The Maxims of Perfection

Wisdom Sayings of Jean-Pierre Medaille, SJ

Jean-Pierre Medaille, SJ, founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, composed 100 short sayings to help the Sisters stay rooted in God’s grace. 

Father Medaille envisioned the “little design” to be the Congregation of God’s great love. For the members, that meant experiencing God’s unbounded love for them and living that love in the service of the dear neighbor. The maxims were both practical and inspirational.

Simple Maxims
The following is a simplified version of the 100 Maxims. They were begun by Win Grelis, SSJ and completed by Rita Woehlcke, SSJ. A few are taken from the set compiled by Susan Wilcox, CSJ.

Maxim 1:
Your call is sublime---become what God dreams for you.
 
Maxim 2:
Seek what pleases God most.
 
Maxim 3:
Humility is truth. Let your sincere love flow from it.
 
Maxim 4:
Let your life be a continuous act of love.
 
Maxim 5:
Unmask the illusions that lure you away from your true self.
 
Maxim 6:
Shed old ways that keep you self-centered. Embrace love. Be love.
 
Maxim 7:
Desire to embrace the whole world with the fire of God’s great dream.
 
Maxim 8:
Let your resolutions draw their strength from your firm trust in God.

Maxim 9:
Avoid like the plague the compulsions of the unaware self.
 
Maxim 10:
Forget yourself. Be transparent. It’s so much easier.
 
Maxim 11:
Always speak positively of others and affirm their good qualities.
 
Maxim 12:
Endure temporary hardships for the sake of the greater good.
 
Maxim 13:
Risk everything for God’s dream.
 
Maxim 14:
God’s free gift of love supports your life at every moment. Rely on it.
 
Maxim 15:
Listen deeply to subtle nudges of the Holy Spirit; then act on them.
 
Maxim 16:
Fix your heart on God’s dream. Let it guide everything.
 
Maxim 17:
Hold your desires lightly; entrust everything to God.
 
Maxim 18:
Live from the place of “one desire” – where God and you dream the same dream.
 
Maxim 19:
Trust and cherish God’s love threading through all the events of daily life.
 
Maxim 20:
Be serious about God’s will in the present moment. Leave the future to God.
 
Maxim 21:
Let go of the need for affirmation and praise. Let your fidelity be your joy.
 
Maxim 22:
Be satisfied that God alone is aware of your good deeds.
 
Maxim 23:
Love nothing but God and all that God loves.
 
Maxim 24:
Live whole-heartedly-- every part of you utterly for God.
 
Maxim 25:
Take joy in the accomplishments of others when they advance God’s dream.
 
Maxim 26:
Seek God’s contentment in everything –nothing else.
 
Maxim 27:
Seek to know the inner, hidden moments of God’s heart.
 
Maxim 28:
Desire that everything about you points to God alone.
 
Maxim 29:
When it is tough to believe, hold fast to wanting to believe.
 
Maxim 30:
When things look bleak, trust God even more.
 
Maxim 31:
In times of trouble, trust firmly that you are an instrument of God’s dream.
 
Maxim 32:
When you feel most lost and alone, yours is a share in the pain of God.
 
Maxim 33:
Desire to fill your daily actions with great love as did God’s dearest friends.
 
Maxim 34:
Take care that God alone be the goal and motive for all you do.
 
Maxim 35:
God sees, knows and loves you intimately; live and act from that alone.
 
Maxim 36:
Stay rooted in who you are to God -- one loved and called.
 
Maxim 37:
Do the best you can and then let it go.
 
Maxim 38:
Never complain about anyone.
 
Maxim 39:
Make a wholehearted gift of yourself to God and the dear neighbor.
 
Maxim 40:
Love only what lasts forever.
 
Maxim 41:
Tend your spirit. Let it resemble the God of Great Love.
 
Maxim 42:
Be patient in your longing for God’s Great love.
 
Maxim 43:
Choose, at least in desire, the humble hidden way.
 
Maxim 44:
Avoid anything that interferes with becoming the one God dreamed you to be.
 
Maxim 45:
When you are with others, blend your serious side with joy, gentleness, and refreshing candor.
 
Maxim 46:
Let the false self and its vanity die out. Be attached to God and God’s dream for you.
 
Maxim 47:
Be free enough to let others shine. Embrace the humble tasks.
 
Maxim 48:
Pursue God’s glory. Let go of attachment to success in the process.
  
Maxim 49:
Treat everyone with the same care as if you were meeting God.
 
Maxim 50:
Choose to make others happy and do it joyfully.
 
Maxim 51:
Return happiness freely to those who dish out unhappiness. 
 
Maxim 52:
Interpret all things from the best possible point of view. 
 
Maxim 53:
Let go of judging. Let your heart be free.
 
Maxim 54:
Witness courageously that no one less than God has any power over you.
 
Maxim 55:
Serve others unselfishly with no thought of reward.
 
Maxim 56:
Don’t go along to get along. Live from the Spirit’s promptings.
 
Maxim 57:
Our good works have their roots in divine inspiration.
 
Maxim 58:
We can put obstacles in the path of God’s grace. Be aware.
 
Maxim 59:
Being with God, the dear neighbor and all of creation is one movement.
 
Maxim 60:
Live in and from the flow of gentle love. Let go of driveness.
 
Maxim 61:
Seek union with God and let that pure love transform you. 

Maxim 62:
Be at peace with your path. Embrace change when the Spirit prompts.
 
Maxim 63:
Love can be at work in unfortunate events. Trust Love.
 
Maxim 64:
Seek to be kind always to everyone and unkind to no one. 
 
Maxim 65:
Honor your responsibilities rather than your whims.
 
Maxim 66:
Expect difficulties and persevere until God shows you it is time to let go.
 
Maxim 67:
Hold fast to the commitments you believe bring glory to God.
 
Maxim 68:
Try not to get caught up in desires that take you away from life’s responsibilities.
 
Maxim 69:
Stay in the present moment. Trust the future to God. 
 
Maxim 70:
Trust God’s timing. The future will unfold.
 
Maxim 71:
Live your life with joyful simplicity, content in what is yours to do.
 
Maxim 72:
Whatever befalls you, good or ill, trust God’s Love at work.
 
Maxim 73:
Have only one desire: to be what God longs for you to be.
 
Maxim 74:
Don’t resist Love’s design. Be at peace in the ordinary demands of life.
 
Maxim 75:
Live detached from others’ opinions of you. Rejoice in the gifts of others. 
 
Maxim 76:
Choose the lowly way. Avoid boasting.
 
Maxim 77:
Fulfill all that great and true Love asks of you. That is everything.
 
Maxim 78:
Treat embarrassment and criticism as opportunities to grow.
 
Maxim 79:
Avoid envy of others’ gifts. Be content in playing your part in Love’s design.
 
Maxim 80:
Don’t focus on measuring your progress. Trust grace at work in you.
 
Maxim 81:
God knows you better than you know yourself. Let God be the judge.
 
Maxim 82:
Your best selfless desires are God’s gift to you. 
 
Maxim 83:
Even our best intentions can be tinged with selfishness.
 
Maxim 84:
Wait to be led by grace. Follow it when it comes.
 
Maxim 85:
Work wholeheartedly. Be free to let others complete your work and even take the credit. 
 
Maxim 86:
Keep things in perspective: God first and foremost.
 
Maxim 87:
Don’t get caught up in your gifts and talents. You are both frail and glorious.
 
Maxim 88:
The moments of your life are precious. Make the most of each one.
 
Maxim 89:
Do the ordinary good with extraordinary care. 

Maxim 90:
Bring great love to whatever life presents today, great and small things alike.

Maxim 91:
Freely embrace undertakings of great Love when God’s Spirit nudges you.
 
Maxim 92:
God’s holy Love is always at work in us. We never arrive but are always a work in progress.
 
Maxim 93:
Freedom: to remember God, to see God in all things, to choose God’s will.
 
Maxim 94:
Be alert to God’s true promptings. I can be tricked.
 
Maxim 95:
Entrust yourself totally to God’s providence.
 
Maxim 96:
Everything I am and have is gift. Enjoy but don’t cling.
 
Maxim 97:
In the face of opposition, let go of fear. Hope in God.
 
Maxim 98:
Suffering touches everyone. Unite yours to God and all who suffer.
 
Maxim 99:God gives us as much grace as we are willing to accept.

Maxim 100:
Everything in balance: heart, humility, detachment, prayer, trust, solitude, love of God and neighbor, a life joyous and free.