Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
St. Teresa of Andes was canonized on 21 March 1993. St. John Paul II reminds us that Teresa “was predominantly a contemplative soul” who fervently practiced her apostolate as the “sister of the priest.”
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St. John Paul II mentioned St. Teresa of the Andes in his Ad Limina address to the Chilean bishops almost two years to the day after he signed the decree for her beatification. "It is very edifying to read [...] the testimony of her 'mad' love for Jesus Christ."
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St. Thérèse believed that she had an apostolic vocation, "to travel over the whole earth" to preach Jesus' name. On 14 February 1992, St. John Paul II referred to her special calling in his ad limina speech to French bishops.
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We recall the beatification of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara on this day in 1986. St. John Paul II called the day "extraordinary" in "raising to the glory of the altars" this Carmelite founder from India.
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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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St. Titus Brandsma was beatified on this day in 1985; we’ve translated an excerpt from St. John Paul II’s homily on his “inspiring motive and driving force,” the “commandment of love taken to extremes.”
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The Synod for Consecrated Life closed on this date in 1994; St John Paul II wrote in ‘Vita Consecrata’ that “the history of spirituality owes much to Saints like Teresa of Jesus and Catherine of Siena.”
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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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"From careful study of the writings of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and from the resonance they have had in the Church," St. John Paul II indicates, "salient aspects can be noted of her "eminent doctrine", which is the fundamental element for conferring the title of Doctor of the Church."
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Edith Stein was canonized in Rome on 11 October 1998. In this blog post we share excerpts from the homily of St John Paul II and images that reflect her life and mission.
In his homily for the beatification of the Martyrs of Rochefort, St. John Paul II quoted the apostle Paul: "they fought the good fight of faith." He continued: "They even went through a long ordeal for having remained faithful to their faith and to the Church. If they died, it was because they insisted to the end on affirming their close communion" with the Pope.
As we remember Blessed Isidore Bakanja on his feast day, this "martyr of the Scapular" calls us to follow his example of fidelity to the Blessed Virgin. We share excerpts from the homily of St. John Paul II and a brief biography from the Carmelite Order's website.
"Mary, whom we invoke today under the title of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel... had the mission of engendering in time the eternal Son of God. In her, the maternal vocation reached the peak of its dignity and potential."
St. John Paul II reflects on the Gospel account of the woman in the crowd who raised her voice and cried out to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!"
Already in his first encyclical, John Paul II highlighted the mystery of merciful love contemplated in Christ the Redeemer: "'God is love'... This revelation of love is also described as mercy; and in man's history this revelation of love and mercy has taken a form and a name: that of Jesus Christ."
"When I love, it is forever. A Carmelite never forgets. From her little cell she accompanies the souls she has loved in the world."
We have translated an excerpt from St. John Paul II's homily at the beatification of Josefa Naval Girbés in 1988, where he praises her heroic virtues and her status as a lay woman in the local church.
From the hand of Teresa of Jesus, Henry de Ossó understands that love for Christ has to be the center of his work: a love of Christ that captivates and attracts people, winning them to the Gospel.
For Teresa of the Andes, "God is infinite joy. This is the new hymn of Christian love that rises spontaneously from the soul of this young Chilean girl."
Today we dare to introduce to the world this cloistered religious who led a "life hidden with Christ in God" because she is a witness who is bursting with the joy that is rooted and grounded in love.
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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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