Any real ecstasy is a sign you are moving in the right direction.
From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.
Blessed be He, Who came into the world for no other purpose than to suffer.
Untilled soil, however fertile it may be, will bear thistles and thorns; so it is with man's mind.
Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.
The true penance comes when God takes away the soul's health and strength for doing penance. Even though I have mentioned elsewhere the great pain this lack causes, the pain is much more intense here. All these things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted.