#stthereseoflisieux — Public Fediverse posts

Quote of the day, 20 November: St. Thérèse

On 20 November 1887, Pope Leo XIII received pilgrims from the dioceses of Coutances, Bayeux, and Nantes in a private audience. Father Révérony, the Vicar General of Bayeux, introduced the pilgrims from Bayeux and Lisieux. Thérèse explains what happened during the papal audience in a letter to her sister, Pauline.

My dear little Pauline,

God is making me pass through real trials before having me enter Carmel. I am going to tell you how my visit with the pope went.

Oh! Pauline, if you could only have read my heart, you would have seen there a great confidence. I believe I did what God wanted me to do, and now there remains nothing for me to do but to pray.

Monseigneur [the bishop] was not there. M. Révérony [the Vicar General] was taking his place. For you to get an idea of the audience, it would be necessary for you to be there.

The pope was seated on a large chair, very high. M. Révérony was very close to him; he was looking at the pilgrims who were passing in front of the pope after kissing his foot, and he was saying a word about some of them. You can imagine how my heart was beating when seeing my turn come, but I did not want to return to my place without having spoken to the pope. I said what you were telling me in your letter but not all, for M. Révérony did not give me time.

He said immediately: “Most Holy Father, this is a child who wants to enter Carmel at fifteen, but the superiors are considering the matter at this moment.” (The good pope is so old that one would say he is dead; I would never have pictured him like this. He can hardly say anything. It is M. Révérony who talks.)

I would have liked to be able to explain my business, but there was no way. The Holy Father said simply: “If God wills it, you will enter.” Then they made me pass into another room.

Oh! Pauline, I cannot tell you what I felt. I was crushed. I felt I was abandoned, and then, I am so far, so far. . . .

I was crying a lot when writing this letter; my heart is heavy. However, God cannot give me trials that are above my strength. He has given me the courage to bear this trial. Oh! it is very great. . . . But, Pauline, I am the Child Jesus’ little ball; if He wishes to break His toy, He is free. Yes, I will all that He wills.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

LT 36, letter to Pauline Martin (Agnès of Jesus, OCD)
20 November 1887

Note: The bishop of Bayeux, Monseigneur Hugonin, did not participate in the pilgrimage. Monseigneur Germain, the bishop of Coutances, presented his 125 pilgrims, then left Father Révérony to introduce the pilgrims from Bayeux.

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Clarke, J 1982, General Correspondence: Letters of Saint Therese of Lisieux: Volume 1 1877-1890, Centenary ed., Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.

We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for the vast majority of our quotes concerning Saint Thérèse, Saint Zélie, and Saint Louis Martin, but if you would like to purchase any of the English translations that appear on the Archives website, please visit the website of our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications. 

Featured image: Pope Leo XIII, Charles M. Johnson, 1899, fumée engraving in black on tissue paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (Public domain)

#papalAudience #paulineMartin #popeLeoXiii #rome #stThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 2 October: St. Thérèse

Glorious Guardian of my soul,
You who shine in God’s beautiful Heaven
As a sweet and pure flame
Near the Eternal’s throne,
You come down to earth for me,
And enlightening me with your splendor,
Fair Angel, you become my Brother,
My Friend, my Consoler!…

Knowing my great weakness,
You lead me by the hand,
And I see you tenderly
Remove the stone from my path.
Your sweet voice is always inviting me
To look only at Heaven.
The more you see me humble and little,
The more your face is radiant.

O you! who travel through space
More swiftly than lightning,
I beg you, fly in my place.
Close to those who are dear to me.
With your wing dry their tears.
Sing how good Jesus is.
Sing that suffering has its charms,
And softly, whisper my name….

During my short life I want
To save my fellow sinners.
O Fair Angel of the Homeland,
Give me holy fervor.
I have nothing but my sacrifices
And my austere poverty.
With your celestial delights,
Offer them to the Trinity.

For you the Kingdom and the Glory,
The Riches of the King of kings.
For me the ciborium’s humble Host.
For me the Cross’s treasure.
With the Cross, with the Host,
With your celestial aid,
In peace I await the other life,
The joys that will last forever.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Poem 46, To My Guardian Angel (January 1897) 

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

Featured image: This stained glass window of a guardian angel is in St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, New York City. Image credit: Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#glory #guardianAngel #kingdomOfHeaven #poetry #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 30 September: Conrad de Meester, ocd

“In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands.”

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Prayer 6

Empty hands, yes… but hands open to God. “When I appear before my Beloved Spouse, I shall have only my desires to offer him” (Letter 218 to Brother Simeon).

Thérèse’s last breath came with her last words: ‘My God, I love you.’

This was the supreme moment. Now she was to meet the Lord face-to-face. Now love had taken full possession of her being.

This was love as deep as the ocean and more radiant than the sun. This was life and joy immeasurable: unending life with Mary and with all the saints in Heaven; eternal life with God who is all in all.

Hope had finally done its work.

Conrad de Meester, o.c.d.

Chapter 8, My God, I Love You

Note: Saint Thérèse died shortly after 7:00 p.m. on the evening of 30 September 1897.

de Meester, C 2002, With Empty Hands: The Message of St. Therese of Lisieux, translated from the French by Seymour, M, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detail from Photo 9: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux with her sisters and Mother Marie de Gonzague in the Court of Lourdes at Carmel, photographed by Céline on 20 November 1894. This photograph served as the model for Céline’s famous oval portrait of Thérèse. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (By permission).

#ConradDeMeester #death #hope #love #StThereseOfLisieux

1 October: SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS

October 1
SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Feast
In the houses in France: SOLEMNITY

Thérèse Martin was born at Alencon in 1873. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Carmel at Lisieux. She practiced heroic humility, evangelical simplicity, and trust in God, and taught the novices these virtues by word and example. She offered her life for the salvation of souls and the growth of the Church. She died on September 30, 1897. Canonized in 1925, she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

Invitatory

Ant. The Lord reveals himself to little ones; come, let us worship him.

Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary

Office of Readings

Hymn

Let all who lovingly avow
Those gifts the Christ Child came to share
Acclaim Thérèse’s virtues now
And praise her name in song and prayer.

Her patroness and mother chose
The lofty peaks of Carmel’s height
And there Thérèse in fervor goes
To follow Christ, her one delight.

Inspired by Jesus to convey
Amazing secrets of his grace,
She taught the world the simple way
Of childhood that the Gospels trace.

More like an angel than a child
She gathered virtue’s flowers at will
By whose sweet scent was God beguiled,
Whose tender fragrance charms us still.

Yet joy itself could not portray
The surge of her immense desire
Nor cloister walls have strength to stay
A love that swept the world like fire.

All glory, Jesus, be to you
This day revealed to little ones,
To Father and blest Spirit, too,
While age on age forever runs.

L.M.
Nomen decusque concinant

Ant. 1 Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, *
there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures *
where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me, *
To revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path; *
he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness *
no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff; *
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me *
in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil; *
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me *
all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell *
forever and ever.

Ant. Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Ant. 2 See what love the Father has shown us, to let us be called children of God; yet that is what we are.

Psalm 103

My soul, give thanks to the Lord, *
all my being, bless his holy name.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord *
and never forget all his blessings.

It is he who forgives all your guilt *
who heals every one of your ills,

who redeems your life from the grave, *
who crowns you with love and compassion,

who fills your life with good things, *
renewing your youth like an eagle’s.

The Lord does deeds of justice, *
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses *
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.

The Lord is compassion and love, *
slow to anger and rich in mercy.

His wrath will come to an end; *
he will not be angry forever.

He does not treat us according to our sins *
nor repay us according to our faults.

For as the heavens are high above the earth *
so strong is his love for those who fear him.

Ant. See what love the Father has shown us, to let us be called children of God; yet that is what we are.

Ant. 3 The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed in me.

As far as the east is from the west *
so far does he remove our sins.

As a father has compassion on his sons, *
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;

for he knows of what we are made, *
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; *
he flowers like the flower of the field;

the wind blows and he is gone *
and his place never sees him again.

But the love of the Lord is everlasting *
upon those who hold him in fear;

his justice reaches out to children’s children +
when they keep his covenant in truth, *
when they keep his will in their mind.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven *
and his kingdom is ruling over all.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, +
mighty in power, fulfilling his word, *
who heed the voice of his word.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, *
his servants who do his will.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works, *
in every place where he rules.

My soul, *
give thanks to the Lord!

Ant. The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed in me.

V./ Your word is a lamp for my feet
R./ And a light on my path.

First Reading
From the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians

I Cor. 12:27-31; 13:1-13

You together are Christ’s body,
but each of you is a different part of it

The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. You, then, are the body of Christ. Every one of you is a member of it. Furthermore, God has set up in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, healers, assistants, administrators, and those who speak in tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles or have the gift of healing? Do all speak in tongues, all have the gift of interpretation of tongues? Set your hearts on the greater gifts.

Now I will show you the way which surpasses all the others. If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; it does not put on airs; it is not snobbish. Love is never rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.

Love never fails. Prophecies will cease, tongues will be silent, knowledge will pass away. Our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect. When the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child I used to talk like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways aside. Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known. There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Responsory

R./ When I am lifted up from the earth, * I will draw all people to myself.
V./ Fragrant is the scent of your perfume; let us follow in your footsteps. * I will draw all people to myself.

Second Reading
From the autobiography of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

(MS B, f. 3r-3v: ed. J. Clarke 1975, pp. 193-94)

In the heart of the Church I shall be love

My desires caused me a veritable martyrdom, and I opened the Epistles of Saint Paul to find some kind of answer. Chapters Twelve and Thirteen of the First Epistle to the Corinthians fell under my eyes. I read there, in the first of these chapters, that all cannot be apostles, prophets, doctors, etc., that the Church is composed of different members, and that the eye cannot be the hand at one and the same time. The answer was clear, but it did not fulfill my desires and gave me no peace. Without becoming discouraged, I continued my reading, and this sentence consoled me: Yet strive after the better gifts, and I point out to you a yet more excellent way. And the Apostle explains how all the most perfect gifts are nothing without Love. That Charity is the excellent way that leads most surely to God.

I finally had rest. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I had not recognized myself in any of the members described by Saint Paul, or rather I desired to see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that if the Church had a body composed of different members, the most necessary and most noble of all could not be lacking to it, and so I understood that the Church had a heart and that this heart was burning with love. I understood it was love alone that made the Church’s members act; that if love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would not shed their blood. I understood that love comprised all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and places… in a word, that it was eternal!

Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out, “O Jesus, my Love… my vocation, at last I have found it… My vocation is Love!”

Yes, I have found my place in the Church and it is you, O my God, who have given me this place; in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall be love. Thus I shall be everything, and thus my dream will be realized.

Responsory

R./ Joy and gladness fill my heart; * the Lord has been merciful to me.
V./ He has looked with favor on his lowly servant and taken account of my soul’s needs. * the Lord has been merciful to me.

Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:

Canticles (Alternative 1)

Ant. The Lord spread his wings like an eagle; he lifted her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.

Canticle I

Dt 32:3-7, 10-12

The deeds of kindness which God wrought for his people

How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her young under her wings (Mt 23:37)

I shall praise the name of the Lord. *
O give glory to this God of ours!
The Rock – his deeds are perfect, *
and all his ways are just,
a faithful God, without deceit, *
a God who is right and just.

Those whom he begot unblemished *
have become crooked, false, perverse.
Is it thus you repay the Lord, *
O senseless and foolish people?
Is he not your father who created you, *
he who made you, on whom you depend?

Remember the days of old, *
consider the years that are past;
ask your father and he will show you, *
ask your elders and they will tell you.

Israel God found him in a wilderness, *
in fearful, desolate wastes;
he surrounded him, he lifted him up, *
he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Like an eagle that watches its nest, *
that hovers over its young,
so he spread his wings; he took him, *
placed him on his outstretched wings.
The Lord alone was his guide *
and no other god was with him.

Canticle II

Song 1:3-4a; 2:8-10; 3:1b-2, 4bc

The faithful soul finds the beloved

Where have you hidden yourself, my Beloved? (St. John of the Cross)

Your name is oil poured out; *
therefore the maidens love you.
Draw me after you, let us make haste; *
your anointing oils are fragrant.
The king has brought me into his chambers; *
we will exult and rejoice in you.

The voice of my beloved: †
Behold, he comes, *
leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle, *
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands behind our wall, *
gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice.

My beloved speaks and says to me: †
“Arise, my love, my fair one, *
and come away.”

I sought him whom my soul loves; *
I sought him, but found him not.
“I will rise now and go about the city; *
in the streets and in the squares
I will seek him whom my soul loves;” *
I sought him, but found him not.

I found him whom my soul loves. *
I held him, and would not let him go.

Canticle III

Song 4:8ab, 9bc, 12, 15; 5:2; 6:3; 8:6-7a

The strength of love

Love turns labor into rest (St. Teresa of Jesus)

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; *
come with me from Lebanon.
You have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes, *
with one jewel of your necklace.

A garden locked is my sister, my bride, *
a garden locked, a fountain sealed.
A garden fountain, a well of living water, *
and flowing streams from Lebanon.

I slept, but my heart was awake. *
Hark! my beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love, *
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew, *
my locks with the drops of the night.”

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; *
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, *
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death, *
jealousy is cruel as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire, †
a most vehement flame. *
Many waters cannot quench love.

Ant. The Lord spread his wings like an eagle; he lifted her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.

Gospel

Jn 17:17-26

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

I have sent them into the world

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

Holy Father,
consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too may be consecrated in truth.
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realize that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

Father,
I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory
you have given me
because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known
that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.

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

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

Her boundless love for Christ her Lord
Impels Thérèse to greater things.
The martyr’s and apostle’s crown
To crown of virgins now she brings.

To be a victim of God’s love
Her heart aglow with mystic fire,
She begs her Spouse by love consume
Her life, a holocaust entire.

When death, the herald of true life,
Brings to its close, her life’s brief race,
She calls, “I love you” as she dies
And hastens to meet Christ’s embrace.

Now savoring all heaven’s joys,
The glories by her virtues won,
May she that shower of roses send
Which once she promised to her own.

O King of meek and gentle heart
Who for the little ones prepare
Your feast, grant us who follow her
In childlike trust, to enter there.

All praise be to the Father now,
Praise also to his only Son,
The Spirit in all virgin souls,
As ages endless through time run.

88.88.
Immensa Christi caritas

Psalmody

Ant. 1 My soul clings to you; with your right hand you have raised me up.

Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I

Ant. 2 You holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord.

Ant. 3 The Lord takes delight in his people, and crowns the humble with salvation.

Reading

Romans 8:14-17

All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Father”). The Spirit himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God. But if we are children, we are heirs as well; heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so as to be glorified with him.

Responsory

R./ I will pour out upon her * a river of peace. Repeat R./
V./ And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream, * a river of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ I will pour out upon her * a river of peace.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest.

Intercessions

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given Saint Thérèse to us as a model of the evangelical life. Let us pray to him and say:

R/. Hear us, O Lord.

Lord, you said, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink;” — give us an intense thirst for your love. R/.

Lord, you said, “If you do not become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” — help us to love you in simplicity of heart. R/.

Lord, you told us, “There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents;” — help us to have a childlike trust in your mercy. R/.

Lord, you said, “Whoever does the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven,” — give us a spirit of faithful obedience to all your commands. R/.

Lord, you said, “Whatsoever you do to one of the least of my brethren you do to me;” — may we see you today in our brothers and sisters, and love you in them. R/.

Lord, you said, “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few; pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he send laborers into the harvest;” — give to all of us the missionary spirit of Saint Thérèse, who longed for the salvation of souls. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

Psalms from the current weekday.

Midmorning

Ant. The Lord chose you for his own, to praise him and give glory to his name.

Reading

2 Corinthians 12:9b-10

I willingly boast of my weakness instead, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.

V./ The Lord is my strength and my song.
R./ In you I trust; I shall not be put to shame.

Midday 

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

Reading

1 John 4:17-19

Our love is brought to perfection in this,
that we should have confidence on the day of judgment:
for our relation to this world is just like his.
Love has no room for fear;
rather, perfect love casts out all fear.
And since fear has to do with punishment,
love is not yet perfect in one who is afraid.
We, for our part, love
because he first loved us.

V./ You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer.
R./ From eternity this is your name.

Midafternoon

Ant. The Lord looks kindly on the prayer of the needy, and his word is addressed to the lowly.

Reading

1 John 3:1-2

See what love the Father has bestowed on us
in letting us be called children of God!
Yet that is what we are.
The reason the world does not recognize us
is that it never recognized the Son.
Dearly beloved,
we are God’s children now;
what we shall later be has not yet come to light.
We know that when it comes to light
we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

V./ I will run in the way of your commandments.
R./ For you have given greatness to my heart.

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

From clear high mansions of that shining palace
Where you enjoy the light of God’s dear presence,
And plead our causes, mindful of your promise
Show’r down your roses.

Roses of faith to shed its light supernal,
Roses of hope when obstacles surround us,
And for our strengthening in daily living
Roses of pure love.

Through your own childlike confidence and candor
Send us the rose of quietly discerning
Love of a Father, shining in each happening
Both sweet and bitter.

This be our portion, God forever blessed,
Father eternal, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose is the glory which through all creation
Resounds forever.

11.11.11.5.
Luce divina rutilantis aulae

Psalmody

Ant. 1 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

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. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Ant. 2 For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not proud *
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great *
nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul *
in silence and peace.
As a child has rest in its mother’s arms, *
even so my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord *
both now and forever.

Ant. For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Ant. 3 God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.

Phil. 2:6-11

Though he was in the form of God, +
Jesus did not deem equality with God *
something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself, +
and took the form of a slave, *
being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate *
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death, *
death on a cross!

Because of this, *
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name *
above every name,

So that at Jesus’ name +
every knee must bend, *
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth, *
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father: *
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Ant. God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.

Reading

1 Timothy 2:1, 3-6a

First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for all men. Prayer of this kind is good, and God our Savior is pleased with it, for he wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth. And the truth is this:
“God is one
One also is the mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

Responsory

R./ I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. Repeat R./
V./ For you have not despised the poor in their distress; * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Father, I have made your name known to those you have given me: make them holy in the truth.

Intercessions

Let us pray to God, our almighty Father, for his Church throughout the world:

R./ Lord, remember your covenant with us.

May we be inspired by the example of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus; — may your Church give itself to you in love. R/.

May all contemplatives be faithful witnesses of your goodness; — so that the world may believe in you. R/.

May we bear one another’s burdens in a spirit of love; — so that your faithful people may see your face in us and imitate your Son. R/.

Fill us with a faithful missionary spirit; — for you desire all the world to know the truth of Christ. R/.

Grant to all the faithful departed the joy of seeing your face; — for Christ wants those you gave him to be with him where he reigns in glory. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

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

#prayer #DiscalcedCarmelite #virgin #StThereseOfLisieux #LiturgyOfTheHours #feast

1 October: SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS

October 1
SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Feast
In the houses in France: SOLEMNITY

Thérèse Martin was born at Alencon in 1873. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Carmel at Lisieux. She practiced heroic humility, evangelical simplicity, and trust in God, and taught the novices these virtues by word and example. She offered her life for the salvation of souls and the growth of the Church. She died on September 30, 1897. Canonized in 1925, she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

Invitatory

Ant. The Lord reveals himself to little ones; come, let us worship him.

Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary

Office of Readings

Hymn

Let all who lovingly avow
Those gifts the Christ Child came to share
Acclaim Thérèse’s virtues now
And praise her name in song and prayer.

Her patroness and mother chose
The lofty peaks of Carmel’s height
And there Thérèse in fervor goes
To follow Christ, her one delight.

Inspired by Jesus to convey
Amazing secrets of his grace,
She taught the world the simple way
Of childhood that the Gospels trace.

More like an angel than a child
She gathered virtue’s flowers at will
By whose sweet scent was God beguiled,
Whose tender fragrance charms us still.

Yet joy itself could not portray
The surge of her immense desire
Nor cloister walls have strength to stay
A love that swept the world like fire.

All glory, Jesus, be to you
This day revealed to little ones,
To Father and blest Spirit, too,
While age on age forever runs.

L.M.
Nomen decusque concinant

Ant. 1 Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, *
there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures *
where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me, *
To revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path; *
he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness *
no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff; *
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me *
in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil; *
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me *
all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell *
forever and ever.

Ant. Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Ant. 2 See what love the Father has shown us, to let us be called children of God; yet that is what we are.

Psalm 103

My soul, give thanks to the Lord, *
all my being, bless his holy name.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord *
and never forget all his blessings.

It is he who forgives all your guilt *
who heals every one of your ills,

who redeems your life from the grave, *
who crowns you with love and compassion,

who fills your life with good things, *
renewing your youth like an eagle’s.

The Lord does deeds of justice, *
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses *
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.

The Lord is compassion and love, *
slow to anger and rich in mercy.

His wrath will come to an end; *
he will not be angry forever.

He does not treat us according to our sins *
nor repay us according to our faults.

For as the heavens are high above the earth *
so strong is his love for those who fear him.

Ant. See what love the Father has shown us, to let us be called children of God; yet that is what we are.

Ant. 3 The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed in me.

As far as the east is from the west *
so far does he remove our sins.

As a father has compassion on his sons, *
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;

for he knows of what we are made, *
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; *
he flowers like the flower of the field;

the wind blows and he is gone *
and his place never sees him again.

But the love of the Lord is everlasting *
upon those who hold him in fear;

his justice reaches out to children’s children +
when they keep his covenant in truth, *
when they keep his will in their mind.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven *
and his kingdom is ruling over all.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, +
mighty in power, fulfilling his word, *
who heed the voice of his word.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, *
his servants who do his will.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works, *
in every place where he rules.

My soul, *
give thanks to the Lord!

Ant. The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed in me.

V./ Your word is a lamp for my feet
R./ And a light on my path.

First Reading
From the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians

I Cor. 12:27-31; 13:1-13

You together are Christ’s body,
but each of you is a different part of it

The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. You, then, are the body of Christ. Every one of you is a member of it. Furthermore, God has set up in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, healers, assistants, administrators, and those who speak in tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles or have the gift of healing? Do all speak in tongues, all have the gift of interpretation of tongues? Set your hearts on the greater gifts.

Now I will show you the way which surpasses all the others. If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; it does not put on airs; it is not snobbish. Love is never rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.

Love never fails. Prophecies will cease, tongues will be silent, knowledge will pass away. Our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect. When the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child I used to talk like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways aside. Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known. There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Responsory

R./ When I am lifted up from the earth, * I will draw all people to myself.
V./ Fragrant is the scent of your perfume; let us follow in your footsteps. * I will draw all people to myself.

Second Reading
From the autobiography of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

(MS B, f. 3r-3v: ed. J. Clarke 1975, pp. 193-94)

In the heart of the Church I shall be love

My desires caused me a veritable martyrdom, and I opened the Epistles of Saint Paul to find some kind of answer. Chapters Twelve and Thirteen of the First Epistle to the Corinthians fell under my eyes. I read there, in the first of these chapters, that all cannot be apostles, prophets, doctors, etc., that the Church is composed of different members, and that the eye cannot be the hand at one and the same time. The answer was clear, but it did not fulfill my desires and gave me no peace. Without becoming discouraged, I continued my reading, and this sentence consoled me: Yet strive after the better gifts, and I point out to you a yet more excellent way. And the Apostle explains how all the most perfect gifts are nothing without Love. That Charity is the excellent way that leads most surely to God.

I finally had rest. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I had not recognized myself in any of the members described by Saint Paul, or rather I desired to see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that if the Church had a body composed of different members, the most necessary and most noble of all could not be lacking to it, and so I understood that the Church had a heart and that this heart was burning with love. I understood it was love alone that made the Church’s members act; that if love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would not shed their blood. I understood that love comprised all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and places… in a word, that it was eternal!

Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out, “O Jesus, my Love… my vocation, at last I have found it… My vocation is Love!”

Yes, I have found my place in the Church and it is you, O my God, who have given me this place; in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall be love. Thus I shall be everything, and thus my dream will be realized.

Responsory

R./ Joy and gladness fill my heart; * the Lord has been merciful to me.
V./ He has looked with favor on his lowly servant and taken account of my soul’s needs. * the Lord has been merciful to me.

Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:

Canticles (Alternative 1)

Ant. The Lord spread his wings like an eagle; he lifted her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.

Canticle I

Dt 32:3-7, 10-12

The deeds of kindness which God wrought for his people

How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her young under her wings (Mt 23:37)

I shall praise the name of the Lord. *
O give glory to this God of ours!
The Rock – his deeds are perfect, *
and all his ways are just,
a faithful God, without deceit, *
a God who is right and just.

Those whom he begot unblemished *
have become crooked, false, perverse.
Is it thus you repay the Lord, *
O senseless and foolish people?
Is he not your father who created you, *
he who made you, on whom you depend?

Remember the days of old, *
consider the years that are past;
ask your father and he will show you, *
ask your elders and they will tell you.

Israel God found him in a wilderness, *
in fearful, desolate wastes;
he surrounded him, he lifted him up, *
he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Like an eagle that watches its nest, *
that hovers over its young,
so he spread his wings; he took him, *
placed him on his outstretched wings.
The Lord alone was his guide *
and no other god was with him.

Canticle II

Song 1:3-4a; 2:8-10; 3:1b-2, 4bc

The faithful soul finds the beloved

Where have you hidden yourself, my Beloved? (St. John of the Cross)

Your name is oil poured out; *
therefore the maidens love you.
Draw me after you, let us make haste; *
your anointing oils are fragrant.
The king has brought me into his chambers; *
we will exult and rejoice in you.

The voice of my beloved: †
Behold, he comes, *
leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle, *
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands behind our wall, *
gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice.

My beloved speaks and says to me: †
“Arise, my love, my fair one, *
and come away.”

I sought him whom my soul loves; *
I sought him, but found him not.
“I will rise now and go about the city; *
in the streets and in the squares
I will seek him whom my soul loves;” *
I sought him, but found him not.

I found him whom my soul loves. *
I held him, and would not let him go.

Canticle III

Song 4:8ab, 9bc, 12, 15; 5:2; 6:3; 8:6-7a

The strength of love

Love turns labor into rest (St. Teresa of Jesus)

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; *
come with me from Lebanon.
You have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes, *
with one jewel of your necklace.

A garden locked is my sister, my bride, *
a garden locked, a fountain sealed.
A garden fountain, a well of living water, *
and flowing streams from Lebanon.

I slept, but my heart was awake. *
Hark! my beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love, *
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew, *
my locks with the drops of the night.”

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; *
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, *
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death, *
jealousy is cruel as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire, †
a most vehement flame. *
Many waters cannot quench love.

Ant. The Lord spread his wings like an eagle; he lifted her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.

Gospel

Jn 17:17-26

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

I have sent them into the world

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

Holy Father,
consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too may be consecrated in truth.
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realize that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

Father,
I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory
you have given me
because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known
that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.

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

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

Her boundless love for Christ her Lord
Impels Thérèse to greater things.
The martyr’s and apostle’s crown
To crown of virgins now she brings.

To be a victim of God’s love
Her heart aglow with mystic fire,
She begs her Spouse by love consume
Her life, a holocaust entire.

When death, the herald of true life,
Brings to its close, her life’s brief race,
She calls, “I love you” as she dies
And hastens to meet Christ’s embrace.

Now savoring all heaven’s joys,
The glories by her virtues won,
May she that shower of roses send
Which once she promised to her own.

O King of meek and gentle heart
Who for the little ones prepare
Your feast, grant us who follow her
In childlike trust, to enter there.

All praise be to the Father now,
Praise also to his only Son,
The Spirit in all virgin souls,
As ages endless through time run.

88.88.
Immensa Christi caritas

Psalmody

Ant. 1 My soul clings to you; with your right hand you have raised me up.

Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I

Ant. 2 You holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord.

Ant. 3 The Lord takes delight in his people, and crowns the humble with salvation.

Reading

Romans 8:14-17

All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Father”). The Spirit himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God. But if we are children, we are heirs as well; heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so as to be glorified with him.

Responsory

R./ I will pour out upon her * a river of peace. Repeat R./
V./ And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream, * a river of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ I will pour out upon her * a river of peace.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest.

Intercessions

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given Saint Thérèse to us as a model of the evangelical life. Let us pray to him and say:

R/. Hear us, O Lord.

Lord, you said, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink;” — give us an intense thirst for your love. R/.

Lord, you said, “If you do not become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” — help us to love you in simplicity of heart. R/.

Lord, you told us, “There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents;” — help us to have a childlike trust in your mercy. R/.

Lord, you said, “Whoever does the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven,” — give us a spirit of faithful obedience to all your commands. R/.

Lord, you said, “Whatsoever you do to one of the least of my brethren you do to me;” — may we see you today in our brothers and sisters, and love you in them. R/.

Lord, you said, “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few; pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he send laborers into the harvest;” — give to all of us the missionary spirit of Saint Thérèse, who longed for the salvation of souls. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

Psalms from the current weekday.

Midmorning

Ant. The Lord chose you for his own, to praise him and give glory to his name.

Reading

2 Corinthians 12:9b-10

I willingly boast of my weakness instead, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.

V./ The Lord is my strength and my song.
R./ In you I trust; I shall not be put to shame.

Midday 

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

Reading

1 John 4:17-19

Our love is brought to perfection in this,
that we should have confidence on the day of judgment:
for our relation to this world is just like his.
Love has no room for fear;
rather, perfect love casts out all fear.
And since fear has to do with punishment,
love is not yet perfect in one who is afraid.
We, for our part, love
because he first loved us.

V./ You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer.
R./ From eternity this is your name.

Midafternoon

Ant. The Lord looks kindly on the prayer of the needy, and his word is addressed to the lowly.

Reading

1 John 3:1-2

See what love the Father has bestowed on us
in letting us be called children of God!
Yet that is what we are.
The reason the world does not recognize us
is that it never recognized the Son.
Dearly beloved,
we are God’s children now;
what we shall later be has not yet come to light.
We know that when it comes to light
we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

V./ I will run in the way of your commandments.
R./ For you have given greatness to my heart.

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

From clear high mansions of that shining palace
Where you enjoy the light of God’s dear presence,
And plead our causes, mindful of your promise
Show’r down your roses.

Roses of faith to shed its light supernal,
Roses of hope when obstacles surround us,
And for our strengthening in daily living
Roses of pure love.

Through your own childlike confidence and candor
Send us the rose of quietly discerning
Love of a Father, shining in each happening
Both sweet and bitter.

This be our portion, God forever blessed,
Father eternal, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose is the glory which through all creation
Resounds forever.

11.11.11.5.
Luce divina rutilantis aulae

Psalmody

Ant. 1 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

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. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Ant. 2 For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not proud *
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great *
nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul *
in silence and peace.
As a child has rest in its mother’s arms, *
even so my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord *
both now and forever.

Ant. For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Ant. 3 God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.

Phil. 2:6-11

Though he was in the form of God, +
Jesus did not deem equality with God *
something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself, +
and took the form of a slave, *
being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate *
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death, *
death on a cross!

Because of this, *
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name *
above every name,

So that at Jesus’ name +
every knee must bend, *
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth, *
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father: *
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Ant. God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.

Reading

1 Timothy 2:1, 3-6a

First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for all men. Prayer of this kind is good, and God our Savior is pleased with it, for he wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth. And the truth is this:
“God is one
One also is the mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

Responsory

R./ I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. Repeat R./
V./ For you have not despised the poor in their distress; * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Father, I have made your name known to those you have given me: make them holy in the truth.

Intercessions

Let us pray to God, our almighty Father, for his Church throughout the world:

R./ Lord, remember your covenant with us.

May we be inspired by the example of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus; — may your Church give itself to you in love. R/.

May all contemplatives be faithful witnesses of your goodness; — so that the world may believe in you. R/.

May we bear one another’s burdens in a spirit of love; — so that your faithful people may see your face in us and imitate your Son. R/.

Fill us with a faithful missionary spirit; — for you desire all the world to know the truth of Christ. R/.

Grant to all the faithful departed the joy of seeing your face; — for Christ wants those you gave him to be with him where he reigns in glory. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

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

#DiscalcedCarmelite #feast #LiturgyOfTheHours #prayer #StThereseOfLisieux #virgin

1 October: SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS

October 1
SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Feast
In the houses in France: SOLEMNITY

Thérèse Martin was born at Alencon in 1873. At the age of fifteen, she entered the Carmel at Lisieux. She practiced heroic humility, evangelical simplicity, and trust in God, and taught the novices these virtues by word and example. She offered her life for the salvation of souls and the growth of the Church. She died on September 30, 1897. Canonized in 1925, she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1997.

Invitatory

Ant. The Lord reveals himself to little ones; come, let us worship him.

Invitatory psalm, as in the Ordinary

Office of Readings

Hymn

Let all who lovingly avow
Those gifts the Christ Child came to share
Acclaim Thérèse’s virtues now
And praise her name in song and prayer.

Her patroness and mother chose
The lofty peaks of Carmel’s height
And there Thérèse in fervor goes
To follow Christ, her one delight.

Inspired by Jesus to convey
Amazing secrets of his grace,
She taught the world the simple way
Of childhood that the Gospels trace.

More like an angel than a child
She gathered virtue’s flowers at will
By whose sweet scent was God beguiled,
Whose tender fragrance charms us still.

Yet joy itself could not portray
The surge of her immense desire
Nor cloister walls have strength to stay
A love that swept the world like fire.

All glory, Jesus, be to you
This day revealed to little ones,
To Father and blest Spirit, too,
While age on age forever runs.

L.M.
Nomen decusque concinant

Ant. 1 Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, *
there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures *
where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me, *
To revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path; *
he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness *
no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff; *
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me *
in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil; *
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me *
all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell *
forever and ever.

Ant. Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Ant. 2 See what love the Father has shown us, to let us be called children of God; yet that is what we are.

Psalm 103

My soul, give thanks to the Lord, *
all my being, bless his holy name.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord *
and never forget all his blessings.

It is he who forgives all your guilt *
who heals every one of your ills,

who redeems your life from the grave, *
who crowns you with love and compassion,

who fills your life with good things, *
renewing your youth like an eagle’s.

The Lord does deeds of justice, *
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses *
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.

The Lord is compassion and love, *
slow to anger and rich in mercy.

His wrath will come to an end; *
he will not be angry forever.

He does not treat us according to our sins *
nor repay us according to our faults.

For as the heavens are high above the earth *
so strong is his love for those who fear him.

Ant. See what love the Father has shown us, to let us be called children of God; yet that is what we are.

Ant. 3 The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed in me.

As far as the east is from the west *
so far does he remove our sins.

As a father has compassion on his sons, *
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;

for he knows of what we are made, *
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; *
he flowers like the flower of the field;

the wind blows and he is gone *
and his place never sees him again.

But the love of the Lord is everlasting *
upon those who hold him in fear;

his justice reaches out to children’s children +
when they keep his covenant in truth, *
when they keep his will in their mind.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven *
and his kingdom is ruling over all.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, +
mighty in power, fulfilling his word, *
who heed the voice of his word.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, *
his servants who do his will.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works, *
in every place where he rules.

My soul, *
give thanks to the Lord!

Ant. The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed in me.

V./ Your word is a lamp for my feet
R./ And a light on my path.

First Reading
From the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians

I Cor. 12:27-31; 13:1-13

You together are Christ’s body,
but each of you is a different part of it

The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ. You, then, are the body of Christ. Every one of you is a member of it. Furthermore, God has set up in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, healers, assistants, administrators, and those who speak in tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles or have the gift of healing? Do all speak in tongues, all have the gift of interpretation of tongues? Set your hearts on the greater gifts.

Now I will show you the way which surpasses all the others. If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; it does not put on airs; it is not snobbish. Love is never rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.

Love never fails. Prophecies will cease, tongues will be silent, knowledge will pass away. Our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect. When the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child I used to talk like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways aside. Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known. There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Responsory

R./ When I am lifted up from the earth, * I will draw all people to myself.
V./ Fragrant is the scent of your perfume; let us follow in your footsteps. * I will draw all people to myself.

Second Reading
From the autobiography of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

(MS B, f. 3r-3v: ed. J. Clarke 1975, pp. 193-94)

In the heart of the Church I shall be love

My desires caused me a veritable martyrdom, and I opened the Epistles of Saint Paul to find some kind of answer. Chapters Twelve and Thirteen of the First Epistle to the Corinthians fell under my eyes. I read there, in the first of these chapters, that all cannot be apostles, prophets, doctors, etc., that the Church is composed of different members, and that the eye cannot be the hand at one and the same time. The answer was clear, but it did not fulfill my desires and gave me no peace. Without becoming discouraged, I continued my reading, and this sentence consoled me: Yet strive after the better gifts, and I point out to you a yet more excellent way. And the Apostle explains how all the most perfect gifts are nothing without Love. That Charity is the excellent way that leads most surely to God.

I finally had rest. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I had not recognized myself in any of the members described by Saint Paul, or rather I desired to see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that if the Church had a body composed of different members, the most necessary and most noble of all could not be lacking to it, and so I understood that the Church had a heart and that this heart was burning with love. I understood it was love alone that made the Church’s members act; that if love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would not shed their blood. I understood that love comprised all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and places… in a word, that it was eternal!

Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out, “O Jesus, my Love… my vocation, at last I have found it… My vocation is Love!”

Yes, I have found my place in the Church and it is you, O my God, who have given me this place; in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall be love. Thus I shall be everything, and thus my dream will be realized.

Responsory

R./ Joy and gladness fill my heart; * the Lord has been merciful to me.
V./ He has looked with favor on his lowly servant and taken account of my soul’s needs. * the Lord has been merciful to me.

Where the Vigil Office is celebrated:

Canticles (Alternative 1)

Ant. The Lord spread his wings like an eagle; he lifted her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.

Canticle I

Dt 32:3-7, 10-12

The deeds of kindness which God wrought for his people

How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her young under her wings (Mt 23:37)

I shall praise the name of the Lord. *
O give glory to this God of ours!
The Rock – his deeds are perfect, *
and all his ways are just,
a faithful God, without deceit, *
a God who is right and just.

Those whom he begot unblemished *
have become crooked, false, perverse.
Is it thus you repay the Lord, *
O senseless and foolish people?
Is he not your father who created you, *
he who made you, on whom you depend?

Remember the days of old, *
consider the years that are past;
ask your father and he will show you, *
ask your elders and they will tell you.

Israel God found him in a wilderness, *
in fearful, desolate wastes;
he surrounded him, he lifted him up, *
he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Like an eagle that watches its nest, *
that hovers over its young,
so he spread his wings; he took him, *
placed him on his outstretched wings.
The Lord alone was his guide *
and no other god was with him.

Canticle II

Song 1:3-4a; 2:8-10; 3:1b-2, 4bc

The faithful soul finds the beloved

Where have you hidden yourself, my Beloved? (St. John of the Cross)

Your name is oil poured out; *
therefore the maidens love you.
Draw me after you, let us make haste; *
your anointing oils are fragrant.
The king has brought me into his chambers; *
we will exult and rejoice in you.

The voice of my beloved: †
Behold, he comes, *
leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle, *
or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands behind our wall, *
gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice.

My beloved speaks and says to me: †
“Arise, my love, my fair one, *
and come away.”

I sought him whom my soul loves; *
I sought him, but found him not.
“I will rise now and go about the city; *
in the streets and in the squares
I will seek him whom my soul loves;” *
I sought him, but found him not.

I found him whom my soul loves. *
I held him, and would not let him go.

Canticle III

Song 4:8ab, 9bc, 12, 15; 5:2; 6:3; 8:6-7a

The strength of love

Love turns labor into rest (St. Teresa of Jesus)

Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; *
come with me from Lebanon.
You have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes, *
with one jewel of your necklace.

A garden locked is my sister, my bride, *
a garden locked, a fountain sealed.
A garden fountain, a well of living water, *
and flowing streams from Lebanon.

I slept, but my heart was awake. *
Hark! my beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love, *
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew, *
my locks with the drops of the night.”

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; *
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, *
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death, *
jealousy is cruel as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire, †
a most vehement flame. *
Many waters cannot quench love.

Ant. The Lord spread his wings like an eagle; he lifted her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her leader.

Gospel

Jn 17:17-26

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

I have sent them into the world

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

Holy Father,
consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too may be consecrated in truth.
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realize that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

Father,
I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory
you have given me
because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known
that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.

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

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

Her boundless love for Christ her Lord
Impels Thérèse to greater things.
The martyr’s and apostle’s crown
To crown of virgins now she brings.

To be a victim of God’s love
Her heart aglow with mystic fire,
She begs her Spouse by love consume
Her life, a holocaust entire.

When death, the herald of true life,
Brings to its close, her life’s brief race,
She calls, “I love you” as she dies
And hastens to meet Christ’s embrace.

Now savoring all heaven’s joys,
The glories by her virtues won,
May she that shower of roses send
Which once she promised to her own.

O King of meek and gentle heart
Who for the little ones prepare
Your feast, grant us who follow her
In childlike trust, to enter there.

All praise be to the Father now,
Praise also to his only Son,
The Spirit in all virgin souls,
As ages endless through time run.

88.88.
Immensa Christi caritas

Psalmody

Ant. 1 My soul clings to you; with your right hand you have raised me up.

Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I

Ant. 2 You holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord.

Ant. 3 The Lord takes delight in his people, and crowns the humble with salvation.

Reading

Romans 8:14-17

All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Father”). The Spirit himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God. But if we are children, we are heirs as well; heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so as to be glorified with him.

Responsory

R./ I will pour out upon her * a river of peace. Repeat R./
V./ And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream, * a river of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ I will pour out upon her * a river of peace.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest.

Intercessions

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given Saint Thérèse to us as a model of the evangelical life. Let us pray to him and say:

R/. Hear us, O Lord.

Lord, you said, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink;” — give us an intense thirst for your love. R/.

Lord, you said, “If you do not become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” — help us to love you in simplicity of heart. R/.

Lord, you told us, “There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents;” — help us to have a childlike trust in your mercy. R/.

Lord, you said, “Whoever does the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven,” — give us a spirit of faithful obedience to all your commands. R/.

Lord, you said, “Whatsoever you do to one of the least of my brethren you do to me;” — may we see you today in our brothers and sisters, and love you in them. R/.

Lord, you said, “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few; pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he send laborers into the harvest;” — give to all of us the missionary spirit of Saint Thérèse, who longed for the salvation of souls. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

Psalms from the current weekday.

Midmorning

Ant. The Lord chose you for his own, to praise him and give glory to his name.

Reading

2 Corinthians 12:9b-10

I willingly boast of my weakness instead, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.

V./ The Lord is my strength and my song.
R./ In you I trust; I shall not be put to shame.

Midday 

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

Reading

1 John 4:17-19

Our love is brought to perfection in this,
that we should have confidence on the day of judgment:
for our relation to this world is just like his.
Love has no room for fear;
rather, perfect love casts out all fear.
And since fear has to do with punishment,
love is not yet perfect in one who is afraid.
We, for our part, love
because he first loved us.

V./ You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer.
R./ From eternity this is your name.

Midafternoon

Ant. The Lord looks kindly on the prayer of the needy, and his word is addressed to the lowly.

Reading

1 John 3:1-2

See what love the Father has bestowed on us
in letting us be called children of God!
Yet that is what we are.
The reason the world does not recognize us
is that it never recognized the Son.
Dearly beloved,
we are God’s children now;
what we shall later be has not yet come to light.
We know that when it comes to light
we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

V./ I will run in the way of your commandments.
R./ For you have given greatness to my heart.

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

From clear high mansions of that shining palace
Where you enjoy the light of God’s dear presence,
And plead our causes, mindful of your promise
Show’r down your roses.

Roses of faith to shed its light supernal,
Roses of hope when obstacles surround us,
And for our strengthening in daily living
Roses of pure love.

Through your own childlike confidence and candor
Send us the rose of quietly discerning
Love of a Father, shining in each happening
Both sweet and bitter.

This be our portion, God forever blessed,
Father eternal, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose is the glory which through all creation
Resounds forever.

11.11.11.5.
Luce divina rutilantis aulae

Psalmody

Ant. 1 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

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. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Ant. 2 For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not proud *
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great *
nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul *
in silence and peace.
As a child has rest in its mother’s arms, *
even so my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord *
both now and forever.

Ant. For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Ant. 3 God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.

Phil. 2:6-11

Though he was in the form of God, +
Jesus did not deem equality with God *
something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself, +
and took the form of a slave, *
being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate *
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death, *
death on a cross!

Because of this, *
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name *
above every name,

So that at Jesus’ name +
every knee must bend, *
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth, *
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father: *
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Ant. God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.

Reading

1 Timothy 2:1, 3-6a

First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for all men. Prayer of this kind is good, and God our Savior is pleased with it, for he wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth. And the truth is this:
“God is one
One also is the mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

Responsory

R./ I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. Repeat R./
V./ For you have not despised the poor in their distress; * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R./ I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. Father, I have made your name known to those you have given me: make them holy in the truth.

Intercessions

Let us pray to God, our almighty Father, for his Church throughout the world:

R./ Lord, remember your covenant with us.

May we be inspired by the example of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus; — may your Church give itself to you in love. R/.

May all contemplatives be faithful witnesses of your goodness; — so that the world may believe in you. R/.

May we bear one another’s burdens in a spirit of love; — so that your faithful people may see your face in us and imitate your Son. R/.

Fill us with a faithful missionary spirit; — for you desire all the world to know the truth of Christ. R/.

Grant to all the faithful departed the joy of seeing your face; — for Christ wants those you gave him to be with him where he reigns in glory. R/.

Our Father…

Prayer

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.

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

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

#DiscalcedCarmelite #feast #LiturgyOfTheHours #prayer #StThereseOfLisieux #virgin

Quote of the day, 31 August: St. Thérèse

One Sunday, looking at a picture of Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck by the blood flowing from one of the divine hands…. The cry of Jesus on the Cross sounded continually in my heart: “I thirst!” [Jn 19:28]. These words ignited within me an unknown and very living fire. I wanted to give my Beloved to drink and I felt myself consumed with a thirst for souls.

To awaken my zeal, God showed me my desires were pleasing to Him. I heard talk of a great criminal just condemned to death for some horrible crimes; everything pointed to the fact that he would die impenitent. I wanted at all costs to prevent him from falling into hell, and to attain my purpose, I employed every means imaginable.

Feeling that of myself I could do nothing, I offered to God all the infinite merits of Our Lord, the treasures of the Church, and finally I begged Céline to have a Mass offered for my intentions.

I told God I was sure He would pardon the poor, unfortunate Pranzini; that I’d believe this even if he went to his death without any signs of repentance or without having gone to confession. I was absolutely confident in the mercy of Jesus. But I was begging Him for a “sign” of repentance only for my own simple consolation.

My prayer was answered to the letter! In spite of Papa’s prohibition that we read no papers, I didn’t think I was disobeying when reading the passages pertaining to Pranzini. The day after his execution, I found the newspaper “La Croix.” I opened it quickly, and what did I see? Ah! my tears betrayed my emotion, and I was obliged to hide.

Pranzini had not gone to confession. He had mounted the scaffold and was preparing to place his head in the formidable opening when suddenly, seized by an inspiration, he turned, took hold of the crucifix the priest was holding out to him, and kissed the sacred wounds three times!

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Story of A Soul, Ms A, 45v–46r

Note: Henri Pranzini was executed on this date, 31 August 1887, in Paris.

Thérèse of Lisieux, St. 1996, Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, 3rd edn, Clarke, J (trans.), ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Featured image: Police mugshot of Henri Pranzini taken 28 March 1887, five months before his execution for triple murder. Image credit: © Préfecture de Police, Paris (Public domain via Wikimedia Commons).

#conversion #HenriPranzini #intercession #repentance #StThérèseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 25 July: St. Thérèse

Listen to this little, very funny story:

One day [10 January 1889], after I received the Habit, Sister St. Vincent de Paul saw me with Mother Prioress, and she exclaimed: “Oh! how well she looks! Is this big girl strong! Is she plump!”

I left, quite humbled by the compliment, when Sister Magdalene stopped me in front of the kitchen and said: “But what is beoming of you, poor little Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus! You are fading away before our eyes! If you continue at this pace, with an appearance that makes one tremble, you won’t observe the Rule very long!”

I couldn’t get over hearing, one after the other, two such contrary appraisals. Ever since that moment, I have never attached any importance to the opinion of creatures, and this impression has so developed in me that, at this present time, reproaches and compliments glide over me without leaving the slightest imprint.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

The Yellow Notebook of Mother Agnès, 25 July 1897

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

Featured image: Detail of a photo montage created at the Carmel of Lisieux utilizing a 1913 photo of Mother Agnès (Pauline Martin) and a retouched copy of the last photo of St. Thérèse, which Sr. Geneviève (Celine Martin) took while Thérèse was getting some fresh air in the cloister. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (used by permission)

#CarmelOfLisieux #compliments #monasticLife #StThérèseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 28 June: St. Thérèse

“On the mountain of Carmel a soul is praying unceasingly to the divine Prisoner of Love for the success of your glorious conquest.”

St. Thérèse of Lisieux to Abbé Adolphe Roulland
LT 189, 23 June 1896

Five days after Thérèse expressed her unworthiness to support this missionary brother, the story continued.

On 28 June 1896, Abbé Roulland was ordained to the priesthood and learned of his assignment to China’s Sichuan province.

The new priest came to celebrate one of his first Masses at the Lisieux Carmel on 3 July. His sister gave him an altar pall which she had painted for him. They spoke together in the parlour. The missionary was soon to set sail for China and join the eastern Su-Chuen [Sichuan] province. In the place where she worked Thérèse pinned up a map of the region to follow her new brother’s journey. — Bishop Guy Gaucher, OCD, The Story of a Life, chap. 10

Remarkably, Bishop Gaucher himself died on 3 July 2014, exactly 118 years to the day after this pivotal meeting between Thérèse and Fr. Roulland.

Three weeks later, writing from Paris before his departure, Fr. Roulland captured the essence of their spiritual partnership:

I am leaving with the intention of not having more self-will in the hands of my bishop than a corpse would have; I leave happy because I know our apostolate, that is, yours and mine, will be blessed by God. On the mountain of Carmel, a soul will be praying for the success of the weapons of him who will be fighting in the field. Each day, at the Holy Sacrifice, I will pronounce the name of Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus. If as you hope you go to heaven before me, I will continue to pray for you. I will say: “I offer this Sacrifice for the repose of the soul of my sister in Jesus,” begging the Blessed Virgin to do what she wills with the merits you will no longer need. — Fr. Adolphe Roulland to St. Thérèse LC 165, 23 July 1896

A photograph taken after their 3 July encounter preserves this moment:

Thérèse in the cloister, at the age of twenty-three and a half. She holds in her hand, like a program, a scroll with the words of her patron and spiritual mother Saint Teresa of Jesus: ‘I would give a thousand lives to save one soul.’ Her right hand rests on the book that was given to her by her spiritual brother Father Adolphe Roulland, La mission de Su-Tchuen au XVIIIe siècle. Vie et apostolat de Mgr Pottier, Téqui 1892, written by L. Guiot. — Conrad de Meester, OCD Teresa di Lisieux: Vita, Dottrina, Ambiente, Plate 170

De Meester, C & Salvatico, G 1996, Teresa di Lisieux: Vita, Dottrina, Ambiente, San Paolo & Il Messaggero del S. Bambino Gesù di Praga, Cinisello Balsamo & Arenzano.

Gaucher, G 1993, The story of a life: St. Thérèse of Lisieux, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, CA.

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Clarke, J 1988, General Correspondence: Letters of Saint Therese of Lisieux: Volume 2 1890-1897. Centenary ed., Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.

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

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have you ever made a commitment to pray for a specific missionary or intention, keeping a photograph or image nearby as a reminder of your promise?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#AdolpheRoulland #BishopGuyGaucher #China #ConradDeMeester #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 24 June: St. Thérèse

Dear little Mother, your little girl has again shed sweet tears just now, tears of repentance but more so of gratitude and love…

Ah! this evening I showed my virtue, my TREASURES of patience! And I who preach so well to others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am happy you saw my imperfection. Ah, the good it does me for having been bad!

You did not scold your little girl, nevertheless, she deserved it; but your little girl is accustomed to this, your gentleness speaks more to her than severe words; you are the image of God’s mercy for her.

Yes, but… Sister St. John the Baptist, on the contrary, is usually the image of God’s severity.

Well, I just met her, and instead of passing coldly by my side, she embraced me, saying (absolutely as though I had been the best girl in the world), “Poor little Sister, I felt sorry for you, I do not want to tire you out, I was wrong, etc., etc…”

I, who felt contrition in my heart, was astonished at her not reproaching me in any way. I know that basically she must find me imperfect; it is because she believes I am going to die that she has spoken this way to me, but it does not matter. I heard only gentle and tender words coming from her mouth, and I found her very good and myself very bad…

When reentering our cell, I was wondering what Jesus was thinking of me, and immediately I recalled these words He addressed one day to the adulterous woman: “Has no one condemned you?” And I, tears in my eyes, answered Him: “No one, Lord… Neither my little Mother, image of Your tenderness, nor Sister St. John the Baptist, image of your justice, and I really feel I can go in peace, for You will not condemn me either!”

Little Mother, why, then, is God Jesus so gentle towards me? Why does He never scold me? Ah! truly, it is enough to make me die of gratitude and love! I am happier for having been imperfect than if, sustained by grace, I had been a model of meekness…

This does me much good to see Jesus is always so gentle, so tender to me! Ah! from this moment, I know it: yes, all my hopes will be realized… yes, the Lord will do for us marvels that will infinitely surpass our immense desires!

Little Mother, Jesus does well to hide Himself, to talk to me only from time to time, and “through the lattices” (Canticle of Canticles), for I feel I would be unable to bear any more, my heart would break, being powerless to contain so much joy…

Ah! you, the sweet Echo of my soul, you will understand that this evening the vessel of divine Mercy overflowed for me! You will understand that you have been and always will be the Angel charged with leading me and announcing to me the mercies of the Lord!

Your very little girl,
Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face rel. carm. ind.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Letter 230 to Mother Agnes of Jesus, 28 May 1897

Note: This letter from Saint Thérèse was written during the final months of her life, when illness made her more emotionally sensitive. After a taxing encounter with a Sister who had previously shown severity toward her, Thérèse is moved by an unexpected gesture of kindness. She recalls Christ’s words to the adulterous woman and marvels at the mercy of God, who speaks to her through gentleness rather than reproach. The Sister she names, Sister St. John the Baptist, was known in the Lisieux Carmel for her stern demeanor, especially toward novices. Thérèse’s signature, rel. carm. ind., reflects a customary usage among French Discalced Carmelite nuns: religieuse carmélite indigne—an “unworthy Carmelite nun.”

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Clarke, J 1988, General Correspondence: Letters of Saint Therese of Lisieux: Volume 2 1890-1897. Centenary ed., Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detail from The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame, Georges de La Tour (French, 1593–1652), oil on canvas, 1635–37. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image courtesy of LACMA Collections Online: lacma.org (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have you ever seen God’s mercy reflected in someone who surprised you with tenderness?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#emotions #mercy #monasticLife #SisterStJohnTheBaptist #StThérèseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 23 June: St. Thérèse

I feel quite unworthy to be associated especially with one of the Missionaries of our Adorable Jesus, but since obedience entrusts me with this sweet task, I am assured that my Heavenly Spouse will make up for my feeble merits (upon which I do not rely in any way) and that He will fulfill the desires of my soul by making your apostolate fruitful. I will be truly happy to work with you for the salvation of souls; it is for this purpose that I have become a Carmelite nun…

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Letter 189 to Père Adolphe Roulland (excerpt)
23 June 1896

In 1896, seminarian Adolphe Roulland of the Paris Foreign Missions Society wrote to the Lisieux Carmel requesting a nun to support his missionary vocation through prayer. Mother Marie de Gonzague entrusted the request to Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus. In 1911, Fr. Roulland gave sworn testimony in her beatification cause. Reflecting on their spiritual bond and her promise to support his apostolate, he recalled one moment from his mission in China that he believed bore the unmistakable mark of her protection:

During a persecution, nearly 200 Christian women, both married and unmarried—many of them young—had taken refuge in my residence. While I was away, bandits prepared to descend on the house. Before setting out, they made one final invocation to their gods by lighting firecrackers in their honor. One of the fireworks ignited their own gunpowder: the explosion destroyed their temple, killing or burning many of the bandits; the rest fled in all directions. The alarm was raised; the Christian women and girls in my care were saved before they ever knew the danger. I did not for a moment doubt the protection of Sister Thérèse, who had promised to watch over me and my Christians, and to whom I commended the affairs of my mission each day. These events took place around 1904.

— Fr. Adolphe Roulland, M.E.P.
Testimony given 19 January 1911
Ordinary Process for the Beatification of the Servant of God Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Clarke, J 1988, General Correspondence: Letters of Saint Therese of Lisieux: Volume 2 1890-1897. Centenary ed., Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.

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

Featured image: The featured image overlays a vintage portrait of Fr. Adolphe Roulland, M.E.P. (c. 1896), over a background of Chinese silk brocade.
Portrait: Public domain; photographer unknown. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Background textile: Chinese silk brocade by uinmine. Image licensed via Adobe Stock (Asset ID# 118830492), used in accordance with Adobe Express terms.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
If you could ask Saint Thérèse to intercede for something in our world today, what would it be?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#AdolpheRoulland #China #intercession #ParisForeignMissionsSociety #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 18 June: St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Sister Thérèse accepted every reproach with a heavenly joy—not only from the superiors, but even from the novices. She let them say unpleasant things to her without ever correcting them in the moment.

“I’m happy to accept corrections when they’re justified,” I told her. “If I’m wrong, I’ll admit it. But I can’t stand being reprimanded when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“For me,” she replied, “it’s just the opposite. I prefer to be accused unjustly, because then I have nothing to reproach myself for, and I offer that to the good God with joy. Then I humble myself by thinking that I’d be quite capable of doing what I’ve been accused of.”

Sister Geneviève of the Holy Face (Céline Martin)

Counsels and Reminiscences of a Novice

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

Featured image: This detail from Photo no. 9 was taken by Sr. Geneviève on 20 November 1894. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How does prayer help you cope with difficult relationships or unjust treatment?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#CelineMartin #humility #injustice #monasticLife #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 29 May: Blessed Elia of St. Clement Fracasso

On the night before her First Communion—7 May 1911—young Teodora Fracasso had a mysterious dream that she revealed only years later: the Servant of God Thérèse of the Child Jesus, not yet canonized at the time, appeared to her and said prophetically, “You will be a nun like me.”

The next day, 8 May, Teodora received the Eucharist for the first time. She would later describe it this way:

“Enveloped in a cloud of incense that seemed to hide me from the world, I drew near for the first time to the Banquet of the Angels… I believed I was in Heaven, enjoying the embrace of the good God… I felt the delicate and tender kiss of love from Jesus touch my forehead like a lily petal… my exiled heart seemed ready to break and fly into the arms of Eternal Love… I did not know whether it was the Heart of the good Jesus beating within me, or mine, lost in Him.”

From her earliest years, God spoke to Teodora’s soul in the language of love and dream, preparing that hidden garden which would one day blossom in the silence of Carmel.

Blessed Elia of Saint Clement

From a Triduum of Prayer in honor of Blessed Elia

Note: Blessed Elia of St. Clement received her First Communion on 8 May 1911 at age 10.

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

Featured image: Blessed Elia of St. Clement holds her profession cross in this photo from the Carmel of St. Joseph in Bari, Italy. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

#BlessedEliaOfStClement #CarmelOfBari #FirstCommunion #love #spiritualChildhood #StThereseOfLisieux #TeodoraFracasso

Marie du jour, 21 May: St. Thérèse of Lisieux

We know very well that the Blessed Virgin is Queen of heaven and earth, but she is more Mother than Queen; and we should not say, on account of her prerogatives, that she surpasses all the saints in glory just as the sun at its rising makes the stars disappear from sight.

My God! How strange that would be! A mother who makes her children’s glory vanish! I myself think just the contrary. I believe she’ll increase the splendor of the elect very much.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Last Conversations: The yellow notebook, August 21

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

Featured image: Virgin and Child is one of the true gems of the Robert Lehmann Collection at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. This small oil on oak panel painting—its overall dimensions are 6 1/8 x 4 1/2 inches (15.6 x 11.4 cm)—from the workshop of early 16th c. master Gerard David is a testimony to the success of the studio. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How does Mary’s motherhood shape my understanding of holiness and heaven?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedMother #BlessedVirginMary #chosen #glory #heaven #inspiration #QueenOfHeaven #Saints #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 1 May: St. Thérèse

Saint Joseph enters, carrying his tools.

The Blessed Virgin, with a tone of gentle reproach:

Joseph, you’ve been away a long time. Why do you work such long days?

Saint Joseph:

Mary! Let me spend my energy in the service of Jesus. It is for Him and for you that I work; this thought gives me courage and helps me to bear fatigue. And then, when I return in the evening, one caress from Jesus, a single glance from you, make me forget the day’s labors.

(He wipes the sweat from his brow, then sits down by Mary and looks at the Child Jesus. The Blessed Virgin places the Child on Saint Joseph’s knees. His face takes on an expression of celestial joy; he presses the Divine Child to his heart, kisses Him lovingly, and says:)

Little Child! How sweet Your smile is!

Is it really true that I, the poor carpenter Joseph, have the happiness of holding in my arms the King of Heaven, the Savior of humanity?

Is it true that I have the sublime mission of being the foster father to Him whose presence satisfies the ardent seraphim and who nourishes every creature?

Is it true that I am the spouse of the Mother of God, the guardian of her virginity?

O Mary! Tell me, what is this profound mystery?

The Desired of the eternal hills, the Emmanuel for whom all the patriarchs have sighed, sits on my knees and He looks at me, His poor, unworthy servant.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Pious Recreation 6, The Flight into Egypt (folio 1r–v)

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Featured image: Christ in the Carpenter’s Shop was executed by French artist Trophime Bigot between the years 1600 and 1650. This oil on canvas artwork hangs in the Cumberland bedchamber of Hampton Court Palace, which is located southwest of Central London.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How is God inviting me to serve Him today through hidden, ordinary work done with love?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedVirginMary #ChildJesus #fosterFather #Guardian #StJoseph #StJosephTheWorker #StThérèseOfLisieux #work

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 8: Pleasing to God

SCRIPTURE READING
Wisdom 4:10–11

There were some who pleased God and were loved by him,
and while living among sinners were taken up.
They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding
or guile deceive their souls.

READING
RP6 9r

You are not dreaming. The sublime mysteries Mary has just revealed to you are the simple truth: if you knew how to grasp them, far from unjustly amassing perishable riches, you would esteem poverty as the greatest of treasures. You would seek only what would make your soul pleasing to God.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#inspiration #mysteries #novena #PiousRecreation #poverty #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #treasures #VirginMary

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 8: Pleasing to God

SCRIPTURE READING
Wisdom 4:10–11

There were some who pleased God and were loved by him,
and while living among sinners were taken up.
They were caught up so that evil might not change their understanding
or guile deceive their souls.

READING
RP6 9r

You are not dreaming. The sublime mysteries Mary has just revealed to you are the simple truth: if you knew how to grasp them, far from unjustly amassing perishable riches, you would esteem poverty as the greatest of treasures. You would seek only what would make your soul pleasing to God.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#inspiration #mysteries #novena #PiousRecreation #poverty #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #treasures #VirginMary

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 7: Happiness

SCRIPTURE READING
Sirach 26:3–4

A good wife is a great blessing;
    she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,
    and at all times his face is cheerful.

READING
RP6 6r

It is not poverty that we flee. Happiness does not consist in having wealth, but in humbly submitting your will to that of God, who gives each person what He knows to be necessary for the salvation of his soul.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#GodSWill #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #poverty #prayer #refugees #salvation #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #wealth

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 7: Happiness

SCRIPTURE READING
Sirach 26:3–4

A good wife is a great blessing;
    she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,
    and at all times his face is cheerful.

READING
RP6 6r

It is not poverty that we flee. Happiness does not consist in having wealth, but in humbly submitting your will to that of God, who gives each person what He knows to be necessary for the salvation of his soul.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#GodSWill #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #poverty #prayer #refugees #salvation #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #wealth

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 7: Happiness

SCRIPTURE READING
Sirach 26:3–4

A good wife is a great blessing;
    she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,
    and at all times his face is cheerful.

READING
RP6 6r

It is not poverty that we flee. Happiness does not consist in having wealth, but in humbly submitting your will to that of God, who gives each person what He knows to be necessary for the salvation of his soul.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#GodSWill #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #poverty #prayer #refugees #salvation #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #wealth

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 7: Happiness

SCRIPTURE READING
Sirach 26:3–4

A good wife is a great blessing;
    she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,
    and at all times his face is cheerful.

READING
RP6 6r

It is not poverty that we flee. Happiness does not consist in having wealth, but in humbly submitting your will to that of God, who gives each person what He knows to be necessary for the salvation of his soul.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#GodSWill #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #poverty #prayer #refugees #salvation #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #wealth

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 5: He knows

SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 37:18–19

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
    and their heritage will abide forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times,
    in the days of famine they have abundance.

READING
RP 6 2r

Mary, wake up, for the life of Jesus is in danger.

Yes, in his sweet sleep, the King of Heaven seems to ignore the message of one of his angels… However, He knows everything… O Mary! why doesn’t Jesus speak to you Himself? Why am I in charge of transmitting the orders of Heaven to the Mother of my God?… 

Herod is determined to put the Child to death. We must leave within the hour; tomorrow may be too late…

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#Herod #InfantJesus #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #refugees #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #VirginMary

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 2: He looks

SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 34:15

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.

READING
RP 6 1v

Little Child! How sweet Your smile is!… Is it really true that I, the poor carpenter Joseph, have the happiness of holding in my arms the King of Heaven, the Savior of humanity?… Is it true that I have the sublime mission of being the foster father to Him whose presence satisfies the ardent seraphim and who nourishes every creature? Is it true that I am the spouse of the Mother of God, the guardian of her virginity?… O Mary! Tell me, what is this profound mystery?… The Desired of the eternal hills, the Emmanuel for whom all the patriarchs have sighed, sits on my knees and He looks at me, His poor, unworthy servant.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

#fosterFather #gaze #Guardian #InfantJesus #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux

St. Joseph Novena 2025: Introduction

To the land of Egypt you must quickly go.
Joseph, this very night, depart in silence.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Like Mary, Joseph too received an annunciation. In fact, at every pivotal moment of his life, it is God who speaks. Usually, God’s word initiates a dialogue; for Joseph, it is indeed a dialogue with his God, but his response is silent—he speaks through his actions. The word of God sets the rhythm of his life; he is accustomed to it, and he always begins by listening. This is his way of worshiping the Lord and belonging to Him. In this way, he instinctively assumes the posture of a servant, expressing his submission in advance, without a word.

Yet he knows from experience that the word of God draws him ever more deeply into mystery. He is astonished by what happens to him, but he immediately hides in silence every event whose significance escapes him. Mystery enters his life, just as it enters ours, but he welcomes it without trying to deny, diminish, or eliminate it—waiting only for God to give it meaning through a new word. Without letting any part of the mystery be lost, he gives his yes in advance to the liberating word that will inevitably come.

And when that word does come, it demands even greater faith: “Do not be afraid,” says the Lord. Yet, from a human perspective, there was so much to fear—such as Herod’s threat! “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt!” (Mt 2:13). Flee, Joseph!—But for how long, Lord?—“Until I tell you…” Until another word comes!—But then, it won’t be final? I won’t be able to plan the future for Mary or the child?—“Stay in Egypt until I tell you.”—So I won’t be able to settle there?—“Joseph, your true place is wherever Jesus lives, wherever you accompany Mary…”

And Joseph rises, because the word of God, despite the night of faith, is stronger than all opposing evidence. He takes the child and his mother by night—the child who sleeps and the mother who shivers—and he sets out.

As for us, we are willing to take Jesus and Mary, but not if it means entering the night, not if it means walking into exile, not if it means continuing our exodus—from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from Bethlehem to Egypt, and from Egypt to God knows where—because we have our own ideas about the life that suits us.

Everything rests in the hand of God, and all initiative belongs to Him. At the same time, Joseph remains completely free, yet his listening already signals his consent. “Here I am,” say the men of the Bible. Joseph, for his part, places himself before God; he listens, and that is enough. His yes is not only immediate but already contained within his listening. The word of God gives rhythm to his entire existence and enables him to pass through dangers and dead ends with serenity. He is open to receiving everything from the hand of his God.

This is the attitude we need!

Father Jean Lévêque, o.c.d.

2017 Carmelite Online Retreat (excerpt)

PRAY EACH DAY WITH ST JOSEPH

Day One — Service

Day Two — He looks

Day Three — Workman

Day Four — God’s heart 

Day Five — He knows

Day Six — If you knew 

Day Seven — Happiness

Day Eight — Pleasing to God

Day Nine — Mercy 

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Tribute to Frère Jean Lévêque, OCD (1930–2024)

Frère Jean Lévêque, a distinguished Discalced Carmelite friar of the Paris Province, passed away on June 11, 2024, at the age of 93. Born on August 30, 1930, he entered the Carmelite Order in 1955, dedicating nearly seven decades to a life of contemplative prayer, scholarly pursuit, pastoral care, and musical composition.

Renowned for his profound biblical scholarship, Frère Jean held degrees in Oriental studies and theology, including a doctorate focusing on the Book of Job. He taught Old Testament exegesis and Oriental languages, primarily at the Institut Catholique de Paris from 1974 to 1990.

In addition to his academic and pastoral contributions, Frère Jean was an accomplished musician. His musical sensibility led him to compose hymns and liturgical offices, enriching the celebration of the liturgy within the Carmelite community and beyond.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

Featured image: Detail from Saint Joseph’s second dream, stained glass window in the Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris, France. The photographer, Zvonimir Atletić, is the renowned Croatian photojournalist who first met St. Teresa of Calcutta in 1977, capturing images of her work in Calcutta. Over the years, he accompanied her on several occasions, documenting her mission in Croatia and India. Atletić is considered one of the photographers who had the most opportunities to capture Mother Teresa’s dedication to the poor and abandoned. His black-and-white images, described by the Croatian Photography Center as enveloped in a “sacred silence,” open a space for dialogue with the Creator.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Edith Stein and St. Joseph.

LET US UNITE IN PRAYER

#inspiration #intercession #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux

St. Joseph Novena 2025: Introduction

To the land of Egypt you must quickly go.
Joseph, this very night, depart in silence.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Like Mary, Joseph too received an annunciation. In fact, at every pivotal moment of his life, it is God who speaks. Usually, God’s word initiates a dialogue; for Joseph, it is indeed a dialogue with his God, but his response is silent—he speaks through his actions. The word of God sets the rhythm of his life; he is accustomed to it, and he always begins by listening. This is his way of worshiping the Lord and belonging to Him. In this way, he instinctively assumes the posture of a servant, expressing his submission in advance, without a word.

Yet he knows from experience that the word of God draws him ever more deeply into mystery. He is astonished by what happens to him, but he immediately hides in silence every event whose significance escapes him. Mystery enters his life, just as it enters ours, but he welcomes it without trying to deny, diminish, or eliminate it—waiting only for God to give it meaning through a new word. Without letting any part of the mystery be lost, he gives his yes in advance to the liberating word that will inevitably come.

And when that word does come, it demands even greater faith: “Do not be afraid,” says the Lord. Yet, from a human perspective, there was so much to fear—such as Herod’s threat! “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt!” (Mt 2:13). Flee, Joseph!—But for how long, Lord?—“Until I tell you…” Until another word comes!—But then, it won’t be final? I won’t be able to plan the future for Mary or the child?—“Stay in Egypt until I tell you.”—So I won’t be able to settle there?—“Joseph, your true place is wherever Jesus lives, wherever you accompany Mary…”

And Joseph rises, because the word of God, despite the night of faith, is stronger than all opposing evidence. He takes the child and his mother by night—the child who sleeps and the mother who shivers—and he sets out.

As for us, we are willing to take Jesus and Mary, but not if it means entering the night, not if it means walking into exile, not if it means continuing our exodus—from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from Bethlehem to Egypt, and from Egypt to God knows where—because we have our own ideas about the life that suits us.

Everything rests in the hand of God, and all initiative belongs to Him. At the same time, Joseph remains completely free, yet his listening already signals his consent. “Here I am,” say the men of the Bible. Joseph, for his part, places himself before God; he listens, and that is enough. His yes is not only immediate but already contained within his listening. The word of God gives rhythm to his entire existence and enables him to pass through dangers and dead ends with serenity. He is open to receiving everything from the hand of his God.

This is the attitude we need!

Father Jean Lévêque, o.c.d.

2017 Carmelite Online Retreat (excerpt)

PRAY EACH DAY WITH ST JOSEPH

Day One — Service

Day Two — He looks

Day Three — Workman

Day Four — God’s heart 

Day Five — He knows

Day Six — If you knew 

Day Seven — Happiness

Day Eight — Pleasing to God

Day Nine — Mercy 

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Tribute to Frère Jean Lévêque, OCD (1930–2024)

Frère Jean Lévêque, a distinguished Discalced Carmelite friar of the Paris Province, passed away on June 11, 2024, at the age of 93. Born on August 30, 1930, he entered the Carmelite Order in 1955, dedicating nearly seven decades to a life of contemplative prayer, scholarly pursuit, pastoral care, and musical composition.

Renowned for his profound biblical scholarship, Frère Jean held degrees in Oriental studies and theology, including a doctorate focusing on the Book of Job. He taught Old Testament exegesis and Oriental languages, primarily at the Institut Catholique de Paris from 1974 to 1990.

In addition to his academic and pastoral contributions, Frère Jean was an accomplished musician. His musical sensibility led him to compose hymns and liturgical offices, enriching the celebration of the liturgy within the Carmelite community and beyond.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

Featured image: Detail from Saint Joseph’s second dream, stained glass window in the Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris, France. The photographer, Zvonimir Atletić, is the renowned Croatian photojournalist who first met St. Teresa of Calcutta in 1977, capturing images of her work in Calcutta. Over the years, he accompanied her on several occasions, documenting her mission in Croatia and India. Atletić is considered one of the photographers who had the most opportunities to capture Mother Teresa’s dedication to the poor and abandoned. His black-and-white images, described by the Croatian Photography Center as enveloped in a “sacred silence,” open a space for dialogue with the Creator.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Edith Stein and St. Joseph.

LET US UNITE IN PRAYER

#inspiration #intercession #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux

St. Joseph Novena 2025: Introduction

To the land of Egypt you must quickly go.
Joseph, this very night, depart in silence.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Like Mary, Joseph too received an annunciation. In fact, at every pivotal moment of his life, it is God who speaks. Usually, God’s word initiates a dialogue; for Joseph, it is indeed a dialogue with his God, but his response is silent—he speaks through his actions. The word of God sets the rhythm of his life; he is accustomed to it, and he always begins by listening. This is his way of worshiping the Lord and belonging to Him. In this way, he instinctively assumes the posture of a servant, expressing his submission in advance, without a word.

Yet he knows from experience that the word of God draws him ever more deeply into mystery. He is astonished by what happens to him, but he immediately hides in silence every event whose significance escapes him. Mystery enters his life, just as it enters ours, but he welcomes it without trying to deny, diminish, or eliminate it—waiting only for God to give it meaning through a new word. Without letting any part of the mystery be lost, he gives his yes in advance to the liberating word that will inevitably come.

And when that word does come, it demands even greater faith: “Do not be afraid,” says the Lord. Yet, from a human perspective, there was so much to fear—such as Herod’s threat! “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt!” (Mt 2:13). Flee, Joseph!—But for how long, Lord?—“Until I tell you…” Until another word comes!—But then, it won’t be final? I won’t be able to plan the future for Mary or the child?—“Stay in Egypt until I tell you.”—So I won’t be able to settle there?—“Joseph, your true place is wherever Jesus lives, wherever you accompany Mary…”

And Joseph rises, because the word of God, despite the night of faith, is stronger than all opposing evidence. He takes the child and his mother by night—the child who sleeps and the mother who shivers—and he sets out.

As for us, we are willing to take Jesus and Mary, but not if it means entering the night, not if it means walking into exile, not if it means continuing our exodus—from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from Bethlehem to Egypt, and from Egypt to God knows where—because we have our own ideas about the life that suits us.

Everything rests in the hand of God, and all initiative belongs to Him. At the same time, Joseph remains completely free, yet his listening already signals his consent. “Here I am,” say the men of the Bible. Joseph, for his part, places himself before God; he listens, and that is enough. His yes is not only immediate but already contained within his listening. The word of God gives rhythm to his entire existence and enables him to pass through dangers and dead ends with serenity. He is open to receiving everything from the hand of his God.

This is the attitude we need!

Father Jean Lévêque, o.c.d.

2017 Carmelite Online Retreat (excerpt)

PRAY EACH DAY WITH ST JOSEPH

Day One — Service

Day Two — He looks

Day Three — Workman

Day Four — God’s heart 

Day Five — He knows

Day Six — If you knew 

Day Seven — Happiness

Day Eight — Pleasing to God

Day Nine — Mercy 

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Tribute to Frère Jean Lévêque, OCD (1930–2024)

Frère Jean Lévêque, a distinguished Discalced Carmelite friar of the Paris Province, passed away on June 11, 2024, at the age of 93. Born on August 30, 1930, he entered the Carmelite Order in 1955, dedicating nearly seven decades to a life of contemplative prayer, scholarly pursuit, pastoral care, and musical composition.

Renowned for his profound biblical scholarship, Frère Jean held degrees in Oriental studies and theology, including a doctorate focusing on the Book of Job. He taught Old Testament exegesis and Oriental languages, primarily at the Institut Catholique de Paris from 1974 to 1990.

In addition to his academic and pastoral contributions, Frère Jean was an accomplished musician. His musical sensibility led him to compose hymns and liturgical offices, enriching the celebration of the liturgy within the Carmelite community and beyond.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

Featured image: Detail from Saint Joseph’s second dream, stained glass window in the Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris, France. The photographer, Zvonimir Atletić, is the renowned Croatian photojournalist who first met St. Teresa of Calcutta in 1977, capturing images of her work in Calcutta. Over the years, he accompanied her on several occasions, documenting her mission in Croatia and India. Atletić is considered one of the photographers who had the most opportunities to capture Mother Teresa’s dedication to the poor and abandoned. His black-and-white images, described by the Croatian Photography Center as enveloped in a “sacred silence,” open a space for dialogue with the Creator.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Edith Stein and St. Joseph.

LET US UNITE IN PRAYER

#inspiration #intercession #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux

St. Joseph Novena 2025: Introduction

To the land of Egypt you must quickly go.
Joseph, this very night, depart in silence.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Like Mary, Joseph too received an annunciation. In fact, at every pivotal moment of his life, it is God who speaks. Usually, God’s word initiates a dialogue; for Joseph, it is indeed a dialogue with his God, but his response is silent—he speaks through his actions. The word of God sets the rhythm of his life; he is accustomed to it, and he always begins by listening. This is his way of worshiping the Lord and belonging to Him. In this way, he instinctively assumes the posture of a servant, expressing his submission in advance, without a word.

Yet he knows from experience that the word of God draws him ever more deeply into mystery. He is astonished by what happens to him, but he immediately hides in silence every event whose significance escapes him. Mystery enters his life, just as it enters ours, but he welcomes it without trying to deny, diminish, or eliminate it—waiting only for God to give it meaning through a new word. Without letting any part of the mystery be lost, he gives his yes in advance to the liberating word that will inevitably come.

And when that word does come, it demands even greater faith: “Do not be afraid,” says the Lord. Yet, from a human perspective, there was so much to fear—such as Herod’s threat! “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt!” (Mt 2:13). Flee, Joseph!—But for how long, Lord?—“Until I tell you…” Until another word comes!—But then, it won’t be final? I won’t be able to plan the future for Mary or the child?—“Stay in Egypt until I tell you.”—So I won’t be able to settle there?—“Joseph, your true place is wherever Jesus lives, wherever you accompany Mary…”

And Joseph rises, because the word of God, despite the night of faith, is stronger than all opposing evidence. He takes the child and his mother by night—the child who sleeps and the mother who shivers—and he sets out.

As for us, we are willing to take Jesus and Mary, but not if it means entering the night, not if it means walking into exile, not if it means continuing our exodus—from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from Bethlehem to Egypt, and from Egypt to God knows where—because we have our own ideas about the life that suits us.

Everything rests in the hand of God, and all initiative belongs to Him. At the same time, Joseph remains completely free, yet his listening already signals his consent. “Here I am,” say the men of the Bible. Joseph, for his part, places himself before God; he listens, and that is enough. His yes is not only immediate but already contained within his listening. The word of God gives rhythm to his entire existence and enables him to pass through dangers and dead ends with serenity. He is open to receiving everything from the hand of his God.

This is the attitude we need!

Father Jean Lévêque, o.c.d.

2017 Carmelite Online Retreat (excerpt)

PRAY EACH DAY WITH ST JOSEPH

Day One — Service

Day Two — He looks

Day Three — Workman

Day Four — God’s heart 

Day Five — He knows

Day Six — If you knew 

Day Seven — Happiness

Day Eight — Pleasing to God

Day Nine — Mercy 

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Tribute to Frère Jean Lévêque, OCD (1930–2024)

Frère Jean Lévêque, a distinguished Discalced Carmelite friar of the Paris Province, passed away on June 11, 2024, at the age of 93. Born on August 30, 1930, he entered the Carmelite Order in 1955, dedicating nearly seven decades to a life of contemplative prayer, scholarly pursuit, pastoral care, and musical composition.

Renowned for his profound biblical scholarship, Frère Jean held degrees in Oriental studies and theology, including a doctorate focusing on the Book of Job. He taught Old Testament exegesis and Oriental languages, primarily at the Institut Catholique de Paris from 1974 to 1990.

In addition to his academic and pastoral contributions, Frère Jean was an accomplished musician. His musical sensibility led him to compose hymns and liturgical offices, enriching the celebration of the liturgy within the Carmelite community and beyond.

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.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

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

Featured image: Detail from Saint Joseph’s second dream, stained glass window in the Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris, France. The photographer, Zvonimir Atletić, is the renowned Croatian photojournalist who first met St. Teresa of Calcutta in 1977, capturing images of her work in Calcutta. Over the years, he accompanied her on several occasions, documenting her mission in Croatia and India. Atletić is considered one of the photographers who had the most opportunities to capture Mother Teresa’s dedication to the poor and abandoned. His black-and-white images, described by the Croatian Photography Center as enveloped in a “sacred silence,” open a space for dialogue with the Creator.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Edith Stein and St. Joseph.

LET US UNITE IN PRAYER

#inspiration #intercession #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 5 February: St. Thérèse

You have hidden me forever in your Face!…
Divine Jesus, deign to hear my voice.
I have come to sing the inexpressible grace
Of having suffered…of having born the Cross…

For a long time I have drunk from the chalice of tears.
I have shared your cup of sorrows,
And I have understood that suffering has its charms,
That by the Cross we save sinners.

It is by the Cross that my ennobled soul
Has seen a new horizon revealed.
Under the rays of your Blessed Face,
My weak heart has been raised up very high.

My Beloved, your sweet voice calls me:
“Come,” you said to me, “already the winter has fled.
A new season is beginning for you.
At last day is taking the place of night.

Raise your eyes to your Holy Homeland,
And on thrones of honor you will see
A beloved Father…a dear Mother
To whom you owe your immense happiness!…

Your life will pass like an instant.
On Carmel we are very near Heaven.
My beloved, my love has chosen you.
I have reserved a glorious throne for you!….”

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

PN 16, Song of Gratitude of Jesus’s Fiancée

Note: On 5 February 1895, Céline Martin was clothed in the Carmelite habit and began her novitiate in the Carmel of Lisieux. St. Thérèse wrote the Song of Gratitude of Jesus’s Fiancée as a gift for her sister’s clothing.

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

Featured image: These are images of the note marking the day of Céline Martin’s clothing in the Carmelite habit, receiving the name “Geneviève of St. Teresa.” Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

#CarmelOfLisieux #CelineMartin #Clothing #monasticLife #novitiate #religiousLife #SrGenevièveOfTheHolyFace #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 28 December: St. Thérèse

Saint Joseph gets up at once and taps lightly at the door of the little room where Mary is at rest.

SAINT JOSEPH

Mary, wake up, for the life of Jesus is in danger.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN, entering with little Jesus

Joseph, sleep in peace, no danger threatens the Divine Child. See how He is resting peacefully in my arms.

SAINT JOSEPH

Yes, in His sweet sleep, the King of the Heavens seems to be unaware of the message of one of His angels…. Still, He knows everything… O, Mary! Why doesn’t Jesus speak to you Himself? Why am I charged with delivering Heaven’s orders to the Mother of my God?…

THE BLESSED VIRGIN

Don’t be afraid. Speak. You are God’s representative, the head of the family; tell me what the angel ordered you on behalf of the Lord. I am entirely ready to obey.

SAINT JOSEPH

He is ordering us to flee into Egypt, because Herod is determined to put the Child to death. We must leave within the hour; tomorrow may be too late…. (He looks at Mary with a sad expression.)

THE BLESSED VIRGIN

Don’t be troubled, Joseph. Since the day of the presentation of Jesus in the temple, I’ve been continually prepared to be put to the test, for the words of the holy elder Simeon pierced my soul with a sword of sorrow. Already his prophesy is coming true; Jesus is suffering persecution before He is even old enough to defend Himself. I know that if He willed it, a single word from His infant lips would suffice to wipe out all His enemies; however, He chooses to flee from a weak mortal, since He is the Prince of peace….

The Word made Child will not crush the half-broken reed, He will not extinguish a wick that is still burning. If He is rejected by those of His own heritage, that will not stop Him from giving His life for poor sinners who fail to recognize the time of His visit….. Let us leave without fear, let us go sanctify an infidel shore with the presence of the Savior.

SAINT JOSEPH

Alas, how it costs me to expose you to the weariness and danger of so long and difficult a journey. How happy I’d be if I were permitted to take all the pain on myself… But I must resign myself to seeing you soon deprived of everything. Here we have the necessities; in Egypt, we will be reduced to the most extreme poverty.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN

The poverty we’ll find in exile doesn’t frighten me, since we will always have the Treasure that makes up the wealth of Heaven. His Divine Providence, which feeds the little birds without forgetting a single one, will give us our daily bread.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

The Flight into Egypt (RP 6), Act I, Scene 4

Note: The Flight into Egypt was written for performance at the evening recreation on the feast day of her sister Pauline—Mother Agnès of Jesus—21 January 1896.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Featured image: Le Repos pendant la fuite en Égypte (Rest on the Flight into Egypt) is an oil on canvas painting executed in 1879 by Luc-Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920). This artwork is an 1879 variant of Merson’s original painting, Le Repos en Égypte, which was exhibited in the Salon—the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris in May 1879. Image credit: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

#BlessedVirginMary #DivineProvidence #Egypt #HolyInnocents #migrants #persecution #poverty #PrinceOfPeace #StJoseph #StThérèseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 10 December: Thomas Merton

O God, My God! Why am I so mute? I long to cry out and out to Thee, over and over, and Thou art nameless and infinite. All our names for Thee are not Thy name, infinite Trinity.

But Thy Word is Jesus, and I cry the name of Thy Son and live in the love of His heart and believe, if He wills, He will bring me the answer to my only prayer: that I may renounce everything and belong entirely to the Lord!

Saint Theresa, Little Flower, never cease praying for me! 

J.M.J.T.

Thomas Merton

Part Three: St. Bonaventure’s, New York
5 December 1941

Note: Merton expert Fiona Gardner discusses Thomas Merton’s relationship with St. Thérèse of Lisieux in her 2012 article, “A Tremendous Experience”: The Influence of St. Thérèse of Lisieux on the Spirituality of Thomas Merton, which was published by the International Thomas Merton Society in its scholarly journal, The Merton Seasonal: A Quarterly Review. Thomas Merton was killed on 10 December 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Merton T & Hart P 1995, Run to the mountain: the story of a vocation, 1st edn, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco.

Featured image: Father M. Louis (Thomas) Merton, O.C.S.O. is seen at his desk in the front room of his hermitage on the grounds of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Nelson County, Kentucky. In the background, a statue of St. Thérèse is illuminated by light streaming through a stained glass window of a French church. Image credits: Father Merton, Merton Center / Wikimedia Commons (fair use); St. Thérèse, Franck / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

#discernment #HolyTrinity #infinite #intercession #prayer #sacrifice #StThereseOfLisieux #ThomasMerton #vocation #willOfGod

Quote of the day, 10 December: Thomas Merton

O God, My God! Why am I so mute? I long to cry out and out to Thee, over and over, and Thou art nameless and infinite. All our names for Thee are not Thy name, infinite Trinity.

But Thy Word is Jesus, and I cry the name of Thy Son and live in the love of His heart and believe, if He wills, He will bring me the answer to my only prayer: that I may renounce everything and belong entirely to the Lord!

Saint Theresa, Little Flower, never cease praying for me! 

J.M.J.T.

Thomas Merton

Part Three: St. Bonaventure’s, New York
5 December 1941

Note: Merton expert Fiona Gardner discusses Thomas Merton’s relationship with St. Thérèse of Lisieux in her 2012 article, “A Tremendous Experience”: The Influence of St. Thérèse of Lisieux on the Spirituality of Thomas Merton, which was published by the International Thomas Merton Society in its scholarly journal, The Merton Seasonal: A Quarterly Review. Thomas Merton was killed on 10 December 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Merton T & Hart P 1995, Run to the mountain: the story of a vocation, 1st edn, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco.

Featured image: Father M. Louis (Thomas) Merton, O.C.S.O. is seen at his desk in the front room of his hermitage on the grounds of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Nelson County, Kentucky. In the background, a statue of St. Thérèse is illuminated by light streaming through a stained glass window of a French church. Image credits: Father Merton, Merton Center / Wikimedia Commons (fair use); St. Thérèse, Franck / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

#discernment #HolyTrinity #infinite #intercession #prayer #sacrifice #StThereseOfLisieux #ThomasMerton #vocation #willOfGod

Quote of the day, 10 December: Thomas Merton

O God, My God! Why am I so mute? I long to cry out and out to Thee, over and over, and Thou art nameless and infinite. All our names for Thee are not Thy name, infinite Trinity.

But Thy Word is Jesus, and I cry the name of Thy Son and live in the love of His heart and believe, if He wills, He will bring me the answer to my only prayer: that I may renounce everything and belong entirely to the Lord!

Saint Theresa, Little Flower, never cease praying for me! 

J.M.J.T.

Thomas Merton

Part Three: St. Bonaventure’s, New York
5 December 1941

Note: Merton expert Fiona Gardner discusses Thomas Merton’s relationship with St. Thérèse of Lisieux in her 2012 article, “A Tremendous Experience”: The Influence of St. Thérèse of Lisieux on the Spirituality of Thomas Merton, which was published by the International Thomas Merton Society in its scholarly journal, The Merton Seasonal: A Quarterly Review. Thomas Merton was killed on 10 December 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Merton T & Hart P 1995, Run to the mountain: the story of a vocation, 1st edn, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco.

Featured image: Father M. Louis (Thomas) Merton, O.C.S.O. is seen at his desk in the front room of his hermitage on the grounds of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Nelson County, Kentucky. In the background, a statue of St. Thérèse is illuminated by light streaming through a stained glass window of a French church. Image credits: Father Merton, Merton Center / Wikimedia Commons (fair use); St. Thérèse, Franck / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

#discernment #HolyTrinity #infinite #intercession #prayer #sacrifice #StThereseOfLisieux #ThomasMerton #vocation #willOfGod

READING

When the blue Sky becomes somber
And begins to abandon me,
My joy is to stay in the shadow
To hide and humble myself.
My joy is the Holy Will
Of Jesus, my only love,
So I live without any fear.
I love the night as much as the day.

PN 45, Stanza 3

REFLECTION

What do you do when life feels dark or uncertain? St. Thérèse teaches us that true joy is not dependent on circumstances. Even when the sky becomes somber, she found joy in staying humble and trusting the Holy Will of Jesus. Her love for Him gave her the courage to live without fear, embracing both the night and the day. Today, reflect on how you respond when life feels uncertain or dark. Ask St. Thérèse to help you trust God’s will, finding peace and joy even in the shadows.

NOVENA PRAYER

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus,
remember your promise to do good on earth;
send your shower of roses in abundance
on those who call upon you,
and obtain for us from God the graces
we are waiting to receive from His infinite goodness.

mention your intentions here

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever. Amen.

We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for the vast majority of our quotes concerning Saint Thérèse, Saint Zélie, and Saint Louis Martin. If you would like to purchase English translations for the collected works of St. Thérèse, please visit the website of our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications. 

Thérèse of Lisieux, S 1995, The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, translated from the French by Kinney, D, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/24/tejnovena24-4/

#darkness #fearless #hidden #humility #Jesus #joy #love #night #novena #shadows #StThereseOfLisieux #TheLittleFlower #willOfGod

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

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

In giving thanks to God—together with all of you, beginning with the Most Eminent and Venerable Brother Archbishop Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe—for the great gift to the Church of Naples, the new Blessed Maria Giuseppina of Jesus Crucified, Thomas Merton’s reflection comes to mind. He stated: “There is no member of the Church who does not owe something to Carmel,” which finds further confirmation in this Solemn Rite [Merton, 1951].

Indeed, today the Church of Naples owes to Carmel, as a place and school of holiness, not only the precious gift of one of its daughters elevated to the honor of the altars, but also the most authoritative reminder of the universal vocation to holiness, its irreplaceable value, and its perennial relevance.

As the Representative of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI in presiding over today’s beatification, I feel honored and delighted to witness the marvelous works of God, and even more so to admire His masterpieces, which are always the saints and the blessed. This venerable archdiocese, with its considerable and growing number of Blesseds and Saints, offers them to the admiration of the entire Church.

The great, biblical words of the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, addressed precisely to the Discalced Carmelite friars [during a general audience on July 11, 1973], fit like a glove: “You are ‘sons of saints,’ look carefully at the immense spiritual inheritance that is handed down to you…” [Original text: Vos estis «filii sanctorum» (Tob 2:18): immensam intuemini hereditatem spiritualem] Words that I like to apply to the men and women brought forth in the faith in this Neapolitan Church.

Yes, dear people of Naples, you too are children of saints: from them we learn to elevate the horizons of hope to heavenly realities, without setting aside our commitment to building up the earthly city, despite all its urgent and disturbing problems. The more we contemplate the Lord among His Saints, entering into living communion with Him, the stronger the hope within us grows for an active and effective commitment to improving and changing the world around us.

Looking particularly at the story and message of Blessed Giuseppina, we better understand the inescapable need for the contemplative dimension in the life of every Christian. Her example also shows us the concrete way to cultivate it. Her existence was a true school of charity, both toward her fellow sisters and toward the vast field of the apostolate, which she, though a cloistered nun, cultivated solely to make people love the Lord more. She, too, like St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, did not want “to be a saint by halves” [cf. LT 247 to Abbé Bellière], albeit with her peculiarities and mystical gifts, and various extraordinary spiritual experiences.

Everything is summed up in a phrase that constituted the unifying program of the Blessed’s entire life: “I want to live by feeding on God’s will… I want my will to be united with God’s will as one.” And again in her Diary: “I ardently desire to live in the will of God; I know that saints are made in this way, and I want to make myself saintly to give glory to God.”

Such a program must be the great aspiration of every Christian, in full conformity with the word of Christ, the One, Supreme Model: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work” (Jn 4:34), because “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 Jn 2:17).

I end with the great honor of sharing with you the special apostolic blessing and greeting of Benedict XVI, who, as he has shown, carries Naples, this Church, its Venerable Pastor, and all the members of the People of God in his heart. I entrust you to the powerful intercession of the new Blessed, that she may protect you all and lead you on the path of holiness.

José Cardinal Saraiva Martins

Prefect, Congregation of the Causes of the Saints
Homily, Mass of Beatification of Blessed Maria Giuseppina
1 June 2008, Cathedral of St. Januarius, Naples

Note: Cardinal Saraiva Martins opens his homily with a quote from Thomas Merton. This quote is from the Author’s Note before the Prologue of Merton’s book, The Ascent to Truth. In context, Merton wrote: “There is no member of the Church who does not owe something to Carmel. But there are few who owe more to the saints of Carmel and to its Queen than does the author. Above all, this book was written, so to speak, under her direction and tutelage.”
Later in the homily, Cardinal Saraiva Martins quotes Blessed Maria Giuseppina, who said: “I want my will to be united with God’s will as one.” The Blessed uses the Italian word impasto, which literally translates to “dough” or “paste.” In the context of Blessed Giuseppina’s writings, impasto metaphorically conveys a deep, active blending and molding of one’s will with God’s will, much like the process of kneading dough until it becomes a cohesive, unified substance. This vivid imagery emphasizes the dynamic and transformative nature of aligning oneself completely with the divine will.

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

Featured image: This is a detail from an artist’s rendering of a well-known photo of Blessed Maria Giuseppina, who was captured seated outdoors, smiling broadly. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/31/giuseppina-1jun08homily/

#beatification #BlessedMariaGiuseppinaOfJesusCrucified #CardinalJoséSaraivaMartins #DiscalcedCarmelites #GiuseppinaCatanea #homily #Naples #sanctity #StThérèseOfLisieux #ThomasMerton #unionWithGod #willOfGod

O My God! Most Blessed Trinity, I desire to Love you and make you Loved, to work for the glory of Holy Church by saving souls on earth and liberating those suffering in purgatory. I desire to accomplish your will perfectly and to reach the degree of glory you have prepared for me in your kingdom. I desire, in a word, to be a Saint, but I feel my helplessness and I beg you, O my God! to be yourself my Sanctity!

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Prayer 6, Act of Oblation to Merciful Love (excerpt)

Note: We recall the realization of St. Thérèse’s desires on 17 May 1925 when she was canonized by Pope Pius XI in St. Peter’s Basilica. You can view photos of the canonization celebrations in Lisieux and Rome on the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux.

Thérèse, Gaucher, G & Kane, A 1997. The Prayers of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: The Act of Oblation, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Featured image: This glorious image from Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome was captured by photographer Edgar Chaparro. Image credit: Edgar Chaparro / Unsplash (Stock photo)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/16/tej-17may25/

#anniversary #canonization #church #desire #freedom #glory #God #greatSaints #helplessness #love #purgatory #sanctity #saveSouls #StThérèseOfLisieux

My father and mother had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. That’s why they gave the name Mary to all their children, both boys and girls.

Before he married, my father placed a statue of the Blessed Virgin on a path in his garden, and later it would become very dear to the whole family. It was this very statue that was in Thérèse’s childhood bedroom and which came to life and smiled at her when she was very sick.

Praying at the foot of the same statue, my mother was granted very great favors.

Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart, O.C.D. (Marie Martin)

Witness 7 for the Apostolic Process

We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for the vast majority of our quotes concerning Saint Thérèse, Saint Zélie, and Saint Louis Martin. If you would like to purchase English translations for the collected works of St. Thérèse, please visit the website of our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications. 

Featured image: The gold vermeil statue of Our Lady, nicknamed “Notre-Dame de Vieille Vaisselle” (Our Lady of Old Silverware), graces the choir of the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Image credit: JFBRUNEAU / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/14/mdj2024-ep15/

#bedroom #familyLife #garden #MarianDevotion #MarieMartin #miracle #prayer #StLouisMartin #StThérèseOfLisieux #StZélieMartin #statue #VirginOfTheSmile

Who can possibly say what I felt last night? … from time to time I woke up and looked to see if the dawn was breaking, then I fell asleep and in the placid sleep I seemed to hear a harmony of heaven, a song of Angels … and my heart, purified by the most precious blood of the Nazarene, enjoyed these heavenly delights […] The little birds with their songful trills announced the dawn of a day, dear to my heart; one of those most beautiful and unforgettable days of my life … Wrapped in a cloud of incense that seemed to hide me from creation, I approached the Banquet of Angels for the first time … As soon as I received the white Host in my palpitating heart, everything disappeared … I thought I was in Heaven enjoying the embraces of the good Lord … I felt Jesus’ delicate and tender kiss of love brushing against my forehead like a lily petal … indeed I was lost like an atom in the air, or rather like a dewdrop thrown into the ocean. My exiled heart seemed to break, and to fly away into the bosom of Eternal love … so that I knew not whether it was the heart of the good Jesus that throbbed in me, or mine lost in Him.

Blessed Elia of Saint Clement

From the writings of Blessed Elia

Note: Blessed Elia of St. Clement, a Discalced Carmelite nun, received her First Communion on 8 May 1911 at age 10 after a long preparation. The night before, she dreamed of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus who predicted: “You will be a nun like me.”

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

Featured image: Blessed Elia of St. Clement holds her profession cross in this photo from the Carmel of St. Joseph in Bari, Italy. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/07/elia-1commu/

#BlessedEliaOfStClement #CarmelOfBari #FirstCommunion #love #spiritualChildhood #StThereseOfLisieux #TeodoraFracasso

St. Thérèse was clothed in the Discalced Carmelite habit in the Carmel of Lisieux #onthisday in 1889. Visit our blog and read her reflection on the Carmelite vocation and a brief commentary by Conrad de Meester, OCD

🌹 http://carmelitequotes.blog

#StThereseOfLisieux #vocation #investiture #clothing #Carmelite #habit #novice #novitiate #monastery #Lisieux #Catholic #quotes #ConradDeMeester #DiscalcedCarmelites

St. Thérèse was clothed in the Discalced Carmelite habit in the Carmel of Lisieux #onthisday in 1889. Visit our blog and read her reflection on the Carmelite vocation and a brief commentary by Conrad de Meester, OCD

🌹 http://carmelitequotes.blog

#StThereseOfLisieux #vocation #investiture #clothing #Carmelite #habit #novice #novitiate #monastery #Lisieux #Catholic #quotes #ConradDeMeester #DiscalcedCarmelites

St. Thérèse was clothed in the Discalced Carmelite habit in the Carmel of Lisieux #onthisday in 1889. Visit our blog and read her reflection on the Carmelite vocation and a brief commentary by Conrad de Meester, OCD

🌹 http://carmelitequotes.blog

#StThereseOfLisieux #vocation #investiture #clothing #Carmelite #habit #novice #novitiate #monastery #Lisieux #Catholic #quotes #ConradDeMeester #DiscalcedCarmelites

To celebrate the anniversary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux's birth on 2 January 1873, we offer three reflections based on the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Day 1 reflection focuses on the symbolism of flowers.

🌹 Join us in prayer on the blog
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/12/30/tej-triduum1/

#stthereseoflisieux #birthday #150years #inspiration #devotion #reflection #prayer #quotes #questions #flowers #symbolism #catholic #carmelite

To celebrate the anniversary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux's birth on 2 January 1873, we offer three reflections based on the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Day 1 reflection focuses on the symbolism of flowers.

🌹 Join us in prayer on the blog
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/12/30/tej-triduum1/

#stthereseoflisieux #birthday #150years #inspiration #devotion #reflection #prayer #quotes #questions #flowers #symbolism #catholic #carmelite

To celebrate the anniversary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux's birth on 2 January 1873, we offer three reflections based on the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Day 1 reflection focuses on the symbolism of flowers.

🌹 Join us in prayer on the blog
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/12/30/tej-triduum1/

#stthereseoflisieux #birthday #150years #inspiration #devotion #reflection #prayer #quotes #questions #flowers #symbolism #catholic #carmelite

@Aslanmane @EnricoilLeone
I got a similar sob story when I asked #chatgpt to tell me more about St Therese. What a sad excuse! 😂
#stthereseoflisieux #ai #catholic #carmelite

@aprilfiet
Here's a Carmelite quote that speaks to me when that anxiety hits: "when I start thinking about tomorrow, I'm afraid of my fickle nature; I feel sadness and worry take hold in my heart... but I really want to be faithful to you, God, in the midst of suffering and trials like this. I've only got today."

Take what you like and leave the rest. I'll go light a candle for you now.
#StThereseOfLisieux #Carmelite #quote

After Pope Leo XIII's encounter with St. Thérèse on 20 November 1887, her sister Céline wrote to Marie in the Lisieux Carmel to explain everything. Pauline then wrote to her father, St. Louis Martin on 23 November, saying: the Pope “saw the halo that already circles your forehead.”

Read the exchange of letters between Céline, Marie, Pauline and her father on our blog:
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/11/22/pauline-23nov1887/

#carmelite #catholic #StLouisMartin #StThérèseOfLisieux #PopeLeoXIII
#Vatican

After Pope Leo XIII's encounter with St. Thérèse on 20 November 1887, her sister Céline wrote to Marie in the Lisieux Carmel to explain everything. Pauline then wrote to her father, St. Louis Martin on 23 November, saying: the Pope “saw the halo that already circles your forehead.”

Read the exchange of letters between Céline, Marie, Pauline and her father on our blog:
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/11/22/pauline-23nov1887/

#carmelite #catholic #StLouisMartin #StThérèseOfLisieux #PopeLeoXIII
#Vatican

After Pope Leo XIII's encounter with St. Thérèse on 20 November 1887, her sister Céline wrote to Marie in the Lisieux Carmel to explain everything. Pauline then wrote to her father, St. Louis Martin on 23 November, saying: the Pope “saw the halo that already circles your forehead.”

Read the exchange of letters between Céline, Marie, Pauline and her father on our blog:
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/11/22/pauline-23nov1887/

#carmelite #catholic #StLouisMartin #StThérèseOfLisieux #PopeLeoXIII
#Vatican