"As then in the sad and anxious times through which we are passing there are many who cling so firmly to Christ the Lord hidden beneath the Eucharistic veils that neither tribulation, nor distress, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor danger, nor persecution, nor the sword can separate them from His love, surely no doubt can [...]
"The only ones who can instruct the brethren are those who are merciful, those who are meek or humble. In other words, one cannot really be merciful if he is not humble." Source: St. Bernard of Clairvaux, The Steps of Humility and Pride (Note: This quote was incorrectly attributed to St. Augustine when it [...]
"The anti-culture of death, which finds expression for example in drug use, is thus countered by an unselfish love which shows itself to be a culture of life by the very willingness to “lose itself” for others." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love: Deus Caritas Est, Ignatius Press, 2006.
"The Church obliges the faithful 'to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days' and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season. But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast [...]
"God has made us for Himself and our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. The need of God is the most imperious in our nature. As the plant seeks the sun, so our soul is athirst for God. But now we can say, speaking of Jesus in the tabernacle, I have found Him [...]
"There are two kinds of swords: one that swings outward, and the other, which is thrust inward. One is to harm the neighbor, such as the sword of Peter that hacked off the ear of the high priest’s servant. It was this kind of sword the Divine Master bade be put back into its scabbard. [...]
"What do kings and lords matter to me if I have no desire to possess their money, or to please them, if by so doing I should cause the least displeasure to God? And what do their honours mean to me if I have realized that the chief honour of a poor man consists in [...]
"The sin of unbelief, which fundamentally severs a man from the unity of the Church, simply speaking, makes him to be utterly unfit for receiving this sacrament; because it is the sacrament of the Church's unity, as stated above. Hence the unbeliever who receives this sacrament sins more grievously than the believer who is in [...]
"For every one, the absolute and necessary price of heaven, is fidelity to his own grace, to his particular grace. God does not demand from all an equal measure of merits and virtues; but there is, nevertheless, one measure strictly required, one condition essential for all, and that is the state of grace. One must [...]
"We see still more clearly the reason why the entire sacramental life of the Church and of each Christian reaches its summit and fullness in the Eucharist. For by Christ's will there is in this Sacrament a continual renewing of the mystery of the Sacrifice of himself that Christ offered to the Father on the [...]