"You Follow Me"

He who wishes to be wise without true Wisdom, or saved without the Savior, is not well, but sick - is not wise, but a fool.  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.  

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 matters easy to himself.  He who always acts under obedience may rest assured that he will not have to give an account of his actions to God.  

Perfection does not consist in such outward things as shedding tears and the like, but in true and solid virtues.  Tears are no sign that a man is in the grace of God, neither must we infer that one who weeps when he speaks of holy and devout things necessarily lives a holy life.  Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life; therefore the servant of God out always be in good spirits.  

When a man is freed from a temptation or any other distress, let him take great care to show fitting gratitude to God for the benefit he has received.  We must accept the adversities which God sends us without reasoning too much upon them, and we must take for granted that it is the best thing which could happen to us.  We must always remember that God does everything well, although we may not see the reason for what he does. 

Everyone ought to give in readily to the opinion of another, and to argue in favor of another and against himself, and take things in good part.  Let a man always think that he has God before his eyes.  

There is nothing the devil fears to much, or so much tries to hinder, as prayer.

An excellent method of preserving ourselves from relapsing into serious faults is to say every evening, "Tomorrow, I may be dead."

-St. Philip Neri

Italian priest and founder of the Oratory, died 1595.