Famous Quotes & Sayings

Pope Benedict XVI

Popular piety is one of our strengths because it consists of prayers deeply rooted in people's hearts. These prayers even move the hearts of people who are somewhat cut off from the life of the Church and who have no special understanding of faith. All that is required is to 'illuminate' these actions and 'purify' this tradition so that it may become part of the life of the Church today.

Pope Benedict XVI

Deeply saddened by the news of the terrorist attacks in central London, the Holy Father offers his fervent prayers for the victims and for all those who mourn.

Nathaniel Parker Willis

O, when the heart is, full, when bitter thoughts come crowding thickly up for utterance, and the poor common words of courtesy are such a very mockery, how much the bursting heart may pour itself in prayer!

Nathaniel Parker Willis

T is the work of many a dark hour, many a prayer, to bring the heart back from an infant gone.

Mother Teresa

Prayer gives us a pure heart and a pure heart can do much.

Mother Teresa

Real prayer is union with God,...

Mother Teresa

Real prayer is union with God, a union as vital as that of the vine to the branch..

Mother Teresa

Prayer does not demand that we interrupt our work, but that we continue working as if it were a prayer.

Mother Teresa

Christ prays in me, Christ works in me, Christ thinks in me, Christ looks through my eyes, Christ speaks through my words, Christ works with my hands, Christ walks with my feet, Christ loves with my heart. As St Paul's prayer was: I belong to Christ and nothing will separate me from the love of Christ. It was that oneness, oneness with God in the Holy Spirit.

Mother Teresa

Prayer to be fruitful must come from the heart and must be able to touch the heart of God.

Mother Teresa

The beginning of prayer is silence ...

Mother Teresa

Let's not pray long, drawn-out prayers, but let's pray short ones full of love. Let us pray on behalf of those who do not pray. Let us remember, if we want to be able to love, we must be able to pray!

Mother Teresa

We must love one another as God loves each one of us. To be able to love, we need a clean heart. Prayer is what gives us a clean heart. The fruit of prayer is a deepening of faith and the fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.

Mother Teresa

In order for us to be able to love, we need to have faith, because faith is love in action and love in action is service. In order for us to be able to love, we have to see and touch. Faith in action through prayer, faith in action through service: each is the same thing, the same love, the same compassion.

Mother Teresa

Joy is the characteristic by which God uses us to re-make the distressing into the desired, the discarded into the creative. Joy is prayer-Joy is strength-Joy is love-Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

Mother Teresa

More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.

Mother Teresa

It is not possible to engage in the direct apostolate without being a soul of prayer. We must be aware of oneness with Christ, as he was aware of oneness with his Father. Our activity is truly apostolic only insofar as we permit him to work in us and through us with his power, with his desire, with his love.

Mother Teresa

The fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace, and peace begins with a smile.

Mother Teresa

Prayer is the breath of life to our soul; holiness is impossible without it

Mother Teresa

Purity is the fruit of prayer.

Mother Teresa

Prayer is in all things, in all gestures.

Mother Teresa

When I was crossing into Gaza, I was asked at the checkpost whether I was carrying any weapons. I replied: Oh yes, my prayer books.

Mother Teresa

The first requirement for prayer is silence. People of prayer are people of silence.

Mother Teresa

The more we can give in our silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.

Mother Teresa

Prayer feeds the soul - as blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul - and it brings you closer to God.

Mother Teresa

Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of Himself.

Mother Teresa

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noises and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature-trees, flowers, grass-grow in silence. Is not our mission to give God to those we walk with? Not a dead God, but a living, loving God. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us. Words that don't give the light of Christ increase the darkness.

Mother Teresa

Everything starts from prayer. Without asking God for love, we cannot possess love and still less are we able to give it to others. Just as people today are speaking so much about the poor but they do not know or talk to the poor, we too cannot talk so much about prayer and yet not know how to pray.

Mother Teresa

I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I'm praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.

Mother Teresa

I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence-we need to listen to God because it's not what we say but what He says to us and through us that matters.

Mother Teresa

Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God himself. Prayer begets faith, faith begets love, and love begets service on behalf of the poor.

Mother Teresa

Prayer in action is love, love in action is service.

Mother Teresa

If our bones were not sending whispers of doubt to our hearts, there would be no need for prayer at all.