"I do not desire to die soon, because in Heaven there is no suffering. I desire to live a long time because I yearn to suffer much for the love of my Spouse."

--St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

You will be consoled according to the greatness of your sorrow and affliction; the greater the suffering, the greater will be the reward.

--St. Mary Magdalen de'Pazzi

For my heart is always with Him, day and night it thinks unceasingly of its heavenly and divine Friend, to whom it wants to prove its affection. Also within it arises this desire: not to die, but to suffer long, to suffer for God, to give Him its life while praying for poor sinners.

--St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Always remember to love your neighbor; always prefer the one who tries your patience, who test your virtue, because with her you can always merit: suffering is Love; the Law is Love.

--St. Mary of Jesus Crucified "The Little Arab"

I desire to suffer always and not to die. I should add: this is not my will, it is my inclination. It is sweet to think of Jesus; but it is sweeter to do His will.

--St. Mary of Jesus Crucified "The Little Arab"

If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.

--St. Ignatius Loyola

The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.

--St. John of the Cross

One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer.

--St. Teresa of Avila

Blessed be He, Who came into the world for no other purpose than to suffer.

--St. Teresa of Avila

Suffering is a great favor. Remember that everything soon comes to an end . . . and take courage. Think of how our gain is eternal.

--St. Teresa of Avila

“Suffer patiently for a while, your winter will soon be over, and the spring that succeeds will blossom eternally.”

--St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

"I always want to see you behaving like a brave soldier who does not complain about his own suffering but takes his comrades' wounds seriously and treats his own as nothing but scratches."

--Saint Therese of Lisieux, to her novices

 Words on Suffering by St. Therese of Lisieux:

Jesus wishes to bring His kingdom to souls more by suffering than by brilliant preaching.

 Trials help greatly to detach us from earth. They make us look to God, rather than to this world.

 My joy is to love suffering.  I smile in the midst of tears and receive with thanksgiving the thorns as well as the flowers.

 Jesus has always treated me as a favorite child.  It is true that His Cross has accompanied me from childhood, but He has made me love this Cross passionately.

 Willingly would I remain all my religious life in this dark tunnel of spiritual dryness into which Jesus has led me.  I wish only that my darkness may obtain light for sinners.

 Nothing is too great to suffer in order to win the palm of eternal life.

 I value sacrifice more than ecstasy.  I find my happiness in suffering, as I find it nowhere else.

Jesus gives me just what I can bear at the moment, no more; and if in a moment He increases my suffering, He also increases my strength.

 “You have many trials today,” someone said to St. Therese.  She answered, “Yes, but I love them. I love everything that the dear God gives to me.”

 If I did not suffer from moment to moment, I would not be able to keep patience, but I see only the present moment.  I forget the past and take care not to peek into the future.

 Jesus wants to take complete possession of your heart.  That is why He makes you suffer much, but Oh what joy will your soul know at the moment of your entrance into Heaven.

 Suffering united to love is the one thing we should desire in this valley of tears.

 St. Therese’s last words before she died were: “Well, all right! All right! Oh!  I wouldn’t want to suffer less!  Oh!  I love Him … My God … I … love … You!”

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