Philip Neri famous quotes

07-08-2025

"If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive them also. Let him remember that when he says the Pater Noster, every day, instead of asking pardon for his sins, he is calling down vengeance on himself."
-- Philip Neri

#Forgiveness #Father #Men
The best remedy for dryness of spirit, is to picture ourselves as beggars in the presence of God and the Saints, and like a beggar, to go first to one saint, then to another, to ask a spiritual alms of them with the same earnestness as a poor fellow in the streets would ask an alms of us.
-- Philip Neri

#Spiritual #Saint #Firsts
A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one.
-- Philip Neri

#Heart #Perfect #Joyful
Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast.
-- Philip Neri

#Successful #Grieving #Opposites
We are not saints yet, but we, too, should beware. Uprightness and virtue do have their rewards, in self-respect and in respect from others, and it is easy to find ourselves aiming for the result rather than the cause. Let us aim for joy, rather than respectability. Let us make fools of ourselves from time to time, and thus see ourselves, for a moment, as the all-wise God sees us.
-- Philip Neri

#Wise #Self #Joy
Give me ten truly detached men. and I will convert the world with them.
-- Philip Neri

#Men #Giving #World
Humility is the safeguard of chastity. In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing the danger. For my part, when I find a man secure of himself and without fear, I give him up for lost. I am less alarmed for one who is tempted and who resists by avoiding the occasions, than for one who is not tempted and is not careful to avoid occasions. When a person puts himself in an occasion, saying, I shall not fall, it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with great injury to his soul.
-- Philip Neri

#Fall #Humility #Men
First let a little love find entrance into their hearts, and the rest will follow.
-- Philip Neri

#Heart #Littles #Firsts
During mental prayer, it is well, at times, to imagine that many insults and injuries are being heaped upon us, that misfortunes have befallen us, and then strive to train our heart to bear and forgive these things patiently, in imitation of our Saviour. This is the way to acquire a strong spirit.
-- Philip Neri

#Strong #Prayer #Heart
Let us think, if we only got to heaven, what a sweet and easy thing it will be there to be always saying with the angels and the saints, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
-- Philip Neri

#Sweet #Angel #Thinking
If we wish to keep peace with our neighbor, we should never remind anyone of his natural defects.
-- Philip Neri

#Wish #Serving Others #Neighbor
The great thing is to become Saints.
-- Philip Neri

#Catholic #Saint #Great Things
Without mortification nothing can be done.
-- Philip Neri

#Attachment #Done #Mortification
Christian joy is a gift of God flowing from a good conscience.
-- Philip Neri

#Christian #Joy #Saint
He who desires anything but God deceives himself, and he who loves anything but God errs miserably.
-- Philip Neri

#Desire #Saint #Deceiving
Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if he wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength.
-- Philip Neri

#Giving #Want #Arms
It is an old custom of the servants of God to have some little prayer ready and to be frequently darting them up to heaven during the day, lifting their minds to God out of the mire of this world.
-- Philip Neri

#Prayer #Heaven #Mind
Where there is no great mortification there is no great sanctity.
-- Philip Neri

#Attachment #Sanctity #Mortification

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