always; interior joy is theirs both in adversity and prosperity.
Religion does not take the sunshine out of a man's life. The true follower of Christ has a blessing on his lips, a song in his mouth, amid sorrows and trials. Faith — Christianity — does, indeed, make a man serious and thoughtful, but it does not rob him of the real pleasures of life, nor does it paralyze his energies, but it directs them aright. No more joyous hearts can be found anywhere in the world than the hearts of Religious — the hearts that beat behind the grilles of the cloister. Religious not only lead good Christian lives, but also practise heroic penance, austere mortification, complete self-renunciation; yet their hearts overflow with joy, they abound with mirth and innocent glee such as is quite unknown to the butterflies of " society," to those who seek their happiness in the gratification of self in the treasures and pleasures of the world.
A devout Christian life certainly implies self-denial and self-control.
Good is never done except at the expense of those who do it. — Cardinal Newman.
It seldom happens that one can do good without any trouble. — St. Vincent de Paul.
"Life is all a void, On selfish thoughts alone employed."
— Jane Taylor.
"Self -reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, — These three alone lead life to sovereign power."
— Tennyson.
