Daily quotes on developing virtue from Saints, Popes and others.
"For, indeed, it takes great humility to find oneself unjustly condemned and be silent, and to do this is to imitate the Lord Who set us free from our sins. I beg you then, to study earnestly to do so, for it brings great gain whereas I can see no gain in our trying to [...]
"Again, there are abject and honorable virtues; for the world generally despises patience, gentleness, simplicity, and even humility itself, while, on the contrary, it highly esteems prudence, valor, and liberality." Source: St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Random House, Inc., 2002.
"Humility always groans, weeps and destroys all offenses, for this is its work. So let anyone who wishes to conquer the Devil arm himself with humility, since Lucifer fervently flees it and hides in its presence like a snake in a hole; for wherever it finds him, it quickly snaps him like a fragile thread." [...]
"Humility might make us indifferent even to a good reputation, were it not for Charity’s sake; but seeking that it is a groundwork of society, and without it we are not merely useless but positively harmful to the world, because of the scandal given by such a deficiency, therefore Charity requires, and humility allows, us [...]
"This is why I told you earlier that if those who eat at the table of penance are not truly humble, and if their penance becomes their chief concern rather than an instrument of virtue, they will often, by this sort of grumbling, sin against their very perfection. So they should not be foolish, but [...]
"Our personal sins are another source of profound humility and humiliation. I am a sinner, more of a sinner than all other men, for I could have and I might have done all that they have done. With as many graces as I, they would not have been so wicked as I. That is the [...]
"I began to fear more the terrible danger of pride if I did well than the disgrace if I did badly. There I was at a crossroad between fear and charity, not knowing which way was safe to take. If I spoke to any profit about humility I feared to be found lacking in it; [...]
"Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation, especially in a globalized society at difficult times like the present." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (Charity in [...]
Ven. Fulton Sheen explains the core virtue of the Gospel. We are called to love, especially people who others do not love. Jesus describes this as loving our enemies. We should not limit our understanding of this to just adversaries that we are competing against or that threaten us. We need to love everyone, especially people [...]
"Virtue without prudence is not virtue at all. We should often pray to the Holy Spirit for this grace of prudence. Prudence consists in discretion, rational reflection and courageous resolution. The final decision is always up to us." Source: St. Faustina, Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul