Venerable Bruno Lanteri (1759–1830) lived in a time of uncertainty, yet he never ceased to encourage others to place their complete trust in God’s providence. As a spiritual director, he reminded those he guided that God is always near, working for our good even in the midst of difficulty. With fatherly care, Ven. Lanteri taught that trust is not simply a feeling, but a firm reliance on God’s mercy, wisdom, and love. His counsels of trust continue to strengthen us today, inviting us to surrender our fears, begin again with confidence, and rest securely in the hands of our loving Father.
Download a brochure of selected counsels of trust from Ven. Lanteri’s writings or read them on the page below.
“Begin each day, abandoning the past to the mercy of the Lord, and the future to his divine Providence.”
“The Good Shepherd seeks out the sheep that does not want to be found. How much more can you who are seeking Him expect to find Him.”
“Our Father in Heaven loves us so deeply!”
“You can do so much good for yourself and for others, especially since God has given you so many gifts and such good desires.”
“On my own, I can do nothing good, but I can do all things in God, who is so lovingly concerned for my salvation that he will never fail me with his grace.”
“God has placed me in this state of life, and in no other, so that I may serve Him and win my salvation.”
“The love of God and the outpouring of his graces will not cease.”
“The state of life in which I find myself is the condition in which I can, I ought, and I desire to become holy.”
“Always be patient with self, distrustful of self, and totally trusting in God.”
“The demons take up their dwelling in the trust of one’s own judgment… filling a person with a sense of security and self-satisfaction in the good he feels he is accomplishing.”
“All that will happen to me, whether favorable or unfavorable, is procured for me by God.”
“The different temperaments of those with whom I deal, the matters that arise, the times and places these things take place, all this forms the order of Providence the Lord has chosen for my salvation.”
“Love knows how to suffer, not finding it hard to put up with the failings of others without showing signs of resentment or annoyance, and easily forgetting vexations.”
“With its prayer, the saints, all of whom were fragile like us, were always victorious. Without prayer, the saints themselves would have been overcome, like us.”
“It must be presupposed that a person is going to commit faults, since only in heaven is it given to serve God without them.”
“Let your past sins encourage you to trust all the more in our heavenly Father, who is always so ready to welcome, forgive, and assist us.”
“God’s way of proceeding with us is to pour out consolations and graces on the one who does not demand them of him.”
“Always be open and free in declaring yourself as God’s own.”
“Inspirations are so many voices of God, equally omnipotent.”
“God allows the one who comes to him to keep certain faults, so that this person may have to struggle for many years, foster humility, and gain a crown.”
“It is certain that we should never lose sight of the ‘conquer thyself’ of St. Francis Xavier, in order to cooperate with the grace of God.”
“If I should fail even a thousand times I will never lose heart. I will never lose peace, but will always immediately say quietly to my heart, ‘Nunc coepi, Now I begin.’”
“God is the one who sees, the one who helps, the one who rewards.”
“Only the infinite Unity and ineffable Trinity, the fullness of being, of intelligence, and of love, can fill and satisfy the heart’s immense capacity.”
“Every difficult thing, every sadness of heart, every lack of desire, every obstacle whether internal or external, is an occasion that God gives me that I may merit all the more.”
“We must take the sweet for the bitter, and the bitter for the sweet; wait for the light when in darkness, and wait for the darkness when in light.”
“Believe as a matter of faith itself that God is faithful, and will not permit a heavier temptation than I can bear.”
“Reflect on the parable of the Prodigal Son, on the Good Shepherd, on the way Jesus on this earth dealt with sinners…”
“Think of God in a spirit of goodness, not in our own way, but in a way worthy of God.”