The flower. . . rejoices at the totally gratuitous gifts of Jesus. She knows that nothing in herself was capable of attracting the divine glances and His mercy alone brought about everything that is good in her.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Love

You ask me a method of attaining perfection. I know of love, and only love. Love can do all things.

– St. Therese of Lisieux

It seems to me that if a little flower could speak, it would tell simply what God has done for it without trying to hide its blessings. It would not say in false humility it is not beautiful or without perfume, that the sun has taken away its splendor and the storm has broken its stem when it knows that all this is untrue.

St. Therese of Lisieux

I shall begin to sing what I must sing eternally: "The mercies of the Lord."

St. Therese of Lisieux

Let us praise Him, my daughters, for He has granted it to us, and let us not tire of praising so great a King and Lord. He has prepared for us a kingdom without end in exchange for a few little trials, which come wrapped in a thousand consolations and will end tomorrow. May He be forever blessed, Amen. Amen.

St. Teresa of Avila

Through the strong desire I have to play some part in helping you to serve my God and Lord, I ask that each time you read this work you, in my name, praise His Majesty fervently and ask for the increase of this Church. . .

St. Teresa of Avila

I want to possess all, my God. May I not fail to enjoy peacefully so much beauty.

St. Teresa of Avila

He never tires of giving. . . Let us not tire of receiving.

St. Teresa of Avila

I ofen consider, my Christ, how pleasing and delightful your eyes are to one who loves you.

St. Teresa of Avila

Oh, strong love of God! And how true it is that nothing seems impossible to the one who loves! Oh, happy the soul that has obtained this peace from its God, for it is master over all the trials and dangers of the world. . .

St. Teresa of Avila

Nor is it in any way good for a person to complain if he sees his Order in some decline: rather he should strive to be the kind of rock on which the edifice may again be raised.

St. Teresa of Avila

Now, is Your Face such, Lord, that we would not look at it when You are so close to us?. . . and do we close our eyes to avoid seeing that you, Lord, are looking at us?

St. Teresa of Avila

[The soul] sees clearly that everything other than pleasing God is nothing.

St. Teresa of Avila

Oh, how good and true will be the love of the sister who can help others by setting aside her own advantage for their sake. . . better friendship will this be than all the tender words that can be uttered.

St. Teresa of Avila

But by considering the love He bore me, I regained my courage, for I never lost confidence in His mercy; in myself, I lost it many times.

St. Teresa of Avila

Love is always stirring and thinking about what it will do. It cannot contain itself. . .

St. Teresa of Avila

Let us desire and be occupied in prayer not for the sake of our enjoyment but so as to have this strength to serve.

St. Teresa of Avila

He Came To Save

Let us not desire delights, daughters: We are well-off here; the bad inn lasts only a night.

St. Teresa of Avila

. . . God doesn't lead all by one path. . . so not because all in this house practice prayer must all be contemplatives; that's impossible.

St. Teresa of Avila

The soul is therefore neither content with nor desirous of the world's satisfactions, because it has in itself what pleases it more. . . . Being with Him is what it wants.

St. Teresa of Avila

. . . in order to . . . ascend to the dwelling places we desire, the important thing is not to think much but to love much: and so do that which best stirs you to love.

St. Teresa of Avila

Well now, as these little dovecotes of the Virgin, Our Lady, were beginning to be inhabited, the Divine Majesty began to show His greatness in these weak little women who were strong though in their desires and their detachment from every creature.

St. Teresa of Avila

Well do I know that to abandon prayer was no longer in my hands for He held me in His.

St. Teresa of Avila

What is necessary, daughters, is that we be content with little.

St. Teresa of Avila

At other times I think I have great courage and that I wouldn't turn from anything of service to God:. . . another day will come in which I won't find the courage in me to kill even an ant for God if in doing so I'd meet with any opposition.

St. Teresa of Avila

If I am not close to You, what am I worth? If I stray a little from Your majesty, where will I end up?

St. Teresa of Avila

In the face of so many enemies it's not possible for us to sit with our hands folded.

St. Teresa of Avila

O Love that loves me more than I can love myself or understand!

St. Teresa of Avila

Ascending Mount Carmel

If you do not strive for the virtues and practice them, you will always be dwarfs.

St. Teresa of Avila

WAY arrives on Blogger!

I thought it would be nice to have one place for the Saint quotes, articles, etc. If you have any ideas, let me know.

Let the body work, for it is good that you work to sustain yourselves; let your soul be at rest.

St. Teresa of Avila

He will see that whoever loves Him much will be able to suffer much for Him; whoever loves Him little will be capable of little. I myself hold that the measure for being able to bear a large or small cross is love.

St. Teresa of Avila

What folly: To flee from the light so as to be always stumbling!

St. Teresa of Avila