'Wherefore, because the soul is purified in this furnace like gold in a crucible, as says the Wise Man, (Wisdom iii, 6) it is conscious of this complete undoing of itself in its very substance, together with the direst poverty, wherein it is, as it were, nearing its end, as may be seen by that which David says of himself in this respect, in these words: "save me, Lord (he cries to God), for the waters have come in even unto my soul; I am made fast in the mire of the deep and there is no place where I can stand; I am come into the depth of the sea and a tempest hath overwhelmed me; I have laboured crying, my throat has become hoarse, mine eyes have failed whilst I hope in my God." (Psalm lxviii, 2-4) Here God greatly humbles the soul in order that He may afterwards greatly exalt it; and if He ordained not that, when these feelings arise within the soul, they should speedily be stilled, it would die in a very short space; but there are only occasional periods when it is conscious of their greatest intensity. At times, however, they are so keen that the soul seems to be seeing hell and perdition opened.'

St. John of the Cross

'In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.'

St. Boniface

'"Put to death therefore whatever is earthly in you: unchastity, uncleanliness, passion, evil desire and greed" (Col. 3:5). Earth is the name St. Paul gives to the will of the flesh. Unchastity is his word for the actual committing of sin. Uncleanness is how he designates assent to sin. Passion is his term for impassioned thoughts. By evil desire he means the simple act of accepting the thought and the desire. And greed is his name for what generates and promotes passion. All these St. Paul ordered us to mortify as "aspects" expressing the will of the flesh.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

'For even "what he seems to have," so He says, "shall be taken away from him;"

God not so much taking it away, as counting him unworthy of His gifts.

This we also do; when we see any one listening carelessly, and when with much entreaty we cannot persuade him to attend, it remains for us to be silent. For if we are still to go on, his carelessness is aggravated.

But him that is striving to learn, we lead on, and pour in much.'

St. John Chrysostom

'Persecution shows who is a hireling, and who a true pastor.'

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

'Live in the joy and the peace of the divine Majesty. Live lost in divine love. Live for divine love and of divine love.'

St. Paul of the Cross

'If in this world there be any knowledge of this sacrament stronger than that of faith, I wish now to use it in affirming that I firmly believe and know as certain that Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary, is in this Sacrament . . . I receive Thee, the price of my redemption, for Whose love I have watched, studied, and laboured. Thee have I preached; Thee have I taught. Never have I said anything against Thee: if anything was not well said, that is to be attributed to my ignorance. Neither do I wish to be obstinate in my opinions, but if I have written anything erroneous concerning this sacrament or other matters, I submit all to the judgment and correction of the Holy Roman Church, in whose obedience I now pass from this life.'

St. Thomas Aquinas, on his deathbed

'There is a higher prayer -- that of the perfect -- which is a certain ravishing of the mind, its complete separation from all sensory things, when with unutterable sighings of the spirit it approaches God, Who sees the heart open like a written book, wherein its will is expressed in wordless images. Thus Paul was ravished to the third heaven, not knowing "whether in the body" or "whether out of the body" [II Corinthians 12:2].'

St. Nilus of Sinai

'This Rosary will be your little wreath of roses, your crown for Jesus and Mary.'

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

'In all things let us not forget to repeat with the Lord Jesus: "Not my will but Thine be done." . . . Let us not forget that Jesus not only suffered, but also rose in glory; so, too, we go to the glory of the Resurrection by way of suffering and the Cross.'

St. Maximilian Kolbe

'The Cross of the Lord is the monument to His Victory. O marvel of the love of the Word of God for men, for it is on our account that He is dishonored so that we may be brought to honor.'

St. Athanasius

'My trials are great! However, "although God should kill me, I will trust in Him." (Job xiii. 15.) What ought a poor shipwrecked person do when in the midst of furious billows and on the point of being engulfed? I have no other resource left but to turn my eyes to the Lord.'

St. Paul of the Cross

'The intellect becomes a stranger to the things of this world when its attachment to the senses has been completely sundered.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan

'That he may prevent us from doing a good work, the devil often suggests a greater one; but he understands well how to prevent its execution afterwards, by new obstacles.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola