Vincent de paul quotes

You say you are not happy in the Mission. That, in itself, is not a sign that God does not want you there. Perfect contentment is never to be found, in whatever place and condition one may be. This life is full of annoyances and troubles both of mind and of body; it is a state of continual agitation, which snatches peace of mind from those who think they possess it and eludes those who seek it. Did Our Lord lead an easy life?

Remember, Monsieur that roses are not gathered except in the midst of thorns and that heroic acts of virtue are accomplished only in weakness.

. . . [R]estlessness usually stems from pride and from being discontented with one's lot in life.

Laws must never be made compatible with crimes, no more than lying should be in harmony with the truth.

...a great good is worth being long desired.

It is a ruse of the devil, by which he deceives good people, to induce them to do more than they are able, so that they end up not being able to do anything. The spirit of God urges one gently to do the good that can be done reasonably, so that it may be done perseveringly and for a long time.

Noise makes no good, good makes no noise.

Fear not; calm will follow the storm, and perhaps soon.

The children of our Lord walk gladly in his ways; they have confidence in him, and so when they fall, they rise again; and if, instead of stopping to grumble about the stone they have tripped over, they humble themselves at their fall, this helps them to advance with great strides in his love.

Let us allow God to act; He brings things to completion when we least expect it.

I am determined, even if they throw mud in my face, never to show any resentment, nor break with them, nor deviate from the esteem and honor I owe them in the sight of God. If they forget themselves and say or do something offensive against your little bark, even if it is done purposely to make it sink, bear with it for the love of God, who will save you from shipwreck and calm the storm. Do not complain or even say a single work about it. In spite of everything, continue to compliment them when you meet, as if nothing were amiss.

It will be easier for you to bring him around to where you want him more by gentleness and patience than by being too uncompromising.

To this end, we should help and support one another and strive for peace and union among ourselves. This is the wine that cheers and strengthens travelers along the narrow path of Jesus Christ.

Do not be afraid of undertaking too much of what you can do without coming and going; but fear only the thought of doing more than you are doing and more than God is giving you the means to do.

God allows us to give rise to the practice of two beautiful virtues: perseverance, which leads us to attain the goal, and constancy, which helps us to overcome difficulties.

We must be firm but not rough in our guidance and avoid an insipid kind of meekness, which is ineffective.

It is a maxim of ours to work in the service of the people, with the good pleasure of the pastors, and never to act contrary to their wishes. And, at the opening and closing of each mission, we get their blessing in a spirit of dependence.

Be acted upon rather than active. In this way, God will do through you alone what all men put together could not do without Him.

. . . [I]n the kingdom of charity, one prefers to suffer some inconvenience rather than inconvenience the neighbor.

We cannot better assure our eternal happiness than by living and dying in the service of the poor, in the arms of Providence, and with genuine renouncement of ourselves in order to follow Jesus Christ.

We should spend as much time in thanking God for his benefits as we do in asking him for them.

The vine-stock bears fruit as long as it is attached to its stem; apart from that, no.

[M]ost people offend God by passing judgment on the things others do, especially important people, not knowing the reasons why they are doing what they do; for when one does not know the primary cause of some matter, what conclusions can he draw from it?

[L]ove is inventive to infinity.

. . . Our Lord humbles in order to raise up, and allows the suffering of interior and exterior afflictions in order to bring about peace. He often desires some things more than we do, but wants us to merit the grace of accomplishing them by several practices of virtue and to beg for this with many prayers.

. . . [T]hose persons who console you today may humiliate you tomorrow.

It seems to me that the best way will be the one that is most gentle and forbearing, which is more in conformity with the Spirit of Our Lord and more apt to win hearts.

If you must be in a hurry, then let it be according to the old adage, and hasten slowly.

I have made to God the offering you made to me of your heart and have asked him to unite mine with yours in that of Our Lord.

It is not light they need but strength, and strength permeates through the external balm of words and good example.

All beginnings are somewhat strange; but we must have patience, and little by little, we shall find things, which at first were obscure, becoming clearer.

We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and as an object of His love.

The kingdom of God is peace in the Holy Spirit; He will reign in you if your heart is at peace. So, be at peace, Mademoiselle, and you will honor in a sovereign way the God of peace and love.

The wisest persons, surprised by some passion, often say things they later regret.

And what are we doing if we are not doing God's Will?

Indeed, good is not good if one does not suffer in doing it.

Peace is worth more than all worldly possessions; in addition, God rewards it even in this life.

Ultimately, Monsieur, we must go to God per infamiam et bonam famam [whether spoken of well or ill], and His Divine Goodness is merciful to us when it pleases Him to allow us to encounter blame and public contempt. I am sure you have borne patiently the embarrassment you experienced because of what has happened. If the glory of the world is nothing but smoke, the contrary is a solid good, when it is accepted in the right way. I hope that great good will come to us from this humiliation.

Let each of us accept the truth of the following statement and try to make it our most fundamental principle: Christ's teaching will never let us down, while worldly wisdom always will. Christ Himself said that this sort of wisdom was like a house with nothing but sand as its foundation, while His own was like a building with solid rock as its foundation.

[L]et us believe that all is going along the best in the world when we take no satisfaction in it, provided we humble ourselves for this and redouble our confidence in God.

Oh! how happy the man of means who uses his wealth and his life for the greater glory of God, from whom he has received them!

We must endeavor to have God reign sovereignly in us, and then in others. The trouble with me is that I take more care to have Him reign in others than in myself.

Providence must call us and we must follow it, if we are to go forward confidently.

Remember the maxim of the Romans which states that by union and counsel we can achieve anything.

I beg Our Lord, Monsieur, that we may be able to die to ourselves in order to rise with Him, that he may be the joy of your heart, the end and soul of your actions, and your glory in heaven. This will come to pass if, from now on, we humble ourselves as He humbled Himself, if we renounce our own satisfaction to follow Him by carrying our little crosses, and if we give our lives willingly, as He gave His, for our neighbor whom He loves so much and whom He wants us to love as ourselves.

If you grant asylum to so many refugees, your house may be sacked sooner by the soldiers; I see that clearly. The question is, however, whether, because of this danger, you should refuse to practice such a beautiful virtue as charity.

You should not open your mouth except to express gratitude for benefits you have received, and never to mention your discontent.

So, our vocation is to go, not just to one parish, not just to one diocese, but all over the world; and do what? To set people's hearts on fire, to do what the Son of God did. He came to set the world on fire in order to inflame it with His love.

I have never come away from you without reflecting that the Spirit of God and His holy workings reside in you.

Practice humility and patience.

Make an effort to serve good bread and good meat and not to sell the better wine so as to serve what is inferior.

There is no act of charity that is not accompanied by justice or that permits us to do more than we reasonably can.

Nature makes trees put down deep roots before having them bear fruit, and even this is done gradually.

He also always blesses humble beginnings much more than those accompanied by a lot of show.

God often delays the conclusion of a holy endeavor so that those involved in it might merit its grace by the length of the work, their patience, and their prayers. This is why I beg you not to grow weary in yours. Although He may delay, He will reveal that it is pleasing to Him, if it is done, nevertheless, in a spirit of resignation regarding the outcome.

Let us be submissive to Providence, He will see to our affairs in His own time and in His own way

An honorable man would never abandon his friend in time of need, especially if they were in a foreign country. Why? For fear of acting like a coward or of being boorish. I repeat, I admire the fact that, those persons have, through human respect, more courage than Christians and priests have, through charity or through their good intentions.

[I]t is His good pleasure that we remain always in the holy joy of His love.

[W]ork at ridding yourself of the esteem you have had up to now for the glitter and sparkle of virtue and the vain applause of the world, which Our Lord so assiduously avoided and so often recommends us to shun, and that you labor in earnest to acquire true and solid virtues.

God has seen fit that, since our services are useful to many persons, everyone approves them, but only when they are carried out in the spirit of Our Lord.

If you do not see any good in these persons, then say nothing, but if you do see some, speak about it to honor God in them because all good proceeds from Him.

We should take as a maxim never to be surprised at current difficulties, no more than at a passing breeze, because with a little patience we shall see them disappear. Time changes everything.

Since God is satisfied with our good will and honest efforts, let us also be satisfied with the outcome He gives to them, and our actions will never be without good results

It is no wonder you are tempted; on the contrary, it would be something new if you were not, because man's life is nothing but temptation, and no one is exempt from it, especially those who have given themselves to God; his own Son even passed through this trial. But if it is necessary for everyone, it is also a source of merit for those to whom God grants the grace of turning all things to good, as you do.

If God is the center of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts.

Our Lord and the saints accomplished more by suffering than by acting.

[I]n order to raise a soul to the highest perfection, He allows it to pass through dryness, brambles, and combats, causing it thereby to honor the times of weariness in the life of His Son, Our Lord, who suffered various kinds of anguish and abandonment.

Never betray His principles for any reason whatsoever, and take great care not to spoil God's affairs by too much haste in them.

Perfection consists in a constant perseverance to acquire the virtues and become proficient in their practice, because on God's road, not to advance is to fall back since man never remains in the same condition.

It is not easy to find perfect men in whom there is nothing to criticize.

What a reason the Company has for observing its Rules faithfully: to do what the Son of God came into the world to do! That there should be a Company, and that it should be the Company of the Mission, composed of poor men, and that it should be entirely dedicated to that purpose, going here and there through hamlets and villages, leaving the towns behind-something that's never been done-and going to announce the Gospel only to persons who are poor; yet, those are our Rules!

God always gives a great blessing to humble beginnings than to those that start with the chiming of bells.

Let us do our duty well; let us go straight to God; let us work to become very humble, very patient, very mortified, and very charitable.

Your soul will be blessed, Sister, if you bear patiently the troubles of mind and body His Providence sends you, or which come to you from within and without.

You say you experience great difficulty in the mission. Alas! Monsieur, there is no lot in life where there is nothing to be endured.

Remember, Monsieur, that the downfall of most Communities comes from the cowardice of Superiors in not holding firm and in not purging them of the troublesome and incorrigible.

A doctor who keeps a person from becoming ill deserves more merit than one who cures him.

Who will excuse us before God for the loss of such a great number of people, who could be saved by the slight assistance we could give them?

Naturally, everyone loves his freedom, but we must beware of this as of a broad road that leads to perdition.

I am the only wretch who keeps on heaping new iniquities and abominations on myself. O Monsieur, how merciful God is to put up with me with so much patience and forbearance, and how weak and miserable I am to abuse his mercies so greatly!

Even convicts, with whom I have spent some time, are not won over in any other way. Whenever I happened to speak sharply to them, I spoiled everything; on the contrary, when I praised them for their resignation and sympathized with them in their sufferings; when I told them they were fortunate to have their purgatory in this world, when I kissed their chains, showed compassion for their distress, and expressed sorrow for their misfortune, it was then that they listened to me, gave glory to God, and opened themselves to salvation.

All comes at the proper time to him who knows how to wait.

One beautiful diamond is worth more than a mountain of stones, and one virtuous act of acquiescence and submission is better than an abundance of good works done for others.

I will always welcome joyfully any opportunity that comes my way to be of service to you

May God be pleased to make it known to you, and fill you increasingly with His Spirit, so that through you it may be poured into the souls you guide, and your own soul may be more greatly sanctified!

Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.

[P]resent misfortune presupposes good luck in the future.

... I am sure that you are the first to do what you teach them.

With God's help, you will continue to succeed in your leadership and in your duties, because Our Lord's work is accomplished not so much by the multitude of workers as by the fidelity of the small number whom He calls.

Divine Providence is never wanting in things undertaken at Its command. Even though the whole world should rise up and destroy us, nothing could happen but what is pleasing to God. The less there is of man in affairs, the more there is of God.

Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances.

Since you know the means of getting better, in the name of God, make use of them. Do not take on anything beyond your strength, do not be anxious, do not take things too much to heart, go gently, do not work too long or too hard.

Charity is the cement which binds Communities to God and persons to one another . . .

There are good, God-fearing persons who still fall into certain faults, and it is better to bear with them than to be hard on them.

God has great plans for you, directed towards helping you do what Jesus Christ did when He was on earth. This requires you do resist temptation vigorously, with special confidence in the assistance of His Divine Goodness. Courage then, Monsieur. Be faithful to Him, and the Divine Goodness will be favorable to you.

do not be surprised by your trials, since the Son of God has chosen them for our salvation.

Always be quite simple and sincere and ask God to grant me those two virtues.

We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.

Far from rejecting such a good man as you, He never even abandons a wicked man who hopes for His mercy.

Scandal often does as much harm to the listeners as to those who devise it, even if it were to do no other harm than disturb the mind, as it does, and give rise to temptations to speak or write about it to others.

Use gentle methods to get whatever good you can from priests and monks who are slaves, as well as from merchants and captives. Resort to severe measures only in extreme cases, for fear lest the hardship they are already enduring in their state of captivity, joined to the strictness you might want to exercise in virtue of your authority, drive them to despair. . . . It is not light they need, but strength, and strength permeates through the external balm of words and good example.

God uproots the vine that He Himself has not planted.

Cast from your heart the bitterness.

The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it.

The works of God are not accomplished when we wish them, but whenever it pleases Him.

There is nothing good that does not meet with opposition, and it should not be valued any less because it encounters objections.

Let us reflect that we shall always do God's Will and He will do ours when we carry out that of our Superiors.

If we want to find the manna hidden in our vocation, let us restrict and confine all our desires within it.

You can give me no greater consolation nor render greater service to your neighbor than to place yourself in a condition to serve him for a long time

All of you desire to belong entirely to God, and God also wants all of you to belong to Him

Peace is worth far more than anything they might take from you.

If after so much effort and prayer, the matter is not successful, it will be a clear sign that God does not will it.

Man's condition is never the same; he is humbled, then exalted; sometimes at peace, sometimes persecuted; enlightened today and plunged into darkness tomorrow. What is to be done? As I said, let us be prepared for whatever may happen.

We must be full reservoirs in order to let our water spill out without becoming empty, and we must possess the spirit with which we want them to be animated, for no one can give what he does not have.

[I]t is the maxim of the saints that when a matter has been decided in the presence of God after many prayers and the seeking of advice, we must reject and consider as a temptation whatever is suggested to the contrary.

Things arrange themselves with time. Only God can have everything to His liking; His servants should act as Our Lord did.

Good works are often spoiled by moving too quickly. . . . The good which God desires is accomplished almost by itself, without our even thinking of it.

People are made in such a way that even the holiest ones are liable to offend one another.

God's affairs are accomplished gradually and almost imperceptibly and His spirit is neither violent nor tempestuous.

Put your trust in Him and following His example, always act humbly, graciously, and in good faith.

Experience has shown us that virtue puts down only shallow roots in those who are there for just a short time

[E]ven if the whole world should rise up to destroy us, nothing will happen except that God, in whom we have put our hope, will allow.

It is a good sign when He burdens us with [crosses] and we carry them well, but woe to the person who runs away from them, for he will find such heavy ones that they will overwhelm him.

[Do not] overburden yourself with rules of devotion, but persist in doing well those you have, your daily actions, your work; in a word, let everything revolve around doing well what you are doing.

Rarely is any good done without difficulty; the devil is too subtle and the world too corrupt not to attempt to nip such a good work in the bud