Fire and Light Quotes

“The worry to which suffering gives rise does more harm than the suffering itself.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“the more the world around her grew dark and burdensome, the more her exterior freedom was stifled, so much the more did she find herself a peaceful space, of freedom, an immense love of life, of God, of every creature. Here is one of the many passages that testifies to this: This morning, in going by bicycle along the Stadionkade, I was enchanted by the vast horizon you find at the edge of the city and I was breathing the fresh air that hasn’t yet been rationed for us. There were notices all over forbidding Jews from using the little paths that lead into nature. But at this end of the road that was left open to us the sky spread out entirely. They couldn’t do anything about this, really nothing. They could make life rather hard for us, deprive us of certain good products, take away from us a certain freedom of exterior movement, but we’re the ones who deprive ourselves of our best forces by a disastrous psychological attitude, by feeling ourselves persecuted, humiliated, oppressed. By feeling hate.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“The drama of mankind, as St. Augustine saw, comes from its too often looking outside itself for what it already possesses within.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“Sometimes while praying, we have agreeable feelings of peace and happiness, a sensation of the presence of God. We also may receive enlightenment regarding some aspect of the mystery of Christ or intuitions of what God expects from us. These graces that move our senses or enlighten our intelligence are very precious, and we must welcome them in recognition that they are a kind of food and an encouragement for faith and love. Even so, they are not the essence of what brings us closer to God and places us in communion with him. In fact, God is infinitely beyond all we can know with our senses or perceive with our intelligence. When the senses are in a dry spell and the intelligence is darkened, we should never be discouraged or feel far from God. What ensures, what gives rise to, contact with God are neither feelings nor rational knowledge, but an act of faith. “I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.” (Hos 2:20).”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“That is accomplished by the gift of the Holy Spirit, who bestows true freedom, freedom proceeding from the Spirit, not from the Law or from the “flesh”—our wounded nature—as St. Paul says. True spontaneity comes from allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit, for there is a convergence between what the Spirit desires and our most authentic personality: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17).”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“Many people think of themselves as original while merely conforming to trends.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“If we are too attached to our plans, our way of seeing things, our own wisdom, we do not leave a place for the Spirit. I heard Sister Elvira, the founder of Cenacle (a wonderful charitable group that helps young drug addicts), say during a conference for priests: “I am always ready five minutes from now to do the exact opposite of what I had planned!”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“The Christian vocation calls us to give a lot. But to give a lot (without falling into fatigue, bitterness, or disillusion), it is necessary to learn to receive. “The merit doesn’t consist in doing nor in giving a lot, but rather in receiving, in loving a lot,” Thérèse of Lisieux said.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“The spiritual life is not so much about doing as letting be done, letting God act in us, work through us.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
― Jacques Philippe, Fire & Light: Learning to Receive the Gift Of God