Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
St. John Paul II reminded the faithful gathered for the beatification of Teresa of the Andes that she "put the beatitudes into practice" and "incarnated in her life the most perfect example of holiness, Christ Himself."
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In her unpublished notebooks, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified sings her praise to the Holy Family; “Glory and love to Jesus, to Mary, to Saint Joseph.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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As the Church observes the Memorial of St John Paul II, we recall his beatification homily for Teresa of the Andes: “God made Christian love blossom in her; the secret of her perfection, of course, is love.”
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Here St. Teresa explains her image of the well-watered garden, irrigated by "the water flowing from a river or spring." She compares the soul's joy to the woman who called her neighbors when she found her lost coin, one of the parables in our Gospel for Sunday, 11 September.
Even at the tender age of 15, St. Teresa of the Andes comprehended the importance of taking up the cross and following Jesus. But He called her to "take up the cross with love and joy."
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.
In a tender letter to her mother, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity reassures her mother once again that her heroic sacrifice will be recorded "in the great book of life." But she also intimates that her health is failing: the prioress insists that Elizabeth should "spend time out in the fresh air."
We recall the birth of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity on 18 July 1880: biographer Father Conrad de Meester describes the labor and delivery as "dramatic". Madame Catez was almost 34 years old; Elizabeth was her first baby. Two doctors were constantly at her side during labor and delivery, foreseeing a fatal outcome, since they could no longer detect a fetal pulse...
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.
"Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5), were the instructions from the Mother of the Lord to the servants at the wedding banquet. Bishop Silvio José Báez reminds us that if we put his gospel into practice, our lives will be transformed in unexpected ways...
Bishop Silvio José Báez mentions one of the greatest temptations of the Church: "to forget about the Holy Spirit, not to listen to the Spirit, and not to let ourselves be guided and strengthened by the Spirit."
After the healing of St. Thérèse on 13 May, her sister Pauline wrote to Thérèse to offer words of gratitude, compassion, and encouragement. "What a joy to see you well! How good the Blessed Virgin really is!"
In her autobiographical manuscripts, St. Thérèse describes her healing on this date at age 10: "All of a sudden the Blessed Virgin appeared beautiful to me... then all of my pains faded away..."
On the evening of that unforgettable "first day of the week," the day of the Lord's resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples, full of mercy. He didn't reproach them; he didn't accuse or reject them. Instead, he offered them his peace.
Throughout the weeks of Lent, Saint Luke and the Carmelite saints will introduce us to the mystery of Divine Mercy in preparation for the great Easter feast. In Week Two, St. John of the Cross invites us to move from despair to joy and to rely on God’s mercy.
St. Edith Stein made some enduring friendships as a teacher at St. Magdalena's School in Speyer. To one Sister she writes: "I know there is no one in St. Magdalena who more truly shared my joys and sorrows than you. Only do not think of the sorrow as too great and the joys too meager."
Joseph de Beaufort learned in his first conversation with Brother Lawrence that "we must nourish our souls with an exalted idea of God, and thereby we will draw great joy from being with him."
Oh, how sweet your presence will be to me, you who are the supreme good!... I will not rest until I rejoice in your arms.
In an excerpt from the new English biography of Blessed Titus Brandsma, he talks about the great joy he experiences when he wears his Carmelite habit "because it is the symbol of Mary’s protection."
When we pray, the heavens always open above us like an embrace, the Spirit descends like a breath of life and fire into our hearts.
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Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. ~ St. Teresa of Avila
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