#blessed maria of agreda | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

traumacatholic · 3 years

Text

Free Catholic books by the Saints

Under this read more you will find 79 free and legal pdfs of books written by:

St. Albert the Great

St.Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

St. Ambrose of Milan

St. Anselm of Canterbury

St. Anthony Mary Claret

St. Augustine

St. Benedict

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bonaventure

St. Bridget of Sweden

St. Catherine of Genoa

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Gertrude the Great

St. Mechtilde

St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. John of Avila

St. John Bosco

St. John of the Cross

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

Ven. Louis of Granada

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Ven. Mary of Agreda

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

Bl. Peter Julian Eymard

Bl. Raymund of Capua

St. Robert Bellarmine

St. Teresa of Avila

St. Thomas Aquinas

All of the books come with a choice quote to give you an idea of what the writing style is going to be like. If you’re looking for more Catholic theological books to check out, then I would recommend this post which includes links to books about various theological issues such as the Sciences, Sacraments, Catechisms, Mysticism, and so on.

St. Albert the Great - On Cleaving to God - De Adhaerendo Deo - Latin & English Edition 'I have had the idea of writing something for myself on and about the state of complete and full abstraction from everything and of cleaving freely, confidently, nakedly and firmly to God alone, so as to describe it fully (in so far as it is possible in this abode of exile and pilgrimage), especially since the goal of Christian perfection is the love by which we cleave to God. . . .' Download PDF Download RTF View Online St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Divine Office 'Some, no doubt, will say to me that it is useless to explain the psalms after so many illustrious interpreters have done so. I declare, however, that it has not been useless as far as I myself am concerned; since, in consequence of this work, I recite my breviary with much more attention than formerly when there were many passages that I did not understand; I hope that the same may happen to many other persons.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Glories of Mary 'It was, then, not without reason that St. Germanus called the most Blessed Virgin the breath of Christians; for as the body cannot live without breathing, so the soul cannot live without having recourse to and recommending itself to Mary, by whose means we certainly acquire and preserve the life of divine grace within our souls. But I will quote the saint's own words: "As breathing is not only a sign but even a cause of life, so the name of Mary, which is constantly found on the lips of God's servants, both proves that they are truly alive, and at the same time causes and preserves their life, and gives them every succor."' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The History of Heresies and Their Refutation 'Photius promised everything, and was accordingly consecrated, but by the very same Gregory, and took possession of the See. Six months had not yet passed over, since his consecration, and he had broken all his oaths and promises; he persecuted St. Ignatius, and all the ecclesiastics who adhered to him; he even got some of them flogged, and by promises and threats induced several to sign documents, intended for the ruin of his sainted predecessors. Not being able to accomplish his design, he laid a plot, with the assistance of Bardas, that the Emperor should send persons to take information, to prove that St. Ignatius was privately conspiring against the state.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Holy Eucharist 'Purity of intention is called the heavenly alchemy by which iron is turned into gold; that is to say, the most trivial actions (such as to work, to take one's meals, to take recreation or repose), when done for God, become the gold of holy love. Wherefore St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi believes for certain that those who do all with a pure intention, go straight to Paradise, without passing through purgatory. It is related that it was the custom of a pious hermit, before setting about any work, to pause a little, and lift his eyes to heaven; on being questioned why he did so, he replied, "I am taking my aim."' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Holy Mass 'The priest's vestments, namely, the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, and chasuble should be in a good condition and have been blessed by the bishop or by an authorized priest. It is certainly a mortal sin to celebrate Mass without a chasuble, or with a chasuble not blessed; the same thing holds good in regard to the alb. Theologians agree more or less in saying the same thing in regard to the other vestments.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ '"Ah, beautiful Infant! tell me whose child art Thou?" He replies: "My Mother is this pure and lovely Virgin who is standing by me." And who is thy Father? "My Father" he says, "is God." How is this? Thou art the Son of God, and art so poor; and why? Who will acknowledge Thee in such a condition? Who will respect Thee? "No," replies Jesus, "holy faith will make known who I am, and will make me loved by those souls whom I came to redeem and to inflame with my love."' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Letters 'If you answer me that it is possible for me to be deceived, I would then say to you that it will no longer be necessary for you to write to me; seek another director in whom you have confidence, come to an understanding with him, and let there be no question about me. I command you, moreover, in a formal manner, never, never, never to confess these temptations, even if you believe to have consented to them. I say this and take it on my conscience. Do not do so even if you were at the point of death; for there is no sin in all that, as far as you are concerned. The sentiments of which you speak are apprehensions, fears; but they are not sins.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Letters II 'You are not the only one whom Jesus Christ treats thus: how many penitents have I not had whom the Lord has treated in this way nearly to the day of their death! One of them was continually tempted to hate God; another said without intermission that she had been condemned never to be able to love God, etc.; nevertheless they all died a happy death. And as for you, of what are you afraid? If you had not this cross of desolation, you would not have any cross in this world; and without a cross we cannot come to God. Besides, the pain that you feel on account of not being able to love God, is a proof that you love him; for if you did not love him you would not feel this pain. Those persons that do not love God feel no pain in thinking that they do not love him.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Letters III 'During the time of the missions, of novenas, and of other exercises, visits should not be paid to women, even under the pretext of God's glory, unless the visit is paid to the principal lady of the place; she may be visited by the Superior in company with another Father. Our confessors must not speak with women outside of the confessional, unless this be done in answering a question in a few words; but especially should they never speak with them alone in their houses. Should it be necessary to converse with any one of them, it must be done in the church with all the modesty and decorum that our holy state demands.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Letters IV 'I must tell you, your edition of the Moral is excellent; the paper is good, and the printing exquisite. I understand many have procured a copy, and many more are asking for one. The Prolegomena of Father Zaccaria in particular is very beautiful, as learned as it is useful. This good Father has honored me very much by the dedicatory letter prefacing his work. I must needs thank him for this, but as I know not to what address I should send my letter, I ask you to see that it reaches him. This will be an easy matter for you.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Letters V 'In their sermons, let them attend chiefly to the following points: 1. Frequently to speak upon the eternal truths, as the consideration of them is most powerful in bringing sinners back to God. 2. The loss of innumerable souls who go to perdition, on account of sins concealed in confession through shame. And here let us again recommend to the pastors to have a strange confessor in their churches once a month. 3. To inveigh against parents who allow young men to visit their houses who may be to their daughters an occasion of sin. They shall admonish such parents that, failing in this respect, they fall under the reserved case to which excommunication is attached.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Miscellany 'With regard to corporal penances, they shall fast on all the vigils of the feasts of the Blessed Virgin; they shall abstain from flesh-meat during Advent and the Novena of the Holy Ghost; but the refection in the evening shall be more abundant than on the fasting days of the Church. On two days of every week on Wednesdays and Fridays all shall take the discipline in common. They shall sleep on straw; woollen pillows and sheets of ordinary linen are, however, allowed. The beds, as a rule, shall be seven palms in length by three and a half in breadth.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ 'And so it is related by Josephus, the Jew, who lived shortly after our Lord, that Jesus was torn in his scourging to such a degree that the bones of his ribs were laid bare; as it was also revealed by the most Holy Virgin to St. Bridget, in these words: "I, who was standing by, saw his body scourged to the very ribs, so that his ribs themselves might be seen. And what was even yet more bitter still, when the scourges were drawn back, his flesh was furrowed by them." To St. Teresa, Jesus revealed himself in his scourging; so that the saint wished to have him painted exactly as she had seen him, and told the painter to represent a large piece of flesh torn off, and hanging down from the left elbow; but when the painter inquired as to the shape in which he ought to paint it, he found, on turning round again to his picture, the piece of flesh already drawn.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Preparation for Death '"Consider that thou art dust, and unto dust thou must return." The day will come when thou must die, and be placed in a grave where "the worms" shall "cover thee." (Isa. xiv. n.) The same fate awaits all, both nobles and plebeians, both princes and vassals. Directly the soul shall leave the body, with the last gasp, it will go into eternity, and the body will return to its dust. "When Thou takest away their breath they die, and are turned again to their dust." (Ps. civ. 29.)' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Mysteries of the Faith - The Redemption 'Jesus is the only Hope of our salvation: "There is no salvation in any other but Him" (Acts. 4:12). I am the only door, says He; and he that shall enter in through Me shall assuredly find life eternal: "I am the door; if any one enter by Me, he shall be saved" (St. John 10:9). And what sinner would ever have been able to hope for pardon if Jesus had not, by His Blood and by His Death, made satisfaction to the Divine justice for us? "He shall bear their iniquities" (Is. 53).' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The True Spouse of Jesus Christ 'Virgins who have the happiness of dedicating them selves to the love of Jesus Christ by consecrating to him the lily of their purity, are, in the first place, as dear to God as his angels. . . a certain virgin, called Georgia, was at the point of death a great multitude of doves was seen hovering about her; that when her body was brought to the church they flew to that part of the roof which corresponded to the place where the corpse had been put, and remained there till after the interment. By all who saw them, these doves were regarded as angels paying respect and homage to the body of the virgin.' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Uniformity with God's Will 'By uniting themselves to the divine will, the saints have enjoyed paradise by anticipation in this life. Accustoming themselves to receive all things from the hands of God, says Saint Dorotheus, the men of old maintained continual serenity of soul. Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi derived such consolation at hearing the words "will of God," that she usually fell into an ecstasy of love. The instances of jangling irritation that are bound to arise will not fail to make surface impact on the senses. This however will be experienced only in the inferior part of the soul; in the superior part will reign peace and tranquillity as long as our will remains united with God's.' Download RTF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Victories of the Martyrs 'St. Cyril was born at Caesarea, and, while yet a child became a Christian, in consequence of which he was maltreated, and finally turned out of doors by his idolatrous father. Information to this effect having been given to the judge, he caused Cyril to be brought before him; and, being told that the child frequently invoked the name of Jesus, he promised him that he would effect a reconciliation with his father, on condition that he would never more pronounce that name. The holy child replied: "I am content to be turned out of my father's house, because I shall receive a more spacious mansion in heaven; nor do I fear death, because by it I shall acquire a better life."' Download PDF St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - The Way of Salvation and Perfection 'Our most important affair is that of our eternal salvation; upon it depends our happiness or misery for ever. This affair will come to an end in eternity, and will decide whether we shall be saved or lost forever; whether we shall have acquired an eternity of delights, or an eternity of torments; whether we shall live forever happy, or forever miserable.' Download PDF St. Ambrose of Milan - Concerning Virginity 'And what is virginal chastity but purity free from stain? And whom can we judge to be its author but the immaculate Son of God, Whose flesh saw no corruption, Whose Godhead experienced no infection? Consider, then, how great are the merits of virginity. Christ was before the Virgin, Christ was of the Virgin. Begotten indeed of the Father before the ages, but born of the Virgin for the ages. The former was of His own nature, the latter is for our benefit. The former always was, the latter He willed.' Download PDF St. Anselm of Canterbury - The Devotions of 'Awake, my soul, awake! show thy spirit, arouse thy senses, shake off the sluggishness of that deadly heaviness that is upon thee, begin to take care for thy salvation. Let the idleness of vain imaginations be put to flight, let go of sloth, hold fast to diligence. Be instant in holy meditations, cleave to the good things which are of God: leaving that which is temporal, give heed to that which is eternal. Now in this godly employment of thy mind, to what canst thou turn thy thoughts more wholesomely and profitably than to the sweet contemplations of thy Creator’s immeasurable benefits toward thee.' Download PDF St. Anselm of Canterbury - Proslogium and Monologium 'I pray, O God, to know thee, to love thee, that I may rejoice in thee. And if I cannot attain to full joy in this life may I at least advance from day to day, until that joy shall come to the full. Let the knowledge of thee advance in me here, and there be made full. Let the love of thee increase, and there let it be full, that here my joy may be great in hope, and there full in truth. Lord, through thy Son thou dost command, nay, thou dost counsel us to ask; and thou dost promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. I ask, O Lord, as thou dost counsel through our wonderful Counselor. I will receive what thou dost promise by virtue of thy truth, that my joy may be full.' Download PDF St. Anselm of Canterbury - Why God Became Man - Cur Deus Homo 'If you should find yourself in the sight of God, and one said to you: "Look thither;" and God, on the other hand, should say: "It is not my will that you should look;" ask your own heart what there is in all existing things which would make it right for you to give that look contrary to the will of God.' Download English Version PDF Download Latin Version PDF St. Anthony Mary Claret - Autobiography 'I was terrified then and I still am as I write, although it all happened some six years ago. Fear seems to make my blood run cold even now, and of all the labors and sorrows that have come my way I can remember none that does not fade into nothingness in comparison, and I think that our complaints are largely without foundation. Again I say that this was one of God's greatest mercies toward me. I have benefited greatly from it, both by losing the fear of this life's trials and contradictions, and by gaining the strength to bear them and thank the Lord who freed me, as I now see it, from such endless and terrible evils. Since then, as I have said, everything here seems easy in comparison with just a moment of suffering there.' Download PDF St. Augustine - Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love 'Through this involvement they were led, through divers errors and sufferings (along with the rebel angels, their corruptors and possessors and companions), to that final stage of punishment without end. "Thus by one man, sin entered into the world and death through sin; and thus death came upon all men, since all men have sinned." By "the world" in this passage the apostle is, of course, referring to the whole human race. This, then, was the situation: the whole mass of the human race stood condemned, lying ruined and wallowing in evil, being plunged from evil into evil and, having joined causes with the angels who had sinned, it was paying the fully deserved penalty for impious desertion.' Download PDF St. Benedict - The Rule of - Latin and English Edition 'Every age and understanding ought to have a measure of government suitable to it. As often therefore as children, or those under age, commit faults, and are incapable of understanding the greatness of the punishment of excommunication, let them be punished by rigorous fasting, or sharp stripes, that so they may be corrected.' Download PDF St. Bernard of Clairvaux - On Loving God 'It is natural for a man to desire what he reckons better than that which he has already, and be satisfied with nothing which lacks that special quality which he misses. Thus, if it is for her beauty that he loves his wife, he will cast longing eyes after a fairer woman. If he is clad in a rich garment, he will covet a costlier one; and no matter how rich he may be he will envy a man richer than himself. Do we not see people every day, endowed with vast estates, who keep on joining field to field, dreaming of wider boundaries for their lands? Those who dwell in palaces are ever adding house to house, continually building up and tearing down, remodeling and changing. Men in high places are driven by insatiable ambition to clutch at still greater prizes. And nowhere is there any final satisfaction, because nothing there can be defined as absolutely the best or highest. . . It is so that these impious ones wander in a circle, longing after something to gratify their yearnings, yet madly rejecting that which alone can bring them to their desired end, not by exhaustion but by attainment.' Download PDF St. Bonaventure - Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 'What is more beautiful than that chastity which renders clean the being conceived from uncleanness, changes enmity into friendship, and men into angels? The angel and the chaste man differ indeed in point of felicity, but not of virtue. For if the chastity of the one be happier, that of the other is stronger. It is chastity alone which in this mortal state, represents a kind of immortality. That alone, which, amidst the nuptial solemnities, imitates the method of that blessed and heavenly region, where they neither marry nor are married, giving us an imperfect relish of the divine and heavenly conversation there enjoyed among the blessed. This frail vessel which here we carry with us, and in which we are in danger, chastity sanctifies, not unlike the sweet scented balsams wherewith dead bodies are embalmed and preserved from corruption. It curbs the senses, restrains the faculties of the body, and preserves the whole man from the contamination and loose desires attending idleness.' Download PDF St. Bonaventure - Life of St. Francis of Assisi 'And as all the brethren surrounded him, he extended his hands over them in the form of a cross, crossing his arms in the form of that sign which he had ever loved; and so he blessed all the brethren, whether present or absent, in the name and in the power of the Crucified. Then he added: "Farewell, my children, abide in the fear of the Lord, and ever persevere therein. And when any temptation or trouble approaches you say: Blessed are they who persevere in those things which they have begun. And now I go to God, to whose grace I commend you all."' Download PDF St. Bonaventure - The Mind's Road to God 'Therefore the symbol of the six-winged Seraph signifies the six stages of illumination, which begin with God's creatures and lead up to God, to Whom no one can enter properly save through the Crucified. For he who does not enter by the door but otherwise, he is a thief and a robber [John, 10, 1]. But if anyone does enter by this door, he shall go in and go out and shall find pastures [John, 9]. Because of this John says in his Apocalypse [22, 14], "Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, that they may have a right to the Tree of Life and may enter in by the gates into the City"; as if he were to say that one cannot enter into the heavenly Jerusalem through contemplation unless one enter through the blood of the Lamb as through a gate.' Download PDF St. Bonaventure - Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary 'Of this flower consider, first, in Mary the flower of precious virginity, which is virginity itself. Of this it is said in Isaias: "The desert shall rejoice and shall flower as a lily." Mary can fittingly be said to be a desert, who was so willing to be alone, who was in her voluntary solitude visited by an angel. Therefore St. Ambrose well says: "Alone in the inner part of her house, she whom no man could see, he found her alone without a companion, alone without a witness." In what manner this desert, the Virgin Mary, should rejoice, let her say herself: "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior." This desert of earth flowered like a lily by virginity. O angelical lily! O heavenly flower! O truly heavenly flower!' Download PDF St. Bridget of Sweden - Prophecies and Revelations 'But now I shall tell you God's will in this matter; for I gave birth to God himself. . . that if some pope concedes to priests a license to contract carnal marriage, God will condemn him to a sentence as great, in a spiritual way, as that which the law justly inflicts in a corporeal way on a man who has transgressed so gravely that he must have his eyes gouged out, his tongue and lips, nose and ears cut off, his hands and feet amputated, all his body's blood spilled out to grow completely cold, and finally, his whole bloodless corpse cast out to be devoured by dogs and other wild beasts. Similar things would truly happen in a spiritual way to that pope who were to go against the aforementioned preordinance and will of God and concede to priests such a license to contract marriage. For that same pope would be totally deprived by God of his spiritual sight and hearing, and of his spiritual words and deeds. All his spiritual wisdom would grow completely cold; and finally, after his death, his soul would be cast out to be tortured eternally in hell so that there it might become the food of demons everlastingly and without end. Yes, even if Saint Gregory the Pope had made this statute, in the aforesaid sentence he would never have obtained mercy from God if he had not humbly revoked his statute before his death.' Download PDF Download RTF View Online St. Catherine of Genoa - Life and Doctrine 'This holy Soul was so regulated by God, that in all that was necessary and reasonable she satisfied every one; and although she was entirely employed in serving her sweet Love, yet she was never willing to displease her neighbor either in word or deed, but on the contrary always assisted him as far as she was able. She said, however, to her Lord: "Thou hast commanded me to love my neighbor, and I am unable to love any one but thee, or to admit any partner with thee: how then shall I obey thee?" And interiorly he responded thus: "He who loves me loves also all whom I love. It suffices that for the welfare of the neighbor thou shouldst do all that is necessary for his soul and body. Such a love as this is sure to be without passion; because it is not in himself but in God that the neighbor should be loved."' Download PDF St. Catherine of Siena - The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin 'Some there are who have become faithful servants, serving Me with fidelity without servile fear of punishment, but rather with love. This very love, however, if they serve Me with a view to their own profit, or the delight and pleasure which they find in Me, is imperfect. Do you know what proves the imperfection of this love? The withdrawal of the consolations which they found in Me, and the insufficiency and short duration of their love for their neighbor, which grows weak by degrees, and oftentimes disappears. Towards Me their love grows weak when, on occasion, in order to exercise them in virtue and raise them above their imperfection, I withdraw from their minds My consolation and allow them to fall into battles and perplexities. This I do so that, coming to perfect self-knowledge, they may know that of themselves they are nothing and have no grace, and accordingly in time of battle fly to Me, as their Benefactor, seeking Me alone, with true humility, for which purpose I treat them thus, without drawing from them consolation indeed, but not grace. At such a time these weak ones, of whom I speak, relax their energy, impatiently turning backwards, and sometimes abandon, under color of virtue, many of their exercises, saying to themselves, "This labor does not profit me." All this they do, because they feel themselves deprived of mental consolation. Such a soul acts imperfectly, for she has not yet unwound the bandage of spiritual self-love, for, had she unwound it she would see that, in truth, everything proceeds from Me, that no leaf of a tree falls to the ground without My providence, and that what I give and promise to My creatures, I give and promise to them for their sanctification, which is the good and the end for which I created them.' Download PDF Download RTF View Online St. Francis de Sales - The Consoling Thoughts of 'Often in spirit kiss the crosses which Our Lord Himself lays upon your shoulders. Do not look to see whether they are made of a precious or a perfumed wood; they better deserve the name of crosses when they are made of mean, common, worm-eaten wood. I assure you this thought is ever returning to my mind, and I know only this refrain; undoubtedly it is the canticle of the Lamb; it is a little sad, but it is melodious and beautiful: "My Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt."' Download PDF St. Francis de Sales - Introduction to the Devout Life 'If you have carefully stored up the fruits of past consolations, you will receive more; to him that hath yet more shall be given, but from him who has not kept that which he had, who has lost it through carelessness, that which he hath shall be taken away, in other words, he will not receive the grace destined for him. Rain refreshes living plants, but it only brings rottenness and decay to those which are already dead. There are many such causes whereby we lose the consolations of religion, and fall into dryness and deadness of spirit, so that it is well to examine our conscience, and see if we can trace any of these or similar faults. But always remember that this examination must not be made anxiously, or in an over-exacting spirit. Thus if, after an honest investigation of our own conduct, we find the cause of our wrongdoing, we must thank God, for an evil is half cured when we have found out its cause. But if, on the contrary, you do not find any particular thing which has led to this dryness, do not trifle away your time in a further uneasy search, but, without more ado, and in all simplicity, do as follows: 1. Humble yourself profoundly before God, acknowledging your nothingness and misery. Alas, what am I when left to myself! no better, Lord, than a parched ground, whose cracks and crevices on every side testify its need of the gracious rain of Heaven, while, nevertheless, the world's blasts wither it more and more to dust.' Download PDF St. Francis de Sales - Mystical Flora or the Christian Life under the Emblem of Plants 'Come, let us trudge on through these lowly valleys of humble little virtues, and we shall find the rose amongst thorns, charity which shines forth in the midst of afflictions from within and without, the lily of purity, the violet of mortification, and many more than I can tell. But, above all, I love these three little virtues sweetness of heart, poverty of spirit, and simplicity of life; and these great exercises of charity visiting the sick, helping the poor, consoling the afflicted; but all without flurry, and with true liberty. Our arms, as yet, are not long enough to reach to the cedars of Lebanon; let us content ourselves with the hyssop of the valley.' Download PDF St. Francis de Sales - Treastise on the Love of God 'When I see my Saviour on the Mount of Olives with his "soul sorrowful even unto death": -- Ah! Lord Jesus, say I, what can have brought the sorrows of death into the soul of life except love, which, exciting commiseration, drew thereby our miseries into thy sovereign heart? Now a devout soul, seeing this abyss of heaviness and distress in this divine lover, how can she be without a holily loving sorrow? But considering, on the other hand, that all the afflictions of her well-beloved proceed from no imperfection or want of strength, but from the greatness of his dearest love, she cannot but melt away with a holy sorrowful love. So that she cries: "I am black" with sorrow by compassion, but beautiful with love by complacency; the anguish of my well-beloved "has changed my colour": for how could a faithful lover behold such torments in him whom she loves more than her life, without swooning away and becoming all wan and wasted with grief.' Download PDF St. Francis of Assisi - Works of the Seraphic Father 'These are the weapons by which the chaste soul is overcome: looks, speeches, touches, embraces. . . He who retires into the desert avoids three combats: seeing, hearing, and detraction. . . Fly from the world, if thou wilt be pure. If thou art pure, the world does not delight thee.' Download PDF St. Gertrude the Great - The Exercises 'Thou art the glorious mirror of the Most Holy Trinity, into which the eyes of the clean of heart may gaze, here only darkly, but there face to face. Come, sprinkle me over with Thy purity, and I shall be cleansed. Touch the secret places of my heart with Thy cleanness, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Let Thy charity, I beseech Thee, prevail by its greatness, and let Thy merits infold me with their abundant holiness, lest I be held back from Thy beauty by my unlikeness. Tu es praeclarum sanctae Trinitatis speculum, quod ibi facie ad faciem, hic autem in aenigmate solum, licet intueri per mundi cordis oculum. Eia resperge me tE puritate et mundabor. Tange tua munditia cordis mei intima, et super nivem dealbabor. Praevaleat quaeso tuae charitatis magnitudo, et involvat me meritorum tuorum copiosa sanctitudo, ne impediat me a te meae venustatis dissimilitudo.' Download PDF St. Gertrude the Great - The Life and Revelations of '"Ah!" exclaimed Gertrude, "teach me, O best of teachers, how to perform even one action perfectly in memory of Thy Passion." Our Lord replied: "When you are praying, extend your arms to represent the manner in which I extended Mine to God My Father in My Passion and do this for the salvation of every member of the Church, in union with the love with which I stretched out My arms upon the cross." "If I do this," she replied, "I must hide myself in a corner, for it is far from being customary." Our Lord replied: "If any one prays thus with his hands extended, without fear of contradiction, he pays Me the same honour as one would do who solemnly enthroned a king."' Download PDF St. Gertrude the Great - The Love of the Heart of Jesus to His Creatures "Alas! what fruit can I obtain from this exercise, when I am so unstable?" But our Lord, who could not endure to behold the affliction of His servant, with His own hands presented her with His Divine Heart, under the figure of a burning lamp, saying to her: "Behold, I present to the eyes of your soul My loving Heart, which is the organ of the most Holy Trinity, that it may accomplish all that you cannot accomplish yourself, and thus all will seem perfect in you to My eyes; for even as a faithful servant is always ready to execute the commands of his master, so, from henceforth, my Heart will be always ready, at any moment, to repair your defects and negligences."' Download PDF St. Gertrude the Great & St. Mechtilde - Preces Gertrudianae 'This prayer was revealed to St. Gertrude during an unusually abundant influx of grace and light. Our Lord said to her: Whoever repeats this prayer shall receive the grace to know me more intimately, and shall receive in his soul the splendour of my Divinity, even as he who holds up to the sun a mirror of pure gold collects therein the dazzling efflugence of its rays.' Download PDF St. Ignatius of Loyola - The Autobiography of 'In the meantime the divine mercy was at work substituting for these thoughts others suggested by his recent readings. While perusing the life of Our Lord and the saints, he began to reflect, saying to himself: "What if I should do what Saint Francis did?" "What if I should act like Saint Dominic?" He pondered over these things in his mind, and kept continually proposing to himself serious and difficult things. He seemed to feel a certain readiness for doing them, with no other reason except this thought: "Saint Dominic did this; I, too, will do it." "Saint Francis did this; therefore I will do it." These heroic resolutions remained for a time, and then other vain and worldly thoughts followed. This succession of thoughts occupied him for a long while, those about God alternating with those about the world. But in these thoughts there was this difference. When he thought of worldly things it gave him great pleasure, but afterward he found himself dry and sad. But when he thought of journeying to Jerusalem, and of living only on herbs, and practising austerities, he found pleasure not only while thinking of them, but also when he had ceased. This difference he did not notice or value, until one day the eyes of his soul were opened and he began to inquire the reason of the difference.' Download PDF St. Ignatius of Loyola - Letters and Instructions 'It is to be noted, that if one be of a choleric temperament, and should converse with another who is choleric, if they be not in everything of the same mind, there is a great danger of their conversation becoming heated. Consequently, one who knows that he is of a choleric temperament must go strongly armed, even in regard to the smallest details about to be discussed with others, with examen and other precautions, to endure and not to lose his temper with the other party, especially if he knows that other to be weak in self-control. In conversing with phlegmatic or melancholic persons there is less danger of discord through heated words.' Download PDF St. Ignatius of Loyola - The Spiritual Exercises 'It is likewise to be remarked that, as, in the time of consolation, it is easy and not irksome to be in contemplation the full hour, so it is very hard in the time of desolation to fill it out. For this reason, the person who is exercising himself, in order to act against the desolation and conquer the temptations, ought always to stay somewhat more than the full hour; so as to accustom himself not only to resist the adversary, but even to overthrow him.' Download PDF St. Ignatius of Loyola - A Thought from for Each Day of the Year 'Adversity is such, that it is really advantageous to the just man, for it causes him a profitable loss; just as a shower of precious stones might break the leaves of the vine, but would replace them by the most beautiful treasures.' Download PDF St. John of Avila - The Letters of 'What else was the happiness you felt at having freed yourself from the miseries of this world, and at having received the pledge of love from the celestial King, but a sign that your change of plans proceeded, not from your own inconstancy, but from God, Who had put the desire into your heart. The happiness came from him as a testimony and pledge of the many great and pure joys He will give you if you prove faithful to Him. The least or these is incomparably better than husband, children, riches, or anything else this world can give. Would that you knew by experience how sweet God is to those who forsake created things to gaze on their Creator! How tenderly the Divine Spouse cherishes those who cast away all transitory joys. They are like the chaste turtle doves which refuse all earthly comfort and long only for the love of their Lord in Heaven, and like the dove which returned from her flight from the ark to her master's hand as pure as when she left him, undefiled by having touched any dead body even with her feet. Is anything the world contains of less account than a corpse full of corruption? Why unite ourselves with what will only contaminate us? For the bitterness its joys leave behind is a thousand times greater than any pleasure they give us. Return heartfelt thanks to Christ for the light to distinguish between the priceless and the worthless, between eternal and temporal things, between God and a mortal man.' Download PDF St. John Bosco - The Life of St. Dominic Savio 'He wished at least to do without breakfast, but consideration for his health made it prudent to forbid that also. What then was he to do to satisfy his desire for some bodily mortifications. As he was forbidden to do anything that affected his food, he began to afflict his body in other ways. He put some some sharp things into his bed, so that he might not be able to repose in comfort: he wanted a kind of hair shirt; but all these things were soon prohibited. He thought of something else. During the autumn and winter he managed to escape having extra blankets for his bed, so that during the cold of January he had only the summer coverings on his bed. This was discovered, because, one morning he was unwell, and had to remain in bed; and when the Director came to see him, he saw at once that he had insufficient covering for that severe weather. "Why did you do this?" the Director asked, "did you want to die of cold?" "Oh, I shall not die of cold," he answered. "When in the stable at Bethlehem, or hanging on the Cross, Our Lord had less to cover Him than I have now."' Download PDF Download RTF St. John of the Cross - Ascent of Mount Carmel 'We here describe as night the privation of every kind of pleasure which belongs to the desire; for, even as night is naught but the privation of light, and, consequently, of all objects that can be seen by means of light, whereby the visual faculty remains unoccupied and in darkness, even so likewise the mortification of desire may be called night to the soul. For, when the soul is deprived of the pleasure of its desire in all things, it remains, as it were, unoccupied and in darkness. For even as the visual faculty, by means of light, is nourished and fed by objects which can be seen, and which, when the light is quenched, are not seen, even so, by means of the desire, the soul is nourished and fed by all things wherein it can take pleasure according to its faculties; and, when this also is quenched, or rather, mortified, the soul ceases to feed upon the pleasure of all things, and thus, with respect to its desire, it remains unoccupied and in darkness. . . The reason for which it is necessary for the soul, in order to attain to Divine union with God, to pass through this dark night of mortification of the desires and denial of pleasures in all things, is because all the affections which it has for creatures are pure darkness in the eyes of God, and, when the soul is clothed in these affections, it has no capacity for being enlightened and possessed by the pure and simple light of God, if it first cast them not from it; for light cannot agree with darkness; since, as Saint John says: Tenebroe eam non comprehenderunt. That is: The darkness could not receive the light.' Download PDF St. John of the Cross - Dark Night of the Soul 'On a dark night, kindled in love with yearnings-oh, happy chance!- I went forth without being observed, my house being now at rest. In darkness and secure, by the secret ladder, disguised-oh, happy chance!- In darkness and in concealment, my house being now at rest. In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me, nor I beheld aught, without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart. This light guided me more surely than the light of noonday to the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me- A place where none appeared. Oh, night that guided me, oh, night more lovely than the dawn, oh, night that joined Beloved with lover, Lover transformed in the Beloved!' . . . Begins the exposition of the stanzas which treat of the way and manner which the soul follows upon the road of the union of love with God.' Download PDF St. John of the Cross - The Living Flame of Love 'The death of such persons is very gentle and very sweet, sweeter and more gentle than was their whole spiritual life on earth. For they die with the most sublime impulses and delightful encounters of love, resembling the swan whose song is much sweeter at the moment of death. Accordingly, David affirmed that the death of the saints is precious in the sight of the Lord [Ps. 116:15]. The soul's riches gather together here, and its rivers of love move on to enter the sea, for these rivers, because they are blocked, become so vast that they themselves resemble seas. The just one's first treasures, and last, are heaped together as company for the departure and going off to the kingdom, while praises are heard from the ends of the earth, which, as Isaiah says, are the glory of the just one [Is. 24:16].' Download PDF St. John of the Cross - A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul "The silent music." In this silence and tranquillity of the night, and in this knowledge of the divine light, the soul discerns a marvelous arrangement and disposition of God’s wisdom in the diversities of His creatures and operations. All these, and each one of them, have a certain correspondence with God, whereby each, by a voice peculiar to itself, proclaims what there is in itself of God, so as to form a concert of sublimest melody, transcending all the harmonies of the world. This is the silent music, because it is knowledge tranquil and calm, without audible voice; and thus the sweetness of music and the repose of silence are enjoyed in it. The soul says that the Beloved is silent music, because this harmony of spiritual music is in Him understood and felt. He is not this only, He is also --"The murmuring solitude."' Download PDF St. Leonard of Port Maurice - The Hidden Treasure or the Immense Excellence of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass 'Some there are who seem astonished when they fancy that our good God has, in a certain sense, changed His mode of governing the world since the ancient times: for, in the latter He was wont to be called the God of armies, and He used to speak to the people out of clouds with bolts of thunder in His hands; for indeed, He punished crime with all the rigor of His justice. For one single adultery He put five-and-twenty thousand of the tribe of Benjamin to the sword. For an act of vainglory committed by David in making a census of his kingdom, He sent a terrible plague, which in a very short time swept off seventy thousand of the population. For one irreverent and incautious glance He slew fifty thousand of the Betsamites. And in these our times He tolerates not only vanities and frivolities, but adulteries the most sordid, scandals the most barefaced, nay, and the most frightful blasphemies which many Christians cast on His most holy Name. How then do we account for all this? Why this difference in His mode of governing? . . . The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the true and sole reason for such stupendous clemency, for in it we offer to the eternal father the great victim, Jesus Christ.' Download PDF St. Leonard of Port Maurice - The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved 'What did Our Lord answer the curious man in the Gospel who asked Him, "Lord, is it only a few to be saved?" Did He keep silence? Did He answer haltingly? Did He conceal His thought for fear of frightening the crowd? No. Questioned by only one, He addresses all of those present. He says to them: "You ask Me if there are only few who are saved?" Here is My answer: "Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Who is speaking here? It is the Son of God, Eternal Truth, who on another occasion says even more clearly, "Many are called, but few are chosen." He does not say that all are called and that out of all men, few are chosen, but that many are called; which means, as Saint Gregory explains, that out of all men, many are called to the True Faith, but out of them few are saved. Brothers, these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Are they clear? They are true. Tell me now if it is possible for you to have faith in your heart and not tremble.' Download PDF Download RTF View Online Ven Louis de Granada, & Various Authors - Life of Dom Bartholomew of the Martyrs 'The Bishops of France are arrived, and with them the Cardinal of Lorraine, who, speaking to the Council in the name of the whole country, described the excesses and malice of the heretics to be such as I cannot think of without horror. Frenchmen persecute Frenchmen, profane the holiest places, break the sacred images, throw down the altars, and burn with fire the most sacred objects of our faith, and the more they strive to put down these heretics, the more they seem to increase. I assure you I am getting alarmed, lest a spark of this abominable fire should reach even to Braga. For I am persuaded, by what I hear and see around me, that a Christian who lives according to the maxims of this world, and forgetful of his own salvation, is not less susceptible of this contagious heresy than dry wood is of fire, because it is an open door for every species of licence and libertinage. It is by this bait to the corruption of our poor human nature that the preachers of these unhappy doctrines tempt so many of their disciples, because they teach that every Christian, no matter whether in holy orders or not, should embrace the state of matrimony, and they exempt every one from the laws of the Church, as regards fasting, abstinence or confession. Therefore, there is no doubt that if the smallest entrance be given to these false prophets, they will speedily gain innumerable disciples.' Download PDF Ven. Louis of Granada - A Memorial of a Christian Life 'We put in the twelfth place solitude, which is the surest guardian of innocence. Nothing so powerfully preserves it, and it is this which all at once cuts off the occasion of all sins, since it banishes from our eyes and our senses all the objects which may give them birth. This remedy is so certain, that heaven sent no other to the blessed Arsenius, when he heard that voice which said to him, "Arsenius, fly, keep silence, and be quiet." If you will then become true servants of God, endeavour to retire into yourselves, do all that possibly you can to free yourselves from all visits, compliments, and worldly conversations. For what can you hear in companies, but detractions, lies, or flatteries? Or, if they are exempt from these things that are sins, which rarely happens, they are not from abundance of others less criminal indeed, yet such as will render your souls void of devotion, and so fill them with the images and remembrance of what you shall have seen and heard, that will never fail to present itself before you at the time of prayer, and hinder it from being so free and pure as it ought to be. But if you are looked on as uncourteous, and if worldly men take it ill that you pay them not these civilities, trouble not yourselves about it, for it is far less in convenient that men should complain of you, than that you should displease God; cast your eyes on the martyrs, and so many other saints who have done so great, and suffered so terrible things to obtain heaven.' Download PDF Ven. Louis of Granada - The Sinner's Guide '"Now are gathered together on one side the horrible assemblage of devils, on the other, the glorious company of Angels. And the man begins to discern which of these two parties will carry off the spoil. For if works of piety and virtue are found in him, he is immediately comforted with the feast and banquet of the Angels. But if his vile demerits and wicked life forbid this, he shudders with intolerable fear and terror; he is cast down headlong, seized, torn from his wretched flesh, and carried away into everlasting torments." All this is from S. Peter Damiani. This is true, and this must be. Can any one possessed of reason require more to show how miserable the lot of the wicked is and how careful he must be to avoid it, seeing that so wretched and disastrous an end awaits them?' Download PDF St. Louis Marie de Montfort - Letter to the Friends of the Cross 'Do you clearly distinguish the voice of God and his grace from that of the world and of human nature? Do you listen to the voice of God, our heavenly Father, pronouncing his three-fold malediction on all who follow the desires of the world: "Woe, woe, woe to all the people on earth;" the Father who stretches out his arms to you in loving appeal, "Come out, my chosen people," dear friends of my Son's Cross, away from worldlings, who have been cursed by myself, rejected by my Son, and condemned by my Holy Spirit? Beware of following their counsels, of sitting in their company, or even lingering on the road they take. Hasten away from the infamous Babylon. Listen only to the voice of my beloved Son and follow only him, whom I have given you to be your way, your truth, your life, and your model. (Ipsum audite.) "Listen to him." Do you listen to the voice of Jesus who, burdened with his Cross, calls out to you, "Come after me; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; be brave; I have conquered the world."?' Download PDF St. Louis Marie de Montfort - The Secret of Mary 'The essential practice of this devotion is to perform all our actions with Mary. This means that we must take her as the accomplished model for all we have to do. Before undertaking anything, we must forget self and abandon our own views. We must consider ourselves as a mere nothing before God, as being personally incapable of doing anything supernaturally worthwhile or anything conducive to our salvation. We must have habitual recourse to our Lady, becoming one with her and adopting her intentions, even though they are unknown to us. Through Mary we must adopt the intentions of Jesus. In other words, we must become an instrument in Mary's hands for her to act in us and do with us what she pleases, for the greater glory of her Son; and through Jesus for the greater glory of the Father. In this way, we pursue our interior life and make spiritual progress only in dependence on Mary.' Download PDF St. Louis Marie de Montfort - The Secret of the Rosary 'So we ought to love our heavenly Father and say to him over and over again: "Our Father who art in heaven" - Thou who dost fill heaven and earth with the immensity of thy being, Thou who art present everywhere: Thou who art in the saints by thy glory, in the damned by thy justice, n the good by thy grace, in sinners by the patience with which thou dost tolerate them, grant that we may always remember that we come from thee; grant that we may live as thy true children; that we may direct our course towards thee alone with all the ardour of our soul.' Download PDF St. Louis Marie de Montfort - True Devotion to Mary 'She is so full of love that no one who asks for her intercession is rejected, no matter how sinful he may be. The saints say that it has never been known since the world began that anyone had recourse to our Blessed Lady, with trust and perseverance, and was rejected. Her power is so great that her prayers are never refused. She has but to appear in prayer before her Son and he at once welcomes her and grants her requests. He is always lovingly conquered by the prayers of the dear Mother who bore him and nourished him.' Download PDF St. Margaret Mary Alacoque - Letters 'Oh, how happy I am that you love Him and want to belong entirely to Him! You ask for a short prayer that will express your love for Him. I myself know no other, nor do I find any better, than this love itself. For everything speaks when one loves. Even the most engrossing occupations are proofs of our love. So, as Saint Augustine says, love, and then do what you will. And since we cannot love without suffering, let us both love and suffer and not lose a moment of this. For every cross is so precious to a heart that loves its God and wants to be loved by Him. Let us strive, then, to make ourselves true copies of our crucified Love.' Download PDF Ven. Mary of Agreda - The Admirable Life of the Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph 'St. Joseph, having been chosen by God to be His image towards His only Son, was not marked out for any public function in the Church of God, but merely to be the expression of His purity and the incomparable sanctity which separates Him from every visible creature; and hence he is the patron of hidden and unknown souls. Far different are the functions of St. Peter in the Church, from the operations of St. Joseph within it. St. Peter is established to control its exterior in its government and administrations, to preserve its doctrines, and to direct its prelates and ministers. St. Joseph, on the contrary, who is a saint hidden, and without external functions, is appointed to communicate interiorly the super-eminent life which he receives from the Father, and which afterwards flows through Jesus Christ upon us.' Download PDF Ven. Mary of Agreda - The Mystical City of God - Vol. I - The Conception 'The vow of chastity includes purity of body and soul; this is easily lost, and it is difficult, sometimes, according to the manner of losing it, even impossible to repair. This great treasure is deposited in a castle, which has many portals and openings, and if these are not all well guarded and defended, the treasure is without security. My daughter, in order to preserve perfectly this vow, it is necessary to make an inviolable pact with thy senses, not to use them, except for what is according to the dictates of reason and for the glory of the Creator.' Download PDF Ven. Mary of Agreda - The Mystical City of God - Vol. II - The Incarnation 'I do not say that thou must do away with all sensible feeling, for that is not naturally possible to the creature; but whenever thou meetest adverse happenings, or when thou art deprived of what is useful, necessary or agreeable thou must bear it with joyful resignation and give praise to the Lord, because his will is being fulfilled in thy regard. By seeking only his pleasure, and considering all else as of passing moment, thou wilt gain a quick and easy victory over thyself, and thou wilt seek all occasions to humiliate thyself under the mighty hand of the Lord (I Pet. 5, 6).' Download PDF Ven. Mary of Agreda - The Mystical City of God - Vol. III - The Transfixion 'My daughter, since in recounting to thee the works of my most holy Son I so often remind thee how thankfully I appreciated them, thou canst understand how pleasing to the Most High is the faithful correspondence on thy part, and the great mysteries of his blessings connected with it. Thou art poor in the house of the Lord, a sinner, insignificant and useless as dust; yet I ask thee to assume the duty of rendering ceaseless thanks for all that the incarnate Word has done for the sons of Adam and for establishing the holy and immaculate, the powerful and perfect law for their salvation. Especially shouldst thou be thankful for the institution of Baptism by which He frees men from the tyranny of the devil, fills them with grace, clothes them with justice and assists them to sin no more. This is indeed a duty incumbent upon all men in common; but since creatures neglect it almost entirely, I enjoin thee to give thanks for all of them, as if thou alone wert responsible for them.' Download PDF Ven. Mary of Agreda - The Mystical City of God - Vol. IV - The Coronation 'These words of the most blessed Mother tore the heart of saint John, and, unable to restrain his sorrow and his tears, he answered: "My Mother and my Lady, thy will and that of the Most High I am bound to obey in whatever Thou commandest, although my merits are far below what they ought to be and what I desired. But do Thou, most loving Lady and Mother, help thy poor child, who is to be left an orphan, deprived of thy most desirable company."' Download PDF St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier - Conferences and Instructions 'As so many bees you fly from flower to flower, bringing your harvest to the common store. This is as the mysterious work of a hive, where each occupies herself for the general good, without reserving anything for herself. Those who are beginners now in religion find their little cells already built, the stores already prepared, and it will come to pass that thousands and thousands of souls will come here after us to enjoy the delights and the rest of the Lord, working in their turn to prepare a place for those who will succeed them.' Download PDF Bl. Peter Julian Eymard - The Divine Eucharist 'God has loved us from all eternity. This is a truth upon which we ought to meditate all our life. We have always existed in the love of the good God, always been present to the thought of the Holy Trinity. The Father thought of His creature, the Son of those that He was to redeem, the Holy Spirit of those that He was to sanctify.' Download PDF Bl. Raymund of Capua - The Life of St. Catherine of Siena 'Her father, who was better than the others, examined her conduct in silence, and comprehended daily more and more that she was doing the will of God, and not following the fancies of a capricious maiden. One day, while the servant of Jesus Christ was praying fervently in her brother's room, the door being open, because her parents had forbidden her to shut it, her father entered to take something that he needed in the absence of his son. While looking about, he saw his daughter who was kneeling in one corner of the chamber, and having a snow-white dove reposing on her head; at his approach it fled, and seemed to disappear through the window. He enquired of his daughter what dove that was that just flew away; she replied that she had not seen a dove or any other bird in her room. This occurrence filled him with astonishment, and awakened serious reflections in his mind.' Download PDF St. Robert Bellarmine - The Art of Dying Well 'He therefore who wishes to examine his conscience well, and to make a good confession, must first read some useful book on the method of making a proper confession, or at least consult some pious and learned confessor. Then let him enter into the chamber of his heart, and not hastily, but accurately and seriously examine his conscience, his thoughts, desires, words, and actions, as well as his omissions; afterwards he should lay open his conscience to his director, and humbly implore absolution from him, being ready to perform whatever "penance" may be imposed upon him.' Download PDF Download RTF View Online St. Teresa of Avila - A Few Sweet Flowers Collected from the Writings of 'The life above, the life on high, alone is life in verity; Nor can we life at all enjoy, till this poor life is o'er; Then, O sweet Death! no longer fly, from me, who, ere my time to die, am dying evermore; for evermore I weep and die, dying because I do not die.' Download PDF St. Teresa of Avila - The Interior Castle or The Mansions - Including Some of Her More Interesting Letters 'What rest can the poor little butterfly find, with all the trials I have told you of and many more? They serve to make her desire the Bride-groom more ardently. His Majesty, well aware of our weakness, fortifies her by these and other means in order that she may obtain courage for union with a Lord so great and may take Him for her Spouse. Perhaps you will laugh and think I am talking foolishly: there can be no call for courage here; there is no woman, however low her class, who would not dare to wed a king. So I think, were he an earthly monarch, but there is need of more fortitude than you suppose in order to espouse the King of heaven. Our nature appears too timid and base for anything so high; without doubt, unless God gave us the grace it would be impossible for us, however much we might appreciate its benefits. You will learn how His Majesty ratifies these espousals; probably this is done when He ravishes the soul by ecstasies, thus depriving it of its faculties; if the use of these were retained, I think the sight of its close vicinity to so mighty a Sovereign would probably deprive the body of life. I am speaking of genuine raptures, not fancies that come from women's weakness -- which so often occur nowadays -- making them imagine everything to be a rapture or an ecstasy. As I think I said, some are so feebly constituted as to die of a single prayer of quiet.' Download PDF St. Teresa of Avila - The Life of by Herself 'Let us now return to our orchard, or flower-garden, and behold now how the trees begin to fill with sap for the bringing forth of the blossoms, and then of the fruit -- the flowers and the plants, also, their fragrance. This illustration pleases me; for very often, when I was beginning -- and our Lord grant that I have really begun to serve His Majesty -- I mean, begun in relation to what I have to say of my life, -- it was to me a great joy to consider my soul as a garden, and our Lord as walking in it. I used to beseech Him to increase the fragrance of the little flowers of virtues -- which were beginning, as it seemed to bud -- and preserve them, that they might be to His glory; for I desired nothing for myself. I prayed Him to cut those He liked, because I already knew that they would grow the better.' Download PDF St. Teresa of Avila - The Way of Perfection 'The first thing, then, that we have to do, and that at once, is to rid ourselves of love for this body of ours -- and some of us pamper our natures so much that this will cause us no little labour, while others are so concerned about their health that the trouble these things give us (this is especially so of poor nuns, but it applies to others as well) is amazing. Some of us, however, seem to think that we embraced the religious life for no other reason than to keep ourselves alive and each nun does all she can to that end. In this house, as a matter of fact, there is very little chance for us to act on such a principle, but I should be sorry if we even wanted to. Resolve, sisters, that it is to die for Christ, and not to practise self-indulgence for Christ, that you have come here. The devil tells us that self-indulgence is necessary if we are to carry out and keep the Rule of our Order, and so many of us, forsooth, try to keep our Rule by looking after our health that we die without having kept it for as long as a month -- perhaps even for a day. I really do not know what we are coming to.' Download PDF St. Teresa of Avila - Works & History of Journeys and Foundations 'My mother also was a woman of great goodness, and her life was spent in great infirmities. She was singularly pure in all her ways. Though possessing great beauty, yet was it never known that she gave reason to suspect that she made any account whatever of it; for, though she was only three-and-thirty years of age when she died, her apparel was already that of a woman advanced in years. She was very calm, and had great sense. The sufferings she went through during her life were grievous, her death most Christian. We were three sisters and nine brothers. All, by the mercy of God, resembled their parents in goodness except myself, though I was the most cherished of my father. And, before I began to offend God, I think he had some reason, for I am filled with sorrow whenever I think of the good desires with which our Lord inspired me, and what a wretched use I made of them.' Download PDF St. Thomas Aquinas - The Summa Contra Gentiles - Of God and His Creatures 'If then the final happiness of man does not consist in those exterior advantages which are called goods of fortune, nor in goods of the body, nor in goods of the soul in its sentient part, nor in the intellectual part in respect of the moral virtues, nor in the virtues of the practical intellect, called art and prudence, it remains that the final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth. This act alone in man is proper to him, and is in no way shared by any other being in this world. This is sought for its own sake, and is directed to no other end beyond itself.' Download PDF

#Catholic #Catholicism #Christianity #Christian #Theology

530 notes · View notes

pamphletstoinspire · 7 years

Photo

The Blessed Trinity - Part 3 - GOD THE FATHER

God the Father

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. These are the first words of our Creed.

This great gift of believing in God without seeing Him is the gift [Hebrews 11:1] of our Faith, it has been given by God Himself because all gifts come from Him. God is the source of all things, in fact in Him we move, we live and we have our being.[Acts 17:28]

God is One, but He is also three persons. God the Father is the uncreated Spirit, infinite source of existence, eternal being with no beginning or end, the causeless cause. He lives in Heaven surrounded by His Majesty and perfections, He is clothed with unreachable light. He is the Almighty, all knowing and all loving God. He is Father of all, the Omnipotent.

God has spoken through the person of His Son, Who is the Word of God, emanated or eternally generated from the Father and yet united to Him in such intimate Love that they are always One and they are always together.

Jesus, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father is also God even though He clothed Himself with our humanity and appeared before us as a man [John 1:14], through Him all things were made and nothing exists unless created by Him.

Jesus is the Son of the Living God, also the son of Mary, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity Who became man in order to save us from eternal damnation.

The third person of the Holy Trinity is the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, He is equally God in infinite perfections and immutability, He is One with the Father and the Son, as a person of the Holy Trinity we understand Him to be the eternally generated Love of God the Father and God the Son, He is the sanctifying Spirit that fills the temples of our beings. The Holy Spirit permeates creation with His binding Love in His eternal Omnipresence.

God is not separated or divided because He is One, He merely appears as different persons in order to express His infinite fullness which is incomprehensible by finite creatures. Just as a man can not divide his body from his mind, soul and spirit; God is not divided. His works are perfect, His thoughts and ways are above those of all His creatures, His Majesty and power is unequalled, His infinite merciful Love is unfathomable and it is the gift by which we are saved.

God is omnipresent, because God is Spirit; God the Father has loved the world so much that He has given it His only begotten Son, so that anyone who believes in Him can be saved [John 3:16].

Coming down to the things of our world, God has created us in His image, so that we can be His sons and daughters. God created Adam and Eve in His own image, He granted them immortality and He filled them with His riches. However sin entered the world and they lost their inheritance and their immortality. God placed a curse on them: "you are dust and to dust shall you return." We are sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, therefore we have inherited not only original sin which provoked the anger of God but we have been given a frail nature, subject to temptation, suffering, decease, pain and death.

God in His Infinite Love seeing the misery of His creatures, has condescended to redeem us from this curse and in the Person of His Son has taken upon Himself the punishment due for our sins [Galatians 3:13], in order to save us, He has offered His works, His body, His sufferings and His life as a sacrifice in atonement for our sins so that in Him we can find eternal Life.

The Our Father

Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be Thy name:

Lord you are the King of the Universe, may you be glorified by all your creation, holy, holy, holy Lord, Heaven and earth are full of your Glory, Hosanna in the Highest, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the Highest.

Thy Kingdom come:

May Peace, Love and Joy reign in our hearts, may your Kingdom of Justice, truth and integrity reign over the land.

Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven:

May we become your slaves of Love and accept your Will because your will is perfect. Not my will Lord, but yours be done.

Give us this day our daily bread:

Generous Father, grant us our daily physical and spiritual bread. Feed our bodies and feed our souls with the bread of life.

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us:

We repent of our sins and ask you to forgive us, in your holy name we forgive those who have sinned against us, cleanse our hearts from all resentments.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

We acknowledge how weak we are Lord, please protect us from all evil. Amen.

Our Lady's daily prayer

[ From the Mystical City of God, revealed to Maria of Agreda]

I prostrate myself in your Presence Oh God Most High and I give You Thanks and Praise for your Immutable Being, for your Infinite Perfections, and for having created me out of nothing. I acknowledge myself as your creature and as the work of your hands. I bless you and I adore You. I give you Honour, Magnificence and Divinity as the Supreme Lord and Creator of myself and of all that exists.

I raise up my Spirit to place it into your hands. I offer myself with profound humility and resignation to You and I ask you to dispose of Me according to your Holy Will during this day and during all the days of my life, and I ask You to teach me to fulfil whatever would be to your greater pleasure.

I consult you, I ask your advice, I ask your permission and I ask your blessing on everything that I do today.

Heavenly Father, help us - by Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Heavenly Father, in the name of Your beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the merits of His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, I come to implore You the expulsion of Satan from the world.

I offer You also the merits of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the hearts of all your saints.

I beseech and implore, that You send your angels to the final battle against Satan, to clean and restore this world to the purity that You conceived originally.

Holy Mother of God, in the name of the Love that You have for us your children, I beg you to command Your angels to expel the evil spirits, that are damaging so many souls.

Saint Michael the Archangel, by the Power of God the Father, I adjure You to drive away the spirit of Lucifer from the hearts of all human beings in which he destroys the image of God, which I consecrate now to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, to be purified and healed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, by the Wisdom of God, I adjure You to teach us the Word of God, to illumine us with Your Light and to engrave our hearts with the mark or the elect.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, by the Love of God, I adjure You to take away from us anything that does not conform to the Love of God and enkindle us with the love flames of the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus and Mary, forgive us, your children, protect us and deliver us from evil. Amen.

Meditated Chaplet of Divine Mercy

The "Our Father", Hail Mary, the Creed.

Pray five times the following:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

For the sake of his sorrowful passion and the sorrowful Immaculate Heart of Mary:

In the Agony in the Garden, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the scourging of Our Lord, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the crowning with thorns, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the trial, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the carrying of the cross on his wounded shoulder, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the encounter with Mother Mary, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the encounters with the Cyrinean, Veronica and the holy women , Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the falls of Our Lord, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the stripping of our Lord's garments, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the crucifixion, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the sorrowful agony and death, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the piercing of His Most Sacred Heart, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

In the sorrows of Our Lady after the death of Our Lord, as She received the body of Jesus in her arms, as She place Him in the tomb and as She waited until the Resurrection, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,

Have Mercy on us and on the whole world. [Three times at the end]

Daily Divine Mercy intentions:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity or Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins and the sins of the whole world;

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all sinners, all generations past, present and future.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all priests and religious, especially those who fail you in their sublime vocation.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the faithful and devoted souls.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the pagans and those who do not know you.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the heretics, schismatics, those who reject the Catholic religion.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the meek and humble souls, especially those of the little children.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all those who honour and venerate your Mercy.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the poor souls in Purgatory.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the lukewarm souls.

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity or Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins and the sins of the whole world;

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all those who honour and venerate your Blessed Mother.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all those who venerate the Blessed Sacrament.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all those who venerate the Catholic Church and the Holy Father.

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity or Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins and the sins of the whole world;

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all those who are dying at this moment and during this day, grant them to repent and to come back to you.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all those who are sinning at this moment and on every one when they sin, Forgive them Father, they do not know what they do.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion and of the Sorrows of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, have Mercy on all the dead, you alone have the power to raise us to life.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world.

Glory to God in the highest:

Glory to God in the highest and Peace to His people on earth, Lord God, Heavenly King, Almighty God and Father, we worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for your Glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have Mercy on us.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. Amen.

Thank you Father

Heavenly Father, Almighty God. I just want to thank you and praise you for my existence, I thank you in the name of Jesus for everything that I am, for everything that exists.

Thank you infinitely Father for having made me a human being, for making me in your image and for calling me you son [or daughter]. Thank you Father for your infinite goodness which is reflected on the perfection of all your works.

Thank you Father Almighty for giving us your Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you in the name of Jesus for your infinite Merciful Love.

Thank you Father for the gift of our earthly parents, children and family. Thank you for accepting us into your eternal heavenly family; thank you Father for the gift of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Mother.

Thank you Father for giving us the Holy Spirit to remind us that you are our daddy. Thank you Father for calling us again and again and for wanting us to stop being prodigal children so that we can start enjoying all the riches of your spiritual Kingdom. Thank you Father for the gift of our faith.

Thank you Father for the gift of my health, for my food, shelter, intelligence and all my talents. Thank you Father for caring for us your ungrateful children.

Thank you Father for your your most Holy Will that includes me in your plan. Thank you for all the crosses that you give me, since you know better than me what they are for, thank you for giving me the Wisdom to accept you as my Father.

Thank you Father for being my Father.

#trinity

0 notes