Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri: Difference between revisions
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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][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, | 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[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, | 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, | 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; | 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, | 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."; | ||
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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, | 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[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."; | ||
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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, | 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."; | ||
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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][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][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, | 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, 'If I can, if I do not forget it,' 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, 'If I can, if I do not forget it,' 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 09:01, 5 April 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.