A VIRTUAL CHOIR OF CARMELITES
In Celebration of the 5th Centenary of St. Teresa's birth

Photo: Public Domain

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, ocds

TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THREE CARMELITE MONASTERIES IN SPAIN:

St. Teresa was born on March 28, 1515. The Carmelite Order is preparing to celebrate the centenary of her birth in 2015.  Enjoy this virtual tour of three important sites in the life of St. Teresa:


1.  The monastery that has been erected on the site of the house of her birth.

2.  St. Joseph Monastery, St. Teresa's first foundation in 1562.

3.  Carmelite Monastery at Alba de Tormes-Teresa died here in 1582.

ENTER THE SITE

CARMELITE QUOTE

Receiving Communion is not like picturing with the imagination, as when we reflect upon the Lord on the cross or in other episodes of the Passion, when we picture within ourselves how things happened to Him in the past. In Communion the event is happening now, and it is entirely true. There's no reason to go looking for Him in some other place farther away. Since we know that Jesus  is with us as long as the natural heat doesn't consume the accidents of bread, we should approach Him. Now, then, if when He went about in the world the mere touch of His robes cured the sick, why doubt, if we have faith, that miracles will be worked while He is within us and that He will give what we ask of Him, since He is in our house? His Majesty is not accustomed to paying poorly for His lodging if the hospitality is good.

If it pains you not to see Him with your bodily eyes, consider that seeing Him so is not fitting for us. To see Him in His glorified state is different from seeing Him as He was when He walked through this world. On account of our natural weakness there is no person capable of enduring such a glorious sight, nor would anyone in the world want to continue in it. In seeing this Eternal Truth one would see that all the things we pay attention to here below are lies and jokes. 
St. Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, Chapter 34: 8-9



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

PRAYER TO ST. TERESA OF JESUS

THE V CENTENARY OF ST. TERESA OF JESUS

Saint Teresa of Jesus, holy mother,
wholehearted servant of love,
teach us to walk with determined fidelity
along the path of interior prayer,
attentive to the presence of the Blessed Trinity,
the Lord, dwelling deep in us.

At the school of Mary our Mother,
strengthen within us these foundations;
a genuine humility,
a heart free from attachment,
and an unconditional love for others.

Share with us your intense apostolic love
for the Church.
May Jesus be our joy,
our hope and energy,
an unquenchable fountain
and our most intimate Friend.

Bless our Carmelite family.
Teach us, make your prayer our own;
" I am your; I was born for you.
What is your will for me?"
Amen

"La Madre"
by Michelle Haklin








Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE QUOTE

It is true that, however strong you may think yourselves, you cannot enter all the Mansions by your own efforts: the Lord of the Castle Himself must admit you to them. So, if you meet with any resistance, I advise you not to make any effort to get in, for if you do you will displease Him so much that He will never admit you.  He is a great Lover of humility. If you consider yourselves unworthy of entering even the third Mansions, He will more quickly give you the the will to reach the fifth, and thenceforward you may serve Him by going to these Mansions again and again.
(Interior Castle, Seventh Mansion)

Read the Interior Castle online

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE QUOTE

ST. TERESA OF JESUS (AVILA)

From the Interior Castle, Chapter 6:10

It will happen, when the Lord is pleased, that while the soul is in prayer and very much in its senses a suspension will suddenly be experienced in which the Lord will reveal deep secrets. It seems the soul sees these secrets in God Himself, for they are not visions of the most sacred humanity. Although I say the soul sees, it doesn't see anything, for the favor is not imaginative vision but very much an intellectual one. In this vision it is revealed how all things are seen in God and how He has them all in Himself. This favor is most beneficial. Even though it passes in a moment, it remains deeply engraved in the soul and causes the greatest confusion. The evil of offending God is seen more clearly...

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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CARMELITE QUOTE

From St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila):

Those who practice recollection, when they are in prayer, nearly always have their eyes closed; and it is an excellent custom for many reasons, because it is doing oneself violence in order to turn one's eyes from the things of the earth. However, it is only in the beginning that it costs; in fact, when one has acquired the habit thereof, it rather requires violence to open the eyes than to close them.

Read the Interior Castle online

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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CARMELITE QUOTE

ST. TERESA OF JESUS (AVILA)

FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 15

SOLEMNITY FOR DISCALCED CARMELITES

GENTLE REMINDER: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

IS A DAY OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE FOR ALL

SECULAR CARMELITES (OCDS)

The Lord desires intensely that we love Him and seek His company, so much so that from time to time He calls us to draw near Him. And His voice is so sweet...They come through words spoken by other good people, or through sermons, or through what is read in good books, or through the many things that are heard and by which God calls.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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SPIRITUAL DIRECTION WITH ST. TERESA OF JESUS

ST. TERESA OF JESUS (AVILA)

FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 15

Perhaps we don't know what love is...It doesn't consist in great delight but in desiring with strong determination to please God in everything, in striving, insofar as possible,not to offend Him, and in asking Him for the advancement of the honor and glory of His Son and the increase of the Catholic Church. These are the signs of love.

Next week the Church, and in particular, the Carmelite Order will celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila). Many pilgrim souls look to her teaching for guidance and direction. Many souls who are experiencing consolation and deep prayer experiences turn to her for guidance and direction.  Her excellent teaching wrought from inspiration by the Holy Spirit and explained through her own personal experiences on prayer gives the Church and her members a holy source we can turn to again and again for spiritual direction.

The quote I have used today gives her teaching on consolations and delight in prayer, experiences given mainly to the beginner to keep the soul attracted to God. But even advanced souls may fall victim to the temptation that once consolations cease we are failing in the spiritual life.  St. Teresa tells us again and again this is not so.  Charity, namely love of God and neighbor is the true test to see if we are progressing in the life of holiness.

So we can read again her quote above and ask ourselves a few questions:

1. Do I have a great desire and determination to please God in everything? Do I give up on the life of virtue easily when things get difficult? Do I make the effort to die to my own ego in sacrificing "little things" each day and offering them up?

2. Do I pray for the Church on a daily basis? Do I disrespect Church teaching? Do I tell others I disagree with certain Church teachings? Do I criticize my pastor, my bishop, the Holy Father?

3. Do I pray that Jesus Christ be honored and glorified? Do I listen to criticism of the Church without defending her? Do I watch television shows that ridicule the Church and her priests? Do I watch shows that take the name of the Lord in vain?

Let us turn to the Holy Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Jesus. May she intercede for us and help us on the Way of Perfection. This can sometimes be a lonely road filled with obstacles and pitfalls, even delightful ones, such as spiritual consolations.  Let us follow where she leads, the summit of Mt. Carmel-Christ our Lord!




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
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CARMELITE QUOTE

ST. TERESA OF JESUS (AVILA)

FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 15

He wants us to desire the eternal; we, here below, lean towards what comes to an end. He wants us to desire sublime and great things; we, here below, desire base and earthly things. He would want us to desire only what is secure; we, here below, love the dubious.

Through his favors we can understand something of what he will give us in heaven without the intervals, trials, and dangers that there are in this tempestuous sea.

Peace be with you!
Rosmarie, ocds
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CARMELITE QUOTE

St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)
Feast Day: October 15

Oh, when will that happy day arrive when you will see yourself drowned in the infinite sea of supreme truth, where you will no longer be free to sin! Nor will you want to sin, for you will be safe from every misery, naturalized by the life of your God!

Then, my soul, you will enter into your rest when you become intimate with this supreme Good, understand what He understands, love what He loves,and rejoice in what gives Him joy.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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Carmelite Quote

From the Life of St. Teresa of Jesuss (Avila)

 It often happens that our Lord draws souls away from serious sin and also that He leads others to greater perfection because of my beseeching Him. The Lord has granted me so many favors by freeing souls from purgatory and doing other noteworthy things that I would tire myself and tire whoever reads this if I mentioned them all. He has granted much more in regard to the health of souls than He has in regard to the health of bodies. This has become something well known, and there are many witnesses to it. At the beginning it made me very scrupulous because I couldn't help believing that the Lord granted these favors because of my prayer--setting aside the main fact of His doing them solely out of His goodness.But now there are so many cases, and they are so obvious to other persons, that it doesn't bother me to believe this. I praise His Majesty...

The Book of Her Life Chapter 39, No. 5

In these years of preparation to 2015 when the Carmelite Order will celebrate the 500 anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa, let us pray for her intercession for our needs and the needs of our families.  If the Lord granted her many favors while she was living in this world, imagine what he will do for her now that she is with him face to face in heaven!  Let us pray for many graces to be poured out on the Carmelite Order during this time of preparation. Let us pray for the conversion of sinners and that many many souls will come to love His Majesty!

Learn more about the centenary of St. Teresa

Resources from the Washington Province

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
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