Carmelite Quote

St. Teresa Margaret Redi
of the Sacred Heart

If one is habitually watchful during the day, could not the act of love in which one lives, endure even in sleep? Is not that what  the Spouse in the Canticles  intended when she says," I sleep, but my heart watches?"

Very well, I want to act for God, to live in his love so uninterruptedly that the habit dominates me completely and so thoroughly that I no longer perceive it and can continue to love God and give myself to Him even while my body sleeps.

Website dedicated to St. Margaret Redi

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie
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Tabernacle of the Week

St. Peter of the Fields

Rootstown, Ohio

Diocese of Youngstown

Pastor: Rev. David Misbrener

Original Church

New Church-Dedicated 2006

Information about St. Peter's Parish

Fr. David Misbrener, Pastor

Listen to a scripture reflection by the pastor

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

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Sunday in the Year for Priests

So there we were in church. My old friend set me down in a pew facing the sacristy. Soon the door opened and the Cure of Ars came out, wearing his sacred vestments. His eyes met mine. It was only a quick look, but it penetrated to the depths of my heart. I felt crushed under this gaze. I bowed low. I hid my  head in my two hands. I remained motionless throughout the Mass. After Mass I tried to raise my heavy head, and decided to leave. But as I was passing by the sacristy where the crowd was gathering, I heard these words:

 Everybody leave, everybody leave!"

At the same time a bony hand was laid on my hand, and I was drawn as by an invincible force. The door closed behind me. I found myself face-to-face with this gaze that had left me thunderstruck. I stammered a few words:

Monsieur le Cure, I have a weight on my shoulders that is crushing me.

 A voice of angelic gentleness, that did not seem to come from any human breast, answered me:

"My friend, you must get rid of it as soon as possible. Get on your knees. You will tell me your poor life, and Our Lord will take your burden upon Himself, for He has said: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."

Then my anxiety seemed to disappear a little...I began to tell this holy man the story of my life since the time of my First Communion.

While I spoke he sprinkled me with his tears, and at times he would exclaim: "How merciful is the good God! How he has loved you!"

From the Remarkable Cure of Ars, by Michele de Saint Pierre

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

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Saturday of Our Lady

May-The Month of Our Blessed Mother

Read about the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

The Devotion of the Five First Saturdays

The Shrine at Fatima, Portugal

Official Website

Pope Benedict the XVI will visit Fatima May 11-14, 2010

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

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The Seven Mansions-A Meditation Series on the Interior Castle

Our secular Carmelite community recently finished our study of St. Teresa' s Interior Castle.  For those of you that have been following the series, here is the final installment.  I hope you were blessed by the posts.

Sixth and Seventh Mansions

Near the end of the 7th Mansion, St. Teresa makes a statement that sums up what she has been telling us all along: This is the reason for prayer, my daughters, the purpose of this spiritual marriage; the birth always of good works, good works.

In previous chapters, St. Teresa emphasized that love is not idle, and that consolation in prayer is given to the soul to strengthen it for service to God and neighbor.

According to mystical theologians, spiritual marriage or transforming union is the final goal of mystical union, which prepares the soul for the Beatific Vision.

The chief characteristics of spiritual marriage according to Fr. Tanquerey in the Spirtual Life (Pg. 691):

1. Intimacy-Persons who are united in marriage no longer have any secrets; there is a blending of two lives.


2. Serenity-Few ecstasies or raptures. The soul experiences deep interior peace. The peace experienced by married persons who are certain of each other’s love.

3. Indissolubility-The union is permanent, just like the bond of Christian marriage.

The saints were not idle in this transforming union. St. Therese is a good example of this. Even though she lived in a monastery and never left the cloister, she wanted to be a missionary to spread the Gospel to all parts of the world. This is not the desire of an idle heart! The saints experience deep, passionate love of God and neighbor and they needed to find an outlet for this deep love.

We are in the “Year for Priests.” And this brings to mind the great contemplative: St. John Vianney. Many people may not think of him as a contemplative, but he had a great desire for constant prayer that was always hindered by pilgrims flocking to him. He spent 17 hours a day in the confessional. He had to say Mass and teach catechism, little time was left for sleeping or eating. If he wanted to spend time in prayer, he rose very early in the morning to be alone with Jesus before the tabernacle.

As Carmelites who are called to quiet prayer, we must challenge ourselves to ask how much time we are
wasting on other activities instead of choosing God in prayer. The minimum required of us is ½ hour.
How do we spend the rest of our waking hours? Remember, the symbolism of the nightingale-a bird that sings at night? Are we ready to give up a little sleep to spend time with God like St. John Vianney, like St. John of the Cross or St. Teresa? Are we ready to give up any other distraction or pleasure to spend extra time in quiet prayer? Let us pray for each other that we become detached from earthly pleasures and and have a great desire for prayer.

Our desire or lack of desire for holiness is the key. If we desire holiness, but are weak in our efforts to pray,we must sincerely ask God to increase in us a great desire to pray. We can turn to Our Lady to obtain this favor for us.

Extraordinary Phenomena:

Locutions: (see previous post) Scroll down to labels, click on "locutions"


Flight of the Spirit

*Cannot be resisted
*Body may accompany soul and be carried away
*It’s a powerful impulse from God
*May frighten the soul

Corporeal Visions:

*Seen with the eyes-through the senses
*Least reliable of all visions
*St. Teresa never experienced this type of vision

Imaginative Visions

*Superior to corporeal visions
*Not produced by human effort
*Not “imagined” by the person-perceived by the inner senses
*Gives Particular knowledge of God
*Image is “alive”
*Image appears like lightning
-when you try to gaze on image longer, the vision disappears
no control over the vision
*When vision ceases, soul feels alone
*Vision may be of Jesus, BVM, or some saint
*Prepares the soul to become better servant

Intellectual Visions

*Superior to other visions
*Vision does not come through senses which are easily deceived.
*Seen by intellect alone
*May come unannounced
*Soul does not desire them
*Soul may “feel” Our Lord near them
*No doubt about this vision
*Does not pass quickly-may last days or years
*Ecstasy may accompany vision
*Helps soul to constantly remember God


Admonition from St. Teresa: If you have reached the higher mansions-Do not grow careless or become too confident

Read the Interior Castle Online

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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Tabernacle of the Week

The Hospice at Lourdes, France

Site of St. Bernadette's

First Holy Communion

O God protector and friend of the humble, who has raised up your servant Bernadette by the apparitions and conversations with the Immaculate Virgin Mary, so order our lives we implore, that by the simple path of faith we may merit at arriving at the enjoyment of your heavenly vision. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Mary, my good Mother, make me prove my love for Jesus, like you, by accepting everything that it pleases Him to send me. 

 St. Bernadette

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

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Sunday in the Year for Priests

Another witness relates that at eight o'clock in the evening he went to Benediction and found the church filled with people, including many strangers. "The walls were covered with banners, the tabernacle resplendent with gold leaf, the monstrance ablaze with jewels,and hundreds of candles reflected their light on the gold and diamonds." Then came "A priest exhausted by fasting and vigils, who offered up in an almot inaudible voice a prayer that breathed forth his love."

From the Remarkable Cure of Ars by Michele de Saint Pierre

Fr. Christensen of Sioux Falls Diocese Blog Diary

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie

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