#stteresaofavila — Public Fediverse posts

Quote of the day, 11 September: St. Teresa of Avila

Treats of some of the things that have taken place to the honor and glory of God, in this monastery of St. Joseph’s in Toledo.

It has occurred to me to say something about what some of the nuns put into practice in the service of the Lord so that those who follow may strive to imitate the good things that were done in the beginning.

It happened that while I was here a fatal illness struck one of the Sisters. After receiving the sacraments and being anointed, her happiness and joy were so great that, as though she were going to another country, we were able to talk to her about how she should recommend us to God when in heaven and to the saints to whom we were devoted.

A little before she died, I went to her room to be with her, for I had just gone before the Blessed Sacrament to beg the Lord to give her a good death. And when I entered I saw His Majesty at the head of the bed. His arms were partly opened as though He was protecting her, and He told me that I could be certain He would protect all the nuns that die in these monasteries and that they should not fear temptation at the hour of death. I was left very consoled and recollected. After a little while I began to speak to her, and she said to me: “O Mother, what great things I am going to see.” Thus she died, like an angel.

And I have noticed that some who have died since this occurred have done so with quiet and calm as though they were in rapture or in the prayer of quiet, without showing the least sign of any temptation. Thus I hope in the goodness of God that He will be merciful to us at the moment of death through the merits of His Son and those of His glorious Mother whose habit we wear. Therefore, my daughters, let us strive to be true Carmelites, for soon the day’s journey will end.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Foundations, ch. 16

Note: The nun who died like an angel was Sister Petronila of St. Andrew, who died in 1576—the year before Blessed Mary of Jesus López de Rivas received the habit in the Carmel of Toledo.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Convento de las Carmelitas Descalzas de San José of Toledo as viewed from Paseo Recaredo. Image credit: Walter_D / Adobe Stock (Asset ID#: 534460648).

Quote of the day, 10 September: St. Teresa of Avila

Jesus. The grace of the Holy Spirit be with your honor.

I am now in Avila, mi padre, where I would most willingly be your daughter again if you were here, for I feel very much alone in this city where I find no one who can console me in my present situation. May God provide a remedy. The more I go on, the less I find in this life that can provide consolation.

I was not well when I arrived here, but had a slight fever caused by a certain circumstance. Now I am well, and it seems the body is relieved for not having to go on another trip so soon. For I tell you, these trips are very tiring, although I can’t say that about the one from here to Soria. That trip was recreation for me, it being a smooth journey, often with a view of rivers that provided pleasant company. Our good procurator will have told you about this experience.

It’s a strange thing that not one of those who desire to do me a favor escapes without a good deal of trouble, but God gives them the charity to enjoy it, as he has done with you. See that you do not fail to write me a letter when you have a messenger, even though you may find it tiring to do so, for I tell you there is very little in which to find rest, and many trials.

I am delighted that Dionisia has entered. I beg you to tell the chief mail carrier and give him my regards, and don’t forget to pray for me. Since I arrived only a short time ago, there is no lack of visitors and so little opportunity to relax by writing to you.

I kiss Don Francisco’s hands. May our Lord watch over you with an increase in holiness, as I beg of him, amen.

Today is 9 September.

Your honor’s unworthy servant and daughter,
Teresa of Jesus

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 406, 9 September 1581

Note: Don Jerónimo Reinoso, a canon of Palencia Cathedral and provider for the Hospital of San Antolín, was a trusted friend and confessor of Saint Teresa. “He is very discreet, holy, and shows good judgment in everything, even though he is young” (Foundations 29.21), she wrote of him. Six of Teresa’s letters to Reinoso have survived.

Teresa wrote this letter on September 9, 1581, the day after returning to Avila from Soria with Pedro Ribera, the procurator mentioned in the letter. She had arrived unwell; then María de Cristo resigned as prioress of St. Joseph’s on September 10, and Teresa was elected in her place. Dionisia de la Madre de Dios had recently entered the Carmel of Palencia and would make her profession the following year. The “chief mail carrier,” Diego Reinoso, was the postmaster in Palencia. He and Don Francisco Reinoso were Father Jerónimo’s brothers.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Walls Surrounding the Spanish city of Avila, Night Panorama. Image credit: RubenPH / Adobe Stock, assed ID 291743445.

Quote of the day, 4 September: St. Teresa of Avila

Giovanni Battista Rossi (1507–1578), prior general of the Carmelite Order, was known in Spain as Father General Rubeo. When he visited Avila in 1567, Teresa feared he would disapprove of her new foundation at St. Joseph’s Monastery and send her back to the Incarnation. Instead, he recognized her renewal of Carmel and authorized her to found other monasteries, opening the way for the Teresian reform.

How our Father General came to Avila and what followed from his visit.

Our generals always reside in Rome, and none ever came to Spain. So it seemed impossible that one should come now. But since nothing is impossible when our Lord wants it, His Majesty ordained that what had never happened before should come about now.

When I came to know of it, I felt grieved. For as was already mentioned concerning the foundation of St. Joseph’s, that house was not subject to the friars for the reason given. I feared two things: one, that our Father General would be displeased with me (and rightly so since he was unaware of how the things had come to pass); the other, that he would order me to return to the monastery of the Incarnation, where the mitigated rule is observed, which for me would have been an affliction for many reasons—there would be no point in going into them.

One reason should be enough: that in the Incarnation I wouldn’t be able to observe the austerity of the primitive rule, that the community numbers more than 150, and that where there are few there is more harmony and quiet.

Our Lord did better than I had imagined. For the general is such a servant of the Lord, and so discreet and learned, that he regarded the work as good; moreover, he showed no displeasure toward me. His name is Fray Juan Bautista Rubeo de Ravenna, a person very distinguished in the order, and rightly so.

Well then, when he arrived in Avila, I arranged that he come to St. Joseph’s. And the bishop thought it well that he be given all the welcome that the bishop himself would receive.

I gave our Father General an account in all truth and openness, for it is my inclination to speak thus with my superiors, whatever might happen, since they stand in the place of God—and with confessors, the same. If I didn’t do this, it wouldn’t seem to me that my soul was secure.

And so I gave him an account of my soul and of almost my whole life, although it is very wretched. He consoled me much and assured me that he wouldn’t order me to leave St. Joseph’s.

He rejoiced to see our manner of life, a portrait, although an imperfect one, of the beginnings of our order, and how the primitive rule was being kept in all its rigor, for it wasn’t being observed in any monastery in the entire order; only the mitigated rule was observed. And with the desire he had that this beginning go forward, he gave me very extensive patent letters, so that more monasteries could be founded, along with censures to prevent any provincial from restraining me. I did not ask for these, but he understood from my way of prayer that my desires to help some soul come closer to God were great.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Foundations, ch. 2, nos. 1–3

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Flemish printmaker Arnold van Westerhout engraved this portrait for Gabriel Wessel’s Historia chronologica priorum generalium, edited by Mariano Ventimiglia and published in Naples in 1773. It appears with Giovanni Battista Rossi’s biography on page 188. The volume also includes van Westerhout’s portrait of Blessed John Soreth. Image credit: Carmelites (Public domain).

Quote of the day, 27 August: Benedict XVI

Dear brothers and sisters, Saint Teresa of Jesus is a true teacher of Christian life for the faithful of every time. In our society, which all too often lacks spiritual values, St. Teresa teaches us to be unflagging witnesses of God, of his presence and of his action. She teaches us truly to feel this thirst for God that exists in the depths of our hearts, this desire to see God, to seek God, to be in conversation with him and to be his friends.

This is the friendship we all need that we must seek anew, day after day. May the example of this Saint, profoundly contemplative and effectively active, spur us too every day to dedicate the right time to prayer, to this openness to God, to this journey, in order to seek God, to see him, to discover his friendship and so to find true life; indeed many of us should truly say: “I am not alive, I am not truly alive because I do not live the essence of my life”.

Therefore, time devoted to prayer is not time wasted; it is time in which the path of life unfolds, the path unfolds to learning from God an ardent love for him, for his Church, and practical charity for our brothers and sisters.

Pope Benedict XVI

General Audience (excerpts)
Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Featured image: Pope Benedict XVI greets the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square on the occasion of the Beatification of Pope John Paul II on 1 May 2011 in Vatican City, Rome. Image credit: Jeffrey Bruno / Flickr (Some rights reserved).

Quote of the day, 26 August: St. Edith Stein

In [Saint Teresa’s] deep humility, she could not imagine how an unworthy person (as in her opinion she was) could be so richly laden with such extraordinary favors. Of course, as long as the favors during prayer lasted she could not doubt their authenticity. But in between she was plagued by fears that these mystical states were deceptions of the devil. On the basis of her experience, Teresa later said again and again how necessary it is for a soul that is going the way of the interior life to have the guidance of a learned and enlightened spiritual director.

Even though her new spiritual director [Father Juan de Prádanos, S.J.] had no doubt about the heavenly origin of her favors during prayer, he still thought it a good idea to impose on her some constraint in her manner of meditating and to instruct her in resisting the stream of favors. But even this restriction was soon to be lifted again.

St. Francis Borgia visited the Jesuit college, and to get his evaluation, Fr. Prádanos asked him to speak with Teresa. She herself writes about this:

I let him… know the state of my soul. After listening to me, he told me that everything happening in me came from the spirit of God. He called my behavior good so far. But he said that in the future I should offer no more resistance. He advised me always to begin my prayers by meditating on one of the mysteries of the passion. If then without my assistance the Lord transported my spirit into a supernatural state, I should surrender to his guidance.… He left me completely consoled (The Book of Her Life, 24.3).

Everyone else doubted her or appeared to doubt her. Her deliverance was the goodness of the Lord who calmed her again and again, who enraptured her right in the middle of the mandatory conversations, since solitary prayer was taken from her [by a new spiritual director]. Above all, [the Lord] strengthened her to persist faithfully in the way of obedience no matter how hard it was. Her reward was new, continually greater favors. She felt the presence of the Savior by her side often for entire days.

During that time of unusual demonstrations of grace and of the most severe tests, Teresa also received a visible sensory image of the glowing love that pierced her heart.

“I saw beside me at my left side an angel in a physical form…. Because of his flaming face, he seemed to belong to that lofty choir made up only of fire and love…. I saw a long golden dart in his hands the end of which glowed like fire. From time to time the angel pierced my heart with it. When he pulled it out again, I was entirely inflamed with love for God” (The Book of Her Life, 29:13).

Saint Edith Stein

Love For Love: The life and works of St. Teresa of Jesus (1934)

Note: On August 26th, Carmel celebrates the Transverberation of the Heart of Saint Teresa of Jesus Our Mother, commemorating the grace by which her heart was pierced and inflamed with love for God. Saint Edith Stein recounts this grace in Love for Love, a brief life of Saint Teresa that she wrote during her postulancy at the Carmel of Cologne in 1934.

Stein, E 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, Stein, W (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detailed image of The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, a marble sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini created in 1652. The Discalced Carmelites are the guardians of the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (St. Mary of Victory), where the Cornaro Chapel shelters this precious artwork. Learn more about Bernini’s masterpiece. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (by permission).

26 August: The Transverberation of the Heart of St. Teresa of Jesus Our Mother

August 26
THE TRANSVERBERATION OF THE HEART OF
ST. TERESA OF JESUS OUR MOTHER

Nuns: Memorial, Others: Optional Memorial

“The chief among Teresa’s virtues was the love of God, which our Lord Jesus Christ increased by means of many visions and revelations. He made her his Spouse on one occasion. At other times she saw an angel with a flaming dart piercing her heart. Through these heavenly gifts the flame of divine love in her heart became so strong that, inspired by God, she made the extremely difficult vow of always doing what seemed to her most perfect and most conducive to God’s glory” (Gregory XV in the Bull of Canonization).

Office of Readings

Hymn

Noonday blaze of virtues rare;
Highest gifts of grace and prayer;
You have lived, in deep repose,
All that faith on us bestows.

Wedded to the Father’s Word,
Word of light, in silence heard
Leaning on the Savior’s breast,
Guided by the Spirit blest.

Blest the mind refined by fire
To receive divine desire,
Wisdom’s secrets in your heart,
Opened by the heavenly dart.

Christ drew you to his embrace
By the fragrance of his grace;
In your teaching we confide,
Trusting you, our heav’n-sent guide.

Truth eternal, One and Three,
May Teresa constantly
Lead us up the mountain’s ways
To the realms of joy and praise.

77.77.
Sr. Margarita of Jesus, O.C.D.

The Second Reading

(Red. B, st. 2, no. 2-4, 9,, 12, 8: ed. Kavanaugh-Rodriguez 1979, pp. 596-99)

From the Living Flame of Love by Saint John of the Cross

You have wounded my heart

Moses declares in Deuteronomy, Our Lord God is a consuming fire, that is, a fire of love, which being of infinite power, can inestimably consume and transform into itself the soul it touches. Yet he burns each soul according to its preparation: he will burn one more, another less, and this he does insofar as he desires, and how and when he desires. When he wills to touch somewhat vehemently, the soul’s burning reaches such a high degree of love that it seems to surpass that of all the fires of the world, for he is an infinite fire of love. Because the soul in this case is entirely transformed by the divine flame, it not only feels a cautery, but has become a cautery of blazing fire.

It is a wonderful thing and worth relating that, since this fire of God is so mighty it would consume a thousand worlds more easily than the fire of this earth would burn up a straw, it does not consume and destroy the soul in which it so burns. And it does not afflict it, rather, commensurate with the strength of the love, it divinizes and delights it, burning gently. Since God’s purpose in granting these communications is to exalt the soul, he does not weary and restrict it, but enlarges and delights it, brightens and enriches it. The happy soul that by great fortune reaches this cautery knows all things, tastes all things, does all it wishes, and prospers; no one prevails before it and nothing touches it. This is the soul of which the Apostle speaks: The spiritual one judges all things and he is judged by no one. And again: The spirit searches out all things, unto the deep things of God.

It will happen that while the soul is inflamed with the love of God, it will feel that a seraphim is assailing it by means of an arrow or dart which is all afire with love. And the seraphim pierces and cauterizes this soul which, like a red-hot coal, or better, a flame, is already enkindled. For the soul is converted into the immense fire of love.

Few persons have reached these heights. Some have, however, especially those whose virtue and spirit was to be diffused among their children. For God accords to founders, with respect to the first fruits of the spirit, wealth and value commensurate with the greater or lesser following they will have in their doctrine and spirituality.

O happy wound, wrought by one who knows only how to heal! O fortunate and choicest wound; you were made only for delight, and the quality of your affliction is delight and gratification for the wounded soul! You are great, O delightful wound, because he who caused you is great!

And your delight is great, because the fire of love is infinite and makes you delightful according to your capacity and greatness. O, then, delightful wound, so much more sublimely delightful the more the cautery touched the intimate center of the substance of the soul, burning all that was burnable in order to give delight to all that could be delighted!

Responsory

℟ The Lord our God is one Lord. * You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
℣ The Lord your God is a consuming fire. * You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Morning Prayer

Hymn

The day is dawning with delight,
When, spotless as the dove,
Theresa winged her spirit flight
Afar, to realms of love and light,
In heavenly courts above.

Her ear hath caught the mystic sound,
Oh, come, my sister, spouse!
From Carmel’s summit come, be crowned,
Bride of the Lamb, in bliss profound,
Come plight thy nuptial vows!

O Jesus! Spouse of Virgin choice,
Thy holy name we praise!
While heavenly choirs, too, rejoice,
Their bridal canticle to voice,
And hymn their endless lays.

86.88.6.
Felix dies, qua candidae

Antiphons and psalms of the current weekday.

Reading

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness,” who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ. We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.

Responsory

℟ To you my heart has spoken: * It is you that I seek.
Repeat ℟
℣ I long for your face, Lord * It is you that I seek.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
℟ To you my heart has spoken: * It is you that I seek.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. In my heart was the likeness of a burning fire, imprisoned in my bones; and I was scarcely able to bear it.

Intercessions

The Lord of glory, Crown of all the Saints, gives us the joy of celebrating this feast of Saint Teresa. Let us praise him, saying:

℟ Glory to you, Lord!

Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels of your grace; — in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies forever. ℟

You want your Spirit of Love to blaze like fire throughout the world; — may we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight. ℟

You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; — unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to you. ℟

You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; — purify our sight, so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be close to you. ℟

You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; — make us humble of heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. ℟

Our Father …

Prayer

Almighty God,
you filled the heart of Saint Teresa of Jesus, our Mother,
with the fire of your love
and gave her strength to undertake difficult tasks
for the honor of your name.
Through her prayers
may the power of your love fill our hearts also
and stir us to ever more generous efforts in your service.

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

Evening Prayer

Hymn

As messenger of the Most high,
Teresa from her home would fly,
Good tidings of the Heavenly King
To heathen lands afar to bring,
Or yield for Christ her gentle life,
In ruddy streams of martyr strife.

But death with sweeter aspect came,
Awaiting her with rapturous claim.
Ecstatic pangs delight her soul,
And, conquered by their strong control,
She falleth, wounded from above
By piercing lance of heavenly love.

Oh, flaming victim! may thy dart
Enkindle every frozen heart,
That upward mounting, one with thine,
They rise, consumed with fire divine.
And may thy pleading safely keep
Thy nations from the burning deep.

All praise unto the Father be,
And to the Son eternally,
With joyful harmony repeat
All praise unto the Paraclete,
The Blessed Trinity adore
With reverent homage evermore.

88.88.88.
Regis superni nuntia

Antiphons and psalms of the current weekday.

Reading

Jude 20-21

You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life.

Responsory

℟ You are * the temple of the living God. Repeat ℟
℣ And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
℟ You are * the temple of the living God.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Let my heart rejoice in your salvation; let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me.

Intercessions

Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy: let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her members:

℟ Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.

You are the Head of the Church and the source of all her grace; — may all your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are the living and holy members of your body. ℟

You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles, and through them you teach us the truth and lead us in green pastures; — enlighten and guide those you have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may hear your voice leading us to life. ℟

You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; — as the harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. ℟

You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty, your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; — with Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show forth your life within them as they serve the Church. ℟

You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and baptism; — may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace. ℟

You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; — may all who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. ℟

Our Father …

Prayer

Almighty God,
you filled the heart of Saint Teresa of Jesus, our Mother,
with the fire of your love
and gave her strength to undertake difficult tasks
for the honor of your name.
Through her prayers
may the power of your love fill our hearts also
and stir us to ever more generous efforts in your service.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKcJvjP9zgY

Learn more about Bernini’s masterpiece on the Khan Academy website

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

Quote of the day, 24 August: St. Teresa of Avila

On 24 August 1562, Saint Teresa of Avila founded the monastery of Saint Joseph, the first monastery of the Discalced Carmelite reform. In The Book of Her Life, she recalls the fierce opposition that arose almost immediately:

After two or three days some of the councilmen as well as the mayor and the city council gathered in a meeting and unanimously stated they could by no means give consent, that to do so would bring notable harm to the republic, and that the Blessed Sacrament should be removed and the foundation should not in any way be allowed to continue. They ordered a meeting of all religious orders to be carried out in such a way that each could give its opinion through two learned spokesmen. Some of the spokesmen were silent, others condemned the new foundation. Finally they concluded that it should be suppressed at once.

Only one member, a presentado of the order of St. Dominic, although he was opposed (not to the monastery, but to its being poor), said it wasn’t something that had to be suppressed, that the matter should be considered carefully, that there was time for this, that such a decision pertained to the bishop—or other things of this nature. What he said was very helpful for they were so furious that it was a wonder they didn’t carry out their decision right away.

What happened, finally, was that the foundation had to continue in existence, for the Lord was pleased with it; and all of them together could do little against His will. They gave their reasons and were rightfully zealous; so, without offending God, they made me suffer as well as all the persons who were in favor of it (for there were some in its favor); and these persons underwent much persecution.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life, ch. 36

The Teresian scholar Tomás Alvarez explains the legal and practical problems underlying the city’s opposition:

In fact, because of the haste and inexperience of everyone, Teresa and her nuns got themselves involved in a tangle of problems which now came to light: a/ First of all the pontifical brief was accepted and executed by the prelate without a previous royal placet; b/ The houses bought by Ovalle from the Valvellido heirs were subject to a city tax, about which Ovalle was ignorant. c/ The restructuring of the buildings was done at the border of the aqueducts that provided water for the city. These amounted to three weak aspects which provided the motive for a multiple lawsuit.

On the 30th day the council gathered a first large meeting of persons unfavorable to Mother Teresa: only in the gathering did the bishop’s vicar-general present the pontifical Brief that justified the foundation. The following day another large meeting was held in the episcopal palace, questioning the admission of this brief. The theologian Domingo Báñez and the bishop who was present there supported Teresa. But they were not able to prevent the lawsuit from being transferred to the Court in Madrid, where it drew on until April 1564 with an incredible economic waste for the very poor Carmel of St. Joseph, which in the meantime had to send a large number of letters to the Council.

They had to tear down a couple of hermitages in the garden, and they were at the point of pulling down part of their building. It was even proposed that they move the little house to another part of the city.

Father Tomás Álvarez, O.C.D.

100 Themes, ch. 33

Alvarez T & Kavanaugh K 2011, St. Teresa of Avila: 100 themes on her life and work, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Statue of Saint Teresa by Fernando Cruz Solís (20th c.), at the Monastery of the Incarnation, Ávila. Photo: Raquel / Adobe Stock.

Quote of the day, 21 August: St. Teresa of Avila

To Padre Jerónimo Gracián, Madrid
Avila, 21-22 August 1578

… I tell you that ever-present to me is what they did with Fray John of the Cross, for I don’t know how God bears with things like that; even you don’t know everything about it.

For all these nine months he was held in a little prison cell where small as he is, he could hardly fit. In all that time he was given no change of tunic, even though he had come close to the point of death. Only three days before his escape the subprior gave him one of his shirts. He underwent harsh scourges, and no one was allowed to see him.

I experience the greatest envy. Surely our Lord found in him the resources for such a martyrdom. And it is good that this be known so that everyone will be all the more on guard against these people. May God forgive them, amen.

An investigation should be conducted to show the nuncio what those friars did to this saint, Fray John, without any fault on his part, for it is a pitiful thing. Tell this to Fray Germán; he will do it because he’s quite mad about this.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 260 to Padre Jerónimo Gracián

Note: Father Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, Discalced Carmelite scholar and co-translator and editor of the collected works of Saints Teresa and John of the Cross, explains: “These are two fragments from one letter. They reflect Teresa’s first impressions on learning of St. John of the Cross’s escape from his prison cell in Toledo and of what he suffered there.” Saint John escaped during the night, possibly on August 17–18, 1578; Teresa wrote these lines only a few days later.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Composite image of Saint John of the Cross escaping during the night. Image credit: Carmelite Quotes, created with Adobe Express.

Quote of the day, 11 August: St. Teresa of Avila

These are the insignia that must be on our coat of arms, for we must desire to observe poverty in every way: in houses, clothing, words, and most of all in thought. As long as you do this, have no fear that the religious life in this house will fail; God will help.

As St. Clare said, great walls are those of poverty. She said that it was with walls like these, and those of humility, that she wanted to enclose her monasteries.

Surely, if poverty is truly observed, recollection and all the other virtues will be much better fortified than with very sumptuous buildings. Be careful of buildings like these; I beg you for the love of God and by His precious blood. And if I can say this in good conscience, may such a building fall to the ground the day you construct one.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection, Chap. 2, no. 8

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detail from Diego Velasquez’s portrait of Saint Teresa, created in 1630. It is currently held in a private collection. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Public domain).

Quote of the day, 10 August: St. Teresa of Avila

Four or five months before this monastery of St. Joseph’s in Malagón was founded, I was speaking with a distinguished young gentleman [Don Bernardino de Mendoza, brother of the bishop of Avila], who told me that if I wanted to establish a monastery in Valladolid he would most willingly give me a house he owned with a large and good garden containing a vineyard.

He wanted to give away the property immediately; it was very valuable. I accepted his offer, although I wasn’t too decided on making a foundation there, since the place was about a quarter of a league outside the city [about 2/3 of a mile or 1 km]. Since he offered it so willingly, I did not want to refuse his good deed or hinder his devotion.

Two months later, more or less, he was struck by a sudden illness that took away his speech, and he could not confess well, although he made many signs to ask the Lord’s pardon. He died shortly afterward, very far from where I was.

The Lord told me that the young man’s salvation had been in great jeopardy but that he had received mercy for the service he had rendered to the Blessed Mother in giving that house to be a monastery of her order; however, that he would not leave purgatory until the first Mass was said there.

I was so conscious of the grievous afflictions of this soul that I set aside a foundation in Toledo and hastened as much as I could to found a house in Valladolid.

I was in prayer one day in Medina when the Lord told me to hurry because that soul was suffering very much. Although I didn’t have the means available, I set to work and entered Valladolid on the feast of St. Lawrence [10 August 1568].

When I saw the house, I was dismayed; I knew that it would be a foolish mistake for nuns to stay there. Nonetheless, I said nothing to my companions so as not to discourage them. Although weak, I had some faith that the Lord would provide a remedy.

The license [to establish the monastery] could not be gotten before Sunday. But permission was granted to say Mass where the church would be, and thus it was said for us.

I had forgotten that what was told to me about that soul would then be accomplished. When the priest came with the Blessed Sacrament to the place where we were to receive Communion, the gentleman I mentioned appeared beside him, his face joyful and resplendent. With hands folded, he thanked me for what I had done so that he could leave purgatory and go to heaven.

It is important to know that our Lord is pleased with any service rendered to His Mother, and great is His mercy. May He be blessed and praised for everything. For He repays our lowly deeds with eternal life and glory, and He makes them great while they are in fact of little value.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Foundations, chap. 10 (excerpts)

Note: Don Bernardino’s estate, Rio de Olmos, stood outside Valladolid near the river Pisuerga. Its unhealthy and impractical location made it unsuitable for a monastery dependent upon alms. Father Julián de Avila, who celebrated the first Mass, later recalled: “…when I gave the Blessed Sacrament to the Mother, I saw her in a great rapture.” Rubens later depicted the scene.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: A nun receives communion from the hands of then Auxiliary Bishop Luis Javier Argüello García in the Carmel of Valladolid for the Solemnity of St. Teresa, 15 October 2016. The Flickr account of the Archdiocese of Valladolid contains an entire album of photos from the celebration. Image credit: Ángel Cantero for Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

Quote of the day, 31 July: St. Teresa of Avila

For almost two months I was trying to resist with all my might the gifts and favors of God.

In resisting these consolations and favors of God, I gained by learning something from His Majesty. For in the past I had thought that to receive favors in prayer much seclusion was necessary, and I hardly dared to stir. Afterward I saw how little such effort mattered.

I started again to love the most sacred humanity. Prayer began to take shape as an edifice that now had a foundation; I grew fond of more penance, for I had been negligent on account of the severity of my illnesses.

At that time Father Francis [Saint Francis Borgia] came to this place. He had been the Duke of Gandía, and some years before had given up all and entered the Society of Jesus. My confessor [Father Diego de Cetina, S.J., St. Teresa’s first Jesuit confessor], and the gentleman I also mentioned who came to me [Don Francisco de Salcedo, who became one of Teresa’s closest friends], arranged that I might speak with him and give him an account of my prayer because I knew that he was advancing in the favors and gifts of God. Since he was one who had abandoned many things for Him, God repaid him even in this life.

Well, after he had heard me, he told me that my experience was from the Spirit of God and that it seemed to him it would no longer be good to resist, but that up to this time it had been all right, and that I should always begin prayer with an event from the Passion, but that if afterward the Lord should carry away the spirit I ought not resist Him but let His Majesty bear it away—and not strive to do so myself. As one who was well advanced, he gave the medicine and the counsel, for experience in this matter is very important. He said it would be a mistake to resist any longer.

I was left greatly consoled. The gentleman too was very glad that Father Francis said it was from God, and this gentleman helped me and gave me advice in matters where he could, which were many

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life, ch. 24

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Conversion of the Duke of Gandía by José Moreno Carbonero (Spanish, 1860–1942) depicts the pivotal event in the life of St. Francis Borgia, who was the fourth Duke of Gandía. The painting’s gallery label in the Prado Museum provides many details about the work and its technique, but the principal players in this dramatic scene are Francis and the body in the casket. When the saintly duke sees the body of Empress Isabella of Portugal, the wife of Charles V, he almost collapses in front of one of his knights. The story goes that when St. Francis Borgia saw how the beautiful Isabella’s body had decayed, he swore never to serve a mortal master ever again. Image credit: Prado Museum, Madrid (Public domain).

Quote of the day, 20 July: St. Teresa of Avila

It is very certain that from that fortitude which clings to it there, the soul assists all those who are in the castle, and even the body itself, which often, seemingly, does not feel the strength. But the soul is fortified by the strength it has from drinking wine in this wine cellar, where its Spouse has brought it and from where He doesn’t allow it to leave; and strength flows back to the weak body, just as food placed in the stomach strengthens the head and the whole body.

Thus, the soul has its share of misfortune while it lives. However much it does, the interior strength increases, and this, too, the war that it waged; for everything seems like a trifle to it. The great penances that many saints—especially the glorious Magdalene, who had always been surrounded by so much luxury—performed must have come from this center. Also, that hunger which our Father Elijah had for the honor of his God and which St. Dominic and St. Francis had so as to draw souls to praise God. I tell you, though they were forgetful of themselves, their suffering must have been great.

This is what I want us to strive for, my Sisters, and let us desire and be occupied in prayer not for the sake of our enjoyment but so as to have this strength to serve. Let’s refuse to take an unfamiliar path, for we shall get lost at the most opportune time. It would indeed be novel to think of having these favors from God through a path other than the one He took and the one followed by all His saints. May the thought never enter our minds.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle, VII, nos. 11–12

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Our featured image is a detail from Diego Velázquez’s portrait of Saint Teresa, created in 1630. It is currently held in a private collection. Church Life Journal has published an interesting article by art historian and author Charles Scribner III on Velázquez and Saint Teresa of Ávila. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (by permission)

Quote of the day, 21 June: St. Teresa

O my Lord and true God! Whoever does not know You does not love You. What a great truth this is! But, alas, Lord, there are those who don’t want to know You! A dreadful thing is the hour of death. But, alas, my Creator, how frightful will be the day when Your justice will have to be exercised! I often consider, my Christ, how pleasing and delightful Your eyes are to one who loves You; and You, my God, want to look with love. It seems to me that only one such gentle glance toward souls that You possess as Yours is enough reward for many years of service. Oh, God help me, how hard it is to explain this unless to those who have already understood how gentle the Lord is [Ps 34:9].

Christians, Christians! Behold the communion you have with this great God; recognize it and don’t despise it, for just as this glance is agreeable to His lovers, it is frightful with a terrifying wrath for His persecutors. Oh, how we fail to understand that sin is a battle pitched against God with all our soul’s senses and faculties. He who can commit more sins, invents more treachery against his King. You already know, my Lord, that recalling that I might see Your divine face angered with me on this frightful day of the final judgment caused me greater fear than all the pains and furies of hell shown to me. I beg You that Your mercy may protect me from a thing that would be so sad for me, and thus I beg it of You now, Lord. What can happen to me on earth that would resemble this? I want to possess all, my God. May I not fail to enjoy peacefully so much beauty. Your Father gave You to us, may I not lose, my Lord, so precious a jewel. I confess, eternal Father, I have kept it poorly. But there is still a remedy, Lord, there is still a remedy while we live in this exile.

O brothers, O brothers and sons of this God! Let us try hard, let us trust hard, for you know that His Majesty says that if we are sorry for having offended Him our faults and evils will not be remembered [Ezek 18:21–22]. Oh, compassion so measureless! What more do we desire? Is there by chance anyone who is not ashamed to ask for so much? Now is the time to take what this compassionate Lord and God of ours gives us. Since He desires our friendship, who will deny it to one who did not refuse to shed all His blood and lose His life for us? Behold that what He asks for is nothing, since giving it is for our own benefit.

O Lord, God, help me! Oh, what hardness! Oh, what foolishness and blindness! If when something is lost (a needle or a sparrow hawk that isn’t worth anything other than to give a little pleasure upon seeing it fly through the air) we feel sad, why don’t we feel sad upon losing this royal eagle of God’s majesty and a kingdom of endless enjoyment? What is this? I don’t understand it. My God, cure such a great foolishness and blindness.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Soliloquies, 14

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detail of the statue of Saint Teresa in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel “Extramuros” in Valladolid, Spain | Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

Quote of the day, 18 June: St. Teresa of Avila

When, as I mentioned, the Father Maestro Fray Jerónimo Gracián came to see me at Beas, we had never previously met although I had very much desired to meet him. (Yes, at times, we had corresponded.) I was extremely delighted when I learned he was there, for I greatly desired to meet him on account of the good reports given me concerning him.

But much greater was my happiness when I began speaking with him, for it seemed from the way he pleased me that those who had praised him had hardly known him at all.

Since at that time I had so many difficulties, it seems that when I saw him the Lord showed me the good that was going to come to us through him.

So during those days I went about with such excessive consolation and happiness that indeed I was surprised at myself. At that time he did not have authority outside Andalusia.

It was when he was in Beas that the nuncio [Nicolás Ormaneto] sent to see him and then gave him authority over the discalced friars and nuns of Castile.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Foundations, chap. 24, nos. 1–2

Note: Nicolás Ormaneto (in Italian, Nicolò Ormanetto) was the “holy nuncio” who greatly favored and encouraged the work of St. Teresa. He died in Madrid on 18 June 1577.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This image of Fray Jerónimo Gracián and Saint Teresa of Avila comes to us courtesy of the outstanding WordPress blog Teresa, de la rueca a la pluma maintained by the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Puçol, Spain.

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

From the hand of Teresa of Jesus, Henry de Ossó understands that love for Christ has to be the center of his work: a love of Christ that captivates and attracts people, winning them to the Gospel.

Urged by this love, this exemplary priest, born in Catalonia, would direct his action to the neediest children, to young workers, to all men, without distinction of age or social condition; and, very especially, he directed his apostolic work to women, aware of their capacity to transform society: “The world has always been,” he said, “what women have made it. A world made by you, formed according to the model of the Virgin Mary with the teachings of Teresa” (Enrique de Ossó y Cervelló, Escritos, t. I, Barcelona, 1976, 207).

This ardent desire for Jesus Christ to be known and loved by the whole world made Henry de Ossó focus all his apostolic activity on catechesis. In the professorship of the Seminary of Tortosa, or with the children and the simple people of the village, the virtuous priest revealed the face of Christ the Master who, in his compassion for the people, showed them the way to heaven.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Canonization of St. Henry de Ossó y Cervelló
Wednesday 16 June 1993, Madrid

Translation from the Pope’s original Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product.

Featured image: On 27 January 2016, the parish of Our Lady of Our Lady of Henar in the Archdiocese of Valladolid hosted a celebration in honor of St. Henry de Ossó, who is the patron saint of Spanish catechists. Don Luis Argüello presided at the Mass, which took place a few weeks before he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Valladolid. Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

Quote of the day, 9 June: John, Teresa, and Leo XIV

On that glad night
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I look at anything
with no other light or guide
than the one that burned in my heart.
— Saint John of the Cross

Today while beseeching our Lord to speak for me because I wasn’t able to think of anything to say nor did I know how to begin to carry out this obedience, there came to my mind what I shall now speak about, that which will provide us with a basis to begin with. It is that we consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many dwelling places (cf. Jn 14:2).
— Saint Teresa of Avila

I would like to mention two prominent figures from this country who have enriched the life of the Church and the spiritual journey of many for five centuries, even beyond the borders of Spain. I am referring to John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila, whose passion for the divine Mystery brought them together as friends. Their mysticism is one of “open eyes,” that is, not detached from history, but rather penetrating to the root of issues and the heart of reality.

In particular, upon interpreting the transformations and weathering the tensions that make our age so dark, we can find it helpful to consider the theme of night, so dear to Saint John of the Cross, whose Jubilee Year we are celebrating. Paradoxically, in his thirst for light, he learned to appreciate darkness — the “happy night” (The Dark Night of the Soul, st. 3) — as the time when the soul is freed from what it presumed to know and possess. Even today, what most frightens us, what in many people triggers the darkness of reason and the violence of emotions, is the unknown, before which we may feel overwhelmed by a sense of being lost without a map, as if we have lost our bearings. This is why, even in public life, we need men and women who can perceive light in the darkness: a new beginning, like the dawn of a truth that as yet blinds us, but which — if we trust and find peace — will gently lead us toward itself. “O night that guided! O night more lovely than the dawn! O night that brought together Beloved and beloved, beloved transformed in the Beloved!” (Dark Night, st. 5).

Our age, seemingly shaken by terrible imbalances and conflicts, cries out from its depths for peace, for a new understanding of the human person and its inviolable dignity, for a civilization of love (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 186).

Saint Teresa describes this same process using the image of the interior castle.  As one moves from room to room toward the innermost chamber — that is, toward one’s own heart, the sanctuary of truth — the space enlarges, the mind opens, challenges are overcome, tensions dissipate, others find their place, and the universe becomes a home. This is not an escape into the self, but a radical openness to the Totus Alius et Semper Novus [totally different and always new] achieved when we return to ourselves. This dimension of the human person is the reason why religious freedom and freedom of conscience must be protected.

Today, the temptation to gain popularity by fanning the flames of polarization seems to have grown rather than diminished, and human dignity continues to be violated. This is why we need culture, interiority, and free quality education; we need transcendence. And yet, even in these dark nights, men and women who are faithful to the truth have been driven to advance from one room to another until justice and peace embrace in their conscience. It is through their freedom that we learn to be free.

Pope Leo XIV

Address, Meeting with the Authorities, Civil Society, and the Diplomatic Corps (excerpt)
6 June 2026, Madrid

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Pope Leo XIV 2026, ‘Meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps: address of the Holy Father’, The Holy See, 6 June, viewed 7 June 2026, https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/giugno/documents/20260606-spagna-autorita.html.

Featured image: Stunning view of Bamburgh Castle reflecting on the tranquil beach at sunset, surrounded by a golden horizon. Image credit: Ray Bilcliff / Pexels.com

Quote of the day, 6 June: St. Teresa of Avila

God has given Father Fray Jerónimo de la Madre de Dios the greatest light in matters of obedience so that, as one who had such a good initiation into its practice, he might teach it to others. And that he might not lack experience in all the things we need to know about, he underwent the most severe temptations for three months prior to his profession.

But as the good captain of the sons of the Virgin that he was to become, he defended himself well against these temptations. For when the devil harassed him most to get him to give up the habit, he defended himself by promising to make his vows and not give it up. He gave me a certain work that he wrote while undergoing those great temptations. It inspired me with much devotion, and the fortitude the Lord gave him is clearly seen.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Foundations, 23.10

Note: Although Fray Jerónimo Gracián was not the first discalced Carmelite friar, Teresa saw him as ideal, one sent by God just at the right moment for the renewal of the observance of the primitive rule. In 1575, she made a personal vow of obedience to Gracián. He represented for her both the salvation and future of the discalced friars. Today, we recall the birth of Jerónimo Gracián in Valladolid on 6 June 1545.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Two of the most famous portraits of Padre Jerónimo Gracián and Saint Teresa of Avila. Image credit: Teresa, de la rueca a la pluma blog / Discalced Carmelite nuns of Puzol (by permission)

Quote of the day, 30 May: St. Teresa of Avila

What I tried to explain in the previous chapters—although I digressed a great deal in speaking of other things since mentioning them seemed to me very necessary—was the work we can do through our own efforts and how in obtaining this initial devotion we can help ourselves in some way.

For in thinking about and carefully examining what the Lord suffered for us, we are moved to compassion; and this sorrow and the resulting tears bring delight. In thinking about the glory we hope for, the love the Lord bore us, and His resurrection, we are moved to a joy that is neither entirely spiritual nor entirely of the senses.

But the joy is virtuous and the sorrow very meritorious. Virtue and merit are found in all the things that cause the devotion acquired partly by the intellect, even though this devotion could not be merited or obtained if God did not give it.

The soul can place itself in the presence of Christ and grow accustomed to being inflamed with love for His sacred humanity. It can keep Him ever-present and speak with Him, asking for its needs and complaining of its labors, being glad with Him in its enjoyments and not forgetting Him because of them, trying to speak to Him, not through written prayers but with words that conform to its desires and needs.

This is an excellent way of making progress and in a very short time. I consider that soul advanced who strives to remain in this precious company and to profit very much by it, and who truly comes to love this Lord to whom we owe so much.

As a result, we shouldn’t care at all about not having devotion—as I have said—but we ought to thank the Lord who allows us to be desirous of pleasing Him, even though our works may be weak.

This method of keeping Christ present with us is beneficial in all stages and is a very safe means of advancing in the first degree of prayer, of reaching in a short time the second degree, and of walking secure against the dangers the devil can set up in the last degrees.

Keeping Christ present is what we of ourselves can do.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life, Chapter 12

Note: Saint Teresa’s counsel corresponds beautifully to the Rosary, which teaches the soul to keep Christ present by contemplating the mysteries of his sacred humanity with the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Rosary, sorrow becomes compassion, joy becomes hope, and even dry prayer remains a faithful effort to remain in the precious company of the Lord.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Photographer Christopher Riggs captured this image of a woman praying the Holy Rosary. Image credit: xopheriggs / Unsplash (Stock photo)

The Beginning of Betrayal: Abandoning Prayer

During this week of retreat, Carmelite Quotes is sharing several reader favorites from the Substack archives. Today’s featured reflection:

🔗 The Beginning of Betrayal: Abandoning Prayer

Regular daily publications resume May 16.

Quote of the day, 3 May: St. Teresa of Avila

On the eve of the feast of St. Sebastian, the first year in which I was prioress at the Incarnation, at the beginning of the Salve Regina, I saw the Mother of God descend with a great multitude of angels and sit in the prioress’s choir stall where there was a statue of our Lady.

In my opinion, I didn’t then see the statue but our Lady herself. It seemed to me she looked something like she does in the painting the countess gave me, although the power to discern this was quickly taken away, for my faculties were soon held in great suspension. It seemed to me there were angels above the canopies of the stalls in the back and above the front stalls; although they were not in corporeal form, for this was an intellectual vision.

She remained for the whole of the Salve, and she told me: “You were indeed right in placing me here; I shall be present in the praises they give my Son, and I shall offer these praises to Him.”

After this, I remained in the kind of prayer I now have, that of keeping my soul present with the Blessed Trinity. And it seemed to me that the Person of the Father drew me to Himself and spoke very pleasant words. Among them, while showing me what He wanted, He told me: “I gave you My Son, and the Holy Spirit, and this Blessed Virgin. What can you give Me?”

Saint Teresa of Avila

Spiritual Testimonies, 21
Avila, Monastery of the Incarnation, 19 January 1572

Note: Saint Teresa refers to a painting given to her by the Countess of Osorno, Doña María de Velasco of Valladolid, which is still preserved at St. Joseph’s in Ávila. Upon taking office as prioress of the Monastery of the Incarnation on October 14, 1571, she placed a statue of Our Lady of Clemency in the prioress’s stall, entrusting it symbolically with the keys of the monastery.

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Quote of the day, 24 April: St. Teresa of Avila

St Teresa proposes a profound harmony with the great biblical figures and eager listening to the word of God. She feels above all closely in tune with the Bride in the Song of Songs and with the Apostle Paul, as well as with Christ in the Passion and with Jesus in the Eucharist. The Saint then stresses how essential prayer is.

Praying, she says, “means being on terms of friendship with God frequently conversing in secret with him who, we know, loves us” (Life 8, 5). St Teresa’s idea coincides with Thomas Aquinas’ definition of theological charity as “amicitia quaedam hominis ad Deum”, a type of human friendship with God, who offered humanity his friendship first; it is from God that the initiative comes (cf. Summa Theologiae II-II, 23, 1).

Prayer is life and develops gradually, in pace with the growth of Christian life: it begins with vocal prayer, passes through interiorization by means of meditation and recollection, until it attains the union of love with Christ and with the Holy Trinity. Obviously, in the development of prayer, climbing to the highest steps does not mean abandoning the previous type of prayer. Rather, it is a gradual deepening of the relationship with God that envelops the whole of life.

Rather than a pedagogy, Teresa’s is a true “mystagogy” of prayer: she teaches those who read her works how to pray by praying with them. Indeed, she often interrupts her account or exposition with a prayerful outburst.

Pope Benedict XVI

General Audience, 2 February 2011 (excerpt)

Pope Benedict XVI 2011, General Audience, 2 February 2011, Holy See, viewed 22 April 2026, https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110202.html.

Featured image: Statue of Saint Teresa by Fernando Cruz Solís (20th c.), at the Monastery of the Incarnation, Ávila. Photo: Raquel / Adobe Stock.

Quote of the day, 19 April: St. Teresa of Avila

We always find that those who walked closest to Christ Our Lord were those who had to bear the greatest trials.

Consider the trials suffered by His glorious Mother and by the glorious Apostles. How do you suppose Saint Paul could endure such terrible trials? We can see in his life the effects of genuine visions and of contemplation coming from Our Lord and not from human imagination or from the deceit of the devil. Do you imagine that he shut himself up with his visions so as to enjoy those Divine favours and pursue no other occupation? You know very well that, so far as we can learn, he took not a day’s rest, nor can he have rested by night, since it was then that he had to earn his living [cf. 1 Thess 2:9].

I am very fond of the story of how, when Saint Peter was fleeing from prison, Our Lord appeared to him and told him to go back to Rome and be crucified. We never recite the Office on his festival, in which this story is found, without my deriving a special consolation from it. How did Saint Peter feel after receiving this favour from the Lord? And what did he do? He went straight to his death; and the Lord showed him no small mercy in providing someone to kill him.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle, VII.4

Note: In the old Carmelite Breviary, which St. Teresa would have used, the Antiphon of the Magnificat at First Vespers on June 29 runs: “The Blessed Apostle Peter saw Christ coming to meet him. Adoring Him, he said: ‘Lord, whither goest Thou?’ ‘I am going to Rome to be crucified afresh.'” The story has it that St. Peter returned to Rome and was crucified.

John of the Cross, St; de Santa Teresa, S; Peers, E 1934–1935, The complete works of Saint John of the Cross, doctor of the Church, translated from the Spanish by Peers, E, Burns Oates & Washbourne, London.

Featured image: The Domine Quo Vadis window in Saint Alban’s Cathedral, Hertfordshire. Image credit: Father James Bradley / Flickr (Some rights reserved).

Quote of the day, 5 April: St. Teresa of Avila

They say that for a woman to be a good wife toward her husband she must be sad when he is sad, and joyful when he is joyful, even though she may not be so. (See what subjection you have been freed from, Sisters!)

The Lord, without deception, truly acts in such a way with us. He is the one who submits, and He wants you to be the lady with authority to rule; He submits to your will.

If you are joyful, look at Him as risen. Just imagining how He rose from the tomb will bring you joy. The brilliance! The beauty! The majesty! How victorious! How joyful! Indeed, like one coming forth from a battle where he has gained a great kingdom!

And all of that, plus Himself, He desires for you. Well, is it such a big thing that from time to time you turn your eyes to look upon one who gives you so much?

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection, ch. 26, no. 4

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (Russian, 1806-1858). Oil on canvas, 1835. Image credit: Russian State Museum (Public domain).

Quote of the day, 1 April: St. Teresa of Avila

Another very good proof of love is that you strive in household duties to relieve others of work, and also rejoice and praise the Lord very much for any increase you see in their virtues.

All these things, not to mention the great good they contain in themselves, help very much to further peace and conformity between the Sisters, as we now, by God’s goodness, see through experience. May it please His Majesty that this love always continue. The contrary would be a terrible thing, and very difficult to endure: that is, few in number and disunited. God forbid.

If by chance some little word should escape, try to remedy the matter immediately and pray intensely. And if things of this sort against charity continue, such as little factions, or ambition, or concern about some little point of honor (for I think my blood freezes when I write about this and think that at some time it could happen, because I see it is the main evil in monasteries); when these things begin to take place consider yourselves lost.

Think and believe that you have thrown your Spouse out of the house and have made it necessary for Him to go in search of another dwelling, since you threw Him out of His own house.

Cry out to His Majesty. Seek a remedy; for if you don’t find one after such frequent confession and Communion, there is reason to fear a Judas among you.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection, ch. 7, nos. 9–10

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured Image: This image of the Last Supper (ca. 1480) comes from the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, France. Image credit: Jean Louis Mazieres / Flickr (Some rights reserved).

Quote of the day, 31 March: St. Teresa of Avila

O God of my soul, how we hasten to offend You and how You hasten even more to pardon us!

What reason is there, Lord, for such deranged boldness? Could it be that we have already understood Your great mercy and have forgotten that Your justice is just?

The sorrows of death surround me [Ps 18:4].

Oh, oh, oh, what a serious thing sin is, for it was enough to kill God with so many sorrows! And how surrounded You are by them, my God! Where can You go that they do not torment You? Everywhere mortals wound You.

O Christians, it’s time to defend your King and to accompany Him in such great solitude. Few are the vassals remaining with Him, and great the multitude accompanying Lucifer. And what’s worse is that these latter appear as His friends in public and sell Him in secret. He finds almost no one in whom to trust. O true Friend, how badly they pay You back who betray You! […]

O you who are accustomed to delights, satisfactions, and consolations, and to always doing your own will, take pity on yourselves! Recall that you will have to be subject forever and ever, without end, to the infernal furies.

Behold, behold that the Judge who will condemn you now asks you; and that your lives are not safe for one moment. Why don’t you want to live forever? Oh, hardness of human hearts! May Your boundless compassion, my God, soften these hearts.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Soliloquies, 10

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: A Holy Week procession in Avila, Spain. Image credit: Miguel Ángel Ordoñez / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

Quote of the day, 23 March: Teresa of the Trinity, OCD

Let us not desire delights, daughters; we are well-off here; the bad inn lasts for only a night. Let us praise God; let us force ourselves to do penance in this life.

Saint Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection, 40.9

The autumn leaves are pilgrims
Scurrying after the winds that toss them
Through the sky, and I, a pilgrim
Caught by the Spirit’s breath, would fly
Heavenwards in glorious flight—
Knowing this life is only a night
Spent in a bad inn.

Let Teresa’s words give impetus to my poor clay,
Freeing me from earth’s bonds,
And setting me heavenward in flight,
A leaf, swirling in the mighty Wind of God,
Raised beyond itself,
Torn from earth’s limiting vision,
To celestial heights, seeing, at last,
The vast horizons of the Church
That keep Carmel’s vision wide.

O Holy Mother, open my small mind and heart
To the great tide of needs—
The venturing for God’s honor
In these times.
Magnificent shores of the spirit have been reached
And overflow.
Let me become filled with God’s joy,
Awake to every grace that pour Christ-life,
Christ-mercy on our universe.

Sister Teresa of the Trinity, O.C.D.

For the Feast of Our Holy Mother Teresa

Note: Sr. Teresa of the Trinity, O.C.D. (Teresa Hewitt) was a professed Discalced Carmelite nun of the Carmel of St. Joseph in Terre Haute, Indiana, who served as prioress for many years.

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

Quote of the day, 19 March: Saint Teresa

Once, when in need, for I didn’t know what to do or how to pay some workmen, St. Joseph, my true father and lord, appeared to me and revealed to me that I would not be lacking, that I should hire them. And so I did, without so much as a penny, and the Lord, in ways that amazed those who heard about it, provided for me.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life: Chapter 33, no. 12

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Saint Joseph holds a bouquet of Easter lilies, lilium longiflorum. Image credit: arley_design / Adobe Stock (Asset ID#: 1260853483).

Quote of the day, 11 March: Blessed Marie-Eugène

“What happens is that my intellect is suddenly seized by things sometimes so trivial that at other times I would laugh about them. The devil makes the soul upset in every way he wants and shackles it there without its being master of itself or able to think of anything else than the absurdities he represents to it…”
(St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of Her Life, 30:11).

It is natural enough that the devil should use his great power and take advantage of the relative weakness of beginners in prayer, to stop them in their journey towards God by causing in them, as far as he is able, as much dryness and distraction as he can. That he thus intervenes—often successfully—in the prayer of beginners seems certain; and, although using on them much more benign procedures than on Saint Teresa, these are probably much more effective.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Chapter VI, Distractions and dryness

Note: Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus made his first religious profession on 11 March 1923.

Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus & Doran V 1990, I Want to See God, Christian Classics, Allen, Texas.

Featured image: Father Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (by permission)

Quote of the day, 8 March: St. Teresa of Avila

Well, here is what happens sometimes to a soul that experiences these anxious longings, tears, sighs, and great impulses… While this soul is going about in this manner, burning up within itself, a blow is felt from elsewhere (the soul doesn’t understand from where or how). The blow comes often through a sudden thought or word about death’s delay. Or the soul will feel pierced by a fiery arrow.

I saw a person in this condition [Teresa refers to herself]; truly, she thought she was dying, and this was not so surprising because certainly there is great danger of death. And thus, even though the experience lasts a short while, it leaves the body very disjointed, and during that time, the heartbeat is as slow as it would be if a person were about to render his soul to God. This is no exaggeration, for the natural heat fails, and the fire so burns the soul that with a little more intensity God would have fulfilled the soul’s desires.

You will tell me that this feeling is an imperfection and ask why the soul doesn’t conform to the will of God since it is so surrendered to Him. Until now, it could do this, and has spent its life doing so. As for now, the reasoning faculty is in such a condition that the soul is not the master of it, nor can the soul think of anything else than of why it is grieving, of how it is absent from its Good, and of why it should want to live. It feels a strange solitude because no creature in all the earth provides it company, nor do I believe would any heavenly creature, not being the One whom it loves; rather, everything torments it.

But the soul sees that it is like a person hanging, who cannot support himself on any earthly thing, nor can it ascend to heaven. On fire with this thirst, it cannot get to the water, and the thirst is not one that is endurable, but already at such a point that nothing will take it away. Nor does the soul desire that the thirst be taken away save by that water of which our Lord spoke to the Samaritan woman.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle, VI.11.2, 4–5

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This detail of a photographic artwork created by Elías Rodríguez Picón comes to us thanks to the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Alba de Tormes. The artist’s sister is the model for this scene, which is intended to show the beginning moment of the Transverberation. You can see and read more about his photographic technique in this article from La Hornacina (in Spanish). Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (By permission).

Quote of the day, 7 March: St. Teresa of Avila

Our Father, who art in heaven

O Son of God and my Lord! How is it that You give so much all together in the first words? Since You humble Yourself to such an extreme in joining with us in prayer and making Yourself the Brother of creatures so lowly and wretched, how is it that You give us in the name of Your Father everything that can be given?

For You desire that He consider us His children, because Your word cannot fail [Allusion to Mt 24:35; Mk 13:31; Lk 21:33.] You oblige Him to be true to Your word, which is no small burden since in being Father He must bear with us no matter how serious the offenses.

If we return to Him like the prodigal son, He has to pardon us [Allusion to Lk 15:11-32.] He has to console us in our trials. He has to sustain us in the way a father like this must.

For, in effect, He must be better than all the fathers in the world because in Him everything must be faultless. And after all this He must make us sharers and heirs with You [Allusion to Ep 3:15; 2 Pt 1:4.].

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection, chap. 27, no. 2

Teresa of Avila, St 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Kavanaugh, K & Rodriguez, O (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Return of the Prodigal Son is an oil on canvas painting created by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669) around the year 1668. It is part of the European fine art collection in The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Quote of the day, 7 August: Albert and Teresa

Multiple credible witnesses attest to St. Teresa of Avila’s deep devotion to St. Albert of Trapani (Sicily). In his biography of Teresa, Father Francisco de Ribera notes that her list of especially beloved saints begins with “Our Father Saint Albert”—and he’s careful to clarify this isn’t Saint Albert of Jerusalem, who wrote the Carmelite Rule, but Saint Albert of Sicily.

Teresa’s autobiography offers clues about why she held St. Albert in such reverence. In Chapter 40, no. 13 of The Book of Her Life, she describes a prophetic vision:

Once while I was praying near the Blessed Sacrament, a saint appeared to me whose order was somewhat fallen. He held in his hands a great book. He opened it and told me to read some large and very legible letters. This is what they said: IN THE TIME TO COME THIS ORDER WILL FLOURISH; IT WILL HAVE MANY MARTYRS.

She continues in no. 15:

I sometimes saw this glorious saint, and he told me a few things and thanked me for praying for his order, and promised to recommend me to the Lord. I’m not naming the orders (if the Lord were pleased that they be known, He would declare them), lest others be offended.

The Carmelite Order has always maintained—and Teresa later confirmed, though she initially kept his identity anonymous—that this saint was indeed Saint Albert.

An even more striking episode appears in Father Yanguas’ testimony at Teresa’s canonization process.

He recounts that on St. Albert’s feast day, 7 August 1574, Teresa was staying at the Segovia foundation. After hearing her confession and giving her communion that morning, Father Yanguas spoke with her. She told him that both the Lord and Saint Albert had just conversed with her.

When she’d asked for guidance about the future of the Carmelite Reform, Saint Albert told her the Discalced Carmelites should establish their own independent hierarchy, separate from the Mitigated branch. This episode likely inspired Teresa to commission the work Life and Miracles of Saint Albert.

Father Tomás Álvarez, OCD, explored this remarkable publishing venture in Monte Carmelo review (1993) with the telling title: “An Editorial Enterprise of Saint Teresa: The Life and Miracles of Saint Albert (1582)”. He traces how Teresa’s personal devotion drove this project.

Teresa was determined to spread devotion to the Sicilian Carmelite saint whom she venerated as father and advocate. She even commissioned the Dominican Father Diego de Yanguas to write a booklet titled The Life and Miracles of St. Albert for her nuns. The plan was to publish it alongside The Way of Perfection.

While the complete volume appeared in Lisbon in February 1583, the section on St. Albert is dated 1582—leading Father Álvarez to wonder whether Teresa might have had a printed copy before her death.

Discalced Carmelite Friars Commissariat of Sicily

St. Teresa of Jesus: Great Devotee of St. Albert of Sicily

Note: Teresian scholar Tomás Álvarez, OCD, indicates that in the testimony of Father Diego de Yanguas, OP, at St. Teresa’s canonization process, he deliberately withheld certain details of what St. Albert told Teresa “for good reasons” (por buenos respetos no las declara). The Dominican professor maintained close spiritual ties with Teresa, meeting with her again on August 24, 1578, likely when he completed his revision of St. Albert’s biography. Teresa’s deliberate anonymity about the saint’s identity in her autobiography was standard practice—she consistently concealed names of persons and places throughout her Life, as Father Álvarez documents in his scholarly analysis.

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.

Álvarez, T 1993, ‘Una empresa editorial de Santa Teresa: «La vida y milagros de San Alberto» (1582)’, Monte Carmelo, vol. 101, no. 2, pp. 11-12.

Discalced Carmelite Friars of Sicily 2024, ‘Santa Teresa di Gesù grande devota di S. Alberto di Sicilia’, Sant’Alberto da Trapani, Carmelitani Scalzi di Sicilia, viewed 5 August 2025, https://www.carmelodisicilia.it/santi-carmelitani/santalberto-da-trapani/.

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

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

Featured image: This portrait of St. Albert of Trapani was executed by painter Antonio de Pereda (Spanish, 1611–1678) in oil on canvas, ca. 1670. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

#advocate #mysticalExperience #StAlbertOfTrapani #StTeresaOfAvila

Quote of the day, 29 June: St. Teresa of Avila

What I’ve said is enough now for beholding His great mercies, not the one time but the many times He has pardoned so much ingratitude.

Saint Peter, You pardoned once when he was ungrateful; me, You pardoned many times. With what reason the devil tempted me not to pretend to be a friend with one whom I treated publicly like an enemy.

What terrible blindness mine was! Where, my Lord, did I think I could find a remedy save in You?

What folly: to flee from the light so as to be always stumbling! Such proud humility the devil invented in me: withdrawing from the column and the staff which were my support against a fall so great!

Once while with this presence of the three Persons that I carry about in my soul, I experienced so much light you couldn’t doubt the living and true God was there.

In this state He gave me understanding of things I didn’t know how to speak of afterward. Among them was how the Person of the Son, and not the others, took flesh.

As I say, I wouldn’t know how to explain any of these things. For some of them take place so secretly in the soul that it seems the intellect understands, as in the case of a person who while sleeping or half asleep, thinks that what is spoken is understood within.

I was reflecting upon how arduous a life this is that deprives us of being always in that wonderful company, and I said to myself, “Lord, give me some means by which I can put up with this life.”

He replied: “Think, daughter, of how after it is finished you will not be able to serve me in ways you can now. Eat for Me and sleep for Me, and let everything you do be for Me, as though you no longer lived but I; for this is what St. Paul was speaking of” [1 Cor 10:31].

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life, chap. 19, no. 10
Spiritual Testimonies, no. 51

Note: The Pauline spirituality expressed in Teresa’s vision—living “as though you no longer lived but I”—had already found poetic expression three years earlier in her famous verse from around 1572: Vivo sin vivir en mí, / y de tal manera espero / que muero porque no muero (I live without living in myself, / and in such a way I hope, / I die because I do not die). Christ’s words in this 1575 testimony seem to confirm and deepen the mystical theology Teresa was already experiencing and articulating through poetry.

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.

Teresa de Jesús & Álvarez, T 1994, Obras completas, Editorial Monte Carmelo, Burgos.

Featured image: “Saints Peter and Paul often assist Teresa in overcoming demons” is an engraving on paper by Adrian Collaert, engraver, and Theodoor Galle, publisher. The printer is unknown; the engraving dates to Antwerp, 1613. The banner above reads “Confide, quia a daemone nequaquam decipieris” (Trust, for you will never be deceived by a demon). The Latin inscription reads: “She sees the glorious apostles Peter and Paul often standing by her side, promising help against the demons’ illusions: nor is it a vain promise, for she was so divinely illuminated with grace that she could easily conquer all the devil’s tricks.” From the album Vita B. Virginis Teresiae A. Jesu ordinis carmelitarum excalceatorum piae restauratricis….Antverpiae, Apud Adrianum Collardum et Theodorum Gallaeum. M.DC.XIII. (BI-1904-78). Image credit: Rijksmuseum (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have you ever found yourself speaking to God in prayer as naturally as thinking to yourself, without formal words or structure?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#GodAlone #perseverance #StPaul #StPeter #StTeresaOfAvila

On her birthday, Teresa teaches: imitate the virtue others lack. Let love spread! #HappyBirthday #StTeresaOfAvila

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2025/03/27/stjway7/

Blesseds Denis and Redemptus: Missionary Martyrs

The least that any of us who has truly begun to serve the Lord can offer Him is our own life. Since we have given the Lord our will, what do we fear? It is clear that if someone is a true religious or a true person of prayer and aims to enjoy the delights of God, he must not turn his back upon the desire to die for God and suffer martyrdom.

St. Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection, ch. 12

Courage in Mission, Journey to Sanctity

On November 29, 1638, Blessed Denis of the Nativity and Blessed Redemptus of the Cross gave their lives as martyrs in Aceh, Sumatra. These Discalced Carmelite friars—one a former cartographer and naval commander, the other a soldier turned lay brother—exemplified the missionary spirit of Carmel.

• Blessed Denis of the Nativity (Pierre Berthelot): Born in Honfleur, France, on December 12, 1600, Denis distinguished himself as a cosmographer and pilot-in-chief for the Portuguese king. His cartographic expertise was renowned, and his works contributed significantly to Portuguese navigation and exploration. Despite his prominent naval career, Denis sought a higher calling. He joined the Discalced Carmelites in Goa in 1635 under the guidance of Father Philip of the Most Holy Trinity. Denis professed vows on December 25, 1636, and was ordained a priest on August 24, 1638.
• Blessed Redemptus of the Cross (Thomas Rodriguez da Cunha): Born around 1598 in Portugal, Redemptus served as a soldier before entering the Discalced Carmelites as a lay brother in 1615. Known for his humility and dedication, he became a trusted companion to Denis, offering steadfast support in their shared mission.

Both men transformed their worldly expertise into tools for evangelization, fully committing themselves to their Carmelite vocations.

The Mission in Indonesia

In September 1638, Denis and Redemptus were assigned to accompany Ambassador Francisco de Souza de Castro on a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Aceh. Denis served as a spiritual guide and maritime expert due to his knowledge of navigation and the Malay language​. However, the mission’s arrival on October 25, 1638, was shadowed by geopolitical tensions, with the Dutch East India Company (VOC), a rival of the Portuguese in the spice trade, reportedly influenced the Sultan of Aceh to betray the delegation.

Upon their imprisonment, Denis and Redemptus were subjected to relentless torture as their captors tried to force them to renounce their Catholic faith and convert to Islam. Denis became a source of strength for his fellow prisoners, depriving himself of necessities to aid others and encouraging them with words of faith and hope.

Redemptus was executed first, shot with arrows before his throat was slit. Denis, holding a crucifix, was martyred last, receiving a fatal sword blow that split his head.

The martyrdom of Denis and Redemptus was not solely a case of religious persecution. The mission to Aceh occurred at the intersection of faith and politics, with Portugal and the Dutch VOC vying for dominance in the Southeast Asian spice trade. Their deaths highlight the challenges faced by missionaries operating in politically charged environments, even today.

Faithful Witnesses

Denis and Redemptus were beatified by Pope Leo XIII on June 10, 1900, as the first beatified martyrs of the Discalced Carmelite friars. Their feast day on November 29 honors their courage, missionary zeal, and faithful witness to Christ. Their deaths remind us of the sacrifices made to spread the Gospel, even in hostile and complex circumstances.

Want a concise account of the mission and martyrdom of Blesseds Denis and Redemptus? Click below to listen to our podcast on YouTube and be inspired by their incredible story of faith and courage.

https://youtu.be/jPffLQdavoU

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

Discalced Carmelite Postulator, Biografia di Dionisio della Natività, accessed 27 November 2024, https://www.postocd.org/index.php/it/biografia-dionisio-della-nativita.

Discalced Carmelite Postulator, Biografia di Redento della Croce, accessed 27 November 2024, https://www.postocd.org/index.php/it/biografia-redento-della-croce.

Wikipedia, ‘Pierre Berthelot (navigateur)’, accessed 27 November 2024, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Berthelot_(navigateur).

Featured image: OpenAI DALL·E 2024, ‘Landscape illustration symbolizing Aceh, Sumatra,’ generated 27 November 2024.

#DenisOfTheNativity #Indonesia #martyrs #missionaries #Podcast #RedemptusOfTheCross #StTeresaOfAvila

In this podcast episode, we explore St. Teresa of Avila’s journey to reform the Carmelite Order. Faced with the challenges of her time, Teresa sought to establish a new community where her nuns could live in simplicity and devote themselves fully to prayer. Though she had initial concerns, especially regarding the level of poverty the community would embrace, Teresa moved forward with trust and determination.

As she reflected:

“When I began to take the first steps toward founding this monastery… it was not my intention that there be so much external austerity or that the house have no income… One day after Communion, His Majesty earnestly commanded me to strive for this new monastery with all my powers, and He made great promises that it would be founded and that He would be highly served in it. He said it should be called St. Joseph…”

This episode goes beyond simply retelling Teresa’s story. We’ll also explore the key points from her teachings that continue to inspire spiritual growth and renewal today.

Click the YouTube link below to listen to the full episode!

https://youtu.be/VwQCiXyv05w?si=JtxguO_2WDvKtX72

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Monjas Carmelitas ante Ávila by the Italian painter Guido Caprotti was executed in oil on canvas in 1938. It forms part of the Caprotti Collection in the Palacio Superunda, Avila. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/15/stj-s2ep26/

#DiscalcedCarmelites #DoctorOfTheChurch #founder #heritage #nuns #Podcast #StJosephSAvila #StTeresaOfAvila

Christ commanded St. Teresa of Avila to establish the Monastery of St. Joseph. Discover her journey to fulfill this mission, described by St. Edith Stein. #StTeresaOfAvila

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/14/edith-stjlife32/

St. Teresa of Avila shows us how true prayer serves the Church. Cardinal Anders Arborelius explores her lasting influence in contemplative life. #StTeresaofAvila

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/13/anders-stjchap11/

✨ Celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila with us! Visit our blog for all the Carmelite prayers to enrich your devotion. 🙏🌿 #StTeresaOfAvila

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/12/stjlit24/

October 15
SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
OUR MOTHER
Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Solemnity

Teresa was born at Avila in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelites and made great progress in the way of perfection and was granted mystical revelations. Wishing to share in the spiritual renewal of the Church of her time, she began to live her religious life more ardently and soon attracted many companions, to whom she was like a mother. She also helped in the reform of the friars, and in this had to endure great trials. She wrote books that are renowned for their depth of doctrine and which showed her own spiritual experiences. She died at Alba in 1582.

Evening Prayer I

Hymn

Mild messenger of heaven’s high King,
Forth from home’s sheltering walls you set:
‘Christ to the Pagan’s land I’ll bring
Or die a martyr!’—Ah, not yet:

A sweeter pain, a death more dear
Must win for you a wider fame;
No mortal hand’s to wield the spear
That kindles your consuming flame.

Victim of God’s unbounded love,
Let our hearts burn with like desire;
Lead all your retinue above
That none may taste eternal fire.

Jesu, celestial choirs adore You,
Bridegroom of all virgins pure,
And wedding-songs unceasing pour
While endless ages shall endure.

L.M.
Tr. Bede Edwards, O.C.D.

Psalmody

Ant. 1 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.

Psalm 113

Praise, O servants of the Lord, *
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed *
both now and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting *
praised be the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord, *
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, *
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, *
to look down upon heaven and earth?

From the dust he lifts up the lowly, *
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, *
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home *
and gladdens her heart with children.

Ant. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to little ones.

Ant. 2 Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.

Psalm 146

My soul, give praise to the Lord, +
I will praise the Lord all my days, *
make music to my God while I live.

Put no trust in princes, *
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay *
and their plans that day come to nothing.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, *
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth, *
the seas and all they contain.

It is he who keeps faith forever, *
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry, *
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

the Lord who gives sight to the blind, *
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger *
and upholds the widow and orphan.

It is the Lord who loves the just *
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever, *
Zion’s God, from age to age.

Ant. Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her praise.

Ant. 3 The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.

Canticle: Ephesians 1:3-10

Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in him *
before the world began,
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.

He predestined us +
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ, *
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God’s favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on the earth.

Ant. The Lord gave her wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.

Reading

1 Corinthians 2:6-10a

Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,” God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

Responsory

R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God. Repeat R/.
V/. The Lord filled her with the spirit of wisdom and understanding * in the Church of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Holy Mother Teresa, light of the Church, teach us the way of perfection, and lead us to the eternal mansions where Christ has his home.

Intercessions

With our Mother Saint Teresa let us call upon our loving Father, in the name of Christ our friend and companion. Let us pray:

R/. Lord, may your kingdom come.

You made your Son a source of life, so that whoever believes in him might have life for all eternity; — may we listen to the voice of Christ, our true life, and so have life in him. R/.

You gave us your only-begotten Son as our teacher of holiness and our Way to you; — may we, your children, loyally follow Christ, the Way of perfection, and pray to you without ceasing. R/.

You promised through Christ that with him you will come to dwell in those who surrender to your love; — may we let your Spirit of love take possession of our hearts for Christ, and so be admitted to the inmost mansions of your dwelling-place. R/.

You made Christ head and cornerstone of the Church, the foundation on which we might build; — may we love and serve the Church for his sake, rooted and founded in his love and faith. R/.

You raised Christ to your right hand in glory, to prepare a place for us in your presence; — may all the dead who seek your face be with Christ, and contemplate the glory you have given him. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

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

Invitatory

Ant. The Lord is the fount of wisdom; come, let us adore him.

Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary.

Office of Readings

Hymn

Noonday blaze of virtues rare;
Highest gifts of grace and prayer;
You have lived, in deep repose,
All that faith on us bestows.

Wedded to the Father’s Word,
Word of light, in silence heard
Leaning on the Savior’s breast,
Guided by the Spirit blest.

Blest the mind refined by fire
To receive divine desire,
Wisdom’s secrets in your heart,
Opened by the heavenly dart.

Christ drew you to his embrace
By the fragrance of his grace;
In your teaching we confide,
Trusting you, our heav’n-sent guide.

Truth eternal, One and Three,
May Teresa constantly
Lead us up the mountain’s ways
To the realms of joy and praise.

77.77.
Sr. Margarita of Jesus, O.C.D.

Psalmody

Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?

Psalm 42

Like the deer that yearns *
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning *
for you, my God. 

My soul is thirsting for God, *
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see *
the face of God?

My tears have become my bread, *
by night, by day,
as I hear it said all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”

These things will I remember *
as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd *
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving, *
the throng wild with joy.

Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.

My soul is cast down within me *
as I think of you,
from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon, *
from the Hill of Mizar.

Deep is calling on deep, *
in the roar of waters: *
your torrents and all your waves *
swept over me.

By day the Lord will send *
his loving kindness;
by night I will sing to him, *
praise the God of my life.

I will say to God, my rock: *
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning *
oppressed by the foe?”

With cries that pierce me to the heart, *
my enemies revile me,
saying to me all the day long: *
“Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.

Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life: when shall I see God face to face?

Ant. 2  Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?

Psalm 145

I will give you glory, O God my King, *
I will bless your name forever.

I will bless you day after day *
and praise your name forever.
The Lord is great, highly to be praised, *
his greatness cannot be measured.

Age to age shall proclaim your works, *
shall declare your mighty deeds,
shall speak of your splendor and glory, *
tell the tale of your wonderful works.

They will speak of your terrible deeds, *
recount your greatness and might.
They will recall your abundant goodness; *
age to age shall ring out your justice.

The Lord is kind and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all, *
compassionate to all his creatures

Ant. 2  Your splendor, Lord, is unending, who can tell your mercy and greatness?

Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, *
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign *
and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds *
and the glorious splendor of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom; *
your rule lasts from age to age.

The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall *
and raises all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all creatures look to you *
and you give them their food in due time.
You open wide your hand, *
grant the desires of all who live.

The Lord is just in all his ways *
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him, *
who call on him from their hearts.

He grants the desires of those who fear him, *
he hears their cry and he saves them.
The Lord protects all who love him; *
but the wicked he will utterly destroy.

Let me speak the praise of the Lord, +
let all mankind bless his holy name forever,
for ages unending.

Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to all who call on him in truth; his kingdom will never end.

V/. You, O Lord, are close.
R/. And all your commands are truth.

First Reading

Phil 3:8-21

From the letter of the apostle Paul to the Philippians

The knowledge of Christ Jesus is supreme

I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.

I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.

All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you. However that may be, let us go forward according to the same rules we have followed until now.

Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you. I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ’s death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.

Responsory

R/. Your life is hidden now with Christ in God. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory. 
V/. Neither death nor life, nor anything in all creation, can come between us and Christ’s love for us. * When Christ your life appears, you too will appear with him in glory.

Second Reading

Ch 22:6-7, 14

From the Autobiography of Saint Teresa of Jesus

We should always be mindful of Christ’s love

Whoever lives in the presence of so good a friend and excellent a leader as is Jesus Christ can endure all things. Christ helps us and strengthens us and never fails; he is a true friend. And I see clearly that God desires that if we are going to please him and receive his great favors this must come about through the most sacred humanity of Christ, in whom he takes his delight.

Many, many times have I perceived this through experience. The Lord has told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we desire His Sovereign Majesty to show us great secrets. A person should desire no other path, even if he be at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us. He will teach us these things. In beholding his life we find that he is the best example.

What more do we desire than to have such a good friend at our side, who will not abandon us in our labors and tribulations, as friends in the world do? Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near. Let us consider the glorious Saint Paul: it doesn’t seem that any other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, as coming from one who kept the Lord close to his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found that they hadn’t taken any other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Bernard, Catherine of Sienna. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God’s hands. If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept gladly.

As often as we think of Christ we should recall the love with which he bestowed on us so many favors, and the great things God showed in giving us a pledge like this of his love; for love begets love. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to waken ourselves to love. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the favor of impressing this love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall carry out our tasks quickly and without much effort.

Responsory

R/. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
V/. I willingly glory in my weakness, so that the power of Christ may be strong in me. * For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:

Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.

Canticle I

Is 2:2-3

All the peoples will come to the house of the Lord

The mountain where God has chosen to dwell (Ps 67:17)

It shall come to pass in the latter days *
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains +
and shall be raised above the hills, *
and all the nations shall flow to it.

And many people shall come, and say: +
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, *
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways *
and that we may walk in his paths.’

For out of Sion shall go forth the law, *
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Canticle II

Is 61:10-62:3

The prophet rejoices in the new Jerusalem

I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, as beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband (Rev 21:2)

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord *
my soul shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, *
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, *
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots, *
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise *
to spring forth before all the nations.

For Sion’s sake I will not keep silent, *
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest
until her vindication goes forth as brightness, *
and her salvation as a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication, *
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name *
which the mouth of the Lord will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty *
in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem *
in the hand of your God.

Canticle III

Is 62:4-7

The glory of the new Jerusalem

Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them (Rev 21:3)

No longer are you to be named ‘Forsaken,’ *
nor your land ‘Abandoned,’
but your shall be called ‘My Delight’ *
and your land ‘The Wedded;’
for the Lord takes delight in you *
and your land will have its wedding.

Like a young man marrying a virgin, *
so will the one who built you wed you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, *
so will your God rejoice in you.

On your walls, Jerusalem, *
I set watchmen.
Day or night *
they must never be silent.

You who keep the Lord mindful *
must take no rest.
Nor let him take rest +
till he has restored Jerusalem, *
and made her the boast of the earth.

Ant. I have been zealous for the honor of my spouse, Jesus Christ; he said to me: Be zealous for my honor like a true bride.

Gospel

Jn 14:1-11a

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

There are many rooms in my Father’s house

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God still, and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father’s house;
if there were not, I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you,
and after I have gone and prepared you a place,
I shall return to take you with me;
so that where I am
you may be too.
You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus said:

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.” “Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still do not know me?

“To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, ‘Let us see the Father?’
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Te Deum

You are God: we praise you; *
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father: *
All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, *
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, *
heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. +
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. *
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: *
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, *
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the King of glory, *
the eternal Son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free *
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death, *
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. *
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people, *
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints*
to glory everlasting.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
— Govern and uphold them now and always.

Day by day we bless you.
— We praise your name for ever.

Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
— Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy,
— for we have put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope:
— And we shall never hope in vain.

Prayer

Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

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

Morning Prayer

Hymn

My beloved, passing fair,
Love has drawn thy likeness, see,
In my inmost Heart, and there—
Lost or straying unaware—
Thou must seek thyself in me.

Well I know that thou shalt find
This thine image in my Heart,
Pictured to the life, with art
So amazing, that thy mind
Sees thy very counterpart.

If my chance thou e’er shalt doubt
Where to turn in search of me,
Seek not all the world about;
Only this can find me out—
Thou must seek myself in thee.

In the mansion of thy mind
Is my dwelling-place; and more—
There I wander, unconfined,
Knocking loud if e’er I find
In thy thought a closèd door.

Search for me without were vain,
Since, when thou has need of me,
Only call me, and again
To thy side I haste amain;
Thou must seek myself in thee.

7.7.7.7.7
St. Teresa of Jesus
Tr. by A. Stirling

Psalmody

Ant. 1 For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God, for you I long; *
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you *
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary *
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life, *
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life, *
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, *
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you. *
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help; *
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant.  For you my soul is thirsting, Lord; my body pines for you.

Ant. 2 All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.

Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
You heavens, bless the Lord,
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. *
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord. *
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. *
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord. *
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord. *
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord. *
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord. *
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. *
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord. *
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord. *
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. *
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. *
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. *
Let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. *
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all for ever.

Ant.  All your creatures praise you, Lord; your saints shall bless your name.

Ant. 3 I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.

Psalm 149

Sing a new song to the Lord, *
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker, *
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing *
and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people. *
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory, *
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips *
and a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations *
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained; *
this honor is for all his faithful.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant.  I have sung the praises of your mercies, Lord, in the assembly of the faithful.

Reading

2 Cor 4:5-7

It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness”, who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ. We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. 

Responsory

R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.
Repeat R/.
V/. I long for your face, Lord; * it is you that I seek.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers*
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him.

Intercessions

The Lord of glory, the crown of all the saints, gives us the joy of celebrating this feast of our Mother Saint Teresa. Let us praise him, saying:

R/. Glory to you, Lord.

Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels of your grace; —in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies forever. R/.

You want your love to blaze like fire throughout the world; —may we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight. R/.

You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; —unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to you. R/.

You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; —purify our sight, so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be close to you. R/.

You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; —make us humble of heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

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

Daytime Prayer

The complementary psalms are used. If this feast falls on Sunday, then psalms from Sunday, Week I are said.

Midmorning

Ant. When you pray go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden.

Reading

Rev 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

V/. I will pray to the God of my life.
R/. I will say to him: You are my support.

Midday

Ant. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near.

Reading

1 Thess 5:16-18

Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.

V/. You will show me the path of life.
R/. The fullness of joy in your presence.

Midafternoon

Ant. Let us live in truth and love, and let all things aid our growth into Christ.

Reading

3 John 3-4

It was a great joy to me when some brothers came and told of your faithfulness to the truth, and of your life in the truth. It is always my greatest joy to hear that my children are living according to the truth.

V/. Serve the Lord in truth.
R/. Whoever follows the truth, comes to the light.

Prayer

Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

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

Evening Prayer

Hymn

Teresa, herald of the King,
You left your home in dawn of youth
To bring to souls, on eager wing,
Your blood, or Christ’s redeeming truth.

But yours must be another death—
Both pain and rapture flood your heart,
Enkindled by the Spirit’s breath,
Pierced through by cherub’s fiery dart.

O Victim of pure charity,
Send fire to souls you love so well;
By flame of Wisdom’s clarity
Deliver us from fires of hell!

O Jesus, Spouse of virgin-brides,
May they adoring sing your praise
In nuptial music that abides
Through peace of never-ending days!

L.M.
Regis superni nuntia
Tr. unknown

Psalmody

Ant. 1 The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.

Psalm 122

I rejoiced when I heard them say: *
“Let us go to God’s house.”
And now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built as a city *
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up, *
the tribes of the Lord.

For Israel’s law it is, *
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgment *
of the house of David.

For the peace of Jerusalem pray; *
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls, *
in your palaces, peace!”

For love of my brethren and friends *
I say: “Peace upon you!”
For love of the house of the Lord *
I will ask for your good.

Ant. The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory of God, and shone like a precious jewel.

Ant. 2 Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.

Psalm 127

If the Lord does not build the house, *
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city, *
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising, *
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat: *
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.

Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, *
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth *
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

O the happiness of the man *
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame *
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.

Ant. Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home among them.

Ant. 3 I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church. 

Canticle: Col 1:12-20

Let us give thanks to the Father *
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints *
in light.

He rescued us *
from the power of darkness
and brought us *
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of our sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, *
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, *
things visible and invisible.

All were created through him; *
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is. *
In him everything continues in being.

It is he who is head of the body, the church! *
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead, *
so that primacy may be his in everything.

It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him *
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens, *
making peace through the blood of his cross.

Ant. I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.

Reading

Jude 20-21

You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life.

Responsory

R/. You are * the temple of the living God.
Repeat R/.
V/. And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R/. You are * the temple of the living God.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.

Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, *
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant, *
and from this day all generations will call me blessed.

The Almighty has done great things for me: *
holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,*
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and has sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I am going now to prepare a place for you.

Or: Holy Mother Teresa, look down from heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right hand has planted.

Intercessions

Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy: let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her members:

R/. Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.

You are the Head of the Church and the source of all her grace; —may all your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are the living and holy members of your Body. R/.

You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles, and through them you teach us the truth and lead us in green pastures; —enlighten and guide those you have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may hear your voice leading us to life. R/.

You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; —as the harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. R/.

You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty, your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; —with Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show forth your life within them as they serve the Church. R/.

You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and baptism; —may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace. R/.

You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; —may all who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

Father,
by your Spirit you raised up
our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show your Church the way to perfection.
May her inspired teaching
awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/12/stjlit24/

#DiscalcedCarmelite #DoctorOfTheChurch #LiturgyOfTheHours #Solemnity #StTeresaOfAvila #StTeresaOfJesus #virgin

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4–7

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

St. Teresa Speaks: Way of Perfection, 20:4

Let truth dwell in your hearts, as it should through meditation, and you will see clearly the kind of love we are obliged to have for our neighbor.

Reflection: The Truth of Love for Our Neighbor

Teresa urges us to let truth dwell in our hearts through meditation so that our love for others is sincere and rooted in God. Are we committed to loving our neighbor as Christ commands, or do we love only those who are easy to love? Teresa’s challenge calls us to examine whether our love is shaped by the truth of God or by selfish motives.

Novena Prayer

O Holy Mother Saint Teresa, look down from heaven and see: visit this vine and protect what thy right hand hath planted.

(Mention your intentions)

Merciful God, who by thy Spirit didst raise up thy servant Saint Teresa of Jesus to reveal to thy Church the way of perfection: grant that her teaching may awaken in us a longing for holiness until, assisted by her intercession, we attain to the perfect union of love in Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory be…

Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

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.

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. Joseph, 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. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/10/stjnovena24-6/

#prayer #love #StTeresaOfAvila #neighbor #humility #truth #novena #meditation

God is supreme Truth; and to be humble is to walk in truth.

The Interior Castle, VI, ch. 10, no. 7

Novena Introduction: Humility and Truth

In her writings, St. Teresa of Avila reveals that the way of perfection is a path paved with truth and humility. These virtues are not only foundational but indispensable to spiritual maturity, no matter our state in life. Whether we are engaged in work, family, service, or prayer, humility is the first step on the path toward God (cf. Way of Perfection, 17:1; Mt 23:12). As we walk this path, we must take the lowest place, as Teresa teaches, preparing ourselves with humility and allowing God to guide us as he wills. Just as she reminds us that all spiritual progress is rooted in humility, so too does she call us to walk humbly in the truth of who we are before God.

St. Teresa teaches that humility is not simply a virtue but the essential disposition we must cultivate to receive God’s grace (cf. Ja 4:6). She reminds us that true humility is “great readiness to be content with whatever the Lord may want to do with them and in always finding oneself unworthy to be called his servant” (Way of Perfection, 17:6). By embracing humility, we open ourselves to receiving the truth of who we are before God—weak, dependent, and in need of his mercy. This recognition of our unworthiness is not self-deprecating but an honest acknowledgment that apart from God, we can do nothing (cf. Jn 15:5).

This novena draws upon the central themes of Teresa’s teaching—truth, humility, and love. As St. Teresa reminds us, “God is supreme Truth; and to be humble is to walk in truth.” To walk in humility, then, is to surrender our desire to control our spiritual growth, trusting that God, who is Truth, knows what is best for us. It means embracing the cross, as Teresa so often emphasized, allowing suffering to become a means of union with Christ. Walking in truth and humility also means loving God and our neighbor not just with words, but with action, reflecting the truth of God’s love in every aspect of our lives.

Let this novena be a time of humble surrender, that we may listen to God’s voice and open our hearts to his truth. As we meditate on the words of St. Teresa and the Scriptures, may we grow in the virtues of humility and truth, and may we experience the deep peace that comes from knowing and loving God.

Novena Meditations

Join us as we pray every day! As our novena unfolds, each day you will see a new link for our meditations from St. Teresa of Avila.

• Day 1
  Recognizing God’s Supreme Truth
• Day 2
  Humility in God’s Presence
• Day 3
  Loving God Truthfully
• Day 4
  Humility as the Foundation
• Day 5
  God Alone is Truth
• Day 6
  The Truth of Love for Our Neighbor
• Day 7
  Knowing and Loving God
• Day 8
  Suffering as the Way of Truth
• Day 9
  Walking in Truth and Humility

Novena Prayer

O Holy Mother Saint Teresa, look down from heaven and see: visit this vine and protect what thy right hand hath planted.

(Mention your intentions)

Merciful God, who by thy Spirit didst raise up thy servant Saint Teresa of Jesus to reveal to thy Church the way of perfection: grant that her teaching may awaken in us a longing for holiness until assisted by her intercession, we attain to the perfect union of love in Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory be…

Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8R2k7J6I14

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.

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.

Featured image: This anonymous 17th-century Spanish oil on canvas painting depicts St. Teresa of Avila, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, holding her writing quill with her right hand. It comes from the collections of the Prado Museum in Madrid and is on loan to another institution. Image credit: Copyright ©Museo Nacional del Prado (Used by permission)

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. Joseph, 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. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/05/stjnovena24-0/

#God #humility #love #novena #prayer #StTeresaOfAvila #truth #virtue #walk #WayOfPerfection

In all her actions and ways of proceeding, she appeared to me to be the holiest and most spiritual woman I have ever known. Through her prayer, she obtained many favors from Our Lord and inspired many others to serve His Divine Majesty.

I often heard people say: “We don’t know what it is about this mother foundress, but just speaking of her leaves us transformed, and we can’t explain why.”

Sometimes, when I asked her to pray for specific intentions, she would respond: “Do you think that what seems right to us is always what God wills? I believe God will act differently than we expect in this matter.”

And it was later seen that God had indeed granted her a special light.

Venerable Anne of Jesus (Lobera)

Testimony given at Salamanca
Ordinary Process, second question (excerpt)
5 July 1597

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

Featured image: Detail of a portrait of Anne of Jesus after Hieronymus Wierix. Image credit: Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/27/lobera-testim2/

#AnneOfJesusLoberaYTorres #causeOfBeatification #gifts #knowledge #light #prayer #StTeresaOfAvila #testimony

This is the authorization for Sister María de Jesús to make her profession. I grant it with great pleasure. May the blessing of the Lord de rore coeli et de pinguedine terrae be granted her.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 263 to Blessed Mary of Jesus Lopez Rivas
From Avila, ca. August 1578

This text is taken either from a note or a fragment of a letter written by St. Teresa of Avila. It was addressed to Blessed Mary of Jesus, who made her religious profession on 8 September 1578. St. Teresa’s words express her joyful authorization for Mary to take this important step in her Carmelite journey.

The blessing de rore coeli et de pinguedine terrae comes from Genesis 27:28, where Isaac blesses his son Jacob, saying: “May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.”

The Latin phrase calls upon God’s abundant blessings, both spiritual and material, asking that Mary be graced with all she needs to thrive in her vocation. It’s a powerful benediction that shows St. Teresa’s confidence in Mary and her hopes for the young nun’s future.

Blessed Mary of Jesus lived a life marked by profound humility and unwavering perseverance. Despite facing unjust persecution for nearly two decades, she remained steadfast in her faith. St. Teresa’s blessing served as a reminder of God’s care for those who trust in Him, offering strength and encouragement that is still relevant to us today.

To explore more about the life and virtues of Blessed Mary of Jesus Lopez Rivas, be sure to listen to Episode 22 of our podcast, embedded in this post.

https://youtu.be/xTztbQiP5g8?si=qAxEJqOsFa_P2Yz8

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Original autograph manuscript of the Way of Perfection preserved in the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Valladolid. The photographer has focused on this sentence from Chapter 21: “They must have a great and very resolute determination to persevere until reaching the end, come what may, happen what may, whatever work is involved, whatever criticism arises, whether they arrive or whether they die on the road, or even if they don’t have courage for the trials that are met, or if the whole world collapses.” New medical and scientific research on the incorrupt body of the saint indicate that she may have been ambidextrous; she would have written her letter to Blessed Mary of Jesus with her right hand, since her left arm or wrist had been broken on Christmas Eve in 1577 and was never properly set. Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/11/s2ep22-lopezrivas/

#BlessedMaryOfJesusLópezRivas #blessing #DiscalcedCarmelite #humility #inspiration #perseverance #Podcast #religiousProfession #StTeresaOfAvila #trials

Now let us speak about the type of soul that enters the second dwelling places and what such a soul does in them.

This stage pertains to those who have already begun to practice prayer and have understood how important it is not to stay in the first dwelling places. But they still don’t have the determination to remain in this second stage without turning back, for they don’t avoid the occasion of sin.

These rooms, in part, involve much more effort than do the first, even though there is not as much danger, for it now seems that souls in them recognize the dangers, and there is great hope they will enter further into the castle.

I say that these rooms involve more effort because those who are in the first dwelling places are like deaf-mutes and thus the difficulty of not speaking is more easily endured by them than it is by those who hear but cannot speak. Yet, not for this reason does one have greater desire to be deaf, for after all it is a wonderful thing to hear what is being said to us.

So these persons are able to hear the Lord when He calls. Since they are getting closer to where His Majesty dwells, He is a very good neighbor. Yet this Lord desires intensely that we love Him and seek His company, so much so that from time to time He calls us to draw near Him. And His voice is so sweet the poor soul dissolves at not doing immediately what He commands.

[His appeals and calls] come through words spoken by other good people, or through sermons, or through what is read in good books, or through the many things that are heard and by which God calls, or through illnesses and trials, or also through a truth that He teaches during the brief moments we spend in prayer; however lukewarm these moments may be, God esteems them highly.

And you, Sisters, don’t underestimate this first favor, nor should you become disconsolate if you don’t respond at once to the Lord. His Majesty knows well how to wait many days and years, especially when He sees perseverance and good desires. This perseverance is most necessary here. One always gains much through perseverance.

But the attacks made by devils in a thousand ways afflict the soul more in these rooms than in the previous ones. In the previous ones the soul was deaf and [mute]—at least it heard very little and resisted less, as one who has partly lost hope of conquering. Here the intellect is more alive and the faculties more skilled.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle, Second Dwelling Place, chap. 1, nos. 1–3

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: A Discalced Carmelite novice embraces the silence in a profound moment of prayer. Image credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/07/stj-icii1/

#Call #deafMute #God #hear #InteriorCastle #love #patience #perseverance #prayer #sin #StTeresaOfAvila

1. Some said that Sister St. Stanislaus called her an angel because of the smiles and signs of affection Thérèse showed her for the least service: “It’s in this way that I’ve taken God in, and it’s because of this that I’ll be so well received by Him at the hour of my death.”
2. “I’m very happy that meat disgusts me because then I find no pleasure in it.” (They were serving her a little meat.)
3. At the moment when I was leaving the infirmary to go to the refectory: “I love you!”
4. When the Angelus was ringing: “Must I extend my little hands?” I answered: “No, you’re even too weak to recite the Angelus. Call upon the Blessed Virgin by simply saying: ‘Virgin Mary!’ ” She said: “Virgin Mary, I love you with all my heart.” Sister Geneviève said: “Tell her that you love her for me, too.” Then she added in a whisper: “For ‘Mlle. Lili,’ for Mamma, for godmother, for Léonie, for little Marie, Uncle, Aunt, Jeanne, Francis, ‘Maurice,’ ‘little Roulland,’ and all whom I love.”
5. She had a desire for a certain type of food, a very simple one, and one of us told our Uncle about it: “It’s very strange that we make this known in the world! Well, I offered it up to God.” I told her that it wasn’t my fault, for in fact I had forbidden it. She replied by taking the little plate: “Ah! it’s offered up to God. It no longer matters. Let them think what they want!”
6. During Matins: “Little Mother, oh! how I love you!” With a pretty smile, trying to speak: “Let’s say something, just the same; let’s say . . . If you only knew how the thought of going soon to heaven leaves me calm. However, I’m very happy, but I can’t say that I am experiencing a living joy and transports of happiness, no!”
7. I asked: “You prefer to die rather than to live?“ “O little Mother, I don’t love one thing more than another; I could not say like our holy Mother St. Teresa: ‘I die because I cannot die’ (cf. Poetry, 1, “Vivir sin vivir en mí”). What God prefers and chooses for me, that is what pleases me more.”

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Yellow Notebook of Mother Agnès, 4 September 1897

Note: A touching anecdote concerning Sister St. Stanislaus: She suffered from hearing loss, so Thérèse would express her gratitude by giving Sister St. Stanislaus’ hand a gentle squeeze. As for the persons on St. Thérèse’s prayer list, they are Sister Geneviève (Céline), Mother Agnès of Jesus (Pauline), Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart (Marie), Léonie Martin, Sister Marie of the Eucharist (Thérèse’s cousin, Marie Guérin), M. and Mme. Guérin, Mme. La Néele and Dr. La Néele, Fr. Bellière and Fr. Roulland.

Thérèse & Clarke, J 1977, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Her Last Conversations, Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.

Featured image: This Croatian painting of St. Thérèse was captured by the renowned Croatian photographer Zvonimir Atletić, who traveled with Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Image credit: zatletic / Adobe Stock

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/03/tej-4sep97/

#deathAndDying #familyLife #food #infirmary #love #monasticLife #MotherAgnèsOfJesus #poetry #prayer #smiles #StTeresaOfAvila #StThérèseOfLisieux

The chant should never be sung with musical notation but should be done in a monotone and with uniform voices. Ordinarily, everything should be recited, and also the Mass, for the Lord will be served if some time remains so that the Sisters may earn their livelihood.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Constitutions, no. 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VelyFiJ_jBg

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Conception del Carmen in Valladolid celebrated the Liturgical Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila in 2016 with a Eucharist presided by the Auxiliary Bishop of Valladolid, Luis Argüello, who also blessed a new image of the Saint. Photo credit: Ángel Cantero, Iglesia en Valladolid / Flickr (Some rights reserved).

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/02/stj-monotone/

#chant #Liturgy #Music #spirituality #StTeresaOfAvila #work

Courage, courage, my daughters. Remember that God does not give anyone more trials than can be suffered and that His Majesty is with the afflicted [cf. 1 Cor 10:13].

For this is certain, there is no reason to fear but to hope in his mercy. He will reveal the whole truth; and some machinations, which the devil kept hidden so as to create a disturbance, will be made known. This was more painful for me than all that is happening now.

Prayer, prayer, my sisters, and now let humility shine forth—and obedience in such a way that no one, especially the former prioress [María de San José Salazar], practices it more toward the appointed vicaress [Beatriz de la Madre de Dios].

Oh, what a good time it is for gathering fruit from the resolutions you made to serve our Lord. Consider that often he desires to have proof that our works are in conformity with our resolutions and words.

Bring honor to the daughters of the Blessed Virgin, your sisters, in this great persecution, for if you help one another, the good Jesus will help you. Even though he sleeps at sea, when the storm gathers strength he calms the winds [Mt 8:23–27].

He wants us to ask of him, and he loves us so much that he is always looking for ways to be of benefit to us. May his name be blessed forever, amen, amen, amen.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 284 to the nuns in Seville, nos. 2–3
31 January 1579

Note: Translator and editor Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD provides the following background concerning this letter:

The community in Seville was going through a crisis. Stripped of his powers as visitator, Gracián underwent a trial initiated against him by the provincial of Andalusia. The trial was seconded by the community’s former confessor, Garciálvarez. The objective of the scheme was to discredit Gracián and depose the prioress, María de San José. Then the provincial appointed one of the most inept nuns in the community, Beatriz de la Madre de Dios, to take the prioress’s place. Teresa knew all about what was happening. Lest her letter be confiscated, she sent it to her good friend, the prior of the Carthusians, so that he might read or give it to the interested nuns.

In Teresa’s letter Father Hernando Pantoja, the Carthusian prior in Seville (Letter 283), Teresa wrote:

I certainly do not worry much about the nuns who went there earlier with me to make the foundation [six nuns from Beas were the foundresses], and I even feel joy in seeing all that they will gain in this war the devil wages against them. I do, however, feel bad for those who entered there afterward [13 nuns entered later], for when they should be learning about the order and how to remain quiet, they are very distracted by all the turmoil, which can do much harm to souls that are new. May the Lord provide a remedy.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This image of Letter 148 from St. Teresa to Madre María de San José (Salazar) in Seville is a brilliant example of the plain-speaking Saint writing to the former prioress in Seville. At the beginning of the letter, Teresa writes: “Always include on a small piece of paper a list of the things you want me to answer. Your letters are long—although they don’t seem so, because of the joy they give me; but if when in a hurry I have to read them all over in order to answer them, they do seem long.” Image credit: iStock (Stock photo)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/01/stj-ltr284n2/

#courage #FatherJerónimoGraciánOfTheMotherOfGod #hope #Jesus #MariaDeSanJoséSalazar #mercy #monasticLife #persecution #StTeresaOfAvila #storm

Our Discalced Carmelite nuns in Puzol (Valencia), Spain have provided a summary of the initial conclusions of medical researchers during their on-site examination of Saint Teresa’s incorrupt remains. We present our translation and a link to the original article on their blog, “Teresa, de la rueca a la pluma.”

On August 30th, the first phase of the study of the remains of St. Teresa of Avila was completed in Alba de Tormes, which has already provided initial evidence about the saint’s health in the last years of her life.

“The medical team has concluded, after this initial on-site analysis, that Teresa had a very fragile physical constitution. For at least the last few years, her posture was severely affected by kyphosis, causing her to walk with a pronounced stoop,” reported Fr. Marco Chiesa, OCD, Postulator General of the Discalced Carmelite Order.

Fr. Marco pointed out that kyphosis resulted in an exaggerated forward curvature of St. Teresa’s upper back. Kyphosis is usually due to the weakness of the bones of the spine, which causes them to fracture and compress, although the medical team has indicated that St. Teresa did not suffer from osteoporosis.

“The deformation of the vertebrae of the spine forced Teresa to breathe with difficulty, at least in the last years of her life,” concluded Father Marco Chiesa. From a medical point of view, in this initial analysis, it was found that the Saint suffered from rheumatism and osteoarthritis in the left knee.

Similarly, the Discalced Carmelite Postulator General explained that Teresa of Avila suffered from plantar fasciitis in the last years of her life. “The doctors indicate that this injury must have caused her a lot of pain when walking,” said Father Chiesa.

For his part, Father Miguel Ángel González, OCD, the prior of Alba de Tormes, said that according to this initial examination, she used both her right and left hands with equal precision, which raises the possibility that she could have been ambidextrous. Until now, it was known (St. Teresa wrote about it) that on December 24, 1577, she broke her left arm in Saint Joseph’s monastery in Avila and that in May 1578, a healer from Medina del Campo reset it.

Father Miguel Ángel explained:

“This preliminary analysis indicates that there was no fracture in the left arm. There was a dislocation, especially in the wrist. When the healer from Medina del Campo was able to help her after several months, she and an assistant pulled the arm and dislocated the shoulder. In other words, the cure was worse than the disease. That arm remained quite useless for the last five years of her life.”

This issue of the arm is very well documented in the writings of St. Teresa herself and in the testimonies for her beatification.

“God was pleased that it wasn’t my right arm that suffered the damage, and so I can write this” (Letter 235, March 1578). She also wrote to Father Gracián about her visit to the healer in Medina del Campo: “I had lost the use of my wrist, for it has been a long time since I fell. So the pain and toil were terrible […]. I can move the hand well and lift the arm as far as my head” (Letter 244, 7 May 1578).

The medical team working in Alba de Tormes indicates that before the accident in 1577, the Saint used her left hand a lot and without difficulty. The reports presented by the doctors will help to clarify if she was ambidextrous.

Closure of the Sepulcher

After the conclusion of this first phase, the silver casket was closed with its four corresponding keys. Following the closure, the casket with the body of the saint was transferred to the upper chapel of the basilica from the cloister where it had remained for two days. The same people participated in the transfer two days ago.

“The silver casket with the saint’s body has been placed inside, and the marble slab has been put in place, closing it with its three corresponding keys. The grille was then locked with its three keys,” Father Miguel Ángel González, Prior of Alba de Tormes, said.

The arm, the heart, and the hand have been placed in their corresponding reliquaries, which have undergone a cleaning process. The heart and the arm have been put back in the chapel, where they remain as usual.

With the information collected, the second stage of this process will begin in Italian laboratories and research centers. The researchers announced that there is much work to be done and they will present their conclusions about the saintly remains at the appropriate time.

Father Marco Chiesa restated the previous information:

“The first stage of this on-site process in Alba de Tormes has concluded, and the second stage will now begin in Italian research laboratories. It will last several months. During 2025, the researchers will reach their conclusions, and the third stage will take place in Alba de Tormes.”

http://delaruecaalapluma.com/2024/08/30/fragilidades-fisicas-de-teresa-a-la-luz-de-la-investigacion-de-sus-restos/

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

Featured image: The Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Annunciation of Our Lady in Alba de Tormes, Spain, gathered with the Discalced Carmelite friars from the Iberian Province as they returned the silver casket of St. Teresa of Avila to its resting place in the marble sepulcher of the monastery. Father Miguel Ángel González, OCD, prior of the Discalced Carmelite friars in Alba de Tormes (fourth from the right, next to the sepulcher), and Discalced Carmelite Postulator General Father Marco Chiesa, OCD (fifth from the right), presided over the solemn rite. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites / delaruecaalapluma.com

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/31/stj-closecasket/

#AlbaDeTormes #DiscalcedCarmelites #illness #medicalTreatment #PostulatorGeneral #ProvinceOfIbérica #science #StTeresaOfAvila #study #suffering

St. Teresa of Avila’s body remains incorrupt! On August 28th, her tomb was opened, confirming the preservation of her relics since 1914. #StTeresaOfAvila

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/28/stj2024sepulcro/

The body of St. Teresa of Avila is still incorrupt almost five centuries after her death.

“Today the tomb of St. Teresa was opened and we found it to be in the same condition as at the last opening in 1914.”

This was the most anticipated statement on the 28th of August, and it was pronounced by the Postulator General of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Father Marco Chiesa. And, it is the first conclusion the experts reached after opening the tomb of the Saint of Avila on August 28th, whose body has remained incorrupt since 1582.

The Carmelites detailed how the process took place, beginning with opening and transferring the casket to a scientific workroom in the cloistered area of the monastery.

Fr. Miguel Angel González, OCD explained that early in the morning, “the community of Discalced Carmelite nuns together with the Postulator General of the Order, the members of the ecclesiastical tribunal, and a small group of religious transferred the casket with austerity and solemnity to the place prepared for the study. We did it singing the Te Deum with our hearts full of emotion.”

The process of reaching the silver casket containing the body of St. Teresa is very complex.

First, they had to remove the marble slab covering the tomb. Then, in the room set up for the study of the major relics of the saint, the silver casket was opened in the presence of only the scientific team and members of the ecclesiastical tribunal: they indicated that the casket captured their attention for its “excellent” craftsmanship and its “magnificent” state of conservation.

The silver casket was a gift from King Ferdinand VI (1713–1759) and his wife Barbara of Portugal (1711–1758).

Beginning with the study of the relics of the heart, arm, and hand of St. Teresa, the friars and researchers have collaborated with Salamanca goldsmiths Ignacio Manzano Martin and Constantino Martin Jaen who will be present on the first and last day of work.

The famous ten keys to the tomb have been used: three kept in Alba de Tormes, three on loan from the Duke of Alba, and three kept in Rome by the Discalced Carmelite Father General, in addition to the king’s key. Three of these keys open the exterior grille, three open the marble sepulcher, and the other four are used to open the silver casket.

Before beginning the study of the body, those present prayed before the remains of the Doctor of the Church and then proceeded to an initial visual inspection, from which it was concluded that the body was still incorrupt, just as it was in 1914. This study’s spiritual aspect is to determine St. Teresa’s state at the time of her death.

“We know that in her final years, it was difficult for her to walk, judging from the pain that she herself describes. Sometimes, looking at a body, you discover more than the person had. Analyzing the foot in Rome, we saw the presence of bone spurs that made it almost impossible to walk. But she walked anyway. Then came Alba de Tormes, and then death, but her desire was to go on and on, despite her physical defects,” Father Chiesa explained.

Likewise, the Postulator of the Order recalled that the 1914 photos are in black and white, so “it is difficult to make a comparison.”

Nevertheless, he affirmed that “the uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914. There is no color, no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but you can see it, especially in the middle of the face. It looks good. The medical experts, they can almost see Teresa’s face clearly,” he stressed.

Regarding the outcome of the studies underway, the Postulator General has asserted that it is too early to give details.

”The Order sees fit to do this work and it will be the specialists who will give us their conclusions after their exhaustive work. We know from similar studies that we will be able to know data of great interest about Teresa and also recommendations for the conservation of the relics, but that will be at another stage,” said Father Marco Chiesa.

See photos from the Diócesis de Ávila

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wtzbKby6Bc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17iroMJFk8

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

Featured image: The prior of the Discalced Carmelite friars of Salamanca kneels next to the silver casket of St. Teresa, surrounded by a delegation of nuns from the Carmel of Alba de Tormes and Discalced Carmelite friars from the Iberian Province. On the left is the General Postulator of the Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa. The ecclesiastical tribunal for the aforementioned studies consists of the Episcopal Delegate, Francisco Sánchez Oreja, OCD, Provincial of the Iberian Province of St. Teresa of Jesus in Spain. The Promoter of Justice is Miguel Ángel González González, OCD, Prior of Alba de Tormes and Salamanca. The notary of the tribunal is Remigia Blázquez Martín, Superior of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Alba de Tormes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites / Diocese of Avila

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/28/stj2024sepulcro/

#AlbaDeTormes #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #news #nuns #science #StTeresaOfAvila #study #tomb

After having received Communion on the feast of St. Augustine, I understood—I’m unable to say how—and almost saw (although it was something intellectual and passed quickly) how the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, which I bear imprinted in my soul, are one.

By means of the strangest painting and a very clear light, I was given an understanding that was an activity very different from merely holding this truth by faith. As a result, I haven’t been able to think of any of the three divine Persons without thinking of all three.

Thus I was reflecting today upon how, since they were so united, the Son alone could have taken human flesh; and the Lord gave me understanding of how although they are united they are distinct.

These are grandeurs which make the soul again desire to be free from this body that hinders their enjoyment. For although it seems our lowliness was not meant for understanding anything about them, the soul, without knowing how, receives incomparably greater benefit from this understanding even though it lasts only a moment—than from many years of meditation.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Spiritual Testimonies, 42
Seville, 28 August 1575

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This baroque painting of St. Augustine of Hippo shows him writing De Civitate Dei. The artwork is attributed to the Spanish Baroque artist Claudio Coello (1642–1693). It is one of the treasures of the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption in Valencia, Spain, that survived a great fire during the Spanish Civil War. Image credit: Renáta Sedmáková / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/27/teresa-testim42/

#HolyCommunion #HolyTrinity #mysticalExperience #prayer #StAugustine #StTeresaOfAvila #understanding

The Lord wanted me while in this state to see sometimes the following vision: I saw close to me toward my left side an angel in bodily form. I don’t usually see angels in bodily form except on rare occasions; although many times angels appear to me, but without my seeing them, as in the intellectual vision I spoke about before [cf. Life, 27:2, 28:4]

This time, though, the Lord desired that I see the vision in the following way: the angel was not large but small; he was very beautiful, and his face was so aflame that he seemed to be one of those very sublime angels that appear to be all afire. They must belong to those they call the cherubim, for they didn’t tell me their names.

But I see clearly that in heaven there is so much difference between some angels and others and between these latter and still others that I wouldn’t know how to explain it.

I saw in his hands a large golden dart and at the end of the iron tip there appeared to be a little fire. It seemed to me this angel plunged the dart several times into my heart and that it reached deep within me. When he drew it out, I thought he was carrying off with him the deepest part of me; and he left me all on fire with great love of God.

The pain was so great that it made me moan, and the sweetness this greatest pain caused me was so superabundant that there is no desire capable of taking it away; nor is the soul content with less than God.

The pain is not bodily but spiritual, although the body doesn’t fail to share in some of it, and even a great deal. The loving exchange that takes place between the soul and God is so sweet that I beg Him in goodness to give a taste of this love to anyone who thinks I am lying.

On the days this lasted, I went about as though stupefied. I desired neither to see nor to speak, but to clasp my suffering close to me, for to me it was greater glory than all creation.

Another type of prayer quite frequent is a kind of wound in which it seems as though an arrow is thrust into the heart, or into the soul itself. Thus the wound causes a severe pain which makes the soul moan; yet, the pain is so delightful the soul would never want it to go away. This pain is not in the senses, nor is the sore a physical one, but the pain lies in the interior depths of the soul without resemblance to bodily pain.

Yet, since the experience cannot be explained save through comparisons, these rough comparisons are used (I mean rough when compared to what the experience is); but I don’t know how to describe it any other way. For this reason, these are not things to be written about or spoken of, because it’s impossible to understand them unless one has experienced them. I mention the interior depths this pain reaches because spiritual sufferings are extremely different from physical ones. From this fact, I deduce how much greater the sufferings of souls in hell and purgatory are than what can be understood of them from bodily sufferings here on earth.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life, 29:13–14
Spiritual Testimonies, 59:17

Among Teresa’s mystical favors, the grace of the arrow merits special attention for two reasons:

1. For the precision and repetition with which she describes it, and
2. For the impact that it has produced in students, theologians, and psychologists, especially among those resistant to its supernatural origin.

Let us specify:

• Teresa describes these phenomena at least three times in The Book of Her Life, 29:13–14; in Spiritual Testimonies, 59:17; The Interior Castle, VI, 2:4; there are other numerous allusions in her poems and letters. (It is indispensable to read the first two passages).
• This grace lasted or was repeated according to her, for various years, probably at the beginning of 1560 (cf. The Interior Castle, V, 11:1 and 29:14) when Teresa had reached age 45.
• As she herself admits, it was not a bodily phenomenon (“The pain is not bodily but spiritual, although the body doesn’t fail to share some of it, and even a great deal”, The Book of Her Life 29:13), yet in describing it, in the “depths” or in the “heart” she localizes it (metaphorically in both cases): “this pain is not in the sensory part, nor is the sore a physical one, but the pain lies in the interior depths of the soul without resemblance to bodily pain”… (Spiritual Testimonies, 59:17).
• She staged it through the mediation of an angel located outside herself; she herself contextualizes it within an affective process…“increasing the love of God in me to such a degree that I didn’t know where it came from” (for it was very supernatural, The Book of Her Life, 29:8); and, she categorized it as a wound of love… of supernatural origin.
• She never alludes, not even indirectly, to possible traces of this grace in her physical heart pains.

Interpretations and appraisals:

The first to appraise the mystical episode after Teresa is Fray John of the Cross, for he interprets it theologically as a charismatic grace given to Teresa in her function as founder. Then after his interpretation follow the versions of the artists and sculptors, especially among these latter the work in marble done by Bernini. Later they confer on her liturgical honors. And, finally, with the advent of the psychological sciences come naturalist interpretations.

Let us mark three of these:

1. Pathological: Doctor R. Novera Santos is sure that we are dealing with a pleasing heart attack;
2. Psychoanalytic: among whom are disciples of Freud, H. Leuba is sure that we are dealing simply with erotic phenomena and that when Teresa speaks of the “depths”, one should read “womb, that’s all!”, although Teresa says that it happens in “the interior of the soul”;
3. Still in our days, a century later, the hypothesis is formulated of a feminine episode of orgasm (M. Izquierdo), obviously localized in the genital organs, despite the fact that Teresa never alludes to them and that she expressly excludes them in familiar confidences.

They amount to three interpretations lacking an objective foundation: they are contrary to the autobiographical data supplied by Teresa herself.

The supernatural interpretation given coherently by Teresa still stands. as also does the theological appraisal of St. John of the Cross who knows personally and directly what was experienced by Teresa, a good psychologist and, above all, great mystical analyst:

“It will happen that while the soul is inflamed with the love of God,… it will feel that a seraph is assailing it by means of an arrow or dart that is all afire with love… as though it were a sharp point in the substance of the spirit, in the heart of the pierced soul.”

Graces like this are “granted to those whose virtue and spirit were to be dffused among their children” (Living Flame of Love, 2:9, 12). An anonymous allusion to the Teresian episode.

Tomás Alvarez, O.C.D.

Chapter X, no. 96, The Mystery Phenomena

Alvarez T & Kavanaugh K 2011, St. Teresa of Avila: 100 themes on her life and work, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This detail of a photographic artwork created by Elías Rodríguez Picón comes to us thanks to the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Alba de Tormes. The artist’s sister is the model for this scene, which is intended to show the beginning moment of the Transverberation. You can see and read more about his photographic technique in this article from La Hornacina (in Spanish). Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/25/alvarez-arrow/

#angel #fire #goldenDart #mysticalExperience #pain #StJohnOfTheCross #StTeresaOfAvila #TomásAlvarez #transverberation #wound

August 26
THE TRANSVERBERATION OF THE HEART OF
ST. TERESA OF JESUS OUR MOTHER

Nuns: Memorial, Others: Optional Memorial

“The chief among Teresa’s virtues was the love of God, which our Lord Jesus Christ increased by means of many visions and revelations. He made her his Spouse on one occasion. At other times she saw an angel with a flaming dart piercing her heart. Through these heavenly gifts the flame of divine love in her heart became so strong that, inspired by God, she made the extremely difficult vow of always doing what seemed to her most perfect and most conducive to God’s glory” (Gregory XV in the Bull of Canonization).

Office of Readings

Hymn

Noonday blaze of virtues rare;
Highest gifts of grace and prayer;
You have lived, in deep repose,
All that faith on us bestows.

Wedded to the Father’s Word,
Word of light, in silence heard
Leaning on the Savior’s breast,
Guided by the Spirit blest.

Blest the mind refined by fire
To receive divine desire,
Wisdom’s secrets in your heart,
Opened by the heavenly dart.

Christ drew you to his embrace
By the fragrance of his grace;
In your teaching we confide,
Trusting you, our heav’n-sent guide.

Truth eternal, One and Three,
May Teresa constantly
Lead us up the mountain’s ways
To the realms of joy and praise.

77.77.
Sr. Margarita of Jesus, O.C.D.

The Second Reading

(Red. B, st. 2, no. 2-4, 9,, 12, 8: ed. Kavanaugh-Rodriguez 1979, pp. 596-99)

From the Living Flame of Love by Saint John of the Cross

You have wounded my heart

Moses declares in Deuteronomy, Our Lord God is a consuming fire, that is, a fire of love, which being of infinite power, can inestimably consume and transform into itself the soul it touches. Yet he burns each soul according to its preparation: he will burn one more, another less, and this he does insofar as he desires, and how and when he desires. When he wills to touch somewhat vehemently, the soul’s burning reaches such a high degree of love that it seems to surpass that of all the fires of the world, for he is an infinite fire of love. Because the soul in this case is entirely transformed by the divine flame, it not only feels a cautery, but has become a cautery of blazing fire.

It is a wonderful thing and worth relating that, since this fire of God is so mighty it would consume a thousand worlds more easily than the fire of this earth would burn up a straw, it does not consume and destroy the soul in which it so burns. And it does not afflict it, rather, commensurate with the strength of the love, it divinizes and delights it, burning gently. Since God’s purpose in granting these communications is to exalt the soul, he does not weary and restrict it, but enlarges and delights it, brightens and enriches it. The happy soul that by great fortune reaches this cautery knows all things, tastes all things, does all it wishes, and prospers; no one prevails before it and nothing touches it. This is the soul of which the Apostle speaks: The spiritual one judges all things and he is judged by no one. And again: The spirit searches out all things, unto the deep things of God.

It will happen that while the soul is inflamed with the love of God, it will feel that a seraphim is assailing it by means of an arrow or dart which is all afire with love. And the seraphim pierces and cauterizes this soul which, like a red-hot coal, or better, a flame, is already enkindled. For the soul is converted into the immense fire of love.

Few persons have reached these heights. Some have, however, especially those whose virtue and spirit was to be diffused among their children. For God accords to founders, with respect to the first fruits of the spirit, wealth and value commensurate with the greater or lesser following they will have in their doctrine and spirituality.

O happy wound, wrought by one who knows only how to heal! O fortunate and choicest wound; you were made only for delight, and the quality of your affliction is delight and gratification for the wounded soul! You are great, O delightful wound, because he who caused you is great!

And your delight is great, because the fire of love is infinite and makes you delightful according to your capacity and greatness. O, then, delightful wound, so much more sublimely delightful the more the cautery touched the intimate center of the substance of the soul, burning all that was burnable in order to give delight to all that could be delighted!

Responsory

R./ The Lord our God is one Lord. * You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
V./ The Lord your God is a consuming fire. * You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Morning Prayer

Hymn

The day is dawning with delight,
When, spotless as the dove,
Theresa winged her spirit flight
Afar, to realms of love and light,
In heavenly courts above.

Her ear hath caught the mystic sound,
Oh, come, my sister, spouse!
From Carmel’s summit come, be crowned,
Bride of the Lamb, in bliss profound,
Come plight thy nuptial vows!

O Jesus! Spouse of Virgin choice,
Thy holy name we praise!
While heavenly choirs, too, rejoice,
Their bridal canticle to voice,
And hymn their endless lays.

86.88.6.
Felix dies, qua candidae

Antiphons and psalms of the current weekday.

Reading

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness,” who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ. We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.

Responsory

R./ To you my heart has spoken: * It is you that I seek.
Repeat R./
V./ I long for your face, Lord * It is you that I seek.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ To you my heart has spoken: * It is you that I seek.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. In my heart was the likeness of a burning fire, imprisoned in my bones; and I was scarcely able to bear it.

Intercessions

The Lord of glory, Crown of all the Saints, gives us the joy of celebrating this feast of Saint Teresa. Let us praise him, saying:

R./ Glory to you, Lord!

Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels of your grace; — in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies forever. R./

You want your Spirit of Love to blaze like fire throughout the world; — may we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight. R./

You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; — unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to you. R./

You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; — purify our sight, so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be close to you. R./

You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; — make us humble of heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. R./

Our Father …

Prayer

Almighty God,
you filled the heart of Saint Teresa of Jesus, our Mother,
with the fire of your love
and gave her strength to undertake difficult tasks
for the honor of your name.
Through her prayers
may the power of your love fill our hearts also
and stir us to ever more generous efforts in your service.

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

Evening Prayer

Hymn

As messenger of the Most high,
Teresa from her home would fly,
Good tidings of the Heavenly King
To heathen lands afar to bring,
Or yield for Christ her gentle life,
In ruddy streams of martyr strife.

But death with sweeter aspect came,
Awaiting her with rapturous claim.
Ecstatic pangs delight her soul,
And, conquered by their strong control,
She falleth, wounded from above
By piercing lance of heavenly love.

Oh, flaming victim! may thy dart
Enkindle every frozen heart,
That upward mounting, one with thine,
They rise, consumed with fire divine.
And may thy pleading safely keep
Thy nations from the burning deep.

All praise unto the Father be,
And to the Son eternally,
With joyful harmony repeat
All praise unto the Paraclete,
The Blessed Trinity adore
With reverent homage evermore.

88.88.88.
Regis superni nuntia

Antiphons and psalms of the current weekday.

Reading

Jude 20-21

You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life.

Responsory

R./ You are * the temple of the living God. Repeat R./
V./ And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ You are * the temple of the living God.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Let my heart rejoice in your salvation; let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me.

Intercessions

Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy: let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her members:

R./ Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.

You are the Head of the Church and the source of all her grace; — may all your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are the living and holy members of your body. R./

You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles, and through them you teach us the truth and lead us in green pastures; — enlighten and guide those you have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may hear your voice leading us to life. R./

You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; — as the harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. R./

You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty, your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; — with Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show forth your life within them as they serve the Church. R./

You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and baptism; — may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace. R./

You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; — may all who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. R./

Our Father …

Prayer

Almighty God,
you filled the heart of Saint Teresa of Jesus, our Mother,
with the fire of your love
and gave her strength to undertake difficult tasks
for the honor of your name.
Through her prayers
may the power of your love fill our hearts also
and stir us to ever more generous efforts in your service.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKcJvjP9zgY

Learn more about Bernini’s masterpiece on the Khan Academy website

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/24/transverblit24/

#DiscalcedCarmelite #FlamingArrow #heart #LiturgyOfTheHours #Memorial #nuns #optionalMemorial #StTeresaOfAvila #transverberation

[W]hile I was in prayer one day, I suddenly found that, without knowing how, I had seemingly been put in hell. I understood that the Lord wanted me to see the place the devils had prepared there for me and which I merited because of my sins.

This experience took place within the shortest space of time, but even were I to live for many years I think it would be impossible for me to forget it….

I don’t know how to give a sufficiently powerful description of that interior fire and that despair, coming in addition to such extreme torments and pains. I didn’t see who inflicted them on me, but, as it seemed to me, I felt myself burning and crumbling; and I repeat the worst was that interior fire and despair.

Being in such an unwholesome place, so unable to hope for any consolation, I found it impossible either to sit down or to lie down, nor was there any room, even though they put me in this kind of hole made in the wall. Those walls, which were terrifying to see, closed in on themselves and suffocated everything. There was no light, but all was enveloped in the blackest darkness.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Book of Her Life, nos. 1–3

St. Teresa’s journey toward reform began with a terrifying vision of hell, which she vividly recounts in The Book of Her Life. This vision left an indelible mark on her soul, instilling in her a deep fear of damnation and a fervent desire to live a life of greater perfection. It became a powerful motivator for her to establish a reformed Carmelite community.

Initially, she struggled with embracing the poverty and strict observance that her reform would demand. However, with the guidance of St. Peter of Alcantara, she realized that these were the very pillars on which her reform should be built.

Teresa was deeply troubled by the Protestant Reformation’s spread in France, and she longed to do something to remedy the spiritual harm it was causing. She resolved to follow the evangelical counsels as perfectly as possible and to create a community of women who would do the same, dedicating their lives to prayer and sacrifice for the Church.

In The Way of Perfection, chapter 1, St. Teresa expresses her sorrow for lost souls destined for hell and the motivation behind her reform:

I cried to the Lord and begged Him that I might remedy so much evil. It seemed to me that I would have given a thousand lives to save one soul out of the many that were being lost there… As a result, I resolved to do the little that was in my power; that is, to follow the evangelical counsels as perfectly as I could and strive that these few persons who live here do the same.

This resolve led to the foundation of the Monastery of St. Joseph on 24 August 1562 in Avila, Spain. It was a small, poor community dedicated to a life of prayer and strict observance of the Carmelite Rule. Pilgrims to Avila who visit this monastery discover that the interior is plain, but the chapel is filled with beautiful artwork.

St. Teresa’s legacy is a reminder of the power of spiritual commitment and the impact of a life determined to love and serve the Lord. Listen to this episode as we reflect on her legacy of determined determination to “give a thousand lives to save one soul.”

https://youtu.be/KCTAkDLZImY

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The vision of hell is an oil on canvas painting by Giuseppe Tortelli in the Church of San Pietro in Oliveto, Brescia; it is one of a series of six lunettes by various 17th-century artists on Teresian themes.

• St. Teresa loses her way; painting by Francesco Paglia
• The vision of the collar; painting by Domenico Caretti.
• St. Teresa in ecstasy; painting by Angelo Trevisano.
• The death of St Teresa; painting by Giovanni Segala.
• Eucharistic miracle of the Infant Jesus; painting by Cavalier Celesti.
• The vision of hell; painting by Giuseppe Tortello

The artworks were restored in the Church of San Pietro in 2014–15 as part of the Teresian centenary year celebrating the saint’s birth; they were exhibited in the diocesan museum in Brescia, Italy prior to installation. You can read the scholarly paper (in Italian) that was prepared for the exhibition on Academia.edu with prefaces by Antonio Maria Sicari, O.C.D., Fabio Silvestri, O.C.D., and the scholarship of art historian Angelo Loda. Image credits: Renata Sedmakova / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/23/ep20-teresafounder/

#Avila #DiscalcedCarmelite #foundation #hell #inspiration #Podcast #prayer #reform #StJosephMonastery #StTeresaOfAvila #vision

A small group of nuns and visitors present for worship on the feast of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel on July 16, 1560, were discussing the obstacles to a life of prayer presented by the large number of nuns living in the monastery [of the Incarnation] and the visitors.

María de Ocampo, a young relative of the saint and a celebrated beauty, suggested that someone should establish a monastery in which the life of the ancient hermits could be revived. In all seriousness, she offered her dowry for this. The next day Teresa told her trusted friend Doña Guiomar de Ulloa (a young widow who like her led a life of prayer under the strict direction of Fr. Baltasar Alvarez) of this conversation. Doña Guiomar enthusiastically took up the idea.

But what was decisive was that the Lord himself was calling for the project.

“He assured me that he would be very well-served in a monastery I might found, that this house would become a star shedding the brightest light. God added that, even thought they had lost some of their earlier enthusiasm, the orders were nevertheless of great service to him. What would the world be if there were no more monasteries?”
[Cf. The Book of Her Life, ch. 32, no. 11]

According to the will of the Lord, the new house was to be consecrated to St. Joseph.

Saint Edith Stein

Love for Love: The life and works of St. Teresa of Jesus
12. St. Joseph’s of Avila, the First Monastery of the Reform

“I wanted to rest a little since I had hardly slept the whole night… and all the days had been truly tiring” (St. Teresa, recalling 24 August 1562).

Tweet

Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Professor José Luis Pajares Gómez shares this historic postcard showing the main entrance of St. Teresa’s first reformed monastery from his private collection. It was published in Avila around 1925 by Edición A. Medrano. Image credit: José Luis Pajares Gómez, avilas.es / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/23/edith-24aug1562/

#DiscalcedCarmelite #foundation #history #inspiration #reform #StEdithStein #StJosephSMonastery #StTeresaOfAvila #willOfGod

… I tell you that ever-present to me is what they did with Fray John of the Cross, for I don’t know how God bears with things like that; even you don’t know everything about it.

For all these nine months he was held in a little prison cell where small as he is, he could hardly fit. In all that time he was given no change of tunic, even though he had come close to the point of death. Only three days before his escape the subprior gave him one of his shirts. He underwent harsh scourges, and no one was allowed to see him.

I experience the greatest envy. Surely our Lord found in him the resources for such a martyrdom. And it is good that this be known so that everyone will be all the more on guard against these people. May God forgive them, amen.

An investigation should be conducted to show the nuncio what those friars did to this saint, Fray John, without any fault on his part, for it is a pitiful thing. Tell this to Fray Germán; he will do it because he’s quite mad about this …

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 260 to Father Jerónimo Gracián, Madrid
Avila, 21–22 August 1578

Saint John of the Cross escaped from his prison cell in Toledo during the night of 17-18 August 1578. #StJohnOfTheCross

Tweet

Discalced Carmelite scholar, translator, and editor of the collected works of Saints John and Teresa, Father Kieran Kavanaugh offers his analysis of Saint Teresa’s letter to Father Gracián:

“These are two fragments from one letter. They reflect Teresa’s first impressions on learning of St. John of the Cross’s escape from his prison cell in Toledo and of what he suffered there.”

The nuncio at the time was the Italian Archbishop Filippo (Felipe) Sega. Father Kavanaugh’s editorial note is too tantalizing to excerpt, so we present it in its entirety.

Born in Bologna, he became Bishop of Ripa and nuncio to Flanders before being appointed nuncio to Spain in 1577 as successor to Ormaneto. He entered Spain with a bias against Teresa and her reform, the source of which was Cardinal Buoncompagni, a relative of his and nephew of the pope.

But the entire conflict that had developed in Spain among the Carmelites was so complex that he had little inkling of what he was getting into. He supported Tostado who was seeking to put into effect the decisions of the chapter of Piacenza. It was he [Sega] who called Teresa “a restless, gadabout woman.”

Sega considered the discalced friars who took part in the chapter of Almodóvar in 1578 delinquents and rebels, never listened to their defense, and imprisoned their leaders in different monasteries of the observant Carmelites.

Through the intervention of the king, an investigating committee was set up, and the friars as a result were placed under the care of Angel de Salazar, a former provincial of the observant Carmelites in Castile. Salazar dealt with the matter gently and promoted greater peace between the two groups of friars.

Sega then mellowed somewhat and acquiesced when the discalced formed a separate province. After leaving Spain, he served in Portugal, Germany, and France. He was made a cardinal in 1591 and died in Rome.

Finally, we share Father Kavanaugh’s note concerning Fray Germán:

“Fray Germán de San Matías was a confessor for the nuns at the Incarnation along with John of the Cross. He was taken prisoner at the same time as John, but very soon afterward broke free from his captors.”

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: View of Toledo is an oil on canvas painting executed ca. 1599–1600 by Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco (Greek, 1541–1614). This artwork is found in Gallery 619 of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in New York. The Met’s gallery label provides the following details:

Writing to the sculptor Auguste Rodin after having been astonished by this painting in Paris in 1908, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke described how “splintered light tills the ground, turning it over, tearing into it and bringing up here and there pale green meadows behind the trees standing like insomniacs.” Regarded as El Greco’s greatest landscape, it portrays Toledo, the city where he lived and worked for most of his life. But it is an emotive rather than a documentary vision that not only imaginatively revises the skyline—most notably, the cathedral has been moved—but also distorts architecture and landscape such that they are fully in service of the kind of drama Rilke and other modernists appreciated in his work.

Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public domain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir-J6a635UM

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/16/stj-ltr260-2/

#Carmelites #escape #FilippoSega #FrKieranKavanaughOCD #FrayJerónimoGracián #friars #nuncio #prison #StJohnOfTheCross #StTeresaOfAvila #StJohnOfTheCross #Toledo

Let us go on to other things that are also quite important, although they may seem small. Everything seems to be a heavy burden, and rightly so, because it involves a war against ourselves. But once we begin to work, God does so much in the soul and grants it so many favors that all that one can do in this life seems little….

Why should we, then, delay in practicing interior mortification? For interior mortification makes everything else more meritorious and perfect, and afterward enables us to do the other things with greater ease and repose. This interior mortification is acquired, as I have said by proceeding gradually, not giving in to our own will and appetites, even in little things, until the body is completely surrendered to the spirit [cf. Way, chap. 11, no. 5: “this determination is more important than we realize”].

The least that any of us who has truly begun to serve the Lord can offer Him is our own life. Since we have given the Lord our will, what do we fear? It is clear that if someone is a true religious or a true person of prayer and aims to enjoy the delights of God, he must not turn his back upon the desire to die for God and suffer martyrdom.

For don’t you know yet, Sisters, that the life of a good religious who desires to be one of God’s close friends is a long martyrdom? A long martyrdom because in comparison with the martyrdom of those who are quickly beheaded, it can be called long; but all life is short, and the life of some extremely short.

And how do we know if ours won’t be so short that at the very hour or moment we determine to serve God completely it will come to an end? This is possible.

In sum, there is no reason to give importance to anything that will come to an end. And who will not work hard if he thinks that each hour is the last? Well, believe me, thinking this is the safest course.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection, Chap.12, nos. 1–2

Note: St. Teresa encouraged her nuns to actively prepare and practice for martyrdom, according to the accounts of 16th-century historian Belchior de Santa Ana, O.C.D. He indicates that Mother Maria de San José Salazar, O.C.D. carried the tradition of these pious recreations to the Carmel of Lisbon.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: These metal stolperstein (“stumbling stones”) bear Edith and Rosa Stein’s names, marking the site of their arrest in front of the Carmel of Echt, Bovenstestraat 48. Image credit: Qwertzu111111 / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/08/stj-longmartyrdom/

#desire #determination #DiscalcedCarmelites #martyrdom #martyrs #monasticLife #mortification #offering #religiousLife #selfDenial #StTeresaOfAvila

I tell you, daughters, that I have known persons who had ascended high and had reached this union, who were turned back and won over by the devil with his deep cunning and deceit.

All hell must join for such a purpose because, as I have often said, in losing one soul of this kind, not only one is lost but a multitude. The devil already has experience in this matter.

Look at the multitude of souls God draws to Himself by means of one. He is to be greatly praised for the thousands converted by the martyrs: for a young girl like St. Ursula; for those the devil must have lost through St. Dominic, St. Francis, and other founders of religious orders, and those he now loses through Father Ignatius, the one who founded the Society.

Clearly, all of these received, as we read, similar favors from God. How would this have come about if they hadn’t made the effort not to lose through their own fault so divine an espousal?

Oh, my daughters, how prepared this Lord is to grant us favors now just as He has granted them to others in the past. And, in part, He is even more in need that we desire to receive them, for there are fewer now who care about His honor, than there were then.

We love ourselves very much; there’s an extraordinary amount of prudence we use so as not to lose our rights. Oh, what great deception! May the Lord through His mercy enlighten us so that we do not fall into similar darknesses.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle, V, chap. 4, no. 6

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The story of the Devil’s appearance to St. Dominic in the form of a monkey derives from a medieval legend, according to which the saint seized his tormentor and forced him to hold a lighted candle while he studied. St. Dominic released him only after the candle burned down and singed his fingers. This candle-illuminated scene is inspired by a famous lost masterpiece of antiquity. Antiphilus of Alexandria’s Boy Blowing on a Fire was renowned for its beautifully rendered effects of firelight. In St. Dominic and the Devil, Pietro della Vecchia’s oil on canvas painting makes deliberate reference to it and to his own celebrated ability to imitate earlier masters. This artwork was completed ca. 1630 and is in the collections of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. Our thanks to the museum for sharing this marvelous story in their gallery label. Image credit: Indianapolis Museum of Art (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/07/stj-castlev4n6/

#favors #prayer #SocietyOfJesus #souls #StDominic #StFrancisOfAssisi #StIgnatiusLoyola #StTeresaOfAvila #StUrsula

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0b7FeRufFf01qTdx2RJhMh?si=89257291650249a3

ON THE VII CENTENARY OF THE DEATH OF
SAINT ALBERT OF TRAPANI, 2006–2007

Dearly beloved,

This coming August 7th marks the opening of the centenary of the death of Saint Albert of Trapani (+1307), patron saint of the Teresian Carmel of Sicily.

In the history of the Carmelite Order, veneration for this saint from our land has always been very much alive and widespread, so much so that since the 15th century he has been considered the patron and protector of the Order; in fact, in 1524 it was established that his image should be in the seal of the General Chapter and Father General, Nicholas Audet, ordered that an altar be dedicated to him in every Carmelite church.

From this, too, one can understand the reason for the rich iconography about him in which he often appears side by side with Saint Angelus of Licata. Although his biography, written as early as the 14th century, and later editions are enriched by many miraculous events and legends, nevertheless some historical data are sufficiently well-founded.

Generous in preaching the Word of God and famous for miracles, he was, for some years (around 1296), provincial superior of the Carmelites of Sicily; he died in Messina on 7 August 1307, with a reputation for holiness.

He was to be the first Carmelite saint declared such by the Church. Soon the Carmelite Province of Sicily was called “of Saint Albert,” which gave birth in 1472 to a second one, called “of Saint Angelus,” and then from these two arose two other Discalced Provinces, in 1645 the “Province of the First Institute of Monte Santo,” and in 1741 the “Province Santa Maria della Scala.”

As part of our Teresian Reform, the OCD General Chapter of the Congregation of Italy on 13 May 1632, established the new Province of Sicily and named it after Saint Albert of Trapani. And so, again recently, our General Definitory, on October 10, 1998, in the Decree of Erection re-proposed the title of Saint Albert for our Commissariat. The Province of Mexico also has this Saint as its patron.

But now what can it mean for us to celebrate the centenary of a saint from seven centuries ago, after Carmel has given us Saints of other importance, Founders of a new Family, and Doctors of the Church?

Already these brief, historical hints given should remind us of the Lord’s will regarding the Carmel of Sicily: for centuries, Saint Albert has been our patron, the guardian of our Carmel. We must therefore know him, know how to invoke his intercession, and honor him.

This came about for us not only because he is a Sicilian saint, but also because our Holy Mother Teresa had a special devotion for him; she invoked him as “Father,” recognized him several times in visions, attributed important inspirations to him, and even took care to publish his “Life,” to make him known and loved by her nuns and Discalced friars.

Then there is an aspect of his life that all Carmel, ancient and reformed, has always credited to him and for which it has invoked his intercession in commemorations: purity, chastity, and innocence of behavior.

We may recall the antiphon that until not long ago this antiphon was repeated: O Alberte, norma munditiae, puritatis et continentiae, ora Matrem misericordiae ut in hac valle miseriae nos defendat ab omni labe (“O Albert, model of cleanliness, purity, and continence, pray to the Mother of Mercy that in this valley of misery, she may defend us from every stain”).

Knowing in this regard the disaster that is happening in this world of ours, the most unscrupulous behaviors at all levels, what mentality is rampant, fostered by the intrusive arrogance of the media: We, religious and lay Carmelites, must not live in the presumption that we do not need much vigilance, and we should make clear, countercultural choices and prayers like this one if we do not want to risk losing the beatitude of the pure in heart, which is indispensable to the life of prayer and contemplation, as we await the sight of God.

Thus, the centenary might be a fitting occasion for each community, fraternity, and group to envision some initiative that may benefit a better understanding of our roots and sacred history, which owes so much to the saints who shaped it.

Like devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, so deeply rooted among us, a devotion to the saints, especially of the Order, may help us to have a more penetrating understanding of the religious tradition in which we are called to live and bear witness to the charism of Carmel.

May Saint Albert, “servant of Christ, sustain our journey in safety, and teach us the true way of peace,” as we pray in the feast day liturgy and weekly commemoration.

Gaudentius Gianninoto, O.C.D.

Commissar, Commissariat of Sicily
Monte Carmelo, 4 July 2006

Letter from Father Gaudenzio Gianninoto, O.C.D., to the communities of Sicily announcing the opening of the VII Centenary of the death of Saint Albert of Trapani, patron saint of the Commissariat of Sicily. Father Gaudenzio is now a founding member of the community at the Monte Carmelo House of Prayer in Villasmundo, Sicily.

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

Featured image: This portrait of St. Albert of Trapani was executed by painter Antonio de Pereda (Spanish, 1611–1678) in oil on canvas, ca. 1670. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/06/ep18-trapani/

#Centenary #DiscalcedCarmelites #miracles #patron #Podcast #ProtectorOfCarmel #purity #Sicily #StAlbertOfTrapani #StTeresaOfAvila

For my dear daughter Sister Teresa de Jesús

Jesus. The grace of the Holy Spirit be with your charity, my daughter. I was delighted with your letter, and that my letters make you happy is a great joy for me, seeing that we cannot be together.

As for the dryness, it seems to me that the Lord is now treating you as one who is strong. He wants to try you in order to know the love you have for him, whether it is present in dryness as well as in spiritual delights.

Take it as a very great favor from God. Don’t let it cause you any grief, for perfection does not consist in delight but in the virtues. When you least expect, devotion will return.

As for what you say about that sister, try not to think of it, but turn away from the thought. And don’t think that when a thought comes into your mind, even if it concerns something very bad, you are immediately at fault, for the thought is nothing. I too would like to see that sister experience the same dryness, for I don’t know if she understands herself, and for her own good we could desire this.

When some bad thought comes to you, bless yourself, or recite an Our Father, or strike your breast and try to think of something else, and you will instead be meriting because you will be resisting.

I would like to answer Isabel de San Pablo [the subprioress at St. Joseph’s in Avila] but there is not time. Give her my best regards—for she already knows how you must be the one dearest to me—and also regards to Romero [identity unknown] and María de San Jerónimo [St. Teresa’s cousin, who was also a Carmelite nun at St. Joseph’s in Avila]. I wish someone would write to me about her health since she doesn’t do so. Don Francisco [Sister Teresa’s oldest brother] is like an angel and doing well. Yesterday he received communion, and his servants did so too. Tomorrow we are going to Valladolid. He will write to you from there, for I haven’t told him now about this messenger.

May God watch over you, my daughter, and make you as holy as I beg of him, amen. My regards to all.

Today is the feast of San Alberto.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Letter 351 to her niece Teresita at St. Joseph’s in Avila
From Medina, 7 August 1580

Note: Translator and editor Father Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. indicates that St. Teresa’s niece, Teresita, was now a novice at St. Joseph’s in Avila. She was grieving over the recent death of her father and wrote to her aunt about some of her interior troubles and problems. St. Teresa gives her niece some standard counsel and comfort.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Before leaving Seville with St. Teresa and her father Lorenzo de Cepeda on the way back to Castile, young Teresita was depicted in an oil on canvas painting by Fray Juan de la Miseria, who shortly before had painted a portrait of St. Teresa. Fray Juan portrayed the girl dressed as a Carmelite (brown habit and white mantle), noting that she was “10 years old.” This featured image is a detail from Fray Juan’s painting, which is one of the prized treasures of the Carmel of St. Joseph “of the Teresas” in Seville. Image credit: Carmel of Alba de Tormes

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/08/06/stj-ltr351/

#distractions #dryness #familyLife #holiness #monasticLife #prayer #spiritualDirection #StTeresaOfAvila #Teresita