Graceful living is living in the present, where God is: God’s perfect presence. It’s not easy by any measure and can sometimes be difficult as we can become bogged down in the little messes of life. God’s presence is where we find peace, so here are 12 quotes from the saints to inspire graceful living every day.
1. “I want to be completely transformed into your mercy and to be your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.” — St. Faustina
2. “Love is the key to the mystery. Love by its very nature is not selfish, but generous. It seeks not its own, but the good of others. The measure of love is not the pleasure it gives—that is the way the world judges it—but the joy and peace it can purchase for others.” — Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
3. “It is human to fall, but angelic to rise again.” — St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
4. “O God, let me now you and love you so that I may find my joy in you; and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at least make some progress every day, until at last that knowledge, love and joy come to me in all their plentitude.” St. Anselm
5. “Unite your heart with God. And especially, in the midst of temptation, protest ceaselessly that you prefer to die instantly rather than consent to the least venial sin.” — St. Damien of Molokai
6. “Prayer is to our soul that what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soul ever so richly; it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains.” — St. John Vianney
7. “Always remember to love your neighbor; always prefer the one who tries your patience, who tests your virtue, because with her you can always merit: suffering is Love; the Law is Love.” — St. Mariam Baouardy
8. “Contradictions, sickness, scruples, spiritual aridity, and all the inner and outward torments are the chisel with which God carves His statues for paradise.” — St. Alphonsus Liguori
9. “When we are discussing things which it is good and proper to talk about, we should hold back any details which would not be for God’s glory, or which could harm some other person, or which would make us foolishly smug. In actual practice this virtue is about choosing the right way to do things.” — St. Vincent de Paul
10. “I am only a very little soul, who can only offer very little things to our Lord.” — St. Thérèse of Lisiuex
11. “Be of good cheer, only work, only strive cheerfully; for nothing is lost. Every prayer of yours, every psalm you sing is recorded. Every alms, every fast is recorded.” — St. Cyril of Jerusalem
12. “Observe that we gain more in a single day by trials which come to us from God and our neighbor than we would in ten years by penances and other exercises, which we take up of ourselves.” — St. Teresa of Ávila
For more inspirational quotes and meditations, pick up a copy of Graceful Living: Meditations to Help You Grow Closer to God Day by Day by Johnnette Benkovic.
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