A Vivid Dream and the Beauty of Nature

By St. Thérèse of Lisieux | February 3, 2023

I remember a dream I had at that age, which left a very deep impression: I was walking alone in the garden when suddenly I saw two horrible little devils near the arbor, dancing on a barrel of lime with amazing agility, in spite of having heavy irons on their feet. They looked at me…

Read More

Four Means of Distrusting Oneself

By Don Lorenzo Scupoli | January 25, 2023

DISTRUST of self is so absolutely requisite in the spiritual combat that without this virtue we cannot expect to defeat our weakest passions, much less gain a complete victory. This important truth should be deeply embedded in our hearts; for, although in ourselves we are nothing, we are too apt to overestimate our own abilities…

Read More

Maxims for Perseverance in Piety

By St. Francis de Sales | January 24, 2023

TO LIVE constantly in devotion, we have only to establish sound principles or maxims in our soul. The first which I desire you to adopt is that of St. Paul: “All things work together for good to those who love God.” And truly, since God is able and understands how to draw good from evil,…

Read More

The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian

By St. Ambrose of Milan | January 20, 2023

After all of these things had taken place, Sebastian himself was arrested by the imperial spies. Since he was a man of high rank in the Roman army and court, he was taken before the emperor Diocletian for a personal audience. Diocletian looked upon Sebastian with some sadness and disappointment. At last, he exclaimed, “Sebastian,…

Read More

Ignorance and Neglect of the Interior Life

By Fr. Jean-Baptiste Chautard | January 13, 2023

St. Gregory the Great, who was as skillful an administrator and as zealous an apostle as he was great in contemplation, sums up in two words, Secum vivebat (He lived with himself), the state of soul of St. Benedict, when, at Subiaco, he was saying the foundation for that Rule which was to become one…

Read More