Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, a great disciple of St. Paul, describes the life of faith: "it matters little to the soul whether it feels God or not, whether He sends it joy or suffering: it believes in His love."
Read more →
Overflowing with joy after her religious profession in January 1903, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity writes: "I hope to receive the veil on the 21st for the feast of St. Agnes."
Read more →
As St. Thérèse concludes her retreat to prepare to be clothed in the Carmelite habit, her sister Pauline writes to encourage her: "the Beloved runs over the hills; He is coming; He is here; only two days more!"
Read more →
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.
Continue reading →
In her unpublished notebooks, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified sings her praise to the Holy Family; “Glory and love to Jesus, to Mary, to Saint Joseph.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…”
Continue reading →
We recall the birth of Blessed Francis Palau y Quer on this date, 29 December 1811 and translate a passionate excerpt from his journal, ‘My Relations With the Church’—”It is you, O holy Church, that I love!”
Continue reading →
St. Teresa of the Andes had an emergency appendectomy on 28 December 1914. Here, she tells us about her mixed emotions and her preparation for death during the risky procedure.
Continue reading →
St. John of the Cross describes with exquisite beauty the goal of every Christian: “the soul's aim is a love equal to God's. [...] In the strong union of glory,” he adds, “her love will be God's love.”
Continue reading →
In the waning hours of 13 December 1591, St. John of the Cross predicted his death at midnight. Fr. Iain Matthew, O.C.D. and St. Edith Stein provide us with the account of John's holy death.
Continue reading →
In his letter to a Carmelite nun from Segovia, St John of the Cross encourages her to “pass the time in the virtues of mortification and patience,” reminding her that “this life is not good if it is not an imitation” of Christ’s life.
Continue reading →
The Virgin Mary’s charity at work in her Visitation to St Elizabeth highlights the teaching of St John of the Cross, “charity prepares the will and unites it with God through love.”
Continue reading →
Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d. reminds us that Our Lady’s love for her Son extends to us all: “she is a tender mother also to us, her son's disciples.” We share an excerpt from the Bishop’s message to all Nicaraguans for the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Continue reading →
“Love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave,” we read in the Song of Songs. Similarly, St. John of the Cross cautions us that love doesn’t consist “in feeling great things...”
Continue reading →
In 1829 Sr Stanislaus of the Child Jesus from the Carmel of Baltimore received this prayer from her Jesuit spiritual director: “No more my sins shall tempt me to despair, My Father pities and forgives and hears a child's repenting prayer.”
Continue reading →
The eloquent poetry of St John of the Cross sets the stage for our Advent reflection as we read his Romance II, “In that boundless love, proceeding from the Father and the Son, words to Him the Father utter'd comprehensible by none.”
Continue reading →
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.”
Continue reading →
Christ appeared to St Teresa of Avila in an imaginative vision as she received Holy Communion from St John of the Cross on this date in 1572, saying: “Behold this nail; it is a sign you will be My bride from today on.”
Continue reading →
“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.
Continue reading →
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.
Continue reading →
The Real News
Everyday Life
The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.
web de espiritualidad carmelitana
Antonio Mas Arrondo
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
Monasterio de las Batuecas Carmelitas Descalzos
Carmelite Quotes 
Recent comments