St John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Saying #78
 

 If you desire that devotion be born in your spirit and that the love of God and the desire for divine things increase, cleanse your soul of every desire, attachment, and ambition in such a way that you have no concern about anything. Just as a sick person is immediately aware of good health once the bad humor has been thrown off and a desire to eat is felt, so will you recover your health, in God, if you cure yourself as was said. Without doing this, you will not advance no matter how much you do.


 



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #47

Lord, you return gladly and lovingly to lift up the one who offends you, but I do not turn to raise and honor the one who annoys me.

Visit the website of the Carmelite Vicariate in Nigeria

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #162

Anyone who complains or grumbles is not perfect, nor even a good Christian.

Visit the Carmel of St. Teresa in Little Rock, Arkansas

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #118

Ignoring the imperfections of others, preserving silence and a continual communion with God will eradicate great imperfections from the soul and make it the possessor of great virtues.

Read more about St. John of the Cross


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #132

What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, for the language he hears best is silent love.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING # 131

My Beloved, all that is rugged and toilsome I desire for myself, and all that is sweet and delightful I desire for you.

Visit the Carmel in Bayonne, France

(use your Google translate to get the site in English)

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

#151
Let your speech be such  that no one may be offended, and let it concern things  that would not cause you regret were all to know them.


#141
Speak little and do not meddle in matters about which you are not asked.

Carmel de Laval-France
patience-the page will translate to English

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #119

There are three signs of inner recollection: first, a lack of satisfaction in passing things; second, a liking for solitude and silence, and an attentiveness to all that is more perfect; third, the considerations, meditations and acts that formerly helped the soul now hinder it, and it brings to prayer no other support than faith, hope, and love.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Saying-#73

What does it profit you to give God one thing if he asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it. You will as a result satisfy your heart better than with something toward which you yourself are inclined.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

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Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Gentle Reminder: Today is a fast day for all Secular Carmelites in preparation for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel's feast day tomorrow.

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SAYING #137

To lose always and let everyone else win is a trait of valiant souls, generous spirits, and unselfish hearts; it is their manner to give rather than to receive even to the extent of giving themselves. They consider it a heavy burden to possess themselves and it pleases them more to be possessed by others and withrawn from themselves, since we belong more to that infinite Good than we do to ourselves.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #129

The soul that has reached the union of love does not even experience the first motions of sin.

Just as one who is espoused does not love, care, or work for any other than her bridegroom, so the soul in this state has no affection of the will or knowledge in the intellect or care or work or appetite that is not entireley inclined toward God. She is as it were divine and deified, in such a way that in regard to all she can understand she does not even suffer the first movements contrary to God's will.


As an imperfect soul is ordinarily inclined toward evil, at least in the first movements of its will, intellect, memory, and appetites, and as it has imperfections, so conversely the soul in this state ordinarily inclines and moves toward God in the first movements of its intellect,memory, will, and appetities, because of the great help and stability it has in God and its perfect conversion toward him.
Spiritual Canticle, Stanza 27, No. 7


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

SAYING #124

Oh, how sweet your presence will be to me, you who are the supreme good! I must draw near you in silence and uncover your feet that you may be pleased to unite me to you in marriage, and I will not rest until I rejoice in your arms. Now I ask you , Lord, not to abandon me at any time in my recollection, for I am a squanderer of my soul.

The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage

by Jan van Ruysbroeck

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light & Love

Saying #43

Bear in mind that your flesh is weak and that no worldly thing can comfort or strengthen your spirit, for what is born of the world is world and what is born of the flesh is flesh. The good spirit is born only of the Spirit of God, who communicates himself neither through the world nor through the flesh.

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

Receive, O Holy Spirit of Love, the perfect and absolute consecration of my whole being which I make to Thee this day, in order that henceforth, at every moment of my life and in each of my actions,Thou mayest deign to be my Director, my Light, my Guide, my Strength, and all the Love of my heart. I abandon myself without reserve to Thy Divine operations, and I wish to be always responsive to Thy holy inspirations.

O Holy Spirit deign to form me, with Mary and in Mary, according to the model of our Divine Jesus.
Glory be tot he Father, the Creator Glory be to the Son, the Redeemer, Glory be to the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier.



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Saying #82

Keep spiritually tranquil in a loving attentiveness to God, and when it is necessary to speak, let it be with the same calm and peace.

These words of St. John of the Cross are full of obvious wisdom.  How many times have we sinned by speaking in haste before considering the tone of our voice and the choice of our words?  Let us pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, that he will help us to remain calm even in a challenging situation in which we are tempted to raise our voice and use harsh language.

St. Teresa teaches us that beginners are tempted to act like the spiritual police by correcting others instead of concentrating on their own faults. It takes true humility to bear the weaknesses  and faults of others, especially those we have close contact with.

Each day in the Divine Office we begin with these words: "Lord open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise." Let us ask for the gift to respond to others with encouraging words spoken with kindness in a spirit of true Christian charity that reflects our interior peace of heart.

St. John of the Cross, pray for us!


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

                

Saying #109

Wisdom enters through love, silence, and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.    

St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa teach us that we should not be concerned with the faults of others if we desire to make progress in the spiritual life.  Many times, good people-beginners on the road to perfection, mistakenly become  spiritual police.  They look for opportunities to point out the faults of others, instead of being concerned about their own imperfections.

St. Therese found holiness in accepting the faults and failings of others. Her Little Way of spiritual childhoold is one of confidence in the Eternal Father who forgives the failings of his children. In her weakness she found strength and confidence in God.  May she intercede for us!

How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye', yet fail yourself to see the plank lodged in your own? Hypocrite, remove the plank from your own eye first; then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Luke 6:42

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Saying # 83

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Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Saying #64

"See that you are not suddenly saddened by the adversities of this world, for you do not know the good they bring, being ordained in the judgments of God for the everlasting joy of the elect."

As Christians, we cannot let Satan and the evil events of this world steal our joy! We know the way that leads to God...the way is taking up our cross and following Jesus Christ. As Secular Carmelites we are called to follow the Crucified and Risen Christ. We know that he has won the victory for us.

Let us look to Our Lady, Queen of Peace, who said, " In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph." Let us take refuge in the sacraments. Let us take refuge in Our Lady's motherly heart and remain in the peace and joy of being children of God.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light & Love #28

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Saint of the Day

St. Pius X




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
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St. John of the Cross-Sayings of Light and Love

Saying #54

Souls will be unable to reach perfection who do not strive to be content with having nothing, in such fashion that their natural and spiritual desire is satisfied with emptiness; for this is necessary in order to reach the highest tranquility and peace of spirit. Hence the love of God in the pure and simple soul is almost continually in act.

Many people who read St. John of the Cross misunderstand his "nada" spirituality, or the teaching of emptiness, spiritual poverty, dark night, etc. If one perseveres and studies his teaching, one finds that he describes souls who are filled with joy and peace of spirit when they give up attachments to worldly pleasures.

Let us pray for each other, that the Holy Spirit would enlighten us and give us the grace to deny earthly pleasures and seek the kingdom of God.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS