QUOTATION: Division

Whenever I see a wall between Christians, I try to pull out a brick.

--Pope St. John XXIII

QUOTATION: Jesus' Self-Denial

Jesus, splendour of the substance of the Father, is born on the spiky straw of the manger, is stiff with cold, is exposed to all weathers. Even from his first hour he submits to all kinds of suffering for the salvation of men. What self-denial was his! And I who for my many sins should be given the hardest penance, shall I not feel ashamed to complain about every little inconvenience, or take any notice of a draught of air, an annoying fly or a change in the weather?

--Pope St. John XXIII, Journal of a Soul

QUOTATION: Holiness

The holiness of saints does not depend on anything sensational but on little things which seem but trifles in the eyes of the world.

--Pope St. John XXIII, Journal of a Soul

QUOTATION: Sanctification

My obligation to aim at sanctification at all costs must be ever present in my mind, but it must be a serene and tranquil preoccupation, not wearisome and overmastering.

--Pope St. John XXIII, Journal of a Soul

QUOTATION: What Halts Spiritual Progress

I must consider those failures of mine which are usually called small, and which are generally overlooked. These are the cause of the slow, halting progress of my spiritual life. It is not a question of greater or less condescension or kindness on the part of God, it is a question of man's co-operation with him. His graces are always available; it is our failings which prevent their being of use to us.

--Pope St. John XXIII, Journal of a Soul

QUOTATION: Joy and Mortification

Joy is to be thought of as the true source of that liberty of mind which alone is able to unite the apparently incompatible qualities of the spiritual life, giving a freer rein to natural expressions of love while remaining inseparably attached to mortification. In our joy we must be careful to keep our spirit mortified, and practise mortification in order to increase our joy.

I must therefore remain always and invariably happy, while never for one moment desisting from self-denial. It is self-love which stunts the growth of the spirit and saddens us; self-denial restores life, serenity and peace.

--Pope St. John XXIII, Journal of a Soul

QUOTATION: Modernism

During this retreat Jesus, my blessed Lord, has deigned to give me an even clearer understanding of the necessity of keeping whole and intact my 'sense of faith' and my 'being of one mind with the Church', for he has shown me in a dazzling light the wisdom, timeliness, and nobility of them measures taken by the Pope to safeguard the clergy in particular from the infection of modern errors (the so-called Modernist errors) which in a crafty and tempting way are trying to undermine the foundations of Catholic doctrine. The painful experiences of this year, suffered here and there, the grave anxieties of the Holy Father and the pronouncements of the religious authorities have convinced me, without the need for other proof, that the wind of Modernism blows very strongly and more widely than seems at first sight, and that it may very likely strike and bewilder even those who were at first moved only by the desire to adapt the ancient truth of Christianity to modern needs. Many, some of them good men, have fallen into the field of error. The worst of it is that ideas lead very swiftly to the spirit of independence and private judgement about everything and everyone.

--Pope St. John XXIII, Journal of a Soul, entry from 1910

QUOTATION: Shadows

If God created shadows, it was to better emphasize the light.

--Pope St. John XXIII

QUOTATION: Prophets of Misfortune

In the daily exercise of our apostolic ministry, we are often offended when we learn what certain people are saying, who are filled with religious zeal yet lack correct judgment and level-headedness in their way of seeing things. They see only ruins and calamities in society's present situation. They are used to saying that our day and age has worsened profoundly in comparison with past centuries. They behave as if history, which is the teacher of life, had nothing to teach them and as if at the time of past Councils, everything had been perfect where Christian doctrine, customs and the Church's just freedom were concerned.

It seems to us that we must state our complete disagreement with the prophets of misfortune, who always announce catastrophes as if the world were close to its end.

In the present course of events when society seems to be at a turning point, it is better to acknowledge the mysterious plans of divine Providence which, through the succession of times and the work of human beings and most of the time against all expectations, reach their goal and arrange everything with wisdom for the good of the Church, even the events that are in opposition to it.

--Pope John XXIII

QUOTATION: Six Maxims of Perfection:

1. Desire only to be virtuous and holy, and so be pleasing to God.

2. Direct all things, thoughts as well as actions, to the increase, the service and the glory of Holy Church.

3. Recognize that I have been set here by God, and therefore remain perfectly serene about all that happens, not only as regards myself but also with regard to the Church, continuing to work and suffer with Christ, for her good.

4. Entrust myself at all times to Divine Providence.

5. Always acknowledge my own nothingness.

6. Always arrange my day in an intelligent and orderly manner.


--Pope John XXIII