July 21
"Lastly, women in trial, who stand upright at the foot of the cross like Mary, you who so often in history have given to men the strength to battle unto the very end and to give witness to the point of martyrdom, aid them now still once more to retain courage in their great undertakings, while at the same time maintaining patience and an esteem for humble beginnings....."
-Pope Paul VI
July 20
"And you, women living alone, realize what you can accomplish through your dedicated vocation. Society is appealing to you on all sides. Not even families can live without the help of those who have no families. Especially you, consecrated virgins, in a world where egoism and the search for pleasure would become law, be the guardians of purity, unselfishness and piety. Jesus who has given to conjugal love all its plenitudes, has also exalted the renouncement of human love when this is for the sake of divine love and for the service of all..."
-Pope Paul VI
July 19
"Wives, mothers of families, the first educators of the human race in the intimacy of the family circle, pass on to your sons and your daughters the traditions of your fathers at the same time that you prepare them for an unsearchable future. Always remember that by her children a mother belongs to that future which perhaps she will not see..."
-To Women, Vatican Council II Closing Speeches and Messages, Pope Paul VI
July 18
"In a wholly singular way she [Mary] cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the work of the Savior in restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is mother to us in the order of grace."
-Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium
July 17
"Holy Spirit, come into my heart. Bring new life to the ancient prayers I learned as a child, and inspire me to voice my innermost thoughts to the God who knows them all. Amen."
-Johnnette Benkovic Williams
April 24
"For perfected souls every place is to them an oratory; every moment a time of prayer."
-St. Catherine of Siena
April 23
"O My God, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen."
-An Act of Hope
April 22
"We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success... Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone."
-St. Frances Cabrini
April 21
"Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of words, but on the fervor of our souls."
-St. John Chrysostom
April 20
"Mental prayer is, as I see it, simply a friendly intercourse and frequent solitary conversation with Him who, as we know, loves us."
-St. Teresa of Avila
