Daily Inspiration- 365 Quotes From Saints

by Wyatt North

  “Love overcomes, love delights, those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice.”

  – St. Bernadette Soubirous

  Bernadette shunned the attention she received once news of her visions and the subsequent miraculous cures spread, and she enrolled in the school operated by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where she finally learned to read and write. She subsequently entered the order and spent the remainder of her too-brief life at the motherhouse in Nevers working as an infirmary assistant and sacristan. Bernadette’s health had been poor since a childhood case of cholera, and it deteriorated quickly after she was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the bone in her right knee. She regarded the great pain she suffered as penance and was praying the rosary when she died at the age of 35.

  “Everything is the Father's will: homeland, fortune, happiness, work, food, life, Jesus' death. Let His will be mine.”

  – St. Bernadette Soubirous

  One of the things that helped convince local officials that 14-year old Bernadette was telling the truth about her visions in the grotto of Massabielle was her report that the lady said finally revealed her name as the “Immaculate Conception.” Those words had only recently been added by the pope to the teachings of the Church, and it was decided that it was extremely unlikely that the uneducated Bernadette would have been familiar with them. Consequently, it was concluded that she must have heard them from the Holy Virgin herself.

  “I believe though I do not comprehend, and I hold by faith what I cannot grasp with the mind.”

  – St. Bernard of Clairvaux

  From the earliest days of his religious life, St. Bernard of Clairvaux was known to perform miracles. Many of them were miraculous healings. For example, he prayed and made the sign of the cross over a young boy whose arm was paralyzed and withered, and the child’s arm was immediately restored to normal appearance and function. Bernard also cured a man, a dear friend named Humbert, of epilepsy by praying over him. But not all the miracles attributed to St. Bernard were healings. It was reported that on the day of the dedication of the new church of the monastery he had founded in Leon, the church was filled with so many flies that their buzzing was a distraction from prayer. Bernard shouted out “Excommunicable eas!” and the flies all fell dead, so numerous that they had to be shoveled out of the church.

  “When you covet that which delights you, think not only of the sweet moments of enjoyment, but of the long season of regret which must follow.”

  – St. Bernard of Clairvaux

  St. Bernard figures prominently in 12th century European history. He was born into a noble and devout family in Burgundy, France. The faculty at the college where he studied theology and Holy Scripture at an early age were impressed by his piety, and when he decided to join the strict Cistercian Order in 1113, he convinced 30 young noblemen, including his brothers, to join with him. He was soon entrusted with the task of founding a monastery, the Abbey of Clairvaux, and was appointed to serve as Abbot. His reputation for austere holiness drew many new monks into the Abbey, including his own father and brothers. Over the next few years, Bernard founded several more monasteries, wrote prolifically, and became a trusted advisor sought out by both religious and secular authorities, all of which led to him being named as a Doctor of the Church in 1130. For his eloquence, he was given the title Doctor Mellifluus—the “honey-sweet doctor,” and is the patron saint of beekeepers and candle makers.

  “We are not innocent before God if we punish that which we should pardon, or pardon that which we should punish.”

  – St. Bernard of Clairvaux

  As Doctor of the Church, Bernard traveled widely defending the rights of the Church against intrusion by secular rulers and acting as a negotiator and peacemaker during a time of schism within the Church. He played a key role in launching the Second Crusade by positioning taking the cross to gain absolution for sin. When the Crusade failed miserably, much of the blame fell on Bernard, who responded with the assertion that the crusaders themselves, through their sinful acts while on the march, were responsible for their own failure. He was already in failing health when he went on his last peacemaking trip in the spring of 1153, and he died shortly after his return, at the age of 63. During his 38 years as Abbott, 68 monasteries were established by the monks of Clairvaux. He was canonized in 1174 by Pope Alexander III.

  “Let each one ask of God grace for love of Jesus, notwithstanding that thou beest a sinner.”

  – St. Bernardine of Siena

  Pope Pius II referred to St. Bernadine as the “second Paul” for his tireless work in spreading the words of Jesus. Words mattered to Bernadine. He abhorred crude and shameful speech, yet he was not confident in his own speaking ability. He is as well known for his deeds before entering religious life as he is for his work as a Franciscan. In 1400, 20-year old Bernadine showed up to volunteer at the largest hospital in Siena, Italy, where a plague was claiming the lives of dozens of people every day. He simply wanted to help take care of the sick and dying, and he brought other young men in to do the same. Once the plague was over, he cared for his invalid aunt until her death, then joined the Franciscans and was ordained as a priest. He believed his voice to be too weak and hoarse for preaching and devoted his energy to prayer and his own spiritual growth. It was not until 12 years later, when he rose reluctantly to preach one day, that he spoke in a strong, clear voice. Listeners found his words so compelling that they made him promise to return to preach again. He became a fervent and indefatigable preacher, traveling all over Italy and attracting crowds of as many as 30,000 people. He did serve for a while as vicar general of his order, but during the last two years of his life he returned to preaching, which he had come to regard as his true calling.

  “The world would have peace if only men of politics would follow the Gospels.”

  – St. Birgitta of Sweden

  Since childhood, Birgitta had dream-visions showing her great things that God wanted her to do and messages for her to deliver to Church and secular leaders. As was the custom in the Middle Ages, she was married at 13 and bore eight children. Kinswoman to the King of Sweden, she served as lady-in-waiting to his young queen. After the death of her husband when she was 41, Birgitta prayed for guidance and was called by God to found a new religious order for women. The Lord’s instructions were very detailed, down to the design and construction of the abbey church, the number of nuns, the clothing they were to wear, the prayers they were to say, and more. Before remodeling of the building donated by the king got very far, Jesus told Birgitta in a vision to go to Rome and remain there until she got the Pope to return from France. Though she obeyed, she was unsuccessful in getting the Pope to return or in ending the conflict between France and England. In fact, she didn’t live to see any of God’s messages that she delivered produce results. She was, however, canonized in 1391, and the monastic Augustinian order she founded for women, Ordo Sanctissimi Salvatoris (commonly referred to as the Brigittine or Bridgettine Order), spread throughout Europe.

  “While the world changes, the cross stands firm.”

  – St. Bruno

  St. Bruno is best known for his role in establishing the Carthusian order. Having spent his early religious life in Rheims as professor of theology and subsequently as head of the Cathedral school, he was named chancellor of Rheims by the archbishop, Manasses. When Manasses was denounced and later deposed, Bruno rejected the people’s desire to appoint him archbishop, choosing instead life as a hermit. He and six companions settled in Grenoble in 1084, to establish a hermitage on land provided by the bishop in an isolated, mountainous area. They based the Carthusian Order roughly on the rule of St. Benedict, living in poverty and devoting themselves to work, prayer, and the transcription of manuscripts. Though he is regarded as a saint, Bruno was never canonized because formal canonization would have been antithetical to the Carthusians’ rejection of formal recognition or honors.

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  "God never deserts a man, unless He is deserted by that man fir
st. For even if a man shall have committed grievous sins once, twice, and a third time, God still looks for him, so that he may be converted and live."

  – St. Caesarius of Arles

  St. Caesarius (470-529) was ahead of his times in some ways. More than 250 of his sermons have survived and reveal his belief that the life of a Christian should involve reading the Scriptures, which means that developing public literacy was a worthy undertaking. He encouraged those who could read, clergy and laity alike, to help those who couldn’t. He urged the illiterate to hire someone to read to them, and he had his works translated into several languages. Caesarius also believed that women should have equal opportunity to a monastic life, built a monastery for women outside of Arles, France, and established the first rule written specifically for women. His “Rule for Virgins” outlines the regimen to be maintained by women from the moment they enter the monastery until their death. A third way in which Caesarius was forward-thinking was in his recognition that Roman civilization was being replaced by European civilization. He envisioned a “world-embracing, world-uniting” society that would resonate with many people today.

  “So blessed are you if you persevere in doing good, neither seeking nor desiring any consolation, for as St. Bernard says: To serve God is nothing else than to do good and suffer evil, and the rule of the true servant of Christ is never to receive consolation except in time of great necessity. This is the secure way; for whoever wants to go to God through sweetness and consolation is deceived.”

  – St. Catherine of Bologna

  Catherine de’Vigri was born in 1413 in Bologna, Italy, the daughter of a diplomat to the Marquis of Ferrara, who was a member of the royal family. She spent part of her childhood at court as lady in waiting to the Marquis’ wife and companion to his daughter, receiving an education befitting a member of the aristocracy. Catherine excelled in her studies and would become known for her skill as a painter and writer. At 13, after the Marquis had his wife executed for infidelity, Catherine chose religious life over life at court and joined a lay sisterhood in Ferrara. In 1431, the sisterhood was re-established as a convent of the Order of Poor Clares—the convent of Corpus Domini, where Catherine found fulfillment in the humblest of tasks and gained the admiration of her peers for her devoutness. She remained there as Mistress of Novices until 1456, when she was asked to return to Bologna and become Abbess of a new convent of Corpus Domini in that city. She held that position until her death in 1463.

  “The fifth weapon is to remind oneself that we must die. This time is called the time of mercy in which God looks down day after day so that we can amend our lives from good to better. If we do not do this, we will have to render account, not only of the evils we have done, but also of the goods left undone by our negligence.”

  – St. Catherine of Bologna

  Catherine wrote several treatises, poetry, and spiritual guides. A mystic, she had frequent visions throughout her life, some of which she described in her best-known work, “Treatise on the 7 Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare.” Some of her visions were uplifting, such as her visions of the Blessed Mother and of Christ upon the cross, but she also had frightening visions of Satan. Interestingly, Catherine’s father, Giovanni Vigri, a devout man, had a vision prior to his daughter’s birth. In his vision, the Blessed Virgin, told him that his child would be a light in the world.

  “So blessed are you if you persevere in doing good, neither seeking nor desiring any consolation, for as St. Bernard says: ‘To serve God is nothing else than to do good and suffer evil, and the rule of the true servant of Christ is never to receive consolation except in time of great necessity.’ This is the secure way; for whoever wants to go to God through sweetness and consolation is deceived.”

  – St. Catherine of Bologna

  Catherine grew ill and died in March, 1463 and, in the tradition of her order, was buried without a coffin in the convent graveyard. People in the vicinity noticed a sweet scent emanating from her grave, and after 18 days, her body was exhumed. It was found to be without corruption, with the sweet scent coming from beads of what appeared to be sweat on the veil covering the face. The body was placed in the chapel next to the Corpus Domini convent, where it remains today, behind glass, seated on a throne and dressed in the habit of the Poor Clares. Although the skin has darkened from centuries of smoke and soot from burning candles and oil lamps, it remains as smooth and supple as it was in life. Adored for her piety and the miraculous cures attributed to her, St. Catherine was canonized in 1712 and is the patron saint of artists, the liberal arts, and the city of Bologna, as well as against temptation.

  “Confidence in God ought to be greater in proportion to the pressing nature of the necessity in which we are placed. When Jesus cried in the anguish of His Passion, ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ He was at that time exhibiting a pattern of the highest perfection in the exact fulfillment of the obedience required from Him by His Eternal Father, with Whom He was wholly united.”

  – St. Catherine of Bologna

  One of the miracles of St. Catherine of Bologna is sometimes called the “miracle of the baking bread.” Catherine took great pleasure in baking the daily bread for the convent, but one day the bell calling the sisters to worship rang at a very inopportune time, when she had just put the bread in the oven to bake. Not knowing how long it would be before she could get back to the oven, she made the sign of the Cross over the loaves and commended them to the Lord. When she returned five hours later, believing the bread would have been burned to a crisp, she was surprised to find every loaf to be perfectly baked.

  “Have not the boldness to say: 'I will go to confession and gain a plenary indulgence and thus I shall be saved.' Remember that the full confession and entire contrition which are requisite to gain a plenary indulgence are not easily attained. Did you know how hardly they are come by, you would tremble with fear and be more sure of losing than of gaining them.”

  – St. Catherine of Genoa

  St. Catherine was born into Genoa’s nobility as Caterina Fieschi Adorno in 1447. She tried to enter a convent at 13 but was deemed too young. Her parents arranged her marriage at 16 to a nobleman who made her life miserable with his philandering and selfishness. She sought escape in self-indulgent pursuits, though she never lost her faith. One day at confession she had a revelation of God’s love and of her own sinful behavior. It filled her heart with grace, and her faith grew until her example of piety enabled her husband to reform his own life. Unfortunately, his profligacy had left them virtually penniless. Husband and wife decide to move into a large hospital in Genoa and devote themselves to caring for the sick and dying.

  “Therefore God says to this proud man: If thou seekest, according to the nature of the created soul, for such great things as seem at present to be good and for that happiness which belongs to earth, know that they are not. They cannot satisfy nor afford contentment. Seek rather in heaven, where pride is lawful, and where it is not placed in things empty and vain, but in those which are really great, which always remain, and which cause a sinless pride. But if thou seekest after worthless things thou shalt never find them and shalt lost those which thou shouldst have sought.’”

  – St. Catherine of Genoa

  Catherine and her husband, bankrupted by his wasteful spending during his earlier years of sinful living, moved into a Genoa hospital where they would spend the rest of their lives doing good for those who suffered. They cared tirelessly for the sick and dying, exhausting themselves during the years of plague that ravaged the population. Catherine still found time for prayer and religious exercises, and she came to be known as a mystic because of the deep reveries she would often fall into while working. Catherine continued on her own after her husband’s death in 1497, managing the women’s division of the hospital until her own death. The treatises she wrote, particularly her treatise on purgatory, helped establish her reputation for holiness. St. Catherine of Genoa was canonized in 1737 by Pope Clement
XII.

  “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!”

  – St. Catherine of Sienna

  St. Catherine’s entrance into religious life was a little unusual. Born the daughter of a prosperous and pious wool dyer in 1347 during an outbreak of the plague, she was the last of the couple’s 25 children, half of whom died in infancy or early childhood. When her elder, married sister died at the age of 16, Catherine’s parents pressured her to marry the widower, but Catherine believed she was meant for a religious life and finally convinced her parents to let her follow her calling. Because of her devotion to her family, she chose to join the Sisters of Penitence of the Third Order of St. Dominic rather than enter a convent. This allowed her to live a life of quiet isolation at home and still serve others, which she did primarily by giving her family’s food and possessions to the needy. At 21, Catherine had what she called a “mystical marriage to Christ,” which occurred in a vision that told her to give up her isolation and continue helping the needy in a more public manner. She ministered to the sick and the poor wherever they were to be found, gaining several followers in the process. Her mission would continue to evolve and expand far beyond what she had originally anticipated.