Tag Archives: Trinity

Faith, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Quotes of Saints

Twenty Five Quotes From the Saints on the Trinity

The Feast of the Holy Trinity is celebrated on the Sunday following Pentecost. On this day we reflect on our relationship with three persons in one God.

Which person in the Holy Trinity do you feel closest to. In what order did you come to know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

The following quotes from the saints share their spirituality regarding their love of the Trinity.

Let them lead us in our faith journey .

1. The Father loves not only the Son, but also himself and us, by the Holy Ghost.

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

2. Worship the Trinity, which I call the only true devotion and saving doctrine.

St. Gregory Nazianzus

St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Bisop

3. Eternal Trinity…mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself, for You are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being.

3. St. Catherine of Siena

4. O Trinity, eternal Trinity! Fire, abyss of love…was it necessary that You should give even the Holy Trinity as food for souls? You gave us not only Your Word through the Redemption and the Eucharist, but You gave Yourself in the fullness of Love for Your creature.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena

5. O Father Eternal God, grant me faith and courage; Son, wisdom of the Father, grant me light and make me wise; Holy Spirit, beloved of the Father and Son, inflame my heart and purify my soul, that I may approach this majestic Sacrament with faith and love.

St. Paschal Baylon

St. Paschal Baylon

6. I have not even begun to think of unity when the Trinity bathes me in its splendor. I have not even begun to think of the Trinity when unity grasps me.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus

St. Gregory of Nazianzus

7. Every divine action begins with the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed by the Holy Spirit.

St. Basil

St. Basil the Great

8. I vow and consecrate to God all that is in me: My memory and my actions to God the Father; My understanding and my works to the Son; My will and my thoughts to God the Holy Spirit.

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

9. O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to establish myself in You, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

10. If you try to understand the Trinity, you will lose your mind; if you reject it, you will lose your soul.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo
Public Domain Image

11. Let all of us truly and humbly believe…and adore, serve, praise, bless, glorify, exalt…the Most High and Supreme Eternal God, Trinity and Unity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Wherever we are, in every place, at every hour, at every time, every day and continually.

St. Francis of Assisi

12. I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness, of the Creator of creation.

St. Patrick

St. Patrick

13. O My God! Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to love You and make You loved, to work for the glory of Holy Church by saving souls on earth and liberating those suffering in purgatory. I desire to accomplish your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory You have prepared for me in Your kingdom. I desire, in a word, to be a Saint, but I feel my helplessness and I beg You, O my God, to be Yourself my Sanctity!

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux
Public Domain Image

14. Worship the Trinity, which I will call the only true devotion and saving doctrine.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus

St. Gregory of Nazianzus

15. The three persons are distinct from one another, a sublime knowledge is infused into the soul, embracing it with a certainty of the truth that the Three are of one substance, power and knowledge and are one God.

St. Theresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila

16. Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you are a mystery as deep as the sea, the more I search, the more I Find and the more I find the more I search for You.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena

17. When one of the Three Persons communicates with a soul, by the power of that one will, it finds itself united with the Three Persons and is inundated in the happiness flowing from the Most Holy Trinity, the same happiness that nourishes the saints. This same happiness streams from the Most Holy Trinity, makes all creation happy, from it springs that life which verifies and restores all life which takes its beginning from time.

St. Faustina

St. Faustina
Public Domain Image

18. For to have the fruition of Gid the Trinity, after whose image we are made, is indeed the fullness of all our joy, than which there is no greater.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo

19. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the live of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

St. Paul the Apostle

St. Paul the Apostle

20. You came into this land of exile, willing to suffer and to die, in order to carry away every single soul and plunge it into the very heart of the Trinity – Love’s eternal home.

St. Therse of Lisieux

St. THÉRÈSE of Lisiuex

21. If you see Love…you see the Trinity.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo
Public Domain Image

22. Then they are brought by us where there is water and are reborn by the same manner of rebirth by which we ourselves were reborn; for they are then washed in the water, ‘in the name of God the Father, and master of all, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. ‘

St. Justin Martyr

St. Justin Marty
by Theophanes the Cretan
Public Domain Image

23. I understand nothing else than the Holy Trinity to be meant; for the third is the Holy Spirit, and the Son is the second, by whom all things were made according to the Father.

St. Clement of Alexandria

St. Clement of Alexandria

24. Those holy angels come to the knowledge of God not by audible word, but by the presence to their souls of immutable truth, …of the only begotten Word of God, and they know this Word Himself, and the Father, and their Holy Spirit, and that this Trinity is indivisible, and that the three persons of it are one substance, and that there are not three Gods but one God, and this they so know that it is better understood by them than we are by ourselves.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo

25. The whole Trinity has marked mankind with its likeness. With the memory it resembles the Father, with the understanding it resembles the Son; by love it resembles the Holy Ghost.

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua

Faith, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Prayer, Quotes of Saints

Twenty Five Quotes From the Saints on the Holy Spirit

We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday…fifty days after the crucifixion of Jesus. The Holy Spirit descended on the confused and frightened apostles. They were filled with courage and conviction.

Today, we receive the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation. We are sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit who guides us and fills us with joy.

The 7 gifts of the Spirit are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God.

The 12 fruits of the spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, Self-control, and chastity.

The following quotes from the saints inspire us with the joy and faith they received.

1. Those whose hearts are pure are temples of the Holy Spirit.

St. Lucy

St. Lucy
by Domenico di Pace Beccafumi

2. He pours light into our minds, arouses our desire and gives us strength. As the soul is to the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.

St. Peter Damien

3. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector … to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

4. Just as two rushing rivers intermingle in such a way that the smaller loses its name and is absorbed into the larger, so the Divine Spirit acts upon the soul and absorbes it.

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

5. Happy the man whose words come from the Holy Spirit and not from himself.

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua

6. O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there thy cheerful beams.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo
by Sandro Botticelli

7. The Holy Spirit is like a gardener cultivating our souls.

St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney
Public Domain Image

8. Pentecost offers us the chance to live in a new way; with the Holy Spirit as our guide.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

9. Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo

10. The Holy Spirit leads us as a mother leads by the hand her child of two years old; as a person who can see leads one who is blind.

St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney

11. Rise, you who were lying fast asleep. Rise and hurry to the Church. Here is the Father. Here is the Son. Here is the Holy Spirit.

St. Ambrose

St. Ambrose

12. Acquire the Spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.

St. Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim of Sarov

13. I love you my Lord and my God, the eternal Paraclete, co-equal with the Father and the Son…It is by You that sinners are turned into saints.

St. John Henry Newman

St. John Henry Newman

14. Stretch every fiber of my being, dear Lord, that I may more easily fly towards you. May Your Spirit, which once breathed over the chaos of the earth, give life to all the powers of my soul.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

15. Every divine action begins with the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed by the Holy Spirit.

St. Basil the Great

St. Basil the Great

16. The life of the spirit is not our life, but the life of God within us.

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa of Avila

17. Think of the Father as a spring of life begetting the Son like a river, and the Holy Ghost like a sea, for the spring and the river and the sea are all one nature. Think of the Father as a root, and the Son as a branch. and the Spirit as a fruit, for substance in these three is one. The Father is a sun with the Son as rays and the Holy Ghost as heat.

St. John Damascene

St. John Damascus

18. Every truth without exception- and whoever may utter it- is from the Holy Spirit.

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

19. Enrich your soul in the great goodness of God. The Father is your table. The Son is your food, and the Holy Spirit waits on you and then makes Hos dwelling in you.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena

20. In the inner stillness where meditation leads, the Spirit secretly anoints the soul and heals our deepest wounds.

St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross

21. Remember, then, that you received a spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear. Keep safe what you have received. God the Father sealed you. Christ the Lord strengthened you and sent the Spirit into your hearts as the pledge of what is to come.

St. Ambrose

St. Ambrose

22. The Spirit is the source of holiness, a spiritual light, and he offers his own light to every mind to help it in its search for truth.

St. Basil

St. Basil the Great

23. The Spirit is the source of holiness…He is the love that draws them on, the sweetness that attracts them, the way in which a man approaches God.

St. Irenaeus

St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Public Domain Image

24. Spirit of truth. You are the reward of the saints, the comforter of souls, light in the darkness, riches to the poor, treasure to lovers, food for the hungry, comfort to those who are wandering; to sum up, you are the one in whom all treasures are contained.

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

25. Jesus to the Apostles on Pentecost: Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins their sins are forgiven, if you don’t forgive them they are not forgiven. ” JOHN 20: 21-23

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Patrick, Feast Day March 17

St. Patrick
St. Patrick

The Feast Day of St. Patrick is celebrated on March 17. St. Patrick is the patron saint of slaves, Ireland.

St. Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland, in 387. His parents were Romans, living in Britain. At age 14 he was captured by a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave. As a slave, he tended to the sheep. He turned to God in prayer. His prayer “The Breastplate of St. Patrick” is well known.

Patrick was a slave until the age of 20. He received guidance in a dream. He was led to sailors who took him to Britain. In another dream, the people of Ireland asked him to return. He was reunited with his parents

St. Patrick studied to become a priest. He was ordained a priest by St. Germanus who was the bishop he studied under. He was ordained a priest, then a Bishop. As Bishop he was sent back to Ireland. Many people converted under his guidance. St. Patrick is known for using the shamrock to explain the Trinity. He served as the Bishop of Ireland for forty years. Many miracles are attributed to St. Patrick.

St. Patrick wrote “The Confession of St. Patrick” which tells about his passionate faith and the trials he experienced. St. Patrick died in Saul, where he built his first church, on March 17, 461.

The Breastplate of St. Patrick

Christ be behind me, Christ be before me,
Christ be beside me…King of my heart.
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me…never to part.
Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me…shield in the strife.
Christ in my sitting, Christ in my sleeping,
Christ in my rising…light of my life.

(may be sung to Morning has Broken)

March is the Month of St. Joseph

St. Patrick in Art

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Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Mary, Mother of God, Feast Day January 1





Virgin Mary, Mother of God

The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God is celebrated on New Years Day.   We continue to celebrate the joy of the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Mary was given the title Theotokos which means “God-bearer” in Greek during the third or fourth century.

The divinity of Jesus has been argued about throughout the ages. The church has declared that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine…He has two natures. The church also teaches that Jesus was begotten not made. This means that Jesus has always existed in the Trinity. He became Man to redeem us and to give us the gift of salvation.

Because the church teaches that Jesus is the Lord, our God, this means Mary is the mother of God.

The mysteries of our faith are many. This mystery is truly beautiful. Mary, who was born without sin ( like Eve) said yes to the Angel during the Annunciation. Although troubled by the news that she would bear a son, she said;

“Let it be”.

We are all called to imitate Mary who is the first disciple of Jesus. Mary loved Jesus in a way none of us are able. She cared for him and took care of all his needs while he was growing up. There can be no doubt that Jesus also loved and honored Mary.

We are also called to honor Mary, just as Jesus honored His Mother. If Jesus honored and loved his mother, why shouldn’t we do the same?

Why should we be astonished if the God
who could work marvels in the scripture
and through His saints should choose to
reveal Himself even more marvelous
by means of His Mother?
Quote of St. Bernard; Feast day August 20
January is the Month of the Holy Name

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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. William of York, Feast Day June 8




St. William of York

St. William was born into a powerful family in England during the 12th century.  He was the son of Count Herbert.

In 1142 he was elected Archbishop of York, however his election was disputed on charges of simony and unchastity.  After proving his innocence he was finally consecrated Bishop in 1143.  Because of his charity and gentleness he was very popular.

When Eugenius II was elected Pope complaints again surfaced and he was suspended.  St. William went to Sicily where he lived as a monk devoting himself to a life of prayer.  After the death of Pope Eugene III Pope Anastastius IV restored William as Archbishop of York.  However just one month after he resumed office he died.  Many believed he was poisoned.  Many miracles took place at his tomb.   Pope Honorius III canonized William of York in 1227.

I have not even begun to think of unity when the Trinity bathes me in its splendor.
I have not even begun to think of the Trinity when unity grasps me.
Quote of St. Gregory of Nazianzus;          Feast Day Jan. 2
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Paul of Constantinople, Feast Day June 7




St. Paul of Constantinople

The feast day of St. Paul of Constantinople is celebrated on June 7.  St. Paul was elected the Bishop of Constantinople to succeed Alexander of Constantinople.  The Arian controversy was causing a great deal of turmoil at this time.  Arianism denied the divinity of Christ and the Trinity.

Emperor Constantus II was an Arian and did not approve of the election of St. Paul.  Because  St. Paul defended the belief that Christ is divine as well as human, he was exiled several times by the emperor.  The first time he was exiled but allowed to return in the year 338.  The second time he returned in the year 340.  The third time he was exiled to Mesopotamia, returning in the year 344.  His last time of exile was in the year 350 when he was exiled to Armenia.  Here, he died a martyr’s death.  He was starved and then strangled.

The man who has the mission of saying great things
(and all of us Christians have this sweet obligation)
is equally obliged to practice them.
Quote of St. Gregory the Great; Feast Day September 3
June is the Month of the Sacred Heart
Apostle, Faith, Quote, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes; St. Philip Neri, Feast Day May 26




St. Philip Neri
St. Philip Neri


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Apostle, Faith, Feast Days, Featured

The Catholic Church Celebrates its Birthday on Pentecost Sunday




Pentecost Public Domain Image
Pentecost

Many people falsely believe the church began when Christ rose from the dead.  However, the official beginning of the church is celebrated on Pentecost Sunday.

Fifty days after the crucifixion, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.  They were transfigured from frightened, confused disciples of Jesus to men of courage and conviction.  Their confusion was removed by the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus called him…The Advocate.

The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity.  As Catholics, we believe in One God, manifest by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Belief in the trinity was passed on through church traditions.  Before every prayer, we begin with the sign of the cross,   praying in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The mystery of the cross (suffering) is important to our faith.  Without suffering, we cannot come close to Jesus on the cross.  Jesus told the Apostles He would not leave them orphaned.  He would send them the Advocate, to lead and guide them.  Today, we call the Advocate the Holy Spirit.

Trinity Crucifix
Trinity Crucifix

Just as each of us has more than one type of relationship (mother, daughter, sister)  God also shows Himself to us in different ways; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Father is the creator of everything, Jesus is the Son, sent to redeem the world from the slavery of sin, and the Holy Spirit is the Advocate sent to guide and show us the way to the Father and Son.

The most important part of prayer is actually listening in quiet for guidance from God.  Sharing with him our pain, joy and needs is important, but we must also ask him to lead us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may know His will in our life.

The symbols of the Holy Spirit are the Dove, the wind, and the fire. God speaks to us in many ways.  Listen for him in the silence.

As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said,

“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”

When you hear God in the silence of your heart, you are experiencing Pentecost…..the birth of your faith.

Faith, Pope Francis, Spirituality

Pope Francis Explains Community of Saints to Crowd of 80,000




Pope Francis Facebook Image
Pope Francis Facebook Image

More than 80,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday morning to listen to the teachings of Pope Francis as he spoke for his General Audience, according to Zenit News Agency. He focused on the Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints. (October 30, 2013)

Pope Francis stated that the Communion of Saints relates both to the communion with holy things and the communion with holy persons. The Holy Father stated that no one is alone but rather exists in a communion with all who belong to Christ.

“The Church,” Pope Francis said, “in its most profound truth is a communion with God. This relation between Jesus and the Father is the ‘matrix’ of the bond between us Christians: if we are intimately inserted into this ‘matrix’ in this fiery furnace of love that is the Trinity, then we can become truly one heart and one soul, because the love of God purges our selfishness, our prejudices, our internal and external divisions.”  He also stated that our faith needs support from others during difficult moments.
Pope Francis told the crowd that within the communion of saints exists a great family where each one helps and sustains the other.

“A final aspect of the communion of Saints,” he continued, “is the spiritual bond that exists between those who continue their pilgrimage on earth and those who have passed the threshold of death into eternity. All who are baptized down here on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and all the blessed already in Paradise form one big family.”

“This communion between heaven and earth is realized especially through intercessory prayer,” he concluded.

Pope Francis called it the ‘highest form of solidarity’ as well as the foundation of the liturgical celebrations of All Saints and All Souls, which will be celebrated on Nov. 1, and Nov. 2. 

This article was originally published on October 30, 2013.


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Faith, Featured, Prayer, Spirituality

Which person in the Trinity do you find it easiest to pray to?




 

 
 Many of our formal prayers end with the Glory Be prayer. I asked my friends which person in the Trinity they found it easier to turn to, and who they found it difficult to turn to in prayer. There is no wrong answer! After reflecting, I realized that during my prayer journey (my pilgrimage) I have come to know each of the persons in the Trinity in a more personal way.

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Faith, Featured, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Gregory of Nyssa, Feast Day March 9

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St. Gregory of Nyssa The feastday  of St. Gregory of Nyssa is celebrated on March 9.  

St. Gregory was born in 335 in Cappadocia, Asia Miner. He came from a family of at least five saints. St. Basil and St. Emmilia were his parents. He was raised by his brother St. Basil the Great and his sister Macrina in what is today known as Turkey.

St. Gregory married but continued studying for the priesthood which at that time allowed married priests. In 372 he became the Bishop of Nyssa. He taught against many false doctrines, defending the divinity of Christ. He defended the orthodox beliefs on the Trinity, Incarnation and Redemption.

St. Gregory  was arrested briefly and falsely accused of embezzlement. He was restored as bishop in 378. St. Gregory attend the first Council of Constantinople in 381 and settled many disputes within the church. He was a philosophical theologian and mystic. He became known as the “Father of Mysticism.”   St. Gregory died in the year 395.

 

 

May what is pleasing to God be always in your mind and heart and in mine.

Quote of St. Gregory of Nyssa

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph.

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