The Son of Sirach said, "Despise not the discourse of them that are ancient and wise, but acquaint thyself with their proverbs. For of them thou shalt learn wisdom and instruction of understanding to serve great men without blame." -- Sirach 8:8Some people will perhaps find useful these sayings I have gleaned from different sources. I'm in the habit of collecting quotations and am particularly fond of wise ones. These all should encourage the reader to a deeper practice of the Faith, as well as acquaint non-Christians with some of the basic ideas of Christianity.
Our Lord said to His Disciples, "A new Commandment I give you: that you love one another as I have loved you." -- Gospel of St John 13:34.
Our Lord was asked which was the greatest Commandment. He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first Commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Law and the prophets depend on these two Commandments." -- Gospel of St Matthew 22:37 ff.
Our Lord said, "Greater Love than this, no man hath: that he lay down his life for his friends." -- Gospel of St John 15:13.
Our Lord said, "Whoever loves Me will keep my word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him." -- Gospel of St John 14:23.
Our Lord said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." -- Gospel of St Luke 6:27,28.
Our Lord said, "Judge not, lest you be judged." Gospel of St Matthew 7:1.
St John wrote of our Lord, "He loved His own in the world, and He loved them to the end." -- Gospel of St John 13:1.
St Paul wrote, "So, there abide Faith, Hope, and Love, these three. And the greatest of these is Love." -- I Corinthians 13:13.
St Paul wrote, "Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, Love is the fulfillment of the Law." -- Romans 13:10.
St John wrote, "He who abides in Love, abides in God, and God in him." -- I John 4:16.
St John wrote, "Whoever says, `I love God,' but hates his brother, is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen." -- I John 4:20.
St Paul wrote, "If I should speak in the tongues of men and of angels, and have not Love, I am become as sounding brass or as a clashing cymbal." --I Cor. 13:1.
God says in the Apocalypse, "Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you from my mouth." Apoc. 3:16
St Augustine said, "There is no labor where one loves, or if there is, the labor itself is loved."
St Augustine said, "The bitterest and most disagreeable things are rendered comparatively easy, and almost of no account, by love."
St Bernard said, "Let thy zeal be inflamed by Charity, enlightened by sound learning, established by perseverance."
St Francis of Assisi said, "May I die, O Lord, through love of Thee, Who through love of me didst not disdain to die!"
"Live by Love and you'll conquer always -- even when you are defeated -- in the battles of your interior struggle." Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 433.
"Don't forget that Sorrow is the touchstone of Love." Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 439.
St John wrote of our Lord, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... In Him was Life, and this Life was the light of men.... And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." Gospel of St John 1:1 ff.
St Paul wrote, "In Him dwells the whole fullness of the Deity bodily." -- Colossians 2:9.
Our Lord said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me." -- Gospel of St John 14:6.
St Paul wrote, "In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, He spoke to us through His Son, Whom He made heir of all things and through Whom He created the universe." -- Hebrews 1:1-2.
Our Lord said, "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows Who the Son is except the Father, and Who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him." -- Gospel of St Luke 10:22.
Our Lord said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no man can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." -- Gospel of St John 3:5.
St John wrote, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him." -- Gospel of St John 3:36.
Our Lord said of his grace, "Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water willing up to eternal life." -- Gospel of St John 4:14.
St Elizabeth said to the Virgin Mary, "Blessed are you have believed." -- Gospel of St Luke 1:45.
Our Lord said, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the world." -- Gospel of St Matthew 28:20.
Our Lord said, "If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." -- Gospel of St John 8:24.
Our Lord said in the Apocalypse, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." -- Apoc. 22:13.
Our Lord said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." -- Gospel of St John 8:58.
Our Lord said to a possessed boy's parents, "Everything is possible to one who has Faith." Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" -- Gospel of St Mark 9:23,24.
Our Lord said, "Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." -- Gospel of St Mark 10:15.
Our Lord said to St Martha, "I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die." -- Gospel of St John 11:25.
Our Lord said to His Apostles, "Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move." -- Gospel of St Matthew 17:20.
St John explained the purpose of writing his Gospel: "These things are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have Life in His Name." -- Gospel of St John 20:31.
St Paul wrote, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness." -- II Timothy 3:16.
The Apostle St Thomas doubted our Lord's Resurrection. Our Lord appeared to the Apostles, locked in the room, and said to St Thomas, "`Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side; do not be unbelieving, but believe.' Thomas answered and said to him, `My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, `Have you come to believe because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.'" -- Gospel of St John 20:24 ff.
Our Lord asked, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?" -- Gospel of St Luke 18:8.
Our Lord spoke of His Body and Blood: "I am the living Bread That came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread That I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world.... Amen, amen I say unto you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day. For My Flesh is real food, and My Blood is real drink. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me and I in him." -- Gospel of St John 6.
St Paul wrote of reception of our Lord's Body and Blood: "Whoever eats the Bread or drinks the Cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord.... For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the Body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying." -- I Corinthians 11:27-30.
St Cyril wrote of unworthy Communion: "They who make a sacrilegious Communion receive Satan and Jesus Christ into their hearts -- Satan, that they may let him rule, and Jesus Christ, that they may offer Him in sacrifice as a Victim to Satan."
The 2nd Vatican Council taught concerning the Mass: "At the Last Supper, the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus initiated the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood, in order to continue the Sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until His Return."
St Peter said, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that You are the Holy One of God." -- Gospel of St John 6:68,69.
St Peter said to our Lord, "Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." -- Gospel of St Matthew 16:16.
St James wrote, "Faith without works is dead." -- St James 3:26.
St Paul wrote to the Bishop Titus, "I want you to insist on these points, that those who have believed in God be careful to devote themselves to good works; these are excellent and beneficial to others." -- Titus 3:8.
St Paul wrote, "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only Faith working through Love." -- Galatians 5:6.
"With what infamous lucidity does Satan argue against our Catholic Faith! But, let us tell him always, without entering into debate: I am a son of the Church." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 576.
"Stir up the fire of your faith! Christ is not a figure of the past. He is not a memory lost in history. He lives! As St Paul says, `Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today -- yes, and forever!'" -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 584.
King Solomon said, "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall." Proverbs 16:18.
King Solomon said, "When He is dealing with the arrogant, He is stern, but to the humble He shows kindness." Proverbs 3:34
The Son of Sirach said, "My son, do thy works in meekness, and thou shalt be beloved above the glory of men. The greater thou art, the more thou must humble thyself in all things, and thou shalt find grace before God." Sirach 3:17 ff.
Our Lord said, "When you have done all that you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" -- Gospel of St Luke 17:10.
The Apostles had been discussing which of them was the greatest. Our Lord said, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." --Gospel of St. Mark 9:35
Our Lord said, "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; even as the Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." -- Gospel of St Matthew 20:26-28.
St. Paul advised the Romans, "Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation." Romans 12:16
St. Paul advised the Philippians in their humility to follow our Lord, "Who, though He was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men: it was thus that He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a Cross." Philippians 2:6 ff.
"Do not think you have made any progress unless you esteem yourself inferior to all." Thomas a Kempis, Imitation II, 2:2.
"Pride is the Queen and Mother of all vices." St Thomas Aquinas.
"There He is: King of kings and Lord of lords, hidden in the Bread. To this extreme has He humbled Himself for love of you." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 538.
"Don't aspire to be like the gilded weather-vane on top of a great building. However much it may glitter, however high it may be, it adds nothing to the firmness of the structure. Rather, be like an old stone block hidden in the foundations, under the ground where no one can see you. Because of you, the house will not fall." --Blessed Msgr. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, Camino 590.
St Bernard said, "He had a soul most worthy of all honor because it showed a poor opinion of itself."
"Those who humiliate us are our real friends, not those who praise us." -- St John Vianney.
"Pride? Why? Before long (maybe years, maybe days) you'll be a heap of rotting flesh, worms, foul-smelling fluids, your shroud in filthy shreds... and no one on earth will remember you." --Msgr. Escriva, Camino 601.
Our Lord said, "Nor does the Father judge anyone, but He has given all judgment to His Son, so that all might honor the Son just as they honor the Father." -- Gospel of St John 5:22.
Our Lord taught about the Day of judgment: "The King will say to those on His Right, `Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' ... And the King will say to those on His Left, `Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal Fires prepared for the Devil and his angels.'... And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal Life." -- Gospel of St Matthew 25:34 ff.
Our Lord spoke about bad example to the innocent: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were hurled into the sea." -- Gospel of St Mark 10:42.
Our Lord taught the Pharisees about divorce: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." -- Gospel of St Mark 10:11,12.
Our Lord spoke of the Last Day: "Be watchful, be alert! You do not know when the Time will come." -- Gospel of St Mark 13:33.
St John the Baptist said, "Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fires." -- Gospel of St Luke 3:9.
Our Lord said, "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known." -- Gospel of St Luke 12:2.
St James wrote, "Judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." -- James 2:13.
Our Lord said, "When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." -- Gospel of St Mark 11:25.
Our Lord said, "There will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous men who have no need of repentance." -- Gospel of St Luke 15:7.
Our Lord said in the Apocalypse, "Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent." -- Apoc. 3:19.
St Peter wrote, "Rejoice to the extent you share the sufferings of Christ, so that when His glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly." -- I Peter 4:13.
"Do penance: bury your negligences, offenses, and sins in the deep pit dug by your humility. Thus does the farmer bury rotten fruit, dead twigs, and fallen leaves at the foot of the tree that bore them. And what was unfruitful, even harmful, makes a real contribution to a new fertility. Learn to draw from your falls a new impulse: from death, life." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 211.
St Paul wrote that God "delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have Redemption, the forgiveness of sins." -- Colossians 1:13-14.
St Paul wrote, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His body, which is the Church." -- Colossians 1:24.
"Motives for penance? Atonement, reparation, petition, thanksgiving; as a means of progress -- for you, for me, for all the rest, for your family, for your country, for the Church... And a thousand motives more." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 232. St Paul wrote, "At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it." -- Hebrews 12:11.
"A glance at the past. To bewail it? No: that is useless. To learn: that is fruitful." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 239.
"These are the savory fruits of the mortified soul: tolerance and understanding toward the defects of others; intolerance toward his own." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 198.
St Paul wrote, "Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." -- Ephesians 6:18.
St John had a vision of our intercessors in Heaven: "Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones." -- Apoc. 5:8.
St John Chrysostom wrote, "It is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop, ... while buying or selling, ... or even while cooking."
St Thomas Aquinas wrote, "The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect of prayers."
St John Vianney said, "We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well. We know that God is there in His holy tabernacle; let us open our hearts to Him; let us rejoice in His Presence: This is the best prayer."
"Action is worthress without prayer; prayer is worth more than sacrifice." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 81.
"Persevere in prayer. Persevere, even when your efforts seem sterile. Prayer is always fruitful." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 101.
"Sanctity without prayer? I don't believe in such sanctity." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 107.
St James wrote, "The tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions." -- James 3:5.
St Francis de Sales said, "The best remedy I know against sudden fits of impatience is a silence that is gentle and without malice. However little one says, pride always comes into it, and one says things that plunge the heart into grief for a whole day after. When one is silent and smiles in a friendly manner, the storm passes over; one smothers one's temper and indiscretion, and so enjoys pure and lasting happiness."
St Ambrose said, "The first source of courtesy is prudence, which is also fruitful of other virtues."
"Never reprimand anyone while you feel provoked over a fault that has been committed. Wait until the next day, or even longer. Then make your remonstrance calmly and with a purified intention. You'll gain more with an affectionate word than you ever would from three hours of quarreling. Control your temper." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 10.
"If you would remember the presence of your Guardian Angel and those of your neighbors, you would avoid many of the foolish things you let slip into your conversations." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 564.
"The day you leave the table without having made some small mortification, you will have eaten like a pagan." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 681.
"Long faces, coarse manners, a ridiculous appearance, a repelling air. Is that how you hope to inspire others to follow Christ?" -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 661.
Our Lord said, "You will be hated and persecuted by all because of My Name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved." -- Gospel of St Mark 13:13.
Our Lord said, "Sell what you have and give alms. Make yourselves purses that do not grow old, a treasure unfailing in Heaven, where neither thief draws near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." -- Gospel of St Luke 12:33,34.
Our Lord said, "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples. As the Father loves Me, so I also love you. Remain in My love." -- Gospel of St John 15:8,9.
Our Lord said, "If the world hates you, realize that it hated Me first." -- Gospel of St John 15:18.
Our Lord said, "In the world you will have trouble, but take courage: I have conquered the world." -- Gospel of St John 16:33.
"Faith, joy, optimism. But not the folly of closing your eyes to reality." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 40.
"The world admires only the spectacular sacrifice, because it does not realize the value of the sacrifice that is hidden and silent." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 185.
"Many who would let themselves be nailed to a cross before the astonished gaze of thousands of spectators, won't bear the pinpricks of each day with a Christian spirit! But think, which is the more heroic?" -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 204.
"If you accustom yourself, at least once a week, to seek union with Mary in order to go to Jesus, you will have more presence of God." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 276.
"Your Crucifix: As a Christian, you should always carry a Crucifix with you. Place it on your desk. Kiss it before you go to bed and when you wake up. And when your poor body rebels against your soul, kiss your Crucifix!" -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 302.
"Don't be upset when you state an orthodox opinion and the malice of whoever heard you cause him to be scandalized. For his scandal is pharisaical." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 349.
"Compromising is a sure sign of not possessing the truth. When a man yields in matters of ideals, of honor, or of Faith, that man is without ideals, without honor, and without Faith." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 394.
"Holy steadfastness is not intolerance." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 396.
"Steps: to be resigned to the Will of God; to conform to the Will of God; to want the Will of God; to love the Will of God." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 774.
Our Lord said, "Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters." -- Gospel of St Luke 11:23.
Our Lord said to the Apostles, "When He comes, the Spirit of Truth, He will guide you into all truth." -- Gospel of St John 16:13.
Our Lord prayed for His Apostles: "Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate Myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in the truth." -- Gospel of St John 17:17-19.
Our Lord gave His Apostles the power of forgiving sins: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them; whose sins you retain are retained." -- Gospel of St John 20:22,23.
Our Lord said to St Peter, "Blessed art thou, Simon son of John.... And I say unto thee, thou art Peter [rock], and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: Whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven." -- Gospel of St Matthew 16:17-19.
Our Lord said to St Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith might not fail; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, strengthen thy brethren." -- Gospel of St Luke 22:31,32.
Our Lord said to St Peter, "Simon, Son of John, feed My lambs..., tend My sheep..., feed My sheep." -- Gospel of St John 21:15 ff.
St Paul wrote, "He [the Father] put all things beneath His feet [Christ's] and gave Him as head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of the One Who fills all things in every way." -- Ephesians 1:22,23.
St James wrote of the Sacrament of the Sick: "Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the Presbyters of the Church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven." -- James 5:13-15.
St Paul wrote, "It was fitting that we should have such a High Priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens." -- Hebrews 7:26.
St Paul wrote, "He is the head of His body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that the primacy may be His in everything." -- Colossians 1:18.
St Paul wrote, "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave free; but Christ is all and in all." -- Colossians 3:11.
St John wrote of the Saints in Heaven: "I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue." -- Apoc. 7:9.
St Peter's advice to priests (Presbyters): "Tend the flock of God in your midst, not by constraint but willingly.... Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock." -- I Peter 5:2,3.
St Bernard wrote, "The priest by nature is like all other men; by dignity he surpasses every other man on earth; by his conduct he ought to compare with the angels."
St Peter's advice to the flock: "You younger members, be subject to the Presbyters." -- I Peter 5:5.
St John wrote of the Celibates of the Apocalypse: "I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mt Zion, and with him 144,000 who had His Name and His Father's Name written on their foreheads.... These are they who were not defiled with women; they are virgins, and these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." -- Apoc. 14:1,4.
St Paul's advice concerning celibacy: "Now to the unmarried and to widows I say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do, but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn." -- I Corinthians 7:8-9.
St Paul wrote, "Brothers, stand firm firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." -- II Thessalonians 2:15.
St Paul wrote to the Bishop Titus, "After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned." -- Titus 3:10-11.
St Peter wrote, "Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of Scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation." -- II Peter 1:20.
St Peter wrote of St Paul's letters, "In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other Scriptures." -- II Peter 3:16.
Blessed Louis Guanella wrote of proper reverence in a church: "We may never make the church into a hallway, or a courtyard or highway, or a public square."
"To love God and not to revere the priest.... This is not possible." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 74.
St Francis of Assisi said, "Man should tremble, the world should vibrate, all Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest."
"What joy to say with all the fervor of my soul: I love my Mother, the holy Church!" -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 518.
The Son of Sirach said, "With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?" -- Sirach 7:27-28.
St Luke says of our Lord's attitude to the Blessed Virgin and St Joseph: "He was obedient to them." -- Gospel of St Luke 2:51.
St Paul wrote, "As the Church is subject to Christ, so also let wives be subject to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for her." -- Ephesians 5:24,25.
St Paul wrote, "Children, obey your parents, for this is right.... Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord." -- Ephesians 6:1,4.
The Son of Sirach said, "My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him; revile him not in the fullness of your strength.... A blasphemer is he who despises his father; accursed of his Creator, he who angers his mother." -- Sirach 3:12-13,16.
Our Lord said, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." -- Gospel of St Matthew 10:37.
The Son of Sirach said, "When among your elders be not forward, and with officials be not too insistent." -- Sirach 32:9.
St Paul wrote, "Whoever does not provide for relatives and especially family members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." -- I Timothy 5:8.
The Son of Sirach said, "Keep your father and mother in mind when you sit among the mighty, lest in their presence you commit a blunder and disgrace your upbringing." -- Sirach 23:14.
King Solomon said, "Some friends bring ruin on us, but a true friend is more loyal than a brother." -- Proverbs 18:24.
The Son of Sirach said, "With three things I am delighted, for they are pleasing to the Lord and to men: Harmony among brethren, friendship among neighbors, and the mutual love of husband and wife." -- Sirach 25:1.
St Peter wrote, "Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to governors sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good." -- Peter 2:13-14.
Our Lord said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." -- Gospel of St Matthew 22:21.
The Son of Sirach said, "In whatever you do, remember your last days, and you will never sin." -- Sirach 7:36.
The Voice said to St John, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." -- Apoc. 14:13.
"Have you seen the dead leaves fall in the sad autumn twilight? So fall souls each day into eternity. One day, the falling leaf will be you." -- Bl. Msgr. Escriva, Camino 736.
The Son of Sirach said, "Call no man happy before his death, for by how he ends, a man is known." -- Sirach 11:28.