Heaven Starts Now Quotes

“Prayer. What do I consider greatness to look like in prayer? What do I think I need to do every day in terms of prayer to become a saint? Don’t ask the question, “Do I pray enough?” The answer is no—no one prays enough; it’s not possible. But am I praying as much as I should be praying? Scripture. There is no way I am able to let God form me if I don’t read his word. I have to let him form me, and he forms me through the Scriptures. Service. Do I reach out of myself? Do I look to volunteer, whether it is in the parish, the local community, or with the poor? Confession. Do I have as my goal getting to Confession once every two months? If that’s not on your list, I’d start there. And if you haven’t been to Confession in years, just come back. Just come back! Mass. Obviously, we need to go to Sunday Mass. But ask yourself this: is it possible for me to achieve greatness when I am feeding on the Eucharist only once a week? Once we’ve really come to understand, objectively speaking, that the Eucharist is the greatest source of strength that we could ever encounter in our lives, why wouldn’t we want to come more often? Some of us can’t go to Mass more than once a week because of work. But maybe we can try to get there once during the week, in addition to Sunday. Many people who start coming during the week end up coming every day as they gradually realize, “I just can’t thrive without the Eucharist. I’m not strong enough. I used to think I was, but now I’ve come to realize otherwise.” Sin. What are the one or two really significant obstacles in my life right now that are keeping me from reaching the goal of sainthood? How am I going to overcome those? Am I just going to say to myself, “Well, that’s just the way I am”? Or am I going to let the Lord change me? Fasting. Do I ever fast? Jesus doesn’t say, “If you fast . . .”; he says, “When you fast . . .” What is my plan for fasting? Some of us can’t fast from food because of health reasons, but we can fast from something else, like the news or the time we spend looking at our computers or cell phones. Alms. Do I give alms? Do I look at the resources that I have as a means by which I can share with the poor? Pope Francis is constantly reminding us of our obligation to do what we can to help the poor. He wants us not just to care for them so that they simply receive our mercy but, instead, to lift them up and set them on their feet and get them on their way. That’s what he’s encouraging us to do.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“In a sacrifice, something dies. What dies? Here’s how Keller puts it: “What it means to live a Christian life is that you put to death the right to live life as you choose.” 17”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“Forgiveness does for a community what oil does for a motor. If someone begins a trip in a car without a drop of oil in the engine, after a few minutes the whole car will be on fire. Like oil, forgiveness neutralizes friction.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“we want to move from being consumers who are purchasing something to being servants who realize, “This is my family. How do I take care of it?”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“the key: at least in the body of Christ, never presume that someone intended to offend you.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“Meekness” is the word that is used to describe how to break a horse. It means “strength under control.” That is who Jesus is; he is meek. He is the pure power of God, always under control. Everything he does, he does out of love.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“The word for “parish” in Greek is paroikia, which comes from the word for “exile,” meaning “stranger,” “sojourner,” “alien.” To be a parish is to be a collection of exiles. That means that this is not our home. We are walking together as brothers and sisters, trying to encourage and exhort one another, support one another, love one another, and help one another get home.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“holiness is not the accumulation of virtues. Holiness is being possessed by God.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“As Fr. Stinissen quotes St. Augustine, “God accomplishes his good will through the evil will of others.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day

“The martyrs remind us that if we would just have faith the size of a mustard seed, then no matter what it is that is taking place in our lives, we will be at peace. Why? Because we belong to God. And because our lives are in his hands. And because he is never afraid, and he can handle any situation that we could ever face.”
― John Riccardo, Heaven Starts Now: Becoming a Saint Day by Day