Ignatius of Loyola famous quotes

Whatever you are doing, that which makes you feel the most alive...that is where God is.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Alive #Feels

Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Up To You #Care #Praying

All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Mean #World #Gift From God

O my God, teach me to be generous to serve you as you deserve to be served to give without counting the cost to fight without fear of being wounded to work without seeking rest and to spend myself without expecting any reward but the knowledge that I am doing your holy will. Amen
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Fighting #Giving #Cost

Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Deeds #Shows #Ought

For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Believe #Proof #Sufficient

He who carries God in his heart bears Heaven with him wherever he goes.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Heart #Heaven #Bears

To conquer himself is the greatest victory that man can gain.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Men #Greatest Victory #Gains

If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He certainly intends to make you a saint.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Suffering #Saint #Causes

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Memories #Giving #Grace

He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Reform #World #Labor

We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Prayer #Desire #Asking

It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Catholic #Saint #Hard

Occupy yourself in beholding and bewailing your own imperfections rather than contemplating the imperfections of others.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Occupy Yourself #Imperfection #Contemplating

Truth always ends by victory; it is not unassailable, but invincible.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Victory #Ends #Invincible

If our church is not marked by caring for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Caring #Church #Guilty

After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan's temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he'll have an incentive to leave you alone.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Prayer #Meditation #Decision

Teach us, Good Lord, to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do thy will.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Fighting #Knowing #Giving

Laugh and grow strong.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Strong #Laughing #Grows

Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Heartfelt #Doing Nothing #Action

God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Creating #Goal #Forever

You have given it all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and grace. That is enough for me.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Faith #Inspiration #Giving

Finding God in All Things.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Awareness #Finding God #Findings

If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Jesus #Sacrifice #Flames

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from Thee. From the wicked foe defend me. At the hour of my death call me. And bid me come to Thee. That with Thy saints I may praise Thee For ever and ever. Amen.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Jesus #Passion #Blood

Realize that illness and other temporal setbacks often come to us from the hand of God our Lord, and are sent to help us know ourselves better, to free ourselves of the love of created things, and to reflect on the brevity of this life and, thus, to prepare ourselves for the life which is without end.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Hands #Helping #Realizing

For those who love, nothing is too difficult, especially when it is done for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Jesus #Done #Christ

God gives each one of us sufficient grace ever to know His holy will, and to do it fully.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Giving #Grace #Holy

Stand firm and immovable as an anvil when it is beaten upon.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Anvils #Firmness #Stand Firm

Few souls understand what God would effect in them if they should give themselves entirely into his hands and allow his grace to act.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Faith #Inspiration #Hands

Teach us to give and not to count the cost.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Generosity #Giving #Catholic

He who is devout to the Virgin Mother will certainly never be lost.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Mother #Lost #Virgins

Sin is unwillingness to trust that what God wants for me is only my deepest happiness.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Want #Sin

Discouragement is not from God.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Faith #Faith In God #Discouragement

He who has heard the Word of God can bear his silences.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Silence #Bears #Heard

If one fears men much he will never do anything great for God: all that one does for God arouses persecution.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Men #Doe #Persecution

Do not put faith in constant happiness, and fear most when all smiles upon you.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#All Smiles #Constant

No idle word should be uttered. I understand a word to be idle when it serves no good purpose, either for myself or for another, and was not intended to do so.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Saint #Purpose #Should

The glory of God is humankind fully alive.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Alive #Glory #Glory Of God

Pardon me, O perfections of my God, for having preferred imperfect and evil inclinations to Thee! Pardon me, O justice of my God, for having outraged Thee by my sins. Pardon me, O holiness of my God, for having so long stained Thy sight's purity by my sins. Pardon me, O mercy of my God, for having despised so long Thy mercy's voice. In deep sorrow and contrition, I cast myself at Thy feet: Have mercy on me.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Forgiveness #Voice #Feet

Idleness is hells fishhook for catching souls.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Soul #Hell #Catching

Above all, remember that God looks for solid virtues in us, such as patience, humility, obedience, abnegation of your own will - that is, the good will to serve Him and our neighbor in Him. His providence allows us other devotions only insofar as He sees that they are useful to us.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Humility #Looks #Remember

God will not be outdone in generosity.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Generosity #Gods Will

Be generous to the poor orphans and those in need. The man to whom our Lord has been liberal ought not to be stingy. We shall one day find in Heaven as much rest and joy as we ourselves have dispensed in this life.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Men #Widows And Orphans #Joy

One of the most admirable effects of Holy Communion is to preserve the soul from sin, and to help those who fall through weakness to rise again. It is much more profitable, then, to approach this divine Sacrament with love, respect, and confidence, than to remain away through an excess of fear and scrupulosity.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Christian #Fall #Soul

The acknowledgment of and gratitude for favors and gifts received is loved and esteemed in Heaven and on earth.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Gratitude #Heaven #Earth

Among the many signs of a lively faith and hope we have in eternal life, one of the surest is not being overly sad at the death of those whom we dearly love in our Lord.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Hope And Faith #Lord #Eternal Life

To have prevented one single sin is reward enough for the labors and efforts of a whole lifetime.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Effort #Rewards #Sin

He who is not getting better is getting worse.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Get Better

The enemy is like a woman, weak in face of opposition, but correspondingly strong when not opposed. In a quarrel with a man, it is natural for a woman to lose heart and run away when he faces up to her; on the other hand, if the man begins to be afraid and to give ground, her rage, vindictiveness and fury overflow and know no limit.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Running #Strong #Heart

As for joy, as little as one can have of it in this life, experience shows that it is not the idle who possess it, but those who are zealous in the service of God.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Joy #Zealous #Littles

The servant of God earns half a doctorate through illness
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Servant Of God #Half #Illness

To withdraw from creatures and repose with Jesus in the Tabernacle is my delight; there I can hide myself and seek rest. There I find a life which I cannot describe, a joy which I cannot make others comprehend, a peace such as is found only under the hospitable roof of our best Friend.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Jesus #Joy #Delight

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Giving #Cost #Stewardship

May the perfect grace and eternal love of Christ our Lord be our never-failing protection and help.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Perfect #Grace #Eternal Love

If God causes you to suffer much it is a sign that He has great designs for you and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Faith #Inspiration #Sacrifice

They who load us with insults and ignominies give us the means of acquiring treasures more precious than any that man can gain in this life.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Mean #Men #Giving

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES whereby to conquer oneself, and order one's life, without being influenced in one's decision by any inordinate affection.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Spiritual #Exercise #Order

Just as the commander of an army pitches his camp, studies the strength and defenses of a fortress, and then attacks it on its weakest side, in like manner, the enemy of our human nature studies from all sides our theological, cardinal, and moral virtues. Wherever he finds us weakest and most in need regarding our eternal salvation, he attacks and tries to take us by storm.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Army #Enemy #Trying

Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Memories #Understanding #Liberty

A person with imprecise ideas can understand little and be of less help to others.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Ideas #Littles #Helping

The more completely we focus our attention on our Creator and Lord, the less chance there is of our being distracted by creatures.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Focus #Attention #Chance

Remember that bodily exercise, when it is well ordered, as I have said, is also prayer by means of which you can please God our Lord.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Prayer #Mean #Exercise

In the case of those who are making progress from good to better, the good angel touches the soul gently, lightly, sweetly, as a drop of water enters a sponge, while the evil spirit touches it sharply, with noise and disturbance, like a drop of water falling on a rock.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Fall #Angel #Rocks

It is not the finest wood that feeds the fire of Divine love, but the wood of the Cross.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Fire #Woods #Finest

Let your modesty be a sufficient incitement, yea, an exhortation to everyone to be at peace on their merely looking at you.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Catholic #Modesty #Purity

God inclines to shower His graces upon us, but our perverted will is a barrier to His generosity.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Generosity #Grace #Showers

May it please Christ our Lord to grant us true humility and abnegation of will and judgment, so that we may deserve to begin to be His disciples.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Humility #May #Judgment

True, I am in love with suffering, but I do not know if I deserve the honor.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#True Love #Catholic #Honor

One must wage war against his predominant passion and not retreat until, with God's help, he has been victorious.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#War #Passion #Retreat

May God our Lord never let me harm anyone when I cannot help him!
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#May #Helping #Lord

If you attach your heart to certain places and occupations, obedience oftentimes places you in some other place that you may not like; to be always cheerful, be always humble and obedient.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Heart #Humble #Cheerful

Remember that the good angels do what they can to preserve men from sin and obtain God's honor. But they do not lose courage when men fail.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Angel #Men #Honor

The safest and most suitable form of penance seems to be that which causes pain in the flesh but does not penetrate to the bones, that is, which causes suffering but not sickness.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Pain #Suffering #Doe

There is no doubt that God will never be wanting to us, provided that He finds in us that humility which makes us worthy of His gifts, the desire of possessing them, and the promptitude to co-operate industriously with the graces He gives us.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Humility #Giving #Grace

... we ought even to hold as a fixed principle that what I see white I believe to be black, if the superior authorities define it to be so.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Believe #White #Black

God our Lord would have us look to the Giver and love Him more than His gift, keeping Him always before our eyes, in our hearts, and in our thoughts.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Heart #Eye #And Love

It is one thing to be eloquent and charming in profane speech, and another when the one speaking as a religious.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Religious #Speech #Charming

All the honey that can be gathered from the flowers of this world has less sweetness than the vinegar and gall of Jesus Christ our Lord.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Jesus #Flower #World

But some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name of Jesus Christ in wicked guile, while yet they practice things unworthy of God, and hold opinions contrary to the doctrine of Christ, to their own destruction, and that of those who give credit to them, whom you must avoid as ye would wild beasts.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Jesus #Practice #Names

Imagine that leader of all the enemy, in that great plain of Babylon, sitting on a sort of throne of smoking flame, a horrible and terrifying sight. Watch him calling together countless devils, to despatch them into different cities till the whole world is covered, forgetting no province or locality, no class or single individual.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Sight #Flames #Class

So with that will prompt and prepared to serve all those whom I perceive to be servants of my Lord, I will speak of three things with simplicity and love as if I were speaking to my own soul.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Simplicity #Soul #And Love

We should always be disposed to believe that that which appears white is really black, if the hierarchy of the Church so decides.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Fake People #Believe #White

It is proper to ask for sorrow with Christ in sorrow, anguish with Christ in anguish, tears and deep grief because of the great affliction Christ endures for me.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Grief #Sorrow #Tears

Spiritual infirmities such as tepidity are caused, not only by chills but also by fevers, that is, by excessive zeal.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Spiritual #Fever #Chill

If, one day, I should offend God in any way, or grow remiss, though ever so little, in that which concerns His holy service and glory, I solemnly implore Him, rather let me die.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#One Day #Littles #Way

We must put aside all judgment of our own, and keep the mind ever ready and prompt to obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, our holy Mother, the hierarchical Church.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Mother #Mind #Church

A religious ought to dread more being afraid of poverty than experiencing it.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Religious #Poverty #Dread

The picture. A great plain, comprising the entire Jerusalem district, where is the supreme Commander-in-Chief of the forces of good, Christ our Lord: another plain near Babylon, where Lucifer is, at the head of the enemy.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Enemy #Jerusalem #Christ

Considering that the blessed life we so long for consists in an intimate and true love of God Our Creator and Lord, which binds and obliges us all to a sincere love.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#True Love #Blessed #Long

Let me look at the foulness and ugliness of my body. Let me see myself as an ulcerous sore running with every horrible and disgusting poison.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Running #Poison #Looks

Calisto, a companion of Ignatius, and who on recovering from a severe illness had heard of the imprisonment of Ignatius, hastened from Segnovia, where he was staying, and came to Alcala, that he, too, might be cast into prison.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Might #Prison #Illness

Concerning the harsh treatment of the body for our Lord's sake, I would say, avoid anything that would cause the shedding even of a drop of blood.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Blood #Body #Sake

What seems to me white, I will believe black if the hierarchical Church so defines.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Believe #White #Black

If anyone asks you for something that you believe would be injurious to him, refuse, but in such a manner as not to lose his good-will.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Believe #Would Be #Refuse

We should not have a petty regard for God's gifts, though we may and should despise our own imperfections.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Imperfection #May #Should

The principal end both of my father and of myself in the conquest of India... has been the propagation of the holy Catholic faith.
-- Ignatius of Loyola

#Father #Catholic #India