Category: Fulton Sheen

A contented man is never [really] poor though he may have very, very little

Contentment, therefore, comes in part from faith–that is, from knowing the purpose of life and being assured that whatever the trials are, they come from the hand of a loving father.

Patience is a great remedy for becoming panicky. To be able to use reason and good judgment when everyone else goes to pieces not only saves self but also a neighbor.

What happens to us is not as important, but rather how we react to what happens.

There are many who excuse themselves, saying that if we were in other circumstances they would be much more patient. This is a grave mistake, for it assumes that virtue is a matter of geography, and not of moral effort.

Truth is not something we invent; if we do, it is a lie; rather, truth is something we discover, like love.

To demand love is to lose love. A selfish heart creates its own vacuum.

There are only two things we can do with crosses–carry them or kick against them. We can merge them in God’s plan for life and thus make them serve our inner peace and happiness, or we can stumble over them to the glen of weeping.

Those who discipline themselves and tame the ego by little acts of self-denial have already prepared themselves to meet crosses from the outside; they have familiarized themselves with them, and the shock is less when they are thrust on their shoulders.

Joy is rejoicing in another’s progress. This is one of the rarest virtues and the last to be won. Too often the progress of others is regarded as stolen from self.