Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri: Difference between revisions

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maxim[1][15] = "Obedience is a short cut to perfection.";
maxim[1][15] = "Obedience is a short cut to perfection.";
maxim[1][16] = "They who really wish to advance in the ways of God must give themselves into the hands of their superiors always and in everything; and they who are not living under obedience must subject themselves of their own accord to a learned and discreet confessor, whom they must obey in the place of God, disclosing to him with perfect freedom and simplicity the affairs of their soul, and they should never come to any resolution without his advice.";
maxim[1][16] = "They who really wish to advance in the ways of God must give themselves into the hands of their superiors always and in everything; and they who are not living under obedience must subject themselves of their own accord to a learned and discreet confessor, whom they must obey in the place of God, disclosing to him with perfect freedom and simplicity the affairs of their soul, and they should never come to any resolution without his advice.";
maxim[1][17] = "There is nothing which gives greater security to our actions or more effectually cuts the snares the devil lays for us than to follow another person’s will rather than our own in doing good.";
maxim[1][17] = "There is nothing which gives greater security to our actions or more effectually cuts the snares the devil lays for us than to follow another person's will rather than our own in doing good.";
maxim[1][18] = "Before a man chooses his confessor, he ought to think well about it and also pray about it; but when he has once chosen, he ought not to change, except for most urgent reasons, but put the utmost confidence in his director.";
maxim[1][18] = "Before a man chooses his confessor, he ought to think well about it and also pray about it; but when he has once chosen, he ought not to change, except for most urgent reasons, but put the utmost confidence in his director.";
maxim[1][19] = "When the devil has failed in making a man fall, he puts forward all his energies to create distrust between the penitent and the confessor, and so by little and little he gains his end at last.";
maxim[1][19] = "When the devil has failed in making a man fall, he puts forward all his energies to create distrust between the penitent and the confessor, and so by little and little he gains his end at last.";
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maxim[1][23] = "Our Blessed Lady ought to be our love and our consolation.";
maxim[1][23] = "Our Blessed Lady ought to be our love and our consolation.";
maxim[1][24] = "The good works which we do of our own will are not so meritorious as those that are done under obedience.";
maxim[1][24] = "The good works which we do of our own will are not so meritorious as those that are done under obedience.";
maxim[1][25] = "The most beautiful prayer we can make is to say to God, “As Thou knowest and willest, O Lord, so do with me.”";
maxim[1][25] = "The most beautiful prayer we can make is to say to God, “As Thou knowest and willest, O Lord, so do with me.”";
maxim[1][26] = "When tribulations, infirmities, and contradictions come, we must not run away in a fright, but vanquish them like men.";
maxim[1][26] = "When tribulations, infirmities, and contradictions come, we must not run away in a fright, but vanquish them like men.";
maxim[1][27] = "It is not enough to see that God wishes the good we aim at, but that He wishes it through our instrumentality, in our manner, and in our time; and we come to discern all this by true obedience.";
maxim[1][27] = "It is not enough to see that God wishes the good we aim at, but that He wishes it through our instrumentality, in our manner, and in our time; and we come to discern all this by true obedience.";
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maxim[2]=new Array();
maxim[2]=new Array();
maxim[2][1] = "He who wishes to be wise without the true Wisdom, or saved without the Savior, is not well, but sick - he is not a wise man, but a fool.";
maxim[2][1] = "He who wishes to be wise without the true Wisdom, or saved without the Savior, is not well, but sick - he is not a wise man, but a fool.";
maxim[2][2] = "Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is actually necessary because there is no better means of obtaining God’s graces than through His most holy mother.";
maxim[2][2] = "Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is actually necessary because there is no better means of obtaining God's graces than through His most holy mother.";
maxim[2][3] = "A man should force himself to be obedient, even in little things which appear of no moment, because he will thus render the practice of obedience in great matters easy to himself.";
maxim[2][3] = "A man should force himself to be obedient, even in little things which appear of no moment, because he will thus render the practice of obedience in great matters easy to himself.";
maxim[2][4] = "He who always acts under obedience may rest assured that he will not have to give an account of his actions to God.";
maxim[2][4] = "He who always acts under obedience may rest assured that he will not have to give an account of his actions to God.";
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maxim[2][20] = "The greatest help to perseverance in the spiritual life is the habit of prayer, especially under the direction of our confessor.";
maxim[2][20] = "The greatest help to perseverance in the spiritual life is the habit of prayer, especially under the direction of our confessor.";
maxim[2][21] = "There is nothing the devil fears so much or so much tries to hinder as prayer.";
maxim[2][21] = "There is nothing the devil fears so much or so much tries to hinder as prayer.";
maxim[2][22] = "An excellent method of preserving ourselves from relapsing into serious faults is to say every evening, “To-morrow I may be dead.”";
maxim[2][22] = "An excellent method of preserving ourselves from relapsing into serious faults is to say every evening, “To-morrow I may be dead.”";
maxim[2][23] = "A man without prayer is an animal without the use of reason.";
maxim[2][23] = "A man without prayer is an animal without the use of reason.";
maxim[2][24] = "The religious state is indeed the highest, but it is not suitable for all.";
maxim[2][24] = "The religious state is indeed the highest, but it is not suitable for all.";
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maxim[3]=new Array();
maxim[3]=new Array();
maxim[3][1] = "We must never pray for a favor for anyone, except conditionally, saying, “If it please God,” or the like.";
maxim[3][1] = "We must never pray for a favor for anyone, except conditionally, saying, “If it please God,” or the like.";
maxim[3][2] = "When a spiritual person feels a great calmness of mind in asking anything of God, it is a good sign that God either has granted it, or will do so shortly.";
maxim[3][2] = "When a spiritual person feels a great calmness of mind in asking anything of God, it is a good sign that God either has granted it, or will do so shortly.";
maxim[3][3] = "A man ought never to think he has done any good, or rest contented with any degree of perfection he may have attained, because Christ has given us the type of our perfection in putting before us the perfection of the Eternal Father: 'Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.'";
maxim[3][3] = "A man ought never to think he has done any good, or rest contented with any degree of perfection he may have attained, because Christ has given us the type of our perfection in putting before us the perfection of the Eternal Father: 'Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.'";
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maxim[3][10] = "We must pray incessantly for the gift of perseverance.";
maxim[3][10] = "We must pray incessantly for the gift of perseverance.";
maxim[3][11] = "We must not leave off our prayers because of distractions and restlessness of mind, although it seems useless to go on with them. He who perseveres for the whole of his accustomed time, gently recalling his mind to the subject of his prayer, merits greatly.";
maxim[3][11] = "We must not leave off our prayers because of distractions and restlessness of mind, although it seems useless to go on with them. He who perseveres for the whole of his accustomed time, gently recalling his mind to the subject of his prayer, merits greatly.";
maxim[3][12] = "If in times of dryness in prayer we make acts of humility, self-knowledge, protestations of our own inability to help ourselves, and petitions for God’s assistance, all this is real and substantial prayer.";
maxim[3][12] = "If in times of dryness in prayer we make acts of humility, self-knowledge, protestations of our own inability to help ourselves, and petitions for God's assistance, all this is real and substantial prayer.";
maxim[3][13] = "The best remedy for dryness of spirit is to picture ourselves as beggars in the presence of God and the Saints, and like a beggar, to go first to one saint, then to another, to ask a spiritual alms of them with the same earnestness as a poor fellow in the streets would ask an alms of us.";
maxim[3][13] = "The best remedy for dryness of spirit is to picture ourselves as beggars in the presence of God and the Saints, and like a beggar, to go first to one saint, then to another, to ask a spiritual alms of them with the same earnestness as a poor fellow in the streets would ask an alms of us.";
maxim[3][14] = "We may even ask for a spiritual blessing physically by going first to the church of one Saint, and then to the church of another, to make our petition.";
maxim[3][14] = "We may even ask for a spiritual blessing physically by going first to the church of one Saint, and then to the church of another, to make our petition.";
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maxim[3][17] = "If young men would preserve their purity, let them avoid bad company.";
maxim[3][17] = "If young men would preserve their purity, let them avoid bad company.";
maxim[3][18] = "Let them also avoid nourishing their bodies delicately.";
maxim[3][18] = "Let them also avoid nourishing their bodies delicately.";
maxim[3][19] = "It is God’s custom to interweave human life with a trouble and a consolation, at least of an interior sort, alternately.";
maxim[3][19] = "It is God's custom to interweave human life with a trouble and a consolation, at least of an interior sort, alternately.";
maxim[3][20] = "Young men should be very careful to avoid idleness.";
maxim[3][20] = "Young men should be very careful to avoid idleness.";
maxim[3][21] = "When fathers have given their sons a good education, and set them on the right track, the sons who succeed them and continue to follow the road marked out for them will have the advantage of seeing their family persevere in holy ways and in the fear of God.";
maxim[3][21] = "When fathers have given their sons a good education, and set them on the right track, the sons who succeed them and continue to follow the road marked out for them will have the advantage of seeing their family persevere in holy ways and in the fear of God.";
maxim[3][22] = "In order to preserve their purity, young men should frequent the Sacraments, and especially confession.";
maxim[3][22] = "In order to preserve their purity, young men should frequent the Sacraments, and especially confession.";
maxim[3][23] = "We must never trust ourselves, for it is the devil’s way first to get us to feel secure, and then to make us fall.";
maxim[3][23] = "We must never trust ourselves, for it is the devil's way first to get us to feel secure, and then to make us fall.";
maxim[3][24] = "We ought to fear and fly from temptations of the flesh, even in sickness and in old age itself--indeed, just as long as we can still open and shut our eyelids--for the spirit of incontinence gives no truce either to place, time, or person.";
maxim[3][24] = "We ought to fear and fly from temptations of the flesh, even in sickness and in old age itself--indeed, just as long as we can still open and shut our eyelids--for the spirit of incontinence gives no truce either to place, time, or person.";
maxim[3][25] = "Our sweet Christ, the Word Incarnate, has given Himself to us in order to supply us with all we need, even giving Himself to us through His hard and ignominious death upon the cross.";
maxim[3][25] = "Our sweet Christ, the Word Incarnate, has given Himself to us in order to supply us with all we need, even giving Himself to us through His hard and ignominious death upon the cross.";
maxim[3][26] = "One of the most efficacious means of keeping ourselves chaste is to have compassion for those who fall through their frailty, and never to boast in the least of being free, but with all humility to acknowledge that whatever we have is from the mercy of God.";
maxim[3][26] = "One of the most efficacious means of keeping ourselves chaste is to have compassion for those who fall through their frailty, and never to boast in the least of being free, but with all humility to acknowledge that whatever we have is from the mercy of God.";
maxim[3][27] = "To be without pity for other men’s falls is an evident sign that we shall fall ourselves shortly.";
maxim[3][27] = "To be without pity for other men's falls is an evident sign that we shall fall ourselves shortly.";
maxim[3][28] = "In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than the not fearing the danger: when a man does not distrust himself, and is without fear, it is all over with him.";
maxim[3][28] = "In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than the not fearing the danger: when a man does not distrust himself, and is without fear, it is all over with him.";
maxim[3][29] = "The devil generally makes use of the weaker sex when he wishes to cause us to fall.";
maxim[3][29] = "The devil generally makes use of the weaker sex when he wishes to cause us to fall.";
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maxim[4][3] = 'As soon as a man feels that he is tempted, he should fly to God, and devoutly utter that petition which the fathers of the desert so much esteemed: <i>Deus in adjutorium meum intende; Domine ad adjuvandum me festina</i>, or that verse, <i>cor mundum crea in me Deus</i>.<p><ul style="float:right;margin-right:8em"><li>"God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me."</li><li>"A clean heart create for me, O God."</li></ul></div>';
maxim[4][3] = 'As soon as a man feels that he is tempted, he should fly to God, and devoutly utter that petition which the fathers of the desert so much esteemed: <i>Deus in adjutorium meum intende; Domine ad adjuvandum me festina</i>, or that verse, <i>cor mundum crea in me Deus</i>.<p><ul style="float:right;margin-right:8em"><li>"God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me."</li><li>"A clean heart create for me, O God."</li></ul></div>';
maxim[4][4] = "When sensual thoughts come into the mind, we ought immediately to make use of our minds and fix them instantaneously upon something or other, no matter what.";
maxim[4][4] = "When sensual thoughts come into the mind, we ought immediately to make use of our minds and fix them instantaneously upon something or other, no matter what.";
maxim[4][5] = "Never say, “What great things the Saints do,” but, “What great things God does in His Saints.”";
maxim[4][5] = "Never say, “What great things the Saints do,” but, “What great things God does in His Saints.”";
maxim[4][6] = "In the warfare of the flesh, only cowards gain the victory; that is to say, those who run away from temptation.";
maxim[4][6] = "In the warfare of the flesh, only cowards gain the victory; that is to say, those who run away from temptation.";
maxim[4][7] = "We should be less alarmed for one who is tempted in the flesh, but who resists by avoiding the occasions, than for one who is not tempted and is not careful to avoid the occasions.";
maxim[4][7] = "We should be less alarmed for one who is tempted in the flesh, but who resists by avoiding the occasions, than for one who is not tempted and is not careful to avoid the occasions.";
maxim[4][8] = "When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, “I shall not fall, I shall not commit this sin,” it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with all the greater damage to his soul.";
maxim[4][8] = "When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, “I shall not fall, I shall not commit this sin,” it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with all the greater damage to his soul.";
maxim[4][9] = "It is a most useful thing to say often, and from the heart, “Lord, do not put any confidence in me, for I am sure to fall if You do not help me;” or, “O my Lord, look for nothing but evil from me.”";
maxim[4][9] = "It is a most useful thing to say often, and from the heart, “Lord, do not put any confidence in me, for I am sure to fall if You do not help me;” or, “O my Lord, look for nothing but evil from me.”";
maxim[4][10] = "In temptation we ought not to say, “I will do,” “I will say,” for it is a species of presumption and self-confidence; we ought rather to say with humility, “I know what I should do, but I don't know what I will do.”";
maxim[4][10] = "In temptation we ought not to say, “I will do,” “I will say,” for it is a species of presumption and self-confidence; we ought rather to say with humility, “I know what I should do, but I don't know what I will do.”";
maxim[4][11] = "The stench of impurity before God and the angels is so great that no stench in the world can equal it.";
maxim[4][11] = "The stench of impurity before God and the angels is so great that no stench in the world can equal it.";
maxim[4][12] = "We must not trust in ourselves, but take the advice of our spiritual father, and recommend ourselves to everybody’s prayers.";
maxim[4][12] = "We must not trust in ourselves, but take the advice of our spiritual father, and recommend ourselves to everybody's prayers.";
maxim[4][13] = "We must avoid lies as we would a pestilence.";
maxim[4][13] = "We must avoid lies as we would a pestilence.";
maxim[4][14] = "When we go to confession, we should accuse ourselves of our worst sins first, and of those things which we are most ashamed of, because by this means we put the devil to greater confusion and reap more fruit from our confession.";
maxim[4][14] = "When we go to confession, we should accuse ourselves of our worst sins first, and of those things which we are most ashamed of, because by this means we put the devil to greater confusion and reap more fruit from our confession.";
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maxim[4][27] = "Buffoonery incapacitates a person from receiving any additional spirituality from God.";
maxim[4][27] = "Buffoonery incapacitates a person from receiving any additional spirituality from God.";
maxim[4][28] = "Nay more, bufoonery roots up the little a man may have already acquired.";
maxim[4][28] = "Nay more, bufoonery roots up the little a man may have already acquired.";
maxim[4][29] = "At table, especially where there are guests, we ought to eat every kind of food, and not say, “I like this,” and “I do not like that.”";
maxim[4][29] = "At table, especially where there are guests, we ought to eat every kind of food, and not say, “I like this,” and “I do not like that.”";
maxim[4][30] = "Human language cannot express the beauty of a soul which dies in a state of grace.";
maxim[4][30] = "Human language cannot express the beauty of a soul which dies in a state of grace.";


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maxim[6][13] = "The servant of God ought to seek knowledge, but never to show it or make a parade of it.";
maxim[6][13] = "The servant of God ought to seek knowledge, but never to show it or make a parade of it.";
maxim[6][14] = "Let us always go to confession with sincerity and take as our rule never to conceal anything, no matter how slight, from our confessor because of human respect.";
maxim[6][14] = "Let us always go to confession with sincerity and take as our rule never to conceal anything, no matter how slight, from our confessor because of human respect.";
maxim[6][15] = "He who conceals a grave sin in confession is completely in the devil’s hands.";
maxim[6][15] = "He who conceals a grave sin in confession is completely in the devil's hands.";
maxim[6][16] = "Penitents should not generally change their confessors, nor confessors be forward to receive the penitents of others, a few particular cases excepted.";
maxim[6][16] = "Penitents should not generally change their confessors, nor confessors be forward to receive the penitents of others, a few particular cases excepted.";
maxim[6][17] = "When a person who has been living a spiritual life for a long time falls into a serious fault, there is no better way of raising him up again than by encouraging him to manifest his fall to any pious friend with whom he has a particular intimacy, and God will restore him to his first estate because of his humility.";
maxim[6][17] = "When a person who has been living a spiritual life for a long time falls into a serious fault, there is no better way of raising him up again than by encouraging him to manifest his fall to any pious friend with whom he has a particular intimacy, and God will restore him to his first estate because of his humility.";
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maxim[7][11] = "Those who, when they have got a little devotion, think they are some great one, are only fit to be laughed at.";
maxim[7][11] = "Those who, when they have got a little devotion, think they are some great one, are only fit to be laughed at.";
maxim[7][12] = "Humility is the true guardian of chastity.";
maxim[7][12] = "Humility is the true guardian of chastity.";
maxim[7][13] = "When a man has fallen he ought to acknowledge it in some such way as this: “Ah, if I had been humble I should not have fallen!”";
maxim[7][13] = "When a man has fallen he ought to acknowledge it in some such way as this: “Ah, if I had been humble I should not have fallen!”";
maxim[7][14] = "We ought to be pleased to hear that others are advancing in the service of God, especially if they are our relations or friends; and we ought to rejoice that they share in whatever spiritual good we may have ourselves.";
maxim[7][14] = "We ought to be pleased to hear that others are advancing in the service of God, especially if they are our relations or friends; and we ought to rejoice that they share in whatever spiritual good we may have ourselves.";
maxim[7][15] = "In order the better to gain souls, in visiting the sick, we ought to imagine that what we do for the sick man we are doing for Christ Himself; we shall thus perform this work of mercy with more love and greater spiritual profit.";
maxim[7][15] = "In order the better to gain souls, in visiting the sick, we ought to imagine that what we do for the sick man we are doing for Christ Himself; we shall thus perform this work of mercy with more love and greater spiritual profit.";
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maxim[9][5] = "It is easy to infuse a most fervent devotion into others, even in a short time, but the great matter is to persevere.";
maxim[9][5] = "It is easy to infuse a most fervent devotion into others, even in a short time, but the great matter is to persevere.";
maxim[9][6] = "He who continues in anger, strife, and a bitter spirit has a taste of the air of hell.";
maxim[9][6] = "He who continues in anger, strife, and a bitter spirit has a taste of the air of hell.";
maxim[9][7] = "To obtain the protection of our Blessed Lady in our most urgent wants, it is very useful to say sixty-three times, after the fashion of a Rosary, “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.”";
maxim[9][7] = "To obtain the protection of our Blessed Lady in our most urgent wants, it is very useful to say sixty-three times, after the fashion of a Rosary, “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.”";
maxim[9][8] = "When we make this prayer to our Blessed Lady--<i>“Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me”</i>--we give her every possible praise in the least possible compass, because we call her by her name of Mary, and give her those two great titles of Virgin, and Mother of God, and then name Jesus, the fruit of her most pure womb.";
maxim[9][8] = "When we make this prayer to our Blessed Lady--<i>“Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me”</i>--we give her every possible praise in the least possible compass, because we call her by her name of Mary, and give her those two great titles of Virgin, and Mother of God, and then name Jesus, the fruit of her most pure womb.";
maxim[9][9] = "The things of this world do not remain constantly with us, for if we do not leave them before we actually die, in death at least we all infallibly depart as empty-handed as we came.";
maxim[9][9] = "The things of this world do not remain constantly with us, for if we do not leave them before we actually die, in death at least we all infallibly depart as empty-handed as we came.";
maxim[9][10] = "To pray well requires the whole man.";
maxim[9][10] = "To pray well requires the whole man.";
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maxim[10][1] = "In passing from a bad state to a good one there is no need of counsel, but in passing from a good one to a better, time, counsel, and prayer must go into the decision.";
maxim[10][1] = "In passing from a bad state to a good one there is no need of counsel, but in passing from a good one to a better, time, counsel, and prayer must go into the decision.";
maxim[10][2] = "We must continually pray to God for the conversion of sinners, thinking of the joy there is in heaven both to God and the angels in the conversion of each separate sinner.";
maxim[10][2] = "We must continually pray to God for the conversion of sinners, thinking of the joy there is in heaven both to God and the angels in the conversion of each separate sinner.";
maxim[10][3] = "To speak of ourselves without cause, saying, “I have said,” “I have done,” incapacitates us for receiving spiritual consolations. ";
maxim[10][3] = "To speak of ourselves without cause, saying, “I have said,” “I have done,” incapacitates us for receiving spiritual consolations. ";
maxim[10][4] = "We ought to desire to be in such a condition as to want sixpence, but not be able to get it.";
maxim[10][4] = "We ought to desire to be in such a condition as to want sixpence, but not be able to get it.";
maxim[10][5] = "Let us despise gold, silver, jewels, and all that the blind and cheated world vainly and ignorantly prizes.";
maxim[10][5] = "Let us despise gold, silver, jewels, and all that the blind and cheated world vainly and ignorantly prizes.";
maxim[10][6] = "Let us learn here below to give God the confession of praise which we ought to hope to give Him in heaven above.";
maxim[10][6] = "Let us learn here below to give God the confession of praise which we ought to hope to give Him in heaven above.";
maxim[10][7] = "He who wishes to go to Paradise must be an honest man and a good Christian, and not give heed to dreams.";
maxim[10][7] = "He who wishes to go to Paradise must be an honest man and a good Christian, and not give heed to dreams.";
maxim[10][8] = "Fathers and mothers of families should bring up their children virtuously, looking at them as God’s children rather than their own; [they should bring up their children] to count life and health and all they possess as loans which they hold of God.";
maxim[10][8] = "Fathers and mothers of families should bring up their children virtuously, looking at them as God's children rather than their own; [they should bring up their children] to count life and health and all they possess as loans which they hold of God.";
maxim[10][9] = "In saying the Pater Noster, we ought to reflect that we have God for our Father in heaven, and so go on, making a sort of meditation of it word by word.";
maxim[10][9] = "In saying the Pater Noster, we ought to reflect that we have God for our Father in heaven, and so go on, making a sort of meditation of it word by word.";
maxim[10][10] = "To make ourselves disaffected to the things of the world, it is a good thing to think seriously of the end of them, saying to ourselves,<i> “And then? And then?”</i>";
maxim[10][10] = "To make ourselves disaffected to the things of the world, it is a good thing to think seriously of the end of them, saying to ourselves,<i> “And then? And then?”</i>";
maxim[10][11] = "The devil, who is a most haughty spirit, is never more completely mastered than by humility of heart, and a simple, clear, undisguised manifestation of our sins and temptations to our confessor.";
maxim[10][11] = "The devil, who is a most haughty spirit, is never more completely mastered than by humility of heart, and a simple, clear, undisguised manifestation of our sins and temptations to our confessor.";
maxim[10][12] = "We ought not ordinarily to believe prophecies or to desire them, because it is possible there may be many deceits and snares of the devil therein.";
maxim[10][12] = "We ought not ordinarily to believe prophecies or to desire them, because it is possible there may be many deceits and snares of the devil therein.";
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maxim[10][18] = "The perfection of a Christian consists in knowing how to mortify himself for the love of Christ.";
maxim[10][18] = "The perfection of a Christian consists in knowing how to mortify himself for the love of Christ.";
maxim[10][19] = "He who desires ecstasies and visions does not know what he is desiring.";
maxim[10][19] = "He who desires ecstasies and visions does not know what he is desiring.";
maxim[10][20] = "As for those who run after visions, dreams, and the like, we must lay hold of them by the feet and pull them to the ground by force, lest they should fall into the devil’s net.";
maxim[10][20] = "As for those who run after visions, dreams, and the like, we must lay hold of them by the feet and pull them to the ground by force, lest they should fall into the devil's net.";
maxim[10][21] = "According to the rules of the fathers and ancient monks, whoever wishes to advance in perfection must hold the world in contempt.";
maxim[10][21] = "According to the rules of the fathers and ancient monks, whoever wishes to advance in perfection must hold the world in contempt.";
maxim[10][22] = "There is nothing more displeasing to God than our being inflated with self-esteem.";
maxim[10][22] = "There is nothing more displeasing to God than our being inflated with self-esteem.";
maxim[10][23] = "When a man knows how to break down his own will and to deny his soul what it desires, he has got a good degree in virtue.";
maxim[10][23] = "When a man knows how to break down his own will and to deny his soul what it desires, he has got a good degree in virtue.";
maxim[10][24] = "When a man falls into any bodily infirmity, as he lies in bed recuperating, he must think and say, “God has sent me this sickness because He wishes something of me; I must therefore make up my mind to change my life and become better.”";
maxim[10][24] = "When a man falls into any bodily infirmity, as he lies in bed recuperating, he must think and say, “God has sent me this sickness because He wishes something of me; I must therefore make up my mind to change my life and become better.”";
maxim[10][25] = "When a man has a tribulation sent him from God and is impatient, we may say to him, “You are not worthy that God should visit you; you do not deserve so great a good.”";
maxim[10][25] = "When a man has a tribulation sent him from God and is impatient, we may say to him, “You are not worthy that God should visit you; you do not deserve so great a good.”";
maxim[10][26] = "Poverty and tribulations are given us by God as trials of our fidelity and virtue, as well as to enrich us with more real and lasting riches in heaven.";
maxim[10][26] = "Poverty and tribulations are given us by God as trials of our fidelity and virtue, as well as to enrich us with more real and lasting riches in heaven.";
maxim[10][27] = "Scruples ought to be most carefully avoided because they disquiet the mind and make a man melancholy.";
maxim[10][27] = "Scruples ought to be most carefully avoided because they disquiet the mind and make a man melancholy.";
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maxim[11][11] = "It is an old custom with the servants of God always to have some short prayers ready, and to send them up to heaven frequently during the day, lifting their minds to God from out of the filth of this world. He who adopts this plan will get great fruit with little pains.";
maxim[11][11] = "It is an old custom with the servants of God always to have some short prayers ready, and to send them up to heaven frequently during the day, lifting their minds to God from out of the filth of this world. He who adopts this plan will get great fruit with little pains.";
maxim[11][12] = "Tribulations, if we bear them patiently for the love of God, appear bitter at first, but they grow sweet when one gets accustomed to the taste.";
maxim[11][12] = "Tribulations, if we bear them patiently for the love of God, appear bitter at first, but they grow sweet when one gets accustomed to the taste.";
maxim[11][13] = "The man who loves God with a true heart, and prizes him above all things, sometimes sheds floods of tears at prayer, and has an abundance of favors and spiritual feelings coming upon him with such vehemence, that he is forced to cry out, “Lord! let me be quiet!”";
maxim[11][13] = "The man who loves God with a true heart, and prizes him above all things, sometimes sheds floods of tears at prayer, and has an abundance of favors and spiritual feelings coming upon him with such vehemence, that he is forced to cry out, “Lord! let me be quiet!”";
maxim[11][14] = "But a man ought not to seek for these gifts of sweetness and sensible devotions forcibly, for he will be easily deluded by the devil, and will run a risk of injuring his health.";
maxim[11][14] = "But a man ought not to seek for these gifts of sweetness and sensible devotions forcibly, for he will be easily deluded by the devil, and will run a risk of injuring his health.";
maxim[11][15] = "When the soul lies resignedly in the hands of God, and is contented with the divine pleasure, it is in good hands, and has the best security that good will happen to it.";
maxim[11][15] = "When the soul lies resignedly in the hands of God, and is contented with the divine pleasure, it is in good hands, and has the best security that good will happen to it.";
maxim[11][16] = "To be entirely conformed and resigned to the Divine Will is truly a road on which we cannot go wrong, and is the only road which leads us to taste and enjoy that peace of which sensual and earthly men know nothing.";
maxim[11][16] = "To be entirely conformed and resigned to the Divine Will is truly a road on which we cannot go wrong, and is the only road which leads us to taste and enjoy that peace of which sensual and earthly men know nothing.";
maxim[11][17] = "Resignation is all in all to the sick man; he ought to say to God, “Lord, if You want me, here I am, although I have never done any good: do with me what You will.”";
maxim[11][17] = "Resignation is all in all to the sick man; he ought to say to God, “Lord, if You want me, here I am, although I have never done any good: do with me what You will.”";
maxim[11][18] = "Never make a noise of any sort in church, except for the greatest necessity.";
maxim[11][18] = "Never make a noise of any sort in church, except for the greatest necessity.";
maxim[11][19] = "Patience is necessary for the servant of God; we must not be distressed at trouble, but wait for consolation.";
maxim[11][19] = "Patience is necessary for the servant of God; we must not be distressed at trouble, but wait for consolation.";
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maxim[11][24] = "He is perfect in the school of Christ who despises being despised, rejoices in self-contempt, and accounts himself to be truly nothing.";
maxim[11][24] = "He is perfect in the school of Christ who despises being despised, rejoices in self-contempt, and accounts himself to be truly nothing.";
maxim[11][25] = "The way which God takes with the souls that love Him--allowing them to be tempted and to fall into tribulations--is a true espousal between Himself and them.";
maxim[11][25] = "The way which God takes with the souls that love Him--allowing them to be tempted and to fall into tribulations--is a true espousal between Himself and them.";
maxim[11][26] = "In temptations of the flesh, a Christian ought to have immediate recourse to God, make the sign of the cross over his heart three times, and say, “Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”";
maxim[11][26] = "In temptations of the flesh, a Christian ought to have immediate recourse to God, make the sign of the cross over his heart three times, and say, “Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”";
maxim[11][27] = "As to temptations, some are mastered by flying from them, some by resisting them, and some by despising them.";
maxim[11][27] = "As to temptations, some are mastered by flying from them, some by resisting them, and some by despising them.";
maxim[11][28] = "In order to acquire prudence, and to make a good judgment, we must have lived long and been intimate with many people.";
maxim[11][28] = "In order to acquire prudence, and to make a good judgment, we must have lived long and been intimate with many people.";
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maxim[12][5] = "Penitents ought not to go to confession for temporal ends, to get alms and the like.";
maxim[12][5] = "Penitents ought not to go to confession for temporal ends, to get alms and the like.";
maxim[12][6] = "We ought to make no account of an immodest person, notwithstanding that he may possess other virtues.";
maxim[12][6] = "We ought to make no account of an immodest person, notwithstanding that he may possess other virtues.";
maxim[12][7] = "The Holy Spirit says of prelates and pastors, &quot;He who hears and obeys his superiors, hears and obeys Me, and he who despises them, despises and disobeys Me.&quot;";
maxim[12][7] = "The Holy Spirit says of prelates and pastors, “He who hears and obeys his superiors, hears and obeys Me, and he who despises them, despises and disobeys Me.”";
maxim[12][8] = "If the servant of God wishes to walk with more security through so many snares scattered in every place, he should have our Blessed Lady as his mediatrix with her Son.";
maxim[12][8] = "If the servant of God wishes to walk with more security through so many snares scattered in every place, he should have our Blessed Lady as his mediatrix with her Son.";
maxim[12][9] = "The sick man may desire to get well, provided he seals his desire by praying, “If it please God,” “If it is good for my soul;” for we can do many good things in health that sickness hinders us from doing.";
maxim[12][9] = "The sick man may desire to get well, provided he seals his desire by praying, “If it please God,” “If it is good for my soul;” for we can do many good things in health that sickness hinders us from doing.";
maxim[12][10] = "In sickness we ought to ask God to give us patience, because it often happens that when a man gets well, he not only does not do the good he proposed to do when he was sick, but multiplies his sins and his ingratitude.";
maxim[12][10] = "In sickness we ought to ask God to give us patience, because it often happens that when a man gets well, he not only does not do the good he proposed to do when he was sick, but multiplies his sins and his ingratitude.";
maxim[12][11] = "The mole is a blind rat that always stays in the ground; it eats earth, and hollows it out, but is never satisfied with it--so, too, the avaricious person.";
maxim[12][11] = "The mole is a blind rat that always stays in the ground; it eats earth, and hollows it out, but is never satisfied with it--so, too, the avaricious person.";
maxim[12][12] = "Penitents should never make vows without the advice of their spiritual fathers.";
maxim[12][12] = "Penitents should never make vows without the advice of their spiritual fathers.";
maxim[12][13] = "If we do make such vows, it is best to make them conditionally: for example, “I make a vow to have two masses said on St. Lucy’s day, with the reservation, &#39;If I can, if I do not forget it,&#39; because if I do not remember it, I do not wish to be bound.”";
maxim[12][13] = "If we do make such vows, it is best to make them conditionally: for example, “I make a vow to have two masses said on St. Lucy's day, with the reservation, &#39;If I can, if I do not forget it,&#39; because if I do not remember it, I do not wish to be bound.”";
maxim[12][14] = "When a man has to buy anything, he ought not to do so because he is moved by an attachment to the thing, but from want and necessity; for it will never do to act out of a disordered desire for the thing.";
maxim[12][14] = "When a man has to buy anything, he ought not to do so because he is moved by an attachment to the thing, but from want and necessity; for it will never do to act out of a disordered desire for the thing.";
maxim[12][15] = "Certain little voluntary attachments of self-love must be cut through, and then we must dig round them, and then remove the earth, till we get down deep enough to find the place where they are rooted and interlaced together.";
maxim[12][15] = "Certain little voluntary attachments of self-love must be cut through, and then we must dig round them, and then remove the earth, till we get down deep enough to find the place where they are rooted and interlaced together.";

Revision as of 10:10, 23 March 2021


Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Maxims from September 7 and 8
To obtain the protection of our Blessed Lady in our most urgent wants, it is very useful to say sixty-three times, after the fashion of a Rosary, “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.”
When we make this prayer to our Blessed Lady, we give her every possible praise in the least possible compass, because we call her by her name of MARY, and give her those two great titles of Virgin, and Mother of God, and then name JESUS, the fruit of her most pure womb.
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