Carmelite Saints and Devotion to Mary, Queen, Flower and Beauty of Carmel - St Teresa

"Let us go to the shepherdess...
Is she a relative of the Mayor?
Or who is the maiden?
God the Father's daughter,
Glowing starlike". (3: 391)

BEHOLD, YOUR MOTHER - St John 19:37

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. (I:55,56)

I remember that when my mother died when 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 (1:56)

I have found favour with this sovereign Virgin in everything I have asked of her, and in the end she has drawn me to herself (1:56)

If there should be anything good in this work, may it be for the honour and glory of God and the service of His most Blessed Mother, Our Lady and Patroness whose habit I wear. (2:28)

What a marvelous thing, that He who would fill a thousand worlds and many more with His grandeur would enclose Himself in...the womb of His most Blessed Mother. (2:144)

If only they [some learned men] could learn something from the humility of the most Blessed Virgin! (2:311)

With greater reason might He have complained to His Mother and our Lady when she was at the foot of the cross, and...suffering in her most holy soul and dying a harsh death; it always consoles us more to complain to those who we know feel our trials and love us more. (3:241)

Souls easily conquered...must take His Blessed Mother and His Saints as intercessors so that these intercessors might fight for them. (2:293)

In spite of all her wisdom she asked the angel:"How can this be?" but after he answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you; the power of the Most High will overshadow you", she engaged in no further discussions. As one who had such great faith and wisdom, she understood at once that if these two intervened, there was nothing more to know or doubt. (2:253)

I can boast only of His mercy, and since I cannot cease being what I have been, I have no other remedy than to approach His mercy and to trust in the merits of His Son and of the Virgin, His Mother. (2:305)

You have such a good Mother. Imitate her and reflect that the grandeur of Our Lady and the good of having her for your patroness must be indeed great. (2:305-306)

Jesus is too good a companion for us to turn away from Him and His blessed Mother. (2:403)

She was firm in the faith; she knew Him more than [the disciples] did, she did so with such perfection. (2:404)

It is important to know that Our Lord is pleased with any service rendered to His Mother, and great is His mercy. (3:147)

It is her custom to favour those who want to be protected by her. (3:218)

We were happy to be able to serve in some way our Mother, and Patroness (3:276)

She is our Lady and our Patroness. And this for me was one of the great joys and satisfactions of my life (3:279)


All citation from "The Completed works of St Teresa" vols 1, 2, 3.

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Martyrs of Gorkum, Netherlands

In 1572, following the first Calvinist synod at Embden in the Netherlands, the Watergeuzen heretics seized 17 priests and two lay-brothers in Gorkum and its environs. They threw them into prison, and, after transferring them to Brielle, cruelly mutilated and hanged them, 9 July, for refusing to deny their belief in the Blessed Sacrament and the papal supremacy; this in spite of an order of William of Orange that priests should not be molested. They were beatified in 1675 and canonized in 1865.

Holy Martyrs of Gorkum, pray for us!

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Carmelite Saints and Our Lady

Bl Baptist Spagnoli of Mantua, O.Carm
short biography

MARY AND CARMEL

For a long time Carmel had been planning widespread honours for you, and in its happy caves it trains sons who in white cloaks will witness to perpetual chastity for you and will bind your name with the name of this Mount in everlasting covenant. You are purer than gold. You are whiter than snow. Your are brighter than the star of Venus. Your virginity was not vitiated by child-bearing, nor can your brightness be darkened by any stain. You certainly were not bound to this legitimate custom, and in all justice you could have renounced these gifts. Time will come when a future age will remember us and on this solemn day will offer you honour on the altars, and will carry candles in long procession of a well celebrated liturgy.
Then your priest, processing in golden vestments, will chant your hymns and will sent forth a sweet smelling cloud. Throughout the Church and the breeze will spread the pleasant scent far and wide, and because our path cross at his point, posterity will call this day Hypante*, in the Greek language, and it will be lit up with numberless torches.

Suuplication to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary

Glory to the world, Queen of heaven, Mother of Almighty, harbour for mankind, soothing breeze in adversity. As in my memory I call my sins to mind,
I am ashamed to open my lips in your sight. For you lack any stain. You are brighter than gold, which the smith submitted to the crackling fire ten times. However I am sacrificed by the consuming waves of the nether world, and my members are besmirched by the mud of hell. But as often as I call to mind your heart of mercy that shame of mine haunts me just a little less.
Hope gives me a pledge that you will prove to be benign and gentle and it promises your help to us. Thus, do not be disgusted by my uncleanness, always grant me your favour before your Son. Subdue my senses which seek pleasure in earthly goods which poison the mind and rush to the wrong doing. Make me look down on the earth; make me conquer hell, while anger seizes the evil spirits. Be my guide at the critical moments of my life, nor let any hand attack me in body. Under your care, may I be allowed to return to the kingdom of heaven, and with shattered yoke to submit my vows to you. May your Child, at your intercession, govern me and my house in every adversity.

* Hypante - refers to the Presentation of Child Jesus in the Temple and the prophecy of Simeon

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Carmelite Saints and Our Lady

St Teresa of Jesus of the Andes
short biography

"Each day I feel worse. I have no courage for anything; but finally, it is the will of God. May this be done as He desires. My Mother, I place all this in your hands. Why have you abandoned me? Bring it about that I know my lessons very well and my compositions. Show that you are my Mother and give me everything, but above all humility. Dear Jesus, give me suffering. Suffering is no bother becasue thus You love me."

***

"My Mother, I know you are my mother. Remember that I gave myself to you in your Immaculate Heart, keep me pure, a virgin. May it be my refuge, my hope, my consolation, my solitude. I place myself in your maternal arms, so you may put me in the arms of Jesus. I abandon myself to Him. May His holy will be done. Thank you, my Mother. For having freed me from all dangers and for being made me spend my vacation well. Thanks, my Mother. My Mother, I would tell you may things. But my language is so poor that it trembles in just telling you that I love you. My Mother, at your virginal feet I would love to sing your praises, but my voice is so weak that I can only formulate a prayer. I have pain because, despite having asked and at the same time having mortified myself, I have not obtained my request that my father, Miquel and Luis make a retreat. But may God's will be done.

***

Oh, my Jesus and my Mother, may I belong to Him forever. May nothing on earth claim my attention but the tabernacle. Preserve me pure for Yourself so that when I die I can say: how happy I am now that at least I can lose myself in the infinite Ocean of the Heart of Jesus, my adored Spouse.

***

There are three things we will be judged on: Your blessings to us, our sins and our deeds, according to what our intention was. Oh, my God, I am not a saint even though You filled me with blessings! Pardon me so I may be a saint from now on. My Mother, make me become a saint!

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Letter from a confused Catholic: Could the liturgical crisis stem from the Council itself? - click to read

In the wake of oncoming doctrinal talks between Vatican theologians and SSPX experts on Catholic doctrine and liturgy, Catholic Herald 's journalist, Moyra Doorly, exchanged insightful letters on the matter of unprecedented Vatican II reform of the Catholic Church with Dominican theologian Aidan Nichols. Very interesting reading, some excerpts below.

Letter from a confused Catholic: Could the liturgical crisis stem from the Council itself? by Moyra Doorly

...Given that the 20th century produced so many silver-tongued visionaries determined to sweep away the past and remake the world, could the liturgical renewal simply be another example of a big idea gone wrong? And could the current liturgical crisis actually stem from the Council itself which articulated the vision? One clue is to be found in paragraph two of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM), which asserts that Vatican II reaffirmed the sacrificial nature of the Mass as affirmed by the Council of Trent in accordance with the Church's universal tradition. The GIRM then refers to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (CSL) which states: "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us" (paragraph 47)....

...But compare this with an apparently similar, but significantly different, definition of the Mass in Pope Pius XII's 1947 encyclical Mediator Dei: "Christ the Lord, Eternal Priest according to the order of Melchisedech, loving His own who were of the world, at the last supper, on the night He was betrayed, wishing to leave His beloved Spouse, the Church, a visible sacrifice such as the nature of men requires, that would re-present the bloody sacrifice offered once on the cross, and perpetuate its memory to the end of time, and whose salutary virtue might be applied in remitting those sins which we daily commit ... offered His body and blood under the species of bread and wine to God the Father, and under the same species allowed the apostles, whom He at that time constituted the priests of the New Testament, to partake thereof; commanding them and their successors in the priesthood to make the same offering" (paragraph 67, my emphasis)...

...Somehow the propitiatory character of the sacrifice of the Mass has been dropped from the CSL version, with the emphasis placed on a "bond of charity, a paschal banquet" etc, and the Mass is described as a memorial of Christ's "death and resurrection"....

....In the Catechism of the Council of Trent, the various terms used to "convey the dignity and excellence of this admirable sacrament" are explained, eg the Eucharist, the Sacrifice, Communion, the sacrament of peace and charity, the supper. Also explained are the three things indicated by this sacrament: "The first is the Passion of Christ the Lord, a thing past ... Another is divine and heavenly grace, which, being present, is imparted by this sacrament, to nurture and preserve the soul ... The third thing, which it foreshows as future, is the fruit of eternal joy and glory, which, according to God's promise, we shall receive in our heavenly country."...

...But no room is left to doubt that "the Eucharist was instituted by Christ for two purposes, one, that it might be the celestial food of our soul, by which we may be able to support and preserve life; the other, that the Church might have a perpetual sacrifice, by which our sins might be expiated"....

....And also that, "it must be unhesitatingly taught that ... the holy sacrifice of the Mass is not a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving only, or a mere commemoration of the sacrifice accomplished on the cross, but also a truly propitiatory sacrifice, by which God is appeased and rendered propitious to us."....

....To be fair, the GIRM paragraph two, does include the following: "The Mass is a sacrifice of praise, of thanksgiving, of propitiation and of satisfaction." But then it goes on to practically ignore this, as do the rest of the Council documents. Everywhere the emphasis is on the Mass as a memorial of Christ's Death, Resurrection and Ascension - the Paschal Mystery - which the people gather to celebrate as if salvation is guaranteed because God's love is unconditional and His justice makes no demands....


Reply a confused Catholic: The contrasts you draw are unnecessarily sharp
by Fr Aidan Nichols

...we need to work on not only catechesis but also, in the fullness of time, a revision of the Offertory texts, the ceremonial of the Mass, and (not least) the position of the celebrant so as to re-activate the diminished but by no means extinguished feeling of the faithful for the sacramental identity of Calvary and the Eucharist of the Church. The things you mention that would increase reverence (the chant, kneeling communion, communion on the tongue) are not strictly necessary accompaniments of the Mass (the Eastern churches, for instance, stand to receive), but they are congruent with the demands of the Mass (every Mass, so including those in the Novus Ordo)....

...You are correct to say that the ministerial priesthood of the ordained and the royal and universal priesthood of the baptised are two distinct yet related ("analogous") ways of sharing in ("participating") the priesthood of Christ. The universal priesthood is exercised most obviously in the good works which should embody faith throughout the Christian life. That general priesthood also has, however, a cultic dimension. Just as it was begun for the faithful in the sacramental mysteries of Baptism, so it finds its noblest expression in their Eucharistic worship. At Mass the baptised exercise their royal priesthood because, in Pope Pius's terminology (see Mediator Dei 88), they are "members of the Mystical Body of Christ the Priest", while the Head of that Body represents himself to them in the ministerial priest who, like Christ himself, stands before the Father on their behalf. The ordained minister's analogical participation in Christ's High Priesthood is, accordingly, different from that of the lay faithful. The latter can offer the (as yet, unconsecrated) gifts in a properly Eucharistic way only through the hands of the ministerial priest, though once those gifts have become, through the act which is his by the New Covenant sealed at the Supper, the Body and Blood of the Lamb, they co-offer with him the saving Victim to the Father. Were there, you ask me, layfolk in the Cenacle at the Last Supper? I have to answer that I don't know. But I do know that in the High Priestly Prayer recorded from that Supper in the Gospel of St John, the Saviour prays that the apostolic priesthood may truly be consecrated so that a far wider flock may be gathered into their company. Every Mass, even when celebrated by a hermit priest in the desert, is offered in the name of the whole Church: not only validly but fruitfully for the living and the dead. The Mass of the hermit is a moving testimony to the unseen. But the mystery of the Mass finds its liturgical epiphany when celebrated with the holy people of God - and notice I add the adjective "holy", as in the Latin original of the phrase (plebs sancta Dei), since mere demonstration of numbers signifies nothing in divine arithmetic....

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Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - click to read

Very powerful teaching on how to sanctify our hearts for the Lord. We are instructed how to prevent and overcome feeling of anger and also when the anger is sinful. Highly recommended read.

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Little Gem from St Therese - click to read

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Pauline jubilee year established and running from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009.

Pope Benedict XVI established the pauline year to run from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009, to mark the approximate 2000th anniversary of the saint's birth. The plenary indulgence is being offered to pigrims who come to Rome,

to Catholics who participate in local events connected to the jubilee year, and to those who may be too ill or otherwise prevented from physical participation. It can be granted on behalf of the individual petitioner or on behalf of departed souls.


Conditions for the special Pauline year indulgence include the normal requirements set by Church for all plenary indulgences: that the person goes to Confession, receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the Pope. In terms of specific requirements for the plenary indulgence are visiting by the Catholic faithful the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome (picture above) in the form of a pilgrimage and offering personal prayers before the Altar of the Most Blessed Sacrament; the pilgrims must also recite the Our Father and the Creed in front of the Altar of Confession, adding invocations to honour Mary and St Paul. The Catholic faithful in any local Church can obtain the indulgence by participating with devotion in a liturgy or other public event dedicated to St Paul - in any sacred place on the opening and closing days of the jubilee year, and on the other days in places designated by the local bishop. Catholics impeded by sickness or other serious cause, as long as that have intention of fulfilling the other conditions as soon s possible, can obtain a plenary indulgence by joining spiritually in a jubilee celebration in honour of St Paul and offering their prayers and suffering for Christian unity.

For more information please follow Vatican link to Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls

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Feast of St Peter and Paul - click to read

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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - click to read

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Saturday - Our Lady's Day

Devotion to Mary - Behold, your mother (John 19:27)

St Therese:
"The Blessed Virgin is the Queen of heaven and earth, quite true, but she is more mother than queen"

The Blessed Virgin never fails to protect me as soon as I invoke her. In my troubles and anxieties I very quickly turn towards her and, like the most tender of mothers, she always takes care of my interests.

To ask something of the Blessed Virgin is not the same thing as asking it of the good Lord. She knows very well what to do with my little wishes, whether to transmit them [to God] or not....If after that , we obtain nothing, it is because what we asked for is not in accordance with God's designs."

All quotes from 'Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St Therese of Lisieux' by Francois Jamart

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Important interview with Fr Schmidberger, former Superior of SSPX - click to read

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Nativity of St John the Baptist

St Luke 1:57-68

Now Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come: and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had shewed his great mercy towards her: and they congratulated with her. And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child: and they called him by his father's name Zachary. And his mother answering, said: Not so. But he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed: and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbours: and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill country of Judea. And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Ghost. And he prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people.

Jan van Eyck is the author of the first picture (St John's Nativity) whereas Fabricius Barent is the author of the second picture representing Zachariah naming his son.

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Feast of St Etheldreda - click to read

Princess Etheldreda, daughter of King Anna, a prominent member of the ruling family of the Kingdom of East Anglia, was born in 630. She wanted to be a nun but agreed to a political marriage with a neighbouring King, Egfrith, on condition that she could remain a virgin. When the King tried to break the agreement, she fled back to Ely, where, as well as founding a religious community, she also built a magnificent church on the ruins of one founded by the efforts of St Augustine himself but laid waste by war.

Etheldreda was remarkable woman and Saint. She set free all the bondsmen on her lands and for seven years led a life of exemplary austerity. After her death in 679, devotion to her spread rapidly, as people received help and favours through what they were convinced was her powerful intercession in Heaven. And when, through popular demand, it was decided to remove her to a more fitting tomb, it was found that even after 15 years in wet earth her body was still in a perfect state of preservation. When the Normans began building the present Cathedral at Ely and moved her body in 1106, it was again reported to be still incorrupt. That was nearly 450 years after her death.

In Ely Cathedral there is an inscription on the floor marking the location of her shrine: HERE STOOD THE SHRINE OF ETHELDREDA, SAINT AND QUEEN, WHO FOUNDED THIS HOUSE AD 673

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St John the Baptist Nativity Vigil

Luke 1:5-17
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth.


And they were both just before God, walking in all the commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame. And they had no son, for that Elizabeth was barren: and they both were well advanced in years. And it came to pass, when he executed the priestly function in the order of his course before God, according to the custom of the priestly office, it was his lot to offer incense, going into the temple of the Lord. And all the multitude of the people was praying without, at the hour of incense.


And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.


And Zachary seeing him, was troubled: and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son.


And thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness: and many shall rejoice in his nativity. For he shall be great before the Lord and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias: that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people.

Pictures credit: Elizabeth and Zachariah - by James Tissot, 'Zachary and the Angel' by Gillem van der Gouwen (La Haye Bible) and by William Blake.

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Feast of St Alban, first martyr of Britain - click to read

St Alban, ora pro nobis!

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"Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is weet and my burden light." (Matt 12:29)

"And He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this Heart is the source. He should be honoured under the figure of this Heart of flesh, and its image should be exposed.... He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing it special honour, He would pour forth His blessings and graces. This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion."

-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

credit: OLORL

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Third Sunday after Pentecost

Reparation

Presence of God - Heart of Jesus, wounded for love of us, make me worthy to make reparation for all the wounds our sins have inflicted upon You.

Meditation

1. We find in the hymn for First Vespers of the Feast of the Sacred Heart the following words: "Lo, the proud, insolent procession of our offenses has wounded the innocent Heart of God." And even more realistically it continues: "The lance which the soldier wielded was directed by our sins" (Roman Breviary). These lines recall to our minds the words addressed by Jesus to St Margaret Mary: "Behold this Heart which so loved man...but which, in return for its love, finds only ingratitude; it meets only with forgetfulness, indifference, and outrages, and all this at times even from souls bound closely to it by the bonds of a very special love." A soul that loves God cannot remain indifferent to these complaints, it wants to expiate, repair and console, having "the most powerful motives", as Pius XI teaches, "of justice and love; of justice, in order to expiate the injury done to God by our sins....and of love, in order to compassionate the suffering Christ, patient and covered with opprobrium, and to bring Him insofar as our human weakness permits, some comfort in His sufferings" (Miserentissimus Redemptor). It is easy to understand that we must make reparation for our own sins, but sometimes we do not see as clearly that reparation should also aim at consoling the Heart of Jesus. "But indeed, can acts of expiation console Christ who now reigns happily in heaven?" asks Pius XI " 'Give me a lover and he will understand what I say' " (ibid.), replies the great Pope in the words of St. Augustine. In fact, a soul who lovingly penetrates the mystery of Jesus will realize that when, in Gethsemane, He saw all our sins, He also saw the good works we would do in order to comfort Him. What we do today with this intention consoled Him then in reality. This thought spurs us on to further acts of reparation, so that Jesus finds no reason to complain sorrowfully to us: "My Heart hath expected reproach and misery....I looked for one that would comfort Me, and I found none" (Mass of the Sacred Heart).

Colloquy
"O God why can I not bathe with my tears and blood all the places where your Heart has been insulted? Why am I not permitted to make reparation for so many sacrileges and profanations? ...Behold me, O Lord, my heart broken with grief, humbled and prostrate, ready to accept from Your hand all that it pleases You to ask me in reparation for so many outrages " (St Margaret Mary)

Fragments from "Divine Intimacy" by Fr Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen, OCD.
Today's beautiful picture of Our Lord wounded Heart is posted here with permission of Micki from Holy Cards for Your Insipration

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Devotion to the Three Hail Mary's - click to read

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