For the week of:

September 16, 2013

Even before becoming a Christian St. Cyprian was distinguished for his learning. Even before receiving baptism he studied Holy Scripture. As soon as he was baptized, he sold all his possessions, distributed the proceeds to the poor, and resolved to practice celibate chastity.

He gave edification to everyone by his holy life, just as he won admiration by his talent and knowledge of literature.

St. Cyprian, living such a holy life, was soon made a priest, and almost as quickly Bishop of Carthage by the choice of all the people. As a bishop, he enlightened the entire Church by his excellent writings and during persecution he worked forcefully to support those who were wavering in their faith. Everybody agrees that this saint surpassed all the other bishops of his time in eloquence as well as in wisdom and humility. Following his example, you must know your religion well, and you must also show by your wisdom and piety that you really understand it.

September 9, 2013

Because in your state of life you are called to procure the sanctification of your pupils, you should be holy yourself in no ordinary degree. You must communicate this holiness to them both by your good example and by the words of salvation which you must address to them every day.

Interior application to prayer, love for your exercises, fidelity in performing them well will especially help you to acquire this holiness and the perfection that God wishes you to have.

Beg him for it daily with great earnestness. Beg him that nothing may make you displeasing in his sight, since you are obliged to inspire his love in the hearts of those whom you instruct. Is this how you relate to them?

September 2, 2013

Penances should be remedial and proportioned to the faults committed. Teachers will take great care that the penances that they impose are in no way ridiculous, and do not consist only of words.

No penance will be imposed that might be prejudicial to the silence and good order of the school. Nothing that causes loss of time and that is uselessshould ever be given as a penance.

The most appropriate penance and the one that is of the greatest utility is to give the students something to learn by heart.

August 26, 2013

Since God has called you to your ministry in order to procure his glory and to give children the spirit of wisdom, you will give an account of how well you have instructed those who have been under your guidance.

You will give account to God whether you have been exact to teach catechism; whether you have not neglected some students because they were the slowest, perhaps also the poorest; and whether you did not show favoritism toward others because they were rich, or pleasant, or naturally possessing more lovable qualities than the others.

Do you believe, perhaps, that you are responsible for your disciples only during the time of school, that your vigilance need not extend to their behaviour outside of school, that they not associate with bad companions during the entire time they are under your guidance?

Are your accounts in good order and are you ready to give them? If that is not the case, put them in order without delay. If there has been any negligence in your conduct, take a firm resolution to correct yourself.

August 19, 2013

There are some children to whose conduct their parents pay very little attention, sometimes none at all. From morning until evening, they do only what they please.

They have no respect for their parents. They are disobedient. They grumble at the least thing. 

Sometimes these faults do not come from an evil disposition of heart or mind; they come from having been left to themselves. If they are of a bold and haughty spirit, they should be given some charge or responsibility in school to inspire them with a liking for school. But along with this they must be corrected and brought into line, never allowed to act as they please.

August 12, 2013

It is mainly in communities where good example is most notable that there is the most power and efficacy. All those who live there together encourage one another to practice what is most holy and most perfect in the Gospel maxims, because when someone does something good, others feel ashamed not to do it. Moreover, according to an axiom of the philosophers, both the practice and the love of what is right are easily communicated in community to those who have a little good will to do what is right.

August 5, 2013

It would be of little use to us to be persuaded of our obligation to have a special devotion to Our Lady if we did not know what this devotion includes. Because she is superior to all creatures, we should have a greater devotion for her than for all the other saints. We show our devotion to the saints at certain times and on certain days of the year but the devotion we should have for Our Lady should be continual.

This is why it is a rule in our Institute:

(1) not to let any day go by without reciting the rosary
(2) to celebrate all her feasts with great solemnity
(3) to consider her as the principal patroness of our Society, placing ourselves under her protection at the end of our morning and evening prayers
(4) to invoke her in our most pressing needs as being our first advocate before God after Jesus Christ.

Let us be convinced that all we do to honor Our Lady will be very richly rewarded by God through her.

July 29, 2013

It was St. Martha’s privilege to be greatly loved by Jesus, as the Gospel testifies, and for this reason Jesus honored her several times by lodging with her and being her guest at table. She was most grateful for such favors and each time Jesus visited her she strove to please him by preparing his food and by serving him.

Nothing is more admirable than the faith St. Martha showed when Jesus raised Lazarus to life. When Jesus said that he was the resurrection and the life, and that those who believed in him would live and never die, he asked her if she believed this. She answered yes, that she did believe he was the Christ, the Son of the living God who had come into the world. This answer deserves special veneration because of the great faith it shows.

July 22, 2013

When love is ardent, it is even stronger than death. One cannot admire too greatly the tender love that St. Mary Magdalen had for Jesus Christ. Nothing held her back, neither human respect, which might have made her think of what people would say about the sudden change in her conduct, nor her attachment to the pleasures and comforts of life, nor her concern for status.

The love she had for Jesus Christ so filled her heart that once she was converted she resolved never to abandon him again.

Are you as faithful to follow Jesus Christ when he causes you to suffer as when he showers you with his blessings? Alas! As soon as someone says something to you that causes you some pain, or as soon as you are given some reproof, do you not show resentment?

By the kindness he showed to St. Mary Magdalen, Jesus Christ has made it clear how good God is to those who love him, and with what tenderness he rewards even in this life the love they have for him.

July 15, 2013

This saint had such a great love for poverty that he wrote a book entitled ‘The Apologia of the Poor’ to make known the excellence of this virtue. In it he demonstrates that voluntary poverty is the foundation of Gospel perfection. In this book St. Bonaventure taught only what he himself practiced.

The practice of poverty is of little use unless it is accompanied by humility. St. Bonaventure tried especially to acquire this virtue. No sooner had he entered the novitiate than his greatest pleasure was to sweep the house, wash the dishes, and devote himself to the lowliest chores in the monastery.

Even when chosen to be a cardinal, he lived without ostentation and in the practice of religious humility.

The more humble you are, the more graces you will receive. This is one virtue you need very much in your state.

July 8, 2013

Having recognized the infinite greatness of God, it is very just that we should recognize his goodness and that we should offer him our humble thanksgiving.

We thank him in particular for having created us and redeemed us; delivered us from a great number of sins; withdrawn us from the occasions of committing them, and from the wickedness of the world, by placing us in community and for the graces without number that he has given us since we have been here.

We thank him especially for the grace which He has at this moment the goodness to give us of remaining in his holy presence, and of occupying ourselves with him in mental prayer.

July 1, 2013

An insult is most shocking to decorum as well as to charity. Our Lord very expressly condemns it in the Gospel. Such words should never be found on the lips of a Christian, since they are extremely improper for a person who has the least claim to being well-educated. You must never insult anybody, and you are never permitted to either say or do anything that might lead to such conduct.

Another fault, no less contrary to propriety and to the respect you owe your neighbor, is mockery, making fun of somebody over a defect or a weakness, or mimicking him by gesture.

There is not much difference between such mockery and an outright insult. Such mockery is entirely unworthy of a well-born person. It goes against propriety and hurts your neighbour. That is why you are never to make fun of anybody, living or dead.

June 24, 2013

Do not have any anxiety about the future. Leave everything in God’s hands for he will take care of you.

As for myself, I do not like to make the first move in any endeavor. I leave it to Divine Providence to make the first move and then I am satisfied. When it is clear that I am acting only under the direction of Providence, I have nothing to reproach myself with.

When I make the first move, it is only I myself who am active, so I do not expect to see much good result; neither does God usually give the action his special blessing.

See if God shows his approval of your work, and notice if Divine Providence is assisting you. Throw yourself into his arms; he is your Father and he will carry you when the road is rough, that is, in time of temptation.

June 17, 2013

Punishment should be peaceable. Those who administer it should not be moved to anger and should be totally self-controlled. It is especially necessary that those who inflict a punishment should take great care that nothing appear in their demeanour that might indicate that they are angry.

It must be prudent on the part of the teacher. The teacher should pay great attention to what is done, so as to do nothing that is inappropriate or that could have evil consequences.

It must be willingly accepted by the students. The seriousness of their fault and the obligation under which the teacher is to remedy it must be made clear to them. They must be helped to understand the great harm that they can do to themselves and, by their bad example, to their companions.

June 10, 2013

You must not be upset or anxious over the temptations you experience. When they come, place yourself in God’s hands as you would with a good father. Beg him to help you, being convinced that you cannot help yourself.

Approach the sacraments eagerly; it is in them that you will find the strength to overcome your difficulties.

I cannot understand why you did not tell me earlier of the temptation you experienced. Don’t you know that an illness is already half cured when you tell the doctor about it?

June 3, 2013

Punishment, in order to be beneficial to the students, should be accompanied by the following qualities.

First, it must be pure and disinterested. That is to say, punishment must be administered purely for the glory of God, without any desire for personal vengeance, teachers giving no thought to themselves.

Second, punishment must be just. For this reason, it is necessary to examine carefully beforehand whether the matter for which the teacher is considering punishing the student is effectively a fault and if this fault deserves punishment.

Third, punishment must be proper and suitable to the fault for which it is administered. That is to say, it must be proportionate to the fault both in nature and in degree. Just as there is a difference between faults committed through malice and obstinacy and those committed through weakness, there should also be a difference between the chastisements with which they are punished.

Fourth, punishment must be moderate. That is to say, it should be rather less rigorous than more rigorous. It should be of a just medium. Neither should punishment be administered precipitously.

May 27, 2013

We can make an act of faith in the presence of God by considering him in our soul as in His temple.

I believe that you are the treasure of my soul, and that it has the advantage of possessing you since St. Paul assures us that we are the temple of the living God who dwells in us, and that He will converse with us.

It is, therefore, in order to make me take pleasure in your conversation that you make your dwelling in my soul, in order to make of it a place of delights.

Detach my soul so much from all created things that you may find your delight there. Overwhelm it with your blessings and your graces, so that being fittingly adorned, it may become worthy of receiving you.

May 20, 2013

From his youth St. Bernardine had such great prudence and self-control that the most disorderly of his fellow students were prudent in his presence and did not dare to speak of anything unbecoming. When they saw him coming from a distance, they said to one another,

“No more of this talk; here comes Bernardine.”

Are you likewise equally self-controlled, not only in the presence of your Brothers, but of your students as well? Does what they observe in you make such an impression on them that it is able to make them behave properly?

There is no one to whom you cannot and should not try to be helpful by the example of your virtues. This was the first way St. Bernardine practised his zeal, and it is also the way you are obliged to preach to everyone.

May 13, 2013

You must be particularly circumspect in your words when someone has entrusted you with a secret. It would be very imprudent to reveal it,even if you urge the one to whom you repeat the matter to keep it to himself, andeven if the one who confided the secret to you has not asked you not to mention it to others.

For, as the Wise Man says so correctly, if you reveal the secrets of a friend, you lose all credibility and will soon be unable to find any close friends (Eccl 27:16-17). He considers this fault as being much worse than speaking injuriously to your friend, for, even after harsh words, reconciliation is possible. But if you have been base enough to betray a friend’s secrets, there can remain no hope of reconciliation, and you will try in vain to recover the lost friendship.

May 6, 2013

It would have been of little use if the apostles had instructed the first Christians in the essential truths of our religion, if they did not lead them to live the Christian way of life. The apostles were not satisfied with teaching doctrine, but they had a marvellous care to bring the first Christians to practise their religion.

Above everything else, this is what you are obliged to do in your work. In imitation of the apostles you must give an altogether special care that those whom you instruct receive the sacraments, in particular, that they are ready to receive Confirmation in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You must see to it that they go to confession often, after learning how to do this well. You must dispose them to receive their first Communion with holy dispositions and to receive Communion frequently thereafter.

Inspire them also with piety and self-control in church and in the exercises of piety you have them perform in the schools. Instill in them the innocence and humility that Our Lord recommends so strongly in the Gospel. Do not forget to help them acquire gentleness,patience, love and respect for their parents, and all the conduct that is proper to a Christian child.

April 29, 2013

St. Catherine had such a special love for purity that she made a vow of virginity when only seven years old. With time this virtue grew so strong in her that when her parents proposed a very advantageous marriage to her, she refused. This angered her parents so much that they obliged her to do all the lowliest and most difficult household chores. She was very happy about this and endured with the greatest patience all the ill-treatment that they inflicted upon her at the time. She contented herself with setting up a sort of little oratory in her heart where she withdrew to console herself with God.

If, because you are aiming to do good, you are made to suffer insults and scorn, would you be ready to put up with such treatment patiently? It is on such occasions that we see if our virtue is solid.

April 22, 2013

Instead of being upset when your long-standing faults are pointed out to you, you ought on the contrary to thank God for it. No matter how you are told them, Our Lord had worse said to him, and you claim to be his disciple. If you really are, you will be glad to be treated like your master, who patiently bore all the insults that were offered him. So did the saints, his servants.

Instead, what sort of humility have you if you cannot bear something that causes you a little pain? You very much like to profess that you love humility and that you have a great esteem for it, just as long as you can avoid humiliations as much as possible. What good will it be for you to love the virtue and to refuse to practise it?

What! You complain that others haven’t enough charity, but you don’t complain that you haven’t enough humility. So watch over yourself and do not get upset about something that can be only for your own good.

April 15, 2013

Decorum requires that as a Christian you should never utter a single word which is contrary to the truth or to sincerity, or which shows disrespect for God or a lack of charity for your neighbor.

Refinement insists that you never say anything false. On the contrary, it exacts that each one should speak the truth to his neighbor. According to the Wise Man, refinement regards falsehood as a shameful flaw and the life of a liar as a life deprived of honor and always threatened by embarrassment.

You might say that even if you fall into no other vice, frequent lying is enough to push you quickly into a vicious life. Jesus Christ explains why this is so when he tells us that the devil himself is the father of lies.

April 8, 2013

Have you always thought that in order to give yourself to God you must be prepared to be tempted? Are you not upset when some temptation comes to you?

What should induce a soul truly given to God to be always ready to meet temptation, is what Job says: “man’s life is a temptation,” or, according to the Vulgate, “a constant warfare.”

This led St. Jerome to say that it is impossible for our soul to escape temptation in this life; that if Jesus Christ himself was tempted, no one can hope to cross the stormy sea of this life without being exercised by temptation.

Have you been expecting to do battle constantly with the demon and against yourself? Do you have what you need to resist the demon and not give yourself over to the pleasures of the senses?

Be convinced that it is a great misfortune not to experience any temptation, because this is a sign that you do not overcome yourself in any way.

April 2, 2013

One of the principal signs that a person is leading a new life, and is risen with Jesus Christ, is when the person enjoys interior peace.

There are many persons who seem to be spiritual and to possess interior peace, but who really lack it. We might say of them what Jeremiah says, that they desire peace yet peace does not exist in them. Such persons appear to be the most pious and devoted; they speak very eloquently and most willingly about interior things. They often experience the presence of God in prayer. But just say a sharp word to them or do something to irritate them and immediately they are quite upset.

They lose their peace because they are not solidly grounded in virtue and have not worked hard enough to get rid of their natural impulses.

Are you one of these persons? You have to give yourself more resolutely and more truly to God.

March 25, 2013

Let us give thanks for the honor the Blessed Virgin received on this day, to become the Mother of God. This is the greatest honor any mere creature can ever receive. St. Ambrose declares that it was the excellence of Mary’s faith which procured this favour for her.

In this role she has become an object of veneration for the angels themselves, who, though much higher by nature, are nevertheless far beneath her in view of the dignity she received on this day.

Still, this dignity only leads her to humble herself and she has no other reply except that she is the servant of the Lord.

St. Ambrose cannot help marvelling at such a response in the mouth of this holy virgin at the very moment when she is chosen to be the Mother of God.

Let us profit from such great example. May all the graces God gives us, no matter how remarkable they may be, incline us also to humble ourselves.

March 18, 2013

In your times of trouble, when you have had recourse to those who are appointed to guide you and they have been unable to provide a suitable remedy for your difficulty, God wants you then to remain completely abandoned to his guidance, awaiting from him alone all the help you need. Follow the example of this crowd of people who had come following Jesus Christ and who waited patiently for him to provide for their nourishment.

March 11, 2013

Jesus Christ delivered a man possessed by a dumb demon, that is one that prevented the victim from speaking. This is a figure of those who remain mute in their relationship with their confessors.

When you are sick you can scarcely be cured if you cannot explain what is wrong, so too if you do not expose the wound in your soul to your spiritual physician, you run the risk of remaining ill for a long time.

It is pride or human respect that ordinarily prevents us from revealing our interior difficulties to our confessor. Pride, because we are ashamed to expose the depths of our soul and because our self-love suffers keenly when we have to admit certain weaknesses. So, it seals our lips, persuading us that we would dishonour ourselves if we spoke sincerely to a confessor who would then get a bad impression of our behavior.

March 4, 2013

Our Lord was transfigured while praying on a very high, lonely mountain. This teaches us that God pours out his consolation on souls who devote themselves a great deal to prayer and who love this holy exercise. Those who are half-hearted and lazy, who have little love for prayer, should not be surprised if they are not among those whom God favours in a special way. They do not enjoy an intimate union with him, because they do not give themselves to the exercise that unites us with God, in which we learn to enjoy God and to have even on this earth a foretaste of the joy of heaven.

When God makes use of consolation to strengthen souls and to give them a chance to rest a little after undergoing trials and tribulations, they should accept this little refreshment with a simple view of God’s good pleasure, without being complacent about the personal enjoyment they find there.

February 25, 2013

Since you are ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ in the work that you do, you must act as representing Jesus Christ himself. He wants your disciples to see him in you and receive your instructions as if he were giving them to them. They must be convinced that your instructions are the truth of Jesus Christ who speaks with your mouth, that it is only in his name that you teach, and that it is he who has given you authority over them.

They must also be convinced that they themselves are a letter which Jesus Christ dictates to you, which you write each day in their hearts, not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, who acts in you and by you through the power of Jesus Christ. He helps you to triumph over all the obstacles that oppose the salvation of these children.

All your care for the children entrusted to you would be useless if Jesus Christ himself did not give the quality, the power, and the efficacy that is needed to make your care useful. All the good you are able to do in your work will be true and effective only insofar as Jesus Christ gives it his blessing and as you remain united with him.

February 18, 2013

You say that often you don’t know how to keep from speaking. You must try to learn this. It is great wisdom to know how to keep silence when the occasion requires it. Get into the habit of always speaking in a low voice. You know very well that silence and recollection are two means of becoming interior.

You will find silence a very useful, even a very necessary virtue, if you are to adore God, serve him in spirit and in truth, resist temptations and save yourself from falling into sin.

Always remain silent when others annoy you, and let God alone be the witness of your innocence.

You must learn how to be silent and to speak only when necessary, so that you may not fall into the habit of excessive talking. If you cannot speak without justifying yourself, remain completely silent.

February 11, 2013

Those who teach are only God’s voice. The word which makes God known to those whom they instruct must come from him. It is he who speaks in teachers when they explain him and what is related to him. This is why St. Peter says, if any speak, let it always be clear that God is speaking by their mouth.

February 4, 2013

There are many persons in religious communities who could be asked with more surprise and more justice than those in the Gospel who were standing idle in the market place: Why have you stayed here all the day doing nothing? These persons have consecrated themselves to God and profess to be striving toward the perfection proper to their state, yet they remain in it without making any progress in virtue, especially the virtue of obedience.

So, when it happens that they are given an order they do not expect, they cannot accept it; they say this is too much for them and they are not able to put up with such a trial. They are prepared to carry out orders only on certain conditions, or only when they are in good humor.

It is extremely important that those who profess to practise the virtue of obedience be given the chance to do so every day.

January 28, 2013

St. Thomas was one of the greatest Doctors of the Church, and he enlightened it by the quite extraordinary and almost miraculous learning God gave him. In all the difficulties he met while studying or writing, he had recourse to prayer, and when this did not suffice to give him an understanding of what he wanted to know he added fasting. It was by these means that he acquired such great knowledge and became a miracle of learning.

The admirable thing is that, although so learned, he had no desire to be esteemed by others. Ah! how rare it is to find a man who excels in anything, who does not on that account have a higher opinion of himself.

It is by these three means - I mean books, prayer, mortification - that God wishes you to instruct yourselves in your state about what you need to know and teach others.

January 21, 2013

Never read through curiosity, and do not read hurriedly to get through a book quickly. Stop from time to time to relish your reading. Reflect on and examine yourself about what prevents you from practicing what you read.

Read your spiritual book as if it were a letter sent by Jesus Christ himself to make known to you his holy will.

As it is neither the books we read nor the reasons we hear which of themselves touch our conscience, but rather God who uses these means, we must pray for the grace to draw from them the fruit which God desires to communicate to us.

January 14, 2013

But, you say, you are not prepared to receive Communion because your spirit is in turmoil or because you are experiencing severe temptation. Do you not know that turmoil and temptations, far from making you unfit to receive Communion do nothing of the sort? On the contrary, the more anxiety and temptation you experience, the more you should have recourse to Communion, which is a sure remedy to ease your anxiety and weaken your temptations.

Perhaps you may say at other times that you do not receive Communion because you cannot occupy yourself with God. You feel completely dry; your mind is filled with evil or useless thoughts.

Beg Jesus Christ living in you to make up for your powerlessness, and to make thanksgiving in you and for you. Do not, then, listen any further to what your spirit may suggest to dispense you from receiving Communion.

January 7, 2013

You should pay attention to your behavior in what concerns not only yourself but others also. For it is impossible to please God if you do not live amicably with others. Nor will you have peace of soul unless you show consideration for those for whom you ought to set a good example.

Take care never to get into arguments with anybody, for in doing so you can offend against charity, which should be outstanding among you. Be sure to be warmly affable toward everyone, to speak and to answer everyone with a great gentleness and deference, keeping in mind the way Our Lord spoke and replied to others, even when he was most harshly treated.

So never rebuff anyone; that gives very bad example. On the contrary, speak politely, which is in keeping with the Spirit of God. Let humility and gentleness be always evident in what you say. “A soft answer,” says the wise man “breaks down the hardest nature.”

January 1, 2013

Faith is the way by which God wishes to lead you to himself and by following this way you will please him most. Is it not enough for you to know God alone? Surely this is of more value than all the other knowledge of the most learned men. The Most Blessed Virgin lived her whole life by the spirit of faith, and it is this spirit that God wants you to have. This is why you would derive much benefit from asking her in prayer to lead you to Our Lord along this way.

December 17, 2012

Jesus did not come so much to teach us the holy truths of Christian morality as to engage us to practise them faithfully.

Still it is common enough to see Christians and even members of religious communities, who do not accept these practical truths and who contradict them in their hearts, sometimes even in their external conduct, as when someone tells them that on Judgement Day they have to account for a useless word, that we must pray without ceasing, that we must enter heaven through the narrow gate and that there is a command addressed to them to love their enemies, to pray to God for those who persecute them and to do good to those who hate them.

How many are there who believe that these teachings are merely counsels of perfection? Yet Jesus Christ taught that they were necessary practices and the way to achieve salvation. Take care not to fall into this gross error, which might lead you astray from the true path to heaven.

December 10, 2012

Although it is not recommended to be as stiff as a statue in school, neither is it good to be too fidgety or too flustered. The two extremes must be avoided. The one causes teachers not to be sufficiently vigilant and to lack firmness; the other robs them of all authority and brings down on them the contempt of students.

New teachers must learn to control a natural tendency to be hasty and too quick to react. They must not at every moment modify their expression, their posture, their position, constantly turning the head from side to side; unable to keep the same position for a moment.

December 3, 2012

It is unbelievable how many souls St. Francis converted to God, once he had filled himself with the spirit of God before going off to preach the holy Gospel. It is estimated that he converted several hundred thousand in the Indies and in Japan. He baptised several princes and even several kings. He spent his time preaching, catechising, confessing, and visiting hospitals.

Nothing, no matter how humble it was, was beneath him when it was a question of converting souls. This saint had especially such a great zeal for the instruction of children, that he went about in the streets ringing, a little bell to call them to catechism.

Do you wish to convert your disciples and easily win them over to God? The more you make yourself little, the more you will touch the hearts of those whom you instruct, and to engage them to live as true Christians.

November 26, 2012

Why, do you think, did Jesus Christ praise St. John the Baptist so highly? It was to lead the people to accept his teaching, and to make them understand that what John had said about himself was true; that St. John had been sent to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus Christ himself and to profit by his teachings. This saint began by living a life of seclusion, prayer, and penance, to practise what he wanted to teach others, and thus to dispose his own heart to receive the fullness of the Spirit of God.

Because you have to prepare the hearts of others for the coming of Jesus Christ, you must first of all dispose your own hearts to be entirely filled with zeal, in order to render your words effective in those whom you instruct.

November 19, 2012

The manner in which Jesus Christ says we should love God requires of us a great courage.

To love God with all your heart and with all your soul is truly to sacrifice your life for God, to spend it only for him. This is what you can do in your profession and your work, not being concerned whether you die in a few years, provided you save yourself and win souls for God.

They will help you to rise to heaven because you have helped them procure admittance there, have taught them how to enter and have helped them take all possible means of doing so.

God has put us in this world only for himself; he thinks constantly of us and has given us a mind that can think of him. Jesus Christ, then has reason to say that we must love God with all our minds.

Nothing shows better that we love another person than when we cannot help thinking about that person. How happy you would be if all your thoughts tended only to God. Then you would really have found your paradise in this world.

November 12, 2012

What are your dispositions and with what purity of heart and intention do you go to Holy Communion?

You can easily make the four following considerations before approaching the holy table, to place your heart in the condition in which it ought to be for so holy an action.

The first is, “What am I about to do?” The second is, “Who am I compared with almighty God?” The third is, “Why do I wish to approach the altar to receive him?” The fourth is, “How, and for what reason, should I receive Holy Communion to day?”

Do you approach the holy table with the same dispositions you would wish to have on entering heaven? Surely we should not have less respect in receiving Jesus Christ than in being received by him.

November 5, 2012

Prayer, says St. Chrysostom, is a divine medicine which drives out of our hearts all the malice it finds there and fills them with all justice.

This is why if we wish to deliver ourselves from sin completely, we cannot do anything better than to devote ourselves to prayer.

In fact, no matter how many sins a person who loves prayer commits, he still has, even in the midst of a very great disordered life, a quick and easy recourse, which is prayer, in order to obtain the grace of repentance and pardon.

Ask God, then, to grant you a pure heart that has an aversion not only for the most grievous sins, but also for whatever can stain your conscience.

October 29, 2012

I believe you, my God, became a child for love of me. You were born in a stable in the dead of winter. You lay on hay and straw. Your love for me reduced you to such poverty.

You could have been born in an abundance of riches and honours and in the most magnificent palace. At your birth you could have taken possession of the kingdoms of the world, because they belonged to you. But you preferred not to profit from these rights.

Your infinite wisdom judged that it was much more to my advantage to give me the example of the life which I must lead, the road which I must follow to reach true glory, to enjoy spiritual and heavenly wealth.

I do this by detachment from the perishable goods of the earth and of false and ephemeral honours.

You know, Lord, how my proud, avaricious, and sensual nature inclines me to these things.

October 22, 2012

Now is the time for little speech and much action. Let your aim be to become very silent and very humble and to apply yourself to prayer.

To do this you need little thinking, little desiring and little understanding; yet it is the way to live at peace.

You will find silence very useful, even a very necessary virtue, if you are to adore God, serve him in spirit and in truth and resist temptations.

You must learn how to be silent and to speak only when necessary. Always remain silent when others annoy you, and let God alone be the witness of your innocence.

Take care never to justify yourself, but, on the contrary, admit that you were wrong, without of course telling an untruth.

October 15, 2012

You should be guided in what you do by your rules, not by those who transgress them. Let people think what they wish of you, and do not be troubled, provided you are doing what you ought.

Slackness and rationalizing will lead you into many faults. From now on, look on your rules as an explanation and an application of what is contained in the Gospels. The spirit of faith will lead you to give practical application to this frame of mind.

In all matters I advise you to act as being in the presence of God and not to please others. To take pains that others have nothing to reproach you with and not to be concerned about God is to act as a hypocrite, and not as a Christian.

October 8, 2012

Take a short recreation every day so that you may afterwards resume your duties with greater affection and application. Look upon this relaxation as similar to that which our Lord sometimes accorded his Apostles. Be careful not to become dissipated and do not lose sight of the presence of God. Does your tongue cause you some disquietude of conscience during this time? Be moderate in your conduct and observe discretion in your words.

October 1, 2012

Your work does not consist in making your disciples to be Christians, but in helping them to be true Christians. It would avail them little to have received baptism if they did not live according to the Christian spirit. To give this spirit to others you have to possess it well yourself. Recognise what this requires of you. It is without doubt to put into practice the holy Gospel.

September 24, 2012

When giving an opinion, you must be careful not to maintain it stubbornly, for you should not be so sure of your ideas as to think them incontrovertible. It would also be very unseemly to argue in order to make your opinions prevail because you should not be so firmly attached to your ideas that you refuse to yield to those of others.

You should be very careful not to grow angry or abusive in order to force others to adopt your point of view. It is neither courteous nor wise to use emotion to make others accept your position as reasonable. Nor should you ever blame others or ridicule what they have said.

You show the characteristic of a well-mannered person when you esteem and praise the ideas of others.

September 17, 2012

Be sure to be warmly affable toward everyone, to speak to and to answer everyone with a very great gentleness and deference, keeping in mind the way Our Lord spoke and replied to others, even when he was most harshly treated.

September 10, 2012

I do not fail, nor shall I fail, to pray to God for you, my very dear Brother, that he may keep you in your vocation. You will give me great pleasure if you also pray for me. The affection with which you write to me touches me very much. I am very grateful for the concern you have for my health. Please God he will give you the best of health and make you truly holy.

September 3, 2012

St. Gregory suffered through his life with extreme patience. The only remedy he used in all his suffering was recourse to prayer; in this he found great support.

When elected Pope, he immediately took to flight, but finally accepted the responsibility despite his feelings. Nevertheless, with unflagging zeal, despite his great infirmities, he worked to procure the good of the Church by his preaching, by his writings, and by his constant solicitude.

After he became Pope, he sent out evangelical labourers to preach the faith to unbelievers and to instruct them in our religion. By such conduct he showed that it was only his humility that made him flee the papacy, because once he had accepted it, his zeal led him to accomplish great things for the cause of religion.

August 27, 2012

Since God has called you to your ministry in order to procure his glory and to give children the spirit of wisdom, you will give an account of how well you have instructed those who have been under your guidance.

You will give account to God whether you have been exact to teach catechism; whether you have not neglected some students because they were the slowest, perhaps also the poorest; and whether you did not show favouritism toward others because they were rich, or pleasant, or naturally possessing more lovable qualities than the others.

August 20, 2012

St. Bernard was brought up so well by his mother that in a short time he acquired a solid piety, and displayed all sorts of virtues. These made him known through the whole Church, winning for him the respect of everyone. So high was the esteem he enjoyed that as Abbot of Clairvaux he was followed by a great crowd of people who came to place themselves under his direction.

This made him so venerated by bishops, princes and the people that no one undertook any important project without coming to him for his advice and judgment. The more he tried to keep hidden, the more people came to him.

Virtue cannot hide. When it is seen, it draws all hearts. The example it gives makes such a strong impression that those who see it, or hear about it, are led to imitate it.

August 13, 2012

The zeal shown by St. Cassian cannot be praised too much. The Emperor Julian the Apostate had forbidden any Catholic to teach youth. St. Cassian nonetheless thought that he could not take on a work more useful for the Church than that of a schoolteacher. He devoted himself with all possible care to instruct children, and while teaching them reading and writing, he trained them in piety.

The emperor, for his part, was working to destroy religion by destroying schools, and this saint was trying to establish religion through the education of the young.

How often it happens that work which people consider lowly produces much more good than the most brilliant work. Look upon your work as one of the
most important and most excellent in the Church, for it is one most able to strengthen it by giving it a solid foundation.

August 6, 2012

In today’s Gospel Jesus Christ proposes to us an example of Charity. Charity is kind. Indeed, it is not by scolding, murmuring, complaining about or quarreling that we show our love and union. It is by speaking in a kind and affable way. A kind word, says the wise man, turns away wrath, while a harsh reply stirs up fury.

For this reason Our Lord said to his apostles: Blessed are those who show kindness toward others, for they shall possess the land. This means the whole earth, because those who possess the hearts of others do possess the whole earth, which is what persons whose temperament is kind and moderate easily achieve. They gain entry so well into the hearts of those with whom they speak and relate that they win them over little by little.

July 30, 2012

Apply yourself often to remember the presence of God. Look upon this practice as your greatest happiness. Your recollection and self-control should be great enough for you to achieve this. They will be for you a means of overcoming yourself in times of temptation by inspiring you to have continually in mind the will of God.

July 23, 2012

Let people think what they wish of you, and do not be troubled, provided you are doing what you ought.

I advise you to act as being in the presence of God and not to please others, because you know that to take pains that others have nothing to reproach you with and not to be concerned about God is to act as a Pharisee and a hypocrite, and not as a Christian.

July 16, 2012

To speak prudently you must consider whether it is the proper time for speaking or for remaining silent. It is imprudent and thoughtless for you to talk when you are prompted by just the mere desire to talk.

In order to let us know in a few words who the people are who speak with wisdom and prudence and who those are who speak imprudently, the Wise Man gives us this admirable rule: “the hearts of fools are in their mouths, and the mouths of the wise are in their hearts” (Eccl 21:26).

July 9, 2012

Jesus Christ assures us explicitly that all that we ask for we shall receive. Prayer has this efficacy of itself; this is precisely what God promises us. The more we ask of him, the more he gives, because he takes great delight in granting our prayers.

Whatsoever you ask in prayer with faith, says Jesus Christ, you will receive. He says all whatsoever, and he makes no exceptions. Would anyone believe that faith would have such an effect if the Son of God, who is truth itself, had not assured us of this?

July 2, 2012

Let your faith be an active faith, enlivened by charity and detaching you from all things. In other words you should take great care to be always ready to lose all rather than God; to abandon all rather than the divine will; and to sacrifice all honor, health, and life itself for God’s glory and interests.

June 25, 2012

The children who come to you either have not had any instruction or, if they have received some good lessons, bad companions or their own bad habits have prevented them from benefiting. God sends them to you so that you may give them the spirit of Christianity and educate them according to the maxims of the Gospel.

You have reason to be ashamed if you have to teach these children what you do not know yourself or exhort them to practice what you do not do yourself. Ask God, then, to give you what you need in full measure, namely, the Christian spirit and deep religious convictions.

June 18, 2012

How shall I dare to be in the presence of God without respect and without reverence! What! If the presence of a king restrains all the movements of the body and of the soul in such a way that one does not make a single one without circumspection, out of respect for the dignity and personality of the king, shall we forget the worship and reverence due to God in whose presence we always are?

Give me the grace that the thought of your holy presence may occupy me always, so that, being always in your holy presence, I may not pass a single moment without thinking of you.

une 11, 2012

When this saint was put to the work of preaching, it became apparent that God had placed his holy word in his mouth. For when he preached all his hearers were filled with admiration, and he brought about surprising conversions. He succeeded so well in this ministry because he had prepared himself for it by seclusion and prayer.

You need to live in seclusion in order to learn the knowledge of salvation which you have to teach others. In that way you must learn how to speak about God, and be able to speak about him effectively.

June 4, 2012

We can make an act of faith in the presence of Our Lord in the church in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It is here, truly, that Jesus makes his dwelling place. I must consider myself happy to be there often, to keep you company and to fulfill my obligations to you. Although you may be veiled from my eyes, yet you are there as great, as powerful, as adorable, as lovable as you are in heaven. Because you are the same God and because you are equally present in both places.

May 28, 2012

Let us admire the promptness with which the Blessed Virgin went to visit her cousin St. Elizabeth as soon as she learned the will of God. Her promptness drew down God’s blessings on her visit. We should consider ourselves blessed when we are visited by God through his inspirations.

Since you have the honor of being visited by God every day in prayer and often by Jesus in Holy Communion, make sure that their visits to you are not useless.

May 21, 2012

It is this sacrament and the reception of the Eucharist that will support you in your difficulties, and you should regard it as a great happiness to receive the Eucharist frequently. You should take steps to correct yourself of your faults, but it would be an even greater fault not to receive Communion.

May 14, 2012

This holy disciple was admitted among the number of the apostles only after a common prayer was recited publicly by St. Peter in the name of all the apostles and disciples who were praying together in the same place.

This shows us that in all we do for the glory of God, we should undertake nothing without praying to ask God for the light and grace we need to succeed in whatever we undertake for him.

May 7, 2012

When you find the practice of virtue difficult, you must strive to make it become easy by applying yourself to prayer.

Prayer, says St. Chrysostom, is a divine medicine which drives out of our hearts all the malice it finds there and fills them with all justice.

This is why, if we wish to deliver ourselves from sin, we cannot do anything better than to devote ourselves to prayer.

April 30, 2012

Ask and you shall receive. Since God wants to give us his grace, he has provided us with a sure means to obtain them, namely, prayer.

We are so subject to temptation that as Job says, our life is a constant temptation. This made St. Peter say that the demon, our enemy, like a roaring lion, is always roaming around us seeking endlessly some way to devour us. It is prayer that puts us in a position to resist him.

April 23, 2012

You share in the ministry of the Guardian Angels by making known to children the truths of the Gospel, which you have been chosen by God to announce.

Your zeal must go so far in this that in order to achieve it, you are ready to give your very life, so dear to you are the children entrusted to you.

It is your duty, then, to admonish the unruly, and to do this in such a way that they give up their former way of life; you must rouse up those who lack courage, support the weak, and be patient toward all.

April 16, 2012

Decorum requires that as a Christian you should never utter a single word which is contrary to the truth or to sincerity, or which shows disrespect for God or a lack of charity for your neighbor.

April 9, 2012

Be convinced that it is a great misfortune not to experience any temptation, because this is a sign that you do not overcome yourself in any way.

April 2, 2012

Each mystery, has a spirit which is special to it.

The spirit of the mystery of the Incarnation, for example, is charity, since it is through charity and love for us that the eternal Father has given us his only Son, that the Son himself has become incarnate, and that the Holy Spirit has brought about this mystery.

The Spirit of the mystery of the Birth of Our Lord is the spirit of childhood. The Son of God having come into this world, as St. John says, has given to all who have received him, the power of becoming children of God.

March 26, 2012

Jesus Christ was not content with having a lifelong desire to die for us. When he saw the time of his death approaching, he testified to his joy. This is what made him say to the apostles when he celebrated the Last Passover with them. He knew that this was to be the last meal he would eat with his apostles before suffering and dying for us.

March 19, 2012

Teachers will always use a moderate tone when they give any instructions, as well as on all other occasions when they need to speak to all of the students together. They will never speak either to any student in particular or to all in general until they have carefully thought about what they have to say and unless they consider it necessary.

March 12, 2012

You realize how important it is to follow the inspirations that come to you from God. They are precious and it is to them that God ordinarily attaches his graces. He does not mean for them to be given to you for no purpose. So those inspirations that God gives us are to be valued, and he grants his graces only insofar as we are faithful in following them.

March 5, 2012

When we find ourselves in some particular and extraordinary need, or in some violent temptation, it is a great and powerful means, in this need, and to conquer the temptation by which we are strongly assailed, to address ourselves to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Feb. 27, 2012

Since you are ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ in the work that you do, you must act as representing Jesus Christ himself. He wants your disciples to see him in you and receive your instructions as if he were giving them to them. They must be convinced that your instructions are the truth of Jesus Christ, who speaks with your mouth, that it is only in his name that you teach, and that it is he who has given you authority over them.

Feb. 20, 2012

The effect that the reception of the ashes should produce in you is to make penance a part of all your behaviour, to make you fast with your eyes, your tongue, and your heart:

·your eyes, by great recollection;

·your tongue, by an exact silence,

·your heart, by renouncing all thoughts which might draw you away from communing with God.

Feb 13, 2012

Those who teach are only God’s voice. The word which makes God known to those whom they instruct must come from him. It is he who speaks in teachers when they explain him and what is related to him. This is why St. Peter says, if any speak, let it always be clear that God is speaking by their mouth.

Feb. 6, 2012

Take care never to let anything harsh be seen in your appearance; you should rather manifest wisdom, kindness, and good will.

Jan. 30, 2012

If we have esteem for worldly things, it should only be in so far as they relate to God, because we are rightly convinced that God is present in all things and that all things are nothing except in so far as God dwells in them. 

Jan. 23, 2012

To live in a community that is faithful to the Rule is to live in the boat with Jesus and his disciples. There they are protected from the waves of the stormy sea of this world. Still, they are not entirely safe from all difficulties and temptations. Of these, the most dangerous and most hurtful are those which lead us to fail in obedience, or to obey in a faulty manner.

Jan. 16, 2012

The more anxiety and temptation you experience, the more you should have recourse to Communion, which is a sure remedy to ease your anxiety and weaken your temptations.

Jan. 9, 2012

Teachers: You will do well to work hard at your lessons in religious instruction. To give them well, you must begin courageously, even giving them poorly, for no one does anything well the first time. As long as you teach your students to the best of your ability, you can have a clear conscience in the matter.

Jan. 2, 2012

Bad companions are so dangerous, especially in youth, that there is nothing to which you should pay more attention than to prevent those you teach from keeping such company. Nor is there anything you should recommend more strongly to them than to become close friends with the best of their companions, the most pious and the best behaved. 

Dec. 12, 2011

We make an act of adoration by recognising God as our Creator and sovereign Lord. And by keeping ourselves in a profound respect in His holy presence, conscious of our baseness and even of our nothingness, of our dependence on God, of our unworthiness to enjoy the advantage and happiness of His holy presence.

Dec. 5, 2011

You are under the obligation to instruct the children of the poor. You should, therefore, cultivate a very special tenderness for them and supply their spiritual needs as far as you are able.

Nov. 29, 2011

The main reason why the just themselves will fear while awaiting the Last Judgement is that we will have to give an account not only of the idle words we have spoken, but even of the good works we have performed. God will probe them to see if they were truly good, and whether anything defective can be found in them.

Who of us, then, will not fear God’s Judgment? Let us constantly strive to free ourselves of our defects, for we cannot know either the day or the hour when we shall die. Those whose life span is so uncertain should not delay to take the steps needed to insure their salvation.

Nov. 14, 2011

Consider that the fruit you will derive from holy Mass will depend very must on the dispositions with which you assist at it. Purity of heart and of the affections is the best disposition we can bring to this action.

Oct. 24, 2011

There are many people who demand miracles and prodigies from themselves. They would like to do everything well and without reproach. But they do not want to take the trouble to attain this.

Whenever they have to do violence to themselves to realize their grand plan, they lose breath, so to speak, at the first step they take in the path of perfection. They would want God to carry them without their having to advance. That certainly would be a great miracle.

Oct. 17, 2011

Spoken words pass on and touch hearts only once and momentarily, but written words which last forever are able to convert a great number of souls.