How to be unhappy

“Rainy and cold. Thinking gloomily of the sins and shortcomings of others, it suddenly came to me to remember my own offenses, just as heinous as those of others. If I concern myself with my own sins and lament them, if I remember my own failures and lapses, I will not be resentful of others. This was most cheering and lifted the load of gloom from my mind. It makes one unhappy to judge people and happy to love them.” ~Dorothy Day, The Reckless Way of Love: Notes on Following Jesus

Made for Joy

“We are made for joy. But this joy can never be fully experienced here on earth. God’s joy is ultimately realized in eternity. To be a Christian is to understand that the cross, and the suffering of the cross, has meaning, and that suffering is part of our state on this earth. Don’t expect paradise on earth. Don’t. But there is meaning, and this meaning is the love of God and gratitude for life on this earth. Whatever your state, whatever your situation, whatever your purpose, always remember that you are made for joy.” ~Alice von Hildebrand

Accept Surprises

“Accept surprises that upset your plans, shatter your dreams, give a completely different turn to your day and – who knows? – to your life. Leave the Father free himself to weave the pattern of your days.” ~Dom Hélder Câmar

Becoming a Source of Peace

“A monk is he who directs his gaze towards God alone, and who, being at peace with God, becomes a source of peace for others.” ~St. Theodore the Studite

Hope, Joy, Fulfillment, Peace

In the silence of solitude, in persevering prayer and penance, in humble manual labor, study and service, the hermit proclaims to the world: In God alone do we find hope and joy, fulfillment and peace.

Saint Polycarp

God of all creation, who were pleased to give the Bishop Saint Polycarp a place in the company of the Martyrs, grant, through his intercession, that, sharing with him in the chalice of Christ, we may rise through the Holy Spirit to eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The Chair of Saint Peter

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

St. Peter Damian

“He pours light into our minds, arouses our desire, and gives us strength… As the soul is the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.” ~St. Peter Damian

Mercy and Love

“Where does Jesus send us? There are no borders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The gospel is for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for those who seem closer to us, more receptive, more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent. The Lord seeks all – he wants everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his love.” ~Pope Francis, homily for World Youth Day, July 28, 2013

Fierce and Free

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that he has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” ~G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy