St Albert of Jerusalem giving Rule of Life to the Carmelites
St Albert of Jerusalem
Born about 1150
Died September 14, 1214
Feast Day September 17th
To Learn about St Albert, click on the link below
Saturday, September 17, 2011
St Albert of Jerusalem - September 17th
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
All trouble is a white-lit joy
Blessed Titus Brandsma
1881-1942
Memorial - July 27th
In times of trial and suffering, let us take courage from the example of Blessed Titus Brandsma who remained faithful through the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. He found his consolation in Jesus.
Below is a prayer composed by him in his cell shortly before his death.
Before a Picture of Jesus in My Cell
A new awareness of Thy love
Encompasses my heart: Sweet Jesus, I in
Thee and Thou
In me shall never part.
No grief shall fall my way but I
Shall see Thy grief-filled eyes;
The lonely way that Thou once walked
Has made me sorrow-wise.
All trouble is a white-lit joy
That lights my darkest day;
Thy love has turned to brightest light
This night-like way.
If I have Thee alone, The hours will bless
With still, cold hands of love
My utter loneliness.
Stay with me, Jesus, only stay;
I shall not fear -
If, reaching out my hand,
I feel Thee near.
For more information on the life of Blessed Titus Brandsma, see our previous post entitled,
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Blessed Titus Brandsma: Carmelite Scholar, Priest, and Martyr
1881 - 1942
Memorial - July 27th
"We are here in a dark tunnel but we have to go on. At the end, the eternal light is shining for us."
Blessed Titus Brandsma, a professor and one time Rector of the Catholic University of Nijmegen, in Holland , died on July 26th, 1942 by lethal injection in Dachau, one of the Nazis' most brutal concentration camps. A fellow prisoner said of him, "He radiated with cheerful courage."
The guards at Dachua where proud of their reputation as merciless tormentors of the prisoners there. They were especially cruel to Titus, possibly because his gentle courageous manner infuriated them. They often beat him with clubs. His fellow prisoners described how they kicked him and tore his flesh, often leaving him bloody and "nearly unconscious in the mud" on the streets of the camp.
Without fail, however, Titus continually encouraged the prisoners: "Do not yield to hatred. Be patient. We are here in a dark tunnel but we have to go on. At the end, the eternal light is shining for us."
On one occasion, Titus was able to secretly receive a consecrated Host in a tobacco pouch from another inmate. A guard, who caught sight of him as he was returning to his barracks went into an insane rage, supposedly because Titus had been careless in mopping the kitchen floor. The guard seized Titus, beat him and when he fell, the guard stomped on him until Titus became semi-conscious. After prisoners helped the priest to his bunk, an inmate sought to comfort him. His response was, "Thank you, brother, but don't have pity on me, I have Jesus with me in the Eucharist."
The beautiful writings of Blessed Titus Brandsma on the value and sacredness of suffering are reflected most clearly in his own life and death. He died at the hands of Nazi doctors, an object of medical experimentation.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 3, 1985.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Blessed Silence!
On June 7th, the Carmelites remember Blessed Anne of St Bartholomew. She was born Ana Garcia at Almendral, Castille in 1549. She was a companion and nurse to St Teresa of Avila. Blessed Anne brought the Teresan spirit to France and Belgium. She died at Antwerp in 1626. Soon after her death, miracles were attributed to her. She, like St Teresa, was a true daughter of the church with a great zeal for souls. She was Beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1917. Among her writings is the following inspirational meditation. Read it an learn from Blessed Anne.
Blessed silence!
In it you cry out and preach to the whole world by your example.
According to Saint Bernard, it is the person who keeps silent and says nothing when things go wrong who is really humble. It is very virtuous, he says, to keep silent when people are talking about our true faults, but more perfect when we are slighted or accused without having committed any fault or sin. And though it is virtuous indeed to bear this in silence, it is more perfect still to want to be despised and thought mad and good-for- nothing, and to go on, as our Lord Jesus Christ did, wholeheartedly loving those who despise us.
If Jesus kept silent, it was not because he hated anyone. He was simply saying to his eternal Father what he said on the cross: Lord, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. What infinite love burned in that sacred heart of yours, Lord Jesus! Without uttering a single word you spoke to us; without a word you worked the mysteries you came to accomplish—teaching virtue to the ignorant and blind. What our Lord did was no small thing. Where should we get patience and humility and poverty and the other virtues, and how could we carry each other’s burdens and cross, if Christ had not taught us all this first, and given himself as a living model of all perfection?
Blessed silence! In it you cry out and preach to the whole world by your example. Volumes could be written about your silence, Lord! There is more wisdom to be learned from it by those who love you than from books or study.
Our Lord became a spring of Living water for us, so that we should not die of thirst among all the miseries that surround us. How truly he said in the Gospel that he came to serve and not to be served! What tremendous goodness! Can we fail to be shamed by your words and deeds, and the patience you show with us every day? How truly, again Lord, did you say: Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart. Where can we obtain this patience and humbleness of heart? Is there any way to achieve it except by taking it from Christ as he taught it to us with those other virtues we need—faith, hope and charity? Without faith we cannot follow that royal road of the divine mysteries. It is faith that opens our eyes and makes us see the truth; and where faith is wanting there is no light, and no way leading to goodness.
- From the Meditations on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Blessed Anne of Saint Bartholomew
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Community, OCDS - Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, Hudson, NH
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI on St Therese of Lisieux
At his Wednesday Audience on April 6th, 2011, the Pope spoke about our beloved St Therese. Click the link below to read his comments:
Friday, February 18, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI on St John of the Cross
At his Wednesday Audience on February 16th, Pope Benedict XVI continued his lessons on the Doctors of the Church with a teaching on the life and writings of St John of the Cross. The Pope said that " ... holiness is not only for a privileged few, but a path to which we all are called." The Pope also referred to St John of the Cross as ..." a model of humble dedication and of faithful perseverance on the road to spiritual maturity." To read more about the Pope's comments, click on the link below.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Pope - "Prayer is Not Wasted Time..."
" Prayer is not wasted time, but opens true way to life."
Beginning this week, the Pope is dedicating his Wednesday Audiences to a new cycle of lessons on the Doctors of the Church. He took the occasion of his first lesson to speak of "one of the highest examples of Christian spirituality of all time", St Teresa of Avila. To see a video clip of his comments, click the link below:
To read an article with more complete comments from the Pope, click the link below:
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