Dan Burke > Quotes

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” — John 14:27 Whenever events surface that cause us anxiety, they are an invitation from God to healing. They are similar to the warning lights on the dashboards of our cars. They let us know that something is wrong and needs to be remedied.”
― Dan Burke, Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits

“We must fight to be patient as an act of the will no matter how we feel. We must not be timid in this fight but be ruthless against the desolation in the way we manage our thoughts and fight negative thoughts. We must never allow ourselves to sulk or wallow in our misery but affirm the truth of God that we will be freed of this desolation in due time.”
― Dan Burke, Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits

“At the end of your life, you will be recognized if you are familiar and intimate with the King of Kings, as one who is not a stranger but a friend. You cannot claim friendship and intimacy with someone you do not know or ever speak to. Prayer is nothing less than an intimate relationship with the loving God who Himself is your life and salvation. God came in the flesh so that you might know Him as both fully human and fully divine. You must commit to knowing Him in the same way you know your closest friend — and more so — and this is done through prayer. Without prayer, you will never find your way into and through the castle.”
― Dan Burke, The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul

“A prayer in which a person is not aware of whom he is speaking to, what he is asking, who it is who is asking and of whom, I do not call prayer, however much the lips move.”
― Dan Burke, The Contemplative Rosary: With St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Avila

“It is unfortunate that one of the most common false teachings in the Church (even among faithful Catholics) is that if a person has peace, he is in God’s will or in a good place spiritually. It is very common to hear people offer the advice: “If you have peace in your decision, then it is the right decision.” The only way to determine if peace is an indication of God’s will or blessings is to know the entire context of a person’s spiritual life. This cannot be emphasized enough. All those who give this advice should simply cease to do so and instead begin to study Ignatian discernment of spirits, both first and second rules, begin to practice them diligently in daily life according to their spiritual progress, and study the writings of St. John of the Cross.”
― Dan Burke, The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul

“Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: “In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words.”
― Dan Burke, The Contemplative Rosary: With St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Avila

“present anxiety is often an invitation of God to the healing of past wounds.”
― Dan Burke, Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits

“But very few of us were taught how to practice mental prayer. We feel embarrassed or tongue-tied when we try to speak to God from our hearts. What are we supposed to say? Unless someone instructs us as adults, our mental prayer is likely to be a rambling monologue about our day or a list of petitions.”
― Dan Burke, The Contemplative Rosary: With St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Avila

“If we are truly striving to focus on Christ, rather than just being lazy in our prayer, Saint Teresa counsels us not to worry about distractions and difficulties. Worrying will only make them worse. We must do the best we can and most of all simply show up every day to be with God in prayer.”
― Dan Burke, The Contemplative Rosary: With St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Avila

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. . . . The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4, 6–7)”
― Dan Burke, Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits

“My practical resolution was very simple. I made a commitment to outwardly demonstrate my delight and appreciation for others whenever I came in contact with them, particularly those with whom I struggled. To make this commitment very practical, I determined that I would smile and demonstrate a welcoming tone of voice each time I encountered others for the first time in a given day. The impact of my encounter with God and the graces he provided through my resolution profoundly changed the relationships in my life.”
― Dan Burke, Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer