St. Albert the Great (1206-1280)
The image of God which is imprinted upon the soul is found in the three powers of reason, memory, and will. But since these do not perfectly bear the Divine likeness, they have not the same resemblance to God as in the first days of man's creation.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
To be men, we must be rational; that is we must act, not according to the sensual appetite, but to the dictates of reason.

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.

St. Felipe de Neri (1515-1595)
Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on us.

Rev. Fr. John F. Sullivan
It has always been the aim of our holy Church to cause her children to reflect. She sets apart during the years two seasons, in which she tries to imbue the faithful with a spirit of penitential fervor. One of these seasons, which is called Advent, from the Latin word "adventus," a coming to, embraces four Sundays, beginning with that which is nearest to the feast of St. Andrew, the 30th of November. The first Sunday of Advent, in our part of the Church, is always the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, the Church's New Year's Day. It is a time for devout preparation of the soul for the proper and worthy celebration of the great feast of Christmas: and the Church wishes us also during that season to prepare for the judgment which we all must undergo, both at death and at the second coming of our Blessed Savior. The whole of the Church's practice and liturgy during Advent is filled with this spirit—with the praises of the Redeemer of the world, and with exhortations to the faithful to receive Him worthily into their souls. The readings of this season take us back in spirit to the days when the Messiah had not yet come; and show us that the same spirit of preparation, of hope and prayer and penance, is as necessary now as it was then, if we are to profit by the Incarnation of our Blessed Lord. We are exhorted to prepare ourselves for His coming into our hearts by His grace, and for that other coming also, when He shall appear again among men, not obscure, helpless and lowly, as at His birth in Bethlehem, but "coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty," when He shall come not as a Savior, but as a judge.

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