"Our Primitive Rule tells us to pray without ceasing. Provided we do this with all possible care (and it is the most important thing of all) we shall not fail to observe the fasts, disciplines and periods of silence which the Order commands; for, as you know, if prayer is to be genuine it must [...]
"The virtues of Our Lord are not acquired all at once. Their practice costs. Devote yourselves to them without fear, with courage and perseverance. They must be your adornment on the day on which He will present you to His Father for the celebration of the heavenly nuptials in Paradise in presence of His angels." [...]
"Among the five virtues the first is celestial love, which consists in a person knowing and loving God above all things. Then the person, because of his faith, is bound by the law God above all things. Then the person, because of his faith, is bound by the law of discipline; and from there he [...]
"Vows render the actions performed under their shelter more acceptable to God, strengthen us to perform good works, and help us to devote to Him not merely those good works which are, so to say, the fruits of a holy will, but to consecrate that will itself, the source of all we do, to Him." [...]
"Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere 'command'; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us. In a world where the name of God is sometimes associated with vengeance or even a duty of hatred and violence, [...]
"Insensitivity is deadened feeling in body and spirit, and comes from long sickness and carelessness. Lack of awareness is negligence that has become habit. It is thought gone numb, an offspring of predisposition, a trap for zeal, a noose for courage, an ignorance of compunction, the gateway to despair, the mother of forgetfulness giving birth [...]
"God's mercy is magnanimous. He pardons generously and forever, for He knows not how to forget only half. He restores the joy of innocence and the honor of the first state. He pardons not as a man, but as God. He wishes us still to remember our sins, but with a thought of love, of [...]
"When children begin to use their reason, fathers and mothers should take great pains to fill their hearts with the fear of God. This the good Queen Blanche did most earnestly by St. Louis, her son: witness her oft-repeated words, 'My son, I would sooner see you die than guilty of a mortal sin,' words [...]
"Individuals who care for those in need must first be professionally competent: they should be properly trained in what to do and how to do it, and committed to continuing care. Yet, while professional competence is a primary, fundamental requirement, it is not of itself sufficient. We are dealing with human beings, and human beings [...]
"Leisure, therefore, is not idleness or incapacity, but a spiritual and moral quality of the soul. It has nothing to do with external factors, for example, a day off from work, a holiday, a weekend vacation, a day at the golf course." Source: Sheen Fulton, Guide to Contentment, Alba House, 2010. [...]