Wisdom of the Saints Editor’s Choice (2004-2009)

“God did not tell us to follow Him because he needed our help, but because He knew that loving Him would make us whole.” St. Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century) From discipleship part 1, February 2006

“To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.” St. Augustine (4th-5th centuries, Doctor of the Church) From love for God part 1, December 2008

“God in His omnipotence could not give more, in His wisdom He knew not how to give more, in His riches He had not more to give, than the Eucharist.” St. Augustine (4th-5th centuries, Doctor of the Church) From Eucharist part 1, October 2005

“God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.” St. Augustine (4th – 5th centuries, Doctor of the Church) From repentance part 1, March 2004

“You love as much as you are willing to suffer.” St. Teresa of Avila (16th century, Doctor of the Church) From charity part 2, April 2009

“Blessed is he for whom Mary prays.” St. Peter Julian Eymard (19th century) From the prayers of the holy Rosary part 1, May 2004

“How terrible, I thought, that no act of love is ever made in hell! And I told God that I was ready to go there myself, if it pleased Him to contrive, in that way, that for all eternity there would be one loving soul in that abode of blasphemy.” St. Therese of Lisieux (19th century, Doctor of the Church) From love for God part 1, December 2008

“Death is the climax of all humiliation, when we must finally give up all and turn all over to God. Death can be very beautiful-like a wedding-if we make it so.” Bl. Solanus Casey (19th-20th centuries) From last things part 1, July 2006

“In Paradise there are many saints who never gave alms on earth. The poverty justified them. There are saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting. The bodily infirmities excused them. There are saints who were not virgins. Their vocation was otherwise. But there is no one in heaven who was never humble.” Ven. Fulton Sheen (19th-20th century) From humility part 3,October 2009

“Each and every one of us, at the end of the journey of life, will come face to face with either one or the other of two faces: either the merciful face of Jesus or the miserable face of Satan. We can journey down a thousand times ten thousand roads, but we will end at either one of those two faces. And one of them, either the merciful face of Jesus or the miserable face of Satan, will say, ‘Mine, mine.’ May we be Christ’s.” Ven. Fulton Sheen (19th-20th centuries) From Satan, September 2006

“The truth is the truth even if nobody believes it. Error is error even if everybody believes it.” Ven. Fulton Sheen (19th-20th centuries) From truth part 1, November 2004

“Humility is born at the feet of a God nailed to a beam.” St. Rafael Arnaiz Baron (20th century) From humility part 1, January 2004

“We must act, we must enter into all the fields of social, familiar and political action. And to work, because all the dark and threatening forces of evil are united. It is necessary that the forces of good be all united and form a kind of dam, a barrier as if to say: ‘There is no passing over here.’” St. Gianna Beretta Molla (20th century) From discipleship part 2, October 2008

“There is a need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and nullify the savage work of those who think man is a beast. And that crusade is your work.” St. Josemaria Escriva (20th century) From purity part 1, July 2009

“Love has to hurt to be true. It hurt Jesus to love us. It truly hurt Him.” St. Teresa of Calcutta (20th century) From the Passion of Christ part 2, Holy Week 2007