"Is it not true that often a young man on beholding beauty has closed his eyes and fled the sight, and thus escaped defilement? How did this come to pass, you ask? The Holy Spirit taught the young man’s soul."
— St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Lenten Lectures

"Let us not fear the demons nor the devil, for our Defender is mightier; let us but open up the doors to Him; for He goes about seeking those worthy, seeking to whom He may impart His gifts."
— St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Lenten Lectures

"Joseph was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honorably introduced into the world."
— St. Bernadine of Siena, Office of Readings

"Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen."
— St. Bernadine of Siena, Office of Readings

Prayer to Saint Joseph, the Protector of the Church

"Just as a soldier never ceases to train for battle and prepares in sham warfare for the real wounds that are to come, every Christian must exercise self-restraint at all times, but especially when the enemy is near at hand with his well-trained hosts marshalled against us."
— St. Jerome, Homily 90 on Lent

"Let us march, march, march, and make our journey with Jesus. Let us die to the world daily. Let us say with the apostle, 'I die every day' (1 Cor. 15:31). I am not of the world. I am passing through, holding on to nothing."
— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Meditations for Lent

"And now, if Moses and Elijah commend this present fast—and although great, they are our fellow servants—how much does our Lord commend it, who himself fasted for the same number of days?"
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"Everything in the Law, even the smallest detail, is significant, and everything, even the smallest detail, will be accomplished in the Gospel."
— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Meditations for Lent

"Let us rend our hearts, beloved, but keep our garments whole. Our garments are our virtues; love is a good garment, obedience is a good garment. Happy is the one who cares for these garments that he may not walk naked... We can also take this rending of the heart in another way: if the heart is wicked it may be rent by confession; if hard, by compassion."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"[O]ver that sacrifice of propitiation we beseech God... for all, in a word, who need help, we all pray and offer this sacrifice."
— St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Lectures

"She who does not know worldly desire is filled by grace, so that, by the Spirit’s coming upon her, she who declines to admit a husband may give birth to the Son of the Most High."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"The Annunciation is the beginning of Jesus in His human nature. Through His mother He is a member of the human race... About to found a new generation of the children of God, The Redeemer does not arrive in the way of earthly generations: the power of the Holy Spirit enters the chaste womb of the Virgin, forming the humanity of Christ."
— Catholic Encyclopedia, The Annunciation

"Then there is the singular glory of our Virgin, and Mary’s surpassing prerogative, that she has merited to have one and the same Son in common with God the Father."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"During this Lent we must truly seek with greater fervor that which is not just a part but is the entire mystery of this whole season. Therefore if perhaps your zeal has somewhat abated during recent days, it is fitting that you rekindle your fervor of spirit."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"The enemy can arouse the impulse of temptation, but it rests with you, if you choose, to give or to refuse consent... you alone can refuse your consent, and as many times as you resist so many times will you be crowned."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"Let us learn never to lose hope, no matter into what abyss of troubles we are cast, for Jonah came out of the belly of the whale, and Jesus Christ from the tomb and from hell, thus assuring his faithful ones of their own deliverance."
— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Meditations for Lent

"We preach not one coming of Christ, but a second as well, far more glorious than the first. The first gave us a spectacle of His patience; the second will bring with it the crown of the Kingdom of God."
— St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Lectures

"None of you should think his prayer of small account, brothers. I tell you that he to whom we pray does not think it of small account. Before it has left your mouth he has ordered it written in his book."
— St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons for Lent and the Easter Season

"It is always necessary for God’s servants to fast, but it is even more imperative when we are preparing for the sacrifice of the Lamb, for the sacrament of Baptism, for the Body and Blood of Christ."
— St. Jerome, Homily 90 on Lent

"If we reserve all of the business of our salvation until the day of our death, it will be far too busy a day. Let us begin now to prepare for the graces that we will need then, and, by pardoning those who hurt us, let us assure ourselves of the eternal mercy of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
— Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Meditations for Lent