From a homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother by Saint Bernard, abbot
You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel…
From a treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop and martyr
God is man’s glory. Man is the vessel which receives God’s action and all his wisdom and power. Just as a doctor is judged in his care for the sick,…
From a letter to Diognetus
No man has ever seen God or known him, but God has revealed himself to us through faith, by which alone it is possible to see him. God, the…
From a letter by Saint Leo the Great, pope
To speak of our Lord, the son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as true and perfect man is of no value to us if we do not believe that he…
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts for a time; from the beginning Christ is…
From a sermon by Blessed Isaac of Stella, abbot
The Son of God is the first-born of many brothers. Although by nature he is the only-begotten, by grace he has joined many to himself and made them one with…
From a spiritual Canticle by Saint John of the Cross, priest
Though holy doctors have uncovered many mysteries and wonders, and devout souls have understood them in this earthly condition of ours, yet the greater part still remains to be unfolded…
From the book On Virginity by Saint Ambrose, bishop
You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins; you light up your grace of body with your splendor of soul. More than others you can…
From a report by Don Antonio Valeriano, a Native American author of the sixteenth century
At daybreak one Saturday morning in 1531, on the very first days of the month of December, an Indian named Juan Diego was going from the village where he lived…