In a recent web exclusive column published in First Things magazine's online edition, scholar and author George Weigel recounted a conversation with Pope Benedict XVI in September 1997. At that moment, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Weigel recalls that he asked Ratzinger this point-blank question: "Why is Thérèse of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church?" We are grateful to First Things for their permission to publish excerpts of Benedict's magisterial reply.
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Quote of the day, 9 December: Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew
Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew recounts how she was “seized with great fear” and prayed throughout the night, her “arms extended towards heaven” to prevent Maurice of Nassau from capturing the city, thus earning her the title, "Protectress of Antwerp."
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Quote of the day, 30 November: St. Teresa of Avila
Quote of the day, 30 November: St Teresa finished writing The Interior Castle on the eve of St Andrew's Day in 1577. She asked her readers to “consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms.”
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Quote of the day, 24 November: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity explained to Canon Angles, “I live in thanksgiving.” What a blessed ideal to adopt today and everyday. Read this excerpt from her letter and discover the secret to her attitude of gratitude.
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Quote of the day, 21 November: St. John of the Cross
St. John of the Cross’s eleventh poem closes with a classic quote: “love works so in me that whether things go well or badly love turns them to one sweetness transforming the soul in itself.”
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Quote of the day, 15 November: Jessica Powers
“The soul is a terrible thing; it cannot die,” writes Carmelite poet Jessica Powers. Her masterful meditation on the soul’s “two destinies” is worth pondering as we commemorate All Carmelite Souls.
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Quote of the day, 14 November: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
In a letter from 1903, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity commends a special childhood friend “to all our saints, and very particularly to our holy Mother Teresa and to Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus.” She also includes musical references, which had a special meaning for Elizabeth and her friend because of the many long music sessions they shared in their youth.
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Quote of the day, 13 November: Blessed Marie Henriette of Divine Providence Pelras
Blessed Marie Henriette of Divine Providence, the infirmarian of Compiègne, demonstrated that the Lord gave her words and wisdom in the courtroom that defied human logic and glorified the martyrs for eternity.
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St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena 2022, Day 9: Our Lady, full of light
The day before she died, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity foresaw her death: “It is our Lady, full of light,” she said, “who will take me by the hand to lead me into heaven.” Thank you for joining our novena!
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St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena 2022, Day 7: The Eucharist, heaven on earth
In her song of praise to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, Elizabeth exclaims that it is “God in us and we in him.” For Elizabeth, the Eucharist is “heaven on earth.”
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Quote of the day, 2 November: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
“In the unity of the same faith and love, we'll find in God those dear departed ones who have gone on ahead of us,” writes St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. “Never have I felt them so present!”
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Quote of the day, 1 November: St. Thérèse of Lisieux
We often recall the words of St. Thérèse that the Virgin is “more Mother than Queen” but we don’t often hear the rest of the quote concerning her beneficence toward the saints in glory.
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St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena 2022, Day 2: I have found my heaven on earth
“I have found my heaven on earth,” Elizabeth explains, “because Heaven is God, and God is in my soul.” St. Paul explains that Christ, who descended to earth, ascended “far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.”
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Quote of the day, 28 October: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
On this date in 1906 St Elizabeth of the Trinity perceives her heavenly mission: “to draw souls by helping them go out of themselves to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence within...”
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St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena 2022, Day 7: In peace I await
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” urged the psalmist. St. Thérèse turns to her Guardian Angel as she responds: “With your celestial aid, in peace I await the other life, the joys that will last forever.”
Quote of the day, 22 August: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity writes a letter to her younger sister Guite, which has become of the masterpieces of her correspondence. Writing on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the months before her death, St. Elizabeth describes how deep is her love for the Queen of Heaven, her Mother.
Quote of the day, 6 August: St. Edith Stein
In her poem, "I Will Remain With You", St. Edith Stein writes, "You reign on the Almighty’s throne also in transfigured human form, ever since the completion of your work on earth."
Quote of the day, 28 July: Blessed John Soreth
Carmelite scholar Father François de Sainte-Marie shares several gems of wisdom from Blessed John Soreth concerning the Carmelite Rule. Here's one example" "Do you want to get to heaven? Embrace the baseness of poverty and it will be yours..."
Quote of the day, 2 July: St. Teresa of the Andes
St. Teresa of the Andes meditates on the Carmelite call to a life of perfection: "Perfection of life consists in drawing close to God... What is the life of a Carmelite if not one of contemplating, adoring, and loving God incessantly?"
Quote of the day, 12 June: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
For the feast day of her prioress in 1902, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity wrote: "Infinite Being! Depth unsoundable! Delighted, lost in Your Divinity — O Trinity, God thrice-immutable, We see Yourself in Your own clarity."
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