Tag Archives: St. Teresa of Avila

Carmelite Saints, Doctor of the Church, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Teresa of Avila, Feast Day October 15

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St. Teresa of Avila Public Domain Image
St. Teresa of Avila

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Teresa of Avila,

Feast Day October 15

St. Teresa of Avila’s feast day will be celebrated on October 15th. She is known as being the patron saint of writers and headache sufferers.

Born in Avila, Spain in 1515, she was sent to a convent at the age of 16, because her father believed her to be “out of control”. At first she hated it, later she came to enjoy it, in part because they were less strict than her father.

Eventually, she decided to become a Carmelite nun. She practiced meditation and mental prayer. She fell ill with malaria and almost died. She awoke paralyzed, which lasted for three years. She found it very difficult to pray during this time. However at the age of 41 a priest convinced her to go back to prayer. She suffered many distractions and found it very difficult. As she began her prayer life anew, God gave her spiritual delights including ecstasies, and the prayer of union. She eventually became known as a mystic.

At the age of 43 she decided to form a new convent which met with much resistance. Her confessor St. John of the Cross helped to begin the reformed order of the Discalced (barefoot) Carmelites.

St. Teresa was known for her honest dialogue with God.    She wanted the nuns in her order to have the proper attitude and discipline in their prayer life.  But she too could be frustrated with life.   Every moment of her life was a prayer,  even the difficult ones.  She is known for the following exclamation.

“If this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!”

St. Teresa has written many books. These include: The Interior Castle, The Life of Teresa of Jesus, and The Way of Perfection.  Her spirituality has led many to a much deeper prayer life.  She has been proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

St. Teresa died on October 4 at the age of 67.

The following prayer is attributed to St. Teresa of Avila:

 

Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing make you afraid.
All things are passing.
God alone never changes.
Patience gains all things.
If you have God you will want for nothing.
God alone suffices.

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

 

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patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Raymond Nonnatus, Feast Day August 31

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St. Ramond Nonnatus Public Domain Image
St. Ramond Nonnatus

The feast day of St. Raymond Nonnatus is celebrated on August 31.  He was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1204.  His mother died during childbirth prompting a delivery by caesarean section.  The name Nonnatus means not born.  St. Raymond is the patron saint of women in labor and the falsely accused.

Raymond felt great empathy for expectant mothers and is the patron saint of women in labor.  His father wanted him to take over the family farm.  He chose instead to become a priest, joining the religious order of Mercedarians.    The Mercedarians were dedicated to ransoming Christian slaves from the Moors who occupied most of Spain.

St. Raymond was sent to Algeria where he used his inheritance to ransom slaves.  When the money ran out, he traded his life for that of a slave.   He was imprisoned but succeeded in converting several of his jailers.  The Moors then bored holes in his lips and sealed his mouth shut with a padlock to prevent him from preaching!

St. Raymond was sentenced to death, however, the Mercedarians ransomed him home to Spain.  He was then given the title of Cardinal by Pope Gregory IX in 1239.  Soon after, he came down with a fever and died in Cardona.   He is often shown in art in the company of angels.  Many miracles were attributed to St. Raymond before and after his death in1240 at the age of 37.

 

You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila;  Feast day October 15

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

 

patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Martha, Feast Day July 29

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Jesus at the home of Marth and Mary by Harold Copping Public Domain Image
Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary by Harold Copping

The feast day of St. Martha is celebrated on July 29. Martha lived in Bethany during the first century. She was a devoted follower and friend to Jesus. She was the sister of Lazarus and had a sister named Mary.  St. Martha is the patron saint of cooks, housewives and domestic workers.

Martha is well known for two stories in the bible. In Luke 10:38-42 , Jesus is a guest in Martha’s home. While she is busy in the kitchen, Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to every word he is saying. Martha goes to Jesus, complaining… “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.”

Jesus responded by saying,

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

If we really love Jesus we should want to actually spend time with Him. This gentle rebuke must have stung. Service in the kitchen is an important part of hospitality. However, Jesus makes it clear that listening to his words is even more important. We need to prioritize our work and actually be present to and listen to Jesus. Sometimes, we can be so busy with our work, that we forget what it means to love someone.

Later in the gospel, Martha speaks to Jesus after her brother Lazarus has died. In John chapter 11, , Martha proclaims her faith when she tells Jesus “Lord, if you had been here, m brother would not have died.”

Jesus replied,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” She was a witness to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after he had been in the tomb for three days.

Tradition tells us that Martha died of natural caused in 84 AD.

 

If obedience sends you to the kitchen, remember that the Lord walks among the pots and pans and that He will keep you in inward tasks and in outward ones, too.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila; Feast day October 15

 

July is the Month of The Most Precious Blood

Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Gaspar Bertoni, Feast Day June 12

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St. Gaspar Beroni

The feast day of St. Gaspar Bertoni is celebrated on June 12.

St. Gaspar was born in Verona in the Republic of Venice on Oct. 9, 1777 into a wealthy family. His baby sister died leaving him an only child. After his 1st communion at age 11, St. Gaspar was called into a mystical union with Christ. He entered the seminary at 18. During his first year as a seminarian the French army invaded his country. He dedicated himself to caring for the sick and wounded, becoming a member of a Gospel Fraternity for the Hospitals.

St. Gaspar was ordained a priest on Sept. 20, 1800. He was put in charge of youth formation. He also became the spiritual director of the religious community of St. Joseph’s convent. Here he met Leapoldina Naudet and was her spiritual guide. He helped her found the Sisters of the Holy Family. St. Gaspar also directed Servant of God Teodora Compostrini who founded the Community “Sorelle Minime” of the Charity of the Sorrowful Mother.  By 1810, he became the spiritual director of the diocesan seminary.

St. Gaspar kept a spiritual diary in which he tells of his mystical gifts and his call to form a religious family. With the help of two companions he began the order in a church named “The Stigmata of St. Francis.” They began a tuition free school. They lived together in common, living a life of penance and contemplation.

St. Gaspar almost died from military fever. While he was sick he continued to counsel many people. The Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ was also known as the Stigmatines. It gradually spread from Verona to the United States, Brazil, Chile, The Philippines, south Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand.

St. Gaspar died in 1836 after the cholera outbreak of 1836. During his lifetime he was attributed with many miracles. He was canonized in 1954.

Love and fear…

Love will make us quicken our steps,

while fear will make us look where we are

setting our feet so that we shall not fall.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila; Feast day October 15

 

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.

Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Baptist Rossi, Feast Day May 23

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St. John Baptist Rossi
St. John Baptist Rossi

 

The feast day of St. John Baptist Rossi is celebrated on May 23.

St. John Baptist Rossi was born in Voltaggio, Italy in 1698. He was one of four children. He studied in Rome. Suffering from epilepsy, he was forced to leave college. However, he eventually finished his studies. He was ordained a priest at the age of 23.

St. John Baptist Rossi worked in Rome for 40 years. He served the sick, homeless and prisoners. He earned a reputation for being a good confessor. He especially supported the hospice of Saint Gala which gave overnight shelter to the poor. It was founded by Pope Celestine III.

In 1764, St. John died from a stroke. The papal choir sang at his choir and 260 priests attended his funeral. He was canonized by Pope Leo XII in 1881.

 

From silly devotions and sour faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!

St. Teresa of Avila; Feast day October 15

 

May is the Month of Our Lady

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of Fatima, Feast Day May 13

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Our Lady of Fatima
Public Domain Image

The Feast day of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13.

In 1917, an angel and Our Lady appeared six times to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (9 years old) were brother and sister. Lucy Dos Santos (14 years old) was their cousin. Jacinta and Francisco both died several years after the apparitions.

Francisco was born on June 11, 1908. During the apparitions Francisco could see but not hear what was being said. He had a great love of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He also had a great devotion to praying the Rosary. He received his first communion on the day of his death, April 4, 1919.

Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910. Jacinta could both hear and see what was said during the apparitions. She was profoundly affected when Our Lady told her that Jesus was very offended by sin. After seeing a vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely to the salvation of souls. She offered her suffering to free souls from the fires of hell. A year after the apparitions she came down with bronchial pneumonia, an abscessed lung and then was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She offered all of her suffering to Jesus. She was rushed to a hospital in Lisbon. The Blessed Virgin visited her their three times. She died without the presence of her parents or Lucy on Feb.20, 1920.

Lucy was born on March 22, 1907. After the apparitions Our Lady told her that her cousins would soon be in heaven and that Lucy should spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.” It was Lucy who requested a miracle so people would believe in the apparitions. During the investigations surrounding the apparitions, Lucy was harassed. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as Sister Mary of the Sorrowful Mother. Later she became a Carmelite Sister taking the name Sister Maria Lucia. She had several more visions of Our Lady. Lucy died on Feb. 3, 2005 at the age of 97.

The children saw a brilliant flash of lightning. A beautiful Lady appeared clothed in white and she asked the children to return on the thirteenth of each month. She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily and for devotion to her Immaculate Heart. She also requested prayer for Russia. Our Lady of Fatima spoke of observing the first Saturdays of each month by going to confession and receiving Holy Communion as a devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

On the final visit, a dramatic “dance of the sun” took place. It was witnessed by thousands of people. The sun seemed to tumble from the sky.

During the apparitions in Fatima three secrets were revealed to the children.

  1. After being promised they would go to heaven the children saw a vision of hell which was filled with fire and demons.
  2. Mary instructed the children how to save souls from Hell and convert the world to Christianity. She asked them to spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary. She asked them to pray for Russia.
  3. The children had a vision of the assassination of the Holy Father.

Many believe the third secret was a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto on May 13, 2000.

Several chapels have been built at the site.

Pope John Paul II gave thanks to Our Lady of Fatima for her intercession after he survived an attempted assassination. He reminded the faithful that “the message of Fatima is a call to conversion and repentance, the nucleus of the message of the Gospel”.

 

There is no queen like humility to make the King surrender.  Humility drew the King from heaven to the womb of the Virgin, and with it, by one hair, we will draw Him to our souls.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila; Feast day October 15

Our Lady of Fatima in Art

 

May is the Month of Our Lady.

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