CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face

Feast Day: October 1

To be Your Spouse, to be a Carmelite, and by my union with You to be the Mother of souls, should not this suffice me? And yet it is not so. No doubt, these three privileges sum up my true vocation: Carmelite, Spouse, Mother, and yet I feel within me other vocations. I feel the vocation of the WARRIOR, THE PRIEST, THE APOSTLE, THE DOCTOR, THE MARTYR. Finally, I feel the need and the desire of carrying out the most heroic deeds for You, O Jesus. I feel within my soul the courage of the Crusader, the Papal Guard, and I would want to die on the field of battle in defense of the Church.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

 

Carmelite Saint of the Day-Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Photo: R. Massaro Lourdes, France

 St.Teresa Benedicta of the Cross , OCD

Feast Day: August 9

known in the world as Edith Stein


A prayer to St. Teresa



Lord, God of our fathers,

you brought St. Teresa Benedicta

to the fullness of the science of the cross

at the hour of her martyrdom.

Fill us with that same knowledge;

and, through her intercession,

allow us always to seek after you, the supreme truth,

and to remain faithful until death to the covenant of love

ratified in the blood of your Son

for the salvation of all men and women.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.



"Love will be our eternal life."


Edith Stein


Read about St. Teresa


http://www.ewtn.com/faith/edith_stein.htm

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

 ALL SAINTS OF CARMEL

FEAST DAY: November 14

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, O.C.D.S.

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

FEAST DAY: November 8

I would be all silence, all worship,

so that we can penetrate more into Him

and live so full of Him

who could deliver it through prayer

to those poor souls who do not know the gift of God

ALL SOULS OF CARMEL

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS

December 14

Photo: R. Massaro (C)2017 Spirit Singing

A Poem by St. John of the Cross

The Soul That Suffers With Longing to See God

I no longer live within myself 

and I cannot live without God,

for having neither him nor

myself

what will life be?

It will be a thousand deaths,

longing for my true life

and dying because I do not die.

This life that I live

is no life at all,

and so I die continually

until I live with you;

hear me, my God:

I do not desire this life,

I am dying because I do not die.

When I am away from you

what life can I have

except to endure

the bitterest death known?

I pity myself,

for I go on and on living,

dying because I do not die.

A fish that leaves the water

has this relief:

the dying it endures

ends at last in death.

What death can equal my pitiable life?

For the longer I live, the more

drawn out is my dying.

When I try to find relief

seeing you in the Sacrament,

I find this greater sorrow:

I cannot enjoy you wholly.

All things are affliction

since I do not see you as I desire,

and I die because I do not die.

And if I rejoice, Lord,

in the hope of seeing you,

yet seeing I can lose you

doubles my sorrow.

Living in such fear

and hoping as I hope,

I die because I do not die.

Lift me from this death,

my God, and give me life;

do not hold me bound

with these bonds so strong;

see how I long to see you;

my wretchedness is so complete

that I die because I do not die.

I will cry out for death

and mourn my living

while I am held here

for my sins.

O my God, when will it be

that I can truly say:

now I live because I do not die?

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

ST. ELIJAH

PROPHET AND FATHER OF CARMEL

JULY 20

Photo: R. Massaro (c) 2017 Spirit Singing-Carmelite Shrine Niagra Falls

The prophet Elijah appears in Scripture as a man of God who lived always in His presence and fought zealously for the worship of the one true God. He defended God's law in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel, and afterwards was given on Mount Horeb an intimate experience of the living God. The inspiration that was found in him from the very beginnings of the Order so pervade its whole history that the prophet may deservedly be called the founder of the Carmelite ideal. (From the Carmelite Proper)

Holy Father, St. Elijah, pray for us!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE PROPER

(Morning and Evening Prayer for Carmelites on this feast day)

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Teresa Margaret Redi

September 1

St. Teresa Margaret Redi of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was born on July 16, 1747, the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, according to the biography by Msg. James Newcomb.

From the Carmelite Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours:

Teresa Margaret was born in Tuscany of the noble Redi family, and entered the Discalced Carmelites in Florence on September 1, 1764. She was given a special contemplative experience concerning the words of St. John, "God is Love." She felt deeply that her vocation was to live a hidden life of love and self-immolation. That vocation was confirmed by her heroic exercise of fraternal charity, but was soon completed: she died in 1770, aged twenty-three. 

From the Decree of Canonization:

The fires of her love were fed principally by the Eucharist, and she looked forward with longing to her communions. She was also especially devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion which did much to curb the advances of Jansenism at that time in Tuscany. She was utterly devoted to Our Lady, whom she regarded as the model and protectress of her own virginal purity. She was endowed to a high degree with the gift of contemplative prayer, and daily grew closer to God, as though reflecting the glories of the eternity she was fast approaching.

Our Carmelite Saint and Sister is a model for the great pillars of our spiritual life: The Eucharist, the Love and Mercy of God manifested in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and devotion to Our Lady. As Carmelites, we cannot go wrong in clinging with great love to these spiritual pillars of our faith.

St. Teresa wanted to find souls that loved God or wished to love him as he deserved to be love. She made a pact with a fellow sister that they become rivals in the holy love of God. She would never let her sister forget this promise and spurred her on to the heights of virtue.

This example should help us as Carmelites to have a real desire not only for ourselves to reach the heights of union with God, but also for our brothers and sisters in Carmel, and yes, for every soul that God has created. May God give us a thirst for souls that will love him and adore him for all eternity!

Beautiful website about St. Teresa Margaret

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
____________________

ELIJAH'S CUP

Carmelite Saint of the Day: St. Elijah

The prophet Elijah is a Saint who is venerated by Carmelites throughout the world.  We celebrate his feast day on July 20th. He's considered the father of Carmelite spirituality. From the Carmelite Proper:

Photo: R. Massaro

The Prophet Elijah appears in Scripture as a man of God who always lived in His presence and fought zealously for the worship of the one true God. He defended God's law in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel, and afterwards was given on Mount Horeb an intimate experience of the living God. The inspiration that was found in him from the very beginnings of the Order so pervade its whole history that the prophet may deservedly be called the founder of the Carmelite ideal.

While doing research for another article, I discovered that the prophet Elijah plays a role in the Seder meal celebrated by the Jewish people.  During the meal, four cups of wine are at table, and a fifth is poured and set aside as "Elijah's Cup."  

What is so special about Elijah's Cup? And what is the meaning behind the ceremony of his cup and wine?  Jewish people believe that it is a symbol for when Elijah will usher in the age of the Messiah. Thus, at the end of every Seder meal, a child goes to the door to see if the prophet is there. If the prophet does not arrive, the disappointed family pours the wine back into the bottle.  

It's very interesting to note that the Jewish people use wine and the Cup of Elijah as a symbol of their future redemption.  In our Catholic faith, we know the importance of Holy Communion; The Lord's precious Body and Blood that feeds and nourishes us. On the night of the Last Supper Jesus instituted this most Blessed Sacrament: 

...He likewise took a cup, gave thanks and passed it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them: "This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out on behalf of many..."
(Mark 14:23-24)


In the Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah is brought food and drink to sustain him for his journey, a prefigurement of the Holy Eucharist:

...he lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and jug of water... 
(1 Kings 19:5-6)

Photo: R. Massaro Carmelite Monastery Niagara Falls, Canada

Each time we are at Mass, as the cup of the precious Blood of Jesus is raised, perhaps we could pray for the Jewish people. May they be given the gift of faith to believe that Yeshua, Jesus, is the Messiah of whom the prophets spoke.  Let us ask the intercession of the holy Prophet, Elijah, to intercede for the Jewish people.  May they come to believe in Jesus, receive His Body and Blood, and experience the true and living God, as we do, as Catholics, at each Mass.  







Dr. Brant Pitre
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist
(click on photo)


Peace be with you, 
Rosemarie, OCDS 




















the holy grail, the Lord's cup of his precious blood

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Photo: R. Massaro  Lourdes, France

Feast Day: July 13


Jesus alone is beautiful; he is my only joy. I call for him, I cry after him, I search for him within my heart. I long for Jesus to grind me interiorly so that I may become a pure host where he can find his rest. I want to be athirst with love so that other souls may possess this love. I would die to creatures and to myself, so that he may live in me.

Learn more about this saint:

http://www.teresadelosandes.org/anglais/a_accueil.php





Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

SAINT MARY OF JESUS CRUCIFIED, OCD
Canonized May 17, 2015 by Pope Francis

Read more about this holy Carmelite:

https://carmelourladysdovecote.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/video-of-bl-mary-of-jesus-crucified-virgin-stigmatist-and-mystic/


Peace be with you!
Rosmarie, OCDS

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
THE TRANSVERBERATION

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Joaquina de Verunda de Mas 

Photo: OCarm.org

From the Letters of Saint Joachina de Vedruna

If only we were all on fire with the love for God! If we were, we should preach love, proclaim love, and yet more love, until we had set the whole world on fire. We must have great desires: then God will give us whatever is best for us.

We must be careful to free our hearts from everything that might get in the way of the pure love of our beloved Jesus. He is love itself, and wants to give himself to us through love. Jesus is calling us all the time--how long are we going to remain deaf to his voice? No, let us keep our hearts ready, our wills completely for Jesus, our faculties and our senses for the Lord.

There must be no undue attachment in our hearts for created things: they must burn with love alone, love ever more fervent; for love never says 'enough,' never rests until it is completely on fire. When our hearts are completely on fire with pure love for Jesus, everything that might hinder love from taking complete possession will be cast out.

We must not give into weariness: we must spend every minute in loving God. God alone, the maker of heaven and earth, must be our rest and our consolation. The love of God is the only thing we can possess for ever: everything else will pass away.

Love, love, and yet more love--love that is never satisfied! The more we love God, the more we shall long to love him. And when we have Jesus in our hearts, we shall have everything else in him and with him.

READ ABOUT THIS SAINT

Peace be with you, 

Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

HENRY de  OSSO Y CERVELLO

The following biographical sketch is from Meditations From Carmel:

Henry was born at Vinebre, Catalonia, Spain, on the 16th October 1840 and was ordained priest on 21st September 1867. He was an apostle to young people in teaching them about their faith and inspired various movements for the teaching of the Gospel. As a spiritual director he was fascinated by St. Teresa of Jesus, the great teacher in the ways of prayer and Daughter of the Church. (She is better known in the English-speaking world as St. Teresa of Avila.) In the light of her teaching, he founded the Company of St. Teresa (1876) dedicated to educating women in the school of the Gospel and following the example of St. Teresa. He gave himself to preaching and the apostolate through the printing press. He underwent many severe trials and sufferings. He died at Gilet, Valencia, Spain, on the 27th of January, 1896. He was canonized on 16th July, 1993, in Madrid, by Pope John Paul II.

From the writings of Saint Henry de Osso, priest

(A Month in the Heart of Jesus, Prologue, EEO III, Rome, 1977, pp. 456-458)

“Identification with Jesus Christ”

"This is our main endeavor: to think, to feel, to love as Christ Jesus, to act and to speak as He-in a word, to conform our whole life to Christ’s. No one can be saved unless they are formed in the image of Christ. To conform our life to Christ’s, we need, above all, to study His life, know it, and meditate upon it, not only in its outward appearance, but by immersing ourselves in the thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams of Jesus Christ so as to do everything in union with Him. In His goodness, Jesus Himself invites us, both in word and hi action, to do this. For example, if we do not know the sentiments of His heart so as to put them into practice, how can we learn from His gentleness and humility? Or how can we come into His presence each time we act in order to imitate Him? Christ lived, ate, slept, spoke, kept silent, walked, worked, sweat, got tired, rested, was hungry, thirsty and poor; in a word, He suffered and died for us and for our salvation. Why is it, then, that we cannot make or imagine Jesus as real and down to earth, but only in theory and as the ideal, which is the reason we do not love and imitate Hun in everything, as we must? Jesus is our brother, flesh of our flesh, blood of our blood, bone of our bones. This is who our Jesus is, true God and true Man, alive, personal, and intimate. He let Himself be seen; He lived and spoke with us. For our salvation, being the eternal Word of God, He descended from heaven, became flesh, suffered, died, rose, ascended into heaven, and remained among us until the end of time to be our companion, our consolation, and our food in the Blessed Sacrament. Eternal life, then, our only happiness in time and eternity, consists in knowing Jesus more intimately. How happy will be the person who learns this lesson and lives it daily. What an inspiring thought! I will live, sleep, speak, listen, work, suffer-I will do everything, I will suffer everything in union with Jesus, with the same divine intention and sentiments that Jesus had and with which He suffered, which is what Jesus wants of me. Whoever does this-and all of us are called to do it-will lives in this life the life of the world to come and will be transformed into Jesus, able to say with St. Paul: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.”"

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

SAINT ANDREW CORSINI

BISHOP

Andrew was born at the beginning of the fourteenth century in Florence and entered the Carmelite Order there. He was elected provincial of Tuscany at the general chapter of Metz in 1348. He was made bishop of Fiesole on October 13, 1349, and gave the Church a wonderful example of love, apostolic zeal, prudence and love of the poor. He died on January 6, 1374.


In 1373, while Corsini had been celebrating the Midnight Mass of Christmas Eve, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and told him he would leave this world on the feast of the Epiphany. It came to pass as the vision had told him, and he died on that day.
Read more...



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

ST. RAPHAEL KALINOWSKI, OCD

READ MORE ABOUT THIS SAINT

GRAVE OF ST. RAPHAEL AT THE CARMELITE MONASTERY

CZERNA, POLAND

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

ALL SOULS OF CARMEL

OFFICE FOR THE DEAD

The De Profundis takes its name from the first two words of the psalm in Latin. It is a penitential psalm that is sung as part of vespers (evening prayer) and in commemorations of the dead. It is also a good psalm to express our sorrow as we prepare for the Sacrament of Confession.

Every time you recite the De Profundis, you can receive a partial indulgence (the remission of a portion of punishment for sin). In the modern numbering of the Psalms, the De Profundis is listed as Psalm 130, though you will often see it listed as Psalm 129, according to the traditional numbering.

De Profundis

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice.

Let Your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.

If You, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?

But with You is forgiveness, that You may be revered.

I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in His word.

My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the Lord,

For with the Lord is kindness and with Him is plenteous 

redemption; And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

Carmelite Prayer: 

Lord, you are the glory of those who serve you. Look lovingly on our departed brothers and sisters, united in following Christ and his Mother by the waters of baptism and the bonds of Carmel. In your mercy grant them everlasting sight of you, their Creator and Redeemer. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Peace be with you!

Rosmarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

ALL SAINTS OF CARMEL

(Click on photo to enlarge)

The whole family of Carmel in the homeland, with Mary its Mother at its head, is the reason for our joy and praise to the Father on this day. We recall our brothers and sisters who once dedicated their lives to continual prayer on earth and now share in the worship of heaven. We unite ourselves spiritually to their glory, all the while journeying along the paths they traveled with courage, as they lived in obedience to Christ and followed in the footsteps of Our Lady.

(From the Carmelite Proper)

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds