Maxims
. . . an invitation to wholeness and holiness
The Maxims of the Little Institute, written by Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ for the first Sisters of Saint Joseph, are 100 short sayings offering guidance for their growth into deepening relationship with God, others, and self. Thus, the Maxims of the Little Institute are an invitation to wholeness and holiness. The timeless wisdom of the Maxims continues to offer a practical spirituality for all women and men who desire to grow in life-giving relationship.
MAXIM-IZE Your Life! We invite you to choose a maxim, perhaps for a day, a week or even a month. You may want to repeat it so that the words become an experience of your heart. You may wish to reflect at the end of the day on where the maxim fit into your life. You may want to pause several times for 30 seconds of silence to return to its wisdom.
We offer you contemporary adaptations of the original Maxims of the Little Institute, as well as the original version along with a commentary.
Simple Maxims 1-100: Contemporary Adaptation
Your call is sublime…become what God dreams for you. —Maxim 1
Seek what pleases God most. —Maxim 2
Humility is truth. Let your sincere love flow from it. —Maxim 3
Let your life be a continuous act of love. —Maxim 4
Unmask the illusions that lure you away from your true self. —Maxim 5
Shed old ways that keep you self-centered. Embrace love. Be love. —Maxim 6
Desire to embrace the whole world with the fire of God’s great dream. —Maxim 7
Let your resolutions draw their strength from your firm trust in God. —Maxim 8
Avoid like the plague the compulsions of the unaware self. —Maxim 9
Forget yourself. Be transparent. It’s so much easier. —Maxim 10
Always speak positively of others and affirm their good qualities. —Maxim 11
Endure temporary hardships for the sake of the greater good. —Maxim 12
Risk everything for God’s dream. —Maxim 13
God’s gift of free love supports your life at every moment. Rely on it. —Maxim 14
Listen deeply to subtle nudges of the Holy Spirit; then act on them. —Maxim 15
Fix your heart on God’s dream. Let it guide everything. —Maxim 16
Hold your desires lightly; entrust everything to God. —Maxim 17
Live from the place of one desire—where God and you share the same dream. —Maxim 18
Trust and cherish God’s love threading through all the events of daily life. —Maxim 19
Be serious about God’s will in the present moment. Leave the future to God. —Maxim 20
Let go of the need for affirmation and praise. Let your fidelity be your joy. —Maxim 21
Be satisfied that God alone is aware of your good deeds. —Maxim 22
Love nothing but God and all that God loves. —Maxim 23
Live wholeheartedly—every part of you utterly for God. —Maxim 24
Take joy in the accomplishments of others when they advance God’s dream. —Maxim 25
Seek God’s contentment in everything—nothing else. —Maxim 26
Seek to know the inner, hidden moments of God’s heart. —Maxim 27
Desire that everything about you points to God alone. —Maxim 28
When it is tough to believe, hold fast to wanting to believe. —Maxim 29
When things look bleak, trust God even more. —Maxim 30
In times of trouble, trust firmly that you are an instrument of God’s dream. —Maxim 31
When you feel most lost and alone, yours is a share in the pain of God. —Maxim 32
Desire to fill your daily actions with great love as did God’s dearest friends. —Maxim 33
Take care that God alone be the goal and motive for all that you do. —Maxim 34
God sees, knows, and loves you intimately; live and act from that alone. —Maxim 35
Stay rooted in who you are—one love and called. —Maxim 36
Do the best you can and then let it go. —Maxim 37
Never complain about anyone. —Maxim 38
Make a wholehearted gift of yourself. —Maxim 39
Love only what lasts forever. —Maxim 40
Tend your spirit. Let it resemble the God of Great Love. —Maxim 41
Be patient in your longing for God’s Great love. —Maxim 42
Choose, at least in desire, the humble hidden way. —Maxim 43
Avoid anything that interferes with becoming the one God dreamed you to be. —Maxim 44
When you are with others, blend your serious side with joy, gentleness, and refreshing candor. —Maxim 45
Let the false self and its vanity die out. Be attached to God and God’s dream for you. —Maxim 46
Be free enough to let others shine. Embrace the humble tasks. —Maxim 47
Pursue God’s glory. Let go of attachment to success in the process. —Maxim 48
Treat everyone with the same care as if you were meeting God. —Maxim 49
Choose to make others happy and do it joyfully. —Maxim 50
Return happiness freely to those who dish out unhappiness. —Maxim 51
Interpret all things from the best possible point of view. —Maxim 52
Let go of judging. Let your heart be free. —Maxim 53
Winners courageously that no one less than God has any power over you. —Maxim 54
Serve others unselfishly with no thought of reward. —Maxim 55
Don’t go along to get along. Live from the Spirit’s promptings. —Maxim 56
Our good works have their roots in divine inspiration. —Maxim 57
We can put obstacles in the path of God’s grace. Be aware. —Maxim 58
Being with God, the dear neighbor and all of creation is one movement. —Maxim 59
Live in and from the flow of gentle love. Let go of driveness. Maxim 60
Seek union with God and let that pure love transform you. —Maxim 61
Be at peace with your path. Embrace change when the Spirit prompts. —Maxim 62
Love can be at work in unfortunate events. Trust love. —Maxim 63
Seek to be kind always to everyone and unkind to no one. —Maxim 64
Honor your responsibilities rather than your whims. —Maxim 65
Expect difficulties and persevere until God shows you it is time to let go. —Maxim 66
Hold fast to the commitments you believe bring glory to God. —Maxim 67
Try not to get caught up in desires that take you away from life’s responsibilities. —Maxim 68
Stay in the present moment. Trust the future to God. —Maxim 69
Trust God’s timing. The future will unfold. —Maxim 70
Live your life with joyful simplicity, content in what is yours to do. —Maxim 71
Whatever befalls you, good or ill, trust God’s Love at work. —Maxim 72
Have only one desire: to be what God longs for you to be. —Maxim 73
Don’t resist Love’s design. Be at peace in the ordinary demands of life. —Maxim 74
Live detached from others’ opinions of you. Rejoice in the gifts of others. —Maxim 75
Choose the lowly way. Avoid boasting. —Maxim 76
Fulfill all that great and true love asks of you. That is everything. —Maxim 77
Treat embarrassment and criticism as opportunities to grow. —Maxim 78
Avoid envy of others’ gifts. Be content in playing your part in Love’s design. —Maxim 79
Don’t focus on measuring your progress. Trust grace at work in you. —Maxim 80
God knows you better than you know yourself. Let God be the judge. —Maxim 81
Your best selfless desires are God’s gift to you. —Maxim 82
Even our best intentions can be tinged with selfishness. —Maxim 83
Wait to be led by grace. Follow it when it comes. —Maxim 84
Work wholeheartedly. Be free to let others complete your work and even take the credit. —Maxim 85
Keep things in perspective: God first and foremost. —Maxim 86
Don’t get caught up in your gifts and talents. You are both frail and glorious. —Maxim 87
The moments of your life are precious. Make the most of each one. —Maxim 88
Do the ordinary good with extraordinary care. —Maxim 89
Bring great love to whatever life presents today, great and small things alike. —Maxim 90
Freely embrace undertakings of great Love when God’s Spirit nudges you. —Maxim 91
God’s holy Love is always at work in us. We never arrive but are always a work in progress. —Maxim 92
Freedom: to remember God, to see God in all things, to choose God’s will. —Maxim 93
Be alert to God’s true promptings. I can be tricked. —Maxim 94
Entrust yourself totally to God’s providence. —Maxim 95
Everything I am and have is gift. Enjoy but don’t cling. —Maxim 96
In face of opposition, let go of fear. —Maxim 97
Suffering touches everyone. Unite yours to God and all who suffer. —Maxim 98
God gives us as much grace as we are willing to accept. —Maxim 99
Everything in balance: heart, humility, detachment, prayer, trust, solitude, love of God and neighbor, a life joyous and free. —Maxim 100
Maxims of the Little Institute: English translation of the original 17th Century French
Commentary on the Maxims: by Mary Helen Kashuba SSJ
