emerick.  They were both canonized saints in 1083.

“It is a fact that people are always
well aware of what is due them. 
Unfortunately, they remain oblivious
of what they owe to others.”

 

Quote of St. Francis de Sales; Feast Day January 24
 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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Twenty Five Quotes from the Saints on Suffering and Sorrow

Suffering comes in many forms. Pain, illness, loss, and death of a loved one all cause grief and sorrow. Turning to God during troubled times can be very difficult. Let the words of the Saints help you as you travel on your spiritual journey.

1. I’m suffering very much, but am I suffering very well?

St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux
Public Domain Image

2. Love that does not know of suffering is not worthy of the name.

St. Clare of Assisi

St. Clare of Assisi
Public Domain Image

3. I am prepared to suffer more. I know the Lord is with me. He has some plan for me. How can I requite His kindness.

St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception

St. Alphonsa
Public Domain Image

4. I will willingly abandon this miserable bed to hunger and suffering provided that my soul may have its ordinary nourishment.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Kateri
Public Domain Image

5. O my Jesus, give me Your strength, when my weak nature rebels against the distress and sufferings of this life of exile, and enable me to accept everything with prosperity and peace.

With my whole strength, I cling to Your merits Your sufferings, Your atonement, and Your tears so that I may be able to cooperate with you in the work of Salvation.

Prayer of Padre Pio

St. Padre Pio
Public Domain Image

6. The Passion of Jesus is a sea of sorrows, but it is also an ocean of love. Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this ocean. Dive into its depth. No matter how deep you go, you will never reach the bottom

St. Paul of the Cross

St. Paul of the Cross
Public Domain Image

7. Mary’s sorrow was less when she saw her only Son crucified, than it is now at the sight of man offending Him by sin.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola
Public Domain Image

8. The virgin may suitably be called a blooming rose. Just as the gentle rose is placed among thorns, so the gentle Virgin was surrounded by sorrow.

St. Brigid of Ireland

St. Brigid of Ireland Public Domain Image

9. Suffering gladly borne for others convert more people than sermons.

St. Therese Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux
Public Domain Image

10. Suffering is the greatest treasure on earth; it purifies the soul. In suffering, we learn who our true friend is.

St. Faustina

St. Faustina

11. Sorrow for sin is indeed necessary, but it should not be an endless preoccupation. You must dwell also on the glad remembrance of God’s loving kindness; otherwise, sadness will harden the heart and lead it more deeply into despair.

St. Bernard of Clairveaux

St. Bernard Clairvaux
Public Domain Image

12. In every disappointment, great or small, let your heart fly directly to your dear Savior, throwing yourself against every pain and sorrow, Jesus will never leave you or forsake you.

St. Elizabeth Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Public Domain Image

13. Learn to suffer a little for the love of God without telling everyone about it.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila
Public Domain Image

14. Suffering, no matter how difficult it may be, when compared to the good that is accomplished, makes every pain a joy for the soul.

St. Padre Pio

St. Padre Pio
Public Domain Image
15

15. Love without suffering does not exist.

St. Bernadette

St. Bernadette of Lourdes

16. He will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

17. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfection. And in suffering the soul practices and acquires virtue and becomes pure, wiser and more cautious.

St John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross

18. When sorrows and misfortunes, physical or spiritual, afflict you, turn to your Guardian Angel with strong trust and he will help you.

St. John Bosco

St. John Bosco Public Domain Image

19. Pain, suffering and sorrow are but the kiss of Jesus-a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta
U.S. Stamp
Public Domain Image

20. All the science of the saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever had done these two things best, has made himself most saintly.

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

21. We should strive to keep our hearts open to the suffering and wretchedness of other people, pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the Spirit of God.

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent de Paul
Public Domain Image

22. To suffer and be happy through suffering, to have ones feet on the earth, to walk on the dirty and rough path of this earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father’s right hand, to laugh and cry with the children of this world and ceaselessly sing the praises of God with the choirs of angels–this is the life of the Christian until the morning of eternity breaks forth.

St. Edith Stein

St. Edith Stein
Public Domain Image

23. Those who pray and suffer, leaving action for others, will not shine here on earth; but what a radiant crown they will wear in the Kingdom of Life! Blessed be the “apostolic of suffering!”

St. Josemaria Escriva

St. Josemaria Escriva
Public Domain Image

24. Suffering is transformed and elevated when in these moments we become aware of God’s closeness and solidarity. This is the certainty that gives inner peace and spiritual joy to the person who suffers generously and offers his pain as a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12.)

St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II the Great

25. My Lord Jesus Christ, two graces I beg of you before I die. The first is that in my lifetime I may feel in my soul and in my body, as far as possible, that sorrow which you, sweet Jesus, endured in the hour of your bitter passion. The second is that I may feel in my heart, as far as possible, that abundance of love with which you, Son of God, were inflamed, so as willing to endure so great a passion for us sinners.

St. Francis Assisi, Prayer for Holy Sorrow

St. Francis of Assisi Public Domain Image


Inspired by Grace: Quotes of the Saints

Grace is a wonderful gift from God. It is not earned but given to us in love. When we become aware that God is with us, guiding us…everything changes. Grace is the present of God’ presence! God is not a distant God. He created us and loves us.

Let’s turn to the saints to find out how they felt about grace.

1. Let us not be afraid to suffer for the truth; for if we suffer for the truth, we shall find grace.

St. Hyacinth

St. Hyacinth of Poland

2. Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gift of grace increases as the struggle increases.

St. Rose of Lima

3. How great it is to possess Divine Grace, How beautiful, how noble, how precious. How many riches it hides within itself, how many joys and delights!

St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima

4. The Grace of God does not find men fit for salvation, but makes them so.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo

5. If only we would learn how great it is to possess Divine Grace and how many riches it has within itself, how many joys and delights. We would devote all our concern to winning for ourselves pains and aflictions in order to attain the unfathomable treasure of grace.

St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima

6. I am where God wills me to be. I have found rest and security. His wisdom governs me. His grace sanctifies me. His mercy encompasses me. His joy sustains me and all will be well with me.

St. Rose Phillippine Duchesne

St. Rose Phillippine Duchesne

7. The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith and this is not of ourselves.

St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas

8. Be attentive to the voice of grace.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

9. Grace is like the sun. It shines on all, but only those who open their eyes and look up receive the light. The soul must be willing and awake, or the light passes by unnoticed.

St. Macarius of Egypt

St. Macarius of Egypt

10. In trial, God grants His grace to those who trust in Him.

St. Rita Cascia

St. Rita

11. Let every journey be a prayer, and every road a path of grace.

St. Bona of Pisa

St. Bona of Pisa

12. Lord, give me the grace to work for the things I pray for.

St. Thomas More

St. Thomas More

13. The greatest grace God can give someone is to send him a trial he cannot bear with his own powers…and then sustain him with His grace so he may endure to the end and be saved.

St. Justin Martyr

St. Justin Marty
by Theophanes the Cretan
Public Domain Image

14. Without grace there is no hope, but with it there is no shortage.

St. Barnabas

St. Barnabas
Public Domain Image

15. Rich is the mercy of our God, and abundantly does He bestow grace upon grace on those who love Him.

St. Elizabeth Schoenna

St. Elizabeth of Schoenna

16. What is true in the order of nature is true in the order of super-nature or grace. Only those who use the graces they are given are given more.

Venerable Fulton Sheen

Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen

17. If I am in God’s good grace, may He.keep me there. If I am not, may He put me there.

St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc
Burning at Stake
Public Domain Image

18. To receive the grace of God you must go to the desert and stay awhile.

St. Charles de Foucauld

Bl. Charles de Foucauld

19. Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a grace it is to know God!

St. Josephina Bakhita

St. Josephine Bakhita

20. He who knows how to forgive, prepares for himself many graces from God. As often as I look upon the cross, so often will I forgive with all my heart.

St. Faustina

St. Faustina
Public Domain Image

21. Let us ask three graces of Jesus, to avoid Purgatory, to learn from Purgatory, to empty Purgatory.

Blessed James Alberione

Blessed James Alberione

22. What grace is meant to do, is to help good people, not to escape their sufferings, but to bear them with a stout heart, with a fortitude that finds it’s strength in faith.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine Public Domain Image

I also understood that God’s love shows itself just as well in the simplest soul which puts up no resistance to His grace, as it does in the loftiest soul.

St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux Public Domain Image

24. The more I reflect on the graces I have received,the more they astonish me and make me tremble.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

St. Rose Phillippine Duchesne Public Domain Image

25. Take, O Lord and receive my liberty, my memory, my whole understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed acording to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace, with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius of Loyola Public Domain Image

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Cajetan, Feast Day August 7

St. Cajetan by Gaetano dei Conti di Tiene

The Feast Day of St. Cajetan is celebrated on August 7.  He was born in Vicenza, Italy, in 1480.  St. Cajetan is the patron saint of the unemployed.

Even as a child Cajetan was very devout.  He studied at Padua becoming a lawyer.  He then was ordained a priest in Rome working for the Roman Curia.  He joined the Oratory of Divine Love in Rome, which was devoted to charity and piety.

At the age of 42, he founded a hospital for incurables in Venice.  He served the sick and the poor.  St. Cajetan along with three friends decided to bring zeal back to the clergy.  They founded an order known as the Theatines.  They focused on reforming the clergy.  After the sack of Rome, they escaped to Venice when their house was ruined in 1527.  Members of his order took a strict vow of poverty, depending entirely on Divine Providence rather than on income.

One Christmas Eve when Cajetan was passing the Church of St. Mary Major, the Holy Child appeared to him, and the Blessed Virgin laid the child in the Saints arms filling his soul with joy.  He had many visions in his life and was known for being in a state of ecstasy during prayer.  He miraculously cured many who were sick including a man whose foot was to be amputated due to gangrene.  After telling the man to trust in God and ask for the intercession of St. Francis, he kissed the foot, rebandaged it and made the sign of the cross over it.  The following day the foot was healed.


St. Cajetan died in 1547 after receiving the last sacraments.  Many miracles were attributed to him after his death.
St. Cajetan   was canonized by Clement X in 1671.


“There is no road to Heaven

but that of Innocence or Penance.”


Quote of St. Cajetan
 
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Peter Julian Eymard, Feast Day August 2

St. Peter Julian Eymard

The Feast Day of St. Peter Julian Eymard is celebrated on August 2. Peter was born in 1811 in La Mure, France. He worked with his father as a cutler until he was 18.

While he was still a teenager, St. Peter told his father of his desire to become a priest. His father was adamantly against it, wanting him to stay in the family business. Peter began to study Latin while continuing to work for his father. Two years later, Peter’s father refused his request to attend college, wanting him to continue to work with him. Peter managed to attend college by accepting a scholarship. He also worked for a priest at a hospital for the insane.

While at college, his mother died.  A priest from the Oblates of Mary received permission at this time from Peter’s father for him to enter the Oblate novitiate.  His father died two years later.  Five months after entering the novitiate, Peter became very ill.  he struggled with illness throughout his life.  After his father’s death he entered the seminary at Grenoble.  After his ordination he joined the community of Marists.  His devotion to the Eucharist and perpetual adoration grew.  He helped to spread the devotion of perpetual adoration.  St. Peter became known as the Apostle of the Eucharist.  He wrote many different books about the Eucharist including How to get more out of Holy Communion.


St. Peter Julian Eymard died in 1868 and was canonized in 1962.  He is the patron saint of Eucharistic Devotion.


The Lord comes into us Sacramentally in order to live there spiritually.


Quote of St. Peter Julian Eymard


August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Alphonsa, Feast Day July 28

St. Alphonsa

The Feast Day of St. Alphonsa is celebrated on July 28.  She was born in Muttahupadathu, India in 1910.  She is the second canonized saint of India.

Baptized with the name Anna, she had a difficult birth and childhood.  Her mother died three months after she was born.  She was raised by her maternal Aunt.  After falling into a pit of burning chaff, her feet were badly burned leaving her disabled. At an early age, after reading the biography of St. Therese of Lisieux, she had a great desire to become a saint.

In 1927 at the age of 17 she joined the Poor Clares at Christ Convent at Bharananganam.   She took the name Alphonsa.  She completed her permanent vows in 1936. After completing her own education. Alphonsa taught school but she was plaqued by illness.She became known for her willingness to accept suffering.  After enduring several different types of illnesses over many years St. Alphonsa died at the age of 35.  Her tomb is a site for pilgrims due to the many reported miracles at the site. The miracle which was approved by the Vatican for her canonization was the curing of a child with a club foot. St. Alphonsa was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.

Since only grief and suffering have fallen to the lot of my Spouse, I too lovingly embrace them and my soul is at peace, though the body continues to be tormented.  For the last seven years I have ceased to be my own, being given over entirely to my Divine Spouse.  You know all that and now let the Lord do as He will with me.  It is not a cure I am anxious for but only that His Holy Will be fulfilled in me.

Quote of St. Aphonsa

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bridget of Sweden, Feast Day July 23

St. Bridget of Sweden

The Feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden is celebrated on July 23. St. Bridget of Sweden was born on June 14, 1303. She was the daughter of Berger Persson and wife, Ingeborg. Her family was wealthy, pious, and went on long pilgrimages to the Holy Land.  St. Bridget of Sweden is  the patron of Sweden, Europe, and widows.


At the age of ten her mother died. Her sister Kathleen, infant brother Israel, and Bridget were sent to her maternal aunt for education and care. As a young child Bridget had a vivid dream vision of The Man of Sorrows. When she asked who had done this to him He responded,


“All those who despise my love.”


This dream vision left an indelible mark on her.
She married early, as was the custom, at 13 years old to Ulf Gudransson. They had eight children, four sons and four daughter. The newly married King of Sweden asked her to be a Lady in waiting and teach the young queen the language and customs of her new country.


St. Bridget became a widow when she was 41 years old when her husband died of severe illness. She prayed for guidance, after which she founded a new religious order (The Brigitta’s), mainly for women. She reported many visions and revelations, some which can be found in the “Fifteen Prayers of St. Bridget”.


In August, 1370, Pope Urban V confirmed the Rule of her congregation. Bridget made earnest representations to Pope Urban, urging the removal of the Holy See from Avignon back to Rome.


In 1349 she journeyed to Rome where she stayed until she died in 1373.


My Lord Jesus Christ, Your blessed, royal, and magnificent heart
could never, by torments or terrors or blandishments, be swayed,
from the defense of Your kingdom of truth and justice.


Quote of St. Bridget of Sweden.


July is the Month of the Precious Blood.








Remembering St. Teresa of Calcutta through Pictures, Quotes and Prayers

Mother Teresa Public domain Image

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa will soon be officially declared a saint!

The day before the feast day of Bl. Mother Theresa Pope Francis will proclaim that she is a saint.  Her feast day is celebrated on Sept. 5.  The world remembers her as a “living saint”.

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta was born to parents Nikola and Drana Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1916 in Skopje of Macedonia and named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was baptized on August 17, 1910 in Macedonia. She was the third child in her family, following sister Aga and a brother, Lazar. Her father, Nikola died, when she was eight years old. Her father was a traveler, an extrovert, and a businessman who spoke five languages. Her mother, Drana, was extremely pious, adopting several orphans. She was known as Gonxha (pronounced gon’KHA) which means “flower bud”.

Gonxha desired early to become a missionary. At the age of eighteen, she joined the Sisters of Loreto. Here she took the name of Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux. She was sent to Calcutta, India to teach at St. Mary’s High School for Girls, which was run by the Sisters of Loreto. On May 24, 1937, she took her final Profession of Vows to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She then became known as Mother Teresa. In 1944, she became principal of the school.

Mother Teresa received a second calling while on a train. Christ spoke to her, asking her to work in the slums of Calcutta, caring for the sickest and poorest of the people. Pursuing this calling changed her life forever. In one year, she received approval to do the work she was being called to do. After six months of basic medical training she went to the slums to aid the needy and dying. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity with 12 members, most of them students from St. Mary’s. She established a leper colony, an orphanage, a mission house, and several health clinics.

In 1971, Mother Teresa visited New York City, where she opened a soup kitchen and a home to care for HIV/AIDS sufferers. In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1983, Mother Teresa suffered her first heart attack. After suffering from lung, kidney and heart problems for several years, she died on Sept. 5, 1997, which is now her feast day. At the time of her death her Missionaries of Charity numbered over 4,000. She had 610 foundations in 123 countries.

Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, after confirmation of her first miracle. The miracle was reported that a woman who had a large and very visible tumor, had stayed with the Missionaries of Charity. After she and the Sisters had prayed for Mother Teresa’s intercession, the growth, six to seven inches in length, had disappeared within several hours. Finding no other medical explanation for the sudden cure it was declared her first miracle. Over 3500 other reports are being investigated as possible miracles.

After accepting a second miracle, Pope Francis cleared the way for Mother Teresa to be declared a saint.  Pope Francis signed a decree declaring that the inexplicable 2008 recovery of a Brazilian man who suddenly woke from a coma caused by a viral brain infection was due to the intercession of the Albanian nun, who died in 1997.

The Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator spearheading Mother Teresa’s canonization case, stated that the man fully recovered following his wife’s prayers and he has since returned to work as a mechanical engineer. The couple also have had two children.

In 2003, Mother Teresa’s private correspondence revealed she had experienced a “dark night of the soul”… feeling abandoned by God and lacking in faith. This lasted unusually long; for fifty years. Many saints have experienced such feelings, described by John of the Cross, in his book Dark Night of the Soul. She was filled with loneliness, and torture, due to this lack of consolation from God.

Each image in the following list is accompanied by a quote or prayer of Mother Teresa. The images are all public domain images.

As we celebrate the sainthood and  feast day of St.Teresa of Calcutta on Sept. 5, let’s remember the remarkable things she did and said.

 

 

 

Sisters of Charity Public Domain Image

Sisters of Charity

 

Prayer of Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance
everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
so to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
not by words, but by our example;
by the catching force –
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.

Amen

 

Mother Teresa with Child Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa with Child/Associated Press

 

Mother Teresa:  Smile

“Let us always meet each other with a smile for the smile is the beginning of love.”

“Peace begins with a smile.”

“Every time you smile at someone it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa: God and Faith

“We are nothing without God, but if we put our lives in God’s hands miracles happen.”

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

“Faith in action is love, and love in action is service. Byt transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord.”

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”

Mother Teresa

 

 

Mother Teresa with Pope John Paul II Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa with Pope John Paul II

 

Mother Teresa:  Prayer

The fruit of silence is prayer.

The fruit of prayer is faith.

The fruit of faith is love.

The fruit of love is service.

The fruit of service is peace.”

Mother Teresa

 

Young Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Young Mother Teresa

 

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhju (Mother Teresa)

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is life, fight for it.

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa: Abortion

“Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

“There are two victims in every abortion: a dead baby and a dead conscience.”

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa: Love and Forgiveness

“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put into the doing.It is not how how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”

“I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

“If we really want to love we must learn to forgive.”

Mother Teresa

 

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa: Helping the Sick

“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”

“Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not come, we have only today. Let us begin.”

Mother Teresa

 

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa in service

 

Mother Teresa: Service

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous, be happy anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God, it was never between you and them anyway.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Praying Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa Praying

 

Mother Teresa: Prayer

“Love to pray. Feel often during the day the need for prayer and take trouble to pray Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of Himself. Ask and seek, and your heart will grow big enough to receive Him and keep Him as your own.”

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain Image

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa: Silence

“We need to find God and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature; trees, flowers, grass, grows in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa Public Domain IMage

Mother Teresa

 

Mother Teresa: Love

“Love has a hem to her garment

that reaches the very dust.

It sweeps the stains from

the street and lanes,

and because it can, it must.”

Mother Teresa

 

 

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Mother Teresa

Feast Days and Saint of the Day: May Calendar

The Holy Family

May 1…...St. Joseph the Worker…Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary…Patron saint of carpenters and families.

May 2…..St. Athanasius...Doctor of  the Church..Egypt…Bishop

May 3……St.s Philip and James...Apostles…Martyrs…St. Philip is patron saint of bakers…St. James is patron saint of pharmacists.

May 4…..St. Florian...Patron saint of firemen…Austria….Martyr

May 5…..Bl. Caterina Cittadini...Ursuline Sister…Italy

May 6…..St. Francis de Laval…Bishop in France

May 7…..St. Rose Venerini...Italy…Venerini Sisters

May 8…..Bl. Julian of Norwich…Benedictine

May 9……St. Pachomius...hermit…Egypt

May 10…..St. Damien of Molokai…Hawaii…U.S.A…Patron of leprosy and outcasts

May 11…..Carthusian Martyrs

May 12…..St.Leopold...Capucian Franciscan…Italy

May 13…..Our Lady of Fatima...Portugal

May 14…..St. Matthias...Apostle who replaced Judas…Martyr… patron saint of carpenters and alcoholics

May 15…..St. Isidore the Farmer…Patron saint of farmers…Spain

May 16…...St. Simon Stock...Carmelite Friar…Europe

May 17.;….St. Paschal Baylon...Franciscan…Spain

May 18……St. John I...Bishop of Rome…Martyr

May 19…..St. Ivo...France…Patron saint of lawyers, widows, and orphans…Third Order Franciscan

May 20…..St. Bernadine of Siena.…Italy…Franciscan

May 21……St. Eugene de Mazened...Francve…Missionary Oblate…patron saint of dysfunctional families

May 22……St. Rita of Cascia...Italy…Augustinian…patron saint of impossible causes, abuse victims and widows

May 23…..St. John Baptist Rossi…Italy…Priest

May 24…..St. Joanna...friend and follower of Jesus

May 25…..St. Bede...England…Doctor of the Church

Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi,… Widow

May 26…..St. Phillip Neri...Founder of Priests of the Oratory…Italy

May 27…..St. Augustine of Canterbury...Rome…England…Benedictine

May 28…..St. Germanus...Bishop of Paris

May 29…..St. Bona of Pisa…..Italy…patron saint of flight attendants, travelers, pilgrims and travel guides.

May 30..…St. Joan of Arc...France…Martyr

May 31……Feast of the Visitation... Mary and Martha

Our Lady of Fatima

Twenty Five Quotes From the Saints about Courage

Ascension Press

During our journey of faith, all of us at some time in our life need an extra dose of courage. To face our fears can be very daunting, requiring a decision from deep within ourselves not to run from adversity. Reflecting on the wisdom of the saints can help during those times. The following quotes are on the virtue of courage…another name for fortitude.

1. Grace and truth will in turn give rise to courage. Following Christ has always demanded courage.

St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II, Bishop of Rome

2. Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.

St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Augustine of Hippo

3. He who wants to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come in conflict with it.

Bl. Titus Brandsma

Bl. Titus Brandsma

4. Confession is an act of courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.

St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II

5. We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage is steadfast and our trust is fixed on God.

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

6. To have courage for whatever comes in life, everything lies in that.

St. Teresa of Avila


St. Teresa of Avila

7. Whoever does not fear death and has boundless love for Christ is not called prideful but brave and most courageous.

St. Cecelia

St. Cecelia

8. Go courageously to God, along the way He has traced out for you, steadfastly embracing the means He offer you.

St. Margaret Mary Alocoque

St. Margaret Mary

9. Our Lord likes courage. Get it from Him. You con’t find it in yourself.

St. Katherine Drexel

St. Katherine Drexel

10. True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray to God and ask Him to give us the courage to love.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

11. Many people say “I don’t have the courage to make the sacrifice.” Let them do what I did: exert a great effort. God never refuses that first grace which gives one the courage to act. Afterward the heart is strenghthened.

St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisiieux

12. Though the path is plain and smooth for men of good will, he who walks it will not travel far, and he will do so only with difficulty, if he does not have good feet; that is courage and a persevering spirit.

St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross

13. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them.

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

14. If one is to do good, he must have a little courage, be ready for sacrifice, deal affably with all and never slight anybody. By following this method, I have always had significant success, in fact, marvelous success!

St. John Bosco

St. John Bosco

15. The principal act of courage is to endure and withstand dangers doggedly.

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

16. Remember, that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing with you, nothing that you have received – only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi

17. Courage! I too must learn to force myself, even if I am tired, even if I am exhausted, at the end I can rest on the heart of Jesus.

St. Bernadette of Lourdes

St. Bernadette of Lourdes

18. Even if I must suffer greatly, thanks be to God’s mercy, I will not lack courage.

St. Genoveva Torres Morales

St. Genoveva Torres Morales

19. Courage, courage, my daughters. Remember that God does not give anyone more trials than can be suffered and that His Majesty is with the afflicted… for this is certain, there is no reason to fear God, but to hope in His mercy.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila

20. Help me! Give me the courage to overcome all the obstacles that might make me less dear to you.

St. Frances Cabrini

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

21. O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage and strength to serve you. Enkindle Your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived, when the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will open before me and I shall meet with peace.

St. Edith Stein

St. Edith Stein

22. Let us never lose courage or despair of God’s mercy. We may not understand His will for us in time, but in eternity the veil will be drawn, and we shall see that He acted only for our happiness. Let us bear our cross and leave it to God to determine the length and the weight.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

St. Rose Phillippine Duchesne

23. I repeat and ask that you always have courageous thoughts. As a result of them the Lord will give you grace for courageous deeds.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila

24. When I am weak, Help me find courage. When I am afraid of what the future holds, Help me find trust. When I cannot see God anymore in my life, Hel me find faith.

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua

25. God of our life. There are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.

Flood the path with light, turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; turn our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so, quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory. Amen

St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Agustine of Hippo

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Feast Day October 16




 

 

St. Margaret Mary Public Domain Image
St. Margaret Mary

The Feast day of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque is celebrated on October 16.  She is known as the Apostle of the Sacred Heart.

St. Margaret Mary was born to Claude and Philiberte Lamyn on July 22, 1647 in Lhautecour, France.  She was the fifth of seven children.  She was baptized with name of Margaret and added the name of Mary when she was confirmed in the faith in 1669.   From an early age Margaret had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.   Margaret’s father died when she was eight years old.  She was sent to a school run by Urbanist Nuns at Chavolles.

Margaret became very ill and was unable to walk.  After consecrating herself to the Blessed Virgin, she promised that if cured, she would be one of her daughters.  She was immediately cured.

Thrust into poverty after her father’s death, she considered marriage, which caused her internal conflict.  Her desire to become a nun prevailed.  She joined the Visitation Order in 1671.

St. Margaret Mary began having visions on Dec. 17, 1073.  They continued until June 1675.  Jesus appeared to her giving her the task of encouraging and teaching a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This included a Holy Hour on Thursdays to reflect on how the Apostles abandoned Him  during the Agony in the Garden.  It also encouraged receiving communion on 1st Fridays.

After suffering many years of from doubt and despair, St. Margaret Mary died at the age of 43.    She had served two terms as assistant supervisor.    With the help of St. Claude de la Columbiere, the  feast day  became popular.  The Sacred Heart symbolizes the boundless love given by Jesus in the Eucharist and His Passion and death

I need nothing but God and to lose myself to the Heart of Jesus.
Quote of St. Margaret Mary
October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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