Quotes & Themes – Neighbor
Neighbor
To love our neighbor in charity is to love God in man. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 11)
Finding God in creatures and creatures in God, great souls love God, not the creatures. (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 5)
We should always love our neighbor as in the breast of Christ. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, II, 1)
Since God is the unity of our hearts, who shall ever separate us? (Letters to Persons in Religion, II, 14)
We are all brethren, all of one flesh. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, II, 15)
Let us live in God and we shall be together. (Letters to Persons in Religion, I, 6)
We share in the sufferings and death of those we love. (Letters to Persons in the World, II 34 )
Charity regards the beauty of the heart and spreads itself over all without distinction. (Letters to Persons in Religion, II, 35)
We must help one another as much as we can, and leave the rest to God. (Letters to Persons in Religion, I, 8)
It is a great part of our perfection to support one another in our imperfections. (Letters to Persons in Religion, II, 22)
Bearing with the imperfections of our neighbor is one of the chief characteristics of our love for him. (Spiritual Conferences, 4)
Do not sow a crop of good intentions in your neighbor’s garden but cultivate your own with diligence. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XIII, 7)
No one gives love voluntarily who does not receive it necessarily. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 18)
It is not for the creature’s sake that you submit yourself to the creature, but for the love of the Creator whom you acknowledge in the creature. (Letters to Persons in Religion, V, 12)
Consideration of others is as much the offspring of charity as fasting is the sister of obedience. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, VIII, 11)
It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially. (Spiritual Conferences, 4)
We desire to be borne with in our miseries and always find them worthy of toleration; those of our neighbor always seem to us greater and heavier to bear. (Letters to Persons in Religion, V, 13)
Whatever love invites us to do, whether for the rich or for the poor, is equally pleasing to God. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XII, 2)
When charity requires it we must freely and mildly communicate to our neighbor not only what is necessary for his instruction, but also what is profitable for his consolation. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 5)
Love the poor and poverty, for it is by this love that you shall become truly poor. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 15)
Let us treat our servants as ourselves, or rather as we should wish to be treated if we were in their position. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, VII, 9)
If you tear out one of my eyes, I shall look at you as my very dear friend with the other. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, II, 3)
We can never love our neighbor too much. (Spiritual Conferences, 4)
Make many withdrawals into the midst of your heart, whilst you are outwardly in the midst of intercourse and business. (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, Chapter 12)
We must be able to find pleasure in ourselves when alone, and in our neighbor when in his company. (The Spirit of St. François de Sales, XXII, 5)
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The North American Salesian Network (NASN) is an organization of both lay and religious groups that live the Salesian teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. NASN facilitates the sharing of Salesian resources, educational services, vocational efforts, and a variety of resources, bringing this optimistic, joy-filled spirituality to people throughout the world.