Carmelite Devotion to St Elijah, the Prophet - click to read

PRAYER TO ST. ELIJAH

Holy Prophet of God Elijah, Leader and Father of Carmelites, intercede

for us and for the salvation of all.

V: Pray for us, O holy Father Elijah.

R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that we who believe that the Blessed Elijah Your Prophet and our Father was wonderfully carried up in a fiery chariot, may by his intercession be raised to the desire of heavenly things and rejoice in the society of Your saints. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

After: “Carmel, Its History, Spirit, and Saints”

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The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

"I venerate you a thousand times, O true Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, Hail Mary.

I venerate you, O sovereign Queen of the Angels, Empress of the Universe, Hail Mary.

I venerate you, most kindly Virgin Mary, most worthy mother of my one Saviour Jesus, Hail Mary."

St Teresa Margaret Redi prayer

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Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, St Thomas Aquinas and Carmelite Saints, Corpus Christi Solemnity

Food sustains life. Without food, no living being can remain alive and active. Grace gives to man a divine life. Baptism gives man birth in the divine life. Confirmation gives man maturity in the divine life. But this life cannot continue to grow without food, spiritual food. Like every other life, the divine life of grace must be nourished. it must be fed. The food of the life of grace is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist . In this Sacrament, the life of grace feeds on the very Body and Blood of Christ Himself. If, in the natural order, bread were the only substance that men could eat, then all men would eat bread always. For a man needs food to live. In the supernatural order of grace, the Eucharist is the necessary food of the supernatural life of grace.

St Teresa of Jesus of the Andes: "Dear Jesus, may Your will be done and not mine. Tomorrow I will go to Communion. I obtained permission. Oh, what happiness: tomorrow I will have Heaven in my heart! Oh, I love, Jesus, I adore You! I thank You and my Mother for this favour. I am all Yours....only You....no other creature."

The Eucharist is not necessary in the same way that Baptism is necessary. Baptism is necessary as the beginning of the supernatural life of grace. But the Eucharist is necessary as the consummation of the life of grace. Baptism is necessary because it make a man like Christ, and so fits him for the reception of Christ in his soul. In the Eucharist, man is united to Christ Himself. In the Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of Christ become the spiritual food of man's soul, increasing grace in the soul and so increasing man's likeness to Christ.
The Eucharist is called by many names in Christian tradition. It is called "the Sacrifice", because it is a remembrance of Christ's Passion. it is called "Communion" because it is the cause of unity or union between Christ and the members of His Church. It is called "Viaticum", because it gives man the way to win the vision of God. To put it in another way, in the Eucharist we have a renewal of Christ's Passion, which saved men by meriting grace for men; in the Eucharist we have Christ Himself, Who gives grace to men; and in the Eucharist we have Christ Himself, Who enables the soul of men to pass through death to eternal life.

Bl Teresa of Jesus of the Andes: "Tomorrow I will go to Communion. How I long for this, my Jesus. I am so bad. I need You to be good. Come, Love, come quickly and I will give You my heart, my soul and all I possess. My Mother, prepare my heart to receive my Jesus." (after "God, the Joy of my Life: Blessed Teresa of the Andes")


Dieric Bouts "The Last Supper"

Christ Himself instituted this great Sacrament at the Last Supper. He knew that He was shortly to leave this earth. He knew that He would not remain in this world much longer in His bodily presence. But He did not wish to leave His faithful disciples entirely. He wished to remain with His followers in some way. And so He gave us His presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist to take the place of His historical bodily presence. Besides, He wished to leave men a remembrance of His Passion. Faith in His Passion is necessary for salvation. But in the course of time men might forget His Passion and death on the Cross. In the Eucharist he has given men a perpetual remembrance of His Passion and death on the Cross. He instituted this Sacrament at the Last Supper, because He knew that the last words and actions of men who are about to leave this world are more likely to be remembered with love and devotion than any other words and actions. The Eucharist was, as it were, His last will and testament to the human race. Shortly before His Death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, he left men His Body and Blood as the food of their souls. It was the most precios gift He had to leave us, because the Eucharist is Christ Himself, the Author and Dispenser of God's grace.

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, fragment of the poem "I shall Stay with You":
..."This is the heart of Trinity divine,
The center also of all human hearts.
Source of our life from God.

It draws us close with its mysterious might,
It keeps us safe within the Father's lap
And flood us with the Holy Spirit.

This heart beats in a tiny tabernacle
Where it remains in hidden mystery.
Within that orbit, silent, white.

That is Your royal throne, O Lord, on earth,
Which You have built for us, plainly to see.
It pleases You when I draw near....

In the mind of Christ, the Eucharist is to be the food of souls. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world...Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and I in him. (John 6: 51-55). Becasue the Eucharist is the food of souls, Christ chose bread and wine for the matter of this Sacrament. Bread is the staple food of all mankind, and wheaten bread is the bread most commonly used among men. For this reason, Christ chose bread to be the sacramental sign of His Body. But man not only needs solid food, he also needs liquid refreshment. Wine is a liquid nourishment universal to mankind. Wine made from grapes
is the only true wine. Hence Christ chose wine to be the sacramental sign of His Blood. When He instituted this Sacrament at Last Supper, Christ, according to the custom of His country, mixed a little bit of water with the wine. In the Mass, a little bit of water is mixed with the wine which is to be changed into Christ's Blood. This water represents the Christian people, the members of the Church. This represents the union of the faithful with Christ. Christ wanted to give men His own Body and Blood, as the food of their souls. Hence, as the sacramental sign of His Body and Blood, He chose elements that would be recognized as food by men.

...Your eyes look deeply into mine with love,
And to my whispered words You bend Your ear.
You fill my heart with deepest peace.

And yet Your love cannot be satisfied
By this exchange, for there remains a gap,
Your heart still asks for more.

each morn You come to me at early Mass
Your flesh and blood become my food and drink;
And wonders are accomplished.

Your body permeates mine mysteriously,
I feel Your soul becoming one with mine:
I am no longer what I used to be.

You come and go, but still the seed remains
Which You have sown for future splendour,
Hid in the body made from dust.

A heavenly radiance lingers in the soul,
And deeply shines a light within the eye,
A vibrant music in the voice...


In the Eucharist, at words of consecration uttered by Christ at the Last Supper, or now by the priest at Mass, bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Bread and wine are no longer present. Instead the Body and Blood of Christ are present sacramentally. We can never hope to understand in this life how this change takes place. This is a mystery beyond comprehension. But we can so state the mystery that it is no longer absurd or ridiculous or contradictory. Let us examine the mystery more closely. Before the Consecration of the Mass, bread and wine are present on the altar. When the priest says, speaking in the name of Christ, "This is My Body," and "This is the chalice of my Blood of the New and Eternal Testament, the Mystery of Faith, which shall be shed for you and for many unto the forgiveness of sins," the bread and wine cease to be present. How does this take place? Christ, in His Body and Blood, is present in heaven. He does not leave heaven and come to the altar to displace the bread and wine. Rather, the bread and the wine are changed into His Body and Blood. The bread and the wine cannot remain. If this happened, then the words of Christ, pronounced in the Mass by His priest, would not be true. Instead of saying, "This is My Body," the priest should say "This is bread and the Body of Christ." At the moment of Consecration, then, the bread must become the Body of Christ and the wine must become his Blood. The change must be instantaneous, for Christ did not say, "This bread is about to become My Body;" He said, "This is My Body." Naturally, the whole of the bread must be changed into the Body of Christ, and the whole of the wine must be changed into His Blood. If this did not happen, then once again the words of Christ would not be true. He should have said something like this: "This is partly bread and partly My Body." But He did not say anything like this. He said simply, "This" - all this that you see - "is my Body".

Bl Elizabeth of the Trinity:
Oh, how good it is in silence
To listen to Him over and over,
To enjoy the peace of His presence,
And then to surrender wholly to His love.

O Lamb, so pure and so meek,
You and All, my only One;
How well You know that Your fiancee,
Your little one, hungers greatly for You.

She hungers to feed upon her Master,
Above all to be consumed by Him,
To surrounder fully to Him her whole being
So she may be totally taken.

Oh, that I may be possessed by You;
One who lives by You alone,
Yours, Your living host,
Consumed by You on the Cross.

This is a very special kind of change, in fact the only change of its kind we know. We are accustomed to many chages in the world of matter. Water and wheaten flour can be mixed together and baked. In the baking they are changed into bread. In the course of time, through the process of nature wine can change into vinegar. But there are three things of which we are sure in all changes of this kind. First, the new substance - bread or wine in the examples given - did not previously exist. It came into being with the change. Secondly, something of the first substance - of the wheat or of the wine -went into the making of the last substance, the bread or the vinegar. And thirdly, the sensible qualities of the first and the last substances were not the same. Wheat looks differently and tastes differently from bread. Wine tastes differently from vinegar. Now in the Eucharist, the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ are in existence before the substance of the wine are changed into them. Secondly, and consequently, nothing of the bread and nothing of the wine are used in making the Body or the Blood of Christ. Thirdly, although the sensible qualities of the Body and Blood of Christ are different from the sensible qualities of bread and wine, nevertheless, the sensible qualities of bread and wine still exist in the Eucharist. The consecrated Host still looks like bread, feels like bread, and tasted like bread. The wine that has been consecrated still looks like wine, tastes like wine. On the other hand, neither the Host nor the Previous looks like the Body and the Blood of Christ. We can only say that the whole substance of the bread has been changed into the substance of the Body of Christ, and the whole substance of the wine has been changed into the Blood of Christ, but that the appearance of bread and wine still remain. What was bread has been changed, though the appearance of bread remain. What was wine has been changed, though the appearance of wine remain. Theologians call a change of this kind 'Transubstantiation'. The word means that one whole substance changed into another whole substance, even though the appearances - philosophers would say "accidents" - of the first substance still remain. In the Eucharist neither the bread nor the wine is annihilated. They are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.

St Therese of the Child Jesus: "Living Bread"
Living Bread, Bread of Heaven, Divine Eucharist,
O touching Mystery produced by Love,
Come dwell within my heart, Jesus, my white Host...

Deign to unite me unto Thee, O Holy and Sacred Vine,
That my feeble branch may yield its fruits to Thee;
And I will offer Thee a gilded cluster....
This cluster of love of which the grapes are souls.

"My Heaven Is Hidden"
My Heaven is hidden in the little Host
Where Jesus, my Spouse, hides Himself through love.

Thou, the great God Whom the universe adores,
In me Thou liv'st, a prisoner night and day,
Thou liv'st, for me, hidden in a Host.
For Thee I wish to hide myself, O Jesus,
Lovers need solitude,
A heart-to-heart which lasts night and day.

I am Thy cherished spouse,
Come, my beloved, live in me.
O come, thy beauty has ravished me,
Deign to transform me into Thee.

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Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus starts today - click to pray

St John of the Cross in the Canticle of Canticles says: 'Arise, and make haste, my love, my fair one, and come into the clefts of the rock, and into the cavern of the enclosure" (Spiritual Canticle 31:5). And St Teresa Margaret of the Heart of Jesus wrote in her resolutions: My God, I wish to enclose myself in Your most loving Heart as in a desert, to live there in You, with You, and for You, a hidden life of love and sacrifice" (Spirituality Of St Teresa Margaret Redi)

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Blessed Anne of Saint Bartholomew, memoria

Ana Garcia was born at Almendral, Castlle in 1549. In 1572 she made her profession as a Carmelite in the hands of St Teresa, at St Joseph’s, Avila. The saint later chose her as her companion and nurse, and she subsequently brought the Teresian spirit to France and Belgium, where she proved herself, like Teresa, a daughter of the Church in her great zeal for the salvation of souls. She died in Antwerp in 1626. More about the life of Bl Anne on the Discalced Carmelite Nuns website link: https://carmelitenuns.uk/blessed-anne-of-st-bartholomew/ 

If Jesus kept silence, it was not because he hated anyone. He was simply saying to his eternal Father what he said on the cross: ’Lord, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ What infinite love burned in that sacred heart of yours. Lord Jesus! Without uttering a single word you spoke to us: without a word you worked the mysteries you came to accomplish – teaching virtue to the ignorant and blind. What our Lord did was no small thing. Where should we get patience and humility and poverty and the other virtues, and how could we carry the cross for one another, if Christ had not taught us all this first, and given himself as a living model of all perfection? 

 Blessed silence! In it you cry out and preach to the whole world by your example. Volumes could be written about your silence, Lord! There is more wisdom to be learned from it by those who love you than from books or study. Is there any way to achieve it except by taking it from Christ as he taught it to us Our Lord became a spring for us, so that we should not die of thirst among all the miseries that surround us. How truly he said in the Gospel that he came to serve and not to be served! What tremendous goodness! Can we fail to be shamed by your words and deeds, and the patience you show with us every day? How truly, again Lord, did you say: ‘Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart’. Where can we obtain this patience and humbleness of heart? Is there any way to achieve it except by taking it from Christ as he taught it to us with those other virtues we need – faith, hope and charity? Without faith we cannot follow that royal road of the divine mysteries. It is faith that opens our eyes and makes us see the truth; and where faith is wanting there is no light, and no way leading to goodness. Excerpts from ‘Meditation on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ’ by Bl Anne of Saint Bartholomew. 

Benedictus ant. Where humility is, there is wisdom, the wisdom of the humble will protect them from defeat. 

Magnificat ant. God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. 

All after Discalced Carmelite Proper Offices, A Supplement to the Divine Office. 2006 revised edition.

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Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

O Incomprehensible God, Your greatness is eternal, and your goodness ineffable. I see the three divine Persons flowing one into another in an indescribable, inscrutable way, and I rejoice in this sight. The Father flows into the Son, the Son into the Father, and the Father and the Son flow into the Holy Spirit. Eternal God, You are unspeakably good, You who, out of goodness, communicate to a creature, aware of its nothingness, some knowledge of Your eternal Being; but although this communication is wonderful, it might be called in all truth, a mere nothing, in comparison with what You really are. (St Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi) 

text from 'Divine Intimacy' mediatations  

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Feast of St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, Carmelite Saint, May 25th

Holy Spirit, I see you coming down into the soul like the sun which, finding no obstacle, no impediment, illumines everything; I see You descending like a fiery thunderbolt which, in failing, goes to the lowest place it finds and there it reposes, never stopping on the way nor resting on the mountainous or high places but rather in the center of the earth. Thus You, O Holy Spirit, when You come down from heaven with the fiery dart of Your divine love, You do not repose in proud hearts or in arrogant spirit, but You make Your abode in souls that are humble and contemptible in their own eyes (St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi).

Picture represents fragment of the main altar depicting St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi and St Agnes in the Carmelite Church in Cordoba

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Today we start Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts - click to pray

The novena in honor of the Holy Ghost is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

How to pray the Novena

Each day the meditation and prayer for the particular day is said, followed by one (1) Our Father, one (1) Hail Mary and seven (7) Glory be to the Fathers, the Act of Consecration and the Prayer for the Seven Gifts. (From Novena's text)

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Feast of Ascension - click to read

"And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth. For John indeed baptized with water: but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence. They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel? But he said to them: It is not for you to know the time or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power: But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven."-Acts 1:4-11

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Holy Saturday

Rembrand, The Descend from the Cross

There was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid...They laid Jesus there (St John 19:41-42)

When I saw the blood running from the wounds of Jesus, the thirst of all souls entered my heart.(...) Oh, each day since this special blessing [Pranzini], my desire to save these souls grew. I felt I heard Jesus tell me, "Give me something to drink!" (St Therese The Story of a Soul)

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Good Friday

Carl Henrich Bloch 'Life of Christ' series

When Jesus knew that all was finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture). "I am thirsty."...When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed down his head and gave up his spirit (St John 19:28,30)

The cry of the Lord on the cross, "I am thirsty" sounded continually in my heart...I wanted to give me Beloved a drink, and felt myself devoured by the thirst of all souls...It was not the souls of priests that attracted me, but those of the big sinners. I burned with the desire to pull them from the eternal flames (St Therese, The Story of a Soul).

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St Joseph, Protector of the Carmelite Order - pray for us!

St Teresa devotion to St Joseph in her own words - taken from 'Autobiography' chapter 6

I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father and lord delivered me both from this trouble and also from other and greater troubles concerning my honour and the loss of my soul, and that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him. I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant. I am astonished at the great favours which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succours us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him) just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks. This has also been the experience of other persons whom I have advised to commend themselves to him; and even to-day there are many who have great devotion to him through having newly experienced this truth.I used to try to keep his feast with the greatest possible solemnity; but, though my intentions were good, I would observe it with more vanity than spirituality, for I always wanted things to be done very meticulously and well. I had this unfortunate characteristic that, if the Lord gave me grace to do anything good, the way I did it was full of imperfections and extremely faulty. I was very assiduous and skilful in wrongdoing and in my meticulousness and vanity. May the Lord forgive me. I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God. I have never known anyone to be truly devoted to him and render him particular services who did not notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who commend themselves to him. For some years now, I think, I have made some request of him every year on his festival and I have always had it granted. If my petition is in any way ill directed, he directs it aright for my greater good.
If I were a person writing with authority, I would gladly describe, at greater length and in the minutest detail, the favours which this glorious saint has granted to me and to others. But in order not to do more than I have been commanded I shall have to write about many things briefly, much more so than I should wish, and at unnecessarily great length about others: in short, I must act like one who has little discretion in all that is good. I only beg, for the love of God, that anyone who does not believe me will put what I say to the test, and he will see by experience what great advantages come from his commending himself to this glorious patriarch and having devotion to him. Those who practise prayer should have a special affection for him always. I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of the Angels, during the time that she suffered so much with the Child Jesus, without giving thanks to Saint Joseph for the way he helped them. If anyone cannot find a master to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as his master and he will not go astray. May the Lord grant that I have not erred in venturing to speak of him; for though I make public acknowledgment of my devotion to him, in serving and imitating him I have always failed. He was true to his own nature when he cured my paralysis and gave me the power to rise and walk; and I am following my own nature in using this favour so ill.Who would have said that I should fall so soon, after receiving so many favours from God, and after His Majesty had begun to grant me virtues which themselves aroused me to serve Him; after I had seen myself at death's door and in such great peril of damnation; after He had raised me up, in soul and in body, so that all who saw me were amazed to see me alive? What it is, my Lord, to have to live a life so full of perils! For here I am writing this, and it seems to me that with Thy favour and through Thy mercy I might say with Saint Paul, though not so perfectly as he: For it is not I now who live, but Thou, my Creator, livest in me. For some years, so far as I can see, Thou hast held me by Thy hand, and I find I have desires and resolutions -- tested to a certain extent, during these years, in many ways, by experience -- to do nothing contrary to Thy will, however trifling it may be, though I must often have caused Thy Majesty numerous offences without knowing it. It seems to me, too, that nothing can present itself to me which I would not with great resolution undertake for love of Thee, and some of these things Thou hast helped me successfully to accomplish. I desire neither the world nor anything that is worldly, and nothing seems to give me pleasure unless it comes from Thee: everything else seems to me a heavy cross. I may well be mistaken and it may be that I have not the desire that I have described; but Thou seest, my Lord, that, so far as I can understand, I am not lying. I am afraid, and with good reason, that Thou mayest once more forsake me; for I know well how little my strength and insufficiency of virtue can achieve if Thou be not ever granting me Thy grace and helping me not to forsake Thee. May it please Thy Majesty that I be not forsaken by Thee even now, while I am thinking all this about myself. I do not know why we wish to live, when everything is so uncertain. I used to think, my Lord, that it was impossible to forsake Thee wholly; yet how many times have I forsaken Thee! I cannot but fear; for, when Thou didst withdraw from me but a little, I fell utterly to the ground. Blessed be Thou for ever! For, though I have forsaken Thee, Thou hast not so completely forsaken me as not to raise me up again by continually giving me Thy hand. Often, Lord, I would not take it, and often when Thou didst call me a second time I would not listen, as I shall now relate.

Today's image is by Guido Reni

CARMELITE MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH.

PRESENCE OF GOD
O glorious St. Joseph, under your patronage may my interior life grow and develop.

MEDITATION
1. Today the Church presents St. Joseph, the great Patriarchs, to whose care God willed to entrust the most chosen portion of His flock, Mary and Jesus. Because Joseph was selected by God to be the guardian of the family of the Nazareth, the nucleus of the great Christian family, the Church recognizes in him the Guardian and patron of all Christendom. Herein lies the significance of today's Feast, which invites us to fix our attention on the mission entrusted to this great Saint in relation to Jesus and to the Church. Aware of the great mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph's whole life gravitated about that of the Incarnate Word: for Him he endured worry, suffering, fatigue, labour. To Him he consecrated all his solicitude, his energy, his resources, his time. He reserved nothing for himself, but completely oblivious of any personal needs, desires, or views, he devoted himself entirely to the interests and the needs of Jesus. Nothing existed for Joseph except Jesus and Mary, and he felt that his life on earth had no other raison d'etre than his care of them. In this way he participated fully, as a humble, hidden collaborator, in this work of the Redemption; if he did not accompany Jesus in His apostolic life and to His death on the Cross - as Mary did - nevertheless, he worked for the same end as the Saviour. Having been the faithful guardian of the Holy Family, it is impossible that from the heights of heaven St. Joseph should not continue to protect the great Christian family, the Universal Church, which , confident of his protection, and relying on his assistance, prays thus: "Sustained, O Lord, by the protection of the spouse of Your holy Mother, we beseech Your clemency....that by his merits and intercession You will guide us to eternal glory" (Roman Missal).

2. St. Joseph's vocation to become the guardian of the Holy Family was also an invitation to divine intimacy. We must not forget that he stood at the dividing line between Old and New Testament. The first part of his life belonged to the Old Testament, the second, to the New. Before the coming of Jesus, he, like all the patriarchs of the Old Law, would certainly have followed the trend of his time, and his relations with God would have been especially influenced by the sentiment of reverent fear. But as soon as the Angel revealed to him the mystery of Incarnation, and he learned that Mary his Spouse was to be the Mother of the Redeemer , everything in his life changed. God, whom he had always honoured as the Most High, the Inaccessible, the Thrice Holy, had now come near to him, so near that He had taken flesh in the womb of his Spouse, and had chosen him, Joseph, as His foster father. As soon as Jesus was born, He was placed in Joseph's arms and entrusted to his care; later He would grow in his sight, be fed at his table, and sleep under his roof. What a life of intimacy! And it was not only an intimacy of external relations, but also one of profoundly interior, spiritual relations, for Joseph knew by faith that Jesus was his God. Thus, together with Mary, this great Saint was the first one to enter into that life of love and intimacy with God, to which Jesus opened the door. Let us, then, watch Joseph fulfill his mission, not only with complete exterior dedication, but also with a heart filled with Jesus, a heart in which a glorious life of divine intimacy flourishes. While he is devoting himself to the work required by his position as foster father, he lives, in the secrecy of his heart, in continual relations of love with his God, the Incarnate Word.
In the Church, each one of us has his mission to fulfill for the good of souls and the glory of God. This mission requires work - often fatiguing work - and much sacrifice and intense activity. Like St. Joseph, we must give ourselves generously and totally, without sparing, without reserve, but, at the same time, we must also give ourselves to the works of God with a heart filled with God, with a heart which lives with Him in an intimacy nourished by the assiduous exercise of prayer. St. Joseph teaches us the blessed secret of a life of combined activity and contemplation, so that, following his example, we may give ourselves to the active life without neglecting our life of intimate union with God.

COLLOQUY
........O glorious Saint, it is a thing which truly astonishes me, the great favours which God has bestowed on me and the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul, through your intercession. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities, but you succour us in them all...... If anyone cannot find a master to teach him how to pray, let him take you as his master and he will not go astray" (T.J. Life, 6).
May the life of the whole Church, as well as the interior life of every Christian, grow and prosper under your patronage, O Saint Joseph. I place my spiritual life under your protection. You, who lived so close to Jesus, bring me to intimacy with Him with a heart full of love.

credit: "Divine Intimacy" by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD

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The Baptism of the Lord, Feast

                   A voice was heard from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son" 

(Mt 3:17)

 

Your voice sounds over the waters, Lord, as you reign above the flood. May we, who are born again in Christ by the new gift of water, praise your wonderful deeds with him in your holy temple. Psalm-prayer form the Office of Reading.

 

 

 

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The Epiphany of Our Lord - click for link

The fragment taken from the Imitation of Christ refers beautifully to the Child Jesus found by the Magi led by the star and St Therese commenting on it. Let us pray we may be led to Christ always in spite of all distractions of the world.

To some I speak things common, to others things more particular; to some I sweetly appear in signs and figures, to other in great light I reveal mysteries (Imitation of Christ, Bk 3, ch43)

Since Christmas Celine had begun to share my most intimate thoughts, Our Lord wished us to make progress together, and so united us in a bond closer than mere ties of blood by making our very souls sisters. I love to recall our conversations at that time, as we sat in the belvedere looking out at the starry sky. i believe that we received many graces; as the author of the 'Imitation' says: To some I sweetly appear in signs and figures, to others in great light I reveal mysteries. He revealed Himself to our hearts, and the veil that hid Him was almost transparent. To doubt would have been impossible; whilst yet on earth we had found, through love, Him whom we sought, so that faith and hope were in abeyance. (Story of the Soul)



Having sighted the divinely-moving star, the Magi followed its radiance; and holding it as a lamp, by it they sought a powerful King; and having reached the Unreachable One, they rejoiced, shouting to Him: Alleluia!
The sons of the Chaldees saw in the hands of the Virgin Him Who with His hand made man. And knowing Him to be the Master, even though He had taken the form of a servant, they hastened to serve Him with gifts, and to cry to Her Who is blessed:
Rejoice, Mother of the Unsetting Star:
Rejoice, dawn of the mystic day!
Rejoice, Thou Who didst extinguish the furnace of error:
Rejoice, Thou Who didst enlighten the initiates of the Trinity!
Rejoice, Thou Who didst banish from power the inhuman tyrant:
Rejoice, Thou Who didst show us Christ the Lord, the Lover of mankind!
Rejoice, Thou Who redeemest from pagan worship:
Rejoice, Thou Who dost drag us from the works of mire!
Rejoice, Thou Who didst quench the worship of fire:
Rejoice, Thou Who rescuest from the flame of the passions!
Rejoice, guide of the faithful to chastity:
Rejoice, gladness of all generations!
Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

Having become God-bearing heralds, the Magi returned to Babylon, having fulfilled Thy prophecy; and having preached Thee to all as the Christ, they left Herod as a babbler who knew not how to sing: Alleluia ! (Adoration of the Magi - Akathist Hymn attributed to Romanos the Melodist (+560). After 'A Moment with Mary'

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St John of the Cross - Memorial 14th November

It is perhaps the best time now to meditate on the life of the greatest Saint of Carmel, who at the pick of his religious leadership and popularity preferred following Christ by choosing 'to suffer and to be looked down upon' instead of obtaining temporal rewards for his service to Christ. By meditating upon this example of extraordinary holiness we can better understand what does it really mean to love God above ourselves.

Storms clouds began to break over John's head when the Father General, Nicolas Doria, convened an Extraordinary Chapter in June 1590. John had a premonition that things would go badly for him. When one of the Segovian nuns said that she was sure he would return to them as their Provincial, he replied and with certainty, 'I shall be thrown into a corner like an old rag'. One source of disagreement went as back as 1581 at the Chapter at Almodovar del Campo. John had come into conflict (yes, even saints do this sometimes!) with Fr Ferome Gracian who had been a favourite and close collaborator of St Teresa. Gracian wanted the friars to be more active in the apostolate, whereas John insisted that they should be primarily contemplative, from which their apostolate would flow. He did not want their contemplative vocation to take second place and perhaps be squeezed out. This tension between the active and contemplative aspects of the Carmelite friar's life had a long history. The Order traces its origin back to the time of the Crusades, when some of the crusaders decided to settle in the Holy Land, on Mount Carmel, where Elija and Elisha had founded a 'school of prophets', living a life of community and contemplation. Ever since, Carmelites have looked on two great prophets as their spiritual forebears. When the Muslims defeated the crusaders and drove them out of the Holy Land, the friars fled to the West, where they took up an active apostolate, sometimes to the detriment of their contemplative base.
At the Madrid Chapter the problem was more a clash of personalities between Gracian, who represented the moderates and Doria who wanted more control. Although Teresa had not taken personality to Doria, a Genoese who had been a banker before entering the Discalced, she had prized Doria's organisational skills, but he was rigid and authoritarian. The younger Gracian had a brilliant mind, a distinguished scholar and organiser , and had a much more pleasing and charming manner, although his impetuosity and rashness made him powerful enemies - including Doria. Now, Doria put forward some proposals with which John adamantly disagreed. Doria changed the government of the Order, concentrating all power in the hands of a permanent committee. He also wanted to take revenge against the formidable Mother Ann of Jesus, who, supported by John of the Cross, opposed his plans for the nuns and wanted to seek papal approbation for their constitutions. In addition, he wanted to expel Gracian from the Order, seeing him as a dangerous rival to his own power. John of the Cross had already warned Gracian that this might happen. He had been horrified when Gracian had proposed that Doria should succeed him as Provincial: he was elected only by two votes. Now, he felt that Gracian was being unfairly treated, and said so. Although many of the other friars privately agreed with him, they were too cowed by Doria's dictatorial manner to speak out.

The moving story of St John of the Cross last years marked by his heroic love of God and the neighbour is to be continued.
Credit: on the basis of CTS little book 'John of the Cross' by Jennifer Moorcroft

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Raccolta's Novena Prayer for the Feast of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary starts today, 29th Nov - 7th Dec - click for link

Praying Novena in honour of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the great tradition in the RC Church and pleasing to God. There are several version of this Novena, shorter Novena Prayer or a longer Novena Prayer. It may be of interest to mention that in France, the Great Novena to the Immaculate Conception is held annually since 1936.
Click for link toReflection on the season of Advent

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All Carmelite Souls, Commemoration

Jesus said to his disciples: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going. (St John 14:1-6)

I had a father and a mother who both feared God. My father had his chief delight in the reading of good books, and he did his best to give his children the same happy taste. This also helped me much, that I never saw my father or my mother regard anything but goodness. Though possessing very great beauty in her youth, my mother was never known to set any store by it. Her apparel, even in her early married life, was that of a woman no longer young. Her life was a life of suffering, her death was most Christian. After my mother’s removal, I began to think too much about my dress and my appearance, and I pursued many such like things that I was never properly warned against, full of mischief though they were both to myself and to others. I too early learned every evil from an immoral relative. I was very fond of this woman’s company. I gossiped and talked with her continually. She assisted me to all the amusements I loved; and, what was worse, she found some very evil amusements for me, and in every way communicated to me her own vanities and mischiefs. I am amazed to think on the evil that woman so changed me that scarcely any trace was left in me of my natural disposition to virtue. I became a perfect reflection of her and of another who was as bad as she was. For my education and protection my father sent me to the Augustinian Monastery, in which children like myself were brought up. There was a good woman in that religious house, and I began gradually to love her. How impressively she used to speak to me of God! She was a woman of the greatest good sense and sanctity. She told me how she first came to herself by the mere reading of these words of the Gospel, ‘Many are called and few chosen.’ This good companionship began to root out the bad habits I had brought to that house with me; but my heart had by that time become so hard that I never shed a tear, no, not though I read the whole Passion through. When at last I entered the Religious House of the Incarnation for life, our Lord at once made me understand how He helps those who do any violence to themselves in order to serve Him. No one observed this violence in me. They saw nothing in me but the greatest goodwill. At that sore step I was filled with a joy so great that it has never wholly left whatsoever in the path of duty: for our God is omnipotent, and He is on our side. May He be blessed for ever! Amen. O my supreme Good and my true Rest, I know not how to go on when I call those happy days to mind, and think of all my evil life since then! My tears ought to be tears of blood. My heart ought to break. But Thou, Lord, hast borne with me for almost twenty years, till I have had time to improve. And all that it might be better known to me who Thou art and what I am. Woe is me, my Maker! I have no excuse, I have only blame. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, rest on me. Other women there have been who have done great deeds in Thy service, but I am good only to talk: all my goodness ends in so many words: that is all my service of Thee, my God. Cost me what it may, let me not go on coming to Thee with idle words and empty hands, seeing that the reward of every one will be according to his works. Depart not from me, and I can do all things. Depart from me, and I shall return to whence I was taken, even to hell. One of the reasons that move me, who am what I am, to write all this even under obedience, and to madness as mine! Where could I think to find either pardon for the past, or power for the time to come, but from Thee? What folly to the stumbler to run away from the light! Let all those who would give themselves to prayer, and to a holy life, look well to this. They should know that when I was shunning prayer because I was so bad, my badness became more abandoned than ever it had been before. Rely on the waiting and abounding goodness of God, which is infinitely greater than all the evil you can do. When we acknowledge our vileness, He remembers it no more. I grew weary of sinning before God grew weary of forgiving my sin. He is never weary of giving grace, nor are his compassions to be exhausted. May He be blessed for ever, amen: and may all created things praise Him! I have made a vow—[it is known as ‘the Teresian vow,’ ‘the seraphic vow,’ ‘the most arduous of vows,’ ‘a vow yet unexampled in the Church’], a vow never to offend God in the very least matter. I have vowed that I would rather die a thousand deaths than do anything of that kind, knowing I was doing it. I am resolved also, never to leave anything whatsoever undone that I consider to be still more perfect, and more for the honour of our Lord. Cost me what pain it may, I would not leave such an act undone for all the treasures of the world. If I were to do so, I do not think I could have the face to ask anything of God in prayer: and yet, for all that, I have many faults and imperfections remaining in me to this day. (Santa Teresa an Appreciation)

Picture is from the public domain and represents Rubens' All Souls Day'.

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All Saints of Carmelite Order

On this day the Order celebrates the memory of all its saints, those known and those unknown. Let us pray Lord, may the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, and the prayers of all the saints of Carmel help us to walk steadfastly in their footsteps, and by our prayers and good works to further the cause of your Church. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

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Praying the Rosary with St Therese of the Child Jesus and St Teresa of Avila during October, the month of the Most Holy Rosary

Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation of Our Lord - Humility

Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:4) 

Our Father

*

Sanctity is an interior disposition which makes us humble and little in God's arms, conscious of our weakness and trusting even to audacity in the goodness of our Father. 3 Hail Mary

*

Spiritual Childhood also means not to attribute to ourselves the virtues we practice, not to believe that we are capable of anything, but to acknowledge that it is the good Lord who has placed that treasure in the hand of His little child that He may use it when He needs it. 3 Hail Mary

*

Humility is truth. 4 Hail Mary. Glory be. Hail Holy Queen.

(St Therese)

or:

*

It is proper to divine love to lower itself; hence, the loser we are, the more we attract God.

*

We would like never to fail. What an illusion! What does it matter, my Jesus, if I fall at every moment? I come to recognise by it how weak I am and that is gain for me. You see by that how little I am able to do and You will be more likely to carry me in Your arms.

*

If I am humble, I am entitled, without offending the good Lord, to do small foolish things until I die.

*

The Visitation to Elizabeth - Love of Neighbour

You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31)

Our Father

*

I saw some new virtues arise in me...not speaking evil of anyone, no matter how slight, but ordinarily avoiding all fault-finding. I was very much aware that I should not desire to say of another person what I would not want them to say of me. I was extremely cautious about this. 3 Hail Mary

*

If through my intercession I could play a part in getting a soul to love and praise God more, even if it be for just a short time, I think that would matter more to me than being in glory. 3 Hail Mary

*

Whoever fails to love their neighbour, fails to love You, my Lord, since we see You showed the very great love You have for the children of Adam by shedding so much blood. 4 Hail Mary, Glory to be, Hail Holy Queen

(St Teresa)

or:

*

Let us strive always to look at the virtues and good deeds we see in others and cover their defects with the thought of our own great sins.

*

While we live in this mortal life, earthly joys are uncertain, even when they seem to be given by You.ig they are not accompanied by love of neighbour.

*

For at times it happens that some trifle will cause as much suffering to one as a great trial will to another; little things can bring much distress to persons who have sensitive nature. If you are not like them, do not fail to be compassionate.

The Birth of Jesus - Spirit of Poverty

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3)

Our Father

*

My way is the way of spiritual childhood. 3 Hail Mary

*

My peace consists in remaining small. 3 Hail Mary

*

The thing that pleases Jesus when He beholds my soul is that I love my littleness and my poverty and have a blind hope in His mercy. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail Holy Queen.

(St Therese)

or:

*

The God of strength loves to show His power by making use of nothing.

*

It is possible to remain little even when we are charged with the most formidable functions and ...even when we are in extreme old age.

*

Remain always little and poor, in order to expect everything from God.

Presentation in the Temple - Obedience

If you love me, you will keep my commandments - (John 14:15)

Our Father

*

Let Your will be done in me in every way, and may it not please Your Majesty that something as precious as Your love be given to anyone who serves You only for the sake of consolation. 3 Hail Mary

*

We shouldn't care at all about not having devotion - as I have said - but we ought to thank the Lord who allows us to be desirous of pleasing Him, even though our works may be weak. This method of keeping Christ present with us is beneficial in all stages and is a very safe means of advancing. 3 Hail Mary

*

Everything other than pleasing God is nothing. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail Holy Queen.

(St Teresa)

or:

*

No matter how much I did, I strove that it be done in such a way that it would not displease the One who I clearly saw was witnessing it.

*

Nor does God ever fill anyone who serves Him.

*

The Lord helps those who are resolved to render Him service and glory.

The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple - Piety

You...must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48)

Our Father

*

The Way of Spiritual Childhood...is the only means to make rapid progress in love and the only way by which saints are made. 3 Hail Mary

*

Take Jesus by His Heart...It is this way that I took hold of the good Lord and that is why I shall be well received by Him. 3 Hail Mary

*

Practice all the virtues and so always lift up your little foot to mount the ladder of holiness. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail, Holy Queen

(St Therese)

or:

*

The good Lord does not demand more from you than good will....He looks at you with love. Very soon, won over by your useless efforts, He will come down and take you in His arms. He will carry you up.

*

I know that there are saints who spent their lives practicing extraordinary mortifications,,,but after all, there are many mansions in the house of our heavenly Father. Jesus had told us so and that is why I follow the way He has traced out for me.

*

The best rule is that we should follow what love inspires us to do from moment to moment, with the sole desire of pleasing the good Lord in everything He asks of us.

Glorious Mysteries

The Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead - Faith

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe (John 20:29)

Our Father

*

The Lord said to me: "Why are you afraid? Do you not know that I am all powerful? I will fulfill what I have promised" 3 Hail Mary

*

 I thought I would be able to serve God much better if I were in good health. This is our mistake: not abandoning ourselves entirely to what the Lord does, for He knows best what is fitting for us. 3 Hail Mary

*

I often thought that St Peter didn't lose anything when he threw himself into the sea, even though he grew frightened afterward. These first acts of determination are very important. 4 Hail Mary. Glory be. Hail, Holy Queen.

(St Teresa, Collected Works)

alternative quotations:

*

*Let us believe that all is  for our own greater good. Let His Majesty lead the way along the path He desires. We belong no longer to ourselves but to Him.

*

God's words cannot fail.

*

God always understand us and is with us. There is no doubt about this understanding and presence...He wants to begin to work in the soul in a special way. 

*

I write this for the consolation of weak souls like myself that they might never despair or fail to trust in the greatness of God.

*

The Lord helps us, strengthen us, and never fails; He is a true friend.

*

He shows no partiality, He loves everyone.

Ascension of Jesus into Heaven - Hope

Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Luke 11:9) Our Father

*

We never have too much confidence in the good Lord who is so powerful and merciful. We obtain from Him as much as we hope for. 3 Hail Mary

*

In order to remain a little child, we must expect everything fro our Good Lord, as a child expects everything from his father, without worrying about anything. 3 Hail Mary

*

When I fall on the road I can quickly rise again and Jesus takes me by the hand. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail, Holy Queen.

St Therese, various sources.

alternative quotations:

*

It is confidence and confidence alone that should lead us to Love.

*

Justice itself, amd justice even more than any other divine perfection, seems to me to be clothed in love.

*

That justice which frightens so many souls is for me a source of joy and confidence. To be just means more than to be severe in punishing the guilty. It takes account of right intentions and wishes to reward virtue. 

or:

Abandon yourself with absolute confidence to His infinite mercy.

*

He measures His gifts according to the amounts of confidence He finds us.

*

Jesus does not wish to give me provisions for the future. He feeds me from the moment to moment.

*

The whole of nature, in fact, enchanted me and raised my soul towards Heaven.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit - Love of God

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength (Mark 12:30) Our Father

*

Prayer is and exercise of love. 3 Hail Mary

I liked images so much. Unfortunate are those who through their own fault lose this great good. It indeed appears that they do not love the Lord, for if they loved Him they would rejoice to see a portrait of Him, just as here on earth it really gives joy to see one whom you deeply love. 3 Hail Mary

*

The love of God does not consists in tears or in this delight and tenderness, which for the greater part we desire and find consolation in; but it consists in serving with justice and fortitude of soul and in humility. Without such service it seems to me we would be receiving everything and giving nothing. 3 Hail Mary

*

It is very obvious that we love others more when we often recall the good works they do for us....Keep always in mind that we have our being from God, that He created us from nothing and sustains us, and all the other benefits flowing from His death and trials. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail Holy Queen.

St Teresa

or:

*

What a charming way to seek the love of God!

*

The perfect attainment of this true love of God brings with it every blessing....There is nothing on earth with which one can buy so wonderful a blessing.

*

The soul is therefore neither content with nor desirous of the world's satisfactions, because it has in itself what pleases it more...a desire to enjoy Him more and to be with Him. Being with Him is what it wants.

*Virtue always inspires love.

*

The Lord goes to in search of those who do love Him so as to give more to them.

*

Come to love a goodness so perfect and a mercy so unmeasurable.

Assumption of Mary into Heaven - Desire for Heaven

Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:34) Our Father

* 

I will spend my heaven in doing good upon earth. Why not, since the Angels can take care of us while still enjoying the Beatific Visions? 3 Hail Mary

*

If my wishes are granted, my heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world. 3 Hail Mary

*

When the Angel shall have said "time is no more" then will I rest. I shall then be able to rejoice because the number of the elect will be complete and all shall have entered into joy and repose. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail Holy Queen.

St Therese

or:

*

I feel always the same audacious confidence that I will become a great saint, for I do not count on my own merits since I have none, but I hope in Him.

*

It is He and He alone who, being satisfied with my feeble efforts, will raise me to Himself and, covering me with His infinite merits, will make me a saint.

*

If we abandon ourselves, and place our confidence in God, while making every small effort and hoping everything from His mercy, we shall be rewarded as much as the greatest saints. 

*

One glance, one moment of His Heart can cause His flower to open out for all eternity.

*

If it is necessary to suffer and weep in order to reach heaven, I want to suffer whatever may please Jesus.

*

Eternal reward has no proportion to our small sacrifices in this life.

The Crowning of Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth - Devotion to Mary

Behold, your Mother (John 19:27) Our Father

*

I sought out solitude to pray my devotions, and they were many, especially the rosary, to which my mother was very devoted; and she made us devoted to it too. 3 Hail Mary

*

I remember that when my mother died I was twelve years old...When I began to understand what I had lost, I went, afflicted, before an image of our Lady and besought her with many tears to be my mother. It seems to me that although I did this in simplicity it helped me. 3 Hail Mary

*

I have found favour wuth this souvereign Virgin in everything I have asked of her, and in the end she has drawn me to herself. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be, Hail Holy Queen

or:

*

To see a work accomplished that I knew was for the service of the Lord and to the honour of the habit of His glorious Mother - these were my concerns.

*

I prayed very much to St Joseph, as I did also to our Lady.

*

I saw our Lady in the greatest glory clothed in a white mantle; it seemed she was sheltering us all under it. I understood how high degree of glory the Lord would give to those living in this house.

*

He told me: 'I gave my Son, and the Holy Spirit, and this Blessed Virgin. What can you give Me?

*

He showed me His Mother ascend to heaven, the happiness and solemnity with which she was received, and the place where she is....The glory my spirit experienced in seeing so much glory was magnificent. The effects of this favour were great.

*

On another day the Lord told me this: 'Do you think, daughter, that merit lies in enjoyment? No, rather it lies in working and suffering and loving...When you see My Mother holding Me in her arms, don't think she enjoyed those consolations without heavy torment. From the time Simeon spoke those words to her, My Father gave her clear light to see what I was to suffer.

*

Sorrowful Mysteries

The Agony of Jesus in the Garden - Sorrow for sin

The cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful (Mark 4:19)

Our Father.

*

Many times the feeling of my great faults is tempered by the happiness experienced in the thought that the multitude of Your mercies may be known. 3 Hail Mary

*

I found great consolation in sinners whom, after having been sinners, the Lord brought back to Himself. It seemed to me I could find help in them and that since the Lord had pardoned them He could also pardon me. 3 Hail Mary

*

Oh, what a good friend You make, my Lord! How you proceed by favouring and enduring...You take into account, my Lord, the times when they love You, and in one instant of repentance You forget their offences. 4 Hail Mary. Glory be.

(St Teresa Collected Works)

or:

*

The scene of His prayer in the garden, especially, was a comfort to me: I strove to be His companion there. If I could, I thought of the sweat and agony He had undergone in that place...I remained with Him as long as my thought allowed me to.

*

Where, my Lord, did I think I could find a remedy save in You? What folly; to flee from the light so as to be always stumbling!

*

Where, my Lord, did I think I could find a remedy save in You? What a folly; to flee from the light so as to be always stumbling!

The Scourging at the Pillar - Purity

Clean the inside of cup and dish so that the outside may become clean as well (Matthew 23:26). 

Our Father

*

Jesus is pleased to teach [me] the science of glorying in [my] infirmities. That is a great grace and I pray Jesus to teach it also to you, for there alone are found peace and repose of heart. 3 Hail Mary

*

Why should we defend ourselves when we are misunderstood and misjudged? Let us leave that aside. Let us not say anything....O blessed silence, which gives so much peace to the soul. 3 Hail Mary

*

I prefer to be accused unjustly...and joyfully offer this to the good Lord. Then I humble myself at the thought that I am indeed capable of doing the thing of which I have been accused. 4 Hail Mary. Glory be.

(St Therese, various sources)

or:

*

In the hidden struggle of interior resurrection, nature cannot get such a hold on us and we can more easily attain humility and peace.

*

When something was wanting I was much more satisfied, because I was then truly giving up something.

*

It suffices that we refrain from indulging in a selfish sort of happiness, and offer to our Spouse the small joys He strews on the path of our life to delight our souls and raise them even to Himself. 

The Crowning with Thorns - Courage

Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid (Matthew 14:27) 

Our Father

*

I don't understand these fears, "The devil! The devil!", when we can say "God! God!", and make the devil tremble. 3 Hail Mary

*

I would never counsel anyone - if there were someone to whom I should have to give counsel - to fail out of fear to put a good inspiration into practice when it repeatedly arises. For if one proceeds with detachment for God alone, there is no reason to fear that the effort will turn out bad; for God has the power to accomplish all. 3 Hail Mary

*

His Majesty wants this determination, and He is a friend of courageous souls if they walk in humility and without trusting in self. 4 Hail Mary. Glory be.

(St Teresa of Avila, Collected works)

or:

*

By understanding the love He bore me, I regained my courage, for I never lost confidence in His mercy.

*

God does not deny Himself to anyone who perseveres. Little by little He will measure out the courage sufficient to attain this victory. I say 'courage' because there are so many things the devil puts in the minds of beginners to prevent them in fact from starting out on this path.

*

Since we have an all-powerful King and so great a Lord that He can do all and that He brings all under His subjection, there is nothing to fear, if one walks, as I have said, in truth in the presence of His Majesty and with a pure conscience.

The Carrying of the Cross - Patience

As for the seeds in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience (Luke 8:15). Our Father.

*

The glory of my Jesus, that is all. For my honour, I abandon it to Him, and if He seems to forget me, well! He is free to do so, for I no longer belong to myself but to Him. 3 Hail Mary

*

He will tire more quickly of making me wait than I shall tire of waiting for Him. 3 Hail Mary

*

To humble ourselves, to suffer our imperfections with patience, this is true sanctity, the source of peace. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be.

(St Therese)

or:

*

God's mercy exercises endless patience.

*

I am willing to wait until the day which has no setting sun, and when my darksome faith will vanish at His sight.

*

In one instance Jesus accomplished what I had been unable to do for several years, having been content, on my part, with my good will, which had never been wanting.

The Crucifixion - Self-Denial

If any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). Our Father.

*

Even in sickness itself and these other occasions the prayer is genuine when i comes from a soul that loves to offer the sickness up and accept what is happening and be conformed to it. 3 Hail Mary

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All bear their crosses even though these crosses be different. For all who follow Christ, if they don't want to get lost, must walk along the path that He trod. And blessed be the trials that even here in this life are so super-abundantly repaid. 3 Hail Mary

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There are many who begin, yet they never reach the end. I believe this is due mainly to a failure to embrace the cross from the beginning. 4 Hail Mary, Glory be.

 (St Teresa)

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If people wish to gain freedom of spirit and not be always troubled, let them begin by not being frightened by the cross, and they will see how the Lord also helps them carry it and they will gain satisfaction and profit from everything.

All quotation after John McClernon 'Sermon in a Sentence' books.

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