The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us for our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
God’s Divinity
“Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; because of Your will they came to be and were created.” Revelation 4:11
“God is everywhere, and he is timeless.” + St. Anselm, bishop (1033 – 1109 A.D.)
“The ways of the Lord are many, though he is himself the way.” + St. Hilary, bishop (315-367 A.D.)
“God sees everything clearly, nothing escapes his vigilance, be it calculation, thought or some secret desire of the heart.” + St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr (69-155 A.D.)
“God is rich, perfect and in need of nothing.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“God is everywhere in his immensity, and everywhere close at hand.” + St. Columban, abbot (545-615 A.D.)
“Where can one go, where can one escape to, from the presence of Him whose hands embrace the universe?” + St. Clement I, pope (Unknown – 100 A.D.)
“Nothing is hidden from the Lord, but even our secrets are close to him.” + St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (35-98 A.D.)
“What, I ask, is more wonderful than the beauty of God?” + St. Basil the Great, bishop (329-379 A.D.)
“The radiance of the divine beauty is altogether beyond the power of words to describe.” + St. Basil the Great, bishop (329-379 A.D.)
“Every creature is God’s servant, for it was through him that every creature came to be.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and his weakness stronger than men!” + St. John Chrysostom, bishop (347-407 A.D.)
“The Lord of hosts is himself the king of glory. He will transform us and show us his face, and we shall be saved; all our longing will be fulfilled, all our desires will be satisfied.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“God himself is the reward and end of all our labors: I am your protector and your supreme reward.” + St. Thomas Aquinas, priest (1225-1274 A.D.)
“Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“If we obey God’s holy commands and learn to imitate his goodness, we shall be like him and he will honor us.” + St. Hippolytus, priest (170-236 A.D.)
“Nothing is impossible for God except to tell a lie.” + St. Clement I, pope (Unknown – 100 A.D.)
“No one is good but God alone.” + St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)
“The Lord knows the true natures of created things; he knows that moderation, not a fierce defense, beats back a fierce attack.” + St. John Chrysostom, bishop (347-407 A.D.)
“God became man so that man might become God.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“In this life no one can fulfill his longing, nor can any creature satisfy man’s desire. Only God satisfies, he infinitely exceeds all other pleasures. That is why man can rest in nothing but God.” + St. Thomas Aquinas, priest (1225-1274 A.D.)
“God rebukes but also encourages, he brings fear and he brings consolation, he strikes and he heals. Do not reject him.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Oh God, let me know you and love you so that I may find my joy in you.” + St. Anselm, bishop (1033-1109 A.D.)
“The God we seek is not one who dwells at a distance from us, for we have him present with us, if only we are worthy.” + St. Columban, abbot (545-615 A.D.)
“God does not rise or set but remains forever.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
God’s Grace
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; Ephesians 2:8
“What words can adequately describe God’s gifts? They are so numerous that they defy enumeration. They are so great that any one of them demands our total gratitude in response.” + St. Basil the Great, bishop (329-379 A.D.)
“God is man’s glory. Man is the vessel which receives God’s action and all his wisdom and power.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“We are all members of one another, but with different gifts according to the grace God gives us.” + St. Basil the Great, bishop (329-379 A.D.)
“The blessings God has made ready for his chosen ones surpass all human powers of description.” + From a homily written in the second century
“By giving us his Son, whom he did not spare precisely so that he might spare us, he bestowed on us at once every good: grace, love and heaven.” + St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787 A.D.)
“The Lord has given us these three basic doctrines: hope for eternal life, the beginning and end of our faith; justice, the beginning and end of righteousness; and love, which bears cheerful and joyous witness to the works of righteousness.” + St. Barnabas, apostle (Unknown – 61 A.D.)
“God said: My spirit will not remain in men, for they are flesh. God thus shows that spiritual grace is repelled by uncleanness of the flesh and by the stain of more serious sin.” + St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)
“Man sinned and became guilty. Man fell, but God descended; man fell miserably, but God descended mercifully; man fell through pride, God descended with his grace.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“We are making our way toward the light of our heavenly home with the grace of Christ leading us and showing us the way.” + St. Bede the Venerable, bishop (672-735 A.D.)
“With Christ’s help, we who live and abide in him will never be separated from his body and his grace.” + St. Cyprian, bishop and martyr (208-258 A.D.)
“Grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.” + St. Athanasius, bishop (296-373 A.D.)
“From all eternity God has loved us.” + St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop (1696-1787 A.D.)
God’s Love
We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
“When God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return.” + St. Bernard, abbot (1090-1153 A.D.)
“God loves us; for the sake of our salvation he is generous toward us.” + St. Cyprian, bishop and martyr (208-258 A.D.)
“To rest in the Lord and to see his joy is like a banquet, and full of gladness and tranquility.” + St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)
“Beloved, how blessed and wonderful are God’s gifts! There is life everlasting, joy in righteousness, truth in freedom, faith, confidence, and self-control in holiness.” + St. Clement I, pope (Unknown – 100 A.D.)
“Divine love takes its sword to the hidden recesses of our inmost soul and divides us from ourselves.” + St. Jane Frances de Chantel (1572-1641 A.D.)
“God killed the fatted calf for those who turned to him as Father, and clothed them with the finest garment.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves.” + St. Vincent de Paul, priest (1581-1660 A.D.)
“The eternal Father went so far as to give us his only Son.” + St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop (1696-1787 A.D.)
“God’s Son came in the flesh so that mortal men could see and recognize God’s kindness.” + St. Bernard, abbot (1090-1153 A.D.)
“God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.” + From and ancient homily on Holy Saturday
“How shall we repay the Lord for all his goodness to us? He is so good that he asks no recompense except our love: that is the only payment he desires.” + St. Basil the Great, bishop (329-379 A.D.)
“The flames of the Lord’s love burn beyond the stars.” + St. Columban, abbot (545-615 A.D.)
God’s Mercy
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36
“The Father is merciful in all he does and full of generosity; he is loving to those who fear him.” + St. Clement I, pope (Unknown-100 A.D.)
“God asks so little and gives so much, in this life and in the next, to those who love him sincerely.” + St. Gregory Nazianzen, bishop (329-374 A.D.)
“Through the adoption of sons God had enabled man so generously and bountifully to know him as Father, to love him with his whole heart, and to follow his Word unfailingly.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“Patient and generous in his mercy, the Lord does not give in to human impatience but is willing to wait a long time for our repentance.” + St. Jerome, priest (340-420 A.D.)
“God bore with man patiently when he fell because he foresaw the victory that would be his through the Word.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“God, the Word of the all-good Father, did not disregard the human race, his own creation, when it was sinking back into corruption, but rather by the offering of his own body he destroyed the death men had incurred, and by his teaching he corrected their negligence.” + St. Athanasius, bishop (296-373 A.D.)
“The Lord is gracious and merciful and prefers the conversion of a sinner rather than his death.” + St. Jerome, priest (340-420 A.D.)
“God appeals to us in his mercy to avoid having to punish us in his severity.” + St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop (406-450 A.D.)
“Dear friends, at every moment the earth is full of the mercy of God, and nature itself is a lesson for all the faithful in the worship of God.” + St. Leo the Great, pope (400-461 A.D.)
“We were not good, but God had pity on us and sent his Son to die, not for good men but for bad ones, not for the just but for the wicked.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“God’s Son was given as a ransom for the lives of us all.” + St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop (375-444 A.D.)
“Do not despair of the Lord’s mercy, no matter how great your sins, for great mercy will take away your sins.” + St. Jerome, priest (340-420 A.D.)
“God never ceases to provide the human race with consolations in misfortune.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“God rescues us from dangers beyond all human expectation.” + St. Basil the Great, bishop (329-379 A.D.)
God’s Judgment
The LORD is a God of justice: happy are all who wait for Him! Isaiah 30:18b
“He who made the promise to repay every man as his deeds deserve will be faithful to it.” + From a homily written in the second century
“You must know that the day of judgment, like a flaming furnace, is already approaching. Sun, moon, and stars will be consumed, and the whole earth will become like lead in a melting fire. All that each man has done, whether openly or in secret, will be brought to light.” + From a homily written in the second century
“Oh Lord, the depths of a man’s conscience lie exposed before your eyes.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Whoever I may be, Lord, I lie exposed to your scrutiny.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Lord, the knowledge I have of myself, I possess because you have enlightened me; while the knowledge of myself that I do not yet possess will not be mine until my darkness shall be made as the noonday sun before your face.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“With judgment the Lord feeds those whom he, being judged himself, redeemed.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
God’s Will
In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“The Word of God has but to give a gesture of command and everything falls into place; each creature performs its own proper function, and all together constitute one single harmonious order.” + St. Athanasius, bishop (296-373 A.D.)
“With his own holy and undefiled hands, God formed man, the highest and most intelligent of his creatures, the copy of his own image.” + St. Clement, pope (Unknown – 100 A.D.)
“The hand that assumed clay to make our flesh deigned to assume a body for our salvation.” + St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop (406-450 A.D.)
“In choosing to be born for us, God chose to be known by us.” + St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop (406-450 A.D.)
“God sent his Son to redeem us, not with gold or silver but at the price of his blood poured out for us.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“In a plan of surpassing beauty the Creator of the universe decreed the renewal of all things in Christ.” + St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop (375-444 A.D.)
“The Father desires all of us to be saved through His Son, and to receive him with pure heart and chaste body.” + St. Francis of Assisi, religious (1182-1226 A.D.)
“The Father willed that his blessed and glorious Son, whom he gave to us and who was born for us, should through his own blood offered himself as a sacrificial victim on the altar of the cross.” + St. Francis of Assisi, religious (1182-1226 A.D.)
“The Father’s purpose in revealing the Son was to make himself known to us all and so to welcome into eternal rest those who believe in him, establishing them in justice, preserving them from death. To believe in him means to do his will.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“It was not enough for God to make his Son our guide to the way; he made him the way itself, that you might travel with him as leader, and by him as the way.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“And what was the first rule of our dear Savior’s life? You know it was to do his Father’s will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.” + St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, widow (1774-1821 A.D.)
“Since a tree had brought the downfall of mankind, it was upon a tree that mankind crossed over to the realm of life.” + St. Ephrem, deacon (306-373 A.D.)
“The Lord’s obedience on the tree of the cross reversed the disobedience at the tree in Eden; the good news of truth announced by an angel to Mary, a virgin subject to a husband, undid the evil lie that seduced Eve, a virgin espoused to a husband.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“The Father declares that the name of Jesus Christ, which is glorified in the Church throughout the world, is his own, because it is his Son’s name and he wrote it to save mankind.” + St. Irenaeus, bishop (140-203 A.D.)
“He who raised Christ from the dead will raise us too if we do his will and keep his commandments, loving what he loved, refraining from wrongdoing, fraud, avarice, malice and slander.” + St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr (69-155 A.D.)
“God chose illiterate preachers and sent them into the world in order to show the world that conversion is brought about not by men’s wisdom but rather by his own power.” + St. Gregory the Great, pope (540-604 A.D.)
“A man who openly despises the accolades of this world and rejects all earthly glory must also practice self denial. Such self- denial means that you never seek your own will but God’s, using God’s will as a sure guide.” + St. Gregory of Nyssa, bishop (335-394 A.D.)
“It was Christ’s wish that we too should be heirs of the Father, and coheirs with himself.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“We must remember how near the Lord is and that no thought of ours, no conversation we hold is hidden from him. It is right, therefore, that we should not turn our backs and flee from God’s will.” + St. Clement I, pope (Unknown – 100 A.D.)
“For the sake of eternal life, my brothers, let us do the will of the Father who called us, resisting the temptations that lead us into sin and striving earnestly to advance in virtue.” + From a homily written in the second century
“We must do the will of the Father, keep our bodies pure, and observe the commandment of the Lord, for this is the way to obtain eternal life.” + From a homily written in the second century
“If we do the will of God the Father, we shall be members of the first spiritual Church that was created before the sun and the moon.” + From a homily written in the second century
“No longer do we consider what is the will of God for us, but rather what it is in itself. For our life is in his will.” + St. Bernard, abbot (1090-1153 A.D.)
“In the sphere of action, a right thought is one ruled by the will of God, and intentions are holy when directed single mindedly toward him.” + Baldwin of Canterbury, bishop (Unknown – 1190 A.D.)
“The Lord knows what he is doing.” + St. Augustine, bishop (354-430 A.D.)
“Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may seem, it shall indeed be the best.” + St. Thomas More, layman and martyr (1478-1535 A.D.)
More Golden Memos from God’s Office
