#stjohnpaulii — Public Fediverse posts

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, 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, 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, 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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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, 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

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

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)

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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.

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Christ reveals, first and foremost, that the frank and open acceptance of truth is the condition for authentic freedom: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32) [Cf. Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (March 4, 1979), 12]. This is truth which sets one free in the face of worldly power and which gives the strength to endure martyrdom. So it was with Jesus before Pilate: “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37). The true worshippers of God must thus worship him “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23): in this worship they become free. Worship of God and a relationship with truth are revealed in Jesus Christ as the deepest foundation of freedom.

Furthermore, Jesus reveals by his whole life, and not only by his words, that freedom is acquired in love, that is, in the gift of self. The one who says: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13), freely goes out to meet his Passion (cf. Mt 26:46), and in obedience to the Father gives his life on the Cross for all men (cf. Phil 2:6-11). Contemplation of Jesus Crucified is thus the highroad which the Church must tread every day if she wishes to understand the full meaning of freedom: the gift of self in service to God and one’s brethren. Communion with the Crucified and Risen Lord is the never-ending source from which the Church draws unceasingly in order to live in freedom, to give of herself and to serve. Commenting on the verse in Psalm 100 “Serve the Lord with gladness”, Saint Augustine says: “In the house of the Lord, slavery is free. It is free because it serves not out of necessity, but out of charity… Charity should make you a servant, just as truth has made you free… you are at once both a servant and free: a servant, because you have become such; free, because you are loved by God your Creator; indeed, you have also been enabled to love your Creator… You are a servant of the Lord and you are a freedman of the Lord. Do not go looking for a liberation which will lead you far from the house of your liberator!” [Enarratio in Psalmum XCIX, 7].

The Church, and each of her members, is thus called to share in the munus regale of the Crucified Christ (cf. Jn 12:32), to share in the grace and in the responsibility of the Son of man who came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28) [Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium 36; cf. Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (March 4,1979), 21].

Jesus, then, is the living, personal summation of perfect freedom in total obedience to the will of God. His crucified flesh fully reveals the unbreakable bond between freedom and truth, just as his Resurrection from the dead is the supreme exaltation of the fruitfulness and saving power of a freedom lived out in truth.

Saint John Paul II

Veritatis Splendor, 87
6 August 1993

Featured image: Saint John Paul II greets the faithful at a general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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In an exemplary way, Teresa Mary lived the exhortations of St. Paul, which we read in the liturgy: “from childhood” she allowed herself to be convinced by the truth of God’s word; built on it, she “stood firm” in it.

And as the years went by, she strengthened that inner “steadfastness” and robustness and knew how to “teach” it, convincing and correcting her own spiritual daughters, and training them in righteousness and every good work. Right up to today. And also into the future.

The particularly striking characteristic of Teresa Mary was joy. A woman of exceptional maternal tenderness and poise, her words of wisdom, her very gaze, and her demeanor were able to infuse everyone with so much light, so much comfort and so much hope, that she continually was sought out by people from all walks of life and conditions, who even waited for hours to be received by her in her little convent at the foot of the Bisenzio River embankment, to listen to her words of faith that were able to transfigure suffering and restore peace.

But Teresa Mary’s joy was not the illusory joy of this world. Her joy was the result of a high cost, which, moreover, she paid willingly, because she was driven by love for Christ and for souls.

She had much to suffer: from criticism to calumny; from the martyrdom of a malignant tumor that devoured her with frightful suffering to the anguish of a “dark night” of faith, which tested her in the innermost fibers of her spirit.

But in all this, perfectly abandoned in God’s hands, she knew how to live in peace and seemed almost to repeat Paul’s words when he says, “I overflow with joy in every tribulation” (2 Cor. 7:4).

This is the joy that the new Blessed teaches us. A joy that is truth, fullness, fruitfulness and that opens us to divine life. Today we are in great need of this joy. It is the joy that comes to us from the cross, that cross with which she wished to mark her name as a religious.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Beatification of Teresa Maria della Croce Manetti (excerpt)
Florence, Italy, 19 October 1986

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

Featured image: Blessed Teresa Maria della Croce Manetti. Image credit: Carmelites

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@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: