January 18, 2008

February

February 1
I greatly desire that you become great saints, since you are well equipped to reach this goal, if you will it. All that is required is that you really mean to develop and give back to Jesus Crucified, in a more refined form, the good qualities and graces He has given you.
Letter XI, June 20, 1539

February 2
For I know the summit of perfection Jesus Crucified wants you to reach; the abundant graces He wishes to give you; the fruits He wants to gather in you; and the peak of holiness to which He wants to lead you. Letter XI, June 20, 1539

February 3
Look into my heart; I lay it open to you. I am ready to shed my blood for you provided you follow my counsels. Letter XI, June 20, 1539

February 4
If you wish to become totally self-assured, you must fight and let yourself be tested; and after having fought for a long time, you cannot leave great battles to pursue lesser ones. Letter XII, 1538

February 5
I have decided to devote myself to the care of the spiritual welfare of my neighbor. By so doing, I hope to grow in Jesus' love; and the good Lord Crucified will give me back the spiritual light and fervor, which used to keep me spiritually alive. Letter XII, 1538

February 6
With the help of Christ and of your prayers, I am confident that I will again recognize what is true from what is false, and what is certain from what is doubtful. Letter XII, 1538

February 7
O Wisdom above all wisdom! O inaccessible Light! You turn the learned into ignorant, and those who see into blind; and, on the contrary, you turn the ignorant into learned, and the peasants and the fishermen into scholars and teachers. Sermon I

February8
Would you give your life for your neighbor's health and, then, refuse them your money? You spend your life and your property for your children; could you, then, let them die by refusing them a glass of water? Not so. In fact, those who give what is more usually also give what is less. Sermon I

February 9
You may rest assured that God, in His infinite goodness, has gathered us here above all for our salvation and our souls' spiritual progress. Sermon I

February 10
For God is a faithful and considerate dispenser of all things, and distributes His gifts to everyone according to everyone's abilities and strength. Sermon I

February 11
If a man wishes to reach God, he must proceed by steps. And so, he must go up from the first step to the second one, and from this one to the third one, and so on. He cannot, of course, begin from the second step, jumping over the first one, for his legs as well as his steps are too short. Consequently, since you have not laid the foundation, neither can you build the edifice.
Sermon I

February 12
Let us first strive to keep God's commandments, and then we will reach the liberty of the spirit. May God in his bounty grant it to us. Sermon I

February 13
I will prepare my heart for God in all truth, in all simplicity, and in all sincerity. May He dwell in my heart forever through His grace and make it His temple. Sermon II

February 14
Sanctification means to love God above all things and everything else for His sake. It means to love our friends in Him, and our enemies for Him. Sermon III

February 15
Sanctification means purity of heart and a steady cleansing of one's self. Sermon III

February 16
Sanctification means putting off the old self -- namely, the things of the lower nature and all vices, so as to walk toward the reward of the heavenly homeland. Sermon III

February 17
Sanctification means turning oneself to God both internally and externally. Sermon III

February 18
Man is god in so far as he conforms himself to God by imitating Him in doing His very deeds as much, of course, as is possible to a man. Sermon I

February19
Do you know that your whole interior life is affected by the exterior world you come in contact with? Take for instance the faculty of love -- which proceeds from knowledge -- and you will see that one can love things never seen, but not things never known. Sermon II


February 20
If then your souls adhere to God, they become simpler and more spiritual. Sermon II

February 21
Spiritual life demands that you never turn back or stop going forward; but rather that, as soon as you taste it, you make progress day by day and, forgetting what lies behind, strain forward to what lies ahead. Sermon II

February 22
True spiritual life consists in this: that man keeps his eyes on God all the time. Long for nothing but for God, keep nothing in mind but God, begin every single action in the Lord's name, and direct it to Him. Sermon II

February 23
The Holy Spirit helps you think of God always, even in your sleep. Sermon II

February 24
Experience teaches you that if you are unable to perform the easiest duties, much less can you perform the hardest ones. Sermon II

February 25
God gives you even more than you may desire. Sermon III

February 26
It is necessary to unite ourselves with God by lifting up our hearts, praying and even contemplating. Sermon III

February27
Externally, you turn to God by means of some Scripture reading, by reciting or singing psalms, and, besides, by offering Him sacrifices: the sacrifice of your bodies kept under control by penance for the love of God, the sacrifice of your souls eager to unite themselves with Him, but above all the sacrifice par excellence, the most holy Eucharist. Sermon III

February 28
The surest proof, then, of your return to God is that you go back to receive the Eucharistic food. …. Nothing can make you holier than this sacrament, for in it is the Holy of Holies - the Eucharist. Sermon III,


February 29
Do you want, dear friends, to become holy? Imitate Christ, imitate God: be merciful, particularly on holidays, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, set the prisoners free, plan your deeds ahead of time and perform them for God's sake; have the right intention; choose the best, fulfill what is good. In all things let love impel you. Sermon III

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