Category: Fulton Sheen

The real test of a Christian is not how much he loves his friends, but how much he loves his enemies.

You have freedom only to give [your heart] away. To whom do you give yours? You give it either to the moods, to the hour, to your egotism, to creatures, or to God.

God will love you, of course, even though you do not love Him, but remember, if you give Him only half your heart, He can make you only 50% happy.

We always make the fatal mistake of thinking that it is what we do that matters, when really what matters is what we let God do to us. Contemplation must not be lived as a form of self-absorption; it must enlarge your heart to embrace all humanity, especially those who suffer.

The reason most of us are what we are–mediocre Christians, “up” one day, “down” the next–is simply because we refuse to let God work on us.

Hunger is not just an economic problem. It is a moral and spiritual problem.

If joy is uncommon today, it is because there are timid souls who do have not the courage to forget themselves and to make sacrifices for their neighbors.

No man can be happy on the outside who is already unhappy on the inside. If a sense of guilt weights down the soul, no amount of pleasure on the outside can compensate for the loss of joy on the inside.

Spiritual joy is a serenity of temper in the midst of the changes of life, such as a mountain has when a storm breaks over it.

Joy is the delightful experience of the feelings of pleasure at a good gained and actually enjoyed, or the prospect of good which one has a reasonable hope of obtaining.