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 Books Of The Bible

Books of the Bible in Canonical Order

 

COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

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The Second Vatican Council

Constitutions

Declarations

Decrees

Apostolic Exhortations

 Encyclicals

Pope Francis

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope John Paul II

 

Pope Paul VI

ENCYCLICALS & LETTERS FOR THE LAY FAITHFUL

 

Writings From The Early Church (33 A.D to 600 A.D)

Ambrose (340-397) [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– On the Christian Faith (De fide)
– On the Holy Spirit
– On the Mysteries
– On Repentance
– Concerning Virgins
– Concerning Widows
– On the Death of Satyrus
– Memorial of Symmachus
– Sermon against Auxentius

Athanasius [SAINT] [DOCTOR]

– On the Incarnation of the Word
– Statement of Faith
– On Luke 10:22 (Matthew 11:27)
– Circular Letter
– Vita S. Antoni (Life of St. Anthony)

Athenagoras

– A Plea for the Christians
– The Resurrection of the Dead

Augustine of Hippo [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Confessions
– Letters
– City of God
– Christian Doctrine
– On the Holy Trinity
– The Enchiridion
– On the Catechising of the Uninstructed
– On Faith and the Creed
– Concerning Faith of Things Not Seen
– On the Profit of Believing
– On the Creed: A Sermon to Catechumens
– On Continence
– On the Good of Marriage
– On Holy Virginity
– On the Good of Widowhood
– On Lying
– To Consentius: Against Lying
– On the Work of Monks
– On Patience
– On Care to be Had For the Dead
– On the Morals of the Catholic Church
– On the Morals of the Manichaeans
– On Two Souls, Against the Manichaeans
– On the Spirit and the Letter
– On Nature and Grace
– On Man’s Perfection in Righteousness
– On the Proceedings of Pelagius
– On the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin
– On the Soul and its Origin
– On Grace and Free Will
– On Rebuke and Grace
– The Predestination of the Saints/Gift of Perseverance
– Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount
– The Harmony of the Gospels
– Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament
– Tractates on the Gospel of John
– Homilies on the First Epistle of John
– Soliloquies
– The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

Bardesanes (154-222)
– The Book of the Laws of Various Countries

Barnabas [SAINT]
– Epistle of Barnabas

Basil the Great [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– De Spiritu Sancto
– Nine Homilies of Hexaemeron
– Letters

Clement of Alexandria [SAINT]

– Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?
– Exhortation to the Heathen
– The Instructor
– The Stromata, or Miscellanies
– Fragments

Clement of Rome [SAINT]
– First Epistle
– Second Epistle [SPURIOUS]
– Two Epistles Concerning Virginity [SPURIOUS]
– Recognitions [SPURIOUS]
– Clementine Homilies [SPURIOUS]

Commodianus
– Writings

Cyprian of Carthage [SAINT]
– The Life and Passion of Cyprian By Pontius the Deacon
– The Epistles of Cyprian
– The Treatises of Cyprian
– The Seventh Council of Carthage

Cyril of Jerusalem [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Catechetical Lectures

Dionysius of Rome [SAINT]
– Against the Sabellians

Dionysius the Great
– Epistles and Epistolary Fragments
– Exegetical Fragments
– Miscellaneous Fragments

Ephraim the Syrian (306-373) [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Nisibene Hymns
– Miscellaneous Hymns — On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh, For the Feast of the Epiphany, and On the Faith (“The Pearl”)
– Homilies — On Our Lord, On Admonition and Repentance, and On the Sinful Woman

Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340)
– Church History
– Life of Constantine
– Oration of Constantine “to the Assembly of the Saints”
– Oration in Praise of Constantine
– Letter on the Council of Nicaea

Gennadius of Marseilles
– Illustrious Men (Supplement to Jerome)

Gregory the Great, Pope (c. 540-604) [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Pastoral Rule
– Register of Letters

Gregory Nazianzen [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Orations
– Letters

Gregory of Nyssa [SAINT]
– Against Eunomius
– Answer to Eunomius’ Second Book
– On the Holy Spirit (Against the Followers of Macedonius)
– On the Holy Trinity, and of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit (To Eustathius)
– On “Not Three Gods” (To Ablabius)
– On the Faith (To Simplicius)
– On Virginity
– On Infants’ Early Deaths
– On Pilgrimages
– On the Making of Man
– On the Soul and the Resurrection
– The Great Catechism
– Funeral Oration on Meletius
– On the Baptism of Christ (Sermon for the Day of Lights)
– Letters

Gregory Thaumaturgus [SAINT]
– A Declaration of Faith
– A Metaphrase of the Book of Ecclesiastes
– Canonical Epistle
– The Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen
– A Sectional Confession of Faith
– On the Trinity
– Twelve Topics on the Faith
– On the Subject of the Soul
– Four Homilies
– On All the Saints
– On Matthew 6:22-23

Hermas
– The Pastor (or “The Shepherd”)

Hilary of Poitiers [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– On the Councils, or the Faith of the Easterns
– On the Trinity
– Homilies on the Psalms

Hippolytus [SAINT]
– The Refutation of All Heresies
– Some Exegetical Fragments of Hippolytus
– Expository Treatise Against the Jews
– Against Plato, On the Cause of the Universe
– Against the Heresy of Noetus
– Discourse on the Holy Theophany
– The Antichrist
– The End of the World (Pseudonymous)
– The Apostles and the Disciples (Pseudonymous)

Ignatius of Antioch [SAINT]
– Epistle to the Ephesians
– Epistle to the Magnesians
– Epistle to the Trallians
– Epistle to the Romans
– Epistle to the Philadelphians
– Epistle to the Smyrnæans
– Epistle to Polycarp
– The Martyrdom of Ignatius
– The Spurious Epistles

Irenaeus of Lyons [SAINT]
– Adversus haereses
– Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus

Jerome [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Letters
– The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary
– To Pammachius Against John of Jerusalem
– The Dialogue Against the Luciferians
– The Life of Malchus, the Captive Monk
– The Life of S. Hilarion
– The Life of Paulus the First Hermit
– Against Jovinianus
– Against Vigilantius
– Against the Pelagians
– Prefaces
– Apology for himself against the Books of Rufinus

John of Damascus [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Exposition of the Faith

John Cassian (c. 360-c. 435)
– Institutes
– Conferences
– On the Incarnation of the Lord (Against Nestorius)

John Chrysostom [SAINT] [DOCTOR]
– Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew
– Homilies on Acts
– Homilies on Romans
– Homilies on First Corinthians
– Homilies on Second Corinthians
– Homilies on Ephesians
– Homilies on Philippians
– Homilies on Colossians
– Homilies on First Thessalonians
– Homilies on Second Thessalonians
– Homilies on First Timothy
– Homilies on Second Timothy
– Homilies on Titus
– Homilies on Philemon
– Commentary on Galatians
– Homilies on the Gospel of John
– Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews
– Homilies on the Statues
– No One Can Harm the Man Who Does Not Injure Himself
– Two Letters to Theodore After His Fall
– Letter to a Young Widow
– Homily on St. Ignatius
– Homily on St. Babylas
– Homily Concerning “Lowliness of Mind”
– Instructions to Catechumens
– Three Homilies on the Power of Satan
– Homily on the Passage “Father, if it be possible . . .”
– Homily on the Paralytic Lowered Through the Roof
– Homily on the Passage “If your enemy hunger, feed him.”
– Homily Against Publishing the Errors of the Brethren
– First Homily on Eutropius
– Second Homily on Eutropius (After His Captivity)
– Four Letters to Olympias
– Letter to Some Priests of Antioch
– Correspondence with Pope Innocent I
– On the Priesthood

Julius Africanus
– Extant Writings

Justin Martyr [SAINT]
– First Apology
– Second Apology
– Dialogue with Trypho
– Hortatory Address to the Greeks
– On the Sole Government of God
– Fragments of the Lost Work on the Resurrection
– Miscellaneous Fragments from Lost Writings
– Martyrdom of Justin, Chariton, and other Roman Martyrs
– Discourse to the Greeks

Leo the Great, Pope (c. 395-461) [SAINT] [DOCTOR]

– Sermons
– Letters

Mathetes

– Epistle to Diognetus

Methodius
– The Banquet of the Ten Virgins
– Concerning Free Will
– From the Discourse on the Resurrection
– Three Fragments from the Homily on the Cross and Passion of Christ

Origen

– Commentary on the Gospel of John
– Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Polycarp [SAINT]
– Epistle to the Philippians
– The Martyrdom of Polycarp

Tertullian

– The Apology
– On Idolatry
– The Soul’s Testimony
– A Treatise on the Soul
– On the Flesh of Christ
– On the Resurrection of the Flesh
– On Repentance
– On Baptism
– On Prayer
– Ad Martyras
– The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity
– Of Patience
– On the Pallium
– On Monogamy
– On Modesty
– On Fasting

Victorinus [SAINT]

– On the Creation of the World
– Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John

Vincent of Lérins (d. c. 450) [SAINT]
– Commonitory for the Antiquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith

OTHER WORKS

Liturgies
– The Liturgy of James
– The Liturgy of Mark
– The Liturgy of the Blessed Apostles

Councils
– Carthage under Cyprian (257) [LOCAL]
– Ancyra (314) [LOCAL]
– Neocaesarea (315) [LOCAL]
– Nicaea I (325) [ECUMENICAL]
– Antioch in Encaeniis (341) [LOCAL]
– Gangra (343) [LOCAL]
– Sardica (344) [LOCAL]
– Constantinople I (381) [ECUMENICAL]
– Constantinople (382) [LOCAL]
– Laodicea (390) [LOCAL]
– Constantinople under Nectarius (394) [LOCAL]
– Carthage (419) [LOCAL]
– Ephesus (431) [ECUMENICAL]
– Chalcedon (451) [ECUMENICAL]
– Constantinople II (553) [ECUMENICAL]
– Constantinople III (680) [ECUMENICAL]
– Constantinople/”Trullo”/Quinisext (692) [LOCAL]
– Nicaea II (787) [ECUMENICAL]

Miscellaneous

– The Didache (c. 100)
– Apostolic Constitutions (c. 400)
– Apostolic Canons (c. 400) — See Apostolic Constitutions, Book VIII, Chapter 47
– Acts of Sharbil (unknown date) [SYRIAC]
– The Martyrdom of Barsamya (unknown date) [SYRIAC]
– Extracts from Various Books Concerning Abgar the King and Addaeus the Apostle (unknown date) [SYRIAC]
– The Teaching of the Apostles (unknown date) [SYRIAC]
– Martyrdom of Habib the Deacon (unknown date) [SYRIAC]
– Martyrdom of the Holy Confessors Shamuna, Guria, and Habib (unknown date) [SYRIAC]

SPIRITUAL CLASSICS

Alighieri, Dante (1265-1321)

Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109)

–

Bede, St. (“The Venerable,” c. 673-735)

Benedict, Saint, of Nursia (480-547)

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Catherine of Genoa, St. (1447-1510)

Chesterton, Gilbert Keith (1874-1936)

–

Ignatius of Loyola, St (1491-1556)

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Saints’ Quotes . . . Saints’ Prayers . . . Saints’ Books . . . Saints’ Works

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Contents

Instructions
Featured Books

General Works of the Saints
Meditation
Popes & Saints
References
Scripture Commentary
Sermons & Material for Sermons
Misc. Works


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General Works of the Saints

St. Albert the Great – On Cleaving to God -Latin & English Edition 

‘I have had the idea of writing something for myself on and about the state of complete and full abstraction from everything and of cleaving freely, confidently, nakedly and firmly to God alone, so as to describe it fully (in so far as it is possible in this abode of exile and pilgrimage), especially since the goal of Christian perfection is the love by which we cleave to God. . . Cogitavi mihi aliquid ultimate (in quantum possibile est in hujus exsilii et peregrinationis immoratione) depingere, scriptando de et super ab omnibus plena et possibili abstractione, et cum solo Domino Deo expedita, secura, et nuda firmaque adhaesione: praesertim cum ipsius Christianae perfectionis finis sit charitas, qua Domino Deo adhaeretur.’

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Divine Office 
‘Some, no doubt, will say to me that it is useless to explain the psalms after so many illustrious interpreters have done so. I declare, however, that it has not been useless as far as I myself am concerned; since, in consequence of this work, I recite my breviary with much more attention than formerly when there were many passages that I did not understand; I hope that the same may happen to many other persons.’

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 St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Glories of Mary 
‘It was, then, not without reason that St. Germanus called the most Blessed Virgin the breath of Christians; for as the body cannot live without breathing, so the soul cannot live without having recourse to and recommending itself to Mary, by whose means we certainly acquire and preserve the life of divine grace within our souls. But I will quote the saint’s own words: “As breathing is not only a sign but even a cause of life, so the name of Mary, which is constantly found on the lips of God’s servants, both proves that they are truly alive, and at the same time causes and preserves their life, and gives them every succor.”‘ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The History of Heresies and Their Refutation 
‘Photius promised everything, and was accordingly consecrated, but by the very same Gregory, and took possession of the See. Six months had not yet passed over, since his consecration, and he had broken all his oaths and promises; he persecuted St. Ignatius, and all the ecclesiastics who adhered to him; he even got some of them flogged, and by promises and threats induced several to sign documents, intended for the ruin of his sainted predecessors. Not being able to accomplish his design, he laid a plot, with the assistance of Bardas, that the Emperor should send persons to take information, to prove that St. Ignatius was privately conspiring against the state.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Holy Eucharist 
‘Purity of intention is called the heavenly alchemy by which iron is turned into gold; that is to say, the most trivial actions (such as to work, to take one’s meals, to take recreation or repose), when done for God, become the gold of holy love. Wherefore St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi believes for certain that those who do all with a pure intention, go straight to Paradise, without passing through purgatory. It is related that it was the custom of a pious hermit, before setting about any work, to pause a little, and lift his eyes to heaven; on being questioned why he did so, he replied, “I am taking my aim.”‘

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Holy Mass 
‘The priest’s vestments, namely, the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, and chasuble should be in a good condition and have been blessed by the bishop or by an authorized priest. It is certainly a mortal sin to celebrate Mass without a chasuble, or with a chasuble not blessed; the same thing holds good in regard to the alb. Theologians agree more or less in saying the same thing in regard to the other vestments.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ 
‘”Ah, beautiful Infant! tell me whose child art Thou?” He replies: “My Mother is this pure and lovely Virgin who is standing by me.” And who is thy Father? “My Father” he says, “is God.” How is this? Thou art the Son of God, and art so poor; and why? Who will acknowledge Thee in such a condition? Who will respect Thee? “No,” replies Jesus, “holy faith will make known who I am, and will make me loved by those souls whom I came to redeem and to inflame with my love.”‘

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ 
‘And so it is related by Josephus, the Jew, who lived shortly after our Lord, that Jesus was torn in his scourging to such a degree that the bones of his ribs were laid bare; as it was also revealed by the most Holy Virgin to St. Bridget, in these words: “I, who was standing by, saw his body scourged to the very ribs, so that his ribs themselves might be seen. And what was even yet more bitter still, when the scourges were drawn back, his flesh was furrowed by them.” To St. Teresa, Jesus revealed himself in his scourging; so that the saint wished to have him painted exactly as she had seen him, and told the painter to represent a large piece of flesh torn off, and hanging down from the left elbow; but when the painter inquired as to the shape in which he ought to paint it, he found, on turning round again to his picture, the piece of flesh already drawn.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Preparation for Death 
‘”Consider that thou art dust, and unto dust thou must return.” The day will come when thou must die, and be placed in a grave where “the worms” shall “cover thee.” (Isa. xiv. n.) The same fate awaits all, both nobles and plebeians, both princes and vassals. Directly the soul shall leave the body, with the last gasp, it will go into eternity, and the body will return to its dust. “When Thou takest away their breath they die, and are turned again to their dust.” (Ps. civ. 29.)’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The True Spouse of Jesus Christ 
‘Virgins who have the happiness of dedicating them selves to the love of Jesus Christ by consecrating to him the lily of their purity, are, in the first place, as dear to God as his angels. . . a certain virgin, called Georgia, was at the point of death a great multitude of doves was seen hovering about her; that when her body was brought to the church they flew to that part of the roof which corresponded to the place where the corpse had been put, and remained there till after the interment. By all who saw them, these doves were regarded as angels paying respect and homage to the body of the virgin.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Uniformity with God’s Will 
‘By uniting themselves to the divine will, the saints have enjoyed paradise by anticipation in this life. Accustoming themselves to receive all things from the hands of God, says Saint Dorotheus, the men of old maintained continual serenity of soul. Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi derived such consolation at hearing the words “will of God,” that she usually fell into an ecstasy of love. The instances of jangling irritation that are bound to arise will not fail to make surface impact on the senses. This however will be experienced only in the inferior part of the soul; in the superior part will reign peace and tranquillity as long as our will remains united with God’s.’

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Victories of the Martyrs 
‘St. Cyril was born at Caesarea, and, while yet a child became a Christian, in consequence of which he was maltreated, and finally turned out of doors by his idolatrous father. Information to this effect having been given to the judge, he caused Cyril to be brought before him; and, being told that the child frequently invoked the name of Jesus, he promised him that he would effect a reconciliation with his father, on condition that he would never more pronounce that name. The holy child replied: “I am content to be turned out of my father’s house, because I shall receive a more spacious mansion in heaven; nor do I fear death, because by it I shall acquire a better life.”‘ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – The Way of Salvation and Perfection 
‘Our most important affair is that of our eternal salvation; upon it depends our happiness or misery for ever. This affair will come to an end in eternity, and will decide whether we shall be saved or lost forever; whether we shall have acquired an eternity of delights, or an eternity of torments; whether we shall live forever happy, or forever miserable.’ 

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St. Anselm of Canterbury – The Devotions of 

‘Awake, my soul, awake! show thy spirit, arouse thy senses, shake off the sluggishness of that deadly heaviness that is upon thee, begin to take care for thy salvation. Let the idleness of vain imaginations be put to flight, let go of sloth, hold fast to diligence. Be instant in holy meditations, cleave to the good things which are of God: leaving that which is temporal, give heed to that which is eternal. Now in this godly employment of thy mind, to what canst thou turn thy thoughts more wholesomely and profitably than to the sweet contemplations of thy Creator’s immeasurable benefits toward thee.’ 

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St. Anselm of Canterbury – Proslogium and Monologium
‘I pray, O God, to know thee, to love thee, that I may rejoice in thee. And if I cannot attain to full joy in this life may I at least advance from day to day, until that joy shall come to the full. Let the knowledge of thee advance in me here, and there be made full. Let the love of thee increase, and there let it be full, that here my joy may be great in hope, and there full in truth. Lord, through thy Son thou dost command, nay, thou dost counsel us to ask; and thou dost promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. I ask, O Lord, as thou dost counsel through our wonderful Counselor. I will receive what thou dost promise by virtue of thy truth, that my joy may be full.’ 

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 St. Anselm of Canterbury – Why God Became Man – Cur Deus Homo 
‘If you should find yourself in the sight of God, and one said to you: “Look thither;” and God, on the other hand, should say: “It is not my will that you should look;” ask your own heart what there is in all existing things which would make it right for you to give that look contrary to the will of God.’ 

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St. Anthony Mary Claret – Autobiography 
‘I was terrified then and I still am as I write, although it all happened some six years ago. Fear seems to make my blood run cold even now, and of all the labors and sorrows that have come my way I can remember none that does not fade into nothingness in comparison, and I think that our complaints are largely without foundation. Again I say that this was one of God’s greatest mercies toward me. I have benefited greatly from it, both by losing the fear of this life’s trials and contradictions, and by gaining the strength to bear them and thank the Lord who freed me, as I now see it, from such endless and terrible evils. Since then, as I have said, everything here seems easy in comparison with just a moment of suffering there.’ 

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St. Augustine – Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love
‘Through this involvement they were led, through divers errors and sufferings (along with the rebel angels, their corruptors and possessors and companions), to that final stage of punishment without end. “Thus by one man, sin entered into the world and death through sin; and thus death came upon all men, since all men have sinned.” By “the world” in this passage the apostle is, of course, referring to the whole human race. This, then, was the situation: the whole mass of the human race stood condemned, lying ruined and wallowing in evil, being plunged from evil into evil and, having joined causes with the angels who had sinned, it was paying the fully deserved penalty for impious desertion.’ 

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 St. Benedict – The Rule of – Latin and English Edition 
‘Every age and understanding ought to have a measure of government suitable to it. As often therefore as children, or those under age, commit faults, and are incapable of understanding the greatness of the punishment of excommunication, let them be punished by rigorous fasting, or sharp stripes, that so they may be corrected.’ 

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux – On Loving God
‘It is natural for a man to desire what he reckons better than that which he has already, and be satisfied with nothing which lacks that special quality which he misses. Thus, if it is for her beauty that he loves his wife, he will cast longing eyes after a fairer woman. If he is clad in a rich garment, he will covet a costlier one; and no matter how rich he may be he will envy a man richer than himself. Do we not see people every day, endowed with vast estates, who keep on joining field to field, dreaming of wider boundaries for their lands? Those who dwell in palaces are ever adding house to house, continually building up and tearing down, remodeling and changing. Men in high places are driven by insatiable ambition to clutch at still greater prizes. And nowhere is there any final satisfaction, because nothing there can be defined as absolutely the best or highest. . . It is so that these impious ones wander in a circle, longing after something to gratify their yearnings, yet madly rejecting that which alone can bring them to their desired end, not by exhaustion but by attainment.’ 

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St. Bonaventure – Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
‘What is more beautiful than that chastity which renders clean the being conceived from uncleanness, changes enmity into friendship, and men into angels? The angel and the chaste man differ indeed in point of felicity, but not of virtue. For if the chastity of the one be happier, that of the other is stronger. It is chastity alone which in this mortal state, represents a kind of immortality. That alone, which, amidst the nuptial solemnities, imitates the method of that blessed and heavenly region, where they neither marry nor are married, giving us an imperfect relish of the divine and heavenly conversation there enjoyed among the blessed. This frail vessel which here we carry with us, and in which we are in danger, chastity sanctifies, not unlike the sweet scented balsams wherewith dead bodies are embalmed and preserved from corruption. It curbs the senses, restrains the faculties of the body, and preserves the whole man from the contamination and loose desires attending idleness.’ 

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St. Bonaventure – Life of St. Francis of Assisi
‘And as all the brethren surrounded him, he extended his hands over them in the form of a cross, crossing his arms in the form of that sign which he had ever loved; and so he blessed all the brethren, whether present or absent, in the name and in the power of the Crucified. Then he added: “Farewell, my children, abide in the fear of the Lord, and ever persevere therein. And when any temptation or trouble approaches you say: Blessed are they who persevere in those things which they have begun. And now I go to God, to whose grace I commend you all.”‘ 

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St. Bonaventure – The Mind’s Road to God 
‘Therefore the symbol of the six-winged Seraph signifies the six stages of illumination, which begin with God’s creatures and lead up to God, to Whom no one can enter properly save through the Crucified. For he who does not enter by the door but otherwise, he is a thief and a robber [John, 10, 1]. But if anyone does enter by this door, he shall go in and go out and shall find pastures [John, 9]. Because of this John says in his Apocalypse [22, 14], “Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, that they may have a right to the Tree of Life and may enter in by the gates into the City”; as if he were to say that one cannot enter into the heavenly Jerusalem through contemplation unless one enter through the blood of the Lamb as through a gate.’ 

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St. Bonaventure – Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary
‘Of this flower consider, first, in Mary the flower of precious virginity, which is virginity itself. Of this it is said in Isaias: “The desert shall rejoice and shall flower as a lily.” Mary can fittingly be said to be a desert, who was so willing to be alone, who was in her voluntary solitude visited by an angel. Therefore St. Ambrose well says: “Alone in the inner part of her house, she whom no man could see, he found her alone without a companion, alone without a witness.” In what manner this desert, the Virgin Mary, should rejoice, let her say herself: “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” This desert of earth flowered like a lily by virginity. O angelical lily! O heavenly flower! O truly heavenly flower!’ 

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St. Bridget of Sweden – Prophecies and Revelations 
‘But now I shall tell you God’s will in this matter; for I gave birth to God himself. . . that if some pope concedes to priests a license to contract carnal marriage, God will condemn him to a sentence as great, in a spiritual way, as that which the law justly inflicts in a corporeal way on a man who has transgressed so gravely that he must have his eyes gouged out, his tongue and lips, nose and ears cut off, his hands and feet amputated, all his body’s blood spilled out to grow completely cold, and finally, his whole bloodless corpse cast out to be devoured by dogs and other wild beasts. Similar things would truly happen in a spiritual way to that pope who were to go against the aforementioned preordinance and will of God and concede to priests such a license to contract marriage. For that same pope would be totally deprived by God of his spiritual sight and hearing, and of his spiritual words and deeds. All his spiritual wisdom would grow completely cold; and finally, after his death, his soul would be cast out to be tortured eternally in hell so that there it might become the food of demons everlastingly and without end. Yes, even if Saint Gregory the Pope had made this statute, in the aforesaid sentence he would never have obtained mercy from God if he had not humbly revoked his statute before his death.’ 

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St. Catherine of Bologna – The Seven Spiritual Weapons 
‘Hence, as the priest was saying the preface and reached the recitation of the “Holy, Holy,” at that point, she heard those words sung in the angelic choir which proceed in the presence of so divine and most excellent a sacrament. That angelic song was of such a gentle and sweet melody that, at the moment she began to hear it, her soul suddenly began to leave her body, but she did not cease to hear the words of the Sanctus, although she was completely abstracted from everything. After this, she maintained such a victory over sleep that for a long time she was not bothered by it and could keep awake without forcing herself whenever she wished.’ 

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St. Catherine of Genoa – Life and Doctrine 
‘This holy Soul was so regulated by God, that in all that was necessary and reasonable she satisfied every one; and although she was entirely employed in serving her sweet Love, yet she was never willing to displease her neighbor either in word or deed, but on the contrary always assisted him as far as she was able. She said, however, to her Lord: “Thou hast commanded me to love my neighbor, and I am unable to love any one but thee, or to admit any partner with thee: how then shall I obey thee?” And interiorly he responded thus: “He who loves me loves also all whom I love. It suffices that for the welfare of the neighbor thou shouldst do all that is necessary for his soul and body. Such a love as this is sure to be without passion; because it is not in himself but in God that the neighbor should be loved.”‘

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St. Catherine of Siena – The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin 
‘Some there are who have become faithful servants, serving Me with fidelity without servile fear of punishment, but rather with love. This very love, however, if they serve Me with a view to their own profit, or the delight and pleasure which they find in Me, is imperfect. Do you know what proves the imperfection of this love? The withdrawal of the consolations which they found in Me, and the insufficiency and short duration of their love for their neighbor, which grows weak by degrees, and oftentimes disappears. Towards Me their love grows weak when, on occasion, in order to exercise them in virtue and raise them above their imperfection, I withdraw from their minds My consolation and allow them to fall into battles and perplexities. This I do so that, coming to perfect self-knowledge, they may know that of themselves they are nothing and have no grace, and accordingly in time of battle fly to Me, as their Benefactor, seeking Me alone, with true humility, for which purpose I treat them thus, without drawing from them consolation indeed, but not grace. At such a time these weak ones, of whom I speak, relax their energy, impatiently turning backwards, and sometimes abandon, under color of virtue, many of their exercises, saying to themselves, “This labor does not profit me.” All this they do, because they feel themselves deprived of mental consolation. Such a soul acts imperfectly, for she has not yet unwound the bandage of spiritual self-love, for, had she unwound it she would see that, in truth, everything proceeds from Me, that no leaf of a tree falls to the ground without My providence, and that what I give and promise to My creatures, I give and promise to them for their sanctification, which is the good and the end for which I created them.’ 

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St. Elizabeth of Toss – The Revelations of 
‘Once on the Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord while praying with great concentration, she was reciting the Hail Mary in a loud voice, with much devotion and shedding of tears. The Blessed Virgin appeared to her in visible form and said to her, “I have come to teach you the prayer which I made as a young girl when I was still living in the Temple. I resolutely decided in my heart that I wished to have God as father and I made up my mind to do whatever would please him, so that I might find favour in his sight. I made myself learn his law and all the commandments contained in it. In particular I committed to memory three commandments, being eager to keep them with the greatest care and with all my might. These are: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Love your neighbour as yourself (Dt 6:5). Love your friend and hate your enemy’ (Lv 19:18 and Mt 5: 3). For I understood that man and angel were good, and my enemy was the devil and, insofar as he is evil, the evil man. From that love of God and neighbour, and from the fear and hatred of the enemy (that is, of the devil and sin), every fulness of grace and virtue has descended to me. That love cannot take root in the human heart unless there is there hatred of the enemy, that is, of the devil and sin. If therefore you wish to obtain that love, do as I did in the Temple in my earliest youth. For I would rise in the middle of the night and, standing before the altar with complete concentration of mind, I would ask the Lord for his grace by which I might be able to keep these commandments I have mentioned, and I would make seven petitions, one after the other, in prayer before the altar.”‘ 

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St. Francis de Sales – The Consoling Thoughts of 
‘Often in spirit kiss the crosses which Our Lord Himself lays upon your shoulders. Do not look to see whether they are made of a precious or a perfumed wood; they better deserve the name of crosses when they are made of mean, common, worm-eaten wood. I assure you this thought is ever returning to my mind, and I know only this refrain; undoubtedly it is the canticle of the Lamb; it is a little sad, but it is melodious and beautiful: “My Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”‘

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St. Francis de Sales – Introduction to the Devout Life
‘If you have carefully stored up the fruits of past consolations, you will receive more; to him that hath yet more shall be given, but from him who has not kept that which he had, who has lost it through carelessness, that which he hath shall be taken away, in other words, he will not receive the grace destined for him. Rain refreshes living plants, but it only brings rottenness and decay to those which are already dead. There are many such causes whereby we lose the consolations of religion, and fall into dryness and deadness of spirit, so that it is well to examine our conscience, and see if we can trace any of these or similar faults. But always remember that this examination must not be made anxiously, or in an over-exacting spirit. Thus if, after an honest investigation of our own conduct, we find the cause of our wrongdoing, we must thank God, for an evil is half cured when we have found out its cause. But if, on the contrary, you do not find any particular thing which has led to this dryness, do not trifle away your time in a further uneasy search, but, without more ado, and in all simplicity, do as follows: 1. Humble yourself profoundly before God, acknowledging your nothingness and misery. Alas, what am I when left to myself! no better, Lord, than a parched ground, whose cracks and crevices on every side testify its need of the gracious rain of Heaven, while, nevertheless, the world’s blasts wither it more and more to dust.’ 

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St. Francis de Sales – Treastise on the Love of God 
‘When I see my Saviour on the Mount of Olives with his “soul sorrowful even unto death”: — Ah! Lord Jesus, say I, what can have brought the sorrows of death into the soul of life except love, which, exciting commiseration, drew thereby our miseries into thy sovereign heart? Now a devout soul, seeing this abyss of heaviness and distress in this divine lover, how can she be without a holily loving sorrow? But considering, on the other hand, that all the afflictions of her well-beloved proceed from no imperfection or want of strength, but from the greatness of his dearest love, she cannot but melt away with a holy sorrowful love. So that she cries: “I am black” with sorrow by compassion, but beautiful with love by complacency; the anguish of my well-beloved “has changed my colour”: for how could a faithful lover behold such torments in him whom she loves more than her life, without swooning away and becoming all wan and wasted with grief.’

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St. Gertrude the Great – The Love of the Heart of Jesus to His Creatures 
“Alas! what fruit can I obtain from this exercise, when I am so unstable?” But our Lord, who could not endure to behold the affliction of His servant, with His own hands presented her with His Divine Heart, under the figure of a burning lamp, saying to her: “Behold, I present to the eyes of your soul My loving Heart, which is the organ of the most Holy Trinity, that it may accomplish all that you cannot accomplish yourself, and thus all will seem perfect in you to My eyes; for even as a faithful servant is always ready to execute the commands of his master, so, from henceforth, my Heart will be always ready, at any moment, to repair your defects and negligences.”‘ 

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St. Ignatius of Loyola – The Spiritual Exercises 
‘It is likewise to be remarked that, as, in the time of consolation, it is easy and not irksome to be in contemplation the full hour, so it is very hard in the time of desolation to fill it out. For this reason, the person who is exercising himself, in order to act against the desolation and conquer the temptations, ought always to stay somewhat more than the full hour; so as to accustom himself not only to resist the adversary, but even to overthrow him.’ 

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St. Ignatius of Loyola – A Thought from for Each Day of the Year 
‘Adversity is such, that it is really advantageous to the just man, for it causes him a profitable loss; just as a shower of precious stones might break the leaves of the vine, but would replace them by the most beautiful treasures.’ 

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St. John of Avila – The Letters of 
‘What else was the happiness you felt at having freed yourself from the miseries of this world, and at having received the pledge of love from the celestial King, but a sign that your change of plans proceeded, not from your own inconstancy, but from God, Who had put the desire into your heart. The happiness came from him as a testimony and pledge of the many great and pure joys He will give you if you prove faithful to Him. The least or these is incomparably better than husband, children, riches, or anything else this world can give. Would that you knew by experience how sweet God is to those who forsake created things to gaze on their Creator! How tenderly the Divine Spouse cherishes those who cast away all transitory joys. They are like the chaste turtle doves which refuse all earthly comfort and long only for the love of their Lord in Heaven, and like the dove which returned from her flight from the ark to her master’s hand as pure as when she left him, undefiled by having touched any dead body even with her feet. Is anything the world contains of less account than a corpse full of corruption? Why unite ourselves with what will only contaminate us? For the bitterness its joys leave behind is a thousand times greater than any pleasure they give us. Return heartfelt thanks to Christ for the light to distinguish between the priceless and the worthless, between eternal and temporal things, between God and a mortal man.’ 

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St. John of the Cross – Ascent of Mount Carmel 
‘We here describe as night the privation of every kind of pleasure which belongs to the desire; for, even as night is naught but the privation of light, and, consequently, of all objects that can be seen by means of light, whereby the visual faculty remains unoccupied and in darkness, even so likewise the mortification of desire may be called night to the soul. For, when the soul is deprived of the pleasure of its desire in all things, it remains, as it were, unoccupied and in darkness. For even as the visual faculty, by means of light, is nourished and fed by objects which can be seen, and which, when the light is quenched, are not seen, even so, by means of the desire, the soul is nourished and fed by all things wherein it can take pleasure according to its faculties; and, when this also is quenched, or rather, mortified, the soul ceases to feed upon the pleasure of all things, and thus, with respect to its desire, it remains unoccupied and in darkness. . . The reason for which it is necessary for the soul, in order to attain to Divine union with God, to pass through this dark night of mortification of the desires and denial of pleasures in all things, is because all the affections which it has for creatures are pure darkness in the eyes of God, and, when the soul is clothed in these affections, it has no capacity for being enlightened and possessed by the pure and simple light of God, if it first cast them not from it; for light cannot agree with darkness; since, as Saint John says: Tenebroe eam non comprehenderunt. That is: The darkness could not receive the light.’ 

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St. John of the Cross – Dark Night of the Soul 
‘On a dark night, kindled in love with yearnings-oh, happy chance!- I went forth without being observed, my house being now at rest. In darkness and secure, by the secret ladder, disguised-oh, happy chance!- In darkness and in concealment, my house being now at rest. In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me, nor I beheld aught, without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart. This light guided me more surely than the light of noonday to the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me- A place where none appeared. Oh, night that guided me, oh, night more lovely than the dawn, oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved!’ . . . Begins the exposition of the stanzas which treat of the way and manner which the soul follows upon the road of the union of love with God.’ 

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St. John of the Cross – The Living Flame of Love 
‘The death of such persons is very gentle and very sweet, sweeter and more gentle than was their whole spiritual life on earth. For they die with the most sublime impulses and delightful encounters of love, resembling the swan whose song is much sweeter at the moment of death. Accordingly, David affirmed that the death of the saints is precious in the sight of the Lord [Ps. 116:15]. The soul’s riches gather together here, and its rivers of love move on to enter the sea, for these rivers, because they are blocked, become so vast that they themselves resemble seas. The just one’s first treasures, and last, are heaped together as company for the departure and going off to the kingdom, while praises are heard from the ends of the earth, which, as Isaiah says, are the glory of the just one [Is. 24:16].’ 

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St. John of the Cross – A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul 
“The silent music.” In this silence and tranquillity of the night, and in this knowledge of the divine light, the soul discerns a marvelous arrangement and disposition of God’s wisdom in the diversities of His creatures and operations. All these, and each one of them, have a certain correspondence with God, whereby each, by a voice peculiar to itself, proclaims what there is in itself of God, so as to form a concert of sublimest melody, transcending all the harmonies of the world. This is the silent music, because it is knowledge tranquil and calm, without audible voice; and thus the sweetness of music and the repose of silence are enjoyed in it. The soul says that the Beloved is silent music, because this harmony of spiritual music is in Him understood and felt. He is not this only, He is also –“The murmuring solitude.”‘ 

St. Louis Marie de Montfort – Letter to the Friends of the Cross 
‘Do you clearly distinguish the voice of God and his grace from that of the world and of human nature? Do you listen to the voice of God, our heavenly Father, pronouncing his three-fold malediction on all who follow the desires of the world: “Woe, woe, woe to all the people on earth;” the Father who stretches out his arms to you in loving appeal, “Come out, my chosen people,” dear friends of my Son’s Cross, away from worldlings, who have been cursed by myself, rejected by my Son, and condemned by my Holy Spirit? Beware of following their counsels, of sitting in their company, or even lingering on the road they take. Hasten away from the infamous Babylon. Listen only to the voice of my beloved Son and follow only him, whom I have given you to be your way, your truth, your life, and your model. (Ipsum audite.) “Listen to him.” Do you listen to the voice of Jesus who, burdened with his Cross, calls out to you, “Come after me; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; be brave; I have conquered the world.”?’ 

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St. Louis Marie de Montfort – The Secret of Mary 
‘The essential practice of this devotion is to perform all our actions with Mary. This means that we must take her as the accomplished model for all we have to do. Before undertaking anything, we must forget self and abandon our own views. We must consider ourselves as a mere nothing before God, as being personally incapable of doing anything supernaturally worthwhile or anything conducive to our salvation. We must have habitual recourse to our Lady, becoming one with her and adopting her intentions, even though they are unknown to us. Through Mary we must adopt the intentions of Jesus. In other words, we must become an instrument in Mary’s hands for her to act in us and do with us what she pleases, for the greater glory of her Son; and through Jesus for the greater glory of the Father. In this way, we pursue our interior life and make spiritual progress only in dependence on Mary.’ 

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St. Louis Marie de Montfort – The Secret of the Rosary 
‘So we ought to love our heavenly Father and say to him over and over again: “Our Father who art in heaven” – Thou who dost fill heaven and earth with the immensity of thy being, Thou who art present everywhere: Thou who art in the saints by thy glory, in the damned by thy justice, n the good by thy grace, in sinners by the patience with which thou dost tolerate them, grant that we may always remember that we come from thee; grant that we may live as thy true children; that we may direct our course towards thee alone with all the ardour of our soul.’ 

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St. Louis Marie de Montfort – True Devotion to Mary 
‘She is so full of love that no one who asks for her intercession is rejected, no matter how sinful he may be. The saints say that it has never been known since the world began that anyone had recourse to our Blessed Lady, with trust and perseverance, and was rejected. Her power is so great that her prayers are never refused. She has but to appear in prayer before her Son and he at once welcomes her and grants her requests. He is always lovingly conquered by the prayers of the dear Mother who bore him and nourished him.’ 

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St. Margaret Mary Alacoque – Letters 
‘Oh, how happy I am that you love Him and want to belong entirely to Him! You ask for a short prayer that will express your love for Him. I myself know no other, nor do I find any better, than this love itself. For everything speaks when one loves. Even the most engrossing occupations are proofs of our love. So, as Saint Augustine says, love, and then do what you will. And since we cannot love without suffering, let us both love and suffer and not lose a moment of this. For every cross is so precious to a heart that loves its God and wants to be loved by Him. Let us strive, then, to make ourselves true copies of our crucified Love.’ 

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St. Peter Julian Eymard – The Divine Eucharist 
‘God has loved us from all eternity. This is a truth upon which we ought to meditate all our life. We have always existed in the love of the good God, always been present to the thought of the Holy Trinity. The Father thought of His creature, the Son of those that He was to redeem, the Holy Spirit of those that He was to sanctify.’ 

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St. Robert Bellarmine – The Art of Dying Well 
‘He therefore who wishes to examine his conscience well, and to make a good confession, must first read some useful book on the method of making a proper confession, or at least consult some pious and learned confessor. Then let him enter into the chamber of his heart, and not hastily, but accurately and seriously examine his conscience, his thoughts, desires, words, and actions, as well as his omissions; afterwards he should lay open his conscience to his director, and humbly implore absolution from him, being ready to perform whatever “penance” may be imposed upon him.’ 

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St. Teresa of Avila – The Interior Castle or The Mansions – Including Some of Her More Interesting Letters 
‘What rest can the poor little butterfly find, with all the trials I have told you of and many more? They serve to make her desire the Bride-groom more ardently. His Majesty, well aware of our weakness, fortifies her by these and other means in order that she may obtain courage for union with a Lord so great and may take Him for her Spouse. Perhaps you will laugh and think I am talking foolishly: there can be no call for courage here; there is no woman, however low her class, who would not dare to wed a king. So I think, were he an earthly monarch, but there is need of more fortitude than you suppose in order to espouse the King of heaven. Our nature appears too timid and base for anything so high; without doubt, unless God gave us the grace it would be impossible for us, however much we might appreciate its benefits. You will learn how His Majesty ratifies these espousals; probably this is done when He ravishes the soul by ecstasies, thus depriving it of its faculties; if the use of these were retained, I think the sight of its close vicinity to so mighty a Sovereign would probably deprive the body of life. I am speaking of genuine raptures, not fancies that come from women’s weakness — which so often occur nowadays — making them imagine everything to be a rapture or an ecstasy. As I think I said, some are so feebly constituted as to die of a single prayer of quiet.’ 

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St. Teresa of Avila – The Life of by Herself 
‘Let us now return to our orchard, or flower-garden, and behold now how the trees begin to fill with sap for the bringing forth of the blossoms, and then of the fruit — the flowers and the plants, also, their fragrance. This illustration pleases me; for very often, when I was beginning — and our Lord grant that I have really begun to serve His Majesty — I mean, begun in relation to what I have to say of my life, — it was to me a great joy to consider my soul as a garden, and our Lord as walking in it. I used to beseech Him to increase the fragrance of the little flowers of virtues — which were beginning, as it seemed to bud — and preserve them, that they might be to His glory; for I desired nothing for myself. I prayed Him to cut those He liked, because I already knew that they would grow the better.’ 

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St. Teresa of Avila – The Way of Perfection 
‘The first thing, then, that we have to do, and that at once, is to rid ourselves of love for this body of ours — and some of us pamper our natures so much that this will cause us no little labour, while others are so concerned about their health that the trouble these things give us (this is especially so of poor nuns, but it applies to others as well) is amazing. Some of us, however, seem to think that we embraced the religious life for no other reason than to keep ourselves alive and each nun does all she can to that end. In this house, as a matter of fact, there is very little chance for us to act on such a principle, but I should be sorry if we even wanted to. Resolve, sisters, that it is to die for Christ, and not to practise self-indulgence for Christ, that you have come here. The devil tells us that self-indulgence is necessary if we are to carry out and keep the Rule of our Order, and so many of us, forsooth, try to keep our Rule by looking after our health that we die without having kept it for as long as a month — perhaps even for a day. I really do not know what we are coming to.’ 

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St. Teresa of Avila – Works & History of Journeys and Foundations 
‘My mother also was a woman of great goodness, and her life was spent in great infirmities. She was singularly pure in all her ways. Though possessing great beauty, yet was it never known that she gave reason to suspect that she made any account whatever of it; for, though she was only three-and-thirty years of age when she died, her apparel was already that of a woman advanced in years. She was very calm, and had great sense. The sufferings she went through during her life were grievous, her death most Christian. We were three sisters and nine brothers. All, by the mercy of God, resembled their parents in goodness except myself, though I was the most cherished of my father. And, before I began to offend God, I think he had some reason, for I am filled with sorrow whenever I think of the good desires with which our Lord inspired me, and what a wretched use I made of them.’ 

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St. Thomas Aquinas – The Summa Contra Gentiles – Of God and His Creatures 
‘If then the final happiness of man does not consist in those exterior advantages which are called goods of fortune, nor in goods of the body, nor in goods of the soul in its sentient part, nor in the intellectual part in respect of the moral virtues, nor in the virtues of the practical intellect, called art and prudence, it remains that the final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth. This act alone in man is proper to him, and is in no way shared by any other being in this world. This is sought for its own sake, and is directed to no other end beyond itself.’ 

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Meditation

Anonymous – Meditations for Advent and Easter 
‘Oh, what a holy, beautiful, peaceful light is the light of the Infant Heart of Jesus! How it longs to come forth and manifest itself to all, to console, to instruct, to illuminate! Are we, also, longing to receive this light? Are we praying with our whole hearts that it may come to us, and that we may be prepared to receive it? However great our spiritual enlightenment may be, we are still, in some measure, “sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.” But the light is coming; already we can see the dawn upon the mountain. When Mary was born, the first ray of light tinged the eastern sky; when Jesus was born, the light of this mystic moon was as the light of the true sun, because of her perfect union with Him; and the light of the sun was sevenfold, as the light of seven days. The light was sevenfold; that is, the light was perfect, for it was the light of God.’ 

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St. Anselm of Canterbury – Meditations and Prayers 
‘For the singing of the new song to God is this, to crush the desires of the old man, and with thy whole heart’s endeavour, and with a sole desire of eternal life, to walk the ways of the new man which have been pointed out to the world by the Son of God. And he sings a hymn to God who treasures in pure mind’s recollection the joys of that heavenly home and strives to reach them, supported by the consciousness of a holy life, and relying on the gift of supernatural grace.’ 

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St. Peter Julian Eymard – Month of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament 
‘If, then, we desire to be the children of this loving Mother, we must clothe our selves with her modesty. Let us make it the ordinary subject of our meditation, for it is the heritage left us by Mary. Let her modesty be the rule of our virtues. Let her simplicity, which forgets itself to see only God, which inclines to duty rather than to pleasure, to God rather than to His consolation, to love for love, be our portion, the aim of our efforts, and the seal of our life.’ 

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St. Thomas Aquinas – Meditations for Lent 
‘The Pope, St. Leo the Great, says that the thieves were crucified, one on either side of him, so that in the very appearance of the scene of his suffering there might be set forth that distinction which should be made in the judgment of each one of us. St. Augustine has the same thought. “The cross itself,” he says, “was a tribunal. In the centre was the judge. To the one side a man who believed and was set free, to the other side a scoffer and he was condemned.” Already there was made clear the final fate of the living and the dead, the one class placed at his right, the other on his left.’ 

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Popes & Saints

Pope Bl. Pius IX – Apostolic Constitution – Ineffabilis Deus – The Immaculate Conception 
‘Accordingly, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: “We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.” Hence, if anyone shall dare — which God forbid! — to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties established by law if he should dare to express in words or writing or by any other outward means the errors he think in his heart.’ 

Pope St. Gregory the Great – Life of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict 
‘Benedict having now left the schools resolved to betake himself to the desert, accompanied only by his nurse who most tenderly loved him. Coming therefore to a place called Affile, and remaining for some time in the Church of St. Peter by the charitable Invitement of many virtuous people who lived there for devotion, so it chanced that his nurse borrowed of a neighbour a sieve to cleanse wheat, which being left carelessly upon the table was found broken in two pieces. Therefore on her return finding it broke, she began to weep bitterly because it was only lent her. But the religious and pious boy, Benedict, seeing his nurse lament was moved with compassion, and taking with him the two pieces of the broken sieve, with tears he gave himself to prayer, which no sooner ended, but he found the sieve whole, and found not any sign that it had been broken.’ 

References

The Baltimore Catechism #1 
‘Q. Who made the world? A. God made the world. Q. Who is God? A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things. Q. What is man? A. Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. Q. Why did God make you? A. God me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. Q. What must we do to save our souls? A. To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.’ 

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The Baltimore Catechism #2 
‘Q. When is our Confession sincere? A. Our Confession is sincere, when we tell our sins honestly and truthfully, neither exaggerating nor excusing them. Q. When is our Confession entire? A. Our Confession is entire, when we tell the number and kinds of our sins and the circumstances which change their nature. Q. What should we do if we cannot remember the number of our sins? A. If we cannot remember the number of our sins, we should tell the number as nearly as possible, and say how often we may have sinned in a day, a week, or a month, and how long the habit or practice has lasted. Q. Is our Confession worthy if, without our fault, we forget to confess a mortal sin? A. If without our fault we forget to confess a mortal sin, our Confession is worthy, and the sin is forgiven; but it must be told in Confession if it again comes to our mind. Q. Is it a grievous offense wilfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession? A. It is a grievous offense wilfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession, because we thereby tell a lie to the Holy Ghost, and make our Confession worthless. Q. What must he do who has wilfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession? A. He who has wilfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession must not only confess it, but must also repeat all the sins he has committed since his last worthy Confession.’ 

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The Baltimore Catechism #3 
‘Q. What is forbidden by the third Commandment? A. The third Commandment forbids all unnecessary servile work and whatever else may hinder the due observance of the Lord’s day. Q. What are servile works? A. Servile works are those which require labor rather of body than of mind. Q. From what do servile works derive their name? A. Servile works derive their name from the fact that such works were formerly done by slaves. Therefore, reading, writing, studying and, in general, all works that slaves did not perform are not considered servile works. Q. Are servile works on Sunday ever lawful? A. Servile works are lawful on Sundays when the honor of God, the good of our neighbor, or necessity requires them. Q. Give some examples of when the honor of God, the good of our neighbor or necessity may require servile works on Sunday. A. The honor of God, the good of our neighbor or necessity may require servile works on Sunday, in such cases as the preparation of a place for Holy Mass, the saving of property in storms or accidents, the cooking of meals and similar works.’ 

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The Baltimore Catechism #4 
‘Think, then, what a terrible crime it is to willfully allow anyone to die without Baptism, or to deprive a little child of life before it can be baptized! Suppose all the members of a family but one little infant have been baptized; when the Day of Judgment comes, while all the other members of a family — father, mother, and children — may go into Heaven, that little one will have to remain out; that little brother or sister will be separated from its family forever, and never, never see God or Heaven. How heartless and cruel, then, must a person be who would deprive that little infant of happiness for all eternity — just that its mother or someone else might have a little less trouble or suffering here upon earth.’ 

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The Catechetical Instructions of St. Thomas Aquinas 
‘If you seek an example of contempt for earthly things, imitate Him who is the King of kings, the Lord of rulers, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom; but on the Cross He was stripped naked, ridiculed, spat upon, bruised, crowned with thorns, given to drink of vinegar and gall, and finally put to death. How falsely, therefore, is one attached to riches and raiment, for: “They parted My garments amongst them; and upon My vesture they cast lots.”‘

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The Catechism of the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas 
‘Are there any human beings who at the moment of death are not judged? Yes. All children who die before attaining the age of reason, or those who though adults never had the use of reason. Is there any allotment at all as regards infants and those who have not had the use of reason? Yes, but this is not by reason of their merits or demerits; and it is not made by way of judgment. It comes about by the fact that some have received baptism and others have not. Those that have received baptism immediately go to heaven; whereas those who have not received this sacrament go to a place reserved for them which is called Limbo.’ 

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The Catechism of Pope St. Pius X 
‘Q. In what in general does a sacrifice consist? A. In general a sacrifice consists in the offering of some sensible thing to God and in some way destroying it as an acknowledgment of His Supreme Dominion over us and over all things. Q. What is this Sacrifice of the New Law called? A. This Sacrifice of the New Law is called the Holy Mass. Q. What, then, is the Holy Mass? A. The Holy Mass is the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ offered on our altars under the appearances of bread and wine, in commemoration of the Sacrifice of the Cross. . . Q. For what ends then is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered? A. The Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God for four ends: (1) To honour Him properly, and hence it is called Latreutical; (2) To thank Him for His favours, and hence it is called Eucharistical; (3) To appease Him, make Him due satisfaction for our sins, and to help the souls in Purgatory, and hence it is called Propitiatory; (4) To obtain all the graces necessary for us, and hence it is called Impetratory.’ 

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The Clementine Vulgate [Latin] 
‘In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram. Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi: et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux. Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris. Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus. Dixit quoque Deus: Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum: et dividat aquas ab aquis. Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quae erant sub firmamento, ab his, quae erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita. Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Caelum: et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus. Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquae, quae sub caelo sunt, in locum unum: et appareat arida. Et factum est ita. Et vocavit Deus aridam Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.’ 

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The Douay Catechism of 1649 
‘How many are the sins against the Holy Ghost? A. Six: despair of salvation, presumption of God’s mercy, to impugn the known truth, envy at another’s spiritual good, obstinacy in sin, and final impenitence. Q. What is despair of salvation? A. It is a diffidence in the mercies and power of God as also, in the merits of Jesus Christ, as if they were not of force enough to save us. This was the sin of Cain, when he said, “My sin is greater than I can deserve pardon.” And of Judas, “when casting down the silver pieces in the temple, he went and hanged himself.” Q. What is the presumption of God’s mercy? A. A foolish confidence of salvation, without leading a good life, or any care to keep the commandments; such as they entertain who think they will be saved by faith only, without good works. Q. What is it to impugn the known truth? A. To argue obstinately against known points of faith, or to prevent the way of our Lord by forging lies and slander, as Heretics do, when they teach the ignorant people, that Catholics worship images as God, and give Angels and Saints the honour which is due to God; or that the Pope for money gives us pardon to commit what sins we please; that all which, greater falsehoods cannot be invented. Q. What is the envy to another’s spiritual good? A. A sadness or repining at another’s growth in virtue and perfection; such as sectaries seem to have when they scoff and are troubled at the frequent fasts, prayers, feasts, pilgrimages, alms-deeds, vows, and religious orders of the Catholic Church, calling them superstitious and fooleries, because they have not in their churches any such practices of piety. Q. What is obstinacy in sin? A. A wilful persisting in wickedness, and running on from sin to sin, after sufficient instructions and admonition.’ 

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The Original Douai-Rheims Bible 
‘In the beginning God created heauen and earth. And the earth was voide & vacant, and darkenes was vpon the face of the deapth: and the Spirite of God moued ouer the waters. And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light that it was good: & he diuided the light from the darkenes. And he called the light, Day, and the darkenes, Night: and there was euening & morning, that made one day. God also said: be a firmanent made amidst the waters: and let it diuide betwene waters & waters. And God made a firmament, and diuided the waters, that were vnder the firmanent, from those, that were aboue the firmanent. And it was so done. And God called the firmanent, Heauen and there was euening & morning that made the second day. God also said: Let the waters that are vnder the heauen, be gathered together into one place: and let the drie land appeare. And it was so done. And God called the drie land, Earth: and the gathering of waters together, he called Seas. And God sawe that it was good.’ 

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The Raccolta 
‘St. Michael de Saint. 300 days, once a day. . . Glorious Michael, Seraph inflamed with burning love of Jesus in the most holy Sacrament; thou who, passing days and nights in his Royal Presence, didst find there those dear delights which, inundating not thy heart alone but thy whole body with surpassing sweetness, threw thee into an ecstasy of joy; and who, rapt in thy God, didst feel thyself faint for love, being unable to support the torrent of consolations; vouchsafe, I pray thee, powerful advocate, to obtain for me lively faith, firm hope, and burning- charity towards this priceless treasure, the precious pledge of everlasting glory; so that by thy intercession I may, through the whole course of my life, be numbered amongst the true worshippers of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, and with thee hereafter enjoy Him face to face in an eternity of bliss. Amen. Pater, Ave, Gloria.’ 

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The Roman Catechism (or the Catechism of the Council of Trent, or the Catechism of St. Pius V) 
‘Contrition Is A Detestation Of Sin. From this definition, therefore, the faithful will perceive that the efficacy of contrition does not simply consist in ceasing to sin, or in resolving to begin, or having actually begun a new life; it supposes first of all a hatred of one’s ill-spent life and a desire of atoning for past transgressions. This is especially confirmed by those cries of the holy Fathers, which we so frequently meet with in Holy Scripture. I have laboured in my groaning, says David; every night I will wash my bed; and again, The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. I will recount to thee all my years, says another, in the bitterness of my soul. These and many like expressions were called forth by an intense hatred and a lively detestation of past transgressions.’ 

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The Roman Martyrology (1914) 
‘At Smyrna, the birthday of St. Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle St. John, who consecrated him bishop of that city and Primate of all Asia. Afterwards, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus, whilst the proconsul was sitting in judgement, and all the people in the amphitheatre were clamoring against him, he was condemned to the flames. But as he received no injury from them, he was transpierced with a sword, and thus received the crown of martyrdom.’ 

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The Roman Ritual (Rituale Romanum) [Latin] (1853 A.D.) 
‘Sacerdos, sive quivis alius legitimus Ecclesia minister, vexatos a demone exorcizaturus, ea qua par est pietate, prudentia, ac vitae integritate praeditus esse debet, qua non sua, sed divina fretus virtute, ab omni rerum humanarum cupiditate alienus, tam pium opus ex charitate constanter et humiliter exequatur. Hunc praeterea maturae, aetatis esse decet, et nou solum officie, sed etiam merum gravitate reverendum. Ut igitur suo munere recte fungatur, cum alia multa sibi utilia documenta, quae brevitatis gratia hoc loco praetermittuntur, ex probatis Auctoribus, et ex usu noscere studeat, tum haec pauca magis necessaria diligenter observabit.’ 

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Scripture Commentary

Bishop Friedrich Knecht – A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture 
‘Our Lord has given us the ‘Our Father’ as a model prayer, and has expressly commanded us to use it. It is the most excellent and comprehensive of prayers: and in it we pray for all that is best, and for deliverance from evil. But, let it be remarked, the good things we ask for are spiritual, and the deliverance we pray for is from spiritual evils. We pray for both a temporal and spiritual benefit only in the fourth petition, when we ask for the daily necessities of life. This ought to teach us to pray chiefly for spiritual blessings, such as grace, pardon, virtue, etc. and not only for such temporal benefits as health, a good harvest, etc.’

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 1 – St. Matthew’s Gospel – Chapters 1-9 
‘Moreover, repentance is not only amendment of manners, and the beginning of a new life, as the heretics say, but it is a detestation, chastisement, and destruction of the old sinful life, for the new life cannot effectually be begun, unless the old life be cast away. Whence the Interlinear Gloss thus expounds: “Let every man punish the evils of his former life, because salvation shall come nigh, and the opportunity of returning thither from whence we have fallen.” S. Augustine (lib. de Poeniten.) says, “He cannot begin the new life who does not repent of the old.” To repent is to weep over sins past, and not to commit what has been wept over. He who truly repents, chastises in himself his past errors, and lifts up his mind to heavenly things. And this virtue is born of holy fear, and is called poenitentia, penance, from the Latin puniendo, punishing.” – Gloss.’ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 2 – St. Matthew’s Gospel – Chapters 10-21 
‘Mystically: a mountain is severe temptation, especially to ambition and pride, as S. Jerome teaches. Such a temptation is best overcome by faith and hope. Wherefore S. Francis, being troubled by a dreadful temptation in spirit, betaking himself to prayer, with tears, heard a voice from Heaven, saying, “Francis, if thou shalt have faith as a grain of mustard seed, thou shalt command this mountain to pass away, and it shall pass away.” He, not knowing what was the meaning of the oracle, cried out, “Lord, what is this mountain?” The answer came, “The mountain is temptation.” Then Francis added, with many tears, “O Lord, be it unto me according to Thy word.” And immediately all the temptation was removed, and he obtained perfect tranquillity.’ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 3 – St. Matthew’s Gospel – Chapters 22-28 and St. Mark’s Gospel 
‘”And they shall see the Son, etc.” 1st. That the clouds may temper the exceeding brightness of the Body of Christ, which otherwise would blind the eyes of the reprobate. 2nd. Because a cloud is the symbol of the hidden Deity. 3rd. Because the cloud is the seat, as well as the vehicle and covert, of Christ’s glory. Hence, constantly in the Old Testament, God appeared to Moses and the Prophets in a cloud. (See Ezek. i. 4, and Ex. xix. 9-18.) There is an allusion to Daniel (vii. 13), “And lo, one like unto the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven.”‘ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 4 – St. Luke’s Gospel 
‘”Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me.” Whosoever, from false shame or from fear of others, shall deny his faith in Me or refuse to obey My commandments, or fear the reproach of the Cross and a crucified Saviour, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, i.e. him will Christ pass over, and make of no account when He comes in that glory which He has acquired by the humiliation of His passion. For the Cross of Christ seemed to many a shame and a reproach, for Christ crucified was “unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness,” i Cor. i. 23. Many, therefore, from shame or fear, did not dare to profess their belief in the Cross, much less to preach Christ crucified. In opposition to whom S. Paul boldly declares, ” I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beiieveth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek,” Rom. i. 16.’ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 5 – St. John’s Gospel – Chapters 1 to 11 
‘John has a style peculiar to himself, entirely different from that of the other Evangelists and sacred writers. For as an eagle at one time he raises himself above all, at another time he stoops down to the earth, as it were for his prey, that with the rusticity of his style he may capture the simple. At one time he is as wise as the cherubim, at another time he burns as do the seraphim. The reason is because John was most like Christ, and most dear to Him; and he in turn loved Christ supremely. Therefore at His Last Supper he reclined upon His breast. From this source, therefore, he sucked in, as it were, the mind, the wisdom, and the burning love of Christ. Wherefore, when thou readest and hearest John, think that thou readest and hearest Christ. For Christ hath transfused His own spirit and His own love into S. John.’ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 6 – St. John’s Gospel – Chapters 12-21 and Epistles 1-3 
“Love not the world.” “There are two loves,” says S. Augustine (in. loc), “the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world occupy the heart, there is no room for the love of God to enter. Let the love of the world retire, let the love of God enter in; let the better have its own place. Thou lovedst the world: love it no more. When thou hast drained out the love of the world from thy heart, thou shalt drink in love divine, and then shall charity begin to dwell in thee, from whence nothing evil can proceed.” “It is,” he proceeds, “as clearing a field before planting fresh trees.”‘ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 7 – 1 Corinthians 
‘”To deliver such an one to Satan.” . . . Observe that the ancients understood this passage of the power and act of excommunicating which is lodged in the prelates of the Church. So Chrysostom, Anselm, Augustine, and others, quoted by Baronius, p. 448, a.d. 57. 2. The excommunicate are said to be delivered over to Satan, because being ejected from the fellowship of Christ and His Church, and being deprived of all its benefits, its prayers, suffrages, sacrifices, and Sacraments, of the protection of God, and of the care of pastors, they are exposed to the tyranny and assaults of the devil, whose rule is outside the Church, and who goes about against them more than before, and impels them to every kind of evil. Cf. Ambrose, Augustine (lib. iii. Ep. contra Parnicn. c. 2), Jerome (Ep. I ad Heliod.), Innocent (apud S. Aug. Ep. 51). “For the destruction of the flesh,” i. That the devil may harass him with bodily sickness, wounds, and diseases; that his flesh may be brought low and its vigour be destroyed; that being thus humiliated he may learn wisdom. So say Theodoret, Chrysostom, Theophylact, OEcumenius, Anselm.’ 

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Cornelius a Lapide – The Great Commentary – 8 – 2 Corinthians and Galatians 
‘”Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell.” S. Athanasius (Serm. 4 contra Arian.) thinks that Paul knew the mode in which he was caught up, yet says: “I do not know,” or, “I cannot tell;” because he could not reveal it to others, in the same way that Christ, in S. Mark xiii. 32, says that He did not know the day of judgment. For though in himself he knew, yet as far as others were concerned he did not know, for he could not explain it. But others do better in understanding him simply to mean: “I do not know,” and his simple recital of the event seems to require this.’ 

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Fr. George Leo Haydock – Old Testament Commentary 
‘Ver. 25. “Who shall pray for him.” By these words Heli would have his sons understand, that by their wicked abuse of sacred things, and of the very sacrifices which were appointed to appease the Lord, they deprived themselves of the ordinary means of reconciliation with God; which was by sacrifices. The more, because as they were the chief priests, whose business it was to intercede for all others, they had no other to offer sacrifice and make atonement for them.’ 

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Fr. George Leo Haydock – New Testament Commentary 
‘This bark is the Catholic Church. The sea denotes the world, the winds and tempests shew the attempts of the wicked spirits to overturn the Church. The Lord seems to sleep, when he permits his Church to suffer persecution and other trials, which he permits, that he may prove her faith, and reward her virtue and merits. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxiii. in Mat. viii.) The apostles had followed their divine Master. They were with him, and executing his orders, and it is under these circumstances they are overtaken with a storm. If their obedience to Jesus Christ, if his presence did not free them from danger, to what frightful storms do those persons expose themselves, who undertake the voyage of the present life without him? What can they expect but to be tossed to and fro for a time, and at last miserably to founder? Faithful souls ought, from the example here offered them, to rise superior to every storm and tempest, by invoking the all-powerful and ever ready assistance of heaven, and by always calling in God to their help before they undertake any thing of moment.’ 

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St. Thomas Aquinas – Catena Aurea – 1 – The Gospel of Matthew – A Commentary on the Gospel 
‘From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Pseudo-Chrys.: Christ’s Gospel should be preached by him who can control his appetites, who contemns the goods of this life, and desires not empty honours. “From this time began Jesus to preach,” that is, after having been tempted, He had overcome hunger in the desert, despised covetousness on the mountain, rejected ambitious desires in the temple. Or from the time that John was delivered up; for had He begun to preach while John was yet preaching, He would have made John be lightly accounted of, and John’s preaching would have been though superfluous by the side of Christ’s teaching; as when the sun rises at the same time with the morning star, the star’s brightness is hid. Chrys.: For another cause also He did not preach till John was in prison, that the multitude might not be split into two parties; or as John did no miracle, all men would have been drawn to Christ by His miracles. Rabanus: In this He further teaches that none should despise the words of a person inferior to Him; as also the Apostle, “If any thing be revealed to him that sits, let the first hold his peace.” [1 Cor 14:30]’ 

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St. Thomas Aquinas – Catena Aurea – 2 – The Gospel of Mark – A Commentary on the Gospel 
‘Bede: The Lord shews how Jerusalem and the province of Judaea merited the infliction of such calamities, in the following words: “But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten.” For the greatest cause of destruction to the Jewish people was, that after slaying the Saviour, they also tormented the heralds of His name and faith with wicked cruelty. Theophylact: Fitly also did He premise a recital of those things which concerned the Apostles, that in their own tribulations they might find some consolation in the community of troubles and sufferings. There follows: “And ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them.”‘ 

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St. Thomas Aquinas – Catena Aurea – 3 – The Gospel of Luke – A Commentary on the Gospel 
‘Ambrose; May you then like Mary be influenced by the desire of wisdom. For this is the greater, this the more perfect work. Nor let the care of ministering to others turn thy mind from the knowledge of the heavenly word, nor reprove or think indolent those whom thou seest seeking after wisdom.’ 

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St. Thomas Aquinas – Catena Aurea – 4 – The Gospel of John – A Commentary on the Gospel 
‘And the Jews having rejected Christ, it was a fit punishment on them, that they should receive Antichrist, and believe a lie, as they would not believe the Truth. Aug. Hear John, As ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists. But what dost thou dread in Antichrist, except that he will exalt his own name, and despise the name of the Lord?’ 

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Sermons & Material for Sermons

 St. Bernardine of Siena – Sermons 
‘Go to one who hath both knowledge and conscience, one of those who know excellently how to discern that which ought to be done. . . Choose one who is good, not anyone, whatever he may be, no! For sometimes thou wilt go to one who hath a carnal mind, and is not instructed, and who will say to thee; it is permitted thee for the sake of pleasure to thy husband to beautify thyself and to deck thyself out with ornaments. Out upon him! for he is a beast; do as I say to thee: go to a man of conscience and learning, and who is good.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Abridged Sermons for All Sundays of the Year 
‘There is nothing shorter than time, but there is nothing more valuable. There is nothing shorter than time; because the past is no more, the future is uncertain, and the present is but a moment. This is what Jesus Christ meant when he said: “A little while, and now you shall not see Me.” We may say the same of our life, which, according to St. James, is but a vapor, which is soon scattered forever. “For what is your life? It is a vapor which appeareth for a little while.” But the time of this life is as precious as it is short; for in every moment, if we spend it well, we can acquire treasures of merits for heaven; but, if we employ time badly, we may in each moment commit sin, and merit hell. I mean this day to show you how precious is every moment of the time which God gives us, not to lose it, and much less to commit sin, but to perform good works and to save our souls. Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have helped thee.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Sermons for All Sundays of the Year 
‘Above all, in order to avoid bad thoughts, men must abstain from looking at women, and females must be careful not to look at men. I repeat the words of Job which I have frequently quoted: “I made a covenant with my eyes, that I should not so much as think upon a virgin.” (Job xxxi. 1.) He says that he made a covenant with his eyes that he would not think. What have the eyes to do with thinking? The eyes do not think; the mind alone thinks. But he had just reason to say that he made a covenant with his eyes that he would not think on women; for St. Bernard says, that through the eyes the darts of impure love, which kills the soul, enter into the mind. “Per oculos intrat in mentem sagitta impuri amoris.”; Hence the Holy Ghost says: “Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up.” (Eccl. ix. 8.) It is always dangerous to look at young persons elegantly dressed; and to look at them purposely, and without a just cause, is, at least, a venial sin.’ 

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St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – Sermons Upon Various Subjects 
‘Chrysostom says, that sin is the only cause of all our sufferings and chastisements: “Ubi est fons peccati, illic est plaga supplicii.” Commenting upon these words in Genesis which the Lord spoke after the deluge: “I will place my bow in the clouds.” St. Ambrose remarks taht God does not say, “I will place my arrow, but my bow, in the clouds; giving us thereby to understand that it is always the sinner who fixes the arrow in the bow of God by provoking him to chastisement. If we wish to be pleasing to the Lord, we must remove the cause of his anger, which is sin.’

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St. Thomas Aquinas – Homilies for the Sundays 
‘This word Day is to be taken in a fourfold sense – “The Day is at hand;” the day of mercy, the day of grace, the day of justice, the day of glory. That Sun makes this a fourfold day, whose advent holy Church now celebrates. The day of mercy is the birthday of the Lord, in whom the Sun of Righteousness arises upon us; or more truly He Who made that day so glorious. The day of grace is the time of grace; the day of justice is the day of judgement; the day of glory is the day of eternity.’ 

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Misc. Works

Abbe Maynard – Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent de Paul 
‘He did not look on beautiful landscapes, or at magnificent buildings. He never plucked a flower. To their perfume he preferred the fetid odor of hospitals, or of the sick room. Notwithstanding his sensibility to extreme temperatures he never took any precaution against cold or heat; he never wore gloves in winter, and his hands, like his limbs, were swollen and chapped.’ 

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Anonymous – The Golden Manual 
‘O dearest of all that is dear to me, grant that I may be wholly thine, and that thou mayest continue mine forever. So join, so fasten me to thyself, that I can never be separated from thee; so yield, so impart thyself to me, that filled with the sweetness of thy peace, I may find my chaste delight for evermore in thee. O light, serene and peaceful, irradiate my soul with thy bright beams! Draw me closer to thee, O thou glowing Sun, that, at thy powerful heat, the soil of my heart may bring forth the flowers and fruits of holy love!’ 

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Anonymous – The Life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori 
‘The spirit of penance and mortification was equally conspicuous in our saint; he unceasingly offered himself to God as an expiatory victim for the sins of his people. Every day he disciplined himself to blood. A Dominican prior who had come to his house on account of the examinations, occupied a room near the bishop’s, and as he was leaving, the very day they were over, being entreated to remain longer, he said, “I would return home were it midnight, for I have not the heart to listen any longer to the flagellations of this poor old man.”‘ 

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Anonymous – The Scapular 
‘This joyful news of our approaching Redemption was by divine Revelation made known to some of the religious followers of Elias and Eliseus, then living in the solitude of Mount Carmel, who, above all others, did most earnestly desire, and expect the nativity of that sacred Virgin, which was to be the mother of the Messias, as they had been instructed by the holy patriarch Elias; and it was kept as a certain tradition amongst them, that their Order was founded in honour and imitation of the most pure and immaculate Virgin, who was to be the sovereign princess, advocate, and protectress of it; so that they had great reason to aspire after the time of her birth.’ 

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Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B. – The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict 
‘V.R.S.N.S.M.V. S.M.Q.L.I.V.B. These intials stand for the two following verses: — VADE RETRO, SATANA; NUNQUAM SUADE MIHI VANA. SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS; IPSE VENENA BIBAS; in English: Begone, Satan! and suggest not to me thy vain things: the cup thou profferest me is evil; drink thou thy poison. These words are supposed to be uttered by St. Benedict; those of the first verse when he was suffering the temptation in his cave, and which he overcame by the sign of the cross; and those of the second verse, at the moment of his enemies offering him the draught of death, which he discovered by making over the poisoned cup the sign of life.’ 

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Edward H. Thompson – The Life and Glories of St. Joseph 
‘Alone, ignorant of the way; exposed to danger from wild beasts and robbers; in the winter season; unprovided with means; to have to pass into foreign lands, not knowing what reception they would meet with; – all this might have prompted much anxious enquiry. But Joseph was silent. He had heard, and that sufficed. So he arose, and did as the angel had bidden him: he took the Child and His mother by night, and fled into Egypt. St. Peter Chrysologus says that this journey was so arduous that the very angels were struck with wonder when they beheld the Saviour required to make it.’ 

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Edward H. Thompson – The Life of St. Stanislas Kostka 
‘The Virgin Mother, seconding the desires of the holy youth, parted with her Treasure, and deposited Jesus in his arms, that He and Stanislas might exchange mutual caresses. It is a marvellous thought that men should have been allowed to look on God in human flesh, to hear His voice, to breathe the same air with Him, to be conscious of His near Presence.’ 

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Fr. F.X. Lasance – Blessed Sacrament Book 
‘O Jesus, Who in Thy bitter passion didst become the reproach of men and the man of sorrows, I venerate Thy sacred face, on which shone the grace and sweetness of the Divinity, now for my sake changed unto the likeness of a leper. But under this deformity, I perceive Thy infinite love, and I am overwhelmed with the desire of loving Thee and making Thee beloved by all men. The tears which stream from Thy eyes seem as precious pearls, which I love to gather up, in order to purchase with their infinite value the souls of poor sinners.’ 

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Fr. F.X. Lasance – Thoughts on the Religious Life 
‘Some, perhaps, will feel repelled at the notion that the intercession of others may gain for them what they themselves have not prayed well enough to obtain. But such a notion should startle none who are accustomed to think of Christianity as a mediatorial religion; least of all nowadays, when the newly roused sense of human solidarity forcibly inclines men toward that idea of atonement fundamental in the Catholic interpretation of revealed truth. For truly the principle of vicarious substitution gains new breadth and grandeur when the cloister is looked upon as a divinely efficacious element in the warfare against evil and in the building up of the kingdom of God.’ 

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Fr. F.X. Lasance – Visits to Jesus in the Tabernacle 
‘A soul that desires to take advantage of all her trials in order to console the afflicted Heart of Jesus, must take care to be present in spirit at some scene in Our Lord’s sacred Passion, choosing the one that usually inspires her with the greatest tenderness and devotion. Fixing her eyes with reverence and affection upon the Holy Face, let her think He casts a glance of love upon her which speaks with an eloquence above all language.’ 

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Fr. F.X. Lasance – With God – A Book of Prayers & Reflections 
‘Good Jesus! O most tender Jesus! O most sweet Jesus! O Jesus, Son of Mary the Virgin, full of mercy and kindness! O sweet Jesus, according to Thy great mercy, have pity on me! O most merciful Jesus, I entreat Thee by that precious blood of Thine which Thou didst will to pour forth for sinners, to wash away all my iniquities, and to look upon me, poor and unworthy as I am, asking humbly pardon of Thee, and invoking this holy name of Jesus. O name of Jesus, sweet name! Name of Jesus, name of joy!’ 

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Fr. Jean-Baptiste Saint-Jure – A Treatise on the Knowledge and Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ – II 
‘Father Gaspard Barze, an indefatigable laborer in the vineyard of Our Lord, made a vow never to refuse any succor for soul or body to those who sought his assistance, if it was in his power to accord what they required. St. Francis Xavier ordered him not to quit Goa, but to exercise there all his zeal, and limit his labors to this one post; whereupon this truly apostolic man wrote to St. Ignatius: “The greatest desire I had in this world was to sacrifice my life in Japan, and consume myself entirely for the conversion of its poor infidel people; but I submit to the will of those who govern me, for I have always thought that the most agreeable sacrifice we can make to God is that of obedience and submission to His will.”‘ 

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Fr. Jean-Baptiste Saint-Jure – The Spiritual Life Reduced to its First Principles 
‘As regards the image of God engraven on the soul of man with such glorious majesty, David says: “Lord, the rays of Thy countenance enlighten us, and carry to us Thy divine lineaments.” Hence St. Ambrose exclaims: “See, O man what thou art. O human soul! enter into the knowledge of thyself, and learn that thou are not made of dust like thy body, but of the breath of God, which created thee a living spirit. How rich and magnificent must thy soul be which is formed by the breath of God! Learn hence, O man! wherein thy nobility consists. If the clay of which thou art framed renders thee vile, the image of the Divinity impressed on thy soul makes thee truly great. What can be more rich and precious than the living image of God?”‘ 

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Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure & St. Claude de la Colombiere – Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence 
‘It is one of the most firmly established and most consoling of the truths that have been revealed to us that (apart from sin) nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so. Wealth and poverty alike come from Him. If we fall ill, God is the cause of our illness; if we get well, our recovery is due to God. We owe our lives entirely to Him, and when death comes to put an end to life, His will be the hand that deals the blow. But should we attribute it to God when we are unjustly persecuted? Yes, He is the only person you can charge with the wrong you suffer. He is not the cause of the sin the person commits by ill-treating you, but He is the cause of the suffering that person inflicts on you while sinning. God did not inspire your enemy with the will to harm you, but He gave him the power to do so. If you receive a wound, do not doubt but that it is God Himself who has wounded you.’ 

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Fr. Jean Pierre de Caussade, S.J. – Abandonment to Divine Providence 
‘God speaks to-day as He spoke to our fathers, when directors were not so numerous, nor methods of direction so well defined. All their spirituality consisted in simple fidelity to the order of God; but it was not reduced to a science which explained it so sublimely or minutely, or contained so many precepts, so many maxims, so much instruction. Our present wants, no doubt, require this explanation. It was not so in the first ages of the Church, when men were more simple and upright. Each moment brought a duty to be faithfully fulfilled: this was sufficient for interior souls of the day.’ 

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 Fr. John Furniss – Almighty God Loves Little Children 
‘God loves little children so much that he wanted to be like them, so he became a little child in the arms of Mary his mother. Jesus used to lay his hands on children and bless them. “They brought infants to Jesus that he might touch them.” Luke xviii. He was very angry with those who would not suffer little children to come to him, and with those who scandalize them. Jesus says, “He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matt. xviii.’ 

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 Fr. John Furniss – God and His Perfections 
‘One day St. Antony was preaching in a town called Rimini. The people would not listen to him; so he came down from the pulpit, went out of the church, and walked till he came to the sea. He stood on the sand of the seashore, and cried out to the fishes these words: “Fishes of the sea and of the rivers, listen to me. I wanted to preach to the people, but they would not listen to me; so I am going to preach to you.” When he had said these words an immense number of fishes, of all sizes, came round him, covering all the sea. The little fishes came first, behind them the middle-sized fishes, and then the great fishes. They were all in good order and very quiet, with their heads out of the water, turned towards the preacher.’ 

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Fr. John Furniss – The Sunday School or Catechism 
‘The suggestions about Sunday School and learning Catechism which will be offered in this work are not theory. They are the result of hard labour in the Sunday Schools during several years, of watching children there, of seeing what is actually done, how anything might be done better, how anything useful might be done which is not now done. These suggestions have been tested by experiment and practice. They are in actual operation in a number of Sunday Schools and have been found most successful.’ 

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Fr. Henry Joseph Pflugbeil – St. Thomas Manual 
‘The holy Master had even as a child sought God alone, had been intent upon God alone; consequently, he found Him everywhere, and treated Him as worthily as a weak creature could treat his God. It would, indeed, have been a miracle if he had not found God, especially in that Mystery of Love, in which Jesus abides in order to be “Our God with us.”‘ 

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Fr. Martin Cochem – Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass 
‘As Father Gobat says: “Holy Mass is for all those who hear it an expiatory sacrifice of such value that for the sake of it God grants them power to do all that is necessary to obtain pardon of the mortal sins they may have committed; that is, He gives them grace to acknowledge and bewail their sins, and to make a good confession.” The words Our Lord addressed to St. Gertrude show how easily we may obtain remission of sin, through offering holy Mass to this end. It was one Holy Week, while the antiphon, “He is sacrificed because He Himself willed it,” was being sung, that He said to her: “If thou believest that I am offered up to God the Father upon the cross because it was My will to be offered in this manner, believe also and doubt not that every day I desire, with the same love and strength of desire, to be sacrificed for every sinner upon the altar, as I sacrificed Myself upon the cross for the salvation of the world. Therefore there is no one, however heavy the weight of sin wherewith he is burdened, who may not hope for pardon, if he offers to the Father My sinless life and death, provided he believes that thereby he will obtain the blessed fruit of forgiveness.”‘ 

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Henri Marie Bouden – Devotion to the Nine Choirs of Holy Angels 
‘Before concluding this subject, I am desirous to point out a common but dangerous temptation, which renders almost all our actions either profitless or imperfect: it is that the devil labours to make us be occupied with anything but what we are about. If you are engaged in prayer, he will make you think of some good action you have to perform: when you are performing this action, he will occupy your mind with some other; and thus you are always thinking of something you are not doing, and only give half your thoughts to it. Now each moment has its special blessing; do well whatever you are doing; and that you may do it well, think of nothing else. The moment that is past is no longer yours; the future is not yet come; the present, therefore, is all you have. Here, then, is the devil’s stratagem: by getting you not to attend to the present and keeping you always rehearsing, as it were, for the future, he leaves you no moment really your own.’ 

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Henri Marie Bouden – The Holy Ways of the Cross 
‘The mind seems to have gone all astray, and to be without light and without reason. The door is shut to everything that could be said towards making it sensible of the blessedness of this state. God retreats into the pure depth of the soul, and leaves the rest almost forsaken. It is like an earthen vessel which is filled with precious liquor, and yet neither feels nor tastes it.’

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J.K. Huysmans – St. Lydwine of Schiedam
‘I myself have undergone your penance,” replied Lydwine. “I only ask you for your mortification to pass one entire night without stirring on your back.” The sinner smiled, thinking the punishment light and easy. In the evening he stretched himself in the position ordered, and resolved, as he had agreed with the Saint that he would not turn himself either to the right hand or to the left; but he could not sleep, and this immobility soon appeared to him insupportable. Then he reflected and thought: “I complain, and yet my bed is soft and I have not, like poor Lydwine, my shoulders resting on straw, and all sore as well. Moreover, she is innocent, whilst I!” Remorse, which had so tormented him, wrung him anew. He looked back on his life, bewailed his misdeeds, reproached himself for cowardice, and when the day began to break ran to confess himself to a priest; and this rogue was in future honest, this impious fellow became pious.’ 

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Joseph A. Keller – Miracles of St. Anthony of Padua 
‘Anxious to discover the cause of this, he drew near, and to his great surprise saw through the cracks of the door St. Anthony holding a beautiful child in his arms, whom he was lovingly caressing. His host was first at a loss to understand how this lovely infant had entered the apartment of his guest, but soon discovered, through his majestic bearing and the rapture of St. Anthony, that the child was no other than our divine Lord, who, under this form, had come to console, encourage and strengthen His faithful servant. The apparition lasted some time, then suddenly disappeared, leaving the room in total darkness. At once the saint rose from his prayers, and on going to his bedroom, knocked against his host in the dark. As if guilty of a crime, he entreated his friend not to betray his secret. During the lifetime of St. Anthony the Count faithfully kept his word, but after his death, with tears streaming down his face, he gave a minute account of everything that had taken place. The heavenly light, of a bluish color, issuing forth from the divine Child, although brighter and more beautiful than the sun, did not dazzle the eye, whilst at the same time the heart was filled with unutterable joy. He, moreover, declared that the holy Child Himself had informed the saint, by pointing to the door with His finger, that he was watched, but that St. Anthony appeared to pay no attention to this, as if anxious not to deprive his friend of this heavenly consolation. He furthermore added that the holy Child was standing on the breviary of the saint. This apparition has been so frequently mentioned by old historians that its veracity cannot be doubted. It is for this reason St. Anthony is usually represented with the holy Child standing on his breviary.’ 

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 M. L’Abbe Janvier, Director of the Priests of the Holy Face – Life of Sr. Mary of St. Peter, Carmelite of Tours – Autobiography of – The Golden Arrow 
‘I often desired to have, a little statue of the Infant Jesus, to render my homage to him during the day; but I hesitated to ask our reverend mother for it. One day, it seemed that the Divine Infant urged me to insist on having one; I obeyed the inspiration, and my petition was granted. I now had the Holy Infant with me in the parlor, and I was supremely happy; I offered him all my little labors and demanded souls as a recompense. This Divine Infant gave me, in such profusion, all the graces I needed to fulfil my employment, that it was not injurious to my spiritual application, nor did it prevent my union with God when at prayer. All day long I labored for the salvation of the sheep of the Holy Infant Jesus, and at prayer, he repaid me a hundredfold.’ 

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 Pere Binet, S.J. – Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph
‘The most holy Virgin, as related above, revealed to St. Bridget, that St. Joseph frequently made use of these beautiful words: ‘Heaven grant that I may live so as to accomplish the will of my God!’ And she added: ‘Therefore it is that the glory of Joseph is now so great.’ These words at first sight are plain enough. But to understand them fully, we ought to remember how moderate, in her assertions, Our Lady was. Had she wished to point out an object most sublime, she would simply have said: ‘It is great.’ Thus when Elizabeth said to her, ‘Blessed art thou that hast believed, because these things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord,’ her reply was, ‘The Lord hath done great things to me,’ which means things quite ineffable. In the same way, when she says, ‘The glory of my spouse is great,’ we must understand that it surpasses all that can be imagined in this world.’ 

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Rev. Alexis M. Lepicier, O.S.M. – The Fairest Flower of Paradise 
‘St. Bernard, the great Doctor of the Church, and, as he is called, the last of the Fathers, was famous for the holiness of his life and the splendor of his doctrine. . . One year, on Christmas night, he was favored with a heavenly vision. The Divine Child appeared to him and deigned to instruct him in the glorious mystery of the Incarnation, which the Church celebrates at that time. From this vision there arose in him that tender devotion and ardent love for the Mother of God, which the Saint afterward transfused into the hearts of many, through the sermons he wrote in her honor. Our Lady failed not to correspond to this love of Bernard for her by showing a special predilection for her faithful servant. She granted him extraordinary favors. And so this devotion to the Queen of Heaven, which is the source of great fruit to souls, produced in the heart of St. Bernard this result: it made him realize the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. So, at the age of twenty-two, he left his father’s home and asked to be admitted into the Cistercian Order.’

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Rev. Angelo Pastrovicchi, O.M.C. – St. Joseph of Copertino 
‘During his first stay in Rome he went with the Father General to pay homage to the Pope, Urban VIII. While kissing the feet of the Pontiff the saint, filled with reverence for Jesus Christ in the person of His Vicegerent, was enraptured and raised aloft till the Father General’s command brought him back to his senses. The Pope marvelled much and said to the Father General if father Joseph were to die during his pontificate, he himself would bear witness to this occurrence. . . On another occasion Joseph terrified several painters, who remarked in his presence they meant to paint a picture of the Immaculate Conception in his little chapel. “What? The Conception of the Virgin Mary? The Immaculate Conception?” and then they saw him remain for more than half an hour deprived of the use of his senses and immovable with outspread arms and eyes lifted to heaven, enraptured in contemplation of the sublime mystery.’ 

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Rev. J.B. Scheurer – Sermons on the Blessed Sacrament and Especially for the Forty Hours 
‘One can conclude whether a person likes to be with him or not by the length of time he remains. Yet he would more clearly reveal his desire if during his visit he had shown it by services to his friend.’ 

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Rev. Paschal Robinson – The Golden Sayings of the Blessed Brother Giles of Assisi 
‘Blessed is he who loveth and doth not therefore desire to be loved; blessed is he who feareth and doth not therefore desire to be feared; blessed is he who serveth and doth not therefore desire to be served; blessed is he who behaveth well toward others and doth not desire that others behave well toward him; and because these are great things the foolish do not rise to them. There are three things that are very great and useful which whosoever possesseth cannot fall into evil: the first is, if thou bearest in peace for God’s sake, all tribulations that may befall thee; the second is, if thou humblest thyself the more in all thou dost and receiveth; the third is, if thou lovest faithfully those goods that cannot be seen with fleshly eyes.’ 

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The Count of Montelembert – Life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary 
‘”He is dead,” repeated the mother. At these words Elizabeth turned pale, then quite red; let her arms fall upon her knees, and clasping her hands tightly together, she said in a stifled voice, “Oh! my divine Lord! my divine Lord! the whole world is now dead for me, the world and all that it contains of sweetness.” Then rising in a distracted manner, she began running as hard as she could through the rooms and corridors of the castle, crying, “He is dead, dead, dead!”‘ 

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The Love of the Sacred Heart – Illustrated by St. Mechtilde 
‘Mechtilde asked our Lord to teach her how she could offer satisfaction to Him for the many members of the Church who at this time (it was Quinquagesima Sunday) showered so many insults on Him. Our Lord replied: “Say 350 times the anthem: ‘Tibi laus, tibi gloria, tibi gratiarum actio, O beata Trinitas! — To thee be praise, to thee glory, to thee thanksgiving, O blessed Trinity,’ in reparation for all the indignities offered Me by those who are My members.”‘ 

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Thomas a Kempis – St. Lydwine of Schiedam 
‘In this virgin was accomplished what is read of blessed Job. “In the night my bone is pierced with sorrows; and they that feed upon me do not sleep: with the multitude of them my garment is consumed;” (Job xxx. 17). And so with the failure of medical arts and ofthe nourishment of food, her weakness daily grew worse. And the maiden pitiably afflicted lay upon a hard couch and was eaten by worms which, rising from her virginal body out of the putrefaction, consumed her flesh: and nevertheless no stench proceeded from them.’ 

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Thomas a Kempis – The Imitation of Christ
‘The Voice of Christ. “I shall teach you those things which are right and pleasing to Me. Consider your sins with great displeasure and sorrow, and never think yourself to be someone because of your good works. You are truly a sinner. You are subject to many passions and entangled in them. Of yourself you always tend to nothing. You fall quickly, are quickly overcome, quickly troubled, and quickly undone. You have nothing in which you can glory, but you have many things for which you should think yourself vile, for you are much weaker than you can comprehend. Hence, let none of the things you do seem great to you. Let nothing seem important or precious or desirable except that which is everlasting. Let the eternal truth please you above all things, and let your extreme unworthiness always displease you. Fear nothing, abhor nothing, and fly nothing as you do your own vices and sins; these should be more unpleasant for you than any material losses.”‘ 

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Fr. Vincent Fitzgerald, O.F.M. – St. John Capistran (St. John of Capistrano) 
‘Before his departure from Austria, he had paid a last visit to his brethren in Vienna, at the friary of SS. Theobald and Bernardine which he had himself founded. After matins he began to discourse to them on the text of St. Paul (Heb. xii. 7.) “Persevere under discipline,” exhorting them to the observance of their profession and rule. Morning dawned before he had ceased speaking. Like St. Paul at Miletus, he knew that they would see him no more; and like him, he gave them warning. “I know that after my death some men will come to you, bringing new doctrines, new constitutions, new ceremonies. Do not believe them.” And he added: “If an angel from heaven should so come, let him be anathema”. Then, kneeling, he kissed the feet of all, and so departed.’ 

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Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
VIEW   FTP                                                                        
Fulton Sheen – These Are the SacramentsPublished by Hawthorn Books in 1962. A book on the Seven Sacraments. ‘This book…is written because men live in a world that has become entirely too serious…. No significance or meaning is seen in the things that make a sound to the ear, or a sight to the eye. In a world without a divine sense of humor, architecture loses decoration and people lose courtesy in their relationships with one another.’

2.  SJUSTWAR — 4/1/1996 —  VIEW

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen – Conditions of A Just War   Chapter 4 of Bishop’s Sheen’s book, ‘A Declaration of Dependence.’

3.  3GETMARR — 4/1/1996 —  VIEW   FTP

Bish. Fulton J. Sheen – Three To Get Married   Published by Appleton Century Croft in 1951. Sheen explores marriage and how united with God makes for a more enduring relationship that will bring renewed hope and happiness to married couples of all ages. Some areas covered: The Differences Between Sex and Love; What Love Is; The Three Tensions of Love; It Takes Three to Make Love; Purity: Reverence for Mystery; Dignity of the Body; The Unbreakable Bond; Paternity; Motherhood; Dark Night of the Body; [MARRIAGE Code=EE]

4.  BO18 — 4/1/1996 —  VIEW

Bish. Fulton Sheen – The Beatitudes and the Cross   This American Life League pamplet contains an introduction by Judie Brown of an explanation of the beatitudes by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Taken from the book ‘The Life of Christ’.

5.  CALMASS — 3/5/1997 —  VIEW   FTP

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen – Calvary and the Mass   Hence the Mass is to us the crowning act of Christian worship. A pulpit in which the words of our Lord are repeated does not unite us to Him; a choir in which sweet sentiments are sung brings us no closer to His Cross than to His garments. A temple without an altar of sacrifice is non-existent among primitive peoples, and is meaningless among Christians. And so in the Catholic Church the altar, and not the pulpit or the choir or the organ, is the center of worship, for there is re-enacted the memorial of His Passion. Its value does not depend on him who says it, or on him who hears it; it depends on Him who is the One High Priest and Victim, Jesus Christ our Lord. [SPIRIT Code=EE]

6.  LOVEDREA — 5/30/1996 —  VIEW

Fulton J. Sheen – Love Dreams  Every person carries within his heart a blueprint of the one he loves. What seems to be “love at first sight” is actually the fulfillment of desire, the realization of a dream. [YOUTH Code=EE]

7.  PETRVOIC — 10/22/            VIEW

Most Rev. Fulton Sheen – The Voice of Peter   This article was specially written by Most Rev. Fulton Sheen, Bishop of Rochester for the English edition of L’Osservatore Romano. It likens the difficulty of Pope Paul VI in being heard to Peter’s experience, when knocking at the door of John Mark’s house, after being delivered by an Angel from prison.

8.  SACRAMEN — 3/22/2004 3:24:01 PM — VIEW  FTP

Fulton J. Sheen – These Are the Sacraments    Published by Hawthorn Books in 1962. A book on the Seven Sacraments. ‘This book…is written because men live in a world that has become entirely too serious…. No significance or meaning is seen in the things that make a sound to the ear, or a sight to the eye. In a world without a divine sense of humor, architecture loses decoration and people lose courtesy in their relationships with one another.’ It should be noted that some of the ritual aspects described in the book have been superseded by the revised liturgy.