When you’re too close to people, when you spend too much time with them and love them too dearly, sometimes you can’t see them

Over time, the ghosts of things that happened start to turn distant; once they’ve cut you a couple of million times, their edges blunt on your scar tissue, they wear thin. The ones that slice like razors forever are the ghosts of things that never got the chance to happen.

We should eliminate sin if we wish to eliminate the scourge of tyrants

If you want to be saved look the face of your Christ

If, then, the final happiness of man does not consist in those exterior advantages which are called goods of fortune, nor in goods of the body, nor in goods of the soul in its sentient part, nor in the virtues of practical intellect, called art and prudence, it remains that the final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth

A capacity as such is directed to an act. Wherefore we seek to know the nature of a capacity from the act to which it is directed, and consequently the nature of a capacity is diversified as the nature of the act is diversified

Of all human pursuits, the pursuit of wisdom is the most perfect, the most sublime, the most useful, and the most agreeable

Faith presupposes natural knowledge, even as grace presupposes nature, and perfection supposes something that can be perfected

See to whom Jesus is drawing near, three kinds of people: to those who make peace with him, to those who are devoted to God, and to those who are kind to their neighbors

Pipes are not to be used for teaching, nor any artificial instruments, as the harp, or the like: but whatsoever will make the hearers good men

Angels need an assumed body, not for themselves, but on our account

The Stone is one, the Medicine is one, to which we add nothing, only in the preparation removing superfluities

Now it seems that everything in the world stems from sources other than God, since the products of nature have their source in nature; deliberate effects can be traced back to human reason or will as their source. There is no need then to assume that God exists.

It must be said that charity can, in no way, exist along with mortal sin.

The theologian considers sin mainly as an offence against God; the moral philosopher as contrary to reasonableness

The custom of the Church has very great authority and ought to be jealously observed in all things.

Here ’neath veils, my Saviour darkly I behold; To my thirsting spirit all thy light unfold; Face to face in heaven let me come to thee, And the blessed vision of thy glory see

The minister to whom confession is made is the delegate of Christ, Who is the Judge of the living and the dead

The minister to whom confession is made is the delegate of Christ, Who is the Judge of the living and the dead

If our opponent believes nothing of divine revelation, there is no longer any means of proving the articles of faith by reasoning, but only of answering his objections – if he has any – against faith. Since faith rests upon infallible truth, and since the contrary of a truth can never be demonstrated, it is clear that the arguments brought against faith cannot be demonstrations, but are difficulties that can be answered.

Gods are called many by the error of some who worshipped many deities, thinking as they did the planets and other stars were gods, and also the separate parts of the world

Practical sciences proceed by building up; theoretical science by resolving into components

A man does not always choose what his guardian angel intends

As the saints will rejoice in all goods, so will the damned grieve for all goods

Now in matters of action the reason directs all things in view of the end:

Even as in heaven there will be most perfect charity, so in hell there will be the most perfect hate

The proper task of the Savior is that he is a savior; indeed, for this he came into the world: to seek and save what was lost

In deliberation we may hesitate; but a deliberated act must be performed swiftly

For in order that man may do well, whether in the works of the active life, or in those of the contemplative life, he needs the fellowship of friends

The apostles and their successors are God’s vicars in governing the Church which is built on faith and the sacraments of faith. Wherefore, just as they may not institute another Church, so neither may they deliver another faith, nor institute other sacraments

Concerning perfect blessedness which consists in a vision of God

It is unlawful to add anything to the words of Holy Scripture regarding the sense

Sing, my tongue, the Saviour’s glory, Of His Flesh, the mystery sing; Of the Blood, all price exceeding, Shed by our Immortal King, Destined, for the world’s redemption, From a noble Womb to spring.

Many cry to the Lord that they may win riches, that they may avoid losses; they cry that their family may be established, they ask for temporal happiness, for worldly dignities; and, lastly, they cry for bodily health, which is the patrimony of the poor. For these and suchlike things many cry to the Lord; hardly one cries for the Lord Himself! How easy it is for a man to desire all manner of things from the Lord and yet not desire the Lord Himself! As though the gift could be sweeter than the Giver!

Baptism is not to be conferred on a man who is unwilling to give up his other sins, so neither should Baptism be given to one who is unwilling to renounce his unbelief. Nevertheless, each of them receives the Sacrament if it is conferred on him, although not unto salvation

So, to detract from the perfection of creatures is to detract from the perfection of divine power

A thing is lovable according as it is good. But God is infinite good. Therefore He is infinitely lovable.

Without sanctifying grace it is not possible to refrain long from mortal sin

Those who are more adapted to the active life can prepare themselves for contemplation in the practice of the active life, while those who are more adapted to the contemplative life can take upon themselves the works of the active life so as to become yet.

Justice is in subjects as well as in rulers

Arrive at knowledge over small streamlets, and do not plunge immediately into the ocean, since progress must go from the easier to the more difficult

Affirmative precepts are distinguished from negative whenever one is not comprised in the other; thus, that of honoring parents does not comprise that of not killing, and vice versa

The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false

Anger and the like are attributed to God on account of a similitude of effect. Thus, because to punish is properly the act of an angry man, God’s punishment is metaphorically spoken of as His anger

It has become the fashion to talk about Mysticism, even to pose as Mystics, and – need it be said? – those who talk the most on such subjects are those who know the least

The happy man in this life needs friends.

Again, it is self-evident that truth exists. For truth exists if anything at all is true, and if anyone denies that truth exists, he concedes that it is true that it does not exist, since if truth does not exist it is then true that it does not exist

Law has the power to compel: indeed, the ability to enforce is a condition of the ability to command

It would seem that zeal is not an effect of love. For zeal is a beginning of contention

Temperance is simply a disposition of the mind which binds the passion.

How is it they live in such harmony, the billions of stars, when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their minds?

The world tempts us either by attaching us to it in prosperity, or by filling us with fear of adversity. But faith overcomes this in that we believe in a life to come better than this one, and hence we despise the riches of this world and we are not terrified in the face of adversity

For loving draws us more to things than knowing does, since good is found by going to the thing, whereas the true is found when the thing comes to us

Because we cannot know what God is, but only what He is not, we cannot consider how He is but only how He is not

Faith does not quench desire, but inflames it

God answered the prayers of animals

Don’t ask who said it? Ask what they said

There is no leisure about politics

I cannot understand how anyone conscious of mortal sin can laugh or be merry.

If someone knows from experience that daily Communion increases fervor without lessening reverence, then let him go every day. But if someone finds that reverence is lessened and devotion not much increased, then let him sometimes abstain, so as to draw near afterwards with better dispositions

God is never angry for His sake, only for ours

A man has free choice to the extent that he is rational

It is necessary to posit something which is necessary of itself, and has no cause of its necessity outside of itself but is the cause of necessity in other things. And all people call this thing God

Mistakes are made on two counts: an argument is either based on error or incorrectly developed

Being born he have himself as our Companion, Eating with us he gave himself as Food, Dying He became our Ransom, Reigning he gives himself as our Reward

It is absurd and a detestable shame, that we should suffer those traditions to be changed which we have received from the fathers of old

Now, nothing can be brought from potentiality to actual existence except through something actually existing

Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail; Lo! o’er ancient forms departing, Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail

There is, therefore, a more perfect intellectual life in the angels. In them the intellect does not proceed to self-knowledge from anything exterior, but knows itself through itself..

We ought to cherish the body. Our body’s substance is not from an evil principle, as the Manicheans imagine, but from God. And therefore, we ought to cherish the body by the friendship of love, by which we love God

In the realm of evil thoughts none induces to sin as much as do thoughts that concern the pleasure of the flesh

For just as the first general precepts of the law of nature are self-evident to one in possession of natural reason, and have no need of promulgation, so also that of believing in God is primary and self-evident to one who has faith: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is

He who is dying of hunger must be fed rather than taught

There being an imminent danger for the faith, prelates must be questioned, even publicly, by their subjects

The celestial bodies are the cause of all that takes place in the sublunar world

Do not wish to jump immediately from the streams to the sea, because one has to go through easier things to the more difficult

There would not be a perfect likeness of God in the universe if all things were of one grade of being

It is a sin directly against one’s neighbour, since one man cannot over-abound in external riches, without another man lacking them

Now this relaxation of the mind from work consists on playful words or deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times

All men are equal in nature, and also in original sin. It is in the merits and demerits of their actions that they differ.

The times are never so bad that a good man cannot live in them

Jesus Lord, kind Pelican, Cleanse my filth with Thy blood, One drop of which can save The whole world from all its sin

All my words are but chaff next to the faith of a simple man

To be united to God in unity of person was not fitting to human flesh, according to its natural endowments, since it was above his dignity; nevertheless, it was fitting that God, by reason of his infinite goodness, should unite it to himself for human salvation

The image of God always abides in the soul, whether this image be obsolete and clouded over as to amount to almost nothing; or whether it be obscured or disfigured, as is the case with sinners; or whether it be clear and beautiful as is the case with the just.

When the devil is called the god of this world, it is not because he made it, but because we serve him with our worldliness

A scrap of knowledge about sublime things is worth more than any amount about trivialities.

Godhead here in hiding, whom I adore Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more, See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin

He who achieves power by violence does not truly become lord or master.

What does it take to become a saint? Will it

Good can exist without evil, whereas evil cannot exist without good.

This Blood that but one drop of has the power to win all the world forgiveness of its world of sin

Whenever God wakes in us, our thinking becomes clear – nothing is missing

He that obstinately denieth the truth before men upon earth, wilfully refuseth his soul’s health in heaven

First, I say that he draws near to those who make peace with him. For God is the One who brings about peace; and where else should peace dwell than in peace?

For although the will cannot be inwardly moved by any creature, yet it can be moved inwardly by God.

Every cell in us worships God

The Angel’s bread is made the Bread of man today

The Cross to me is certain salvation. The Cross is that which I ever adore. The Cross of the Lord is with me. The Cross is my refuge

Man should not consider his material possession his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need

An angel can illumine the thought and mind of man by strengthening the power of vision and by bringing within his reach some truth which the angel himself contemplates.

O saving Victim, opening wide The gate of heaven to man below, Our foes press on from every side, Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow

Beware of the person of one book

Eternity is called whole, not because it has parts, but because it is lacking in nothing

It is not theft, properly speaking, to take secretly and use another’s property in a case of extreme need: because that which he takes for the support of his life becomes his own property by reason of that need

If all the sins of the flesh are worthy of condemnation because by them man allows himself to be dominated by that which he has of the animal nature, much more deserving of condemnation are the sins against nature by which man degrades his own animal nature

It is a sin to regard the fact that God cannot do the impossible as a limitation on his powers

In a false person, sacraments do not produce any effect

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord

Not everything that is more difficult is more meritorious

Grace renders us like God and a partaker of the divine nature.

The proper effect of the Eucharist is the transformation of man into God

God’s precepts are light to the loving, heavy to the fearful.

A song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things, bursting forth in the voice

To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer

The fact that the evil ones, as long as they live, can be corrected from their errors does not prohibit that they may be justly executed, for the danger which threatens from their way of life is greater and more certain than the good which may be expected from their improvement

God destines us for an end beyond the grasp of reason

To restore man, who had been laid low by sin, to the heights of divine glory, the Word of the eternal Father, though containing all things within His immensity, willed to become small. This He did not by putting aside His greatness but by timing to Himself our littleness

Beauty adds to goodness a relation to the cognitive faculty: so that “good” means that which simply pleases the appetite; while the “beautiful” is something pleasant to apprehend.

Now the maximum in any genus is the cause of all in that genus; as fire, which is the maximum heat, is the cause of all hot things. Therefore there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God

God himself would not permit evil in this world if good did not come of it for the benefit and harmony of the universe

To pretend angels do not exist because they are invisible is to believe we never sleep because we don’t see ourselves sleeping

Man can sin against nature in two ways. First, when he sins against his specific rational nature, acting contrary to reason. In this sense, we can say that every sin is a sin against man’s nature, because it is against man’s right reason.

Whatever is received into something is received according to the condition of the receiver

Reason in man is rather like God in the world

One will observe that all things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the more beautiful and better they are

Honor is due to God and to persons of great excellence as a sign of attestation of excellence already existing; not that honor makes them excellent

That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell

We are like children, who stand in need of masters to enlighten us and direct us; God has provided for this, by appointing his angels to be our teachers and guides

Love works in a circle, for the beloved moves the lover by stamping a likeness, and the lover then goes out to hold the beloved inreality. Who first was the beginning now becomes the end of motion

Whatever a man has in superabundance is owed, of natural right, to the poor for their sustenance

Charity brings to life again those who are spiritually dead

Nothing created has ever been able to fill the heart of man. God alone can fill it infinitely

Devotion is a certain act of the will by which man gives himself promptly to divine service

If you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because he himself is the way

A man should remind himself that an object of faith is not scientifically demonstrable, lest presuming to demonstrate what is of faith, he should produce inconclusive reasons and offer occasion for unbelievers to scoff at a faith based on such ground

Not everyone who is enlightened by an angel knows that he is enlightened by him

When fear is excessive it can make many a man despair

An act of love always tends towards two things; to the good that one wills, and to the person for whom one wills it.

The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord’s Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion

Grace is a certain beginning of glory in us.

The meaning of what is said is according to the motive for saying it: because things are not subject to speech, but speech to things. Therefore we should take account of the motive of the lawgiver, rather than of his very words

The Bread of angels has become the Bread of mankind; This heavenly Bread puts an end to all images; O wonderful reality! The poor, the slave, and the humble can eat the Lord

Man has free choice, or otherwise counsels, exhortations, commands, prohibitions, rewards and punishments would be in vain

Charity, by which God and neighbor are loved, is the most perfect friendship

While injustice is the worst of sins, despair is the most dangerous; because when you are in despair you care neither about yourself nor about others

Unbelief is the greatest of sins

He who is drawn to something desirable does not desire to have it as a thought but as a thing

It is necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be men who devote their lives to contemplation

Man is closer to God according to his existence in grace than he is according to his existence in nature.

We can open our hearts to God, but only with Divine help

Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand

The human mind may perceive truth only through thinking, as is clear from Augustine

It would be superfluous to receive by faith, things that can be known by natural reason

A man’s heart is right when he wills what God wills

Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason

I can write no more. All that I have written seems like straw

Every truth without exception- and whoever may utter it- is from the Holy Spirit

Even as in the blessed in heaven there will be most perfect charity, so in the damned there will be the most perfect hate. Wherefore as the saints will rejoice in all goods, so will the damned grieve for all goods. Consequently the sight of the happiness of the saints will give them very great pain

Nothing which implies contradiction falls under the omnipotence of God

There is nothing in your mind which wasn’t experienced before hand

The soul is perfected by knowledge and virtue

Sin is a spiritual illness; thus sinners are in need of salvation

It is only God who creates. Man merely rearranges

Charity is love; not all love is charity

The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in His divinity, assumed our nature, so that He, made man, might make men gods

We set forth our petitions before God, not in order to make known to Him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is necessary to turn to God for help

But man is freer than all the animals, on account of his free-will, with which he is endowed above all other animals.

The blessed in the kingdom of heaven will see the punishments of the damned, in order that their bliss be more delightful for them

Far graver is it to corrupt the faith that is the life of the soul than to counterfeit the money that sustains temporal life

In the end, we know God as unknown

Prostitution in the towns is like the cesspool in the palace: take away the cesspool and the palace will become an unclean and evil-smelling place

Art is right reason in the doing of work

Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen

Since faith rests upon infallible truth, and since the contrary of a truth can never be demonstrated, it is clear that the arguments brought against faith cannot be demonstrations, but are difficulties that can be answered

Miracles are signs not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.

To disparage the dictate of reason is equivalent to contemning the command of God

Hominem unius libri timeo

Charity is the form, mover, mother and root of all the virtues

Love follows knowledge

All that is true, by whomsoever it has been said has its origin in the Spirit

Love takes up where knowledge leaves off

The existence of a prime mover- nothing can move itself; there must be a first mover. The first mover is called God

As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary.

We should love others truly, for their own sakes rather than our own

To virginity is awarded the tribute of the highest beauty.

You change people by delight, by pleasure

Of all the pursuits open to men, the search for wisdom is most perfect, more sublime, more profitable, and more full of joy

There can be no joy in living without joy in work

One aspect of neighbourly love is that we must not merely will our neighbours good, but actually work to bring it about.

In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance

Well-ordered self-love is right and natural