“You cannot arrive at virtue except through knowing yourself and knowing me. And this knowledge is more perfectly gained in time of temptation, because then you know that you are nothing, since you have now power to relieve yourself of the sufferings and troubles you would like to escape. And you know me in your [...]
"Father Francis Olimpio, the Theatine, used to say, that there was nothing on earth which enkindled such ardent flames of Divine love in the hearts of men as the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Hence our Lord showed Himself to St. Catharine of Sienna in this Blessed Sacrament as a furnace of love, from [...]
"No virtue can have life in it except from charity, and charity is nursed and mothered by humility. You will find humility in the knowledge of yourself when you see that even your own existence comes not from yourself but from [God], for [He] loved you before you came into being." Source: St. Catherine [...]
" Daughter, words could never describe the suffering of these wretched little souls. There are three principal vices: The first is selfishness, which in turn gives birth to the second, self-conceit. From this conceit comes the third, pride, with treacherous injustice and cruelty as well as other evil filthy sins generated by these. So also, [...]
"God said, 'This is that sin which is never forgiven, now or ever: the refusal, the scorning, of my mercy. For this offends me more than all the other sins they have committed. So the despair of Judas displeased me more and was a greater insult to my Son than his betrayal had been.'" -St. [...]
"Therefore you could not be given the body without being given the blood as well; nor either the body or the blood without the soul of this Word; not the soul or body without the divinity of [Jesus], God eternal. For the one cannot be separated from the other – just as the divine nature [...]
"Do you know where this tree of death is rooted? In the height of pride, which is nourished by their sensual selfishness. Its core is impatience and its offshoot is the lack of any discernment. These are the four chief vices, which together kill the souls of those I have called trees of death, since [...]
"Thus it is in every respect dangerous to be content with mediocre obedience. Such obedience is cold, very burdensome, and very painful. Because it seems to the cold heart wearisome to carry it, these souls bear great burdens with little fruit. They sin against the perfection into which they entered and which they are obliged [...]
"Know, dearest daughter, that these mediocre souls are capable enough of reaching great perfection if they want to, for they are closer to it than are these other wretches. But in another way it is more difficult for them to rise above their imperfection than it is for the wicked to rise above their misery. [...]
"The source of this pride is their selfish love for themselves. Everything here is the exact opposite of what I have told you about true obedience. How can these wretches, bereft of charity, be otherwise than in pain? They are forced to bow the head of their will while pride holds it high. Their every [...]