QUOTATION: A Self-Satisfied Heart

Nothing so offends its Creator as a self-satisfied heart, because it contains no empty vessel into which He can pour the riches of His mercy. It will remain in its natural poverty, for it can offer no place into which the waters of grace may flow, to make it live happily with God, and bring forth much fruit, like a well-watered garden.

--St. John of Avila, Letters, XXIII

QUOTATION: Asleep at the Wheel

Across the centuries, it is the drowsiness of the disciples that opens up possibilities for the power of the Evil One. Such drowsiness deadens the soul, so that it remains undisturbed by the power of the Evil One at work in the world and by all the injustice and suffering ravaging the earth. In its state of numbness, the soul prefers not to see all this; it is easily persuaded that things cannot be so bad, so as to continue in the self-satisfaction of its own comfortable existence. Yet this deadening of souls, this lack of vigilance regarding both God’s closeness and the looming forces of darkness, is what gives the Evil One power in the world.

--Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Volume 2

QUOTATION: Self-Satisfaction

If you happen to be doing some good, the devil and your own sense of self-satisfaction will tell you that you’ve probably done more than enough already; maybe people will even tag you as a fanatic and over scrupulous. At death, though, the good you have done will seem so slight that you will realize you have been deceived. Strive to be aware of this now.

--St. John Bosco