Fr. Jacques Philippe > Quotes

“Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected. If, on the contrary, the surface of the lake is agitated, undulating, then the image of the sun can not be reflected in it. It is a little bit like this with regard to our soul in relationship to God. The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“Every single person, in accordance with his or her own personality, his or her own gifts and weaknesses, can have a deep prayer life by corresponding faithfully to God's grace.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“If we make God our first concern, God will look after our affairs much better than we ever can,”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“We should not pray for the sake of the satisfactions or benefits we derive (even if they are immense) but mainly to please God, because he asks us to.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“We cannot experience this support from God unless we leave Him the necessary space in which He can express Himself.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“People do not please God primarily by their virtues and merits, but above all by their limitless trust in His mercy.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“He is not there because we deserve Him or feel His presence, but because he gave His promise: [Matthew 6:6]”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“[Faithfulness to mental prayer] is a school of truth in love, because it teaches us, little by little, no longer to place our relationship with God on the shaky, unstable basis of our own impressions, moods, or feelings, but on the solid foundation of faith--God's faithfulness, which is as firm as a rock.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“Time spent faithfully every day in mental prayer that is poor, arid, distracted, and relatively short is worth more, and will be infinitely more fruitful for our progress, than long, ardent spells of mental prayer from time to time, when circumstances make it easy.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“The more wretched we are, the more motivated we should be to do mental prayer.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

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“[The Accuser] makes it clear to us how imperfect and weak our love for God still is—how much self-seeking remains in our spiritual life”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“[The Accuser] makes it clear to us how imperfect and weak our love for God still is—how much self-seeking remains in our spiritual life”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“The life of prayer is not the result of a technique, but a gift we receive.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe

“Before saying we don't have time for mental prayer, let's begin by reviewing our hierarchy of values, to see what our real priorities are.”
― Fr. Jacques Philippe