. . . Our Lord humbles in order to raise up, and allows the suffering of interior and exterior afflictions in order to bring about peace. He often desires some things more than we do, but wants us to merit the grace of accomplishing them by several practices of virtue and to beg for this with many prayers.
Vincent de PaulFurthermore, the apostolic life does not exclude contemplation but encompasses it and profits by it to know better the eternal truths it must proclaim
Vincent de PaulRarely is any good done without difficulty; the devil is too subtle and the world too corrupt not to attempt to nip such a good work in the bud
Vincent de Paul