Thought

Over one hundred quotations on the subject of 'Thought' is now found at Inspirational Quotes from the Saints.

'Evil thoughts are an abomination to the Lord: and pure words most beautiful shall be confirmed by him.'

Proverbs 15:26

'The passions lying hidden in the soul provide the demons with the means of arousing impassioned thoughts in us. Then, fighting the intellect through these thoughts, they force it to give its assent to sin. When it has been overcome, they lead it to sin in the mind; and when this has been done they induce it, captive as it is, to commit the sin in action. Having thus desolated the soul by means of these thoughts, the demons then retreat, taking the thoughts with them, and only the specter or idol of sin remains in the intellect. Referring to this our Lord says, "When you see the abominable idol of desolation standing in the holy place (let him who reads understand) . . . " (Matt. 24:15). For man's intellect is a holy place and a temple of God in which the demons, having desolated the soul by means of impassioned thoughts, set up the idol of sin. That these things have already taken place in history no one, I think, who has read Josephus will doubt; though some say that they will also come to pass in the time of the Antichrist.'

St. Maximos the Confessor

'And this movement of the heart is not unsuitably illustrated by the comparison of a mill wheel, which the headlong rush of water whirls round, with revolving impetus, and which can never stop its work so long as it is driven round by the action of the water: but it is in the power of the man who directs it, to decide whether he will have wheat or barley or darnel ground by it. That certainly must be crushed by it which is put into it by the man who has charge of that business. So then the mind also through the trials of the present life is driven by the torrents of temptations pouring in upon it from all sides, and cannot be free from the flow of thoughts: but the character of the thoughts which it should either throw off or admit for itself, it will provide by the efforts of its own earnestness and diligence: for if, as we said, we constantly recur to meditation on the Holy Scriptures and raise our memory towards the recollection of spiritual things and the desire for perfection and the hope of future bliss, spiritual thoughts are sure to rise from this, and cause the mind to dwell on those things on which we have been meditating. But if we are overcome by sloth or carelessness and spend our time in idle gossip, or are entangled in the cares of the world and unnecessary anxieties, the result will be that a sort of species of tares will spring up, and afford an injurious occupation for our hearts, and as our Lord and Saviour says, whereever the treasure of our works or purpose may be, there also our heart is sure to continue.'

St. Moses the Black

'For the rest, brethren, whatsoever is true, whatsoever is modest, whatsoever is just, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is amiable, whatsoever is gracious, if there is any virtue, if there is any discipline worthy of praise, think on these.'

Philippians 4:8

Extracts from the Mystical City of God

Hundreds of quotations extracted from Ven. Mary of Agreda's Mystical City of God.

'Abhor human ostentation, suffer in silence and let the world consider thee ignorant; for it does not know where true wisdom dwells.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 602 

'Another deceit has spread through the world: many imagine that they are following Christ their Master, though they neither suffer affliction nor engage in any exertion or labor. They are content with avoiding boldness in committing sins, and place all their perfection in a certain prudence or hollow self-love, which prevents them from denying anything to their will and from practicing any virtues at the cost of their flesh. . . He [Jesus] chose not a life of softness and ease for the flesh, but one full of labors and pains; for He judged His instructions to be incomplete and insufficient to redeem man, if He failed to teach them how to overcome the demon, the flesh and their own self. He wished to inculcate, that this magnificent victory is gained by the Cross, by labors, penances, mortifications and the acceptance of contempt: all of which are the trademarks and evidences of true love and the special watchwords of the predestined.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. III, 662 

'I was made to understand, that if God were not so outrageously misused in his mercy, He would often interpose, even miraculously, his divine Omnipotence in our behalf. Especially would He do this in defense of the mystical body of the Church and of some Catholic governments, bringing to naught the counsels of hell for the destruction of Christianity in our times. We do not merit this protection of the infinite power, because all are united in rousing the divine wrath and the whole world his joined hands with the infernal fiends, into whose power it has fallen on account of the blind and insane pursuit of evil rampant among men.'

Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 296

'It is important for all the children of the Church to escape the ignorance in which they live concerning the dangers besetting their eternal salvation; for they do not know or take notice, that their ignorance of these secrets is the chastisement of the sin of Adam, and how, after being enlightened, they again lose it and become more unworthy of it than before through their own sins. Many of the faithful are as oblivious and careless, as if there were no demons to persecute and deceive them; and if they sometimes think of them, it is superficially and lightly, falling immediately back into their forgetfulness, which for many of them means no less than eternal punishment. If at all times and in all places, in all their works and on all occasions the demons set their snares, it is but just and proper that Christians on their part take not one step without asking divine light to see and avoid the danger. But as the children of Adam are so torpid in regard to this matter, they perform scarcely one work without being assailed by the infernal serpent and infected by his poison. Thus they accumulate sins upon sins, evil upon evil, irritating the divine justice and shutting out mercy.'

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 361

 'In order to deserve this protection of the Lord, God wishes the creature on its part never to relax in vigilance, nor trust in its own strength, nor ever be remiss in asking and desiring this help; for without it, man can do nothing and will soon perish.' 

Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda, Mystical City of God, Vol. IV, 454 

Books to Read for Lent

There are some good Christian books to read for Lent that are all part of the free for download library of Saints' Books.

St. Thomas Aquinas - Meditations for Lent
'The Pope, St. Leo the Great, says that the thieves were crucified, one on either side of him, so that in the very appearance of the scene of his suffering there might be set forth that distinction which should be made in the judgment of each one of us. St. Augustine has the same thought. "The cross itself," he says, "was a tribunal. In the centre was the judge. To the one side a man who believed and was set free, to the other side a scoffer and he was condemned." Already there was made clear the final fate of the living and the dead, the one class placed at his right, the other on his left.'

Anonymous - Considerations and Devout Meditations for Every Day During the Holy Season of Lent

'There is nothing more united and less united than the soul and body. When one advances, the other recoils; when one rises, the other descends; when one is in health, the other is sick; when one is strong, the other is weak. It is necessary, then, in order to strengthen and give health to the soul, to bring the body under subjection, and weaken its evil propensities by penance and mortification. I am not a man if I obey my passions; I am not a Christian if I do not combat with and overcome my passions; I am not a true penitent if I do not mortify my passions. Since my body is polluted by sin, it ought to be purified by pain; and since it has part in the pleasures of the soul, it ought to glory in sharing its sorrows.'

Meditation and Prayers for Christmas

Enter into the sanctuary, the divine interior of the holy Infant Jesus, and learn to form yours according to it. All divine, noble, humble, simple, generous, recollected, and detached from the world. His every thought and intention are solely directed to His Father s glory. There you will find no idle thoughts and projects no vanities or selfseeking no suspicious thoughts contrary to charity.
Prayers

ADORABLE interior of the Infant Jesus! I revere You from my heart. How do You confound our pride and human wisdom! Ah, teach me, divine Jesus, after Your example, to despise the world, and not to seek the eyes of others in my devotion. You, O my God!  humbly conceal the treasures of grace and wisdom contained in Your divine mind, taking on Yourself the appearance of weakness, ignorance, and incapacity. Oh, heal my pride; remove my blindness and ignorance of interior things dissipate my darkness destroy my worldly notions and render my thoughts, views, desires, and sentiments like to Yours. Amen.

O BLESSED parents of the Infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, if we came to solicit you to obtain for us worldly prosperity, joys, honors, and comforts, our sighs could never reach the cradle of a God, poor, humble even to annihilation, forgotten, suffering, weak, and lying in a manger; but these are not our desires or petitions. No; we humbly and earnestly implore you to beg for us, at the crib of your Infant Son, that, like Him. and as His true and faithful followers, we may love to live in true humility dis engagement from creatures contempt of the world and its vanities constant recollection of the holy presence of God fervor and fidelity in all our duties and in the practice of the tenderest charity to all persons. May we never blush at the humility of the crib, nor at the poverty and simplicity of Bethlehem. May we ever rejoice at our happy lot as true spouses of Jesus Christ: ever in tender charity look with a compassionate eye on those who live but for this world, and continually pray that all may come to bless, to praise, and to love the Saviour Who comes to redeem them.

Infant Jesus, poor and simple, grant our petition!
Infant Jesus, humble and obedient, grant our petition!
Infant Jesus, silent and recollected, grant our petition!
Infant Jesus, inflamed with love for us, grant our petition!
Holy Mother of the Infant Jesus, pray for us!
Blessed St. Joseph, pray for us!
All ye saints, devoted to the Holy Infancy of Jesus, pray for us!

O BLESSED Heart of the Infant Jesus! I adore and love you as the center of all hearts, and humbly entreat you to give me grace henceforth to rest and repose in you, as in my true home. May you be my oratory, in which, and through which, I shall offer to the Eternal Father all my requests, that He may receive them more propitiously  May you be my school, wherein I may learn that celestial science so different from worldly wisdom those pure principles which lead to the interior life. In fine, may you, O Sacred Heart! be my treasury, and may I find abundant riches in your poverty, love, suffering, and fidelity. Amen.

- read more on saintsbooks.net

Patriarchy

God is a patriarch, the priesthood is a patriarchy, and His natural design for human society and the family, is patriarchy.

Therefore patriarchy is fundamentally good. As a Catholic, and also a simple human being defending natural law, it is necessary to promote, respect, embrace and love this patriarchal design.

Any lack of realization, respect, and promotion of this is therefore is a fundamental and serious problem that is quite destructive.

For example family obedience requires obedience to the husband and father, under pain of sin. If this is forgotten the family does not and cannot function properly. And it is an act of virtue, this obedience, and so a good, which sanctifies the wife and children, so not simply a negative. Their holiness is gained from the virtue of obedience.

It is natural society and government reflect the family.

When people ask, why not ordain women, and the answer is given 'We don't know, we just don't because Christ didn't.' This given alone is a poor answer that likely shows lack of knowledge or other grave failure. The answer is the good of patriarchy.

The profound failing in these times is a lack of love and ardent promotion of the good of patriarchy. When patriarchy is embraced the natural design of all the relations of society settle in their proper place. Dear reader, let not the sin of omission of its love and defense be accountable to thee.

Chaplet of St. Michael

A reminder of this beautiful prayer.

The Chaplet of St. Michael

The history of this Chaplet goes back to a devout Servant of God, Antonia d'Astonac, who had a vision of St. Michael. He told Antonia to honor him by nine salutations to the nine Choirs of Angels. St. Michael promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would have, when approaching Holy Communion, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for those who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.

O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be. . .

I. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .
II. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

III. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

IV. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominions may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

V. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

VI. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .
VII. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

VIII. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

IX. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary. . .

In Honor of St. Michael, Our Father. . .
St. Gabriel, Our Father. . .
St. Raphael, Our Father. . .
Our Guardian Angel, Our Father. . .

Concluding Prayers

O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

THE SEVEN DOLORS.

THE SEVEN DOLORS.
BY ENFANT DE MARIE.

I.

SHE knelt within the holy place.
 And clasped her treasured Child,
But visions of the distant cross
 Overcast that Mother mild.

II.

And soon, an exile from her home,
 Across the desert sand
She fled to save His precious life
 In Egypt's heathen-land.

III.

The years passed by — but darker still
 The shadows of the cross ;
For three long days she sought her Love,
 And mourned for His loss.

IV.

The Passion-hour came at last;
 She saw Him as He went
Along the " via crucis," there
 Again her soul was rent.

V.

Behold! the tender Mother stands
 Beneath her dying Son,
And there, in love and bitter pain,
 Her martyr-palm is won.

VI.

The last sweet sigh is breathed now;
 She will not from Him part,
But feels within her anguished soul
 The sword that pierced His Heart.

VII.

How soon they take the dear, dead Form
 Blest Fruit of Mary's womb—
And lay it gently down to rest
 Within the garden-tomb!