Scripture Passages

New American Bible - Full Text

Catechism of the Catholic Church - Full Text

Two Greatest Commandments

• You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind, and with all your strength.
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself for love of God.

The Ten Commandments

• I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
• You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
• Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
• Honor your father and mother.
• You shall not kill.
• You shall not commit adultery.
• You shall not steal.
• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
• You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Beatitudes

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
• Blessed are they who mourn, they will be comforted.
• Blessed are the meed, they will inherit the earth.
• Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be satisfied.
• Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy.
• Blessed are the clean of heart, they will see God.
• Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called children of God.
• Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Scripture Passages

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for."
-CCC 27

"Then each went to his own house, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Wo what do you say?' They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, 'Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.' Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She replied, 'No one sir.' Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin anymore.'"
-John 7:53-8:11

"When Christ Jesus comes as king, He will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead.
So with God and Christ as witnesses, I command you to preach God's message. Do it willingly, even if it is not the popular thing to do.
You must correct people and point out their sins.
But also cheer them up, and when you instruct them, always be patient."
-From the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy

"When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."
-Matthew 5:39-42

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my strength. You guide me along the way of righteousness for the sake of your name. Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage. You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come."
-Psalm 23

"A kind mouth multiplies friends, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant. When you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him. For one sort of friend is a friend when it suits him, but he will not be with you in time of distress. Another is a friend who becomes your enemy, and tells of the quarrel to your shame. Another is a friend, a boon companion, who will not be with you when sorrow comes. When things go well, he is your other self, and lords it over your servants; But if you are brought low, he turns against you and avoids meeting you. Keep away from your enemies; be on your guard with your friends. A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; For he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself."
-Sirach 6:5-17

"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord. Return and live!"
-Ezekial 18:32

"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 4:10

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom am I afraid? When evil doers come at me to devour my flesh, these my enemies and foes themselves stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart does not fear; though war be waged against me, even then do I trust."
-Psalm 27:1-3

"He who has compassion on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his good deed."
-Proverbs 19:17

"And it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord."
-Acts 2:21

"For whatever is not from faith is sin."
-Romans 14:23

"We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?"
-Job 2:10

"... All things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."
-Romans 8:28

"One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
-Mark 12:28-32

"To overcome evil with good is good, to resist evil by evil is evil."
-Prophet Mohammed

"The greatest gift you can give to your child is another sibling."
-Pope John Paul II

"... for it is better to marry than to be on fire." [true and funny]
-1 Corinthians 7:9

Prayers

The Our Father / The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
-Amen.

Prayer to One's Guardian Angel
Angel of God,
My guardian dear,
Through whom God's love,
Commits me here,
Ever this day,
Be at my side,
To light and guard,
To rule and guide.
-Amen.

Act of Contrition
Oh my God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart, and I detest them. In choosing to do wrong and in failing to do good I have sinned against You, whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us; in His name, my God, have mercy.
-Amen.

Act of Faith
My God, I firmly believe that You are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
-Amen.

Act of Hope
My God, relying on your infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, help of your grace, and life everlasting through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
-Amen.

Act of Love
My God, I love You above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because You are all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for love of You. I forgive all who have offended me, and I ask pardon for those I have offended.
-Amen.

Confiteor
I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts, and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
-Amen.

Prayer Before a Decision
Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my concerns. See if my way is crooked, then lead me in the ancient paths.
-Amen.
-Psalm 139, 23-24

Prayer for Forgiveness
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight that you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn. True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me. Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow. Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt. A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit. Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.
-Amen. (Psalm 51:3-14)

Act of Adoration
Almighty, eternal God, I acknowledge You as my first beginning and my last end, my creator and redeemer, my sanctification and my consummation, my God and my all. I thank you for your lavish gifts to me, to the whole human race, and to all creation.
-Amen.

The Gift of Life
Lord, teach me not to hold on to life too tightly. Teach me to take it as a gift. To enjoy it, to cherish it while I have it, but to let go gracefully and thankfully when the time comes. The gift is great but the giver is greater still. You are the giver and in You is a life that never ends.
-Amen.

Prayer Before a Journey
May the Almighty and merciful Lord direct us on the road of peace and prosperity, and may the Angel Raphael be our companion on our journey; so that we may return to our home and loved ones with peace, refreshment, and all joy.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Let us pray: O God, Who led the children of Israel safely through the Red Sea, and guided the Wise Men by a star to the Saviour; grant us, we beseech Thee, safe journey and favorable weather; so that, under the guidance of Thy Holy Angels, we may safely reach our destination and, in due time, the gate of eternal salvation. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
St. Christopher, patron of traveler, pray for us, and protect us from evil.
-Amen.

Prayer to Sleep
As I lie here seeking another good night of restful sleep, give me the peace of mind and the ability to relax. Fulfill my needs for mental, physical, and spiritual restoration so I may wake up ready for another beautiful day which I hope you will allow me to live to enjoy with praise and thanks to You and our Lord Jesus.
-Amen.

Prayer for Peace of Mind
O Lord Jesus Christ, I place all my trust in You, hoping for all things from Your goodness. You make a root flourish beneath the soil; You can make fruitful the darkness in which I find myself today. I adore You in all Your purposes even without knowing them; Your will be done, not mine. May I be patient! It is so difficult to realize these trials, heartbreaking as they are, can be turned into blessings. Lord, give me peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul as I offer You my thoughts, my words, and my actions, and yes, Lord, my sufferings; may they all be for Your greater glory.
-Amen.

Prayer of Saint Francis (modified)
Lord, may You make me an instrument of Your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
Where there is weakness, strength;
Where there is fear, courage;
Where there is barronness, fertility;
Where there is lack, abondance;
Where there is fighting, friendship.
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be noticed as to notice;
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are brought to eternal life.
-Amen.

Prayer to St. Michael for Protection from Evil
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all other evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
-Amen.

Prayer to St. Sebastian: Patron of Athletes
Dear commander at the Roman Emperor's court, you chose to be a solider of Christ and dared to spread faith in the King of Kings, for which you were condemned to die. Your body, however, proved athletically strong and the executing arrows extremely weak. So another means to kill you was chosen and you gave your life to the Lord. May athletes always be as strong in their faith as their patron saint so clearly has been.
-Amen.

Take and Receive
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will - all that I have and call my own. You have given it all to me. To You, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and Your grace. That is enough for me.
-Amen.

Prayer for Generosity
Dear Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve: to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not ask for reward, except that of knowing that I am doing Your will.
-Amen.

Prayer for Trust in God
Lord Jesus Christ, you came into the world not only to save us, but also to teach us. When you encountered the paralytic man, instead of healing his body, the first thing you did was to heal his soul. Help us to see what is important in life and death so that we can learn to accept Your will and the good that it is. We ask this in Your name.
-Amen.
-Written by Robert Anthony

Prayer Written by Robert Anthony
Heavenly Father, give me strength,
To always do what's right and never ask for thanks.
Lord Jesus Christ, be my guide,
Stay with me always and walk by my side.
Great Holy Spirit, fill me with Your love,
For my neighbors on earth and God up above.
Angels and saints and the Blessed Mary,
Help me with my burdens when they're hard to carry.
Great awesome God I love You completely,
And I will always love You openly and freely.
-Amen.

Other Random Quotes

"If music is a drug, I'm addicted!"
-Jemila Dunham

"If you're not living life on the edge, they you're taking up too much space."
-Amy Annelle Hansen

"It's like they put sound drugs in it!"
-David about Parliament Fundadelic

"We need biodiversity because species need other random species."
-Jallisa Roberts

Slaps: "You've never apologized to me."
Thomas: "I'm sorry you were born black."

"You can put a cat in the oven but that don't make it a biscuit."
-Sydney; White Man Can't Jump

"It ain't cool being no jive turkey so close to thanksgiving."
-Trading Places

"You're like my own personal brand of heroine."
-Edward Cullen

"Gentlemen you can't fight in here this is the war room!"
-Dr. Strangelove

"You steal things that you covet while you take things the original owner is incapable of appreciating."
-David Sedaris

"If I could kill someone with my mind, it would be you."
-Joy's Friend; What Happens in Vegas

"Taking is just borrowing without the formality."
-David Sedaris

"There's a lot of levels of crazy here."
-Jon Stewart about the 2008 election

"Keep your hand up! It is a matter of life or death!"
-Inspector Ledoux (Phantom of the Opera 1925 film)

Favorite Quotations

"You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.
My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life. It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it. The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances."
-Chris McCandless

On this sacred night, when the aurora looked like rain, I reflected back on my childhood dreams of flying a spaceship through the infinite expanse of space... to be among the mosaic of billions of stars, and visit other worlds. Now as I look from space at our planet I realize that had I been born and spent my childhood here in space... how much greater and more vivid my dreams would have been to visit this blue planet.
-Douglas H. Wheelock

We camp out to get close to remote woods and waters that offer the best sport; to relish the fresh air, freedom, and the good fellowship available nowhere else; and to get far enough away from the restraint, noise, and crowds of the big towns to enjoy the friendship of the seasons. If our camp is comfortable, so much the better. There is no reason why it should not be.
As the Hudson's Bay Company says after nearly three centuries in the farthest and most primitive reaches of this continent, "There is usually little object in traveling tough just for the sake of being tough."
Rough it, sure, if you want to prove to yourself the actually very important fact that you can rought it. One day, it's true, anyone at all may be thrown entirely upon his own resources and forced to get along the best he can with a minimum of comforts.
But as far as the preference goes, roughing it is a development stage. Once we've successfully tested our ability to take it, a whole lot of doubts and inhibitions disappear. We find ourselves realizing that the real challenge lies in smoothing it. We come to appreciate that making it easy on ourselves takes a lot more experience and ingenuity than building it through the tough way.
-Townsend Whelen & Bradford Angier in On Your Own in the Wilderness, 1958

I find for myself that my first thought is never my best thought. My first thought is always someone else's; it's always what I've already heard about the subject, always the conventional wisdom. It's only by concentrating, sticking to the question, being patient, letting all the parts of my mind come into play, that I arrive at an original idea; by giving my brain a chance to make associations, draw connections, take me by surprise. And often even that idea doesn't turn out to be very good. I need time to think about it, too, to make mistakes and recognize them, to make false starts and correct them, to outlast my impulses, to defeat my desire to declare the job done and move on to the next thing.
I used to have students who bragged to me about how fast they wrote their papers. I would tell them that the great German novelist Thomas Mann said that a writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. The best writers write much more slowly than everyone else, and the better they are, the slower they write. James Joyce wrote Ulysses, the greatest novel of the 20th century, at the rate of about a hundred words a day ... for seven years. T. S. Eliot, one of the greatest poets our country has ever produced, wrote about 150 pages of poetry over the course of his entire 25-year areer. That's half a page a month. So it is with any other form of thought.
You do your best thinking by slowing down and concentrating.
-William Deresiewicz

"Weapons are inauspicious instruments, not the tools of the enlightened. When there is no choice but to use them, it is best to be calm and free from greed, and not celebrate victory. Those who celebrate victory are bloodthirsty, and the bloodthirsty cannot have their way in the world."
-Sun Tzu; The Art of War

"To the extent that people separate themselves from nature, they spin out further and further from the center. At the same time, a centripetal effect asserts itself and the desire to return to nature arises. But if people merely become caught up in reacting, moving to the left or to the right, depending on conditions, the result is only more activity. The non-moving point of origin, which lies outside the realm of relativity, is passed over, unnoticed. I believe that even 'returning-to-nature' and anti-pollution activities, no matter how commendable are not moving toward a genuine solution if they are carried out solely in reaction to the overdevelopment of the present age."
-Masanobu Fukuoka; The One Straw Revolution

"Our days are a kaleidoscope. Every instant a change takes place in the contents. New harmonies, new contrasts, new combinations of every sort. Nothing ever happens twice alike. The most familiar people stand each moment in some new relation to each other, to their work, to surrounding objects. The most tranquil house, with the most serene inhabitants, living upon the utmost regularity of system, is yet exemplifying infinite diversities."
-Henry Ward Beecher

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
-President John F. Kennedy; September 12 1962

"Tell me the truth and I'll believe, tell me a fact and I'll remember it, but tell me your story and it'll live in my heart forever."
-Indian Proverb

"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."
-Barack Obama

"If there is no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
-Mother Theresa

"You're judged by what you do for people who can't do anything for you."

"Have no hard feelings toward anyone who has not shown you enmity, do not fight with anyone who does not oppose you."
-Zhuge Liang

"Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win."
-Zhuge Liang

"A rich man is one with knowledge, happiness and his health."
-Common

"We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share."
-President John F. Kennedy; May 25, 1961

"Always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way nothing can stand in the way of the voices of millions calling for change."
-Barack Obama

"The camera has the power to catch so-called normal people in such a way as to make them look abnormal. The photographer chooses oddity, chases it, frames it, develops it, titles it."
-Susan Sontag

"When the going get tough, baby you got to toughen up."
-Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

"The stone that the builders rejected has become the head cornerstone."
-Psalm 118:22

"The camera is an instrument that teaches you to see without a camera."
-Dorothea Lange