#doctorofthechurch — Public Fediverse posts
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Quote of the day, 7 January: Valentino Macca, ocd
Many believed that with Teresa of Jesus, we were faced with a typical case of the Church declaring a Doctor equipollenter, from 1882 onwards. However, with ever greater insistence, the voices were heard of those who implored a formal declaration. In 1923, an appeal was made to the Holy See to achieve this intention; it failed. The time was not ripe.
Providence arranged that in the climate of grace created by Vatican II, Paul VI, so supernaturally open to the signs of the times, should have the inspiration to give for the first time to a female Saint, distinguished for a marvelous doctrine that made her the teacher and mother of spiritual life in the Church, the title of Doctor.
The Pope, chosen by God for this act, had already in 1965 practically called her Doctor; in 1967 he greeted her as “great teacher of Catholic mysticism” and “extraordinary interpreter of the things of God”; while on 10 September 1965, he declared her principal patroness of all Catholic writers in Spain, affirming that she was the “luminary of Spain and of the whole Church” through her books, filled with heavenly wisdom, and even today she remains praestantissima magistra [exceptional teacher].
The solemn act of 27 September 1970—crowning all of this—will give the title, full rights, and honors of “Doctor of the Church” to the one who loved to call herself “daughter of the Church.”
Valentino di Santa Maria Macca, O.C.D.
The Doctorate of Saint Teresa (excerpts)
Note: Father Valentino Macca, O.C.D. (Brescia, Italy, 17 February 1924 – 7 January 1988), entered the Discalced Carmelite Order at sixteen, was ordained in 1950 after studies at the Teresianum in Rome, and devoted decades of service to the Order and the Holy See. He served at the General Curia as General Archivist and director of Analecta O.D.C., taught Mariology at the Marianum, was widely cited for his scholarship, and acted as a consultor to several dicasteries; his final assignment was Relator for the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.
Macca, V. di S. M. 1970–1971, ‘The doctorate of Saint Teresa: The historical development of an idea’, Ephemerides Carmeliticae, vol. 21, nos. 1–2, pp. 35–113.
Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: St. Teresa of Jesus, Doctor of the Church, Convento de la Concepción del Carmen, Valladolid. Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)
#DoctorOfTheChurch #history #StTeresaOfAvila #teacher #ValentinoMaccaOCD
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14 December: SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS OUR FATHER (Transferred to 15 December 2025)
December 14
SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS
OUR FATHER
Priest and Doctor of the ChurchSolemnity
Pastoral note: The Solemnity is transferred to
Monday, 15 December 2025John was born at Fontiveros in Spain about 1542. He entered the Carmelites and with the permission of his superiors began to live a stricter life. Afterward, he was persuaded by Saint Teresa to begin, together with some others, the Discalced reform within the Order; this cost him much hard work and many trials. He died in Ubeda in 1591, outstanding in holiness and wisdom, to which his many spiritual writings give eloquent witness.
Evening Prayer I
Hymn
Soldier of the King eternal,
Valiant warrior, hail to thee!
Column raised to heights supernal
In unshaken majesty.
We revere thy glorious merits
And the tide of homage wells
From the fountain of our spirits,
Heav’nward rising as it swells.Thou hast felt the strong protection
Of the Virgin Mother’s power,
Saving thee with sweet election
In the dread and dangerous hour.
Since thy youth she never swerveth
In her watchful care of thee,
And forever she preserveth
Him who vowed her slave to be.Chosen offspring of our Mother,
In her labors thou didst share,
Aiding her, as son and brother,
Carmel’s beauty to repair;
Ruined shrine and temple raising
From the dust of slow decay,
Mary’s honor meetly praising,
In the dawn of fairer day.Lo, the Cross thy weapon glorious,
As on Calvary’s height of yore,
When our Jesus reigned victorious,
Fallen nature to restore;
So thy burning love retrieveth
Glory of an ancient race,
And by suffering achieveth
Marvels of renewing grace.Praise unto thy God be given
For the grace, O John, conferred,
When with chalice raised to Heaven,
Thine entreating prayer was heard:
In that first rapt celebration
Of the sacrifice divine,
Pledge of thine assured salvation
He hath deigned in love to sign.87.87.D.
Regis aeterni generose milesPsalmody
Ant. 1 He opened his mouth in prayer, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of understanding.
Psalm 113
Praise, O servants of the Lord, *
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed *
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting *
praised be the name of the Lord!High above all nations is the Lord, *
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, *
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, *
to look down upon heaven and earth?From the dust he lifts up the lowly, *
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, *
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home *
and gladdens her heart with children.Ant. He opened his mouth in prayer, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of understanding.
Ant. 2 The Lord gave him treasures out of the darkness, and riches that had been hidden away.
Psalm 146
My soul, give praise to the Lord; +
I will praise the Lord all my days, *
make music to my God while I live.Put no trust in princes *
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay *
and their plans that day come to nothing.He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, *
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth, *
the seas and all they contain.It is he who keeps faith forever, *
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry, *
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,the Lord who gives sight to the blind, *
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger *
and upholds the widow and orphan.It is the Lord who loves the just *
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever, *
Zion’s God, from age to age.Ant. The Lord gave him treasures out of the darkness, and riches that had been hidden away.
Ant. 3 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived all that God has prepared for those who love him.
Canticle: Rev 4:11; 5:9, 10, 12
O Lord our God, you are worthy *
to receive glory and honor and power.For you have created all things; *
by your will they came to be and were made.Worthy are you, O Lord, *
to receive the scroll and break open its seals.For you were slain; *
with your blood you purchased for God
men of every race and tongue, *
of every people and nation.You made of them a kingdom +
and priests to serve our God, *
and they shall reign on the earth.Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, *
to receive power and riches,
wisdom and strength, *
honor and glory and praise.Ant. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived all that God has prepared for those who love him.
Reading
Ephesians 3:14-19I, Paul, kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name; and I pray that he will bestow on you gifts in keeping with the riches of his glory. May he strengthen you inwardly through the working of his Spirit. May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God himself.
Responsory
℟ The God who brought light out of darkness * has shone in our hearts. Repeat ℟
℣ To give the light of knowledge of God’s glory that appears in the face of Christ * and has shone in our hearts.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
℟ The God who brought light out of darkness * has shone in our hearts.Canticle of Mary
Ant. I sought wisdom in my prayer; I found it abundantly within myself, and advanced greatly in it.
Intercessions
Christ our Redeemer inspired our Father Saint John of the Cross to follow him, and raised him to the heights of contemplation. Let us praise our Lord, and say:
℟ Glory to you forever!
Christ our God, you taught your servant John the science of the Cross; — kindle the fire of your love in those to whom you have entrusted the teaching and government of your Church. ℟
Christ, unfailing light, you reveal yourself in the night of faith to the poor in spirit; — let your face shine on all those who seek you in poverty amid the darkness of this world. ℟
Christ, our only teacher, you disclose your highest secrets to those who love and seek you; — grant the consummation of your love to those you have called to serve you in Carmel. ℟
Christ, triumphant in heaven in the midst of all your saints, — grant everlasting rest and peace in your glory to all our departed brothers and sisters. ℟
Our Father…
Prayer
Lord,
you endowed our Father Saint John of the Cross
with a spirit of self-denial and a love of the cross.
By following his example
may we come to the eternal vision of your glory.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Invitatory
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ Jesus, sole Word of the Father.
Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary
Office of Readings
Hymn
O John, rejoice this hallowed day
The triumph of the Cross to hail,
Whereon with Christ ‘twas thine to stay,
Transfixed with pang of spear and nail!Nor insults, scorn, nor cruel scourge,
Bondage, nor hunger can restrain
The love thy panting soul doth urge
To taste the bitter draught of pain.Thine only joy, thy sole reward,
The boon for which thy spirit sighed,
To mirror here thy suffering Lord,
Like Him in anguish crucified.While thou dost search the mystic night,
Through darkness gleams a radiant star,
And Carmel’s camp is all alight,
With flame that leads to heights afar.Let them that dwell in bliss above
Praise Thee, O Christ, with joyful lay,
Let them that run to Thee in love
Pursue, like John, the thorn-strewn way.L.M.
Diem Ioannes advenitPsalmody
Ant. 1 God chose us to be conformed to the image of his Son.
Psalm 16
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. +
I say to the Lord: “You are my God. *
My happiness lies in you alone.”He has put into my heart a marvelous love +
for the faithful ones who dwell in his land. *
Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows.
Never will I offer their offerings of blood. *
Never will I take their name upon my lips.O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; *
it is you yourself who are my prize.
The lot marked out for me is my delight: *
welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, *
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight: *
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; *
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead, *
nor let your beloved know decay.You will show me the path of life, +
the fullness of joy in your presence, *
at your right hand happiness forever.Ant. God chose us to be conformed to the image of his Son.
Ant. 2 Among you I claimed to know nothing save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Psalm 34: I
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. *
The humble shall hear and be glad.Glorify the Lord with me. *
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me; *
from all my terrors he set me free.Look towards him and be radiant; *
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him *
and rescued him from all his distress.The angel of the Lord is encamped *
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. *
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.Revere the Lord, you his saints. *
They lack nothing, those who revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry *
but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.Ant. Among you I claimed to know nothing save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Ant. 3 For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.
Psalm 34: II
Come, children, and hear me *
that I may teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is he who longs for life *
and many days to enjoy his prosperity?Then keep your tongue from evil *
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn aside from evil and do good, *
seek and strive after peace.The Lord turns his face against the wicked *
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just *
and his ears to their appeal.They call and the Lord hears *
and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; *
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.Many are the trials of the just man *
but from them all the Lord will rescue him.
He will keep guard over all his bones, *
not one of his bones shall be broken.Evil brings death to the wicked, *
those who hate the good are doomed.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. *
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.Ant. For me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.
℣ In you, Lord, is the fount of life.
℟ It is your light that enlightens us.First Reading
Colossians 1:11-29A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Colossians
God has transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.
Responsory
℟ This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; * listen to him.
℣ In many and varied ways God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us in his Son. * Listen to him.The Second Reading (Alternative 1)
(B, st. 37,36)A reading from the Spiritual Canticle of St John of the Cross
Knowledge of the mystery hidden in Christ Jesus
However numerous are the mysteries and marvels that holy doctors have discovered and saintly souls understood in this earthly life, all the more is yet to be said and understood. There is much to fathom in Christ, for he is like an abundant mine with many recesses of treasures, so that however deep individuals may go they never reach the end or bottom, but rather in every recess find new veins with new riches everywhere. On this account St. Paul said of Christ: ‘In Christ dwell hidden all treasures and wisdom.’ The soul cannot enter these caverns or reach these treasures if, as we said, she does not first pass over to the divine wisdom through the straits of exterior and interior suffering. For one cannot reach in this life what is attainable of these mysteries of Christ without having suffered much and without having received numerous intellectual and sensible favors from God, and without having undergone much spiritual activity; for all these favors are inferior to the wisdom of the mysteries of Christ in that they serve as preparations for coming to this wisdom.
Oh! If we could but now fully understand how a soul cannot reach the thicket and wisdom of the riches of God, which are of many kinds, without entering the thicket of many kinds of suffering, finding in this her delight and consolation; and how a soul with an authentic desire for divine wisdom wants suffering first in order to enter this wisdom by the thicket of the cross! Accordingly, St. Paul admonished the Ephesians not to grow weak in their tribulations and to be strong and rooted in charity in order to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and height and depth, and to know also the supereminent charity of the knowledge of Christ, in order to be filled with all the fullness of God.
The gate entering into these riches of his wisdom is the cross, which is narrow, and few desire to enter by it, but many desire the delights obtained from entering there.
Responsory
℟ What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, things beyond our imagining—all that God has prepared for those who love him: * these are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
℣ The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God: * these are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit.The Second Reading (Alternative 2)
(B, st. 5)A reading from the Spiritual Canticle of St John of the Cross
Traces of the divine beauty in creation
Created things in themselves, as Saint Augustine declares, give testimony to God’s grandeur and excellence. For God created all things with remarkable ease and brevity, and in them he left some trace of who he is, not only in giving all things being from nothing, but even by endowing them with innumerable graces and qualities, making them beautiful in a wonderful order and unfailing dependence on one another. All of this he did through his own wisdom, the Word, his only begotten Son by whom he created them.
Saint Paul says: The Son of God is the splendor of his glory and the image of his substance. It should be known that only with this figure, his Son, did God look at all things, that is he communicated to them their natural being and many natural graces and gifts, and made them complete and perfect, as is said in Genesis: God looked at all things that he made, and they were very good. To look and behold that they were very good was to make them very good in the Word, his Son.
Not only by looking at them did he communicate natural being and graces, as we said, but also with this image of his Son alone, he clothed them in beauty by imparting to them supernatural being. This he did when he became man and elevated human nature in the beauty of God and consequently all creatures, since in human nature he was united with them all.
Accordingly, the Son of God proclaimed: If I be lifted up from the earth, I will elevate all things to me. And in this elevation of all things through the incarnation of his Son and through the glory of his resurrection according to the flesh, the Father did not merely beautify creatures partially, but rather we can say, clothed them wholly in beauty and dignity.
Responsory
℟ You will not deprive me, Lord, of what you have given me in Christ. * for in Christ you have given me everything.
℣ The heavens are mine, the earth is mine; mine are the people, mine the just, mine the sinners, the angels are mine and the Virgin Mother is mine, * for in Christ you have given me everything.Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:
Canticles
Ant. Come, let us climb the mountain of the Lord, where God is pleased to dwell; there dwell his honor and glory alone.
Canticle I
Tobit 13:8-11,13-15The future glory of Jerusalem
You have come to Mount Sion and the city of the living God (Heb 12:22)
Let all men speak of his majesty, *
and sing his praises in Jerusalem.O Jerusalem, holy city, +
he scourged you for the works of your hands, *
but will again pity the children of the righteous.Praise the Lord for his goodness, +
and bless the King of the ages, *
so that his tent may be rebuilt in you with joy.May he gladden within you all who were captives; +
all who were ravaged may he cherish within you
for all generations to come.A bright light will shine to all parts of the earth; *
many nations shall come to you from afar,
And the inhabitants of all the limits of the earth, +
drawn to you by the name of the Lord God, *
Bearing in their hands their gifts for the King of heaven.Every generation shall give joyful praise in you, +
and shall call you the chosen one, *
through all ages forever.Go, then, rejoice over the children of the righteous, +
who shall all be gathered together *
and shall bless the Lord of the ages.Happy are those who love you, *
and happy those who rejoice in your prosperity.Happy are all who shall grieve over you, *
over all your chastisements,For they shall rejoice in you *
as they behold all your joy forever.My spirit blesses the Lord, the great King.
Canticle II
Is 2:2-3All the peoples will come to the house of the Lord
The kings of the earth will bring glory and honor to the holy city of Jerusalem (Rev 21:24)
It shall come to pass in the latter days *
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains +
and shall be raised above the hills, *
and all the nations shall flow to it.And many people shall come, and say: +
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, *
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways *
and that we may walk in his paths.’For out of Sion shall go forth the law, *
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.Canticle III
Jer 7:2b-7Amend your ways and I will dwell among you
Go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come and present your offering (Mt 5:24)
Hear the word of the Lord, +
all you men of Judah *
who enter these gates to worship the Lord.Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, +
Amend your ways and your deeds, *
and I will let you dwell in this place.Do not trust these deceptive words: +
‘This is the temple of the Lord, *
The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,’For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, *
If you truly execute justice one with another,
If you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow. *
Or shed innocent blood in this place,
In the land that I gave of old *
To your fathers for ever.Ant. Come, let us climb the mountain of the Lord, where God is pleased to dwell; there dwell his honor and glory alone.
Gospel
Jn 12:35-36a, 44b-50A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Believe in the light and you will become sons of light
Jesus declared publicly:
“The light will be with you only a little longer now.
Walk while you have the light,
or the dark will overtake you;
he who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.
While you still have the light,
believe in the light
and you will become sons of light.”“Whoever believes in me
believes not in me
but in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me,
sees the one who sent me.
and whoever sees me,
sees the one who sent me.
I, the light, have come into the world,
so that whoever believes in me
need not stay in the dark anymore.
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully,
it is not I who shall condemn him,
since I have come not to condemn the world,
but to save the world:
he who rejects me and refuses my words
has his judge already:
the word itself that I have spoken
will be his judge on the last day.
For what I have spoken does not come from myself;
no, what I was to say, what I had to speak,
was commanded by the Father who sent me,
and I know that his commands mean eternal life.
And therefore what the Father has told me
is what I speak.”Te Deum
You are God: we praise you; *
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father: *
All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, *
heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you. +
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. *
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: *
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, *
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the King of glory, *
the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free *
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.You overcame the sting of death, *
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. *
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, *
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints*
to glory everlasting.Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
— Govern and uphold them now and always.Day by day we bless you.
— We praise your name for ever.Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
— Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.Lord, show us your love and mercy,
— for we have put our trust in you.In you, Lord, is our hope:
— And we shall never hope in vain.Prayer
Lord,
you endowed our Father Saint John of the Cross
with a spirit of self-denial and a love of the cross.
By following his example
may we come to the eternal vision of your glory.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Morning Prayer
Hymn
Bearing His Cross, the gentle Lord drew nigh,
Offering the crown by merit richly won.
O Love! to quaff Thy cup and with Thee die,
Low answers John.To live despised, in suffering and alone,
The one insatiate yearning of his breast;
To die devoid of honor, and unknown,
His heart’s request.Death yielded triumph of the Cross at last,
While dazzling globes of fire from Heav’n descend,
And o’er his deeds the light of glory cast
To cheer his end.His dying couch, with light irradiate,
Dims with celestial beam earth’s fitful flame,
Perfumes exhale, breathing of heavenly state
And saintly fame.Honor supreme be to the Father given,
To Word and Paraclete in praise unite,
Upon whose Triune flame the hosts of Heaven
Feed with delight.10.10.10.4.
Dum crucem gestat Dominus, IoanniOR:
Let us together
Up the high mountain
Go where the weather
Keeps a June glow.
You in your beauty,
I in your beauty,
Earth in your beauty,
All give delight.Up past the steepest
Cliffs of our striving,
Up from the deepest
Thickets of pain
Where darkness bound you,
Ravaged and slew you,
Till daybreak found you,
Risen again.Haste then our going
Up the high mountain,
Pure water flowing
Down from the height,
Wind in the spruces,
Light on the aspens,
Fruit of sweet juices
All give delight.Deep caverns holding
Secrets of heaven,
Summits unfolding
Myst’ries divine,
Nightingale singing,
Grove lit with beauty
Each new day bringing
Taste of new wine.Sweet the ascending
Up the high mountain,
Sweeter the ending
Love spread abroad.
Everyone sharing
Grace of your image.
Everyone bearing
The beauty of God.54.54.D
Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 Truly you are a hidden God, O God of Israel, our Savior.
Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I
Ant. 2 All things are yours, for you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Ant. 3 Give thanks to the Lord in your hearts, sing him spiritual canticles.
Reading
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces, are being transformed from glory to glory into his very image by the Lord who is the Spirit.
Responsory
℟ Your light will shine in the darkness * and the darkness will be as noon. Repeat ℟
℣ The Lord will fill your soul with his splendor, * and the darkness will be as noon.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
℟ Your light will shine in the darkness * and the darkness will be as noon.Canticle of Zechariah
Ant. While you have the light, believe in the light, and you will be children of the light.
Or: The Lord has come to give light to those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the way of peace.
Intercessions
Jesus Christ, the head and bridegroom of his Church makes us joyful today on this feast of John of the Cross, his servant. Let us say to him:
℟ You, Christ, are the King of Glory.
Only Word of the Father, uttered eternally in the eternal silence, and in the fullness of time received in the Virgin’s womb; — may we hear your words today in the depths of our hearts, and put them into practice.
Wisdom of the Father, you showed your great love for us by emptying yourself in the Incarnation and on the Cross; — may we, who have been redeemed by your blood, always live in close communion with you. ℟
Perfect Image of the Godhead, in whom all the mysteries of eternal love are revealed and poured out, — may we go forward in the strength of your Spirit, toward your inaccessible light. ℟
Supreme Delight of the Father, in whom God looks mercifully on all men; — may we become perfect in compassion as our heavenly Father is perfect. ℟
First-born of all creation, through you the Father in his goodness created and re-created all things, — may our thoughts be turned today from the visible world to your invisible beauty. ℟
Our Father…
Prayer
Lord,
you endowed our Father Saint John of the Cross
with a spirit of self-denial and a love of the cross.
By following his example
may we come to the eternal vision of your glory.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Daytime Prayer
Complementary psalmody
Midmorning
Ant. Those who wish to come after me must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.
Reading
Ephesians 4:22-24
Acquire a fresh, spiritual way of thinking. You must put on that new man created in God’s image, whose justice and holiness are born of truth.
℣ A pure heart create for me, O God.
℟ Put a steadfast spirit within me.Midday
Ant. Whoever would draw near to God must believe; the righteous live by faith.
Reading
Romans 5:1-2
Now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have gained access by faith to the grace in which we now stand, and we boast of our hope for the glory of God.
℣ I live by faith in the Son of God.
℟ Who loved me and gave himself for me.Midafternoon
Ant. Your strength will lie in silence and hope.
Reading
Romans 8:24-25
In hope we were saved. But hope is not hope if its object is seen; how is it possible for one to hope for what he sees? And hoping for what we cannot see means awaiting it with patient endurance.
℣ The Lord is good to those who trust in him.
℟ To the soul who seeks him.Prayer
Lord,
you endowed our Father Saint John of the Cross
with a spirit of self-denial and a love of the cross.
By following his example
may we come to the eternal vision of your glory.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Evening Prayer II
Hymn
Saint of the eagle eye,
Gazing enrapt on high
Mid dread abysses of Divinity;
Martyr by heart’s intent,
Virgin yet penitent,
Prophet and guide in realms of mystery.Oft in thy life, ’tis told
Sweet converse thou didst hold
With the pure Virgin and her Son divine;
Thence came the wondrous light
Flooding with glory bright
Thy mystic page, for wisdom there did shine.Clearly thou dost reveal
Secrets the clouds conceal
For thou hast seeped thy soul in rays above,
Pondering the mountain height,
Darkness of faith’s long night
And the reviving flame of mystic love.When by God’s holy will
Thou dost His word instill,
Wondrous the marvels by the soul divined,
Like Him evoking light
From chaos deep as night,
Cheering with healthful beams the darkened mind.O John, thy praise intone
Prostrate before the throne!
Thee hath the Father signed with light most true,
Gifts of the Spirit shine
And the meek Lamb divine
Openeth the book of life to thy pure view.6.6.10.D.
O satis felix! Speculator altiAnt. 1 God loved us so much that he brought us to life with Christ.
Psalm 15
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent *
and dwell on your holy mountain?He who walks without fault; *
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart; *
he who does not slander with his tongue;he who does no wrong to his brother, *
who casts no slur on his neighbor,
who holds the godless in disdain, *
but honors those who fear the Lord;he who keeps his pledge, come what may; *
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent. *
Such a man will stand firm forever.Ant. God loved us so much that he brought us to life with Christ.
Ant. 2 We know and believe in the love God has for us.
Psalm 112
Happy the man who fears the Lord, *
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth; *
the children of the upright are blessed.Riches and wealth are in his house; *
his justice stands firm forever.
He is a light in the darkness for the upright: *
he is generous, merciful and just.The good man takes pity and lends, *
he conducts his affairs with honor.
The just man will never waver: *
he will be remembered forever.He has no fear of evil news; *
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear, *
he will see the downfall of his foes.Open-handed, he gives to the poor; +
his justice stands firm forever. *
His head will be raised in glory.The wicked man sees and is angry, +
grinds his teeth and fades away; *
the desire of the wicked leads to doom.Ant. We know and believe in the love God has for us.
Ant. 3 The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given us.
Canticle: Ephesians 1:3-10
Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.God chose us in him *
before the world began,
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.He predestined us +
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ, *
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.In him and through his blood we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God’s favor to us.God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on the earth.Ant. The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given us.
Reading
1 Corinthians 13:8-10, 12-13, 14:1aLove is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass. For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial; but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear. What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete—as complete as God’s knowledge of me. Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love. It is love, then, that you should strive for.
Responsory
℟ Love is as strong as death: * it flashes forth like flames of fire. Repeat ℟
℣ Who can separate us from the love of Christ? * It flashes forth like flames of fire.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
℟ Love is as strong as death: * it flashes forth like flames of fire.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and that I may be in them.
Intercessions
God the Father has given us his Spirit through Jesus Christ his beloved Son, so that we may be partakers in the divine nature and witnesses to his love in the Church. Let us praise him and say:
℟ Through the intercession of Saint John, hear us, O Lord.
Give your Church the living faith that will lead all men and women to seek you; — and bring them to the closest union with you. ℟
Give the hope of heaven to all who are faithful in seeking you; — may they obtain all that they hope for. ℟
Pour out your love upon us; — that where there is no love we may put love and so draw love out. ℟
May all Carmelites be imitators of the Virgin Mary, Mother of our Order; — may we follow every inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ℟
Grant final purification to our departed brothers and sisters, — so that they may come without delay to sing canticles of love with all your saints. ℟
Our Father…
Prayer
Lord,
you endowed our Father Saint John of the Cross
with a spirit of self-denial and a love of the cross.
By following his example
may we come to the eternal vision of your glory.We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.
Featured image: Saint John of the Cross (detail), Abel de Jesús (21st c. Spanish), digital illustration with Photoshop. Image credit: © Abel de Jesús (All rights reserved, used by permission)
#DiscalcedCarmelite #DoctorOfTheChurch #LiturgyOfTheHours #priest #Solemnity #StJohnOfTheCross
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Pope Leo XIV declares St. John Henry Newman Doctor of the Church
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Spirituality & Religious Studies @spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com@spiritualityreligiousstudies.wordpress.com ·Catherine of Siena
Her birth name is: Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa. She lived from March 25, 1347 to April 29, 2380, making her 33 years old when she passed away. She was an Italian mystics & pious laywoman who took part in papal & Italian politics through sizable letter-writing & advocacy. She was canonized in 1461. She’s revered as a saint & a Doctor of the Church because of her considerable theological authorship.
She was born & raised in Siena. At an early age, she wanted to devote herself to God. Her parents were against this. Her parents wanted her to marry. She ends up cutting her hair. She resisted any attempts to conform.
Her dad relents, eventually. He gives her a room dedicated to prayer & contemplation. She developed the spiritual practice of building an inner cell in her mind. This is a place of constant prayer from which she could never flee. This would become a core tenet of her mystical teaching.
She joined the Mantellates at 18. This was/is a group of pious laywomen informally devoted to Dominican spiritually. Later on, these types of urban pious groups would be formalized as the Third Order of the Dominicans. This wasn’t until after Catherine’s passing. She lived in near solitude initially.
Shortly after joining the Mantellate, Catherine started fasting for longer periods. But she found it challenging. While tending to a woman with cancerous breast sores, she was disgusted. Intending to overcome her disgust, she gathered the sore pus into a ladle & drank it all. (Yep, yep. You read that right.)
That night, she was visited by Jesus who invited her to drink the blood gushing out of his pierced side. It was with this visitation that her stomach “no longer had need of food and no longer could digest.”
Around the age of 21, following an experience she described as a “Mystical Marriage” with Christ. She received a divine command to leave her solitary life & dedicate her life to public ministry. She started serving the sick & poor in the hospital, particularly during the Black Death. Her wedding ring wasn’t the traditional gold band that nuns wear after they become nuns. Catherine’s wedding ring was the Holy Prepuce, or Jesus’ foreskin. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
Her influence with Pope Gregory XI played a role in his 1376 decision to leave Avignon for Rome. The Pope sent Catherine to negotiate peace with the Florentine Republic. After Gregory XI (March 1378) & the end of peace (July 1378), she went home to Siena. The Great Schism of the West led Catherine to go to Rome with the Pope.
She sent many letters to princes & cardinals to encourage obedience to Pope Urban VI & defend what she calls the “vessel of the Church.” She passed away on April 29, 1380 after she was weary by fastidious fasting. Urban VI celebrated her funeral & burial in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. This is 1 of the major churches of the Order of Preachers in Rome.
The people of Siena wanted to have Catherine’s body after she passed away. A story is told of a miracle where they were partially successful. They knew they couldn’t smuggle her whole body out of Rome. They decided to take only her head, which they put in a bag. When they were stopped by the Roman guards, they prayed to Catherine to help them. They were confident she (Catherine) would want her body (or at least part of it) in Siena. When they opened the bag to show the guards, it appeared to not have her (Catherine’s) head but it was full of roses.
Devotion around Catherine of Siena developed rapidly after her passing. Pope Pius II canonized her in 1461. She was declared a patron saint of Rome in 1866 by Pope Pius IX. She was only the 2nd woman to be made a Doctor of the Church, on October 4, 1970 by Pope Paul VI. This was only days after Teresa of Avila. In 1939, Pope Pius XII named her joint patron saint of Italy, along with St. Francis of Assisi. In 1999, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a patron saint of Europe. Along with Teresa Benedicta of the Cross & Bridget of Sweden. She’s also the patroness of the historically Catholic American sorority, Theta Phi Alpha.
There are 3 main churches in honor of Catherine of Siena:
- Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. This is where her body is kept. This church gets its name from that the 1st Christian Church structure on the site was directly over (or Italian sopra) the ruins or foundations of a temple dedicated to the Egyptian deity Isis. This had been mistakenly thought to be the temple of Minerva. Possibly due to interpretatio romana, meaning that the ancient Greeks had a tendency to identify foreign gods with their own gods.
- Basilica of San Domenico, in Siena. This is where her incorrupt head is. This incorrupt head doesn’t look like the incorruptible bodies of other saints.
- Shrine of St. Catherine, in Siena. This is a complex of religious buildings built around Catherine’s birthplace.
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15 October: SAINT TERESA OF JESUS OUR MOTHER
October 15
SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
OUR MOTHER
Virgin and Doctor of the ChurchSolemnity
Teresa was born at Avila in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelites and made great progress in the way of perfection and was granted mystical revelations. Wishing to share in the spiritual renewal of the Church of her time, she began to live her religious life more ardently and soon attracted many companions, to whom she was like a mother. She also helped in the reform of the friars, and in this had to endure great trials. She wrote books that are renowned for their depth of doctrine and which showed her own spiritual experiences. She died at Alba in 1582.
Evening Prayer I
Hymn
Mild messenger of heaven’s high King,
Forth from home’s sheltering walls you set:
‘Christ to the Pagan’s land I’ll bring
Or die a martyr!’—Ah, not yet:A sweeter pain, a death more dear
Must win for you a wider fame;
No mortal hand’s to wield the spear
That kindles your consuming flame.Victim of God’s unbounded love,
Let our hearts burn with like desire;
Lead all your retinue above
That none may taste eternal fire.Jesu, celestial choirs adore You,
Bridegroom of all virgins pure,
And wedding-songs unceasing pour
While endless ages shall endure.L.M.
Tr. Bede Edwards, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.
Psalm 113
Praise, O servants of the Lord, *
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed *
both now and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting *
praised be the name of the Lord!High above all nations is the Lord, *
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, *
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, *
to look down upon heaven and earth?From the dust he lifts up the lowly, *
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, *
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home *
and gladdens her heart with children.Ant. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.
Ant. 2 Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.
Psalm 146
My soul, give praise to the Lord, +
I will praise the Lord all my days, *
make music to my God while I live.Put no trust in princes, *
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay *
and their plans that day come to nothing.He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, *
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth, *
the seas and all they contain.It is he who keeps faith forever, *
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry, *
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,the Lord who gives sight to the blind, *
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger *
and upholds the widow and orphan.It is the Lord who loves the just *
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever, *
Zion’s God, from age to age.Ant. Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.
Ant. 3 The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.
Canticle: Ephesians 1:3-10
Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.God chose us in him *
before the world began,
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.He predestined us +
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ, *
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God’s favor to us.God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on the earth.Ant. The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.
Reading
1 Corinthians 2:6-10a
Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
Responsory
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God. Repeat R/.
V/. The Lord filled her with the spirit of wisdom and understanding * in the Church of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Holy Mother Teresa, light of the Church, teach us the way of perfection, and lead us to the eternal mansions where Christ has his home.
Intercessions
With our Mother Saint Teresa let us call upon our loving Father, in the name of Christ our friend and companion. Let us pray:
R/. Lord, may your kingdom come.
You made your Son a source of life, so that whoever believes in him might have life for all eternity; — may we listen to the voice of Christ, our true life, and so have life in him. R/.
You gave us your only-begotten Son as our teacher of holiness and our Way to you; — may we, your children, loyally follow Christ, the Way of perfection, and pray to you without ceasing. R/.
You promised through Christ that with him you will come to dwell in those who surrender to your love; — may we let your Spirit of love take possession of our hearts for Christ, and so be admitted to the inmost mansions of your dwelling-place. R/.
You made Christ head and cornerstone of the Church, the foundation on which we might build; — may we love and serve the Church for his sake, rooted and founded in his love and faith. R/.
You raised Christ to your right hand in glory, to prepare a place for us in your presence; — may all the dead who seek your face be with Christ, and contemplate the glory you have given him. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Invitatory
Ant. The Lord is the fount of wisdom; come, let us adore him.
Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary.
Office of Readings
Hymn
Noonday blaze of virtues rare;
Highest gifts of grace and prayer;
You have lived, in deep repose,
All that faith on us bestows.Wedded to the Father’s Word,
Word of light, in silence heard
Leaning on the Savior’s breast,
Guided by the Spirit blest.Blest the mind refined by fire
To receive divine desire,
Wisdom’s secrets in your heart,
Opened by the heavenly dart.Christ drew you to his embrace
By the fragrance of his grace;
In your teaching we confide,
Trusting you, our heav’n-sent guide.Truth eternal, One and Three,
May Teresa constantly
Lead us up the mountain’s ways
To the realms of joy and praise.77.77.
Sr. Margarita of Jesus, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?
Psalm 42
Like the deer that yearns *
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning *
for you, my God.My soul is thirsting for God, *
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see *
the face of God?My tears have become my bread, *
by night, by day,
as I hear it said all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”These things will I remember *
as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd *
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving, *
the throng wild with joy.Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.My soul is cast down within me *
as I think of you,
from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon, *
from the Hill of Mizar.Deep is calling on deep, *
in the roar of waters: *
your torrents and all your waves *
swept over me.By day the Lord will send *
his loving kindness;
by night I will sing to him, *
praise the God of my life.I will say to God, my rock: *
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning *
oppressed by the foe?”With cries that pierce me to the heart, *
my enemies revile me,
saying to me all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?
Ant. 2 Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?
Psalm 145
I will give you glory, O God my King, *
I will bless your name forever.I will bless you day after day *
and praise your name forever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised, *
his greatness cannot be measured.Age to age shall proclaim your works, *
shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendor and glory, *
tell the tale of your wonderful works.They will speak of your terrible deeds, *
recount your greatness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness; *
age to age shall ring out your justice.The Lord is kind and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all, *
compassionate to all his creaturesAnt. 2 Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?
Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, *
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign *
and declare your might, O God,to make known to men your mighty deeds *
and the glorious splendor of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom; *
your rule lasts from age to age.The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall *
and raises all who are bowed down.The eyes of all creatures look to you *
and you give them their food in due time.
You open wide your hand, *
grant the desires of all who live.The Lord is just in all his ways *
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him, *
who call on him from their hearts.He grants the desires of those who fear him, *
he hears their cry and he saves them.
The Lord protects all who love him; *
but the wicked he will utterly destroy.Let me speak the praise of the Lord, +
let all mankind bless his holy name forever,
for ages unending.Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.
V/. You, O Lord, are close.
R/. And all your commands are truth.First Reading
Phil 3:8-21
From the letter of the apostle Paul to the Philippians
The knowledge of Christ Jesus is supreme
I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.
I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.
All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you. However that may be, let us go forward according to the same rules we have followed until now.
Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you. I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ’s death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.
Responsory
R/. Your life is hidden now with Christ in God. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.
V/. Neither death nor life, nor anything in all creation, can come between us and Christ’s love for us. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.Second Reading
Ch 22:6-7, 14
From the Autobiography of Saint Teresa of Jesus
We should always be mindful of Christ’s love
Whoever lives in the presence of so good a friend and excellent a leader as is Jesus Christ can endure all things. Christ helps us and strengthens us and never fails; he is a true friend. And I see clearly that God desires that if we are going to please him and receive his great favors this must come about through the most sacred humanity of Christ, in whom he takes his delight.
Many, many times have I perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we desire His Sovereign Majesty to show us great secrets. A person should desire no other path, even if he be at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us. He will teach us these things. In beholding his life we find that he is the best example.
What more do we desire than to have such a good friend at our side, who will not abandon us in our labors and tribulations, as friends in the world do? Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it doesn’t seem that any other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, as coming from one who kept the Lord close to his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they hadn’t taken any other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Sienna. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept gladly.
As often as we think of Christ we should recall the love with which he bestowed on us so many favors, and the great things God showed in giving us a pledge like this of his love; for love begets love. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to waken ourselves to love. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the favor of impressing this love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall carry out our tasks quickly and without much effort.
Responsory
R/. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
V/. I willingly glory in my weakness, so that the power of Christ may be strong in me. * For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:
Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.
Canticle I
Is 2:2-3
All the peoples will come to the house of the Lord
The mountain where God has chosen to dwell (Ps 67:17)
It shall come to pass in the latter days *
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains +
and shall be raised above the hills, *
and all the nations shall flow to it.And many people shall come, and say: +
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, *
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways *
and that we may walk in his paths.’For out of Sion shall go forth the law, *
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.Canticle II
Is 61:10-62:3
The prophet rejoices in the new Jerusalem
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, as beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband (Rev 21:2)
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord *
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, *
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, *
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.For as the earth brings forth its shoots, *
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise *
to spring forth before all the nations.For Sion’s sake I will not keep silent, *
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
until her vindication goes forth as brightness, *
and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see your vindication, *
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name *
which the mouth of the Lord will give.You shall be a crown of beauty *
in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem *
in the hand of your God.Canticle III
Is 62:4-7
The glory of the new Jerusalem
Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them (Rev 21:3)
No longer are you to be named ‘Forsaken,’ *
nor your land ‘Abandoned,’
but you shall be called ‘My Delight’ *
and your land ‘The Wedded;’
for the Lord takes delight in you *
and your land will have its wedding.Like a young man marrying a virgin, *
so will the one who built you wed you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, *
so will your God rejoice in you.On your walls, Jerusalem, *
I set watchmen.
Day or night *
they must never be silent.You who keep the Lord mindful *
must take no rest.
Nor let him take rest +
till he has restored Jerusalem, *
and made her the boast of the earth.Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.
Gospel
Jn 14:1-11a
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
There are many rooms in my Father’s house
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.”Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus said:
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.”Philip said, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.” “Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still do not know me?
“To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, ‘Let us see the Father?’
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”Te Deum
You are God: we praise you; *
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father: *
All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, *
heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you. +
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. *
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: *
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, *
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the King of glory, *
the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free *
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.You overcame the sting of death, *
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. *
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, *
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints*
to glory everlasting.Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
— Govern and uphold them now and always.Day by day we bless you.
— We praise your name for ever.Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
— Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.Lord, show us your love and mercy,
— for we have put our trust in you.In you, Lord, is our hope:
— And we shall never hope in vain.Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Morning Prayer
Hymn
My beloved, passing fair,
Love has drawn thy likeness, see,
In my inmost Heart, and there—
Lost or straying unaware—
Thou must seek thyself in me.Well I know that thou shalt find
This thine image in my Heart,
Pictured to the life, with art
So amazing, that thy mind
Sees thy very counterpart.If my chance thou e’er shalt doubt
Where to turn in search of me,
Seek not all the world about;
Only this can find me out—
Thou must seek myself in thee.In the mansion of thy mind
Is my dwelling-place; and more—
There I wander, unconfined,
Knocking loud if e’er I find
In thy thought a closèd door.Search for me without were vain,
Since, when thou has need of me,
Only call me, and again
To thy side I haste amain;
Thou must seek myself in thee.7.7.7.7.7
St. Teresa of Jesus
Tr. by A. StirlingPsalmody
Ant. 1 For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.
Psalm 63
O God, you are my God, for you I long; *
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you *
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary *
to see your strength and your glory.For your love is better than life, *
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life, *
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, *
my mouth shall praise you with joy.On my bed I remember you. *
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help; *
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.
Ant. 2 All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.
Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
You heavens, bless the Lord,
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. *
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord. *
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. *
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord. *
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord. *
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord. *
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord. *
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.Let the earth bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. *
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord. *
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord. *
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. *
You sons of men, bless the Lord.O Israel, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. *
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. *
Let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. *
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all for ever.Ant. All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.
Ant. 3 I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.
Psalm 149
Sing a new song to the Lord, *
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker, *
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing *
and make music with timbrel and harp.For the Lord takes delight in his people. *
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, *
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips *
and a two-edged sword in their hand,to deal out vengeance to the nations *
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained; *
this honor is for all his faithful.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.
Reading
2 Cor 4:5-7
It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness”, who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ. We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.
Responsory
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.
Repeat R/.
V/. I long for your face, Lord; * it is you that I seek.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.Canticle of Zechariah
Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.He promised to show mercy to our fathers*
and to remember his holy covenant.This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
Intercessions
The Lord of glory, the crown of all the saints, gives us the joy of celebrating this feast of our Mother Saint Teresa. Let us praise him, saying:
R/. Glory to you, Lord.
Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels of your grace; —in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies forever. R/.
You want your love to blaze like fire throughout the world; —may we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight. R/.
You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; —unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to you. R/.
You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; —purify our sight, so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be close to you. R/.
You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; —make us humble of heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Daytime Prayer
The complementary psalms are used. If this feast falls on Sunday, then psalms from Sunday, Week I are said.
Midmorning
Ant. When you pray go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden.
Reading
Rev 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
V/. I will pray to the God of my life.
R/. I will say to him: You are my support.Midday
Ant. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near.
Reading
1 Thess 5:16-18
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
V/. You will show me the path of life.
R/. The fullness of joy in your presence.Midafternoon
Ant. Let us live in truth and love, and let all things aid our growth into Christ.
Reading
3 John 3-4
It was a great joy to me when some brothers came and told of your faithfulness to the truth, and of your life in the truth. It is always my greatest joy to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
V/. Serve the Lord in truth.
R/. Whoever follows the truth, comes to the light.Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Evening Prayer
Hymn
Teresa, herald of the King,
You left your home in dawn of youth
To bring to souls, on eager wing,
Your blood, or Christ’s redeeming truth.But yours must be another death—
Both pain and rapture flood your heart,
Enkindled by the Spirit’s breath,
Pierced through by cherub’s fiery dart.O Victim of pure charity,
Send fire to souls you love so well;
By flame of Wisdom’s clarity
Deliver us from fires of hell!O Jesus, Spouse of virgin-brides,
May they adoring sing your praise
In nuptial music that abides
Through peace of never-ending days!L.M.
Regis superni nuntia
Tr. unknownPsalmody
Ant. 1 The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.
Psalm 122
I rejoiced when I heard them say: *
“Let us go to God’s house.”
And now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.Jerusalem is built as a city *
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up, *
the tribes of the Lord.For Israel’s law it is, *
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgment *
of the house of David.For the peace of Jerusalem pray; *
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls, *
in your palaces, peace!”For love of my brethren and friends *
I say: “Peace upon you!”
For love of the house of the Lord *
I will ask for your good.Ant. The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.
Ant. 2 Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.
Psalm 127
If the Lord does not build the house, *
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city, *
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.In vain is your earlier rising, *
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat: *
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, *
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth *
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.O the happiness of the man *
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame *
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.Ant. Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.
Ant. 3 I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.
Canticle: Col 1:12-20
Let us give thanks to the Father *
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints *
in light.He rescued us *
from the power of darkness
and brought us *
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of our sins.He is the image of the invisible God, *
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, *
things visible and invisible.All were created through him; *
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is. *
In him everything continues in being.It is he who is head of the body, the church! *
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead, *
so that primacy may be his in everything.It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him *
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens, *
making peace through the blood of his cross.Ant. I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.
Reading
Jude 20-21
You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life.
Responsory
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.
Repeat R/.
V/. And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.
Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, *
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant, *
and from this day all generations will call me blessed.The Almighty has done great things for me: *
holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,*
and has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and has sent the rich away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israel*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.
Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.
Intercessions
Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy: let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her members:
R/. Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.
You are the Head of the Church and the source of all her grace; —may all your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are the living and holy members of your Body. R/.
You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles, and through them you teach us the truth and lead us in green pastures; —enlighten and guide those you have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may hear your voice leading us to life. R/.
You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; —as the harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. R/.
You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty, your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; —with Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show forth your life within them as they serve the Church. R/.
You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and baptism; —may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace. R/.
You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; —may all who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
St Teresa praying at a desk to left, looking at the Holy Spirit in top left, a book and ink-well on the table; unsigned; illustration to page 122 of Aubert le Mire’s “Sanctorum Principum … Imagines” (Antwerp: 1613) Engraving | British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum (Some rights reserved)
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.
#DiscalcedCarmelite #DoctorOfTheChurch #LiturgyOfTheHours #Solemnity #StTeresaOfAvila #StTeresaOfJesus #virgin
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Quote of the day, 27 September: St. Paul VI
The thought that the Virgin of Avila could be esteemed a Doctor never ceased to exist in the Church. Suffice it to mention the opinion of the theologians of Salamanca who, since there was a controversy on the subject, wrote openly in 1657: “Now our blessed Mother Teresa has the halo of a doctor and the Church receives and approves her singular doctrine . . . as coming from heaven”. So with the great desire that the holiness and doctrine of such a great woman may be of greater use to all, it seemed good to us that we can attribute to her the cult of doctor of the Church which until now has been attributed only to holy men.
And this happened today, with the help of God and with the approval of the whole Church. In fact, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, with the participation of legions of faithful from all nations and above all from Spain, in the presence of many Cardinals and Sacred Prelates of the Roman Curia and of the Catholic Church, who ratify all the decrees, who adhere to the requests of the members of the Discalced Carmelite Order and who willingly and graciously hear the wishes of the other supplicants, during the divine sacrifice we pronounced these words: “WITH TRUE KNOWLEDGE AND THOUGHTFUL DECISION AND FOR THE FULLNESS OF OUR APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY WE DECLARE SAINT TERESA OF JESUS, VIRGIN OF AVILA, DOCTOR OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH”.
Saint Paul VI
Multiformis Sapientia Dei (excerpts)
St. Teresa of Jesus, Doctor of the Church, Convento de la Concepción del Carmen, Valladolid. Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)
Apostolic Letter proclaiming St. Teresa of Avila a Doctor of the Church
27 September 1970Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product.
Featured Image: Pope Saint Paul VI on the papal throne with right hand raised in blessing, circa 1963. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
#ApostolicLetter #DoctorOfTheChurch #letter #MultiformisSapientiaDei #papalDocuments #PaulVI #PaulVIDocuments #QOTD #quotation #quote #Quotes #SantaTeresaDeJesús #StPaulVI #StTeresaOfAvila #Teresa
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#Repentance #SaintJohnChrysostom #EndSin #GodsMercy #DivineGrace #Prayer #Almsgiving #Humility #ChristianFaith #Salvation #GospelMessage #InnerConversion #PathToGod #AtonementForSins #Confession #Reconciliation #Forgiveness #Catholic #DoctorOfTheChurch #Sacraments #Conversion
http://epistles.online/2025/08/19/five-paths-of-repentance-by-saint-john-chrysostom/
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Quote of the day, 30 December: St. John Paul II and St. Thérèse
The Marian pope was, in an exemplary manner, a man of hope. On this point, he is particularly close to Thérèse of Lisieux, who is par excellence the Doctor of Mercy and Hope—that is, of unlimited Hope in the infinite Mercy of the Redeemer. Already, in his first encyclical, John Paul II highlighted the Mystery of Merciful Love contemplated in Christ the Redeemer:
“God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). Above all, love is greater than sin, than weakness, than the “futility of creation” (cf. Rom 8:20), it is stronger than death; it is a love always ready to raise up and forgive, always ready to go to meet the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15:11–32), always looking for “the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19), who are called to the glory that is to be revealed” (cf. Rom 8:18). This revelation of love is also described as mercy (cf. St. Thomas, Summa Theol., III, q. 46, a. 1, ad 3); and in man’s history this revelation of love and mercy has taken a form and a name: that of Jesus Christ (Redemptor Hominis, n. 9).
In the same spirit, the pope would later write the encyclical Dives in Misericordia and would beatify and canonize Sister Faustina Kowalska. Along the same lines, he named the renowned theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar as Cardinal, who was a steadfast advocate for the universal hope of salvation. Before him, the poet Charles Péguy had discovered the same reality of hope in Mary, “All Hope,” as we will see in one of our meditations.
But there is no doubt that the principal authority on this point is Thérèse of Lisieux as a Doctor of the Church. John Paul II’s expression at the end of the Letter to the Montfort religious family is certainly inspired by Thérèse of Lisieux: “Together with the Blessed Virgin and with the same maternal heart, the Church prays, hopes and intercedes for the salvation of all men and women.”
Here, it is necessary to summarize Thérèse’s doctrine, which we will explore more deeply in upcoming meditations. Indeed, it was already with the same maternal heart that young Thérèse, at the age of 14, before entering Carmel, hoped against all hope for the salvation of the criminal Pranzini, condemned to death and unrepentant, wanting “at all costs to prevent him from falling into hell.” She herself calls him “my first child,” affirming the full certainty of hope in his regard, which has as its sole foundation the infinite Mercy of Jesus (Ms A, 45v–46v).
This extreme hope explicitly becomes hope for all on the day of her religious profession when she asks her spouse: “Jesus, allow me to save very many souls; let no soul be lost today” (Pri 2)—that is, among all those who die today, let not one go to hell. Similarly, when she offers herself “as a victim of holocaust to Merciful Love,” she expresses her desire to “save souls on earth,” meaning all souls (Pri 6).
François-Marie Léthel, o.c.d.
The Light of Christ in the Heart of the Church
Meditation 4: The Splendor of Charity, Faith, and Hope Lived by John Paul II with Mary Most HolyLethel, F 2011, La lumière du Christ dans le coeur de l’Église : Jean-Paul II et la théologie des saints : retraite de carême avec Benoît XVI, 13-19 mars 2011, Parole et Silence, Paris.
Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Photographer Frank McKenna captures this image of five birds in flight above the Pacific shore at San Diego, California. Image credit: Frank McKenna / Unsplash (Stock photo)
#BlessedVirgin #DoctorOfTheChurch #FrançoisMarieLéthelOCD #hope #Pranzini #salvation #StJohnPaulII #StThérèseOfLisieux
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I give thanks to Providence for granting me the opportunity to come and venerate the relics and recall the figure and teachings of St. John of the Cross, to whom I owe so much in my spiritual formation. I came to know him in my youth and was able to enter into an intimate dialogue with this master of the faith, with his language and thought, culminating in the development of my doctoral thesis on Faith in St. John of the Cross. Since then, I have found in him a friend and teacher, who has pointed to the light that shines in the darkness, guiding me always toward God, “with no other light or guide / than the one that burned in my heart. / This guided me / more surely than the light of noon” (The Dark Night, stanzas 3–4, trans. Kavanaugh and Rodriguez).
The Saint from Fontiveros is the great teacher of the paths leading to union with God. His writings remain relevant and, in a way, explain and complement the works of St. Teresa of Jesus. He shows the paths to knowledge through faith, for only such knowledge in faith disposes the mind to union with the living God.
How many times, with a conviction born from experience, he tells us that faith is the most fitting and appropriate means for union with God! It is enough to cite a well-known text from The Ascent of Mount Carmel, book II, chap. 9, sec. 1: “Faith alone … is the only proximate and proportionate means to union with God. … Just as God is infinite, faith proposes him to us as infinite. Just as there are three Persons in one God, it presents him to us in this way. … Only by means of faith, in divine light exceeding all understanding, does God manifest himself to the soul. The greater one’s faith the closer is one’s union with God” (The Ascent of Mount Carmel, book II, chap. 9, sec. 1, trans. Kavanaugh and Rodriguez).
With this insistence on the purity of faith, John of the Cross does not wish to deny that the knowledge of God is attained gradually from the knowledge of creatures, as taught in the Book of Wisdom and echoed by St. Paul in the Letter to the Romans (cf. Rom 1:18–21; cf. Spiritual Canticle, st. 4, sec. 1). The Mystical Doctor teaches that in faith, it is also necessary to detach oneself from creatures, both those perceived through the senses and those reached through understanding, in order to unite oneself cognitively with God Himself. This path that leads to union passes through the dark night of faith.
Saint John Paul II
Homily, 4 November 1982
Convent of the Discalced Carmelite Friars
Segovia, SpainJohn of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: At five in the afternoon on October 31, 1982, Pope John Paul II arrived at Barajas Airport in Madrid, kissing the ground upon his arrival. When the crowd erupted in excitement, officials began placing carpets along his path, which he bypassed to continue his custom of kissing the ground. That same day, before departing Rome, he had canonized two French nuns and led the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, as he did every Sunday. This marked his 15th official trip, covering sixteen locations in nine days at an intense pace. Image credit: Marisa Flórez / prisamedia.com
https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/03/jp2-4nov82homly/
#darkNight #detachment #DoctorOfTheChurch #faith #inspiration #StJohnOfTheCross #StJohnPaulII #theology #unionWithGod
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Here are a few lines about a healing that occurred in Córdoba on the day that Thérèse of the Child Jesus became a Doctor of the Church, October 19, 1997. We can communicate this to you firsthand since the beneficiary came here and told us himself how everything had taken place.
On that afternoon, our Mother Superior received a phone message from a man who had asked her urgently to call him back. The man had been hospitalized in the room next to the room of one of our sisters who had to undergo surgery.
His name was Raphaël M. Pérez, and he was about seventy years old. He and his wife had grown children and some grandchildren. Our mother [the prioress] told us that Raphaël and his wife were very devout. We had met them in the Jesuit church in Córdoba.
When Raphaël could no longer go to church because of his illness, his wife received permission to bring him Communion, and she did this very reverently.
Raphaël had undergone thirteen heart operations. He also had a stroke, which led to paralysis on his right side. He partially recovered after a while, but after two more strokes, he could no longer talk or walk. He bore it all bravely, however.
He was in this condition on October 18. His wife told him that it was okay for him to complain a bit when they were by themselves; he didn’t have to smile all the time. He responded by pointing to Heaven, as if to signify to her that he was happy about everything God was sending him. How could he have complained?
In the morning, they all watched on television the ceremony in which St. Thérèse was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. Raphaël told us that he had never asked God for health but only for the strength to suffer.
During the procession of St. Thérèse’s reliquary, Raphaël felt compelled to say:
“Lord, not for me, but for my loved ones who are suffering so much, You can heal me, through St. Thérèse’s intercession, if You want to.”
When his wife returned from Mass that day, she had brought him Communion. When he received the holy Host, he repeated this to the Lord:
“Lord, You can heal me through St. Thérèse’s intercession if You want to.”
He then felt a jolt, and he shivered from head to foot. He got up and shouted for his wife, who had left the room.
Startled, his wife told her son: “Your father’s calling me.”
The son replied, “But that’s impossible for him!”
Both of them came running and found Raphaël standing in the middle of the room. Imagine their surprise and joy when he told them what had happened! They called their other children, who rushed over to see him, and they called us. You can imagine the impression it made on us!
Some time later, Raphaël, his wife, and his son-in-law came to the monastery to offer his cane as a gift to the Virgin Mary. This was marvelous. It had a golden ring, and there was a marble rose on the knob. (It must have been a command baton).
Raphaël’s son-in-law, a parishioner from Córdoba, told us that he was astonished when he arrived for dinner and saw his father-in-law talking and walking! The seasoned doctors told him there was no natural explanation. — The Carmelites from St.-Calixte Monastery, Córdoba, Spain
Bishop Guy Gaucher, o.c.d.
A Healing on the Day Thérèse Became a Doctor of the Church
Note: On this day, we recall two significant events. First, on 19 October 1986, Guy Étienne Germain Gaucher, O.C.D. was ordained as Bishop of Meaux, France. However, he did not remain long in that diocese. On 7 May 1987, Saint John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, France, where he served with distinction and deep love for his Discalced Carmelite sisters and brothers, particularly Saint Thérèse, until his retirement on 1 July 2005 upon reaching the age limit. Bishop Gaucher passed away on 3 July 2014 at the age of 84. His funeral Mass took place on 10 July in the Basilica of St. Thérèse in Lisieux, with the homily preached by Father François-Marie Léthel, O.C.D. Father Léthel had entered the Discalced Carmelite novitiate of the Paris Province with Guy Gaucher on the same day, 21 September 1967. The two received the Carmelite habit and made their religious profession together. Just over a decade after Bishop Gaucher’s appointment to Bayeux-Lisieux, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus was declared a Doctor of the Universal Church on 19 October 1997.
Gaucher, G & McMurtrie, J 2023, I Would Like to Travel the World: Thérèse of Lisieux: Miracle-Worker, Doctor, and Missionary Sophia Institute Press, Manchester NH.
Featured image: The world’s most famous statue of St. Thérèse is located in front of the historic entrance to the Carmel of Lisieux on Rue du Carmel. Image credit: rparys / Adobe Stock modified in Adobe Express (Stock photo)
https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/18/guy-heal19oc97/
#anniversary #BishopGuyGaucher #DoctorOfTheChurch #episcopalOrdination #funeral #healing #illness #prayer #StJohnPaulII #StThérèseOfLisieux
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In this podcast episode, we explore St. Teresa of Avila’s journey to reform the Carmelite Order. Faced with the challenges of her time, Teresa sought to establish a new community where her nuns could live in simplicity and devote themselves fully to prayer. Though she had initial concerns, especially regarding the level of poverty the community would embrace, Teresa moved forward with trust and determination.
As she reflected:
“When I began to take the first steps toward founding this monastery… it was not my intention that there be so much external austerity or that the house have no income… One day after Communion, His Majesty earnestly commanded me to strive for this new monastery with all my powers, and He made great promises that it would be founded and that He would be highly served in it. He said it should be called St. Joseph…”
This episode goes beyond simply retelling Teresa’s story. We’ll also explore the key points from her teachings that continue to inspire spiritual growth and renewal today.
Click the YouTube link below to listen to the full episode!
https://youtu.be/VwQCiXyv05w?si=JtxguO_2WDvKtX72
Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Monjas Carmelitas ante Ávila by the Italian painter Guido Caprotti was executed in oil on canvas in 1938. It forms part of the Caprotti Collection in the Palacio Superunda, Avila. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites
https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/15/stj-s2ep26/
#DiscalcedCarmelites #DoctorOfTheChurch #founder #heritage #nuns #Podcast #StJosephSAvila #StTeresaOfAvila
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In this podcast episode, we explore St. Teresa of Avila’s journey to reform the Carmelite Order. Faced with the challenges of her time, Teresa sought to establish a new community where her nuns could live in simplicity and devote themselves fully to prayer. Though she had initial concerns, especially regarding the level of poverty the community would embrace, Teresa moved forward with trust and determination.
As she reflected:
“When I began to take the first steps toward founding this monastery… it was not my intention that there be so much external austerity or that the house have no income… One day after Communion, His Majesty earnestly commanded me to strive for this new monastery with all my powers, and He made great promises that it would be founded and that He would be highly served in it. He said it should be called St. Joseph…”
This episode goes beyond simply retelling Teresa’s story. We’ll also explore the key points from her teachings that continue to inspire spiritual growth and renewal today.
Click the YouTube link below to listen to the full episode!
https://youtu.be/VwQCiXyv05w?si=JtxguO_2WDvKtX72
Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Monjas Carmelitas ante Ávila by the Italian painter Guido Caprotti was executed in oil on canvas in 1938. It forms part of the Caprotti Collection in the Palacio Superunda, Avila. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites
https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/15/stj-s2ep26/
#DiscalcedCarmelites #DoctorOfTheChurch #founder #heritage #nuns #Podcast #StJosephSAvila #StTeresaOfAvila
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In this podcast episode, we explore St. Teresa of Avila’s journey to reform the Carmelite Order. Faced with the challenges of her time, Teresa sought to establish a new community where her nuns could live in simplicity and devote themselves fully to prayer. Though she had initial concerns, especially regarding the level of poverty the community would embrace, Teresa moved forward with trust and determination.
As she reflected:
“When I began to take the first steps toward founding this monastery… it was not my intention that there be so much external austerity or that the house have no income… One day after Communion, His Majesty earnestly commanded me to strive for this new monastery with all my powers, and He made great promises that it would be founded and that He would be highly served in it. He said it should be called St. Joseph…”
This episode goes beyond simply retelling Teresa’s story. We’ll also explore the key points from her teachings that continue to inspire spiritual growth and renewal today.
Click the YouTube link below to listen to the full episode!
https://youtu.be/VwQCiXyv05w?si=JtxguO_2WDvKtX72
Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Monjas Carmelitas ante Ávila by the Italian painter Guido Caprotti was executed in oil on canvas in 1938. It forms part of the Caprotti Collection in the Palacio Superunda, Avila. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites
https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/15/stj-s2ep26/
#DiscalcedCarmelites #DoctorOfTheChurch #founder #heritage #nuns #Podcast #StJosephSAvila #StTeresaOfAvila
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October 15
SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
OUR MOTHER
Virgin and Doctor of the ChurchSolemnity
Teresa was born at Avila in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelites and made great progress in the way of perfection and was granted mystical revelations. Wishing to share in the spiritual renewal of the Church of her time, she began to live her religious life more ardently and soon attracted many companions, to whom she was like a mother. She also helped in the reform of the friars, and in this had to endure great trials. She wrote books that are renowned for their depth of doctrine and which showed her own spiritual experiences. She died at Alba in 1582.
Evening Prayer I
Hymn
Mild messenger of heaven’s high King,
Forth from home’s sheltering walls you set:
‘Christ to the Pagan’s land I’ll bring
Or die a martyr!’—Ah, not yet:A sweeter pain, a death more dear
Must win for you a wider fame;
No mortal hand’s to wield the spear
That kindles your consuming flame.Victim of God’s unbounded love,
Let our hearts burn with like desire;
Lead all your retinue above
That none may taste eternal fire.Jesu, celestial choirs adore You,
Bridegroom of all virgins pure,
And wedding-songs unceasing pour
While endless ages shall endure.L.M.
Tr. Bede Edwards, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.
Psalm 113
Praise, O servants of the Lord, *
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed *
both now and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting *
praised be the name of the Lord!High above all nations is the Lord, *
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, *
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, *
to look down upon heaven and earth?From the dust he lifts up the lowly, *
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, *
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home *
and gladdens her heart with children.Ant. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.
Ant. 2 Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.
Psalm 146
My soul, give praise to the Lord, +
I will praise the Lord all my days, *
make music to my God while I live.Put no trust in princes, *
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay *
and their plans that day come to nothing.He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, *
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth, *
the seas and all they contain.It is he who keeps faith forever, *
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry, *
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,the Lord who gives sight to the blind, *
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger *
and upholds the widow and orphan.It is the Lord who loves the just *
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever, *
Zion’s God, from age to age.Ant. Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.
Ant. 3 The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.
Canticle: Ephesians 1:3-10
Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.God chose us in him *
before the world began,
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.He predestined us +
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ, *
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God’s favor to us.God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on the earth.Ant. The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.
Reading
1 Corinthians 2:6-10a
Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
Responsory
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God. Repeat R/.
V/. The Lord filled her with the spirit of wisdom and understanding * in the Church of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Holy Mother Teresa, light of the Church, teach us the way of perfection, and lead us to the eternal mansions where Christ has his home.
Intercessions
With our Mother Saint Teresa let us call upon our loving Father, in the name of Christ our friend and companion. Let us pray:
R/. Lord, may your kingdom come.
You made your Son a source of life, so that whoever believes in him might have life for all eternity; — may we listen to the voice of Christ, our true life, and so have life in him. R/.
You gave us your only-begotten Son as our teacher of holiness and our Way to you; — may we, your children, loyally follow Christ, the Way of perfection, and pray to you without ceasing. R/.
You promised through Christ that with him you will come to dwell in those who surrender to your love; — may we let your Spirit of love take possession of our hearts for Christ, and so be admitted to the inmost mansions of your dwelling-place. R/.
You made Christ head and cornerstone of the Church, the foundation on which we might build; — may we love and serve the Church for his sake, rooted and founded in his love and faith. R/.
You raised Christ to your right hand in glory, to prepare a place for us in your presence; — may all the dead who seek your face be with Christ, and contemplate the glory you have given him. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Invitatory
Ant. The Lord is the fount of wisdom; come, let us adore him.
Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary.
Office of Readings
Hymn
Noonday blaze of virtues rare;
Highest gifts of grace and prayer;
You have lived, in deep repose,
All that faith on us bestows.Wedded to the Father’s Word,
Word of light, in silence heard
Leaning on the Savior’s breast,
Guided by the Spirit blest.Blest the mind refined by fire
To receive divine desire,
Wisdom’s secrets in your heart,
Opened by the heavenly dart.Christ drew you to his embrace
By the fragrance of his grace;
In your teaching we confide,
Trusting you, our heav’n-sent guide.Truth eternal, One and Three,
May Teresa constantly
Lead us up the mountain’s ways
To the realms of joy and praise.77.77.
Sr. Margarita of Jesus, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?
Psalm 42
Like the deer that yearns *
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning *
for you, my God.My soul is thirsting for God, *
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see *
the face of God?My tears have become my bread, *
by night, by day,
as I hear it said all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”These things will I remember *
as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd *
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving, *
the throng wild with joy.Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.My soul is cast down within me *
as I think of you,
from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon, *
from the Hill of Mizar.Deep is calling on deep, *
in the roar of waters: *
your torrents and all your waves *
swept over me.By day the Lord will send *
his loving kindness;
by night I will sing to him, *
praise the God of my life.I will say to God, my rock: *
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning *
oppressed by the foe?”With cries that pierce me to the heart, *
my enemies revile me,
saying to me all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?
Ant. 2 Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?
Psalm 145
I will give you glory, O God my King, *
I will bless your name forever.I will bless you day after day *
and praise your name forever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised, *
his greatness cannot be measured.Age to age shall proclaim your works, *
shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendor and glory, *
tell the tale of your wonderful works.They will speak of your terrible deeds, *
recount your greatness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness; *
age to age shall ring out your justice.The Lord is kind and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all, *
compassionate to all his creaturesAnt. 2 Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?
Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, *
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign *
and declare your might, O God,to make known to men your mighty deeds *
and the glorious splendor of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom; *
your rule lasts from age to age.The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall *
and raises all who are bowed down.The eyes of all creatures look to you *
and you give them their food in due time.
You open wide your hand, *
grant the desires of all who live.The Lord is just in all his ways *
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him, *
who call on him from their hearts.He grants the desires of those who fear him, *
he hears their cry and he saves them.
The Lord protects all who love him; *
but the wicked he will utterly destroy.Let me speak the praise of the Lord, +
let all mankind bless his holy name forever,
for ages unending.Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.
V/. You, O Lord, are close.
R/. And all your commands are truth.First Reading
Phil 3:8-21
From the letter of the apostle Paul to the Philippians
The knowledge of Christ Jesus is supreme
I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.
I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.
All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you. However that may be, let us go forward according to the same rules we have followed until now.
Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you. I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ’s death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.
Responsory
R/. Your life is hidden now with Christ in God. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.
V/. Neither death nor life, nor anything in all creation, can come between us and Christ’s love for us. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.Second Reading
Ch 22:6-7, 14
From the Autobiography of Saint Teresa of Jesus
We should always be mindful of Christ’s love
Whoever lives in the presence of so good a friend and excellent a leader as is Jesus Christ can endure all things. Christ helps us and strengthens us and never fails; he is a true friend. And I see clearly that God desires that if we are going to please him and receive his great favors this must come about through the most sacred humanity of Christ, in whom he takes his delight.
Many, many times have I perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we desire His Sovereign Majesty to show us great secrets. A person should desire no other path, even if he be at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us. He will teach us these things. In beholding his life we find that he is the best example.
What more do we desire than to have such a good friend at our side, who will not abandon us in our labors and tribulations, as friends in the world do? Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it doesn’t seem that any other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, as coming from one who kept the Lord close to his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they hadn’t taken any other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Sienna. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept gladly.
As often as we think of Christ we should recall the love with which he bestowed on us so many favors, and the great things God showed in giving us a pledge like this of his love; for love begets love. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to waken ourselves to love. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the favor of impressing this love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall carry out our tasks quickly and without much effort.
Responsory
R/. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
V/. I willingly glory in my weakness, so that the power of Christ may be strong in me. * For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:
Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.
Canticle I
Is 2:2-3
All the peoples will come to the house of the Lord
The mountain where God has chosen to dwell (Ps 67:17)
It shall come to pass in the latter days *
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains +
and shall be raised above the hills, *
and all the nations shall flow to it.And many people shall come, and say: +
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, *
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways *
and that we may walk in his paths.’For out of Sion shall go forth the law, *
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.Canticle II
Is 61:10-62:3
The prophet rejoices in the new Jerusalem
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, as beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband (Rev 21:2)
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord *
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, *
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, *
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.For as the earth brings forth its shoots, *
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise *
to spring forth before all the nations.For Sion’s sake I will not keep silent, *
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
until her vindication goes forth as brightness, *
and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see your vindication, *
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name *
which the mouth of the Lord will give.You shall be a crown of beauty *
in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem *
in the hand of your God.Canticle III
Is 62:4-7
The glory of the new Jerusalem
Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them (Rev 21:3)
No longer are you to be named ‘Forsaken,’ *
nor your land ‘Abandoned,’
but your shall be called ‘My Delight’ *
and your land ‘The Wedded;’
for the Lord takes delight in you *
and your land will have its wedding.Like a young man marrying a virgin, *
so will the one who built you wed you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, *
so will your God rejoice in you.On your walls, Jerusalem, *
I set watchmen.
Day or night *
they must never be silent.You who keep the Lord mindful *
must take no rest.
Nor let him take rest +
till he has restored Jerusalem, *
and made her the boast of the earth.Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.
Gospel
Jn 14:1-11a
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
There are many rooms in my Father’s house
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.”Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus said:
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.”Philip said, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.” “Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still do not know me?
“To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, ‘Let us see the Father?’
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”Te Deum
You are God: we praise you; *
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father: *
All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, *
heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you. +
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. *
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: *
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, *
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the King of glory, *
the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free *
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.You overcame the sting of death, *
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. *
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, *
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints*
to glory everlasting.Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
— Govern and uphold them now and always.Day by day we bless you.
— We praise your name for ever.Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
— Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.Lord, show us your love and mercy,
— for we have put our trust in you.In you, Lord, is our hope:
— And we shall never hope in vain.Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Morning Prayer
Hymn
My beloved, passing fair,
Love has drawn thy likeness, see,
In my inmost Heart, and there—
Lost or straying unaware—
Thou must seek thyself in me.Well I know that thou shalt find
This thine image in my Heart,
Pictured to the life, with art
So amazing, that thy mind
Sees thy very counterpart.If my chance thou e’er shalt doubt
Where to turn in search of me,
Seek not all the world about;
Only this can find me out—
Thou must seek myself in thee.In the mansion of thy mind
Is my dwelling-place; and more—
There I wander, unconfined,
Knocking loud if e’er I find
In thy thought a closèd door.Search for me without were vain,
Since, when thou has need of me,
Only call me, and again
To thy side I haste amain;
Thou must seek myself in thee.7.7.7.7.7
St. Teresa of Jesus
Tr. by A. StirlingPsalmody
Ant. 1 For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.
Psalm 63
O God, you are my God, for you I long; *
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you *
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary *
to see your strength and your glory.For your love is better than life, *
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life, *
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, *
my mouth shall praise you with joy.On my bed I remember you. *
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help; *
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.
Ant. 2 All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.
Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
You heavens, bless the Lord,
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. *
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord. *
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. *
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord. *
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord. *
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord. *
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord. *
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.Let the earth bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. *
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord. *
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord. *
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. *
You sons of men, bless the Lord.O Israel, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. *
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. *
Let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. *
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all for ever.Ant. All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.
Ant. 3 I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.
Psalm 149
Sing a new song to the Lord, *
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker, *
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing *
and make music with timbrel and harp.For the Lord takes delight in his people. *
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, *
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips *
and a two-edged sword in their hand,to deal out vengeance to the nations *
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained; *
this honor is for all his faithful.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.
Reading
2 Cor 4:5-7
It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness”, who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ. We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.
Responsory
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.
Repeat R/.
V/. I long for your face, Lord; * it is you that I seek.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.Canticle of Zechariah
Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.He promised to show mercy to our fathers*
and to remember his holy covenant.This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
Intercessions
The Lord of glory, the crown of all the saints, gives us the joy of celebrating this feast of our Mother Saint Teresa. Let us praise him, saying:
R/. Glory to you, Lord.
Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels of your grace; —in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies forever. R/.
You want your love to blaze like fire throughout the world; —may we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight. R/.
You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; —unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to you. R/.
You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; —purify our sight, so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be close to you. R/.
You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; —make us humble of heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Daytime Prayer
The complementary psalms are used. If this feast falls on Sunday, then psalms from Sunday, Week I are said.
Midmorning
Ant. When you pray go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden.
Reading
Rev 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
V/. I will pray to the God of my life.
R/. I will say to him: You are my support.Midday
Ant. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near.
Reading
1 Thess 5:16-18
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
V/. You will show me the path of life.
R/. The fullness of joy in your presence.Midafternoon
Ant. Let us live in truth and love, and let all things aid our growth into Christ.
Reading
3 John 3-4
It was a great joy to me when some brothers came and told of your faithfulness to the truth, and of your life in the truth. It is always my greatest joy to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
V/. Serve the Lord in truth.
R/. Whoever follows the truth, comes to the light.Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Evening Prayer
Hymn
Teresa, herald of the King,
You left your home in dawn of youth
To bring to souls, on eager wing,
Your blood, or Christ’s redeeming truth.But yours must be another death—
Both pain and rapture flood your heart,
Enkindled by the Spirit’s breath,
Pierced through by cherub’s fiery dart.O Victim of pure charity,
Send fire to souls you love so well;
By flame of Wisdom’s clarity
Deliver us from fires of hell!O Jesus, Spouse of virgin-brides,
May they adoring sing your praise
In nuptial music that abides
Through peace of never-ending days!L.M.
Regis superni nuntia
Tr. unknownPsalmody
Ant. 1 The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.
Psalm 122
I rejoiced when I heard them say: *
“Let us go to God’s house.”
And now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.Jerusalem is built as a city *
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up, *
the tribes of the Lord.For Israel’s law it is, *
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgment *
of the house of David.For the peace of Jerusalem pray; *
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls, *
in your palaces, peace!”For love of my brethren and friends *
I say: “Peace upon you!”
For love of the house of the Lord *
I will ask for your good.Ant. The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.
Ant. 2 Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.
Psalm 127
If the Lord does not build the house, *
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city, *
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.In vain is your earlier rising, *
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat: *
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, *
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth *
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.O the happiness of the man *
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame *
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.Ant. Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.
Ant. 3 I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.
Canticle: Col 1:12-20
Let us give thanks to the Father *
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints *
in light.He rescued us *
from the power of darkness
and brought us *
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of our sins.He is the image of the invisible God, *
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, *
things visible and invisible.All were created through him; *
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is. *
In him everything continues in being.It is he who is head of the body, the church! *
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead, *
so that primacy may be his in everything.It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him *
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens, *
making peace through the blood of his cross.Ant. I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.
Reading
Jude 20-21
You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life.
Responsory
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.
Repeat R/.
V/. And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.
Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, *
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant, *
and from this day all generations will call me blessed.The Almighty has done great things for me: *
holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,*
and has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and has sent the rich away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israel*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.
Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.
Intercessions
Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy: let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her members:
R/. Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.
You are the Head of the Church and the source of all her grace; —may all your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are the living and holy members of your Body. R/.
You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles, and through them you teach us the truth and lead us in green pastures; —enlighten and guide those you have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may hear your voice leading us to life. R/.
You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; —as the harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. R/.
You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty, your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; —with Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show forth your life within them as they serve the Church. R/.
You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and baptism; —may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace. R/.
You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; —may all who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
St Teresa praying at a desk to left, looking at the Holy Spirit in top left, a book and ink-well on the table; unsigned; illustration to page 122 of Aubert le Mire’s “Sanctorum Principum … Imagines” (Antwerp: 1613) Engraving | British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum (Some rights reserved)
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/12/stjlit24/
#DiscalcedCarmelite #DoctorOfTheChurch #LiturgyOfTheHours #Solemnity #StTeresaOfAvila #StTeresaOfJesus #virgin
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October 15
SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
OUR MOTHER
Virgin and Doctor of the ChurchSolemnity
Teresa was born at Avila in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelites and made great progress in the way of perfection and was granted mystical revelations. Wishing to share in the spiritual renewal of the Church of her time, she began to live her religious life more ardently and soon attracted many companions, to whom she was like a mother. She also helped in the reform of the friars, and in this had to endure great trials. She wrote books that are renowned for their depth of doctrine and which showed her own spiritual experiences. She died at Alba in 1582.
Evening Prayer I
Hymn
Mild messenger of heaven’s high King,
Forth from home’s sheltering walls you set:
‘Christ to the Pagan’s land I’ll bring
Or die a martyr!’—Ah, not yet:A sweeter pain, a death more dear
Must win for you a wider fame;
No mortal hand’s to wield the spear
That kindles your consuming flame.Victim of God’s unbounded love,
Let our hearts burn with like desire;
Lead all your retinue above
That none may taste eternal fire.Jesu, celestial choirs adore You,
Bridegroom of all virgins pure,
And wedding-songs unceasing pour
While endless ages shall endure.L.M.
Tr. Bede Edwards, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.
Psalm 113
Praise, O servants of the Lord, *
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed *
both now and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting *
praised be the name of the Lord!High above all nations is the Lord, *
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, *
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, *
to look down upon heaven and earth?From the dust he lifts up the lowly, *
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, *
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home *
and gladdens her heart with children.Ant. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.
Ant. 2 Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.
Psalm 146
My soul, give praise to the Lord, +
I will praise the Lord all my days, *
make music to my God while I live.Put no trust in princes, *
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay *
and their plans that day come to nothing.He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, *
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth, *
the seas and all they contain.It is he who keeps faith forever, *
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry, *
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,the Lord who gives sight to the blind, *
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger *
and upholds the widow and orphan.It is the Lord who loves the just *
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever, *
Zion’s God, from age to age.Ant. Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.
Ant. 3 The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.
Canticle: Ephesians 1:3-10
Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.God chose us in him *
before the world began,
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.He predestined us +
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ, *
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God’s favor to us.God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on the earth.Ant. The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.
Reading
1 Corinthians 2:6-10a
Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
Responsory
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God. Repeat R/.
V/. The Lord filled her with the spirit of wisdom and understanding * in the Church of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Holy Mother Teresa, light of the Church, teach us the way of perfection, and lead us to the eternal mansions where Christ has his home.
Intercessions
With our Mother Saint Teresa let us call upon our loving Father, in the name of Christ our friend and companion. Let us pray:
R/. Lord, may your kingdom come.
You made your Son a source of life, so that whoever believes in him might have life for all eternity; — may we listen to the voice of Christ, our true life, and so have life in him. R/.
You gave us your only-begotten Son as our teacher of holiness and our Way to you; — may we, your children, loyally follow Christ, the Way of perfection, and pray to you without ceasing. R/.
You promised through Christ that with him you will come to dwell in those who surrender to your love; — may we let your Spirit of love take possession of our hearts for Christ, and so be admitted to the inmost mansions of your dwelling-place. R/.
You made Christ head and cornerstone of the Church, the foundation on which we might build; — may we love and serve the Church for his sake, rooted and founded in his love and faith. R/.
You raised Christ to your right hand in glory, to prepare a place for us in your presence; — may all the dead who seek your face be with Christ, and contemplate the glory you have given him. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Invitatory
Ant. The Lord is the fount of wisdom; come, let us adore him.
Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary.
Office of Readings
Hymn
Noonday blaze of virtues rare;
Highest gifts of grace and prayer;
You have lived, in deep repose,
All that faith on us bestows.Wedded to the Father’s Word,
Word of light, in silence heard
Leaning on the Savior’s breast,
Guided by the Spirit blest.Blest the mind refined by fire
To receive divine desire,
Wisdom’s secrets in your heart,
Opened by the heavenly dart.Christ drew you to his embrace
By the fragrance of his grace;
In your teaching we confide,
Trusting you, our heav’n-sent guide.Truth eternal, One and Three,
May Teresa constantly
Lead us up the mountain’s ways
To the realms of joy and praise.77.77.
Sr. Margarita of Jesus, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?
Psalm 42
Like the deer that yearns *
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning *
for you, my God.My soul is thirsting for God, *
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see *
the face of God?My tears have become my bread, *
by night, by day,
as I hear it said all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”These things will I remember *
as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd *
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving, *
the throng wild with joy.Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.My soul is cast down within me *
as I think of you,
from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon, *
from the Hill of Mizar.Deep is calling on deep, *
in the roar of waters: *
your torrents and all your waves *
swept over me.By day the Lord will send *
his loving kindness;
by night I will sing to him, *
praise the God of my life.I will say to God, my rock: *
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning *
oppressed by the foe?”With cries that pierce me to the heart, *
my enemies revile me,
saying to me all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?
Ant. 2 Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?
Psalm 145
I will give you glory, O God my King, *
I will bless your name forever.I will bless you day after day *
and praise your name forever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised, *
his greatness cannot be measured.Age to age shall proclaim your works, *
shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendor and glory, *
tell the tale of your wonderful works.They will speak of your terrible deeds, *
recount your greatness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness; *
age to age shall ring out your justice.The Lord is kind and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all, *
compassionate to all his creaturesAnt. 2 Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?
Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, *
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign *
and declare your might, O God,to make known to men your mighty deeds *
and the glorious splendor of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom; *
your rule lasts from age to age.The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall *
and raises all who are bowed down.The eyes of all creatures look to you *
and you give them their food in due time.
You open wide your hand, *
grant the desires of all who live.The Lord is just in all his ways *
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him, *
who call on him from their hearts.He grants the desires of those who fear him, *
he hears their cry and he saves them.
The Lord protects all who love him; *
but the wicked he will utterly destroy.Let me speak the praise of the Lord, +
let all mankind bless his holy name forever,
for ages unending.Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.
V/. You, O Lord, are close.
R/. And all your commands are truth.First Reading
Phil 3:8-21
From the letter of the apostle Paul to the Philippians
The knowledge of Christ Jesus is supreme
I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.
I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.
All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you. However that may be, let us go forward according to the same rules we have followed until now.
Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you. I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ’s death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.
Responsory
R/. Your life is hidden now with Christ in God. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.
V/. Neither death nor life, nor anything in all creation, can come between us and Christ’s love for us. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.Second Reading
Ch 22:6-7, 14
From the Autobiography of Saint Teresa of Jesus
We should always be mindful of Christ’s love
Whoever lives in the presence of so good a friend and excellent a leader as is Jesus Christ can endure all things. Christ helps us and strengthens us and never fails; he is a true friend. And I see clearly that God desires that if we are going to please him and receive his great favors this must come about through the most sacred humanity of Christ, in whom he takes his delight.
Many, many times have I perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we desire His Sovereign Majesty to show us great secrets. A person should desire no other path, even if he be at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us. He will teach us these things. In beholding his life we find that he is the best example.
What more do we desire than to have such a good friend at our side, who will not abandon us in our labors and tribulations, as friends in the world do? Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it doesn’t seem that any other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, as coming from one who kept the Lord close to his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they hadn’t taken any other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Sienna. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept gladly.
As often as we think of Christ we should recall the love with which he bestowed on us so many favors, and the great things God showed in giving us a pledge like this of his love; for love begets love. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to waken ourselves to love. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the favor of impressing this love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall carry out our tasks quickly and without much effort.
Responsory
R/. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
V/. I willingly glory in my weakness, so that the power of Christ may be strong in me. * For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:
Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.
Canticle I
Is 2:2-3
All the peoples will come to the house of the Lord
The mountain where God has chosen to dwell (Ps 67:17)
It shall come to pass in the latter days *
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains +
and shall be raised above the hills, *
and all the nations shall flow to it.And many people shall come, and say: +
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, *
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways *
and that we may walk in his paths.’For out of Sion shall go forth the law, *
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.Canticle II
Is 61:10-62:3
The prophet rejoices in the new Jerusalem
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, as beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband (Rev 21:2)
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord *
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, *
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, *
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.For as the earth brings forth its shoots, *
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise *
to spring forth before all the nations.For Sion’s sake I will not keep silent, *
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
until her vindication goes forth as brightness, *
and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see your vindication, *
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name *
which the mouth of the Lord will give.You shall be a crown of beauty *
in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem *
in the hand of your God.Canticle III
Is 62:4-7
The glory of the new Jerusalem
Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them (Rev 21:3)
No longer are you to be named ‘Forsaken,’ *
nor your land ‘Abandoned,’
but you shall be called ‘My Delight’ *
and your land ‘The Wedded;’
for the Lord takes delight in you *
and your land will have its wedding.Like a young man marrying a virgin, *
so will the one who built you wed you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, *
so will your God rejoice in you.On your walls, Jerusalem, *
I set watchmen.
Day or night *
they must never be silent.You who keep the Lord mindful *
must take no rest.
Nor let him take rest +
till he has restored Jerusalem, *
and made her the boast of the earth.Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.
Gospel
Jn 14:1-11a
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
There are many rooms in my Father’s house
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.”Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus said:
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.”Philip said, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.” “Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still do not know me?
“To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, ‘Let us see the Father?’
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”Te Deum
You are God: we praise you; *
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father: *
All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, *
heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you. +
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. *
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: *
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, *
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the King of glory, *
the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free *
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.You overcame the sting of death, *
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. *
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, *
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints*
to glory everlasting.Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
— Govern and uphold them now and always.Day by day we bless you.
— We praise your name for ever.Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
— Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.Lord, show us your love and mercy,
— for we have put our trust in you.In you, Lord, is our hope:
— And we shall never hope in vain.Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Morning Prayer
Hymn
My beloved, passing fair,
Love has drawn thy likeness, see,
In my inmost Heart, and there—
Lost or straying unaware—
Thou must seek thyself in me.Well I know that thou shalt find
This thine image in my Heart,
Pictured to the life, with art
So amazing, that thy mind
Sees thy very counterpart.If my chance thou e’er shalt doubt
Where to turn in search of me,
Seek not all the world about;
Only this can find me out—
Thou must seek myself in thee.In the mansion of thy mind
Is my dwelling-place; and more—
There I wander, unconfined,
Knocking loud if e’er I find
In thy thought a closèd door.Search for me without were vain,
Since, when thou has need of me,
Only call me, and again
To thy side I haste amain;
Thou must seek myself in thee.7.7.7.7.7
St. Teresa of Jesus
Tr. by A. StirlingPsalmody
Ant. 1 For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.
Psalm 63
O God, you are my God, for you I long; *
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you *
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary *
to see your strength and your glory.For your love is better than life, *
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life, *
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, *
my mouth shall praise you with joy.On my bed I remember you. *
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help; *
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.
Ant. 2 All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.
Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
You heavens, bless the Lord,
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. *
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord. *
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. *
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord. *
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord. *
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord. *
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord. *
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.Let the earth bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. *
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord. *
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord. *
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. *
You sons of men, bless the Lord.O Israel, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. *
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. *
Let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. *
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all for ever.Ant. All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.
Ant. 3 I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.
Psalm 149
Sing a new song to the Lord, *
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker, *
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing *
and make music with timbrel and harp.For the Lord takes delight in his people. *
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, *
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips *
and a two-edged sword in their hand,to deal out vengeance to the nations *
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained; *
this honor is for all his faithful.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.
Reading
2 Cor 4:5-7
It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness”, who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ. We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.
Responsory
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.
Repeat R/.
V/. I long for your face, Lord; * it is you that I seek.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.Canticle of Zechariah
Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.He promised to show mercy to our fathers*
and to remember his holy covenant.This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.
Intercessions
The Lord of glory, the crown of all the saints, gives us the joy of celebrating this feast of our Mother Saint Teresa. Let us praise him, saying:
R/. Glory to you, Lord.
Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels of your grace; —in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies forever. R/.
You want your love to blaze like fire throughout the world; —may we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight. R/.
You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; —unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to you. R/.
You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; —purify our sight, so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be close to you. R/.
You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; —make us humble of heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Daytime Prayer
The complementary psalms are used. If this feast falls on Sunday, then psalms from Sunday, Week I are said.
Midmorning
Ant. When you pray go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden.
Reading
Rev 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
V/. I will pray to the God of my life.
R/. I will say to him: You are my support.Midday
Ant. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near.
Reading
1 Thess 5:16-18
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
V/. You will show me the path of life.
R/. The fullness of joy in your presence.Midafternoon
Ant. Let us live in truth and love, and let all things aid our growth into Christ.
Reading
3 John 3-4
It was a great joy to me when some brothers came and told of your faithfulness to the truth, and of your life in the truth. It is always my greatest joy to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
V/. Serve the Lord in truth.
R/. Whoever follows the truth, comes to the light.Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.Evening Prayer
Hymn
Teresa, herald of the King,
You left your home in dawn of youth
To bring to souls, on eager wing,
Your blood, or Christ’s redeeming truth.But yours must be another death—
Both pain and rapture flood your heart,
Enkindled by the Spirit’s breath,
Pierced through by cherub’s fiery dart.O Victim of pure charity,
Send fire to souls you love so well;
By flame of Wisdom’s clarity
Deliver us from fires of hell!O Jesus, Spouse of virgin-brides,
May they adoring sing your praise
In nuptial music that abides
Through peace of never-ending days!L.M.
Regis superni nuntia
Tr. unknownPsalmody
Ant. 1 The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.
Psalm 122
I rejoiced when I heard them say: *
“Let us go to God’s house.”
And now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.Jerusalem is built as a city *
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up, *
the tribes of the Lord.For Israel’s law it is, *
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgment *
of the house of David.For the peace of Jerusalem pray; *
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls, *
in your palaces, peace!”For love of my brethren and friends *
I say: “Peace upon you!”
For love of the house of the Lord *
I will ask for your good.Ant. The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.
Ant. 2 Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.
Psalm 127
If the Lord does not build the house, *
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city, *
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.In vain is your earlier rising, *
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat: *
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, *
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth *
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.O the happiness of the man *
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame *
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.Ant. Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.
Ant. 3 I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.
Canticle: Col 1:12-20
Let us give thanks to the Father *
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints *
in light.He rescued us *
from the power of darkness
and brought us *
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of our sins.He is the image of the invisible God, *
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, *
things visible and invisible.All were created through him; *
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is. *
In him everything continues in being.It is he who is head of the body, the church! *
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead, *
so that primacy may be his in everything.It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him *
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens, *
making peace through the blood of his cross.Ant. I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.
Reading
Jude 20-21
You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life.
Responsory
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.
Repeat R/.
V/. And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.Canticle of Mary
Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.
Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, *
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant, *
and from this day all generations will call me blessed.The Almighty has done great things for me: *
holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,*
and has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and has sent the rich away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israel*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.
Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.
Intercessions
Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy: let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her members:
R/. Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.
You are the Head of the Church and the source of all her grace; —may all your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are the living and holy members of your Body. R/.
You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles, and through them you teach us the truth and lead us in green pastures; —enlighten and guide those you have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may hear your voice leading us to life. R/.
You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; —as the harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. R/.
You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty, your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; —with Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show forth your life within them as they serve the Church. R/.
You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and baptism; —may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace. R/.
You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; —may all who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. R/.
Our Father…
Prayer
Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
St Teresa praying at a desk to left, looking at the Holy Spirit in top left, a book and ink-well on the table; unsigned; illustration to page 122 of Aubert le Mire’s “Sanctorum Principum … Imagines” (Antwerp: 1613) Engraving | British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum (Some rights reserved)
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/12/stjlit24/
#DiscalcedCarmelite #DoctorOfTheChurch #LiturgyOfTheHours #Solemnity #StTeresaOfAvila #StTeresaOfJesus #virgin
-
I saw three Carmelites dressed in their mantles and long veils. It appeared to me they were coming for our mother, but what I did understand clearly was that they came from heaven. In the depths of my heart, I cried out: “Oh! how happy I would be if I could see the face of one of these Carmelites!” Then, as though my prayer were heard by her, the tallest of the saints advanced toward me; immediately I fell to my knees. Oh! what happiness! The Carmelite raised her veil or rather she raised it and covered me with it. Without the least hesitation, I recognized Venerable Anne of Jesus, Foundress of Carmel in France.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Manuscript B, folios 1v-2v
Letter to Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart (excerpt)
8 September 1896As we celebrate St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s feast day, we also reflect on the recent beatification of Blessed Anne of Jesus, a key figure in expanding the Carmelite reform. Anne’s leadership established Carmels across France, including Dijon, where St. Elizabeth of the Trinity would later flourish.
In a dream in 1897, Anne appeared to Thérèse, offering reassurance about her Little Way—the simple, yet profound path of trust and love. This dream affirmed Thérèse’s spiritual path during a time of great physical and emotional suffering.
Anne of Jesus also had a lasting influence on other great Carmelites, including the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne and Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, who entered Carmel at Pau. Their spiritual lineage traces back to the foundational work of Anne, whose legacy continues to inspire today.
Meanwhile, Thérèse’s influence as a Doctor of the Church, recognized by St. John Paul II in 1997, affirms the depth of her teachings. As the Pope wrote in his Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia, Thérèse’s Little Way embodies a profound understanding of the Gospel, making her a guide for all those who seek God’s face.
Listen to the episode “Anne and Thérèse: A Living Legacy” embedded below to discover more about their intertwined lives and how their spiritual legacies continue to shape the Church today.
https://youtu.be/Ykk-xrQv5Lw?si=nC2ogsKc5A3KLEiA
Thérèse & Foley, M 2005, Story of a Soul: The autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Study edn, translated from the French by Clarke, J, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: On the left, this detail of a portrait of Venerable Anne of Jesus is a treasured 17th c. painting at the Carmel of Pontoise, France. Found in the online database of the French Ministry of Culture, this portrait of Venerable Anne is a reduced and simplified copy of a painting kept in the Carmel of the Incarnation in Clamart, France. It is based on an engraving by the famous Antwerp artist Hieronymus Wierix (1553–1619). [Photo credit: © Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, diffusion RMN-GP]. On the right, Austrian artist Emil Beischläger (1897–1977) created this oil on canvas portrait of St. Thérèse around 1925, which was the year of her canonization [Image credit: artnet.com].
https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/01/s2ep24annetherese/
#BlessedAnneOfJesus #DiscalcedCarmelites #DoctorOfTheChurch #dream #founder #France #heritage #nuns #Podcast #StThérèseOfLisieux #StJohnPaulII
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@sapiens I didn't know there's a patron saint for natural scientists! & just discovered this link to a very promising book review: https://masto.ai/@markrstoll/110709849436267837
#13thCentury #philosopher #AlbertusMagnus #Dominican #DoctorOfTheChurch #TIL #PatronSaint #scientists @medievodons @bookstodon -
@sapiens I didn't know there's a patron saint for natural scientists! & just discovered this link to a very promising book review: https://masto.ai/@markrstoll/110709849436267837
#13thCentury #philosopher #AlbertusMagnus #Dominican #DoctorOfTheChurch #TIL #PatronSaint #scientists @medievodons @bookstodon -
@sapiens I didn't know there's a patron saint for natural scientists! & just discovered this link to a very promising book review: https://masto.ai/@markrstoll/110709849436267837
#13thCentury #philosopher #AlbertusMagnus #Dominican #DoctorOfTheChurch #TIL #PatronSaint #scientists @medievodons @bookstodon -
@sapiens I didn't know there's a patron saint for natural scientists! & just discovered this link to a very promising book review: https://masto.ai/@markrstoll/110709849436267837
#13thCentury #philosopher #AlbertusMagnus #Dominican #DoctorOfTheChurch #TIL #PatronSaint #scientists @medievodons @bookstodon -
@sapiens I didn't know there's a patron saint for natural scientists! & just discovered this link to a very promising book review: https://masto.ai/@markrstoll/110709849436267837
#13thCentury #philosopher #AlbertusMagnus #Dominican #DoctorOfTheChurch #TIL #PatronSaint #scientists @medievodons @bookstodon -
God’s Mercy is Greater: St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus on Purgatory (2024)
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
THE TEACHING OF SAINT THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX ON PURGATORY
Doctor of the Church for the third millennium
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who was declared Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 1997, felt the calling in the monastery to teach others and wanted to be a teacher (docteur).1 Early on, God revealed the mysteries of His Love to her. She writes about this: “Ah! Had the learned who spent their life in study come to me, undoubtedly they would have been astonished to see a child of fourteen understand perfection’s secrets, secrets all their knowledge cannot reveal because to possess them one has to be poor in spirit!” 2
In his apostolic letter Divini Amoris Scientia, published when St. Thérèse was declared Doctor of the Church, the Holy Father says that one should not look for a scientific revelation of God’s mysteries.
“Thus we can rightly recognize in the Saint of Lisieux the charism of a Doctor of the Church, because of the gift of the Holy Spirit she received for living and expressing her experience of faith, and because of her particular understanding of the mystery of Christ… That assimilation was certainly favored by the most singular natural gifts, but it was also evidently something prodigious, due to a charism of wisdom from the Holy Spirit.” 3
Her writings offer an abundance of ideas concerning practically every field in theology and spirituality, a multitude which even a hundred years after her death has been far from exhausted. As the popes repeatedly express: Thérèse of Lisieux is a gift to the Church. Before the year 2000, she was declared Doctor of the Church, becoming the third woman amongst the thirty-three recognized Doctors of the Church. She died young. Not only is she the youngest of all, but also the best known, loved, and read! Already she has given the Church a lot, and in the dawn of a new millennium, she will continue to bless the faithful with her many gifts. Thus, she is also known as “Doctor of the Church of the third millennium.”
“One does not need to go to Purgatory”
Little Thérèse’s theology is a theology that springs from life, a theology of experience. She received a fervent Catholic upbringing at home, in her parish community, as well as at the school of the Benedictine nuns in Lisieux, and thus, she was familiar with the teaching of Purgatory. Being led by the Holy Spirit, thoughts, notions, and ideas developed which finally became, “The teaching of the Little Flower on Purgatory.” 4
The common teaching within the Church is that Purgatory can hardly be avoided. While still only a novice, the saint commented about this with one of the sisters, Sr. Maria Philomena, who believed in the near impossibility of going to heaven without passing through purgatory:
You do not have enough trust. You have too much fear before the good God. I can assure you that He is grieved over this. You should not fear Purgatory because of the suffering there, but should instead ask that you not deserve to go there in order to please God, Who so reluctantly imposes this punishment. As soon as you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakable trust He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets no sin remain. And then you can be sure that you will not have to go to Purgatory. 5
She even said that we would offend God if we didn’t trust enough that we would get to heaven right after dying. When she found out that her novices talked occasionally that they would probably have to expect to be in Purgatory, she corrected them saying:
“Oh! How you grieve me! You do God a great injustice by thinking you’re going to Purgatory. When we love, there can be no Purgatory.”
Recollection, Sr. Marie of the Eucharist
Letter to her father, Isidore Guérin, 8 July 1897 6Now, this is a new doctrine, but only for those who don’t know God, who are not childlike, who don’t trust. It is so correct to see things this way. It is true that God will judge us at one point, but He is always and first our Father Who suffers when He has to punish His child and sees its suffering. The child should do His will just out of love, and not to avoid punishment. And this really means that God does not want Purgatory! He allows that His children suffer, but only as if He had to look away.7
If St. Thérèse is correct that one does not need to be in Purgatory because God Himself does not want this and would love to help us, the thought that Purgatory can be avoided is suddenly not so far-fetched anymore. But first, there is the problem of the aforementioned opinion which says that only few will avoid Purgatory. This is confirmed by great saints and mystics like St. John of the Cross who says, “Only a small number of souls achieve perfect love” 8 (perfect love is necessary to go straight to heaven). St. Teresa of Avila also had the experience that only few will be able to avoid Purgatory. 9 St. John Vianney said, “It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory, and the suffering there that one must endure, exceeds our imagination.” 10
One also has to take into consideration that even practicing Christians are convinced that even the good and faithful and those consecrated to God will have to be exposed to purification in Purgatory for a certain amount of time. The reason for this is always the same: “It is not easy to avoid Purgatory. No one is a saint, and I will certainly have to spend some time there myself.” They add to this that “God is just” or “we certainly deserve this.”
Therefore, it is even more amazing what St. Thérèse has to say. Once she encouraged her novice, Sr. Marie de la Trinité to have the faith that it was possible even for her to get to heaven right away. She wondered “If I fail even in the smallest things, may I still hope to get straight to heaven?” St. Thérèse, who knew well the weaknesses of her novice, replied: “Yes! God is so good. He will know how He can come and get you. But despite this, try to be faithful, so that He does not wait in vain for your love.” 11
“God is so good. He will know how He can come and get you”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux to her novice Sr. Marie de la Trinité
God is Father rather than Judge
Once St. Thérèse had a confrontation regarding this topic with Sr. Marie Fébronie, who not only was sixty-seven years old but also was sub-prioress. She had heard that St. Thérèse encouraged the novices to believe that they could go straight to heaven. She did not like this as she considered this kind of confidence presumptuous, and thus she reproached St. Thérèse. St. Thérèse tried lovingly and calmly to explain to Sr. Fébronie her point of view but with no success as Sr. Fébronie clung to belief. For St. Thérèse God was more Father than Judge, and she took the liberty of finally responding, “My sister, if you look for the justice of God you will get it. The soul will receive from God exactly what she desires.”
The year had not passed when, in January 1892, Sr. M. Fébronie together with other sisters fell prey to the flu and died. Three months later Sr. Thérèse had a dream which she related to her Mother Prioress and which was then documented: “O my Mother, my Sr. M. Fébronie came to me last night and asked that we should pray for her: She is in Purgatory, surely because she had trusted too little in the mercy of the good Lord. Through her imploring behavior and her profound looks, it seemed she wanted to say, You were right. I am now delivered up to the full justice of God but it is my fault. If I had listened to you I would not be here now.” 12
St. Thérèse’s “doctrine” in 7 keywords
- Purgatory became a rule rather than the exception
An infinite number of souls who suffer in Purgatory and for whom the Church prays daily after consecration did not need to go there. If we think in human terms, God does not wish for us to need Purgatory. God does not put us here on earth, where we are tested and are suffering after the fall, only to let us suffer again—and much worse—in Purgatory. Everyone receives enough graces in order to go straight to God after passing the trials on earth. However, Purgatory is an emergency entry to Heaven for those who have wasted their time. However, what God considered the exception became the rule, and the rule—to go straight to heaven—became the exception.
- To cope with the “inevitable” is a grave error
Since God does not really want Purgatory, He does not want it for me either! But then I also have to not want it! Nobody would expose themselves to the danger of Purgatory by living a mediocre and—as is the case so often today—a sinful life. If they only thought of the intense sufferings in Purgatory. In this regard, the mystics unanimously say that the least suffering in Purgatory is much greater than the greatest suffering here on earth! The reason for this is that once in Purgatory, one does not go through the time of God’s Mercy but of God’s Justice. Here, the Lord’s word applies: “I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny” (Lk 12:59). The many who carelessly say, “I will probably spend some time there,” are gravely wrong. Nobody just spends some time there, one has to suffer there like one has never suffered nor could have suffered while on earth. One often even suffers a long time there also. If the Poor Souls in Purgatory had known on earth what to expect in eternity, Purgatory would have remained empty.
- Purgatory is a waste of time
This is what St. Thérèse says, “I know that of myself I would not merit even to enter that place of expiation since only holy souls can have an entrance there. But I also know that the Fire of Love is more sanctifying than is the fire of Purgatory. I know that Jesus cannot desire useless sufferings for us and that He would not inspire the longings I feel unless He wanted to grant them.” 13 It is true that Purgatory is a wonderful grace, for if needed, without the purification in Purgatory we would not go to Heaven, and the work of art which God intended and created us to be would not be completed. But St. Thérèse is right: at the moment of our death, we already have our place in Heaven. Afterward, there is no growth in grace anymore. Whoever does not go through Purgatory does not miss anything.
- We need a more positive image of God
We already know that St. Thérèse told her novices that they offended God when they thought they would go to Purgatory. That is a very shocking statement: for if this is correct millions of Christians are offending God or at least hurt Him. And yet this is the case. They are focused only on themselves, thinking — not without reason — that they deserve Purgatory. They do not notice God Who is by their side and would love to help them so much. The fact that we fear Purgatory so much also has to do with a rather negative image that we have of God. We, Christians of the 20th Century, were like so many, raised with the image of a strict God, anxious to punish us as often as we deserve it. This thinking goes back to heresies like Jansenism, Quietism, or Calvinism. 14
- Love banishes fear
The question of whether Heaven will follow right after death is a question of trust. God does not need our merits in order to take us straight to Him but He needs all of our trust. Or the other way around — it is not our sins that can prevent God from giving us this grace but rather our lack of trust. Therefore, we must draw the conclusion that everything depends solely on trust. There is no trust without perfect love. And vice versa, there is no love without trust.
And this is exactly what the Apostle John writes in his first letter, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love” (1 Jn. 4:17-18).
This text enlightens our topic very much. Judgment Day is the day of our death. Whoever achieves perfect love at the moment of their death sees God as so merciful and generous that they cannot believe in punishment in Purgatory. We are dealing with the same kind of grace in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that this Sacrament has as its real fruit the wiping out of punishment due to our sins.15 After those who have received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, others present often notice that the sick enter a period of growing peace and trust, together with a great surrender to the Will of God, and even serenity and desire for Heaven. This also applies to those who up to that point did not believe or even lived in mortal sin. Even these people, as the great theologians of sholasticism say — for example, St. Albert the Great or St. Bonaventure — go straight to Heaven without having to go through Purgatory first. This shows the wonderful grace coming from the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.16
- The last will be the first
While many Christians do receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, experience tells us that they do not go straight to Heaven. The mystics often relate that many priests and religious suffer a long time and have to wait for their release. However, all of them or almost all of them have received the Sacrament of the Anointing. What is the reason for this? The answer is certainly that they did not receive the Sacrament with the necessary repentance or surrender to the Will of God, or that they did not want to change their flaws and vices a long time before their death.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that she heard that sometimes great saints with many merits come before the Judgment of God, but have to go to Purgatory because our justice before God is often unclean. That is why she recommends to give away immediately all the merits of our good deeds, and that it is better to appear before God empty-handed.17 She recommends to her oldest sister and godmother Marie, to be given Heaven free of charge by God.18
While on the one hand, the first ones don’t always get to Heaven first, on the other hand, there are enough examples that the last ones become the first ones. Thérèse refers in her writings to the Lord’s mercy towards the good thief,19 and wishes that the story from the “desert fathers,” about how a great sinner called Paesie died out of love and is being taken straight to heaven, should be added to her autobiography, “Souls will understand immediately, for it is a striking example of what I’m trying to say.”20
When our great hour comes, like St. Thérèse writes to Abbé Roulland, missionary in China, if only we trust, the Blessed Virgin will obtain “the grace of making an act of perfect love” should we have “some trace of human weakness” and so will we reach heaven immediately after death.21
- St. Thérèse’s teaching, a great message for the third millennium
One can rightfully say that Thérèse is turning all common opinions on Purgatory upside down.22 She wants to appear before God empty-handed and explains why it can be easier for sinners who have nothing to rely upon to reach Heaven than the great saints with all their merits. She emphasizes that trust alone is enough, that merits are no guarantee but often an obstacle for the straight way to Heaven, and that sins do not need to be an obstacle. After a ‘messed-up’ life, God can still take one straight to Heaven if the dying person only has trust. And how easy it can be to trust if there are no merits but only one’s misery! Through trust, she shows the shorter way to Heaven to the small and humble. And so many can and will go that way. She writes about this to her sister Marie: “… what pleases Him (God) is that He sees me loving my littleness and my poverty, the blind hope that I have in His mercy… That is my only treasure, dear Godmother, why should this treasure not be yours?…”23
As has been said, she has made sanctity available for everyone through her little way, and this is also true for the straight way to Heaven… This will no longer be an exception. Once those who are smart enough to gather from the treasures of our new Doctor of the Church will walk this way easily, especially those who want to be part of the legion of little souls which St. Thérèse asked God for at the end of her manuscript B, “I beg You to cast Your Divine Glance upon a great number of little souls. I beg You to choose a legion of little Victims worthy of Your LOVE!”24 Yes, by listening to her wonderful message there will be many, many souls… and with that, Purgatory stops being the unavoidable detour to Heaven!
Conclusion
St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus gave us a lot to think about. There are yet many new thoughts to be understood in terms of theology. For us, however, the most important, even existentially significant of everything she wrote is the message on Purgatory. The question of what happens to us after death should move us deeply. Let us just remember Sr. Fébronie and her suffering in Purgatory; her silent message from the next world should move us. “It seemed,” says Thérèse, “as if she wanted to say: If I had listened to you I would not be here now.” This is actually shocking when you think about it. One has to admit that Sr. Fébronie entered the next world through the wrong door. And with her, thousands and millions who would have managed to avoid Purgatory. And why did they not achieve this? The simple reason is that nobody showed them the correct way. Considering this, one does understand that Thérèse is a true gift to the Church. God gave her to us as leader and comforter for the apocalyptic days in which we very obviously live. Her message concerning Purgatory is a true grace of God’s merciful love for the moment of our death. But to this we can apply the urgent exhortation of our LORD: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Lk. 8:8).
Father Hubert van Dijk, ORC
Die Barmherzigkeit Gottes ist größer: Die hl. Theresia vom Kinde Jesu über das Fegefeuer (God’s Mercy is Greater: St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus on Purgatory) by Father Hubert van Dijk, O.R.C. first appeared in December 2001 and January 2002 in Augsburg, Germany’s Catholic journal Der Fels (vol. 32, no. 12, pp. 344–345; vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 18–20). The blog, HEALING GRACE, first published the English translation of Father Hubert’s articles. We are grateful to blogger Fred Schaeffer, SFO for bringing Father van Dijk’s message, and this particular message of Thérèse to the world.
Hubert van Dijk, O.R.C. (b. 1935) completed his theological and biblical studies under the direction of the Jesuits in Rome and Jerusalem. Ordained a priest in 1959, he earned his doctorate in biblical exegesis in 1968 from the Pontifical Institute Biblicum, publishing his doctoral dissertation, Ezekiel’s Prophecy on Type. From 1967 to 1972 he did postdoctoral work at Radboud University in Nijmegen, which was co-founded by Blessed Titus Brandsma (1923). Father van Dijk has published many articles in religious and scholarly journals. In 1979 he was among the first to join the restored Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross of Coimbra (O.R.C.), and for many years he was Prior General of the Order. Since then, his publications on the nature, mission, and service of the holy angels have been published in various languages, including Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and French [Sources: mercadolibre.com.co and swietyjacek.pl].
Footnotes:
- “I would like to enlighten souls — as did the prophets and the Doctors.” St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Story of a Soul. ICS. Washington DC, 1996, Ms B, 2v, pg. 192.
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Story of a Soul, ICS, Washington DC, 1996, Ms A, 49r. Pg. 105.
- Divini Amoris, l.c., Nr. 7.
- Philippe de la Trinité, La Doctrine de Sainte Thérèse sur le Purgatoire. Editions du Parvis, CH-1648 Hauteville/Suisse 1992, pg. 16.
- Annales de Sainte Thérèse, Lisieux. Nr. 610, Febr. 1982. Translated from the German.
- Last Conversations, ICS. Washington DC. 1971, pg 273.
- La Doctrine, l.c. pg 16. Translated from the German.
- St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night, Book II, ch. 20: “Since these souls – few that there be – are already extremely purged through love, they do not enter purgatory.”
- Ferdinand Holbőck. Das Fegefeuer, Salzburg 1977, page 94f. Translated from the German.
- La Doctrine, l.c.page 22f. Translated from the German.
- Lucien Regnault, La Pensee de Ste. Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus sur Ie Purgatoire in Annales de Sainte Thérèse, 1986, Suppl. Nr. 101, pages 21-29, quote on page 26. Translated from the German.
- Annales de Sainte Thérèse, Nr. 610. Feb. 1983, page 5. Translated from the German.
- Story of a Soul, Ms A, 84v, pg.181.
- La Pensee, l.c., page 23. Translated from the German.
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Suppl. Qu. 30, art. 1. Translated from the German.
- P. Philipon. Vie Spirituelle, Jan./Feb. 1945, pages 21-23; 16-17. Translated from the German.
- La Doctrine, l.c. page 13. Translated from the German.
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Letters St. Thérèse of Lisieux, ICS, Washington DC, 1913, Vol. II, pg 998, LT 197.
- Pious Recreations, RP 6, 7v, translated from the German.
- Last Conversations. pg. 89. Yellow Notebook, 11 July, Note 6.
- Letters of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Vol. II, pg. 1093, LT 226.
- La Pensee, l.c., pg. 28. Translated from the German.
- Letters of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Vol. II, pg. 999, LT 197.
- Story of a Soul, pg. 200. Ms B, 5v.
All scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for the vast majority of our quotes concerning Saint Thérèse, Saint Zélie, and Saint Louis Martin. If you would like to purchase English translations for the collected works of St. Thérèse, please visit the website of our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications.
#DiviniAmorisScientia #DoctorOfTheChurch #fear #HubertVanDijk #love #mercifulLove #mercy #purgatory #StJohnPaulII #StThereseOfLisieux #trust
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O eterne Deus,
nunc tibi placeat ut in amore illo ardeas,
ut membra illa simus, que fecisti in eodem amore,
cum Filium tuum genuisti in prima aurora
ante omnem creaturam,
et inspice necessitatem hanc que super nos cadit,
et abstrahe eam a nobis propter Filium tuum,
et perduc nos in leticiam salutis.
Amen.
#HildegardVonBingen #HildegardOfBingen #DoctorOfTheChurch #Catholic #Catholicism #Christianity #ChristianPrayer #ChristianHymn #ChristianSaint #LatinPrayer -
Recently author George Weigel recounted an interview with Benedict XVI; Weigel asked: "Why is Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church?" First Things has granted us permission to publish excerpts.
:blobcatcoffee: Learn why!
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/01/04/b16-20sep97/#PopeBenedictXVI #StThereseOfLisieux #DoctorOfTheChurch #FirstThings #interview #GeorgeWeigel #Catholic #Carmelite #quotes
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Recently author George Weigel recounted an interview with Benedict XVI; Weigel asked: "Why is Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church?" First Things has granted us permission to publish excerpts.
:blobcatcoffee: Learn why!
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/01/04/b16-20sep97/#PopeBenedictXVI #StThereseOfLisieux #DoctorOfTheChurch #FirstThings #interview #GeorgeWeigel #Catholic #Carmelite #quotes
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Recently author George Weigel recounted an interview with Benedict XVI; Weigel asked: "Why is Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church?" First Things has granted us permission to publish excerpts.
:blobcatcoffee: Learn why!
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/01/04/b16-20sep97/#PopeBenedictXVI #StThereseOfLisieux #DoctorOfTheChurch #FirstThings #interview #GeorgeWeigel #Catholic #Carmelite #quotes
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@carmelitequotes @EnricoilLeone
I managed to get ChatGPT to get quite emotional about St. Teresa 😉
"Today, I want to celebrate the life and legacy of St. Teresa of Avila, a Spanish mystic and Doctor of the Church. St. Teresa was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to seeking union with God and helping others to do the same. She was known for her deep spiritual insights, her profound writings, and her unwavering faith. Let us be inspired by St. Teresa's example and strive to live our lives in service to God and others. #stteresa #avila #mystic #doctorofthechurch"
The prompt was 'Please write a social media post about St. Teresa' -
Carmelite Quotes #blog offers a #novena for each of the major #Carmelite #saints throughout the year.
For our #StJohnOfTheCross novena in 2022, Father Quang D. Tran, S.J. leads our #meditations this year on the #night that #guides our footsteps better than #light and is brighter than the #dawn: the night that gives #sight.
🎇 Join us in prayer!
https://carmelitequotes.blog#christian #prayer #intercession #catholic #mystical #DoctorOfTheChurch
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St. Thérèse and the Offering to Merciful Love: A proposition for all the baptized
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus:
Four Essential Stages of her Life in Christ
The third stage is… communion with the greatness of Jesus, the infinite greatness of his Divinity in the Trinity. It is the sense of the Offering to Merciful Love (9 June 1895), in the account of the final pages of Manuscript A (Ms A, 83v-84v), and in the Act of the Offering itself (Pri 6).
Here the Christocentrism of Thérèse becomes explicitly Trinitarian: to the love of the Father who gave his Son to Thérèse as Savior and Spouse, and who looks upon her and always loves her through the Face of Jesus, and in his Heart burning with love in the Fire of the Holy Spirit, Thérèse responds through the total gift of herself as “victim of holocaust” for the salvation of all: she offers herself to the Father through Christ in the Spirit, through the hands of Mary.
This Offering is central within the doctrine of Thérèse. It is her fundamental proposition of holiness for all the baptized. We also can say that it is at the heart of her theological methodology because this total gift of self to Jesus through Love is absolutely indispensable in order to know, in-depth, the Mystery of the Love of Jesus.
François-Marie Léthel, O.C.D.
The Offering to Merciful Love, reverse side of the prayer: “In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, I offer myself as a victim of holocaust to your merciful love” | See the complete photo at Archives du Carmel de Lisieux
La Lumière du Christ dans le Coeur de l’ÉgliseTranslation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
#1895 #archives #blackVeil #CarmelDeLisieux #CarmelOfLisieux #Céline #Christocentrism #DoctorOfTheChurch #doctrine #FrançoisMarieLéthel #holiness #HolySpirit #LaLumièreDuChristDansLeCoeurDeLÉglise #LittleThérèse #Mary #mercifulLove #OfferingToMercifulLove #QOTD #quotation #quote #Quotes #stTherese #StThereseOfLisieux #StThereseOfTheChildJesus #translation #Trinitarian #victimOfHolocaust
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St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 6: Prayer
Reading
Whoever flees prayer flees all that is good.
Sayings of Light and Love, 169
Scripture
When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
they, my opponents, my enemies,
are the ones who stumble and fall.When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
they, my opponents, my enemies,
are the ones who stumble and fall.Though an army pitched camp against me,
my heart would not fear;
though war were waged against me,
my trust would still be firm.One thing I ask of Yahweh,
one thing I seek:
to live in the house of Yahweh
all the days of my life,
to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh
and to consult him in his Temple.For he shelters me under his awning
in times of trouble;
he hides me deep in his tent,
sets me high on a rock.And now my head is held high
over the enemies who surround me,
in his tent I will offer
exultant sacrifice.I will sing, I will play for Yahweh!
Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry!
Pity me! Answer me!
My heart has said of you,
“Seek his face.”
Yahweh, I do seek your face;
do not hide your face from me.Do not repulse your servant in anger;
you are my help.
Never leave me, never desert me,
God, my savior!
If my father and mother desert me,
Yahweh will care for me still.Yahweh, teach me your way,
lead me in the path of integrity
because of my enemies;
do not abandon me to the will of my foes—
false witnesses have risen against me,
and breathe out violence.This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh,
in the land of the living.
Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold,
put your hope in Yahweh.Meditation
Let’s have a virtual show of hands: who among us has had an experience where God seemed to be hiding or even absent when we pray? Who among us has ever prayed, “God, where are you?” Has anyone ever said, “prayer isn’t working for me, God doesn’t care about me, I give up”? Has anyone ever experienced dryness in prayer, where you can’t feel anything anymore? Or, has someone ever discovered one day that they drifted away from the fervor of the practice of prayer they once had?
If you answered, “yes” to any one or more of these questions, you are in good company. All of us experience difficulties in prayer. In yesterday’s fifth novena meditation, we read one of St. Teresa’s accounts where she experienced difficulties in prayer; she was going through a moment of tribulation and the practice of prayer that usually brought her encouragement and comfort simply didn’t work.
Growing in friendship with God is a lifelong journey along the way of perfection. There will be many moments when we will stumble and fall. Ask any old friend of God and they will testify to this age-old fact of the spiritual life. The most important lesson that those who travel the way of perfection (or the Little Way of St. Thérèse) must learn is that it’s not a matter of how frequently or infrequently we fall, it’s how quickly we get up again and keep moving along the way. Saint Teresa herself says in the Interior Castle’s Second Mansion (IC II), “if you should at times fall don’t become discouraged and stop striving to advance. For even from this fall God will draw out good.” (IC II:9)
“Don’t become discouraged” is advice we read and hear often in Carmelite spirituality. Here’s what St. Elizabeth of the Trinity said to her younger sister a few months before Elizabeth died:
Darling little sister, you must cross out the word “discouragement” from your dictionary of love; the more you feel your weakness, your difficulty in recollecting yourself, and the more hidden the Master seems, the more you must rejoice, for then you are giving to Him, and, when one loves, isn’t it better to give than to receive? God said to Saint Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9), and the great saint understood this so well that he cried out: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10). What does it matter what we feel; He, He is the Unchanging One, He who never changes: He loves you today as He loved you yesterday and will love you tomorrow. (Letter 298)
St. Teresa was more blunt when writing about those facing discouragement in prayer, especially beginners in prayer:
Ah, my Lord! Your help is necessary here; without it one can do nothing (cf. Jn 15:5). In Your mercy do not consent to allow this soul to suffer deception and give up what was begun. (IC II:6)
It will seem to you that you are truly determined to undergo exterior trials, provided that God favors you interiorly. His Majesty knows best what is suitable for us. There’s no need for us to be advising Him about what He should give us, for He can rightly tell us that we don’t know what we’re asking for (cf. Mt 20:22). The whole aim of any person who is beginning prayer—and don’t forget this, because it’s very, very important—should be that he work and prepare himself with determination and every possible effort to bring his will into conformity with God’s will. (IC II:8)
We can have all the determination in the world to be devout, faithful, and persistent in our prayer, but our own devotion, fidelity, and persistence alone are not sufficient. We need the Lord’s guidance. Here, St. Teresa refers to acquiring spiritual directors, but her point is more valid than ever:
Provided that we don’t give up, the Lord will guide everything for our benefit, even though we may not find someone to teach us. There is no other remedy for this evil of giving up prayer than to begin again; otherwise the soul will gradually lose more each day—and please God that it will understand this fact. (IC II:10)
“Provided that we don’t give up,” Teresa writes. “Whoever flees prayer,” St. John of the Cross echoes, “flees all that is good.”
What is this “all that is good” to which John refers?
This time, we will let him answer the question, by sharing an excerpt from his 8 July 1589 letter to Madre Leonor de San Gabriel in Córdoba. A companion of St. Teresa in founding the monasteries of Beas and Sevilla, Mother Leonor was feeling alone in Córdoba without the companionship of Teresa and the sisters she knew and loved the best. St. John of the Cross wrote a letter to encourage her in her new mission as prioress:
Jesus be in your soul, my daughter in Christ.
Thank you for your letter. And I thank God for having desired to use you in this foundation, since His Majesty has done this in order to bring you greater profit. The more he wants to give, the more he makes us desire—even to the point of leaving us empty in order to fill us with goods. You will be repaid for the goods (the love of your sisters) that you leave behind in Sevilla. Since the immense blessings of God can only enter and fit into an empty and solitary heart, the Lord wants you to be alone. For he truly loves you with the desire of being himself all your company. And Your Reverence will have to strive carefully to be content only with his companionship, so you might discover in it every happiness. Even though the soul may be in heaven, it will not be happy if it does not conform its will to this. And we will be unhappy with God, even though he is always present with us, if our heart is not alone, but attached to something else. (Letter 15)
“He loves you today as He loved you yesterday and will love you tomorrow,” St. Elizabeth wrote, echoing the sentiments of St. John of the Cross. But if God is “always present with us”, how can we become present to God, so that our hearts are alone and not “attached to something else”?
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection tells us what he did:
Thus, after offering myself entirely to God in atonement for my sins, I renounced for the sake of his love everything other than God, and I began to live as if only he and I existed in the world. Sometimes I considered myself before him as a miserable criminal at his judge’s feet, and at other times I regarded him in my heart as my Father, as my God. I adored him there as often as I could, keeping my mind in his holy presence and recalling him as many times as I was distracted. I had some trouble doing this exercise, but continued in spite of all the difficulties I encountered, without getting disturbed or anxious when I was involuntarily distracted. I was as faithful to this practice during my activities as I was during my periods of mental prayer, for at every moment, all the time, in the most intense periods of my work I banished and rid from my mind everything that was capable of taking the thought of God away from me (Letter 12).
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
The Arrest of St John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
18th c. French
Oil on canvas, 1772 or 1777
Carmel of Pontoise
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Diffusion RMN-GP. Used by permission.The novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
John of the Cross, St 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, rev. edn, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, Nash, A (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God, translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#beginners #brotherLawrence #brotherLawrenceOfTheResurrection #determination #difficulty #discouragement #doctorOfTheChurch #dryness #elizabethCatez #fall #givingUp #godsWill #icsPublications #interiorCastle #johnOfTheCross #journey #letter #letters #loneliness #mentalPrayer #novena #practiceOfThePresenceOfGod #psalms #sabeth #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stElizabethOfTheTrinity #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresa #stTeresaOfAvila #stTeresaOfJesus #stumble #teresa #way #willOfGod
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St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 5: Trust
Reading
In tribulation, immediately draw near to God with trust, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.
Sayings of Light and Love, 66
Scripture
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.When I fear, I will trust in you,
in God whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?All day long they distort my words,
all their thought is to harm me.
They band together in ambush,
track me down and seek my life.You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
are they not written in your book?
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.Meditation
Oh, blessed tribulation, that sure sign that God is madly in love with you.
Tribulation is a word that is no longer part of our daily vocabulary. It appears in word puzzles and still makes its way into Hollywood film scripts, although it sounds more appropriate coming from the lips of the revered British actor Charles Laughton, whose King Herod once posed the legendary rhetorical question: “Why does the prophet visit me with worse than the tribulations of Job?”
Saint Teresa of Jesus understood what Saint John of the Cross meant when he was writing about tribulation because she had seen her fair share of it in her lifetime. Here’s just one example from Testimony 53 written in Seville, 8 November 1575:
On the octave day of All Saints I spent two or three very troublesome days over the remembrance of my great sins and because of some fears of my being persecuted that had no foundation, except that false testimony was going to be raised [She had been falsely accused before the Inquisition of Seville]. And all the courage I usually have for suffering left me. Although I wanted to encourage myself, and I made acts and reflected that this suffering would be very beneficial to my soul, all these actions helped me little. For the fear didn’t go away, and what I felt was a vexing war. I chanced upon a letter in which my good Father [Jerome Gracián, Discalced Carmelite and Apostolic Visitor] refers to what St. Paul says, that God does not permit us to be tempted beyond what we can suffer (1 Cor 10:13). That comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough. Rather, the next day I became sorely afflicted in seeing I was without him, since I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation. It seemed to me I was living in great loneliness, and this loneliness increased when I saw that there was no one now but him who might give me comfort and that he had to be absent most of the time, which was a great torment to me.
On the next night, while reading in a book a saying of St. Paul which began to console me, I was thinking of how present our Lord had previously been to me, for He had so truly seemed to be the living God. While I was thinking about this, He appeared in an intellectual vision, very deep within me, as though on the side where the heart is, and said: “Here I am, but I want you to see what little you can do without Me.”
I felt reassured right away, and all my fears were gone. While I was at Matins that same night, the Lord, through an intellectual vision so intense it almost seemed to be an imaginative one, placed Himself in my arms as in the painting of the fifth agony. This vision caused me great fear. For it was so clear, and He was so close to me that I wondered if it was an illusion. He told me: “Don’t be surprised by this, for My Father is with your soul in an incomparably greater union.”
This vision has so remained up till now. What I said of our Lord lasted more than a month. Now it is gone.
Now, we may not be falsely accused before the Inquisition, but in our daily lives, we see plenty of tribulation. And Saint Teresa makes it clear that if we are seeking to make love our ambition, to grow in that untiring love of which St. John of the Cross speaks, then we will be blessed with tribulation.
Blessed with tribulation?
“It is clear that since God wants to lead those whom He greatly loves by the path of tribulation—and the more He loves them the greater the tribulation—there is no reason to think that He despises contemplatives, for with His own mouth He praises them and considers them His friends.” (Way 18:1)
But what if I don’t want to be a contemplative?
For the faithful, this truly is not an option if we desire to be united with Christ in heaven, where we will be contemplatives for all eternity! St. Paul writes, “and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).
The Catechism reminds us:
Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision.”
Citing St. Cyprian, the Catechism continues:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God’s friends. (CCC 1028)
To be able to contemplate Christ for all eternity, the tribulation is worth it.
We notice that a great Saint and Doctor of the Church like Our Holy Mother Teresa was not immune from tribulation and anxiety. She was suffering terribly: there were “very troublesome days” and fears of being persecuted. She had lost her courage, and every remedy, every action that normally helped in past situations didn’t help at all. She was stuck in her fears and left with what she calls a guerra desabrida… a rather unsavory war—fruitless, vexing, and pointless. Even reading a letter from the priest who meant more to her than any other friar in the world couldn’t console her; his advice was to read St. Paul, but she admitted that it “comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough.”
Poor St. Teresa, she was really in emotional distress and in a spiritual bind. The next day she became even more upset because Father Gracián wasn’t there to encourage and console her in her anxiety. “I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation” and for her, the loneliness seemed to be the worst part.
St. John of the Cross says that it’s in times like these that we must “immediately draw near to God with trust” and that is exactly what St. Teresa did. She didn’t give up praying, seeking, and hoping, and she didn’t abandon God. Quite the opposite: she continued to draw near to God, even though He seemed distant or hiding. It seems that she may have had difficulty praying with peace, so she turned to spiritual reading instead.
Now, the Lord made himself known to St. Teresa at that moment through a mystical experience. However, that may not necessarily be the path the Lord chooses for each one of us. What St. John of the Cross explains is that if we draw near to God with trust, then we will receive “strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity gives the following advice to ordinary folks like you and I for how best to draw near to God when troubled or anxious in those moments that St. John and St. Teresa called “tribulation”:
You must build a little cell within your soul as I do. Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time; when you feel nervous or you’re unhappy, quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it.
Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you anymore; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go (Letter 123).
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
The Escape of St John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
18th c. French
Oil on canvas, 1768
Carmel of Pontoise
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Diffusion RMN-GP. Used by permission.The novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
John of the Cross, St 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, rev. edn, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, Nash, A (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#anxiety #doctorOfTheChurch #elizabethCatez #enlightenment #icsPublications #inquisition #instruction #johnOfTheCross #letter #letters #loneliness #novena #persecution #psalms #sabeth #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stElizabethOfTheTrinity #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresa #stTeresaOfAvila #stTeresaOfJesus #strength #teresa #tribulation #troubles #trust #wayOfPerfection #worries
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St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 5: Trust
Reading
In tribulation, immediately draw near to God with trust, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.
Sayings of Light and Love, 66
Scripture
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.When I fear, I will trust in you,
in God whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?All day long they distort my words,
all their thought is to harm me.
They band together in ambush,
track me down and seek my life.You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
are they not written in your book?
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.Meditation
Oh, blessed tribulation, that sure sign that God is madly in love with you.
Tribulation is a word that is no longer part of our daily vocabulary. It appears in word puzzles and still makes its way into Hollywood film scripts, although it sounds more appropriate coming from the lips of the revered British actor Charles Laughton, whose King Herod once posed the legendary rhetorical question: “Why does the prophet visit me with worse than the tribulations of Job?”
Saint Teresa of Jesus understood what Saint John of the Cross meant when he was writing about tribulation because she had seen her fair share of it in her lifetime. Here’s just one example from Testimony 53 written in Seville, 8 November 1575:
On the octave day of All Saints I spent two or three very troublesome days over the remembrance of my great sins and because of some fears of my being persecuted that had no foundation, except that false testimony was going to be raised [She had been falsely accused before the Inquisition of Seville]. And all the courage I usually have for suffering left me. Although I wanted to encourage myself, and I made acts and reflected that this suffering would be very beneficial to my soul, all these actions helped me little. For the fear didn’t go away, and what I felt was a vexing war. I chanced upon a letter in which my good Father [Jerome Gracián, Discalced Carmelite and Apostolic Visitor] refers to what St. Paul says, that God does not permit us to be tempted beyond what we can suffer (1 Cor 10:13). That comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough. Rather, the next day I became sorely afflicted in seeing I was without him, since I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation. It seemed to me I was living in great loneliness, and this loneliness increased when I saw that there was no one now but him who might give me comfort and that he had to be absent most of the time, which was a great torment to me.
On the next night, while reading in a book a saying of St. Paul which began to console me, I was thinking of how present our Lord had previously been to me, for He had so truly seemed to be the living God. While I was thinking about this, He appeared in an intellectual vision, very deep within me, as though on the side where the heart is, and said: “Here I am, but I want you to see what little you can do without Me.”
I felt reassured right away, and all my fears were gone. While I was at Matins that same night, the Lord, through an intellectual vision so intense it almost seemed to be an imaginative one, placed Himself in my arms as in the painting of the fifth agony. This vision caused me great fear. For it was so clear, and He was so close to me that I wondered if it was an illusion. He told me: “Don’t be surprised by this, for My Father is with your soul in an incomparably greater union.”
This vision has so remained up till now. What I said of our Lord lasted more than a month. Now it is gone.
Now, we may not be falsely accused before the Inquisition, but in our daily lives, we see plenty of tribulation. And Saint Teresa makes it clear that if we are seeking to make love our ambition, to grow in that untiring love of which St. John of the Cross speaks, then we will be blessed with tribulation.
Blessed with tribulation?
“It is clear that since God wants to lead those whom He greatly loves by the path of tribulation—and the more He loves them the greater the tribulation—there is no reason to think that He despises contemplatives, for with His own mouth He praises them and considers them His friends.” (Way 18:1)
But what if I don’t want to be a contemplative?
For the faithful, this truly is not an option if we desire to be united with Christ in heaven, where we will be contemplatives for all eternity! St. Paul writes, “and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).
The Catechism reminds us:
Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision.”
Citing St. Cyprian, the Catechism continues:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God’s friends. (CCC 1028)
To be able to contemplate Christ for all eternity, the tribulation is worth it.
We notice that a great Saint and Doctor of the Church like Our Holy Mother Teresa was not immune from tribulation and anxiety. She was suffering terribly: there were “very troublesome days” and fears of being persecuted. She had lost her courage, and every remedy, every action that normally helped in past situations didn’t help at all. She was stuck in her fears and left with what she calls a guerra desabrida… a rather unsavory war—fruitless, vexing, and pointless. Even reading a letter from the priest who meant more to her than any other friar in the world couldn’t console her; his advice was to read St. Paul, but she admitted that it “comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough.”
Poor St. Teresa, she was really in emotional distress and in a spiritual bind. The next day she became even more upset because Father Gracián wasn’t there to encourage and console her in her anxiety. “I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation” and for her, the loneliness seemed to be the worst part.
St. John of the Cross says that it’s in times like these that we must “immediately draw near to God with trust” and that is exactly what St. Teresa did. She didn’t give up praying, seeking, and hoping, and she didn’t abandon God. Quite the opposite: she continued to draw near to God, even though He seemed distant or hiding. It seems that she may have had difficulty praying with peace, so she turned to spiritual reading instead.
Now, the Lord made himself known to St. Teresa at that moment through a mystical experience. However, that may not necessarily be the path the Lord chooses for each one of us. What St. John of the Cross explains is that if we draw near to God with trust, then we will receive “strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity gives the following advice to ordinary folks like you and I for how best to draw near to God when troubled or anxious in those moments that St. John and St. Teresa called “tribulation”:
You must build a little cell within your soul as I do. Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time; when you feel nervous or you’re unhappy, quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it.
Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you anymore; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go (Letter 123).
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
The Escape of St John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
18th c. French
Oil on canvas, 1768
Carmel of Pontoise
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Diffusion RMN-GP. Used by permission.The novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
John of the Cross, St 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, rev. edn, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, Nash, A (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#anxiety #doctorOfTheChurch #elizabethCatez #enlightenment #icsPublications #inquisition #instruction #johnOfTheCross #letter #letters #loneliness #novena #persecution #psalms #sabeth #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stElizabethOfTheTrinity #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresa #stTeresaOfAvila #stTeresaOfJesus #strength #teresa #tribulation #troubles #trust #wayOfPerfection #worries
-
St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 5: Trust
Reading
In tribulation, immediately draw near to God with trust, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.
Sayings of Light and Love, 66
Scripture
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.When I fear, I will trust in you,
in God whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?All day long they distort my words,
all their thought is to harm me.
They band together in ambush,
track me down and seek my life.You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
are they not written in your book?
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.Meditation
Oh, blessed tribulation, that sure sign that God is madly in love with you.
Tribulation is a word that is no longer part of our daily vocabulary. It appears in word puzzles and still makes its way into Hollywood film scripts, although it sounds more appropriate coming from the lips of the revered British actor Charles Laughton, whose King Herod once posed the legendary rhetorical question: “Why does the prophet visit me with worse than the tribulations of Job?”
Saint Teresa of Jesus understood what Saint John of the Cross meant when he was writing about tribulation because she had seen her fair share of it in her lifetime. Here’s just one example from Testimony 53 written in Seville, 8 November 1575:
On the octave day of All Saints I spent two or three very troublesome days over the remembrance of my great sins and because of some fears of my being persecuted that had no foundation, except that false testimony was going to be raised [She had been falsely accused before the Inquisition of Seville]. And all the courage I usually have for suffering left me. Although I wanted to encourage myself, and I made acts and reflected that this suffering would be very beneficial to my soul, all these actions helped me little. For the fear didn’t go away, and what I felt was a vexing war. I chanced upon a letter in which my good Father [Jerome Gracián, Discalced Carmelite and Apostolic Visitor] refers to what St. Paul says, that God does not permit us to be tempted beyond what we can suffer (1 Cor 10:13). That comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough. Rather, the next day I became sorely afflicted in seeing I was without him, since I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation. It seemed to me I was living in great loneliness, and this loneliness increased when I saw that there was no one now but him who might give me comfort and that he had to be absent most of the time, which was a great torment to me.
On the next night, while reading in a book a saying of St. Paul which began to console me, I was thinking of how present our Lord had previously been to me, for He had so truly seemed to be the living God. While I was thinking about this, He appeared in an intellectual vision, very deep within me, as though on the side where the heart is, and said: “Here I am, but I want you to see what little you can do without Me.”
I felt reassured right away, and all my fears were gone. While I was at Matins that same night, the Lord, through an intellectual vision so intense it almost seemed to be an imaginative one, placed Himself in my arms as in the painting of the fifth agony. This vision caused me great fear. For it was so clear, and He was so close to me that I wondered if it was an illusion. He told me: “Don’t be surprised by this, for My Father is with your soul in an incomparably greater union.”
This vision has so remained up till now. What I said of our Lord lasted more than a month. Now it is gone.
Now, we may not be falsely accused before the Inquisition, but in our daily lives, we see plenty of tribulation. And Saint Teresa makes it clear that if we are seeking to make love our ambition, to grow in that untiring love of which St. John of the Cross speaks, then we will be blessed with tribulation.
Blessed with tribulation?
“It is clear that since God wants to lead those whom He greatly loves by the path of tribulation—and the more He loves them the greater the tribulation—there is no reason to think that He despises contemplatives, for with His own mouth He praises them and considers them His friends.” (Way 18:1)
But what if I don’t want to be a contemplative?
For the faithful, this truly is not an option if we desire to be united with Christ in heaven, where we will be contemplatives for all eternity! St. Paul writes, “and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).
The Catechism reminds us:
Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision.”
Citing St. Cyprian, the Catechism continues:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God’s friends. (CCC 1028)
To be able to contemplate Christ for all eternity, the tribulation is worth it.
We notice that a great Saint and Doctor of the Church like Our Holy Mother Teresa was not immune from tribulation and anxiety. She was suffering terribly: there were “very troublesome days” and fears of being persecuted. She had lost her courage, and every remedy, every action that normally helped in past situations didn’t help at all. She was stuck in her fears and left with what she calls a guerra desabrida… a rather unsavory war—fruitless, vexing, and pointless. Even reading a letter from the priest who meant more to her than any other friar in the world couldn’t console her; his advice was to read St. Paul, but she admitted that it “comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough.”
Poor St. Teresa, she was really in emotional distress and in a spiritual bind. The next day she became even more upset because Father Gracián wasn’t there to encourage and console her in her anxiety. “I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation” and for her, the loneliness seemed to be the worst part.
St. John of the Cross says that it’s in times like these that we must “immediately draw near to God with trust” and that is exactly what St. Teresa did. She didn’t give up praying, seeking, and hoping, and she didn’t abandon God. Quite the opposite: she continued to draw near to God, even though He seemed distant or hiding. It seems that she may have had difficulty praying with peace, so she turned to spiritual reading instead.
Now, the Lord made himself known to St. Teresa at that moment through a mystical experience. However, that may not necessarily be the path the Lord chooses for each one of us. What St. John of the Cross explains is that if we draw near to God with trust, then we will receive “strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity gives the following advice to ordinary folks like you and I for how best to draw near to God when troubled or anxious in those moments that St. John and St. Teresa called “tribulation”:
You must build a little cell within your soul as I do. Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time; when you feel nervous or you’re unhappy, quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it.
Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you anymore; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go (Letter 123).
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
The Escape of St John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
18th c. French
Oil on canvas, 1768
Carmel of Pontoise
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Diffusion RMN-GP. Used by permission.The novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
John of the Cross, St 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, rev. edn, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, Nash, A (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#anxiety #doctorOfTheChurch #elizabethCatez #enlightenment #icsPublications #inquisition #instruction #johnOfTheCross #letter #letters #loneliness #novena #persecution #psalms #sabeth #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stElizabethOfTheTrinity #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresa #stTeresaOfAvila #stTeresaOfJesus #strength #teresa #tribulation #troubles #trust #wayOfPerfection #worries
-
St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 5: Trust
Reading
In tribulation, immediately draw near to God with trust, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.
Sayings of Light and Love, 66
Scripture
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.When I fear, I will trust in you,
in God whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?All day long they distort my words,
all their thought is to harm me.
They band together in ambush,
track me down and seek my life.You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
are they not written in your book?
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.Meditation
Oh, blessed tribulation, that sure sign that God is madly in love with you.
Tribulation is a word that is no longer part of our daily vocabulary. It appears in word puzzles and still makes its way into Hollywood film scripts, although it sounds more appropriate coming from the lips of the revered British actor Charles Laughton, whose King Herod once posed the legendary rhetorical question: “Why does the prophet visit me with worse than the tribulations of Job?”
Saint Teresa of Jesus understood what Saint John of the Cross meant when he was writing about tribulation because she had seen her fair share of it in her lifetime. Here’s just one example from Testimony 53 written in Seville, 8 November 1575:
On the octave day of All Saints I spent two or three very troublesome days over the remembrance of my great sins and because of some fears of my being persecuted that had no foundation, except that false testimony was going to be raised [She had been falsely accused before the Inquisition of Seville]. And all the courage I usually have for suffering left me. Although I wanted to encourage myself, and I made acts and reflected that this suffering would be very beneficial to my soul, all these actions helped me little. For the fear didn’t go away, and what I felt was a vexing war. I chanced upon a letter in which my good Father [Jerome Gracián, Discalced Carmelite and Apostolic Visitor] refers to what St. Paul says, that God does not permit us to be tempted beyond what we can suffer (1 Cor 10:13). That comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough. Rather, the next day I became sorely afflicted in seeing I was without him, since I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation. It seemed to me I was living in great loneliness, and this loneliness increased when I saw that there was no one now but him who might give me comfort and that he had to be absent most of the time, which was a great torment to me.
On the next night, while reading in a book a saying of St. Paul which began to console me, I was thinking of how present our Lord had previously been to me, for He had so truly seemed to be the living God. While I was thinking about this, He appeared in an intellectual vision, very deep within me, as though on the side where the heart is, and said: “Here I am, but I want you to see what little you can do without Me.”
I felt reassured right away, and all my fears were gone. While I was at Matins that same night, the Lord, through an intellectual vision so intense it almost seemed to be an imaginative one, placed Himself in my arms as in the painting of the fifth agony. This vision caused me great fear. For it was so clear, and He was so close to me that I wondered if it was an illusion. He told me: “Don’t be surprised by this, for My Father is with your soul in an incomparably greater union.”
This vision has so remained up till now. What I said of our Lord lasted more than a month. Now it is gone.
Now, we may not be falsely accused before the Inquisition, but in our daily lives, we see plenty of tribulation. And Saint Teresa makes it clear that if we are seeking to make love our ambition, to grow in that untiring love of which St. John of the Cross speaks, then we will be blessed with tribulation.
Blessed with tribulation?
“It is clear that since God wants to lead those whom He greatly loves by the path of tribulation—and the more He loves them the greater the tribulation—there is no reason to think that He despises contemplatives, for with His own mouth He praises them and considers them His friends.” (Way 18:1)
But what if I don’t want to be a contemplative?
For the faithful, this truly is not an option if we desire to be united with Christ in heaven, where we will be contemplatives for all eternity! St. Paul writes, “and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).
The Catechism reminds us:
Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision.”
Citing St. Cyprian, the Catechism continues:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God’s friends. (CCC 1028)
To be able to contemplate Christ for all eternity, the tribulation is worth it.
We notice that a great Saint and Doctor of the Church like Our Holy Mother Teresa was not immune from tribulation and anxiety. She was suffering terribly: there were “very troublesome days” and fears of being persecuted. She had lost her courage, and every remedy, every action that normally helped in past situations didn’t help at all. She was stuck in her fears and left with what she calls a guerra desabrida… a rather unsavory war—fruitless, vexing, and pointless. Even reading a letter from the priest who meant more to her than any other friar in the world couldn’t console her; his advice was to read St. Paul, but she admitted that it “comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough.”
Poor St. Teresa, she was really in emotional distress and in a spiritual bind. The next day she became even more upset because Father Gracián wasn’t there to encourage and console her in her anxiety. “I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation” and for her, the loneliness seemed to be the worst part.
St. John of the Cross says that it’s in times like these that we must “immediately draw near to God with trust” and that is exactly what St. Teresa did. She didn’t give up praying, seeking, and hoping, and she didn’t abandon God. Quite the opposite: she continued to draw near to God, even though He seemed distant or hiding. It seems that she may have had difficulty praying with peace, so she turned to spiritual reading instead.
Now, the Lord made himself known to St. Teresa at that moment through a mystical experience. However, that may not necessarily be the path the Lord chooses for each one of us. What St. John of the Cross explains is that if we draw near to God with trust, then we will receive “strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity gives the following advice to ordinary folks like you and I for how best to draw near to God when troubled or anxious in those moments that St. John and St. Teresa called “tribulation”:
You must build a little cell within your soul as I do. Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time; when you feel nervous or you’re unhappy, quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it.
Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you anymore; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go (Letter 123).
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
The Escape of St John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
18th c. French
Oil on canvas, 1768
Carmel of Pontoise
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Diffusion RMN-GP. Used by permission.The novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
John of the Cross, St 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, rev. edn, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, Nash, A (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#anxiety #doctorOfTheChurch #elizabethCatez #enlightenment #icsPublications #inquisition #instruction #johnOfTheCross #letter #letters #loneliness #novena #persecution #psalms #sabeth #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stElizabethOfTheTrinity #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresa #stTeresaOfAvila #stTeresaOfJesus #strength #teresa #tribulation #troubles #trust #wayOfPerfection #worries
-
St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 5: Trust
Reading
In tribulation, immediately draw near to God with trust, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.
Sayings of Light and Love, 66
Scripture
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.When I fear, I will trust in you,
in God whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?All day long they distort my words,
all their thought is to harm me.
They band together in ambush,
track me down and seek my life.You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
are they not written in your book?
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear:
what can mortal man do to me?I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.Meditation
Oh, blessed tribulation, that sure sign that God is madly in love with you.
Tribulation is a word that is no longer part of our daily vocabulary. It appears in word puzzles and still makes its way into Hollywood film scripts, although it sounds more appropriate coming from the lips of the revered British actor Charles Laughton, whose King Herod once posed the legendary rhetorical question: “Why does the prophet visit me with worse than the tribulations of Job?”
Saint Teresa of Jesus understood what Saint John of the Cross meant when he was writing about tribulation because she had seen her fair share of it in her lifetime. Here’s just one example from Testimony 53 written in Seville, 8 November 1575:
On the octave day of All Saints I spent two or three very troublesome days over the remembrance of my great sins and because of some fears of my being persecuted that had no foundation, except that false testimony was going to be raised [She had been falsely accused before the Inquisition of Seville]. And all the courage I usually have for suffering left me. Although I wanted to encourage myself, and I made acts and reflected that this suffering would be very beneficial to my soul, all these actions helped me little. For the fear didn’t go away, and what I felt was a vexing war. I chanced upon a letter in which my good Father [Jerome Gracián, Discalced Carmelite and Apostolic Visitor] refers to what St. Paul says, that God does not permit us to be tempted beyond what we can suffer (1 Cor 10:13). That comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough. Rather, the next day I became sorely afflicted in seeing I was without him, since I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation. It seemed to me I was living in great loneliness, and this loneliness increased when I saw that there was no one now but him who might give me comfort and that he had to be absent most of the time, which was a great torment to me.
On the next night, while reading in a book a saying of St. Paul which began to console me, I was thinking of how present our Lord had previously been to me, for He had so truly seemed to be the living God. While I was thinking about this, He appeared in an intellectual vision, very deep within me, as though on the side where the heart is, and said: “Here I am, but I want you to see what little you can do without Me.”
I felt reassured right away, and all my fears were gone. While I was at Matins that same night, the Lord, through an intellectual vision so intense it almost seemed to be an imaginative one, placed Himself in my arms as in the painting of the fifth agony. This vision caused me great fear. For it was so clear, and He was so close to me that I wondered if it was an illusion. He told me: “Don’t be surprised by this, for My Father is with your soul in an incomparably greater union.”
This vision has so remained up till now. What I said of our Lord lasted more than a month. Now it is gone.
Now, we may not be falsely accused before the Inquisition, but in our daily lives, we see plenty of tribulation. And Saint Teresa makes it clear that if we are seeking to make love our ambition, to grow in that untiring love of which St. John of the Cross speaks, then we will be blessed with tribulation.
Blessed with tribulation?
“It is clear that since God wants to lead those whom He greatly loves by the path of tribulation—and the more He loves them the greater the tribulation—there is no reason to think that He despises contemplatives, for with His own mouth He praises them and considers them His friends.” (Way 18:1)
But what if I don’t want to be a contemplative?
For the faithful, this truly is not an option if we desire to be united with Christ in heaven, where we will be contemplatives for all eternity! St. Paul writes, “and we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).
The Catechism reminds us:
Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision.”
Citing St. Cyprian, the Catechism continues:
How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God’s friends. (CCC 1028)
To be able to contemplate Christ for all eternity, the tribulation is worth it.
We notice that a great Saint and Doctor of the Church like Our Holy Mother Teresa was not immune from tribulation and anxiety. She was suffering terribly: there were “very troublesome days” and fears of being persecuted. She had lost her courage, and every remedy, every action that normally helped in past situations didn’t help at all. She was stuck in her fears and left with what she calls a guerra desabrida… a rather unsavory war—fruitless, vexing, and pointless. Even reading a letter from the priest who meant more to her than any other friar in the world couldn’t console her; his advice was to read St. Paul, but she admitted that it “comforted me a lot, but it wasn’t enough.”
Poor St. Teresa, she was really in emotional distress and in a spiritual bind. The next day she became even more upset because Father Gracián wasn’t there to encourage and console her in her anxiety. “I had no one to whom I could have recourse in this tribulation” and for her, the loneliness seemed to be the worst part.
St. John of the Cross says that it’s in times like these that we must “immediately draw near to God with trust” and that is exactly what St. Teresa did. She didn’t give up praying, seeking, and hoping, and she didn’t abandon God. Quite the opposite: she continued to draw near to God, even though He seemed distant or hiding. It seems that she may have had difficulty praying with peace, so she turned to spiritual reading instead.
Now, the Lord made himself known to St. Teresa at that moment through a mystical experience. However, that may not necessarily be the path the Lord chooses for each one of us. What St. John of the Cross explains is that if we draw near to God with trust, then we will receive “strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity gives the following advice to ordinary folks like you and I for how best to draw near to God when troubled or anxious in those moments that St. John and St. Teresa called “tribulation”:
You must build a little cell within your soul as I do. Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time; when you feel nervous or you’re unhappy, quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it.
Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you anymore; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go (Letter 123).
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
The Escape of St John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
18th c. French
Oil on canvas, 1768
Carmel of Pontoise
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Diffusion RMN-GP. Used by permission.The novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
John of the Cross, St 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, rev. edn, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2003, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity volume 2: Letters from Carmel, Nash, A (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#anxiety #doctorOfTheChurch #elizabethCatez #enlightenment #icsPublications #inquisition #instruction #johnOfTheCross #letter #letters #loneliness #novena #persecution #psalms #sabeth #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stElizabethOfTheTrinity #stJohnOfTheCross #stTeresa #stTeresaOfAvila #stTeresaOfJesus #strength #teresa #tribulation #troubles #trust #wayOfPerfection #worries
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St. John of the Cross Novena, Day 4: Walking in love
Reading
The soul that walks in love neither tires others nor grows tired.
Sayings of Light and Love, 97
Scripture
If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy, understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.
Love does not come to an end.
Meditation
“Love makes _____.”
How would you complete this sentence?
Our answers may give us clues as to how we understand love: God’s love, our love for God, and how love, in all its forms—filial, erotic, and caritative—is at work in our lives. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul is talking about charity, or what some refer to as agape love (αγαπη).
And like a professor standing at a blackboard or whiteboard, Paul defines his term, including both what love is and what it is not. We can feel fairly certain that he is sketching some of the basic parameters of love… as St. John of the Cross might define it in his saying, an untiring love.
Now, nowhere in this passage of his first letter to the Corinthians is St. Paul scolding the Church for possessing a lack of love or a warped concept of love. The context of this chapter is an instruction on worship in the Corinthian church, and how any worship—no matter how glorious it may be—that lacks the spiritual gift of charity, i.e. love, is so much dust in the wind. Hence that famous verse that we so often hear at weddings: “Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away” (1 Cor 13:8)
It was in reading these chapters that St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus found her inspiration one day. “I opened the Epistles of St. Paul to find some kind of answer. Chapters 12 and 13 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians fell under my eyes… the Apostle explains how all the most PERFECT gifts are nothing without LOVE. That Charity is the EXCELLENT WAY that leads most surely to God” (Ms B, 3r-3v). Therefore, St. Paul urges the Corinthians, “make love your aim” (1 Cor 14:1).
St. John Paul II noted this inspired reading of First Corinthians in his 1997 Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia:
She discovered hidden treasures, appropriating words and episodes, sometimes with supernatural boldness, as when, in reading the texts of St Paul (cf. 1 Cor 12-13), she realized her vocation to love (cf. Ms B, 3r-3v). Enlightened by the revealed Word, Thérèse wrote brilliant pages on the unity between love of God and love of neighbor (cf. Ms C, 11v-19r).
St. Thérèse did not develop her mad love for God in a vacuum. Love was her aim from her youth, as she testified time and time again in her autobiographical manuscripts and letters. St. John Paul II explained the nature of her formation when he declared Thérèse to be a Doctor of the Universal Church:
Her doctrine, as was said, conforms to the Church’s teaching. From childhood, she was taught by her family to participate in prayer and liturgical worship. In preparation for her first Confession, first Communion and the sacrament of Confirmation, she gave evidence of an extraordinary love for the truths of the faith, and she learned the Catechism almost word for word (cf. Ms A, 37r-37v).
So what was this untiring love that St. Thérèse learned in her family? What did it look like? Who were her models?
When a Doctor of the Universal Church is born to a pair of Saints, one doesn’t have to look very far because ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ In fact, one particular letter from her mother, Saint Zélie Guérin Martin to her father, Saint Louis Martin, provides us with an example of the untiring love that was taught by example in the Martin family home. Written during the summer of 1873 after the birth of Thérèse, Zélie takes Pauline and Marie with her to visit her brother and the Guérin family in Lisieux. Can you read untiring, selfless love in the following lines?
Lisieux, August 31, 1873
My dear Louis,
We arrived yesterday afternoon at four-thirty. My brother was waiting for us at the station and was delighted to see us. He and his wife are doing everything they can to entertain us. This evening, Sunday, there’s a beautiful reception in their home in our honor. Tomorrow, Monday, we’re going to Trouville. Tuesday there will be a big dinner at the home of Madame Maudelonde and, perhaps, a drive to the country house of Madame Fournet. The children are thrilled and if the weather were good, they’d be ecstatic.
As for me, I’m finding it hard to relax! None of that interests me! I’m absolutely like the fish you pull out of the water. They’re no longer in their element and they have to perish! This would have the same effect on me if I had to stay a lot longer. I feel uncomfortable, I’m out of sorts. This is affecting me physically, and it’s almost making me sick. However, I’m reasoning with myself and trying to gain the upper hand. I’m with you in spirit all day, and I say to myself, “Now he must be doing such and such a thing.”
I’m longing to be near you, my dear Louis. I love you with all my heart, and I feel my affection so much more when you’re not here with me. It would be impossible for me to live apart from you.
This morning I attended three Masses. I went to the one at six o’clock, made my thanksgiving and said my prayers during the seven o’clock Mass, and returned for the high Mass.
My brother is not unhappy with his business. It’s going well enough.
Tell Léonie and Céline that I kiss them tenderly and will bring them a souvenir from Lisieux.
I’ll try to write you tomorrow, if possible, but I don’t know what time we’ll return from Trouville. I’m hurrying because they’re waiting for me to go visiting. We return Wednesday evening at seven-thirty. How long that seems to me!
I kiss you with all my love. The little girls want me to tell you that they’re very happy to have come to Lisieux and they send you big hugs.
Zélie
Family correspondence CF 108
Prayer
O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of you.Mention your request
Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.Let’s continue in prayer
Day 1 — Self-trust
Saint John of the Cross
Day 2 — Self-giving
Day 3 — Cleansing
Day 4 — Walking in love
Day 5 — Trust
Day 6 — Prayer
Day 7 — Humility
Day 8 — Eternal Silence
Day 9 — Silent love
17th c. French painting
Saints Pierre et Paul des Etangs (Leucate), Diocese of Carcasonne-Narbonne
Photo credit: Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l’architecture et du patrimoine, diffusion RMN-GPThe novena prayer was composed from approved sources by Professor Michael Ogunu, a member of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Nigeria.
We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for the vast majority of our quotes concerning Saint Thérèse, Saint Zélie, and Saint Louis Martin. If you would like to purchase English translations for the collected works of St. Thérèse, please visit the website of our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications.
All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.
Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.
#agape #archives #carmelDeLisieux #carmelOfLisieux #charity #diviniAmorisScientia #doctorOfTheChurch #doctrine #johnOfTheCross #letter #letters #lisieux #love #novena #sanJuanDeLaCruz #stJohnOfTheCross #stJohnPaulIi #stJohnPaulIiDocuments #stTherese #stThereseOfLisieux #stThereseOfTheChildJesus #stZelieGuerin #stZelieMartin #stsLouisMartinAndZelieGuerin