Be careful not to do to much

"Be very careful to conserve your health for the love of the Lord and his poor members and be careful not to do too much. It is a ruse of the devil by which he deceives good souls when he incites them to do more than they can in order that they might not be able to do anything." (SV I, 96)

God embraces all that is good

"God is an abyss of sweetness, sovereign and eternally glorious Being, an infinite Good embracing all that is good." (13 December 1658, SV XII, 110)

Ways of mortifying ourselves

“We can practice mortification in every situation, even holding our bodies in a position that might be uncomfortable, without, however, failing in moderation. We can deprive our senses of things that might give them a certain satisfaction, and accept willingly good weather as well as bad.” (Abelly III, 264)

The time of thanksgiving must equal that of petition

“We should spend as much time thanking God for His favors as we did in asking Him for them.” (Abelly III, 236)

The spirit of uprightness and simplicity against cunning

“You’re going to a region where the people are for the most part crafty and devious. If that’s the case, the best way to help them is to act toward them with great simplicity. The teachings of the Gospel are totally opposed to worldly behavior. Since you’re going there to serve Our Lord, you must also act according to His spirit, which is a spirit of uprightness and simplicity.” (Abelly III, 218)

Overcoming hypocrisy by sincere simplicity

“Making things look good exteriorly while being otherwise interiorly is to be like the hypocritical Pharisees, and to imitate Satan, who disguises himself as an angel of light. Since prudence of the flesh and hypocrisy are so prevalent in this corrupt age, to the great prejudice of the spirit of Christianity, the best way to combat and overcome them is by a true and sincere simplicity.” (Abelly III, 217-18)

The rule of condescension

“Be as polite as you can, provided God is not offended in this.” (Abelly III, 211)

The Company will subsist by humility

“The Company can’t subsist without the virtue of humility. When this virtue is lacking in a Company, each one thinks about his own particular ministry, and this leads to partiality, schism, and destruction. If Missioners should ask for one thing from God, it’s humility. They should be sad and weep when they receive applause, for Our Lord has said: Vae cum benedixerint vobis homines. Cursed shall you be, when men shall praise you”. (Abelly III, 190)

Peaceful death of the friends of the poor

“All those who love the poor in life will have nothing to fear from death." (Abelly III, 117)

For Charity, For God

“What’s done out of charity is done for God. It’s a great happiness for us if we’re found worthy to use what we have for charity’s sake, that is, for God who has given it to us. We should thank and bless His infinite goodness to us.” (Abelly III, 108)

Infallibility of Divine Wisdom

“Human prudence is often mistaken and leads us away from the right path, but the words of Eternal Wisdom are infallible, and its guidance right and sure.” (Abelly Ill, 88)

Dispositions for meditation

“The best virtues are humility, the recognition of our nothingness before God, mortification of the passions and the unruly movements of nature, interior recollection, uprightness and simplicity of heart, attention to the presence of God, total dependence on His Will, and frequent aspirations to God’s Goodness.” (Abelly Ill, 61)

The excellence of prayer and confidence in God

‘‘There’ s not much to be hoped for from a man who doesn’t love to converse constantly with God. In addition, if he doesn’t carry out his ministries in the Lord’s service as he should, it’s because he’s

not attached enough to God and hasn’t asked, with perfect confidence, for the help of His grace (Abelly III, 56)

Union with God's Will

“To conform ourselves in everything to the Will of God, and to take all our pleasure in this is to lead a truly angelic life upon earth, and even to live the very life of Jesus Christ. . . . ” (Abelly Ill, 40)

The Church, residence of the Holy Spirit

“The Church, which is the kingdom of God, inspires with good leadership those He appoints to govern it. Its Holy Spirit presides in the Councils, and from It come the lights spread over the earth,which have inspired the saints, judged the wicked, resolved doubts, proclaimed the truth, uncovered errors, and pointed out the way by which the whole Church and each one of the faithful in particular can advance with assurance.” (Abelly III, 15-16)

A Missioner: a Carthusian and an apostle

“The life of a Missioner should be the life of a Carthusian at home and an Apostle in the rural areas, and, in proportion as he works more earnestly at his interior holiness, his works and ministries will also be more fruitful for the spiritual welfare of others.” (Abelly II, 24)

Order needed in the service of charity

In view of the help brought to the poor people of Chatillon, Vincent said : “They’re practicing great charity, but it’s not well organized. Those poor sick people will be overwhelmed with so many provisions all at the same time, of which some will spoil and be lost, that they’ll be just as needy afterward as in the beginning.” (Abelly I, 72)

Excellence of the Missioner Vocation

“How happy, yes, how happy, is the situation of the Missioner who has no other boundaries for his missions and ministries for Jesus Christ than the entire inhabited world! Why, then, do we hold back and set limits for ourselves, since God has given us such an expanse in which to exercise our zeal?” (Abelly II, 84)

Constancy of Providence

“Divine Providence never fails us in those things we undertake by its direction.” (Abelly Ill, 22)

Discerning God's Will

“Among the multitude of thoughts and feelings that constantly come to us, many seem to be good, yet, they don’t come from God and aren’t pleasing to Him. How, then, can we discern them? We should examine them carefully, have recourse to God in prayer, and ask for His light. We should reflect on the motives, purposes, and means to see if all these are in keeping with His good pleasure. We should discuss them with prudent persons and take the advice of those placed over us. These persons are the depositories of the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.11 In doing what they advise, we do God’s Will.” (Abelly III, 46)