Meditations from Carmel

The "O" Antiphons On the evening of December 17 the final phase of preparation for Christmas begins with the first of the great "O Antiphons" of Advent. These prayers are seven jewels of our liturgical song, one for each day until Christmas Eve. They seem to sum up all our Advent longing for the Savior, and each of them ends with a plea for the Messiah to come. As Christmas approaches the cry becomes more urgent.     These 7 short verses, the "O Antiphons" are intoned with special solemnity in monasteries during Vespers, before and after the Magnificat, Mary's prayer of praise and thanksgiving from the Gospel of Luke (2:42-55), which is sung every evening as the climax of this Hour of the Divine Office.  The nuns at the Carmel of St. Joseph are using these antiphons as part of a Christmas Novena they are praying after the morning mass for the long awaited coming of the Savior! Novena Prayer: O Lord, stir up your might and come!  Be our protector and savior.  Rescue us from the dangers that threaten us because of our sins, and lead us to salvation.  Hear our prayers, O Lord, and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the light of your coming on earth you who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, Amen. Prayer to Obtain Favors:  Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.  In that hour, vouchsafe O my God! to hear my prayer and grand my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother... Amen!   The O Antiphons -- for Advent starting at Vespers  O Wisdom - to be prayed December 17 O Wisdom. You came forth from the mouth of the Most High and reaching from beginning to end, You ordered all things mightily and sweetly. Come and teach us the way of prudence! O Adonai - to be prayed December 18 O Lord and Ruler of the house of Israel, You appeared to Moses in the burning bush and on Mount Sinai gave him Your Law. Come and with outstretched arm redeem us! O Root of Jesse - to be prayed December 19 O Root of Jesse, You stand for an ensign of mankind; before You kings shall keep silence, and to You all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us and do not delay! O Key of David - to be prayed December 20 O Key of David, and Sceptre of the House of Israel, You open and no man closes; You close and no man opens. Come and deliver him from the chains of prison who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death! O Rising Dawn - to be prayed December 21 O Rising Dawn, Radiance of the Light eternal and Sun of Justice; come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death! O King - to be prayed December 22 O King of Nations and Desired of All, You are the cornerstone that binds two into one. Come, and save poor man whom You fashioned out of clay! O Emmanuel - to be prayed December 23 O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, the Expected of nations and their Saviour; come and save us , O Lord our God!

Short meditations for your soul from the mystical writings of the great saints of Carmel. These prayerful inspirations come directly from the treasury of writings of the great Carmelite Saints including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Teresa of the Andes, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, St. Teresa Benedicta and many more! We hope these short reflections will inspire you to take up the practice of prayer in your life! The OCDS Carmelite Community at the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Louis have produced these meditations and are updated regularly with new inspirations.

Inner Life and Outer Form and Action       "The work of salvation takes place in obscurity and stillness. In the heart's quiet dialogue with God the living building blocks out of which the kingdom of God grows are prepared, the chosen instruments for the construction forged. The mystical stream that flows through all centuries is no spurious tributary that has strayed from the prayer life of the church it is its deepest life. When this mystical stream breaks through traditional forms, it does so because the Spirit that blows where it will is living in it, this Spirit that has created all traditional forms and must ever create new ones. Without him there would be no liturgy and no church. Was not the soul of the royal psalmist a harp whose strings resounded under the gentle breath of the Holy Spirit? From the overflowing heart of the Virgin Mary blessed by God streamed the exultant hymn of the "Magnificat." When the angel's mysterious word became visible reality, the prophetic "Benedictus" hymn unsealed the lips of the old priest Zechariah, who had been struck dumb. Whatever arose from spirit-filled hearts found expression in words and melodies and continues to be communicated from mouth to mouth. The "Divine Office" is to see that it continues to resound from generation to generation. So the mystical stream forms the many- voiced, continually swelling hymn of praise to the triune God, the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Perfecter. Therefore, it is not a question of placing the inner prayer free of all traditional forms as "subjective" piety over against the liturgy as the "objective" prayer of the church. All authentic prayer is prayer of the church. Through every sincere prayer something happens in the church, and it is the church itself that is praying therein, for it is the Holy Spirit living in the church that intercedes for every individual soul "with sighs too deep for words."  This is exactly what "authentic" prayer is, for "no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit." What could the prayer of the church be, if not great lovers giving themselves to God who is love!...

Spiritual Testimonies #59 (Seville, 1576)   The degrees of infused prayer  (part I 1,2,3,4,5,6)       “These inner spiritual experiences are difficult to speak about, and still more so when one wants to speak of them intelligible.       From the beginning I will start with supernatural experiences, for there is already understanding of the devotion, tenderness, tears and meditations we can ourselves, with the help of the Lord, procure here below.       The first prayer I experienced that in my opinion was supernatural (a term I use for what cannot be acquired by effort or diligence, however much one tries, although one can dispose oneself for it which would help a great deal) is an interior recollection felt in the soul. For it appears that just as the soul has exterior senses it also has other interior senses through which it seems to want to withdraw within, away from the outside noise. So, sometimes this recollection draws these exterior senses after itself, for it give the soul the desire to close its eyes and not hear or see or understand anything other than that in which it is then occupied, which is communion with God in solitude.  In this state none of the senses or faculties are lost, for all are left intact.  But they are left that way so that the soul may be occupied in God.  And this explanation will be easy to understand for anyone to whom the Lord has granted this prayer; and for those to whom He has not, there will be need at least for many words and comparisons.          A very pleasing interior quiet and peace sometimes flow from this recollection, so that it doesn't seem to the soul it is lacking in anything.  Even speaking tires it, I mean reciting vocal prayer and meditating.  All it wants is to love.  This quiet lasts a short while, and even a longer while.       From this prayer there usually proceeds what is called a sleep of the faculties, for they are neither absorbed nor so suspended that the prayer can be called a rapture.  Although this prayer is not complete union, the soul sometimes, and even often, understands that the will alone is united, and this is known very clearly; I mean it is clear in the soul's opinion.  The will is completely occupied in God, and it sees it lacks the power to be engaged in any other work.  The other two faculties are free for business and works of service of God.  In sum, Martha and Mary walk together.       When there is union of all the faculties, things are very different because none of them is able to function.  The intellect is as though in awe; the will loves more than it understands, but it doesn't understand in a describable way whether it loves or what it does; there is no memory at all, in my opinion, nor thought; nor even during that time are the sense awake, but they are as though lost, that the soul might be more occupied in what it enjoys.  This union passes quickly.  But the wealth of humility and other virtues and desires left in the soul, one discerns the great good that comes to one through that favor.  But what the union is cannot be described, for even though the soul is given understanding, it doesn't know how it understands or how to describe it.  In my opinion, if this experience is authentic, it is the greatest favor our Lord grants along this spiritual path, at least among the greatest.”            The Collected Works of Teresa of Avila Volume I.  Spiritual Testimonies Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez O.C.D.  ICS Publications Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington, D.C. 1980  ISBN  0-9600876-6-4 (v. 1) [

Teresa de los Andes Letter 112 to Her Sister Lucia June 29, 1919       "I want to tell you about my happiness.  Yes, I want you to feel for just a moment, the happiness of belonging entirely to God, but there's no human language that can express the divine feelings in which my soul finds itself submerged.  I've given Him everything, it's true, but I've also come to posses the One who is Everything.  If your love and sacrifices make you love Him more, what can I tell you, when in God love knows no limit and His immolation of self can never be greater since His Wisdom has exhausted every possibility.       Oh, though I want to love Him in an infinite degree; I feel more and more my inability and my flaws.  I wish I could exhaust myself and die very quickly in order to love Him.  But the sight of the sinful world, of the glacial coldness surrounding the altar keeps me back.  Seeing it I would rather "suffer and not die."  Yes, to suffer and not die that I may weep with the Divine Prisoner and console Him in His exile.  I wish I could help people understand that the Eucharist is a heaven.  Given that "heaven in only a tabernacle without doors, a Eucharist without veils,"  heaven is a never-ending Communion."   TIME:  4:00     Copyright 1994.  Letters of St. Teresa of the Andes  translated by Michael D. Griffin, O.C.D.  Teresian Charism Press  Holy Hill 1525 Carmel Road Hubertus, WI   53033 USA

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew Chapter VI   pg 32-33       “It is not because I am good that our Lord granted me these favors, but that His goodness might be made manifest.  Although I was so unworthy of grace, this Adorable Master sought me out that even when I was least occupied with the thought of Him, in order that I might not be lost, and that His kindness might cause admiration.  I performed labors with great consolation, when obedience ordained them.  I had no merit in this; without thinking of the wickedness which must be in me and the numerous faults which escaped my attention, I found consolation in these labors, and it seemed to me I did all for the love of God.  As my Adorable Master saw this, and because He loved me, He took care to send me certain trials, that I might see my self-love, and in order to temper my ardor…       One time I was seated near the door, as I was portress.  I was feeling somewhat hurt, as it seemed to me the older Sisters were not satisfied that the Prioress had placed me at the Turn, because I was still young, and I thought that they were right under the present circumstances.  In this mood I saw in spirit our Lord showing me a withered rosebush in the courtyard, all covered with red and white roses; as it was dried up and it was not the season of roses, the Divine Master said to me:  "these roses cannot be gathered without encountering the thorns."  He wished to make me understand, by that, that it is by suffering and contradictions that virtue is acquired.       I will say here, for the glory of our Lord, that He always gave me consolations when I did good to my neighbor, when the occasion presented itself, and when I aided them in their need.  I inconvenienced myself, it is true, on these occasions, but I found instead of an inconvenience it was a real consolation.  It is to the good Master I owe it, and it has remained so with me until this day.  May His holy Name be blessed!”   Autobiography of the Blessed Mother Anne of Saint Bartholomew Inseparable Companion of Sainit Teresa of Avila and Foundress of the Carmels of Pontoise, Tours and Antwerp:  French Translation of the Unpublished Autograph of the Vernerable Servant of God, Preserved by the Carmelites of Antwerp, with Commentary and Historical Notes.  By Reverend Marcel Bouis, S.J.:  Trnaslated from the French by a Religious of the Carmel of St. Louis, MO., U.S.A.  Imprimatur:  Joannes Josephus, Archiepiscopus, Sti. Ludovici.  20 December, 1916

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew Chapter II (p22)         "Scarcely had I passed a few days in the Monastery of t. Joseph than it pleased our Lord to hid Himself from me and leave me in darkness.  My desolation was great.  I said to this Adorable Master:  "how is this?  Why have you abandoned me?  If I did not know you, I would think you had deceived me, and if I had known you would go away I would not have come to the monastery."       This abandonment lasted ruing the entire year of novitiate.  At the end of the year I entered one day the hermitage of Christ at the Pillar to pray.  Scarcely had I knelt down than I became supernaturally recollected, and our Lord appeared to me fastened to the cross.  The first words He addressed to me were in reply to a desire I had to know whether the thirst He experienced on the cross was a natural thirst.  He said to me:  "my thirst was only a thirst for souls.  From henceforth you must apply yourself to the consideration of this truth, and you must walk in a different path from that you have followed until now."  As if He has said to me, "Child, no longer seek Me."  He then caused me to see all virtues in their perfection;  they were exquisitely beautiful.  I was the more impressed when I realized how far I was from their beauty and perfection.  After having favored me with this light, the Divine Master disappeared, leaving my heart deeply wounded with His love, as well as by seeing Him on the cross so deeply wounded with the love of souls.  This grace remained so indelibly impressed in my souls that it was with me day and night; my heart was with my Adorable Master, and my Adorable Master was in my heart; this was my usual state.  Wherever I might be I experienced a zeal beyond expression for the salvation of souls and for the acquisition of those virtues that the Divine Master had shown me in the vision I have just related.  He told me that it was by the way of the cross I would acquire them."     TIME 4:30   Autobiography of the Blessed Mother Anne of Saint Bartholomew Inseparable Companion of Saint Teresa of Avila and Foundress of the Carmels of Pontoise, Tours and Antwerp:  French Translation of the Unpublished Autograph of the Vernerable Servant of God, Preserved by the Carmelites of Antwerp, with Commentary and Historical Notes.  By Reverend Marcel Bouis, S.J.:  Trnaslated from the French by a Religious of the Carmel of St. Louis, MO., U.S.A.  Imprimatur:  Joannes Josephus, Archiepiscopus, Sti. Ludovici.  20 December, 1916

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew Chapter IX (zeal for souls) page 71       “On the eve of the Feast of St. Denis, the Areopagite, for whom I had great devotion, while in prayer, our Lord granted me the favor to visit my soul, and transform it into His by a wonderful union.  Through this visit lasted but a short time, its effects were very great.  I became so spiritual in soul and body that it seemed I no longer performed any natural action, or made the least natural movement.  The following day, the Feast of St. Denis, our Lord granted me the same favor after Holy Communion.  Although this visit was short, as I have already said, the fruits which I experienced and the dispositions in which it placed my souls, lasted more than fifteen days.  Although I saw nothing, I felt within myself, in the depths of my soul, the Sovereign Majesty, as if I saw the Most Holy Trinity.  I saw nothing, but the realization I had of His presence within me was more striking than if I had seen Him.  During these days I had, indeed, some cause for trouble, but my mind did not allow one distracting thought to enter and lost non of its simplicity;  I make use of this expression, because the vision I had of God was simple, quiet and undisturbed.       After these days had passed, it was no longer so.  It is true this grace was not entirely taken from me, but it was not granted me in such perfection as I have just described.  The fruit it continued  to produce in me was greater courage of soul, more intense fervor, a more ardent desire to see God and to employ myself in His service according to His good pleasure.  In this state there is greater activity and less of that simple looking towards God.  The movements being, in all cases, more energetic, greater care is required in order not to commit faults, whereas one is preserved from them when made firm by the power of the prayer spoken of, that is to say, the simple looking towards God.  The difference between these two states is easy to be understood.  The soul who enjoys this simple sight of God resembles a person who is satiated and has an abundance of all the dishes possible to desire, without even the trouble of seeking them or even sitting down to the table.  The soul which no longer has this simple sight of God is like a hungry man, who desires dishes according to his taste, but must procure them by labor, and if he must be solicitous in order to procure them, he must also be the same in order to preserve them.  The soul must act in the same manner regarding the virtues, the knowledge of God and self; this exercise is so important, that who ever does not seriously enter into it will always be poor in soul.  The knowledge of truth gives repose to the heart and causes a soul to be resigned in great and little things to all God asks of her.”     TIME 6:00   Autobiography of the Blessed Mother Anne of Saint Bartholomew Inseparable Companion of Sainit Teresa of Avila and Foundress of the Carmels of Pontoise, Tours and Antwerp:  French Translation of the Unpublished Autograph of the Vernerable Servant of God, Preserved by the Carmelites of Antwerp, with Commentary and Historical Notes.  By Reverend Marcel Bouis, S.J.:  Trnaslated from the French by a Religious of the Carmel of St. Louis, MO., U.S.A.  Imprimatur:  Joannes Josephus, Archiepiscopus, Sti. Ludovici.  20 December, 1916

St. Teresa of Avila – The Book of Her Life - Chap. 22.7 “This Lord of ours is the one through whom all blessings come to us. He will teach us these things. In beholding His life we find that He is the best example. What more do we desire than to have such a good friend at our side, who will not abandon us in our labors and tribulations, as friends in the world do? Blessed are they who truly love Him and always keep Him at their side! Let us consider the glorious St. Paul” it doesn’t seem that any other name fell from his lips that that of Jesus, as coming from on who kept the Lord close to his heart.” TIME 2:00 The Collected Works of Teresa of Avila Volume I. Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez O.C.D. ICS Publications Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington, D.C. 1980 ISBN 0-9600876-6-4 (v. 2)

Novena to St. Teresa of Avila by St. Alphonsus of Liguori ( Pray especially beginning on October 7 and ending on October 15, the Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus.) Day 9 Lastly, O dearest Lord Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the gift of the precious death which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa, making her sweetly to die of love; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most affectionate spouse, to grant us a good death; and if we do not die of love, yet, that we may at least die burning of love for Thee, that so dying, we may be able to go and love Thee for evermore with a more perfect love in heaven. Say one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be. V. St. Teresa, pray for us: R. That we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ. Let us pray: Graciously hear us, O God of our salvation! that as we rejoice in the commemoration of the blessed virgin Teresa, so we may be nourished by her heavenly doctrine, and draw from thence the fervour of a tender devotion; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Short meditations for your soul from the mystical writings of the great saints of Carmel. These prayerful inspirations come directly from the treasury of writings of the great Carmelite Saints including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Teresa of the Andes, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, St. Teresa Benedicta and many more! We hope these short reflections will inspire you to take up the practice of prayer in your life! The OCDS Carmelite Community at the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Louis have produced these meditations and are updated regularly with new inspirations.

Short meditations for your soul from the mystical writings of the great saints of Carmel. These prayerful inspirations come directly from the treasury of writings of the great Carmelite Saints including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Teresa of the Andes, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, St. Teresa Benedicta and many more! We hope these short reflections will inspire you to take up the practice of prayer in your life! The OCDS Carmelite Community at the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Louis have produced these meditations and are updated regularly with new inspirations.

Short meditations for your soul from the mystical writings of the great saints of Carmel. These prayerful inspirations come directly from the treasury of writings of the great Carmelite Saints including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Teresa of the Andes, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, St. Teresa Benedicta and many more! We hope these short reflections will inspire you to take up the practice of prayer in your life! The OCDS Carmelite Community at the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Louis have produced these meditations and are updated regularly with new inspirations.

Short meditations for your soul from the mystical writings of the great saints of Carmel. These prayerful inspirations come directly from the treasury of writings of the great Carmelite Saints including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Teresa of the Andes, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, St. Teresa Benedicta and many more! We hope these short reflections will inspire you to take up the practice of prayer in your life! The OCDS Carmelite Community at the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Louis have produced these meditations and are updated regularly with new inspirations.

Short meditations for your soul from the mystical writings of the great saints of Carmel. These prayerful inspirations come directly from the treasury of writings of the great Carmelite Saints including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Teresa of the Andes, Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, St. Teresa Benedicta and many more! We hope these short reflections will inspire you to take up the practice of prayer in your life! The OCDS Carmelite Community at the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Louis have produced these meditations and are updated regularly with new inspirations.