Category: @Pontifex

Quote of the day: 4 November

Celebration of the Word
in Honor of St. John of the Cross
Homily of St. John Paul II (excerpts)

 

Brothers and sisters: in my own words I wanted to pay a tribute of gratitude to Saint John of the Cross, theologian and mystic, poet and artist, a “heavenly and divine man”— as Saint Teresa of Jesus called him—a friend of the poor and a wise spiritual director of souls. He is the father and spiritual teacher of the entire Teresian Carmel, the forger of that living faith that shines in the most eminent children of Carmel: Thérèse of Lisieux, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Rafael Kalinowski, Edith Stein.

I ask the daughters of John of the Cross, the Discalced Carmelite nuns: may you know how to live the contemplative essence of that pure love that is eminently fruitful for the Church (cf. Spiritual Canticle, 29, 2-3). I recommend to his sons, the Discalced Carmelite friars, faithful guardians of this convent, who operate the Spirituality Center dedicated to the Saint, fidelity to his doctrine and dedication to the spiritual direction of souls, as well as to the study and deepening of spiritual theology.

For all the children of Spain and this noble land of Segovia, as a guarantee of ecclesial revitalization, I leave these beautiful slogans of Saint John of the Cross that have universal appeal: clairvoyance in intelligence to live the faith: “One human thought alone is worth more than the entire world, hence God alone is worthy of it.”(Sayings of light and love, 35). Courage in the will to exercise charity: “where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love” (Letter 26, to M. María de la Encarnación). A solid and enthusiastic faith, that constantly moves us truly to love God and man; because at the end of life, “when evening comes, you will be examined in love” (Sayings of light and love, 60).

 

Segovia_-_Convento_de_los_Carmelitas_Descalzos,_Capilla_de_San_Juan_de_la_Cruz,_Sepulcro_del_santo_1
Tomb of St. John of the Cross | Zarateman / Wikimedia Commons

 

Read the original text of Saint John Paul II’s homily here

This English translation is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
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Vives con Cristo en la gloria: San Juan Pablo II en Alba de Tormes

Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas, hijos e hijas de Santa Teresa:

1. Nos hallamos congregados junto al sepulcro que guarda, como precioso tesoro, las insignes reliquias del cuerpo de Santa Teresa de Jesús.

Al clausurar solemnemente este IV centenario, abierto hace un año por el cardenal Enviado especial mío, quiero que mis palabras sean una evocación y una plegaria dirigida a Teresa de Jesús, presente entre nosotros en la comunión de los santos.

2. Ante todo, la evocación de aquella muerte gloriosa.

¡Teresa de Jesús! Quiero recordar las palabras de los últimos instantes de tu vida:

La humilde confesión de tus faltas: “Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies” (Ps. 50, 19).

La exhortación a tus hijas a mantener intacta tu herencia espiritual, la fidelidad al carisma.

El deseo de ver a Dios: “Señor mío, tiempo es ya que nos juntemos; ya es tiempo de caminar”.

La gozosa profesión de fe: “En fin, Señor, soy hija de la Iglesia”.

Entregaste tu vida al Señor, envuelta en el cariño maternal de esa Iglesia de la que te sentías hija: con la gracia del sacramento de la penitencia, el viático de la Eucaristía, la santa unción de los enfermos.

Fue la tuya una muerte de amor, como bien expresó San Juan de la Cruz: “Consumida por la llama de amor viva, se rompió la tela del dulce encuentro con Dios” (San Juan de la Cruz, Llama de amor viva, 1, 29-30).

“Ahora, pues, decimos que esta mariposica ya murió . . . y que vive en ella Cristo” (Santa Teresa, Castillo interior, VII, 1, 3).

3. Vives con Cristo en la gloria y estás presente en la Iglesia, caminando con ella por los senderos de los hombres.

En tus escritos plasmaste tu voz y tu alma. En tu familia religiosa perpetúas tu espíritu. Nos has dejado como lección la amistad con Cristo. Nos has legado como testamento el amor y servicio a la Iglesia. “¡Dichosas vidas – como la tuya – que en esto se acabaren!” (EIUSDEM, Vida, 40, 15.

Tu patria es España, pero todo el mundo es hoy tu hogar, donde habitan tus hijas y tus hijos, donde hablas desde las páginas de tus libros.

Eres mensajera de Cristo. Eres palabra universal de experiencia de Dios. Tu vivo lenguaje castellano ha sido traducido en muchos idiomas. Tus autógrafos se han multiplicado en ediciones sin fin. Has entrado en la cultura religiosa de la humanidad. Estás presente, honrando a la Iglesia, en la literatura universal.

¡Se han cumplido, Teresa, tus deseos de servir al Señor sin límites de tiempo ni de espacio, hasta el día de la venida gloriosa de Jesús!

4. Suba ahora hasta el Padre, por intercesión tuya, Teresa de Jesús, la ardiente plegaria del Papa peregrino.

Te pido por la Iglesia nuestra Madre: “No ande siempre en tanta tempestad esta nave de la Iglesia” (EIUSDEM, Camino de perfección, 35, 5).

Intercede por su extensión evangelizadora y por su santidad, por sus pastores, sus teólogos y ministros, por los hombres y mujeres que han consagrado a Cristo, por los fieles de la familia de Dios.

Te ruego por un mundo en paz, sin guerras fratricidas como las que herían tu corazón.

Descubre a todos los cristianos el mundo interior del alma, tesoro escondido dentro de nosotros, castillo luminoso de Dios. Haz que el mundo exterior conserve la huella del Creador y sea libro abierto que nos habla de Dios (Cfr. Santa Teresa, Vida, 9, 5).

Acoge mi súplica por las almas que alaban a Dios con sosiego, por los que han recibido la gran dignidad de ser amigos de Dios, por los que buscan a Dios en tinieblas, para que se les revele la Luz que es Cristo. (…)

5. ¡Teresa de Jesús, que sigues viviendo en esta tierra de España! Te pido por todos sus pueblos. Haz que vivan la riqueza de sus valores culturales en espíritu de fraterna y solidaria comunicación.

A ti que eres amiga de Dios y de los hombres, y con tus escritos abres caminos de unidad, te encomiendo la unidad de la Iglesia y de la familia humana: Entre los cristianos de diversas confesiones, entre miembros de diversas religiones, entre hombres de diferentes culturas. Que todos se sientan como tú los sentías: “hijos de Dios y hermanos” (Santa Teresa, Castillo interior, V, 2, 11).

Haz que se cumpla tu oración y tu palabra de esperanza, escrita en el Castillo interior (Ibid. VII, 2, 7-8).

“Orando una vez Jesucristo nuestro Señor por sus Apóstoles, dijo que fuesen una cosa con el Padre y con El, como Jesucristo nuestro Señor está en el Padre y el Padre en El (Cfr. Io. 17, 21).  ¡No sé qué mayor amor puede ser que éste! Y no dejaremos de entrar aquí todos, porque así dijo su Majestad: No sólo ruego por ellos, sino por todos aquellos que han de creer en mí también”. Haz que todos lleguemos donde tú llegaste: hasta la comunión con la Trinidad, “donde nuestra imagen está esculpida” (Santa Teresa, Castillo interior, VII, 2, 7-8).

¡Teresa de Jesús, escucha mi oración! Suba hasta el trono de la sabiduría de Dios la acción de gracias de la Iglesia, por lo que has sido y has hecho, por lo que todavía harás en el Pueblo de Dios que te honra como Doctora y Maestra espiritual. Quiero hacerlo con tus mismas palabras de alabanza y bendición:

“¡Sea Dios nuestro Señor por siempre alabado y bendito! Amén. Amén” (Ibid. 4).

San Juan Pablo II

Discurso del Papa San Juan Pablo II
en el acto de clausura del IV Centenario
de la muerte de Santa Teresa de Jesús
Alba de Tormes, lunes 1 de noviembre de 1982

 

1nov1982 AlbadeTormes
El papa San Juan Pablo II clausuraba en Alba de Tormes (Salamanca) los actos del cuarto centenario de la muerte de Santa Teresa de Jesús | Ricardo Martín / El País (Ver más)
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Quote of the day: 1 November

Pilgrim in the footsteps of Saint Teresa of Jesus, with great satisfaction and joy I come to Avila. In this city there are so many Teresian places, such as the monastery of Saint Joseph, the first of the “dovecotes” founded by her; this monastery of the Incarnation, where Saint Teresa received the Carmelite habit, made her religious profession, had her decisive “conversion” and lived her experience of total consecration to Christ. It can well be said that this is the shrine of the contemplative life, place of great mystical experiences, and the focal point of monastic foundations.

To contemplate so many cloistered religious today, I cannot help but think about the great Spanish monastic tradition, its influence on Spanish culture, customs and life. Isn’t it here where the moral strength dwells, where there is a continuous reference to the spirit of the Spaniards?

The Pope calls you today to continue cultivating your consecrated life through a liturgical, biblical and spiritual renewal, following the guidelines of the Council. All this requires a permanent formation that enriches your spiritual life, giving it a solid doctrinal, theological and cultural foundation. In this way, you will be able to give the evangelical response that so many young people of our time expect, who today also approach your monasteries, attracted by a life of generous surrender to the Lord.

In this regard I want to issue a call to Christian communities and their Pastors, reminding them of the irreplaceable position occupied by the contemplative life in the Church. We all must deeply value and esteem the dedication of contemplative souls to prayer, praise, and sacrifice.

They are very necessary in the Church. They are living prophets and teachers for all; they are the vanguard of the Church on the way to the kingdom. Their attitude toward the realities of this world, which they contemplate according to the wisdom of the Spirit, enlightens us about the last things and makes us feel the gratuitousness of God’s saving love. I, therefore, urge everyone to try to foster vocations to monastic life among young women, in the assurance that these vocations will enrich the whole life of the Church.

Daughters of Carmel: May you be living images of your Mother Teresa, of her spirituality and her humanism. May you truly be as she was and wanted to be called—and as I wish her to be called—Teresa of Jesus.

Saint John Paul II

Meeting with Cloistered Nuns (excerpts)
Carmel of the Incarnation, Ávila
1 November 1982

 

 

1982 Nuns at the Encarncion Avila to see JP2 1nov82 ElPais
Roughly 3000 cloistered nuns representing approximately 15,000 contemplative religious gathered at the Carmel of the Incarnation in Ávila on All Saints Day, where they awaited the Holy Father Pope St. John Paul II. Having spent the entire night outside the monastery in a prayer vigil, they were overjoyed at the sight of his helicopter when it arrived. For some, this was the first time they had left their cloisters in decades. | Ricardo Martín / El País (See more)

 

 

This English translation is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
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Quote of the day: 22 October

The presence of God and of Christ, a renewing purification under the guidance of the Spirit, and the living of an informed and adult faith—is this not in reality the heart of the teaching of St. John of the Cross and his message for the Church and for men and women of today? Unless we renew our faith and brighten its flame, we will not be able to face any of the great tasks which face the Church. Only faith enables us to experience the salvific presence of God in Christ in the very center of life and of history. Faith alone reveals to us the meaning of the human condition and our supreme dignity as sons and daughters of God who are called to communion with Him. Faith is the heartbeat of the new evangelization, for it re-evangelizes believers and opens them more and more to the teachings and light of Christ.

Saint John Paul II

Master in the Faith
Apostolic Letter for the IV Centenary of the Death of St. John of the Cross
14 December 1990

 

JP2 Cali Colombia Jul 4-5 1986 Hernan Valencia Flickr 2595523261_94ac7ca31c_o
Cali, Colombia, 4-5 July 1986 | Hernan Valencia / Flickr
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Saint Pope John Paul II and His Connection to Carmel | THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE CARMELITE ORDER

JohnPaul2-with-SisterLucia
Pope St. John Paul II with the Servant of God Sr. Lucia of the Immaculate Heart, OCD | Photo credit: Discalced Carmelites

 

In 26 years, Pope John Paul II visited many churches and almost daily hosted groups at his residences. Among these were some Carmelites. He penned a library of documents some of which were directed to the Carmelites themselves.

The Pope also showed he was aware of the Carmelites of today and our ministry to the Church worldwide. He reached into the Order to find bishops to serve in several dioceses around the world. Some 18 monasteries of enclosed nuns were erected during his pontificate.

At the Carmelite parish of Traspontina in January 1989, the Pope admitted to the young people who came to meet him that Our Lady of Mount Carmel had been of great help to him as a youngster. “I can not say exactly to what extent but I think she helped me greatly. She assisted me in finding the grace of my vocation.”

Read more: Saint Pope John Paul II and His Connection to Carmel | THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE CARMELITE ORDER.

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New Discalced Carmelite Calendar

Proper Calendar
Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(unofficial, working translation for our readers)

 

We present an English translation of the newly revised liturgical calendar for the Discalced Carmelite Order that was published online by the General Curia 16 October 2019 pursuant to the Decree of the Congregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (Prot. N. 345/18) dated 16 July 2019, its effective date. A commentary on the calendar and translation follows below.

January

 

4     St. Kuriakos Elias of the Holy Family Chavara,
Priest — Optional Memorial
In provinces in India: Memorial

8     St. Peter Thomas,
Bishop — Optional Memorial 

9     St. Andrew Corsini,
Bishop — Optional Memorial
In provinces in Italy: Memorial

27     St. Henry de Ossó y Cervelló,
Priest — Optional Memorial

 

February

 

4     Bl. Marie Eugene of the Child Jesus Grialou,
Priest — Optional Memorial

24     Bl. Josepha Naval Girbes,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

April

 

17     Bl. Baptist Spagnoli,
Priest — Optional Memorial

18     Bl. Mary of the Incarnation Barbe Acarie,
Religious — Optional Memorial
In provinces of France:  Memorial

23     Bl. Teresa Maria of the Cross Manetti,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

May

 

4     Bl. Angel Maria Prat Hostench, Lucas of St. Joseph Tristany Pujol, Priests, and Companions,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In Spain: Memorial

16     St. Simon Stock,
Priest — Optional Memorial
In the Anglo-Irish province: Memorial

22     St. Joachina de Vedruna,
Religious — Optional Memorial

24     St. Bede the Venerable,
Priest and Doctor of the Church — Optional Memorial
St. Gregory VII,
Pope — Optional Memorial

25     St. Mary Magdalene of the Incarnate Word de’ Pazzi,
Virgin — Memorial

 

June

 

7     Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
In the Spanish province: Memorial

12     Bl. Alphonsus Mary of the Holy Spirit Mazurek,
Priest, and Companions, Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In the Polish provinces: Memorial

 

July

 

10     St. Henry,
Optional Memorial

12     Sts. Louis Martin and Marie Azélie Guérin,
Spouses — Optional Memorial

13     St. Teresa of Jesus Fernández Solar,
Virgin — Memorial
In the province of Chile: Feast

16     BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF MOUNT CARMEL, PATRONESS AND HEAD OF OUR ORDER — Solemnity

17     Bl. Teresa of St. Augustine Lidoine and Companions,
Virgins and Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In the provinces of France: Memorial

18     St. Apollinaris,
Bishop and Martyr — Optional Memorial

19     St. Bridget,
Religious — Optional Memorial

20     OUR FATHER SAINT ELIJAH,
PROPHET — Feast

23     Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of Divine Grace — Memorial

24     Bl. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia Martínez García, Bl. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Moragas Cantarero and Companions,
Virgins and Martyrs — Optional Memorial

27     Bl. Titus Brandsma,
Priest and Martyr — Optional Memorial

28     Bl. John Soreth,
Priest — Optional Memorial
In the provinces of France: Memorial

 

August

 

3     St. Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
St. Cajetan, Priest — Optional Memorial

7     St. Albert of Trapani,
Priest — Memorial

9     St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross,
Virgin and Martyr — Memorial
In provinces of Europe: Patroness of Europe, Feast

18     Bls. Leonard Duverneuil, Michael Aloysius Brulard, and Hubert of St. Claude, Priests, and Companions,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial

25     St. Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

26     Transverberation of the Heart of St. Teresa of Jesus Our Mother,
Optional Memorial

 

September

 

1     St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Virgin — Memorial
In the provinces of Italy: Feast

11     Bl. Mary of Jesus López Rivas,
Virgin — Optional Memorial
In the Spanish province: Memorial

17     St. Albert of Jerusalem,
Bishop and Lawgiver of our Order — Feast

18     St. Robert Bellarmine,
Bishop and Doctor of the Church — Optional Memorial

 

October

 

1     SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS, 
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Feast

15     SAINT TERESA OF JESUS OUR MOTHER,
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Solemnity

30     Bl. Maria Teresa of St. Joseph Tauscher,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

November

 

6     St. Nuno of St. Mary,
Religious — Optional Memorial
In the province of Portugal: Memorial

7     Bl. Francis of Jesus Mary Joseph Palau y Quer,
Priest — Optional Memorial

8     St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Catez,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

14     ALL SAINTS OF OUR ORDER,
Feast

15     Commemoration of all the Departed of Our Order, Optional Memorial

19     St. Raphael of St. Joseph Kalinowski,
Priest — Memorial

29     Bls. Denis of the Nativity, Priest, and Redemptus of the Cross, Religious,
Martyrs — Optional Memorial
In provinces of India: Memorial

 

December

 

11     St. Maria Maravillas of Jesus Pidal y Chico de Guzmán,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

14     SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS OUR FATHER,
PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Solemnity

 

APPENDIX

 

April

In the provinces of Latin America:

28     Bl. Maria Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament Guggeri Echeverría,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

May

In the provinces of Italy:

29     Bl. Elia of St. Clement,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

June

In the provinces of France:

14     St. Elisha, Prophet
— Optional Memorial

In the provinces of Italy:

14     Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist Barba,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

26     Bl. Maria Giuseppina of Jesus Crucified Catanea,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

July

In the provinces of Europe:

7     Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Grace
— Memorial

In the province of Spain:

24     Bl. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia Martínez García, Teresa of the Child Jesus García García, and Maria Angeles of St. Joseph Voltierra Tordesillas,
Virgins and Martyrs — Optional Memorial

 

August

In the province of the Netherlands:

2      St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr, Patroness of Europe
— Feast

In the province of Spain:

16     Bl. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Moragas Cantarero,
Virgin and Martyr — Optional Memorial

In the provinces of France:

30     St. Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

October

In the province of Nigeria:

1     SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS, 
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH — Feast

 

November

In the provinces of France:

7     Bl. Françoise d’Amboise, Religious

In the province of Austria:

16     Commemoration of all the Departed of Our Order,
Optional Memorial

In the provinces of Austria and Germany:

7      St. Raphael of St. Joseph Kalinowski,
Priest — Memorial

 

December

In the provinces of Italy:

7      Bl. Mary of the Angels Fontanella,
Virgin — Optional Memorial

 

Nota Bene: In its Appendix, the Decree provides for several celebrations to be assigned to specific jurisdictions. For example, Latin American provinces may observe the optional memorial of Blessed Chiquitunga on 28 April; the Italian provinces may observe the optional memorial of Blessed Elia of St. Clement on 29 May. In other jurisdictions, dates of Carmelite feasts have been changed to accommodate local calendars where a conflict exists. These changes primarily affect the Spanish, French, German, and Italian-speaking provinces.

In that which concerns English-speaking Discalced Carmelites, perhaps the most significant of these particular date changes concerns the provinces of Europe, where the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Divine Grace now will be celebrated on 7 July.

The Discalced Carmelite Procurator General, Father Jean Joseph Bergara, explains that the calendar became valid immediately upon the signature of the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Robert Sarah: “The calendar is already in force. It is in force effective from the date of the signing of the decree, 16 July 2019, but especially from the date of reception of the decree, 24 September 2019. From that date forward, it is the only valid calendar in all communities.”

You may view the Latin text of the Decree, the original Latin text of the newly revised calendar and its appendix, and the introduction from Father Bergara here.

8

Querida Santa Teresa

Querida Santa Teresa:

En el mes de octubre se celebra tu fiesta. He pensado que me permitirás entretenerme por escrito contigo.

Quien contempla el famoso grupo marmóreo donde Bernini te presenta en el momento en que un serafín se dispone a atravesar tu pecho con su flecha, piensa en tus visiones y éxtasis. Y acierta. Porque la Teresa de los raptos místicos es también la verdadera Teresa.

Pero también es verdadera la otra Teresa, que a mí me gusta más: la que está cerca de nosotros, como se desprende de su Vida y de las Cartas. Es la Teresa de la vida práctica. La que experimentó las mismas dificultades que nosotros y las supo vencer hábilmente. La que sabía sonreír, reír y hacer reír. La que se movía con soltura en medio del mundo y en las circunstancias más diversas. Y todo ello gracias a sus grandes dotes naturales, pero sobre todo en virtud de su unión constante con Dios.

 

teresa_de_jesus_153_vagabond-painting_color-contempo
¡Teresa, un maravedí y Dios lo pueden todo! | Fotografía: Carmelitas Descalzos

 

Estalla la Reforma protestante, la Situación de la Iglesia en Alemania y Francia se hace crítica. Tú te acongojabas por ello y escribiste: «Con tal de salvar una sola alma de las muchas que se pierden allí, sacrificaría mil veces la vida. ¡Pero soy mujer!»

¡Mujer! Pero una mujer que vale por veinte hombres, que no deja sin probar medio alguno y logra realizar una magnífica reforma interna, y con su obra y sus escritos influye en toda la Iglesia. Es la primera y la única mujer que -junto con Santa Catalina- ha sido declarada Doctora de la Iglesia.

Mujer de lenguaje sencillo y de pluma elegante y aguda. Tenías un altísimo concepto de la misión de las monjas. Sin embargo, escribiste al padre Gracián: «¡Por amor de Dios, mire bien lo que hace! No crea nunca a las monjas, porque si ellas quieren una cosa, recurren a todos los medios posibles». Y al padre Ambrosio, rechazando a una postulante, le decías: «Usted me hace reír diciéndome que ha comprendido a aquella alma sólo con verla. ¡No es tan fácil conocer a las mujeres! »

Tuya es la lapidaria definición del demonio: «Ese pobre desgraciado que no puede amar».

A don Sancho Dávila: «Distracciones en el rezo del oficio divino las tengo yo también… me he confesado de ellas con el padre Domingo (Báñez, teólogo famoso), el cual me ha dicho que no haga caso de ellas. Lo mismo le digo a usted, porque el mal es incurable». Es éste un consejo espiritual. Consejos espirituales los esparcías a manos llena y de todas clases. Al padre Gracián le aconsejaste incluso que en sus viajes montara en un burro más pacífico, que no tuviera la costumbre de tirar por tierra a los religiosos, o que se atara fuertemente al burro para no caer.

Insuperable, sin duda, te mostraste en el momento de la batalla. El Nuncio, nada menos, te mandó encerrar en el convento de Toledo, declarándote «fémina inquieta, vagabunda, desobediente y contumaz…» Pero desde el convento enviaste mensajes a Felipe II, a príncipes y prelados, y se desenredó la madeja.

Vuestra conclusión: «Teresa sola no vale nada. Teresa y un maravedí valen menos que nada. ¡Teresa, un maravedí y Dios lo pueden todo!»

Monseñor Albino Luciani
Patriarca de Venecia

Leer más de su carta Querida Santa Teresa, publicado en el libro Ilustrísimos señores, Cartas del patriarca de Venecia (traducido y publicado en 1978)

 

John Paul 1 general audience Summer Vining collection
Papa Juan Pablo I, Albino Luciani (17 de octubre de 1912 — 28 de septiembre de 1978) | Fotografía utilizado con el permiso de SRE
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Quote of the day: 28 September

Dear Little Therese,

I was seventeen when I read your autobiography.

It struck me forcibly. You called it ‘The story of a little flower’. To me the will-power, courage, and decisiveness it showed made it seem more like the story of a piece of steel. Once you had chosen the path of complete dedication to God, nothing could stop you: not illness, nor opposition from outside, nor inner confusion and darkness.

I remember the time I was ill and sent to a sanatorium, in the days before penicillin and antibiotics, when death awaited pretty well anyone who was sent to the hospital. I was ashamed of myself for feeling a little afraid.

‘At the age of twenty-three,’ I said to myself, ‘Therese, who until then had been healthy and full of vitality, was filled with joy and hope when she first spat blood. Not only that—but when her health improved she got permission to end her fast with a diet of dry bread and water. And you’re almost trembling! You’re a priest! Don’t be silly!’

 

John Paul 1 receives cardinals cap
Archbishop Albino Luciani of Venice receives the Cardinal’s cap from St. Paul VI in the Consistory for the Nomination of New Cardinals on Monday, 5 March 1973 | Photo credit: albino-luciani.com

 

Reading it again, on the centenary of your birth (1873 to 1973), what now strikes me most is the way in which you loved God and your neighbor.

St. Augustine wrote: ‘We reach God, not by walking, but through love.’ You also called your road ‘the way of love’. Christ said: ‘No one comes to me unless my Father calls him’.

You were perfectly in tune with these words, feeling ‘like a bird without strength and without wings’, and seeing in God an eagle who came down to carry you off on high, on its wings. You called divine grace ‘the lifter’, which carried you to God swiftly and easily, since you were ‘too small to climb the harsh ladder of perfection’.

I said ’easily’, but let me make it clear: I meant it only in one way.

In another—well in the final months of your life your soul felt as if it was going down a kind of dark passage, seeing nothing of what it had once seen clearly. ‘Faith’, you wrote, ‘is no longer a veil but a wall’. Your physical sufferings were so great that you said, ‘If I had not had faith, I would have chosen death’.

In spite of that you kept saying to the Lord you loved, saying with your will alone, ‘I sing of the happiness of Paradise, but without any feeling of joy; I sing simply because I want to believe’. Your last words were: ‘My God, I love You’.

To the merciful love of God you offered yourself as a victim. All this did not prevent you from enjoying what was good and beautiful. Before your final illness you loved painting, and wrote poetry and short plays on religious subjects, taking some of the parts yourself and showing quite a talent for acting.

In the last stage of your illness, when you felt briefly better, you asked for some chocolates. You had no fear of your own imperfections, not even of having sometimes slept during meditation, out of weariness (‘mothers love their children, even when they are asleep’).

Loving your neighbor, you tried to serve others in small, useful ways, but to do so unobserved; and you preferred, if anything, to do this for people who irritated you, those you understood least. Behind their unlikeable faces you sought the beloved face of Christ.

And no one noticed these efforts of yours. ‘How mystical she was in chapel, and at her work’, the prioress wrote of you, ‘At other times she was very amusing, full of fun and making us laugh uproariously at recreation’.

Joy mixed with Christian love appears in the song of the angels at Bethlehem. It is part of the essence of the Gospel which means ‘good news’. It is characteristic of the saints. Joy may become perfect charity if it is shared, as in fact, dear St. Therese, you shared yours at recreation in the convent.

Therese, the love you gave God (and your neighbor for love of God) was really worthy of Him. This is how our love should be: a flame fed by all that’s great and fine in ourselves; a rejection of all that is refractory in us; and a victory that carries us on its wings and takes us as a gift to the feet of God.

These few lines certainly don’t contain the whole of your message to Christians, but they are enough to point out a few things to us.

Archbishop Albino Luciani
Patriarch of Venice

 

John Paul 1 general audience Summer Vining collection
Pope John Paul I (17 October 1912 — 28 September 1978) | SRE Collection (used with permission)

 

This letter to St. Therese of Lisieux is one of the series of Illustrissimi letters that Archbishop Luciani wrote regularly in a column for the Messaggero di San Antonio magazine. They were published in 1976 and are still available from booksellers in Italian and several translations, including English. We thank the whitesmokeahoy blog for publishing this excerpt from the publication.

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Quote of the day: 27 September

Therefore, since this servant of God has always been exalted, not only for the extraordinary facts of her life, but also for the rare virtues of her soul and the acumen of her spirit, we consider with certainty this fact a just and noble reason for which, as our predecessor Gregory XV decreed that she be honored as a saint so that all the faithful of Christ might understand with what abundance God had filled his servant with the Holy Spirit (cf Lett. Decr. Omnipotens sermo), We do not doubt having to proclaim her Doctor of the Church, the first among women, especially for her knowledge and doctrine of divine things. In fact, We have confidence and trust that Teresa of Jesus, who was declared by a solemn decree Teacher of Christian life, will also strongly stimulate the people of our time to grow in the love of contemplation in the soul and to the attainment of heavenly things.

Saint Paul VI

Multiformis Sapientia Dei (excerpt)
Apostolic Letter proclaiming St. Teresa of Avila a Doctor of the Church
27 September 1970

 

Teresa Doctor Valladolid portrait red background wide
St. Teresa of Jesus, Doctor of the Church, Convento de la Concepción del Carmen, Valladolid | Ángel Cantero, archivalladolid / Flickr
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PopeFrancis in Madagascar 7Sep19_09
Pope Francis laughs with cloistered nuns in Madagascar | Photo credit: Vatican Media

 

Pope Francis visited the Discalced Carmelite Monastery dedicated to St Joseph in Antananarivo on Saturday morning. After praying Midday Prayer with a group of 100 sisters from all over Madagascar, Pope Francis decided to leave his prepared text with them in order to speak to them from his heart.

Pope Francis began by recounting a story from the life of St Therese the Little Flower that many religious and contemplatives can relate to. While St Therese helps an elderly sister to get from one place in the convent to the other, helps to feed her, etc., the older sister repays her with continual complaints. The Pope repeated several times that, notwithstanding how St Therese was being treated by the older sister…

Via Pope to nuns in Madagascar: Little acts of love save the world

 

Pope to nuns in Madagascar: Little acts of love save the world — Vatican News

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Quote of the day: 11 July

Here We are with you, the Shepherd with his dear flock, the Father with his beloved Sons.

Here We are with you, in the most holy name of our Divine Redeemer, of our lovable King of the Tabernacle; in the name of Saint Thérèse who, today more than ever, is the honour and glory of Lisieux and its Carmel…

Pray, beloved Sons, that, as the Divine King of the Tabernacle has created our souls and given all His precious blood for them, He will similarly deign also to sanctify and save them, in making them, here and now, in awaiting heavenly glory, living basilicas where He will be pleased to dwell with His sanctifying grace and all His blessings: basilicas so beautiful, so magnificent, that no worldly beauty could compare with them, not even the delightful splendors of the new Basilica of Lisieux.

Pope Pius XI
Radio message for the blessing of the Basilica of Lisieux 
11 July 1937

 

PioXI_et_Pacelliinaugurazioneradiovaticana
Pope Pius XI and Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli at Vatican Radio Studios for the inauguration and blessing of the new radio network, 12 February 1931 | Wikimedia Commons

 

Learn more about the blessing of the Basilica of Lisieux on 11 July 1937 here and here.

 

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Quote of the day: 9 July

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, thou who hast been rightly proclaimed the Patroness of Catholic missions throughout the world, remember the burning desire which thou didst manifest here on earth to plant the Cross of Christ on every shore and to preach the Gospel even to the consummation of the world; we implore thee, according to thy promise, to assist all priests and missionaries and the whole Church of God.

 

Therese-patroness-missions (DETAIL)
Thérèse patroness of the missions (detail)
Sr. Marie of the Holy Spirit, O.C.D.
Oil on canvas or panel, 1928; 85 x 132 cm.
Carmel of Lisieux
Painting executed by Sr. Marie of the Holy Spirit, Discalced Carmelite nun of Lisieux  (1892-1982), to illustrate the nomination of Thérèse as Patroness of the Missions by Pope Pius XI on 14 December 1927. Sister Marie followed a pencil on paper sketch by artist Charles Jouvenot

 

Pope Pius XI through an Apostolic Brief issued 9 July 1928 accorded a partial indulgence of 300 days once a day and a plenary indulgence, on the usual conditions, if this prayer is devoutly said every day for a month.

Sources: Efemerides Carmelitana, Raccolta

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Quote of the day: 18 June

The motto Totus Tuus was the main theme throughout the life of Karol Wojtyła, the “Marian thread” woven in a long and continuous path to holiness. Totus Tuus! Two words that are a prayer addressed to Jesus through Mary, in her Immaculate Heart. In the same sense, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux defined Love in her final poem to Mary: “Love means giving everything, and giving yourself” (Why I Love You, O Mary, PN 54:22).

“I love you” means: “I give myself to you, I am yours forever.”

The Totus Tuus is the short and essential prayer that animated the entire life of Karol Wojtyła, a life totally given to the Lord, to the Church, and to all men and women, continually lived with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother. Louis-Marie de Montfort and Thérèse of Lisieux are in effect like two “lighthouses of holiness” who illuminated the pontificate of John Paul II in a special way, in the great perspective of the Second Vatican Council traced by Lumen Gentium, in chapter 8 on Mary in the Mystery of Christ and the Church and chapter 5 on the universal call to holiness. Louis-Marie is the saint who had the greatest influence on the entire life of Karol Wojtyła, while Thérèse of Lisieux is the only saint declared by him to be a Doctor of the Church.

François-Marie Léthel, OCD
La Lumière du Christ dans le Coeur de l’Église
Meditation 3

 

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This statue of Saint John Paul II stands on the remains of the old Catholic church in the town center of Bytów, Poland | extracrispi / Flickr

 

Lethel, François-Marie. (2011) La Lumière du Christ dans le Coeur de l'Église: Jean-Paul II et la théologie des saints. 
© 2011, Librairie Éditrice Vaticane. Pour la langue française: © Éditions Parole et Silence, 2011.
Translation from the French is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
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Deep within, Mary had learned to listen to the heartbeat of her Son, and that in turn taught her, throughout her life, to discover God’s heartbeat in history. 

Bishop Silvio José Báez, O.C.D.
From the homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

BAEZ 8Sep18 Tweet
Bishop Silvio José Báez, O.C.D. is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua
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Quote of the day: 3 May

Pacelli in Lisieux posing in the cloister
Apostolic Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli makes an official visitation to the Carmel of Lisieux, 12 July 1937 | Photo: Regina.Pacelli / Facebook

PIUS XII
Apostolic Letter
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Virgin, Carmelite of Lisieux
Secondary Patron of All of France

As the very noble French nation already, for several centuries, has had for principal patroness the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and for secondary patroness, Saint Joan of Arc, since her canonization, the bishops, by mutual agreement considered it opportune, especially in these times of distress, to arrange for the faithful of France to have another special intercession with God, that of the holy Carmelite of Lisieux who, so that the Catholic faith may always and firmly be preserved among her compatriots, has testified to her country a great love by commending it to God as much as possible…

Given at Rome, near St. Peter, under the ring of the Fisherman, the third day of May in the year 1944, the sixth of Our Pontificate.

Read the original text of the Apostolic Letter in Latin here

Read a French translation of the Apostolic Letter here

Learn more about Cardinal Pacelli’s 1937 visit to the Carmel here

 

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Quote of the day: 12 April

Today’s quote by the Discalced Carmelite, Bishop Silvio José Báez comes thanks to a video from Catholic News Service; we will let our brother in the Teresian Carmel speak for himself.

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Edith Stein: A service to peace

JOHN PAUL II

ANGELUS

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 26 February 1995

Dearest Brothers and Sisters!

Among the women who have served the cause of peace, I wish today to remember a “martyr” of our century, that I myself, in 1987, had the joy of raising to the honors of the altars: the Carmelite Edith Stein.

Like many other victims of Nazi savagery, she was killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp. For her, being of Jewish origin and educated according to the traditions of her parents, the choice of the Gospel, which came after painstaking research, did not mean the rejection of her cultural and religious roots. Christ, known in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Avila, helped her to read the history of her people more deeply. With her gaze fixed on the Redeemer, she learned the wisdom of the Cross, which made her capable of new solidarity with the sufferings of her sisters and brothers.

Uniting herself to the pain of God made man, offering her life for her people became her great aspiration. She faced deportation and the prospect of “martyrdom” with the intimate awareness of going to “die for her people”. Her sacrifice is a cry for, and a service to peace.

Edith Stein was also exemplary for the contribution she made to the promotion of women. I wrote in the Message for the World Day of Peace that the building of this fundamental value “cannot ignore the recognition and promotion of the personal dignity of women” (No. 4). Edith Stein played a significant role in this, dedicating herself for a long time, in the years that preceded her withdrawal to the monastery, to initiatives aimed at ensuring that women are recognized the rights of every human being and those specific to femininity. Speaking of women, she gladly emphasized her vocation as “bride and mother”, but together with this Edith exalted the role to which women are called in all areas of cultural and social life. She herself witnessed this socially active femininity, making herself appreciated as a researcher, lecturer, teacher. She was also esteemed as a woman of thought, able to use with wise discernment the contributions of contemporary philosophy to seek the “full truth of things”, in the constant effort to combine the needs of reason and those of faith.

To the Blessed Virgin we desire today particularly to entrust the harmony and peace among the believers of the different religions: God is love, and by his nature unites and does not divide those who believe in him. Above all, Jews and Christians cannot forget their unique fraternity, which is rooted in God’s providential plan that accompanies their history.

Mary, Daughter of Sion and Mother of the Church, pray for us!

To read the original text of this Angelus Address in Italian, click here
To read the text in the Vatican’s Spanish translation, click here
English translation by Elijah’s Breeze 

 

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World Youth Day Panama, Day 5 — carmelitevocationsocd

Discalced Carmelite Father John McGowan from London, England is our intrepid reporter for these daily dispatches from World Youth Day 2019 in Panama

john mcgowan wyd2019
Fr. John McGowan, OCD

Felt better when I got up this morning. I didn’t want to be ill when the Pope was coming. Sr Eileen and I went to the same parish we went to yesterday. Today it was the turn of the English bishops, in particular the Bishop of East Anglia, Alan Williams. He has a nice engaging […]

via World Youth Day Panama, Day 5 — carmelitevocationsocd

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World Youth Day Panama, Day 3

We continue to follow the adventures of Father John McGowan, OCD in Panama for World Youth Day 2019

john mcgowan wyd2019
Fr. John McGowan, OCD shares his experiences at World Youth Day 2019 in Panama

carmelitevocationsocd

Up early this morning to have breakfast at the hotel where the Birmingham diocesan group is staying. We were joined by the British Consul and local assistant to the Ambassador. Once again I was impressed by the enthusiasm and liveliness of the young people.  Afterwards I made my way to the place of reconciliation. In the metro there were crowds of young people singing and cheering, waving their national flags. It was like at a football game except there wasn’t the competition and aggression. On the contrary, there was fun and laughter. i don’t know who were the loudest the Brazilians, Mexicans or Argentinians. We British are so reserved by comparison. I had a little union jack; so small compared to the others.

On my way to the centre I fell in with a Brazilian crowd; this is what you do: you talk to everyone and anyone. The local people…

View original post 487 more words

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#OigamosARomero, the digital initiative of Bishop Báez in homage to Saint Óscar Romero of America

 

#OigamosARomero, the digital initiative of Bishop Báez in homage to Saint Óscar Romero of America originally appeared 11 October 2018 on the digital media outlet Articulo 66 under the title, #OigamosARomero, la iniciativa digital de Monseñor Báez en homenaje a San Romero de América.

Nicaraguan religion and culture reporter Israel González Espinoza interviewed Managua’s Auxiliary Bishop, Silvio José Báez, O.C.D., concerning the social media campaign he launched to make Romero’s work and thought better known in Nicaragua and beyond, through use of the hashtag #OigamosARomero on multiple social media platforms. The hashtag is used to share everything alluding to the martyred Salvadorean archbishop.

We are grateful to Israel González Espinoza for his kind permission to translate and publish his marvelous article highlighting the media blitz campaign that is the brainchild of Bishop Báez, our Discalced Carmelite confrère.

The pope is rehabilitating many men of God misunderstood for being prophets, says the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua

October 11, 2018 | Israel González Espinoza

Bishop Silvio José Báez, Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, launched the hashtag #OigamosARomero on social media platforms as part of a tribute to the martyred Salvadorean Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez [still lovingly referred to as “Monseñor Romero”], who was killed by a paramilitary commando from El Salvador´s political far-right in March 1980; he will be canonized this coming Sunday, October 14 by Pope Francis in Rome.

Bishop Báez explained that the purpose of the initiative is for Nicaraguans to get to know Monseñor Romero’s thoughts, and from that point on they can reflect on his pastoral and prophetic life and work.

“I created the hashtag #OigamosARomero to be able to talk about this extraordinary man of God who gave his life for his people,” Bishop Báez stated.

BAEZ - Articulo 66 Oigamos article poster
The hashtag is used to share all the references to the martyred Salvadorean archbishop
Photo: I. González

 

Until now, the hashtag has been used to share famous quotes, photographs, audiovisual material, and even cartoons of the so-called “bishop of the poor” of Latin America.

The goal, according to Bishop Báez, is to establish a solid number of impressions and engagements for the hashtag during the rest of the week until Sunday, which is the day that Monseñor Romero will be raised to the full honors of the altar. Along with this, the objective is that Romero’s work may spread and that his words may have an effect upon the current sociopolitical situation in the country.

“Without a doubt, Monseñor Romero is a contemporary saint for our times; his life and his witness enlighten us,” the religious leader pointed out.

2018-10-12
A sample tweet from Bishop Silvio José Báez, O.C.D.

I believe that it is a mission of the successor of Peter to revendicate and rehabilitate all these incarnations of the Gospel who, with human eyes and pettiness of heart, were not understood.

Báez revealed that since his years in the novitiate with the Carmelite friars in San José, Costa Rica, he has been a professed admirer of the prophetic work of Archbishop Óscar Romero, whose total dedication to the poor and his ardent defense of human rights in the face of the Salvadorean military regime led to his martyrdom while celebrating the Eucharist.

“The Pope [Francis] has given indications of rehabilitating personalities who are deeply rooted in the Gospel, and who, forgetful of self, gave their lives for the poor, for social change, and for the fight for justice in history. In their day they were misunderstood, as were so many prophets or like Jesus himself.

“I believe that it is a mission of the successor of Peter to revendicate and rehabilitate all these incarnations of the Gospel who, with human eyes and pettiness of heart, were not understood. But today, the Pope invites us to see them as models of the Gospel and as paradigms to follow if we truly want to change the world,” Bishop Báez concluded.

Oigamos a Romero footer image

 

 

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