“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest thing right and doing it all for love….Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God.”
Thérèse de Lisieux (1873-1897) as recounted in 365 Saints: Your Daily Guide to the Wisdom and Wonder of their Lives ed. Woodeene Koenig-Bricker, April 22 reading.
Read more“Do something good for someone you like least today.” [cf. Luke 6:35]
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) as recounted in Quotable Saints ed. Ronda Chervin, 115.
Read more“The man of charity spreads his money about him, but the man who claims to possess both charity and money is a self-deceived fool.” [cf. Luke 12:20]
St. John Climacus (c. 525-606) as recounted in Quotable Saints ed. Ronda Chervin, 105.
Read more“The American way of thinking is that we are self-sufficient and that we are responsible for all that we possess. The Bible provides a different perspective, of course: that we are merely the overseers of God’s earthly domain, responsible for taking care of His resources until Jesus returns. Getting people to understand and accept our role as managers rather than creators of wealth and resources is a crucial element toward encouraging good stewardship.” [Matthew 25:14-30]
George Barna in How to Increase Giving in Your Church (Ventura: Regal, 1997) 81.
Read more“A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree, the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon as recounted by David Jeremiah Turning Points: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006) 184.
Read more“When you wish to give alms but your thought brings doubt as to whether it is best not to give, test your thought and if you find that the doubt comes from avarice, give a little more than you intended.”
Barsanuphius of Palestine, a.k.a. Barsanuphius of Gaza (died c. 540) as recounted in Quotable Saints ed. Ronda Chervin.
Read more“Remember that the Christian life is one of action; not of speech and daydreams. I intend that every moment of time— past, present and future—be employed by me and all creatures in the best way. In heaven we shall rest.”
Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850), founder of The Pious Society of Missions as recounted in Quotable Saints ed. Ronda Chervin.
Read more“Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength and consolation, and gives them a foretaste of the calm bliss of our heavenly home.”
Rose of Viterbo (1235-1252) as recounted in Quotable Saints ed. Ronda Chervin.
Read more“Put your heart at His feet. It is the gift He loves most.”
Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) favorite saying of early American educator and foundress of the Sisters of Charity.
Read more“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.”
Thérèse de Lisieux (1873-1897) in Story of a Soul, Chapter VIII.
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