Advice

Make time for good reading, such as different lives of the saints, or good Christian fiction. No matter how much you loathe it, or how busy you are, or how little you understand it, just do it for a short time every day. You will never be the same.

St. Therese on Her First Holy Communion

"Ah! how sweet was that first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love; I felt that I was loved, and I said: 'I love You,and I give myself to You forever!' There were no demands made, no struggles, no sacrifices; for a long time now Jesus and poor little Therese looked at and understood each other. That day, it was no longer simply a look, it was a fusion; they were no longer two, Therese had vanished as a drop of water is lost in the immensity of the ocean. Jesus alone remained; He was the Master, the King. Had not Therese asked Him to take away her liberty, for her liberty frightened her? She felt so feeble and fragile that she wanted to be united forever to the divine Strength! "

~Story of a Soul

From "Story of a Soul"

"When I noticed Celine showing affection for one of her teachers, I wanted to imitate her, but not knowing how to win the good graces of creatures, I was unable to succeed. O blessed ignorance! which has helped me avoid great evils! How can I thank Jesus for making me find 'only bitterness in earth's friendships!' With a heart such as mine, I would have allowed myself to be taken and my wings to be clipped, and then how would I have been able to 'fly and be at rest?' How can a heart given over to the affection of creatures be intimately united with God? I feel this is not possible. Without having drunk the poisoned cup of a too ardent love of creatures, I feel I cannot be mistaken."

Too true! Too often I find myself yearning after the affections of my peers, my younger friends, my fellow students. Would that I would put such energy and effort into desiring God as much!

A Quote from Father Anthony Rice, SJC

"What other people think of me is none of my business."