holiness

"In order to be saints, you have to seriously want to be one. Saint Thomas Aquinas assures us that holiness 'is nothing else but a resolution made, the heroic act of a soul that surrenders to God.' And he adds: 'Spontaneously we love God, we run towards him, we get close to him, we possess him.' Our willingness is important because it changes us into the image of God and likens us to him! The decision to be holy is a very dear one. Renunciation, temptations, struggles and sacrifices are what surround the soul that has opted for holiness."



"Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God."



- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

from Pope Benedict:
"Prayer knows no distance and separation: wherever we are, it makes us one heart and one mind."

Also... from an excellent book, talking about God's providence and how God gives us sufferings to ultimately reach true happiness...
"Teresa of Avila said that the most miserable earthly life, seen from the perspective of heaven, looks like one night in an inconvenient hotel."

Short snippit from Redoscovering Catholocism: If the spirit within each of us is to reign, then the body must first be tamed. Prayer won't achieve this, works of charity won't achieve this, and the power of will won't achieve it. This task is for fasting, abstinance and other acts of pennance.