To Love is to Give – August

1.
You lament the fact that you love God inadequately and rightly so, for who among mortals can love Him with the love of which He is worthy? But He is a gracious Lord, a good Father, and has regard for our helplessness. He pays more attention to the heart than to sacrifice and even accepts a desire for a good deed. And certainly you desire to love God without limit. (I, 144)

2.
Do not worry about not being able to experience love and about finding it hard at times to elicit even a single act of love. Remember that when the emotion is very strong, we lack words even to express it. (I, 144)

3.
Remember that that love is real which does not seek its own gratification in anything, but longs to satisfy the beloved. And you know well that we really satisfy those whom we love when we do their will without regard for self. (I, 145)

4.
Therefore, you too will satisfy the Heart of Your Divine Spouse when in all things you will do only His Will, even in the manner of serving and loving Him. (I, 145)

5.
Yes, my dear daughter, love and submission are two golden wings on which the suffering soul, the crucified soul rises to heaven. Love and submission are two angels of God transporting that crucified soul to heaven. (I, 145)

6.
I encourage you, my dear daughter, to nothing more than to this love and submission because they encompass the entire religious life. (I, 145)

7.
You know that love is insatiable. The more the soul loves, the more she yearns, the more she is aware of the weakness and limitations of her love. The more a soul in love accomplishes, the more she sees how inadequate she is. Only in heaven will we love God with true love. (I, 144)

8.
I wish you especially the love with which Jesus loved us; so that your every step, every deed, every suffering may be an act and proof of that love, so that you might be able to say: “I live now, not I, Christ lives in me.” (I, 154)

9.
Desire more and more to grow in the love of God; holy desires are like wings which transport the soul to heaven. (III, 112)

10.
Continuously beg Jesus Christ for His holy love. The gift of love of God is a grace which embraces all other graces and is above all of them, because whoever loves God sincerely, guards against everything which would hurt Him. (III, 112)

11.
Rejoice in the fact that god is perfectly happy in Himself. If you love God more than you love yourself, you will rejoice more in His happiness than in your own. (III, 113)

12.
Speak often about the love which Christ showed us and how obliged we are to love Him. (III, 113)

13.
Keep giving yourself to God completely; do not refuse Him anything; choose those things which bring Him most joy and with which you can become most pleasing to Him. (III, 113)

14.
During the day offer yourself several times to Christ, telling Him that out of love for Him, you are willing to accept all pain and work. Frequently repeat: My Jesus, I give myself to you completely; do with me whatever you wish. (III, 113)

15.
Our happiness depends on the love of God. The love of God contained in doing His Will. (III, 118)

16.
Love usually brings about a resemblance in souls who love one another. Love the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but love it also on the Cross because it delights in a heart where there is much love, pain and silence. (III, 132)

17.
You are telling me that you feel so far removed from Him, and I assure you that you are presently closer to Him than ever, and do you know why? Because you have united your will with His most Holy Will. (I, 85)

18.
It seems to you that you do not love Him, but you have little reason to be so concerned for now your love is genuine since it manifests itself in work and suffering and abnegation. (I, 85)

19.
It is then by two signs that we can tell whether we have love for God, and these are work and patience. Do we always work for God, or at least do we have a sincere desire to do His Will in everything? Do we willingly bear for Him all trials such as: poverty, afflictions, illness and other misfortunes? (III, 119)

20.
The love of God, like fire, destroys all obstacles. If it does not produce these results, it is not true love but a false one; it is only on the lips but not in the heart. If love is not active, it is not love. Jesus Christ said: He who obeys the commandments from Me is the man who loves Me. (III, 119

21.
Never look for self in anything but always seek the glory of God and the good of your neighbor. (III, 137)

22.
Our Lord opened heaven to us through suffering, that suffering which is a beaten path, the true road which the saints traveled. Walk it bravely, my dear sister, Jesus Himself has placed you upon it because He wants you to become a saint. (I, 105)

23.
Love does not depend on tender, fruitless feeling, offering itself in thought for all sacrifices which perhaps will never happen. Such a love does not cost us any effort, or maybe we do not want it to cost us anything. To love is to give. (III, 119)

24.
To love is to bear everything for love – everything that is unpleasant to our human nature, mental, emotional or physical suffering. We ought to want to suffer in the way that love demands, preferring those crosses which are of our own choosing; bearing them in the way that love demands without relief, without consolation either from people or God. (III, 119-120)

25.
Love Our Lord and do what you please. (I, 81)

26.
You complain also that you reaped no benefit from the retreat, but can there be greater gain than to renounce oneself and to submit to the Will of God? (I, 85)

27.
May God be your All, and for the love of God, may you be all things to everyone. (I, 155)

28.
Motivate yourself to ever increasing love, being mindful that love heals everything and most readily obtains pardon, because Jesus speaking of Saint Magdalen says that much was forgiven her because she loved much. (I, 143)

29.
To those who love God all things work out for the good. The saints even used their failures for the benefit of their souls which moved them to deep humility as well as love and gratitude to God. (I, 143)

30.
Allow love to elevate your heart to heaven pointing out an end to suffering. Let submission remind you that this earth is a place of exile and penance. Let love direct you to cherish and imitate the suffering Jesus and let holy submission call out to you: “Be obedient until death.” (I, 145)

31.
May the Lord be your everything everywhere in place of everyone. May He fill your soul with all kinds of consolations. (III, 134)