The Catholic faithful often find comfort, wisdom and inspiration in the words of saintly people. Saints quotes cover a wide variety of subjects from the secular to the spiritual. To understand why these individual’s words are so important, it is necessary to know what makes someone a saint and what that designation means.
Within the Catholic Church, a saint is someone who has lived such a virtuous life that they are determined to have gained entrance to heaven. While early saints were named simply on the basis of popular devotion, the current canonization process involves a rigorous investigation of alleged miracles resulting from the intercession of a particular person.
Regardless of whether someone is named a saint through informal means or the more formal canonization process, these individuals provide models for other Catholics to fashion their lives. In addition, saints quotes put the Catholic experience into greater perspective for many.
Saints Quotes About Love
Love is an integral part of the Catholic faith. Not only are Catholics taught that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all their hearts and minds, they are also instructed to love their neighbors as themselves.
Saintly sayings on the subject of love include:
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.
St. Augustine
We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.
St. Francis de Sales
You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves.
St. Francis de Sales
The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.
Pope St. Gregory the Great
Saints Quotes About Prayer
Prayer is considered by many to be the cornerstone of Christian life. For Catholics, prayer covers a number of different activities including sacred liturgy, scripture studies, spontaneous prayer, popular devotions and meditation.
Saints quotes on prayer include:
Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
St. Augustine
Prayer ought to be short and pure, unless it be prolonged by the inspiration of Divine grace.
St. Benedict
We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Saints Quotes on the Christian Life
In the second letter of James, we hear that faith without works is dead. So it is little surprise that many saints talk of the importance of our actions. For Catholics, living a Christian life not only means having a robust prayer life, it also includes almsgiving and charitable works.
Saints have the following say on Christian living:
Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.
St. Anthony of Padua
Alms are an inheritance and a justice which is due to the poor and which Jesus has levied upon us.
St. Francis of Assisi
The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.
St. Vincent de Paul
Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts. Neither intelligence nor talents. He cherishes simplicity.
St. Therese of Lisieux
Popular saints quotes also cover subjects such as salvation, Marian devotions and virtues. Catholics continue to look to the Doctors of the Church as well as other saints for insight into living a life worthy of Christ.
Maryalene LaPonsie - Maryalene LaPonsie has been writing professionally for nearly 15 years on topics including religion and politics, education and ...
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