(From the Writings of Venerable Bruno Lanteri)
“I have asked the Lord to give you great courage and firm hope in God.” Say then with boldness, “Now I begin,” and go forward constantly in God’s service. Do not look back so often, because one who looks back cannot run. And do not be content to begin only for this year. Begin every day, because it is for every day, even for every hour of the day, that the Lord taught us to say in the Our Father, Forgive us our trespasses, and Give us this day our daily bread.”
“In this especially you must grow in strength, in resolving to seek always to have an unshakeable hope, whatever may happen and however weak you may seem to yourself; because on our part, the basis of hope is our very weakness, and on God’s part, his mercy, which is simply his heartfelt compassion for our weakness.”
“Be on guard against discouragement and lack of trust. Strive to do well all that you do, but do this with respect for your humanity, without striving for an impossible perfection, focusing simply on the day at hand. Remember that ‘The just man falls seven times a day,’ and so you will find blessing in beginning not only every day, but every hour.”
“Do not let yourself be troubled by anything, not even by your own failings, taking care to overcome them immediately by an act of love of God.”
“Holiness does not consist in never failing, but in rising immediately, recognizing our weakness and asking God’s forgiveness, and in doing this with peace of heart, without letting ourselves be troubled.”
“Keep far from you the spirit of sadness and melancholy. Show yourself joyful even when you do not feel so because of physical problems. At such times more than ever, guard against closing in on yourself and turn your thoughts to Paradise, because it is yours.”
“We should always keep before our eyes this saying of the Holy Spirit, ‘Think of God in a spirit of goodness’ [Wisdom 1:1]. Consequently, we should seek to attain sentiments worthy of God first in ourselves so as to inspire them also in others, and reach the goal of loving him and bringing all to love him.”
“I will plan the activities of my day so that I may more surely do the will of God and give him glory in all that I do: not different things, but the same things done differently; not doing things simply out of habit, but out of love.”
“Of myself I can do nothing good, but I can do all things in God.”
“I beg of you to wage continual warfare against negative moods, and never fail to begin again.”
“I wish you every true good, and I am consoled in seeing you ever more dedicated to the glory of God, since, in this world, there is no purpose greater than this, and none more consoling.”
“Oh, what a great thing it is, and how consoling, to serve as an instrument to glorify God!”