Oh, what peril attaches to sin willfully committed! For it is so difficult for man to bring himself to penance, and without penitence guilt remains and will ever remain, so long as man retains unchanged the will to sin, or is intent upon committing it.

Catherine of Genoa

Categorized in : Long Men Forgiveness

Any time spent before the Eucharistic presence, be it long or short, is the best-spent time of our lives.

Catherine of Genoa

eucharistic time-spent long

We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness.

Catherine of Genoa

moments wish exercise

My "me" is God nor do I recognize any other "me" except my God hi... by Catherine of Genoa

My "me" is God nor do I recognize any other "me" except my God himself.

Catherine of Genoa

Know for a certainty that if men understood how terrible is even one solitary sin, they would rather be cast into a heated furnace, and there remain, living both in soul and body, than to support such a sight. And if the sea were all fire they would cast themselves therein and never leave it, if they were certain of meeting the sin on doing so.

Catherine of Genoa

fire sight men

And when I hear it said that God is good and He will pardon us, and then see that men cease not from evil-doing, oh, how it grieves me! The infinite goodness with which God communicates with us, sinners as we are, should constantly make us love and serve Him better; but we, on the contrary, instead of seeing in his goodness an obligation to please Him, convert it into an excuse for sin which will of a certainty lead in the end to our deeper condemnation.

Catherine of Genoa

evil grieving men

When the soul is naughted and transformed, then of herself she neither works nor speaks nor wills, nor feels nor hears nor understands; neither has she of herself the feeling of outward or inward, where she may move. And in all things it is God who rules and guides her, without the meditation of any creature.... And she is so full of peace that thought she pressed her flesh, her nerves, her bones, no other thing come forth from them than peace.

Catherine of Genoa

meditation peace moving

Now although man is created for the possession of happiness, yet, having deviated from his true end, his nature has become deformed and is entirely repugnant to true beatitude. And on this account we are forced to submit to God this depraved nature of ours which fills our understanding with so many occupations, and causes us to deviate from the true path, in order that he may entirely consume it until nothing remains there but himself; otherwise the soul could never attain stability nor repose, for she was created for no other end.

Catherine of Genoa

understanding men order

Love is a divine flame. by Catherine of Genoa

Love is a divine flame.

Catherine of Genoa

flames divine love-is

This I say, because God showed me somewhat of his truth, in order that I might know what man is without him; that is, when the soul is found in mortal sin, at that time, it is so monstrous and horrible to behold, that it is impossible to imagine anything equally so.

Catherine of Genoa

soul men order

The one sole thing in myself in which I glory is that I see in my... by Catherine of Genoa

The one sole thing in myself in which I glory is that I see in myself nothing in which I can glory.

Catherine of Genoa

sole i-can glory

Lenten fasts make me feel better, stronger, and more active than... by Catherine of Genoa

Lenten fasts make me feel better, stronger, and more active than ever.

Catherine of Genoa

stronger feel-better christianity