#st-john-paul-ii — Public Fediverse posts

Here are the patron saints of World Youth Day Seoul 2027

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2026/10/13/312676/patron-saints-world-youth-day-seoul-2027/

Quote of the day, 16 July: St. John Paul II

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother: ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (Jn. 19:25–27).1

Undoubtedly, we find here an expression of the Son’s particular solicitude for his Mother, whom he is leaving in such great sorrow. And yet the “testament of Christ’s Cross” says more. Jesus highlights a new relationship between Mother and Son, the whole truth and reality of which he solemnly confirms…. The Mother of Christ, who stands at the very center of this mystery—a mystery which embraces each individual and all humanity—is given as mother to every single individual and all mankind. The man at the foot of the Cross is John, “the disciple whom he loved.”2 

But it is not he alone. Following tradition, the Council does not hesitate to call Mary “the Mother of Christ and mother of mankind”: since she “belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all human beings…. Indeed she is ‘clearly the mother of the members of Christ…since she cooperated out of love so that there might be born in the Church the faithful.'”3

And so this “new motherhood of Mary,” generated by faith, is the fruit of the “new” love which came to definitive maturity in her at the foot of the Cross, through her sharing in the redemptive love of her Son.

By his redemptive death, Jesus Christ conquers the evil of sin and death at its very roots. It is significant that, as he speaks to his mother from the Cross, he calls her “woman” and says to her: “Woman, behold your son!” Moreover, he had addressed her by the same term at Cana too (cf. Jn. 2:4).

How can one doubt that, especially now, on Golgotha, this expression goes to the very heart of the mystery of Mary, and indicates the unique place which she occupies in the whole economy of salvation?

The words uttered by Jesus from the Cross signify that the motherhood of her who bore Christ finds a “new” continuation in the Church and through the Church, symbolized and represented by John…. In accordance with the eternal plan of Providence, Mary’s divine motherhood is to be poured out upon the Church, as indicated by statements of Tradition, according to which Mary’s “motherhood” of the Church is the reflection and extension of her motherhood of the Son of God.4

Thus she who is present in the mystery of Christ as Mother becomes—by the will of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit—present in the mystery of the Church. In the Church, too, she continues to be a maternal presence, as is shown by the words spoken from the Cross: “Woman, behold your son!”; “Behold, your mother.”

Saint John Paul II

Redemptoris Mater, 23–24 (excerpts)

Notes:

1. Gospel reading for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 16 July. ↩︎
2. There is a well-known passage of Origen on the presence of Mary and John on Calvary: “The Gospels are the first fruits of all Scripture and the Gospel of John is the first of the Gospels: no one can grasp its meaning without having leaned his head on Jesus’ breast and having received from Jesus Mary as Mother”: Comm. in loan., I, 6: PG 14, 31; cf. Saint Ambrose, Expos. Evang. sec. Lucam, X, 129-131: CSEL 32/4, 504f. ↩︎
3. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 54 and 53; the latter text quotes Saint Augustine, De Sancta Virginitate, VI, 6: PL 40, 399. ↩︎
4. Cf. Saint Leo the Great, Tractatus 26, de natale Domini, 2: CCL 138, 126. ↩︎

John Paul II 1987, Redemptoris Mater: on the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the pilgrim Church, The Holy See, viewed 14 July 2026, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html.

Featured image: Statue of Our Lady and the Child Jesus in Stella Maris Basilica, Haifa, Israel. Photograph by Harvey Sapir. Image credit: Harvey Sapir Photography, PikiWiki Israel, (CC BY 2.5).

Quote of the day, 11 April: St. John Paul II

As we read in the canonical decree of beatification, “the humble servant of Christ, Mary of Jesus Crucified—belonging by lineage, rite, vocation, and pilgrimage to the peoples of the East and in some way representing them—is like a gift offered to the universal Church by those who, amid the wretched conditions of struggle and bloodshed in which they are immersed, especially now turn with great trust of heart to her fraternal intercession, in the hope that also through the prayers of the Servant of God, peace and harmony may finally be restored to those lands where ‘the Word became flesh’ (Jn 1:14), He who is himself our peace.”

Blessed Mariam was born in Galilee. For this reason, today our prayerful thoughts turn in a special way to the land where Jesus taught love and died so that humanity might be reconciled.

“That Land,” as I recalled on another occasion, “for decades has seen two peoples opposed in a hitherto irreducible antagonism. Each of them has a history, a tradition, a story of their own, which seem to make it difficult to reach an agreement” (John Paul II, Angelus Address, 4 April 1982).

Today more than ever, the threats hanging over us urge us to make love and brotherhood the fundamental law of social and international relations, in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness—taking inspiration from the way of life exemplified by Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, not only for her people but for the entire world.

May this new way of life give us peace based not on terror, but on mutual trust.

With the Psalmist, let us pray through the intercession of the new Blessed, that the Lord may grant peace to her land:

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’ For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good” (Ps 122:6–9).

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Beatification of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified
13 November 1983, St. Peter’s Basilica

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: A canonization banner of Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy) hangs from St. Peter’s Basilica, framed by a Palestinian pilgrim’s flag at the 2015 canonization Mass. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission).

Quote of the day, 21 March: St. Teresa of the Andes

Pray, Rev. Mother, for this poor exile that she may become a holy Carmelite soon.

Saint Teresa of the Andes

Teresa of the Andes—Teresa of Jesus, a Discalced Carmelite and the first flowering of holiness from the Teresian Carmel in Latin America—is a light of Christ for the whole Church in Chile. Today she is inscribed among the saints of the universal Church.

As in the first reading we have heard from the book of Samuel, Teresa’s greatness does not lie in “her appearance or her stature.” “The Lord’s gaze,” Sacred Scripture tells us, “is not like that of man: man looks at appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Thus, in her young life of just over nineteen years, and in her eleven months as a Carmelite, God caused the light of His Son Jesus Christ to shine forth in her in a remarkable way, so that she might serve as a beacon and guide for a world that seems to be blinded by what only appears to be divine.

To a secularized society that lives turned away from God, this Chilean Carmelite—whom I present with great joy as a model of the perennial youth of the Gospel—offers the clear witness of a life that proclaims to the men and women of today that in loving, adoring, and serving God are found the greatness and joy, the freedom and the full realization of the human person. From within the cloister, the life of the blessed Teresa cries out in silence: “God alone suffices!”

And she proclaims this especially to the young, who hunger for truth and seek a light that gives meaning to their lives. To a youth surrounded by the constant messages and stimuli of an eroticized culture, and to a society that confuses genuine love—which is self-gift—with the hedonistic use of others, this young virgin of the Andes proclaims today the beauty and blessedness that radiate from pure hearts.

In her tender love for Christ, Teresa discovers the very essence of the Christian message: to love, to suffer, to pray, to serve. Within her family she learned to love God above all things. And in recognizing herself as the exclusive possession of her Creator, her love for neighbor became all the more intense and definitive. As she writes in one of her letters: “When I love, it’s forever. Especially, a Carmelite never forgets. From her cell, she accompanies souls she loved in the world.”

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Canonization of Claudine Thévenet and Teresa of Jesus of the Andes
Sunday, 21 March 1993

Note: On 21 March 1993, St. John Paul II presided at the canonization of Teresa of the Andes in St. Peter’s Basilica

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

John Paul II, 1993. Canonizzazione di Claudine Thévenet e di Teresa de Jesús de los Andes. Omelia di Giovanni Paolo II, Domenica, 21 marzo 1993. Vatican.va. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/homilies/1993/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19930321_thevenet.html (Accessed: 19 March 2026).

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from a photo of Saint Teresa that was taken a few months before she entered the Carmel of Los Andes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (by permission).

Quote of the day, 11 December: St. John Paul II

Saint Maravillas of Jesus was motivated by a heroic faith that shaped her response to an austere vocation, in which she made God the centre of her life. Having overcome the painful circumstances of the Spanish Civil War, she established new foundations for the Order of Carmel, imbued with the characteristic spirit of the Teresian reform. Her life of contemplation and monastic enclosure did not prevent her from responding to the needs of the persons she dealt with and promoting social and charitable works around her.

The new Saints have very concrete faces, and their history is well known. What is their message? Their works, which we admire and for which we thank God, are not due to their own efforts nor to human wisdom but to the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit who inspired in them an unshakeable adherence to the risen and crucified Christ and the decision to imitate him. Dear Catholic faithful of Spain:  let yourselves be influenced by these marvellous examples!

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Mass and Canonization (excerpt)
Plaza de Colón in Madrid, 4 May 2003

Note: Those canonized with Saint Maria Maravillas were Saints Pedro Poveda, José María Rubio, Genoveva Torres Morales, and Ángela of the Cross Guerrero González.

Featured image: This portrait of Saint Maria Maravillas of Jesus hangs in the Cathedral of Our Lady of La Almudena, Madrid. Image credit: © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro (Some rights reserved)

#canonization #foundress #homily #stJohnPaulIi #stMariaMaravillasDeJesus

Quote of the day, 22 October: St. John Paul II

Contemplation of the Virgin presents her to us as a loving Mother who sees her Son growing up in Nazareth (cf. Lk 2: 40, 52), follows him on the roads of Palestine, helps him at the wedding at Cana (cf. Jn 2: 5) and, at the foot of the Cross, becomes the Mother associated with his offering and given to all people when Jesus himself entrusts her to his beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19: 26).

As Mother of the Church, the Blessed Virgin is one with the disciples in “constant prayer” (Acts 1: 14); as the new Woman who anticipates in herself what will one day come to pass for us all in the full enjoyment of Trinitarian life, she is taken up into heaven from where she spreads the protective mantle of her mercy over her children on their pilgrimage to the holy mountain of glory.

Such a contemplative attitude of mind and heart prompts admiration for the Virgin’s experience of faith and love; she already lives in herself all that every believer desires and hopes to attain in the mystery of Christ and the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 103; Lumen gentium, n. 53).

Therefore, Carmelites have chosen Mary as their Patroness and spiritual Mother and always keep before the eyes of their heart the Most Pure Virgin who guides everyone to the perfect knowledge and imitation of Christ.

Thus, an intimacy of spiritual relations has blossomed, leading to an ever-increasing communion with Christ and Mary. For the members of the Carmelite Family, Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and mankind, is not only a model to imitate but also the sweet presence of a Mother and Sister in whom to confide.

St Teresa of Jesus rightly urged her sisters:  “Imitate Our Lady and consider how great she must be and what a good thing it is that we have her for our Patroness” (Interior Castle, III, 1, 3).

Saint John Paul II

Message to the Carmelite Family, 3
25 March 2001

John Paul II, Pope 2001, Message of John Paul II to the Carmelite family, Vatican, Vatican City, viewed 20 October 2025, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2001/march/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20010326_ordine-carmelo.html.

Featured image: Ukrainian photographer Oleg D. captures this statue of St. John Paul II in front of the Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Truskavets, a resort town near Lviv, Ukraine. Image credit: OlegD / Adobe Stock

#BlessedVirginMary #Carmelite #contemplation #spirituality #StJohnPaulII

Quote of the day, 11 October: St. John Paul II

For the love of God and man, once again I raise an anguished cry: May such criminal deeds never be repeated against any ethnic group, against any race, in any corner of this world!

It is a cry to everyone: to all people of goodwill; to all who believe in the Just and Eternal God; to all who know they are joined to Christ, the Word of God made man. We must all stand together: human dignity is at stake. There is only one human family.

The new saint also insisted on this: “Our love of neighbour is the measure of our love of God. For Christians — and not only for them — no one is a ‘stranger’. The love of Christ knows no borders”.

Saint John Paul II

Homily for the Canonization of Edith Stein
11 October 1998

Note: St. John Paul II quotes from Edith Stein’s lecture, The Mystery of Christmas, given to Catholic Academics on 13 January 1931 in Ludwigshafen, Germany. In the section called “Union in God,” Professor Stein says: “For the Christian there is no stranger. Whoever is near us and needing us most is our ‘neighbour’; it does not matter whether he is related to us or not, whether we like him or not, whether he is morally worthy of our help or not. The love of Christ knows no limits. It never ends, it does not shrink from ugliness and filth. He came for sinners, not for the just. And if the love of Christ is in us, we shall do as He did and seek the lost sheep.”

Featured image: Repairs in anticipation of the Jubilee Year were underway at St. Peter’s Basilica on the day of St. Edith Stein’s canonization. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (By permission)

#humanDignity #Jewish #loveOfGod #StEdithStein #StJohnPaulII

Quote of the day, 10 September: St. John Paul II

This morning, dear Brothers and Sisters, our thoughts turn to the sixty-four French priests who died with hundreds of others on the “prison ships of Rochefort.” As Saint Paul exhorted Timothy, they “fought the good fight of faith.” They even endured a long calvary for remaining faithful to their faith and to the Church. If they died, it was for having maintained to the end their close communion with Pope Pius VI.

In profound moral solitude, they took care to maintain a spirit of prayer. “Prey to the torture” of hunger and thirst, they did not have a single word of hatred toward their executioners. Slowly, they allowed themselves to be identified with the sacrifice of Christ which they celebrated by virtue of their ordination. Henceforward, they are offered to our gaze as a living sign of the power of Christ who acts in human weakness.

In the depths of their distress, they maintained the sense of forgiveness. In their eyes, the unity of faith and the unity of their homeland were more important than anything else. We can therefore joyfully take up the words of Sacred Scripture: the souls of these righteous ones are in the hand of God. “They seemed to perish. Their departure was considered a misfortune, but they are at peace” [cf. Wis 3:1–3].

Saint John Paul II

Homily for the Beatification of 64 Victims of the French Revolution (excerpt)
1 October 1995

Note: Blessed Hubert of Saint Claude (Jacques Gagnot) was among three Discalced Carmelite martyrs imprisoned on the ship Les Deux Associés in Rochefort bay during 1794. While his two companions died aboard ship in July, Blessed Hubert endured through the summer months. When plague broke out, the survivors were transferred to Île Madame, where Blessed Hubert died and was buried on 10 September 1794. Witnesses observed that “compared to the hell of the ships, the island seemed a veritable paradise.”

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Île Madame, Port des Barques, sunrise over the ox path, low tide. Image credit: © Thierry Llansades / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#beatification #BlessedHubertOfSaintClaude #BlessedMartyrsOfRochefort #martyrdom #StJohnPaulII

Quote of the day, 27 August: St. John Paul II

Once again, during my service to the universal Church in the See of Saint Peter, I come to my native town of Wadowice.

With great emotion I gaze upon this city of my childhood years, which witnessed my first steps, my first words and those “first bows” which, as Norwid puts it, are “like the eternal profession of Christ: ‘Be praised!’” (cf. Moja piosenka [My Song]).

The city of my childhood, my family home, the church of my Baptism… I wish to cross these hospitable thresholds, bow before my native soil and its inhabitants, and utter the words of greeting given to family members upon on their return from a long journey: “Praised be Jesus Christ!”

In a particular way, I wish to greet the Discalced Carmelite Fathers of Górka in Wadowice. We are meeting on an exceptional occasion: 27 August this year marks the centenary of the consecration of the Church of Saint Joseph, at the Convent founded by Saint Raphael Kalinowski.

As I did as a young man, I now return in spirit to that place of particular devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which had such a great influence on the spirituality of the Wadowice area. I myself received many graces there, and today I wish to thank the Lord for them.

I am pleased that I was able to beatify, together with one hundred and eight martyrs, Blessed Father Alfonsus Mary Mazurek, a pupil and later a worthy teacher in the minor seminary attached to the Convent.

I had the opportunity to meet personally this witness of Christ who in 1944, as prior of the convent of Czerna, confirmed his fidelity to God by a martyr’s death.

I kneel in veneration before his relics, which rest in the Church of Saint Joseph, and I give thanks to God for the gift of the life, martyrdom, and holiness of this great Religious.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Eucharistic celebration in Wadowice, Poland
Wednesday, 16 June 1999

Featured image: Opening of the John Paul II Museum in Wadowice, 9 April 2014. Image credit: M. Śmiarowski / KPRM (Polish Foreign Ministry) / Flickr

#BlessedAlphonsusMaryMazurek #Czerna #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #homily #martyrs #StJohnPaulII #StRaphaelKalinowski #Wadowice

Quote of the day, 19 June: St. John Paul II

As we read in the canonical decree of beatification, “the humble servant of Christ, Mary of Jesus Crucified—belonging by lineage, rite, vocation, and pilgrimage to the peoples of the East and in some way representing them—is like a gift offered to the universal Church by those who, amid the wretched conditions of struggle and bloodshed in which they are immersed, especially now turn with great trust of heart to her fraternal intercession, in the hope that also through the prayers of the Servant of God, peace and harmony may finally be restored to those lands where ‘the Word became flesh’ (Jn 1:14), He who is himself our peace.”

Blessed Mariam was born in Galilee. For this reason, today our prayerful thoughts turn in a special way to the land where Jesus taught love and died so that humanity might be reconciled.

“That Land,” as I recalled on another occasion, “for decades has seen two peoples opposed in a hitherto irreducible antagonism. Each of them has a history, a tradition, a story of their own, which seem to make it difficult to reach an agreement” (John Paul II, Angelus Address, 4 April 1982).

Today more than ever, the threats hanging over us urge us to make love and brotherhood the fundamental law of social and international relations, in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness—taking inspiration from the way of life exemplified by Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, not only for her people but for the entire world.

May this new way of life give us peace based not on terror, but on mutual trust.

With the Psalmist, let us pray through the intercession of the new Blessed, that the Lord may grant peace to her land:

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’ For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good” (Ps 122:6–9).

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Beatification of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified
13 November 1983, St. Peter’s Basilica

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: A canonization banner of Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy) hangs from St. Peter’s Basilica, framed by a Palestinian pilgrim’s flag at the 2015 canonization Mass. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
What’s one concrete way you can help promote peace in the Holy Land, following the vision of St. John Paul II and St. Mary of Jesus Crucified?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#HolyLand #peace #StJohnPaulII #StMaryOfJesusCrucified #terror #trust

Quote of the day, 12 June: St. John Paul II

Today we are celebrating the victory of those who, in our time, gave their lives for Christ, in order to possess life forever in his glory. This victory has a special character, since it was shared by clergy and laity alike, by young people and old, by people from different classes and states….

There are diocesan and religious priests who died because they chose not to abandon their ministry and because they continued to serve their fellow prisoners who were sick with typhus; some were tortured to death because they defended Jews.

In the group of Blessed there are religious brothers and sisters who persevered in the service of charity and in offering their torments for their neighbour. Among the blessed martyrs there are also lay people.

There are five young people formed in the Salesian oratory; a zealous activist of Catholic Action, a lay catechist tortured to death for his service, and a heroic woman, who gave up her own life in exchange for that of her daughter-in-law who was with child.

These blessed martyrs are today inscribed in the history of holiness of the People of God on pilgrimage for over a thousand years in the land of Poland.

If we rejoice today for the beatification of one hundred and eight martyrs, clergy and lay people, we do so above all because they bear witness to the victory of Christ, the gift which restores hope.

As we carry out this solemn act, there is, in a way, rekindled in us the certainty that, independently of the circumstances, we can achieve complete victory in all things through the One who has loved us (cf. Rom 8:37).

The blessed martyrs cry to our hearts: Believe in God who is love! Believe in him in good times and bad! Awaken hope! May it produce in you the fruit of fidelity to God in every trial!

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Eucharistic Celebration, Apostolic Journey to Poland
Beatification of 108 Polish Martyrs
Warsaw, Sunday, 13 June 1999

Note: Three days later, during the Eucharistic celebration in Wadowice, St. John Paul II remarked: “I am pleased that I was able to beatify, together with one hundred and eight martyrs, Blessed Father Alfonsus Mary Mazurek, a pupil and later a worthy teacher in the minor seminary attached to the Convent. I had the opportunity to meet personally this witness of Christ who in 1944, as prior of the convent of Czerna, confirmed his fidelity to God by a martyr’s death. I kneel in veneration before his relics, which rest in the Church of Saint Joseph, and I give thanks to God for the gift of the life, martyrdom, and holiness of this great Religious.”

Featured image: Then-Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, longtime secretary to Pope John Paul II, at the opening of the Family Home Museum of Saint John Paul II in Wadowice, 9 April 2014. Photo by M. Śmiarowski / KPRM. Source: Kancelaria Premiera / Flickr (Some rights reserved).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have you ever met someone whose faith, courage, or love made you think: “This person is a saint”?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedAlphonsusMaryMazurek #fidelity #GodIsLove #holiness #martyr #StJohnPaulII #Wadowice

Marie du jour, 18 May: St. John Paul II

At the end of the daily Liturgy of the Hours, among the invocations addressed to Mary by the Church is the following:

“Loving Mother of the Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator!”

At the center of this mystery, in the midst of this wonderment of faith, stands Mary. As the loving Mother of the Redeemer, she was the first to experience it: “To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator”!

This is the invocation addressed to Mary, the “loving Mother of the Redeemer,” the invocation addressed to Christ, who through Mary entered human history. Year after year, the antiphon rises to Mary, evoking that moment which saw the accomplishment of this essential historical transformation, which irreversibly continues: the transformation from “falling” to “rising.”

The Church sees the Blessed Mother of God in the saving mystery of Christ and in her own mystery. She sees Mary deeply rooted in humanity’s history, in man’s eternal vocation according to the providential plan which God has made for him from eternity.

She sees Mary maternally present and sharing in the many complicated problems which today beset the lives of individuals, families, and nations; she sees her helping the Christian people in the constant struggle between good and evil, to ensure that it “does not fall,” or, if it has fallen, that it “rises again.”

Saint John Paul II

Papal Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, Conclusion
25 March 1987

John Paul II, St. 1987, Redemptoris Mater: On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Pilgrim Church, Vatican, Rome. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html.

Featured image: Madonna and Child, created by the workshop of Sassoferrato (Italian, 1609–1685), executed in oil on canvas (date unknown). Image credit: Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How do I let Mary accompany me in the struggle between falling and rising?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#AlmaRedemptorisMater #BlessedVirginMary #encyclical #inspiration #MotherOfGod #MotherOfTheRedeemer #StJohnPaulII

Quote of the day, 18 May: St. John Paul II

Contemplation of the Virgin presents her to us as a loving Mother who sees her Son growing up in Nazareth (cf. Lk 2:40, 52), follows him on the roads of Palestine, helps him at the wedding at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5) and, at the foot of the Cross, becomes the Mother associated with his offering and given to all people when Jesus himself entrusts her to his beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26).

As Mother of the Church, the Blessed Virgin is one with the disciples in “constant prayer” (Acts 1:14); as the new Woman who anticipates in herself what will one day come to pass for us all in the full enjoyment of Trinitarian life, she is taken up into heaven from where she spreads the protective mantle of her mercy over her children on their pilgrimage to the holy mountain of glory.

Such a contemplative attitude of mind and heart prompts admiration for the Virgin’s experience of faith and love; she already lives in herself all that every believer desires and hopes to attain in the mystery of Christ and the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 103; Lumen gentium, n. 53).

Therefore, Carmelites have chosen Mary as their Patroness and spiritual Mother and always keep before the eyes of their heart the Most Pure Virgin, who guides everyone to the perfect knowledge and imitation of Christ.

Thus, an intimacy of spiritual relations has blossomed, leading to an ever-increasing communion with Christ and Mary. For the members of the Carmelite Family, Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and mankind, is not only a model to imitate but also the sweet presence of a Mother and Sister in whom to confide.

St Teresa of Jesus rightly urged her sisters:  “Imitate Our Lady and consider how great she must be and what a good thing it is that we have her for our Patroness” (Interior Castle, III, 1, 3).

Saint John Paul II

Message of John Paul II to the Carmelite Family (excerpt)
25 March 2001

Note: Today, 18 May, marks the birthday of Saint John Paul II (1920–2005), whose love for the Blessed Virgin Mary shaped his entire papacy. In this excerpt from his 2001 message to the Carmelite Family, he reflects on Mary’s contemplative presence and her role as Patroness, Mother, and Sister to all who seek to follow Christ in the spirit of Carmel.

John Paul II 2001, Message to the Carmelite Family, Vatican.va, 25 March, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/pont_messages/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20010326_ordine-carmelo.html

Featured image: St. John Paul II is seen here during his pastoral visit to Cali, Colombia on 4–5 July 1986. Image credit: Hernan Valencia / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How does Mary accompany me as both Mother and Sister on my journey toward Christ?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#ChristAndTheChurch #contemplation #faith #love #mercy #MotherOfGod #StJohnPaulII #VirginOfCarmel

Marie du jour, 17 May: St. Thérèse

O beloved Mother, despite my littleness,
Like you, I possess The All-Powerful within me.
But I don’t tremble in seeing my weakness:
The treasures of a mother belong to her child,
And I am your child, O my dearest Mother.
Aren’t your virtues and your love mine too?
So when the white Host comes into my heart,
Jesus, your Sweet Lamb, thinks he is resting in you!…

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Why I Love You, O Mary!, PN 54, Stanza 5

Note: We rejoice together with the entire Carmelite family to mark the 100th anniversary of the canonization of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In his Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia, which decreed that St. Thérèse is a Doctor of the Church, St. John Paul II wrote:

Pius XI, who considered Thérèse of Lisieux the “Star of his pontificate”, did not hesitate to assert in his homily on the day of her canonization, 17 May 1925: “The Spirit of truth opened and made known to her what he usually hides from the wise and prudent and reveals to little ones; thus she enjoyed such knowledge of the things above—as Our immediate Predecessor attests—that she shows everyone else the sure way of salvation” (AAS 17 [1925], p. 213).

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Kinney, D 1995, The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Copyright Natalie Ewert (All rights reserved), used by permission.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Do I live as a true child of Mary, confident that her love and virtues are offered to me too?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedVirginMary #canonization #Centenary #DiscalcedCarmelite #Eucharist #MotherOfGod #StJohnPaulII #StThérèseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 8 May: St. John Paul II

Was Saint John Paul II a Carmelite?

Some years ago, a lively discussion arose online about whether Saint John Paul II was formally affiliated with the Discalced Carmelite Order.

In a 2001 message to the Carmelite family, the Holy Father wrote:

“I too have worn the Scapular of Carmel over my heart for a long time! Because I love the heavenly Mother we all share, whose protection I constantly experience, I hope that this Marian year will help all … to grow in her love and to radiate to the world the presence of this Woman of silence and prayer…”
— Message to the Carmelite Family, 25 March 2001

When this question of official affiliation was raised in the Carmelites Unite Facebook group, a friar of the Krakow Province, Father Włodzimierz Tochmański, OCD—a friar with deep knowledge of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order in Poland—responded that Karol Józef Wojtyła was never canonically affiliated with the Third Order of the Teresian Carmel.

However, Fr. Tochmański emphasized the Pope’s deep spiritual affiliation with Carmel, akin to the bond shared by members of the Scapular Confraternity.

Biographers also highlight the formative role of the Discalced Carmelite friars in Wadowice, the Pope’s hometown. Although St. Raphael Kalinowski, OCD, had died in 1908—twelve years before Karol Wojtyła was born—his legacy continued to shape Carmelite life in Wadowice for decades. As a young priest, Wojtyła studied in Rome, and in 1948 he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the Angelicum: “The Doctrine of Faith in St. John of the Cross.”

St. John Paul II and the Carmelite Scapular

In his homily for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on 16 July 1988, delivered at the Alpini pilgrimage Mass on Mount Adamello, the Pope spoke warmly of the Scapular tradition:

“It is not the time to dwell on the particular devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I will only cite a few words of Pius XII, who wrote in an authoritative document: ‘No one surely is ignorant of how much the love for the most blessed Mother of God contributes to enlivening the Catholic faith and to amending lives, especially through those expressions of devotion which, more than others, seem to enrich minds with supernatural doctrine and move souls to the devout practice of the Christian life. Among these must be mentioned the devotion of the Sacred Scapular of Carmel, which, by its simplicity, adapts to the character of everyone and is widely spread among the Christian faithful, with abundant spiritual fruits.’”
— Homily on Mount Adamello, 16 July 1988

Just over a week later, in his Angelus address of 24 July 1988, the Pope returned to the theme:

“In Carmel, and in every deeply Carmelite soul, an intense life of communion and closeness with the Blessed Virgin flourishes. This becomes a ‘new way’ to live for God and continue here on earth the love of Jesus the Son for His Mother Mary.”
— Angelus, 24 July 1988

He also affirmed the Scapular as “a particular grace” passed on by Mary, recalling the tradition tied to St. Simon Stock, and described it as: “A sign of affiliation with the Carmelite Order… a means of tender and filial Marian devotion.”

A Personal Word

In a visit to the Carmelite parish of Santa Maria in Traspontina in Rome on 10 February 1991, Pope John Paul II offered a personal memory:

“I lived as a child in a town and parish where there was also a Carmelite monastery and convent, where I learned this great Carmelite tradition… This tradition, rooted in the Old Testament with the prophet Elijah, renewed in the Middle Ages, has come down to us—even here near the Vatican—and to this Pope, who has been connected to it since his earliest youth.”
— Address at Santa Maria in Traspontina, 10 February 1991

He closed with a blessing and a wish for all present:

“I wish you every blessing as you continue your journey under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and her Scapular, as we see in the Carmelite Third Order.”

Saint John Paul II

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Brown Scapular worn by Saint John Paul II, a gift to the Discalced Carmelite parish in Wadowice, Poland. Image credit: Discalced Carmelite Order (Used by permission)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How might I grow closer to Carmel’s spirit of silence, prayer, and Marian devotion in my own life?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BrownScapular #DiscalcedCarmelite #OCDS #Poland #StJohnPaulII #StRaphaelKalinowski #Wadowice

Quote of the day, 7 April: St. John Paul II

“I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12)

Sister Teresa of the Andes—Teresa of Jesus, a Discalced Carmelite—is a light of Christ for the entire Church in Chile. She is the first canonized saint of the Teresian Carmel in Latin America and is now enrolled among the saints of the universal Church.

As in the first reading from the Book of Samuel, Teresa does not stand out because of her appearance or stature. The sacred text reminds us: “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). And so, in a short life of just over 19 years—and in only eleven months as a Carmelite—God allowed the light of his Son, Jesus Christ, to shine through her in an extraordinary way. She now serves as a beacon and guide for a world that has grown blind to divine radiance.

To a secularized society that lives turned away from God, this young Carmelite from Chile—whom I joyfully present as a model of the Gospel’s enduring youth—offers the clear testimony of a life that proclaims to today’s men and women: in loving, adoring, and serving God, we find human greatness and joy, true freedom, and the fullness of our calling. From the silence of the cloister, the life of Blessed Teresa quietly cries out: “God alone suffices!”

And she proclaims this especially to young people, who are hungry for truth and searching for a light that gives meaning to life. To a generation bombarded by constant messages and the pressures of an eroticized culture—to a society that confuses real love, which is self-giving, with the hedonistic use of others—this young virgin of the Andes proclaims the beauty and joy that flow from hearts that are pure.

Now, from eternity, Saint Teresa of the Andes continues her intercession as an advocate for countless brothers and sisters. She who found her heaven on earth in espousing Jesus now beholds him face to face, and from that place of intimacy, she prays for all who seek the light of Christ.

Saint John Paul II

Canonization Homily for Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes
Sunday, 21 March 1993

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Photographer Juan Jose Napuri captures this stunning image of Laguna Torres in Torres del Paine National Park, a famous landmark of Patagonia in southern Chile. Image credit: peruphotoart / Adobe Stock (Asset ID# 304107267)

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💠 Reflection question:
Where do you see Christ’s light shining in today’s world—and how are you called to reflect it?
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#canonization #Christ #contemplation #homily #light #purity #StJohnPaulII #StTeresaOfTheAndes #translation #youth

On this day in 1982, Pope St. John Paul II visited the Discalced Carmelite Basilica of St. Teresa of Avila, speaking on conversion and vocation. #StJohnPaulII

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2025/01/23/jp2-24jan82/

Quote of the day, 24 January: St. John Paul II

“The kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15).

Today’s liturgy presents us with two key themes for reflection: conversion and vocation.

Conversion is proclaimed by Jonah, the Old Testament prophet, whom God sent to the great city of Nineveh with the message: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jon 3:4) because of their sins. Through the prophet, the Lord—whom the psalmist describes as the one who “instructs sinners in the way” (Ps 25:8)—calls the people of Nineveh to change their ways. And they respond: “They turned from their evil ways” (Jon 3:10), and so God, in his mercy, does not carry out the punishment.

Jesus Christ also proclaims conversion, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15). In both cases, conversion means turning away from sin. In Jonah’s time, this turning away was motivated by fear of punishment. But Jesus calls us to conversion because of God’s nearness and the promise of his kingdom.

Conversion is a pivotal moment in every person’s spiritual and moral life. It takes on different forms at various stages of life. Sometimes conversion is a major turning point that leads to a profound change in one’s direction and behavior. Other times, it happens in the small, almost unnoticed choices of daily life that are essential for the soul’s growth.

We often speak of first and second conversions, and sometimes even a third. The first conversion involves turning away from serious sins that hinder the life of grace. Later conversions are steps along the path of deeper transformation and closeness to God.

This theme is echoed in the responsorial psalm:

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! (Ps 25:6-7).

Conversion is deeply connected to God’s mercy.

The second theme is vocation.

In the first reading, we hear God’s call to Jonah: “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you” (Jon 3:2). And Jonah obeys.

In the Gospel, we see the call of the first apostles. Jesus calls Simon (later named Peter) and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, while they are fishing by the Sea of Galilee. He invites them: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mk 1:17). They leave their nets and follow him.

Vocation, as we see, is God’s call to each person, entrusting them with a mission. With the call comes the grace to fulfill it. Jonah initially resists, feeling overwhelmed by the task, while the apostles respond with readiness—though their journey will not be without challenges.

The psalm expresses this call beautifully:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long (Ps 25:4-5).

Indeed, when God calls, he also gives hope.

These two themes—conversion and vocation—are central to the Christian life. They shape God’s saving plan for us and foster our inner growth. Conversion means breaking away from sin and striving for holiness, while vocation reveals God’s purpose for our lives and our response to his love.

As we draw closer to God, we discover the mission he has entrusted to us. Conversion and vocation go hand in hand. Just as Simon, Andrew, James, and John became “fishers of people” (Mk 1:17), so too, each of us is called to embrace God’s plan for our lives.

Today, I am delighted to visit your parish, dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila, a remarkable mystic known for her deep relationship with God and her love for others. This marks my first pastoral visit in 1982 as Bishop of Rome, and I greet you all with joy.

I extend my greetings to the Cardinal Vicar, the Apostolic Nuncio, the Auxiliary Bishop, and especially your parish priests from the esteemed Carmelite Order, who faithfully shepherd this community. I also warmly greet the lay groups supporting their ministry—catechists, the Catholic Action group, the Secular Carmelites, the Young Couples group, and many others. My heartfelt greetings go to every member of this parish—workers, families, elderly people, those who are suffering, and especially the youth, who hold a special place in my heart.

I want to embrace each of you in light of today’s Gospel message. Every person here is experiencing their own journey of conversion, known only to them and God. Some may feel far from God, others may still be awaiting that first step of conversion. And each of you has a vocation—whether as parents, children, teachers, doctors, students, or workers. To each of you, Christ says: “Follow me.”

Your parish is located in an urban setting with a growing elderly population and a decrease in births, yet with many schools for young people. It is essential that your parish be a place where all find a true sense of community. The Gospel must be known and lived here.

Your parish, dedicated to St. Teresa, is a special space within the larger Church of Rome. Here, God continues to call people to conversion and helps them discover their unique vocation. Through this, each life finds its full meaning.

May your parish truly be a place where God’s grace transforms hearts and leads each person to their calling.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “for the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor 7:31). Indeed, time passes. The year 1981 is behind us, and we have entered 1982.

Only God remains forever. Our lives have lasting value when we turn away from sin and embrace God’s call.

May this new year be a time of ongoing conversion and renewed commitment to our vocation.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Pastoral Visit to the Roman parish of St. Teresa (Corso d’Italia 37)
Sunday, 24 January 1982

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: St. John Paul II is seen here during his pastoral visit to Cali, Colombia on 4–5 July 1986. Image credit: Hernan Valencia / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#conversion #DiscalcedCarmelite #friars #homily #Rome #StJohnPaulII #vocation

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 Holy

Lethel, 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

Quote of the day, 16 November: St. John Paul II

“Following in Your footsteps,” as the mystical poet himself sings, he walked the path of his life in search of God, discovering His presence in creation and creatures.

John of the Cross, a teacher in faith, is also a guide in the paths of life. His profound and measured words suggest to humankind the full dignity of their task: to draw closer to the mystery of existence, to endure the human struggle of believing amid darkness, and to synthesize the love of God and neighbor, for as the Saint so beautifully says, “After all, for this purpose of love we were created” (Spiritual Canticle, B, 29, 3).

It would be impossible to understand Saint John of the Cross apart from his living faith, in which he condensed the profound religiosity of his land, the contemplative gaze of its people, and the proverbial Castilian nobility that always seeks the truth and expresses it with the simplicity of sober language. For this reason, even today, in a time of frequent ambiguities, John of the Cross invites us to be seekers of truth and pilgrims of faith; he encourages us to be men and women who place God’s truth above all human compromises.

Saint John Paul II

Speech to the Planning Commission (excerpt)
IV Centenary of the death of St. John of the Cross
Friday, 16 November 1990

Note: Saint John of the Cross’s remarks in The Spiritual Canticle on “this purpose of love” are particularly forceful. Here we read the context (st. 29, no. 3) where John writes:

Great wrong would be done to a soul who possesses some degree of this solitary love, as well as to the Church, if we were to urge her to become occupied in exterior or active things, even if the works were very important and required only a short time. Since God has solemnly entreated that no one awaken a soul from this love [Song 3:5], who will dare do so and remain without reproof? After all, this love is the end for which we were created.

Let those, then, who are singularly active, who think they can win the world with their preaching and exterior works, observe here that they would profit the Church and please God much more, not to mention the good example they would give, were they to spend at least half of this time with God in prayer, even though they might not have reached a prayer as sublime as this. They would then certainly accomplish more, and with less labor, by one work than they otherwise would by a thousand. For through their prayer they would merit this result, and themselves be spiritually strengthened. Without prayer they would do a great deal of hammering but accomplish little, and sometimes nothing, and even at times cause harm. God forbid that the salt should begin to lose its savor [Mt 5:13]. However much they may appear to achieve externally, they will in substance be accomplishing nothing; it is beyond doubt that good works can be performed only by the power of God.

John 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: Photographer and pilgrim Lovisa Håkansson captured this image of two fellow hikers along the Camino de Santiago in June 2012. Image credit: Lovisa Håkansson / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#Centenary #culture #faith #inspiration #love #Spain #speech #spirituality #StJohnOfTheCross #StJohnPaulII #theology

Quote of the day, 13 November: St. John Paul II

“Listen, daughter”… (Psalm 45:11).

1. Today the Church applies these words of the Psalm to Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified, a Discalced Carmelite nun, born in the land that saw the unfolding of the life of Jesus of Nazareth; a land situated in a region that, even today, remains at the center of grave concerns and painful tensions.

“Listen, daughter.” Behold, Sister Mary’s journey toward the divine Bridegroom is now profoundly inscribed in the memory of the People of God. Today, the Church crowns her with the act of beatification. This act bears witness to the unique spiritual “beauty” of this daughter of the Holy Land—a “beauty” that has matured in the glow of the mystery of Redemption: in the rays of the birth and teaching, the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The liturgy says to the new Blessed: “He is your Lord: bow down to him” (Ps 45:11–12).

And at the same time, with the words of the same Psalm, the liturgy manifests the joy for the elevation to the altar of the humble Servant of God.

“The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes…” (Ps 45:13–14): the golden fabric of faith, hope, and love; of the theological and moral virtues that she practiced to a heroic degree as a daughter of Carmel.

2. In this Year that the Church experiences as an extraordinary Jubilee of the Redemption, many times we have gathered around figures who have reached the glory of the altar. It is a special sign of the inexhaustible power of the Redemption, which works in the souls of the Servants of God, allowing them to continue tenaciously on the path of the vocation to holiness.

This vocation has its eternal beginning in the salvific plan of the Most Holy Trinity, of which the second reading of the Mass speaks: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom 8:29–30).

In this grandiose Pauline vision, we penetrate, so to speak, into the very depths of divine thought, grasping in some way the “logic” of the plan of salvation, in the progression of the mysterious actions that lead to its full implementation. Thus, the vocation to holiness is God’s eternal plan with regard to man: with regard, today, to our sister Mary of Jesus Crucified.

True wisdom and intelligence presuppose “littleness,” understood as docility to the Holy Spirit. It is only through this littleness that one can, in the Son, for the Son, and with the Son, come to know the mysteries of the Father. These remain hidden from the wise and learned of this world, who are blinded by foolishness and pride (Cf. 1 Cor 1:18–21).

3. The vocation to holiness is carried out by those “infants” of the Gospel who accept divine Revelation with all their hearts. Thanks to this, they “know the Son,” and thanks to the Son, they “know the Father.”

Such knowledge is, in fact, at the same time, the acceptance of the vocation: “Come to me… Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me…” (Mt 11:28–29).

And so we go to Christ just as Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified came to him, that is, taking his yoke upon ourselves, learning from him, because he is meek and humble of heart, and finding solace for our souls (Cf. Mt 11:28–29).

4. And all this is the work of love. Holiness, first of all, is based on love. It is its mature fruit. And in today’s liturgy, in a particular way, love is exalted:

• “love, as strong as death”;
• “the love that floods cannot drown”;
• “love, in exchange for which one must give all the wealth of one’s house” (Cf. Song 8:6–7).

Thus speaks the author of the Song of Songs. And Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, teaches that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28). Precisely this cooperation traces the path of holiness, one might say, day by day throughout one’s life. On this path, holiness is realized as the eternal vocation of those “who have been called according to God’s plan” (Cf. Rom 8:28).

5. The readings of today’s Liturgy are a splendid commentary on the life of Sister Mary, who was born near Nazareth and died in the Carmel of Bethlehem at the age of 33. Her love for Christ was as strong as death; the most painful trials did not extinguish it, but on the contrary, purified and strengthened it. She gave everything for this love.

The entire life of the little Arab girl, filled with extraordinary mystical gifts, was, in the light of the Holy Spirit, the conscious and irrevocable response to a vocation of holiness, that is, to that eternal plan of salvation, of which St. Paul speaks, which divine mercy has established for each of us.

Her whole life is the fruit of that supreme evangelical “wisdom” with which God delights in enriching the humble and the poor, confounding the powerful. Endowed with great clarity of mind, a fervent natural intelligence, and that poetic imagination characteristic of the Semitic peoples, little Mary did not have the opportunity to gain access to advanced studies, but this did not prevent her, thanks to her eminent virtue, from being filled with that “knowledge” that has the greatest value, and to give us the knowledge that Christ died on the cross: knowledge of the Trinitarian Mystery, such an important perspective in that Eastern Christian spirituality in which the little Arab girl had been educated.

6. As we read in the Canonical Decree of Beatification, “the humble servant of Christ, Mary of Jesus Crucified, belonging by lineage, rite, vocation, and wanderings to the peoples of the East and being in some way a representative of them, is like a gift from the peoples of the East to the universal Church. These peoples, suffering in miserable conditions of struggle and bloodshed, especially now, turn with great trust to her fraternal intercession, in the hope that, thanks also to the Servant of God’s prayers, peace and harmony finally will be restored in those lands where ‘the Word became flesh’ (Jn 1:14) since he himself is our peace.”

Blessed Mary was born in Galilee. That is why our prayerful thought wants to go today in a special way to the Land where Jesus taught love and died so that humanity might have reconciliation. “That Land,” as I recalled on another occasion, “for decades has seen two peoples opposed in a hitherto irreducible antagonism. Each of them has a history, a tradition, a story of their own, which seem to make it difficult to reach an agreement” (John Paul II, Allocutio occasione oblata orationis dominicae Angelus Domini habita, 5, domenica 4 aprile 1982: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, V/1 [1982] 1110).

Today more than ever before, the threats looming over us urge us to make love and brotherhood the fundamental law of social and international relations, in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness, taking inspiration from the way of life of which Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified is an example not only for her people but for the whole world. May this new way of life give us peace based not on terror, but on mutual trust.

7. We rejoice today at the altar of the Confession of St. Peter for the beatification of Sister Mary. We inscribe this joy of the Church in the record of the Jubilee Year of Redemption. Together with Christ, we praise the Father, who revealed to the soul of Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified the mystery of truth and love, making her a sharer in the glory of his Kingdom.

With the Psalmist, let us pray to the new Blessed that the Lord may grant peace to her land: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’ For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good” (Ps 122:6–9).

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Beatification of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified
13 November 1983, St. Peter’s Basilica

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam Baouardy). Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

#beatification #DiscalcedCarmelite #homily #mariamBaouardy #nun #StJohnPaulII #StMaryOfJesusCrucified

Pope St. John Paul II affirms that “praying for the souls in purgatory is the highest act of supernatural charity.” The Church, ever conscious of her vocation to love, has always been animated by this fraternal charity, inviting her children to pray and do penance on behalf of the faithful departed. This is expressly approved by the Bible: “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Mac 12:46). In response to this invitation, the Carmelite Order through the centuries of her existence, has developed a strong sense of communion with the suffering Church (the souls in purgatory).

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https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/03/carmelite-order-and-souls-in-purgatory-carmel-holy-land/

#Carmelites #church #dead #friars #HolyLand #penance #pray #purgatory #StJohnPaulII #StellaMaris

On this day in 1982, St. John Paul II described St. John of the Cross as a guide on the path to God, led by faith’s pure light. #StJohnPaulII #Spain

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/03/jp2-4nov82homly/

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, Spain

John 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

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

Dear brothers and sisters! Because she was Jewish, Edith Stein was taken with her sister Rosa and many other Catholic Jews from the Netherlands to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where she died with them in the gas chambers. Today we remember them all with deep respect. A few days before her deportation, the woman religious had dismissed the question about a possible rescue: “Do not do it! Why should I be spared? Is it not right that I should gain no advantage from my Baptism? If I cannot share the lot of my brothers and sisters, my life, in a certain sense, is destroyed”.

From now on, as we celebrate the memory of this new saint from year to year, we must also remember the Shoah, that cruel plan to exterminate a people — a plan to which millions of our Jewish brothers and sisters fell victim. May the Lord let his face shine upon them and grant them peace (cf. Nm 6:25f.).

For the love of God and man, once again I raise an anguished cry: May such criminal deeds never be repeated against any ethnic group, against any race, in any corner of this world! It is a cry to everyone: to all people of goodwill; to all who believe in the Just and Eternal God; to all who know they are joined to Christ, the Word of God made man. We must all stand together: human dignity is at stake. There is only one human family. The new saint also insisted on this: “Our love of neighbour is the measure of our love of God. For Christians — and not only for them — no one is a ‘stranger’. The love of Christ knows no borders”.

Saint John Paul II

Homily for the Canonization of Edith Stein
11 October 1998

Featured image: Repairs in anticipation of the Jubilee Year were underway at St. Peter’s Basilica on the day of St. Edith Stein’s canonization. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/10/jp2-11oct98hom/

#Auschwitz #equality #humanDignity #humanRights #humanity #inspiration #Jewish #loveOfGod #RosaStein #Shoah #StEdithStein #StJohnPaulII

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 1896

As 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

This following of the Master, which should lead us to imitate him to the point of giving our lives for his love, has been almost a constant call for Christians of the earliest times and throughout history to give this supreme witness of love—martyrdom—to everyone, especially persecutors.

Thus the Church, down through the centuries, has preserved as a precious legacy the words that Christ spoke: “No disciple is above his teacher” (Mt 10:24), and “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (Jn 15:20).

Thus we see that martyrdom—the ultimate witness in defense of the faith—is considered by the Church to be an exalted gift and the supreme proof of love, by which a Christian follows in the footsteps of Jesus, who freely accepted suffering and death for the salvation of the world.

And although martyrdom is a gift granted by God to a few, nevertheless, all must—and should—be ready to confess Christ before men, especially in the periods of trial that are never—even today—lacking for the Church.

In honoring her martyrs, the Church recognizes them both as a sign of her fidelity to Jesus Christ until death, and as a clear sign of her immense desire for forgiveness and peace, harmony, mutual understanding, and respect.

The three Carmelite martyrs had, without doubt, very present, as we know from their testimonies, those words written by their Holy Mother and Doctor of the Church, Teresa of Jesus:

“If someone is a true religious or a true person of prayer… he must not turn his back upon the desire to die for God and suffer martyrdom” (Way of Perfection, 12:2).

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Beatification of Five Servants of God
29 March 1987

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.

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from a historic photograph of Republican soldiers in the Church of Sigüenza, Guadalajara during the early months of the Spanish Civil War (1936). From the photojournalism collection in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/23/jp2-29mar87/

#beatification #BlessedMartyrsOfGuadalajara #gift #homily #martyrdom #StJohnPaulII #StTeresaOfAvila #witness

“They have no wine” (Jn 2:3)

We can therefore say that in this passage of John’s Gospel [Jn 2:1-11] we find as it were a first manifestation of the truth concerning Mary’s maternal care. This truth has also found expression in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. It is important to note how the Council illustrates Mary’s maternal role as it relates to the mediation of Christ.

Thus we read: “Mary’s maternal function towards mankind in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its efficacy,” because “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).

This maternal role of Mary flows, according to God’s good pleasure, “from the superabundance of the merits of Christ; it is founded on his mediation, absolutely depends on it, and draws all its efficacy from it” (Lumen Gentium, 60).

It is precisely in this sense that the episode at Cana in Galilee offers us a sort of first announcement of Mary’s mediation, wholly oriented towards Christ and tending to the revelation of his salvific power.

From the text of John, it is evident that it is a mediation which is maternal. As the Council proclaims: Mary became “a mother to us in the order of grace.”

This motherhood in the order of grace flows from her divine motherhood. Because she was, by the design of divine Providence, the mother who nourished the divine Redeemer, Mary became “an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord’s humble handmaid,” who “cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls” (Lumen Gentium, 61).

And “this maternity of Mary in the order of grace… will last without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect” (Lumen Gentium, 62).

Saint John Paul II

Redemptoris Mater, 22
25 March 1987

St. John Paul II highlights that Mary’s role as Mediatrix does not lessen or obstruct her Son’s unique role as the one mediator between God and us. Instead, it demonstrates His unique mediation.

As Mediatrix, Mary’s role flows from Christ’s merits. Her prayers are powerful and obtain miracles from the Lord because Jesus is our mediator, and she appeals to Him alone.

For example, at the wedding feast in Cana (Jn 2:1-11), Mary obtained the miracle of turning water into wine by leaning in and encouraging Jesus to reveal His power as Savior.

St. John Paul II further elaborates on Mary’s unique role and its ongoing significance, emphasizing her continuous role in our spiritual lives.

Her cooperation in Jesus’ mission through her obedience and love makes her our mother in the order of grace. The “order of grace” refers to the supernatural order, in which God’s grace is active and transformative, guiding us toward holiness and eternal salvation.

Mary’s maternal role in this order means she intercedes for us and assists us in receiving and living out God’s grace. By “heavenly fulfillment,” St. John Paul II means the ultimate completion of our spiritual journey, where we are united with God, fully partaking in His eternal joy and peace.

God of eternal wisdom,
in your providence, you willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary
should bring forth the Author of Grace,
and take part with him
in the mystery of man’s redemption.
May she obtain for us grace in abundance
and bring us to the haven of everlasting salvation.

Featured image: The Virgin Mother’s intercession and Christ’s first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee are wonderfully portrayed in this majestic stained glass window at St. Aloysius Church on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. The church, which was dedicated in 1911, features stained glass windows crafted and installed by the studio of Franz Mayer of Munich. Image credit: Fr. James Bradley / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/22/ep13-materdivgra/

#CanaOfGalilee #encyclical #LumenGentium #maternityOfMary #mediation #MotherOfDivineGrace #MotherOfGod #RedemptorisMater #StJohnPaulII #supernatural #wedding

May we always live joyfully. God is infinite joy.

Saint Teresa of the Andes
Letter 101, 14 May 1919

Saint Teresa of the Andes, born as Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones Fernández Solar, was affectionately known as Juanita. She was born in Santiago, Chile, on 13 July 1900. Growing up in a devout Christian family, she was the favorite among her siblings and cherished by her grandfather, Eulogio Solar, who was often seen with his rosary.

From a young age, Juanita attended Holy Mass almost daily and longed for Communion, which she received for the first time on 11 September 1910. Her spiritual life was profoundly influenced by her intense devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Juanita was educated at the Sacred Heart School from 1907 to 1918. Despite her deep affection for her family, she embraced the trial of boarding school as preparation for her vocation. On 7 May 1919, she entered the Discalced Carmelites of Los Andes and took the name Teresa of Jesus. She was clothed in the Carmelite habit on 14 October of the same year.

Inspired by God, Juanita knew she would die young, a reality she accepted with joy and serenity. She saw this as a continuation of her mission to make God known and loved. After much suffering from typhus, she made her religious profession in articulo mortis on 7 April 1920, and passed away on 12 April 1920, at the age of 19.

St. John Paul II, in his homily at her beatification, highlighted her “simple and accessible holiness, centered on the essentials of the Gospel: to love, suffer, pray, and serve.” He emphasized her deep familiarity with Christ and the Virgin Mary, noting, “Her love for Christ, by whom she felt fascinated, led her to consecrate herself to Him forever, and to participate in the mystery of His passion and resurrection.”

For Teresa, “God is infinite joy.” This joy permeated her short life and left a lasting legacy of love and devotion.

The beatification ceremony took place on 3 April 1987, in Santiago, Chile, and her canonization was celebrated on 21 March 1993, at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Prayer:

God of mercy, joy of the saints,
you set the young heart of Saint Teresa ablaze
with the fire of virginal love for Christ and for His Church;
and even in suffering made her a cheerful witness to charity.
Through her intercession,
fill us with the delights of your Spirit,
so that we may proclaim by word and deed
the joyful message of your love to the world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Spanish readers will find a wealth of information on the website santateresadelosandes.cl

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Image credit for the photo of St. Teresa of the Andes goes to the Discalced Carmelites.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/12/andes-ep09/

#biography #CarmelOfLosAndes #feastday #homily #love #Podcast #pray #serve #StJohnPaulII #StTeresaOfTheAndes #suffer #VirginMary

In 1991, Pope John Paul II returned to Fatima on May 12 and 13. This time Sister Lucia was not called to attend. She would remain with the Community and follow the journey of His Holiness in Portugal on television. But a surprise phone call to the Prioress on the morning of the 12th came from the Bishops of Leiria and Coimbra, delivering an order from the Holy Father for Sister Lucia to be in Fatima the next day. 

It is also an exception for a Carmelite to leave the Carmel, but it is also no problem because it does not require much preparation. By late afternoon, Sister Lucia and the Mother Prioress left in the car of Dr. Miguel Barata and his wife. He asked for a police escort and they arrived in Fatima with haste. 

The meeting with the Pope was to take place on the morning of the 13th before Mass in the house of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Sister Lucia and the Mother Prioress arrived before the Pope and were invited to go to the Blessed Sacrament chapel. They prayed briefly before being told the Pope was coming. He came in and prayed for a short time before the Blessed Sacrament, and with joy and simplicity greeted Mother Prioress and Sister Lucia before heading to the meeting room. In the corridor, several journalists and photographers came forward and delicately asked if they could take some photographs. The Holy Father, noticing how the Shepherdess withdrew—she did not like being photographed—took her by the hand and with a gentle smile said: 

“We have to oblige.”

The Discalced Carmelite nuns of Coimbra

A pathway under the gaze of Mary, XVIII.5

Note: Sister Maria Lucia of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, O.C.D. was declared Venerable on Thursday, 22 June 2023 in a decree on her heroic virtues promulgated with the approval of Pope Francis.

of St. Teresa Coimbra Portugal, C 2015, A pathway under the gaze of Mary : biography of Sister Maria Lucia of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart O.C.D., translated from the Portuguese by Colson, J, World Apostolate of Fatima USA, Washington NJ.

Featured image: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal with its massive statue of St. John Paul II. Photo copyright: Adrian Wojcik / 123rf.com (Standard License)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/12/mdj2024-ep13/

#encounter #Fatima #humility #inspiration #obedience #papalVisit #photography #StJohnPaulII #VenerableMariaLuciaOfJesusAndTheImmaculateHeart

On the Feast of Pope #StJohnPaulII, I reflect on this incredible film which I first watched with @DavidAltonHL in a hotel room in Pyongyang, #NorthKorea, 13 years ago I highly recommend it. We need another Pope like him for our times. https://youtu.be/av5rc5IPavs?si=yCz9JK307dD2kI9S via @YouTube https://nitter.hongkongers.net/benedictrogers/status/1716225946645094494#m

At her beatification, St John Paul II lifted up the example of Teresa of the Andes as a model for holiness for all the laity, especially the youth.

Visit our blog to read an excerpt from his homily:
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/01/28/jp2-andes/

#stteresaoftheandes #stjohnpaulii #beatitudes #joy #perfection #example #jesuschrist #homily #santiagodechile #beatification #mass #catholic #carmelite #quotes #inspiration

@jolz
We could call her the Doctor of Simplicity! #StJohnPaulII decided that #MercifulLove was her thing, though... he could have copied #StThereseOfLisieux and said something like "I choose all." What a great reflection, Jolz. Thank you so much for sharing this!
:ablobcatheartsqueeze:

On 17 November 1991, St. John Paul II presided at the Rite of Canonization of Raphael Kalinowski (1835-1907), who was born in Lithuania, exiled to Siberia, then entered the Carmelites after he was released.

Our #QuoteOfTheDay from St Raphael Kalinowski introduces the story of the astounding miracle of the healing of a boy who was hit by a car at 80 km/h

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/11/16/kalinowski-canonizmirac/

#OnThisDay #SaintQuote #catholic #Carmelite #CarmeliteQuotes #StRaphaelKalinowski #Wadowice #God #StJohnPaulII

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.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

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
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

 The 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.

Let us unite in prayer

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