“Isn’t it fascinating, this promise of Jesus, the gift of living water, which he offers us?” Bishop Silvio Báez writes, “We are great only when we are rooted in God; we are strong only when we are sustained by his love.”
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St. Joseph Novena 2023, Day 3: Workman
When Jesus went to his hometown the people were amazed: “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” St. Thérèse says Joseph was amazed and humbled: “Must Jesus become a poor workman like me?”
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Quote of the day, 24 February: Blessed Pepa
We recall the death of Blessed Josefa Naval Girbés, better known as Señora Pepa, on 24 September 1893. Her ideal was the sanctification of her soul, and her motto was "souls for God." Here are some of her famous sayings.
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Quote of the day, 2 January: St. Thérèse and Benedict XVI
In life and death Pope Benedict XVI was a disciple of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose birthday 150 years ago we celebrate today. Father Quang D. Tran, SJ reflects on the influence of Benedict and Thérèse.
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St. Thérèse Anniversary: Triduum Day 3
To prepare for the Theresian Anniversary Year, we offer three reflections based on the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The Day 3 reflection focuses on the theme of humility.
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Quote of the day, 30 December: St. Mary of Jesus Crucified
In her unpublished notebooks, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified sings her praise to the Holy Family; “Glory and love to Jesus, to Mary, to Saint Joseph. Glory to all the Saints…”
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Quote of the day, 10 October: St. Mary of Jesus Crucified
St. Mary of Jesus Crucified never forgot her intimate relationship with the Blessed Virgin; in this prayer, she reminds Our Lady of their special bond.
St. Teresa of Avila Novena 2022 — Day 5
For Saint Teresa, Jesus is the foundation and model of humility in the spiritual life. Humility plays an important role in our interior growth in holiness, and in truthful relationships with God and others.
Quote of the day, 28 August: St. Teresa of Avila
One of St. Teresa's benchmark passages about humility, worthy of memorization, she describes the equivalence between humility and love: "I cannot understand how there could be humility without love or love without humility."
Quote of the day, 16 August: Blessed Maria Sagrario
Blessed Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was a Discalced Carmelite martyr of the Spanish Civil war, who was executed on 15 August 1936. In her writings, we find this passage: "Blessed be he who arranges everything for our good! In possessing him, we possess everything."
Quote of the day, 25 July: St. Teresa of Avila
Practical and prudent St. Teresa reminds us of the example of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, whose mother asked Jesus to declare that her sons should sit at his side in the kingdom. The Gospel tells us, "But Jesus answered, 'You do not know what you are asking'." St. Teresa reminds her Sisters of this many times in her writings, as she reminds us all in today's quote from the Interior Castle: we may think we are prepared to face trials in our spiritual life, but God knows what is best for us. "There's no need for us to be advising Him about what He should give us, for He can rightly tell us that we don't know what we're asking for."
Quote of the day, 24 July: St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila is overflowing with love and praise as she begins her commentary on the Lord's prayer. "O my Lord, how You do show Yourself to be the Father of such a Son; and how Your Son does show Himself to be the Son of such a Father! May You be blessed forever and ever!"
Quote of the day, 17 July: St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila counsels her daughters not to worry whether they are doing household chores or practicing mental prayer: "True humility consists very much in great readiness to be content with whatever the Lord may want to do with them and in always finding oneself unworthy to be called His servant."
Quote of the day, 28 June: St. John of the Cross
What gives God joy? St. John of the Cross explains that he rejoices to find "the humility and the nakedness of our heart and in our contempt of worldly things for love of him." Not with sour faces, but with the joy that it gives him.
Quote of the day, 16 June: St. Teresa of Avila
In her autobiography, St. Teresa of Avila writes about "the good that one who practices prayer possesses... I mean mental prayer—glory be to God for this good! If it were not for this good, even though I have little humility, I should not be so proud as to dare speak about mental prayer."
Quote of the day, 31 May: St. Edith Stein
St. Edith Stein examines woman's sins and defects of character that are as old as the fall of Adam and Eve.
Marie du jour 2022, 25 May: St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi
In the translated works of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, we find this meditation on our Lord's resurrection: "Thou didst wish to appear to Mary first because she had conceived Thee..."
Quote of the day, 2 May: St. Teresa of Avila
"I would desire all fears so as not to offend for an instant Him who in an instant can annihilate us, because it pleases His Majesty that there be no one against us whom He will not put to flight."
Quote of the day, 14 April: St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa begins her commentary on the Song of Songs by mentioning a homily from one Holy Thursday: "I recall hearing a priest who was a religious preach a very admirable sermon, most of which was an explanation of those loving delights with which the bride communed with God... He was speaking about love since the sermon was on Maundy Thursday when one shouldn't be speaking of anything else..."
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