January 9

“God had not chosen her to be holy merely for her own advantage. Rather, the gifts he conferred upon her were to be for the spiritual and physical advantage of her neighbor…Divine power was present and working in her words, so that in a few sentences she could bring consolation to the afflicted and the anxious, calm the restless, pacify the angry, reconcile enemies and extinguish long-standing hatreds and animosities… For this reason, people flocked to Frances from all directions as to a safe refuge.”

-From the Life of Saint Frances of Rome

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January 8

“If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy, we can never fail to do good so long as we have the strength…With outstretched arms he begs us to turn toward him, to weep for our sins, and to become the servants of love, first for ourselves, then for our neighbors. Just as water extinguishes a fire, so love wipes away sin.”

-St. John of God

January 7

“The pure soul is a beautiful rose, and the Three Divine Persons descend from Heaven to inhale its fragrance.”

-St. John Vianney

January 6

“…dear Lord, you know my weakness. Each morning I resolve to be humble, and in the evening I recognize that I have often been guilty of pride. I wish, therefore, O God, to build all my trust upon Thee. Deign to implant in my soul this virtue which I desire. And to obtain it from Thy Infinite Mercy, I will often say to Thee: Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine.”

-St. Therese of Lisieux

January 5

“To pray for those who are in mortal sin is the best kind of almsgiving. For the love of God, always remember such souls when you pray.”

-St. Teresa of Avila

January 4

“If a man possesses any strong attachment to the things of this earth, he cannot possess true charity. For anyone who really loves God prefers to know and experience God rather than his creatures. The whole set and longing of his mind is ever directed toward him.”

-St. Maximus the Confessor

January 3

“How long will the sun and moon, the stars continue to give forth light? Who can tell? Of one thing alone we are sure. In God’s own time – then shall come the Son of Man in great power and majesty to render to each according to his works. The question alone important, the solution of which depends upon how I have spent my life, is the state of my soul at the moment of death. Infinite misery or infinite happiness! There is no half and half, either one or the other.”

-St. Katherine Drexel