The Third Glorious Mystery of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Co-Redemptrix, is the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. The fruit of this mystery is ZEAL – LOVE OF GOD. 🔥
An excellent collection of quotes on the utter necessity of zeal for the salvation of souls. Remember these quotes when you hear anyone say that proselytism is “solemn nonsense”, or that they have no desire to convert a person or persons to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, outside of which there is no salvation.
St. James the Apostle: “He must know that he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way will save his own soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins” (St. James 5, 19-20).
St. John Chrysostom, (ARSH 347-407), the illustrious Bishop of Constantinople, and Doctor of the Church, tells us: “Zeal for the salvation of souls is of so great a merit before God, that to give up all our goods to the poor, or to spend our whole life in the exercises of all sorts of austerities cannot equal the merit of it. There is no service more agreeable to God than this one. To employ one’s life in this blessed labor is more pleasing to the Divine Majesty than to suffer martyrdom. Would you not feel happy if you could spend large sums of money in corporal works of mercy? But know that he who labors for the salvation of souls does far more; nay, the zeal of souls is of far greater merit before God . . . than the working of miracles.”
Pope St. Gregory the Great (ARSH 590-604): “No sacrifice is more acceptable to God than zeal for souls.”
St. Vincent de Paul (ARSH 1576-1660): That St. Vincent was devoured by zeal for the house of God, his entire life testifies, because that life was employed in combating evil and extending the reign of good; and in this consists true zeal. Listen to some of his instructions to his community: “Let us give ourselves to God, gentlemen, to go to carry His holy Gospel over the entire earth and into whatever part He may lead us; there, let us maintain our part, and continue our duties until such time as His good pleasure will withdraw us. Let no difficulties move us, the glory of the eternal Father and the efficacy of the Word and of the passion of His Son are at stake. The salvation of men and our own are so great that they merit to be obtained at any price.”
St. Rose of Lima, (ARSH 1586-1617). We read that her confessor offered himself to go to the missions, but he feared because of the dangers it would entail. After consulting the saint, he heard these words: “Go Father, and do not fear. Leave all to labor for the conversion of the infidel, and know that the greatest service that man can offer to God is to convert souls, for this is a work proper of the Apostolate. What greater happiness could there be than to baptize, be it only a little Indian child who would enter Heaven through the gates of Baptism?”
St. John de Brebeuf (ARSH 1593-1649), one of the eight North American Martyrs, was heard to say, after pouring the saving waters of Baptism on a dying Indian child, “For this one single occasion I would travel all the way from France; I would cross the great ocean to win one little soul for Our Lord!”
St. Margaret Mary (ARSH 1647-1690): “My divine Savior has given to understand that those who work for the salvation of souls will have a gift of touching the most hardened hearts, and will labor with marvelous success, if they themselves are penetrated with a tender devotion to His Divine Heart.”
St. Anthony Mary Claret (ARSH 1808-1870): “Another thing that spurs me on to preach ceaselessly is the thought of the multitude of souls which fall into the depths of hell, who die in mortal sin, condemned forever and ever… if you were to see a blind man about to fall into a pit or over a precipice, would you not warn him? Behold, I do the same…” “How often I pray with St. Catherine of Siena: O my God, grant me a place by the gates of Hell, that I may stop those who enter there, saying: “Where are you going, unhappy one? Back, go back! Make a good confession. Save your soul. Don’t come here to be lost for all eternity!” St. Anthony resolved never to waste a moment of time, and during his 35 years as a priest, he wrote 144 books and preached some 25,000 sermons. On one trip, besides traveling, he preached 205 sermons in 48 days and 12 in one day.
The motivating force that dominated St. John Bosco’s (ARSH 1815-1888) life is found in a phrase that is typically his: “Give me souls, you take the rest.” “There is nothing more holy in this world than to work for the good of souls, for whose salvation Jesus Christ poured out the last drops of His Blood.” In his writings and conferences, he consistently pointed out that: “Man is successful in this world if he saves his soul and is very knowledgeable if he knows the science of salvation; but he is a total failure if he loses his soul and knows nothing if he is ignorant of those things that can assure him of eternal salvation.” From his book The Life of St. Dominic Savio, St. John Bosco had this to say of St. Dominic Savio (the teenage saint who died in his 15th year): “The thought of saving souls for God was never out of his mind.” St. Dominic Savio, (1842-1856), in a serious conversation with one of his companions, gave several reasons for his apostolic zeal in “saving souls”: 1. My companion’s soul has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. 2. We are all brothers and so we must love each other’s souls. 3. God urges us to help each other. 4. If I manage to save one soul, I also ensure the salvation of my own.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (ARSH 1873-1897): “We have only short moments of this life to work for God’s glory. The devil knows this and that is why he tries to make us waste time in useless things. O, let us not waste our time! Let us save souls! Souls are falling into hell innumerable as the flakes of snow on a winter day. Jesus weeps! Instead of consoling Him we are brooding over our own sorrows . . . There is only one thing to do during the brief day, or rather, night of this life: Love Jesus with all the strength of your heart and save souls for Him, so that He may be loved!”
St. Padre Pio (ARSH 1887-1968): “Time spent in honor of God and for the salvation of souls is never badly spent.
St. Maximilian Kolbe (ARSH 1894-1941): “We have no right to rest as long as a single soul is Satan’s slave.”
