Loving difficult people will refine us. Perhaps only in heaven will our love be so perfected that we can actually like these people, too. St. Augustine spoke of a man who, on earth, had chronic gas problems; in heaven, his flatulence became perfect music.

God sometimes gives us what we want so we'll learn to trust Him to give us what we need.

We...sin not because we want what is evil, but because we want what isn't good enough.

When it comes to explaining the Blessed Virgin Mary, having a lot of love is more important than having a lot of answers. When we come up lacking, she’ll make greater goods out of our deficiencies, as only a mother can do. Whenever we're humiliated and shown our weakness, we should get ready for something better than we could ever plan and prepare to accomplish. Evangelize with joy, then, and with confidence. Know from the start that you don’t have all the answers-but your Savior does, and He loves His mother. He will give you everything you need, even if sometimes you need to fail.

IF THE LORD IS OUR JOY, OUR JOY CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY. IT CANNOT BE LOST...JOY HAD COME TO THE WORLD, AND IT HAD COME TO STAY.

Down through the centuries, the Church has carefully preserved, protected, and defended its Marian teachings, because to give them up would be to give up the gospel.

The laws of God, like the law of gravity, do not depend upon how I feel about them. They are inexorable.