Great Throughts Treasury

"Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions. But the apostles “spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.” Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself! We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith so our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendor of the saints and to look upon the triune God."

"Anyone, then, who desires to live chastely in Christ Jesus, must flee not only the mouse of lust, but even from its very scent."

"Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft."

"Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul."

"I ask that if you find anything edifying, anything consoling, anything well presented, that you give all praise, all glory and all honor to the Blessed Son of God Jesus Christ. If on the other hand, you find anything that is ill composed, uninteresting or not to well explained, you impute and attribute it to my weakness, blindness, and lack of skill."

"Just as the root feeds the tree, so humility feeds the soul. The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and whoever is fed by this sweetness produces fruit."

"If things created are so full of loveliness, how resplendent with beauty must be the One who made them!"

"Just as a tower defends a fortress, so humility of heart defends bodily chastity from the darts of fornication."

"Solicitude for material things distracts the soul and divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and drags it to hell."

"The Glorious Virgin did not have a stain in her birth because she was santified in her mother's womb and safeguarded there by angels."

"The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God."

"The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in their heart the invitation of Christ."

"The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit."

"Anyone, then, who desires to live chastely in Christ Jesus, must flee not only the mouse of lust, but even from its very scent."

"Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft."

"Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; without love, faith dies."

"Consider every day that you are then for the first time--as it were--beginning; and always act with the same fervor as on the first day you began."

"Damned money! Alas! How many religious did it blind! How many cloistered religious did it deceive! Money is the 'droppings of birds' that blinded the eyes of Tobit."

"If things created are so full of loveliness, how resplendent with beauty must be the One who made them!"

"Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of action, and therefore are cursed by the Lord since He Himself cursed the fig tree when He found no fruit but only leaves."

"He prays best who does not know that he is praying."

"For if we want to have our own ways always, aren’t we really seeking our reward here below in the things of this life? Let us couple patience and long-suffering in the spirit of meekness and faith, and so bring forth fruit in patience."

"Just as a tower defends a fortress, so humility of heart defends bodily chastity from the darts of fornication."

"Just as the root feeds the tree, so humility feeds the soul. The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and whoever is fed by this sweetness produces fruit."

"Solicitude for material things rends the soul; thus distracted, it divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul and thereby kills it."

"The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit."

"The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God."

"The Lord manifests Himself to those who stop for some time in peace and humility of heart. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face? stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things."

"But the apostles ?spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.? Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself!"

"We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner by keeping the commandments. Likewise we shall request that we may be filled with a keen sense of sorrow and with fiery tongues for confessing the faith so our deserved reward may be to stand in the blazing splendor of the saints and to look upon the triune God."