St. Philip Neri said.....

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"There is no surer or clearer proof of the love of God than adversity."

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"When God intends to grant a man any particular virtue, it is His way to let him be tempted to the opposite vice."

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"Persons who live in the world should persevere in coming to church to hear sermons, and remember to read spiritual books, especially the Lives of the Saints."

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"When temptation comes, a man should remember the sweetnesses he has had in prayer at other times, and he will thus easily master the temptation."

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"The fervor of spirituality is usually very great in the beginning, but afterwards, the Lord fingit se longius ire, makes as though He would go farther; in such a case we must stand firm and not be disturbed, because God is then withdrawing His most holy Hand of sweetnesses, to see if we are strong; and then, if we resist and overcome those tribulations and temptations, the sweetnesses and heavenly consolations return."

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We ought to apply ourselves to the acquisition of virtue, because in the end the whole terminates in greater sweetnesses than before, and the Lord gives us back all our favors and consolations doubled.

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It is easy to infuse a most fervent devotion into others, even in a short time; but the great matter is - to persevere.

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"He who continues in anger, strife, and a bitter spirit, has a taste of the air of hell."

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To obtain the protection of our Blessed Lady in our most urgent wants, it is very useful to say sixty-three times, after the fashion of a Rosary: "Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me."

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"When we make this prayer to our Blessed Lady, we give her every possible praise in the least possible compass, because we call her by her name of MARY, and give her those two great titles of Virgin, and Mother of God, and then name JESUS, the fruit of her most pure womb."

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"The things of this world do not remain constantly with us, for if we do not leave them before we actually die, in death at least we all infallibly depart as empty-handed as we came."

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"To pray well requires the whole man."

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"The discipline and other like things ought not to be practiced without the leave of our confessor; he who does it of his own mind, will either hurt his constitution or become proud, fancying to himself that he has done some great thing."

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"God takes especial delight in the humility of a man who believes that he has not yet begun to do any good."

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"Before going to confession or taking counsel with our director, it will be very useful to pray for a sincere good will to become a really holy man."