Litany of Saint Teresa of Jesus, the Glory of Spain

 Lord, have mercy on us!
 Christ, have mercy on us!
 Lord, have mercy on us!
 Christ, hear us.
 Christ, graciously hear us.
 God, the Father of heaven,
 Have mercy on us.
 God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
 Have mercy on us.
 God the Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier,
 Have mercy on us.
 Holy Trinity, one God,
 Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us. *

 Holy Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, *
 Saint Teresa of Avila, *
 St. Teresa, whose heart was transverberated by the love of God, *
 St. Teresa, most humble servant of God, *
 St. Teresa, most zealous for the glory of God, *
 St. Teresa, woman truly strong in mind, *
 St. Teresa, truly detached from all created objects, *
 St. Teresa, great light of the Catholic Church, *
 St. Teresa, reformer and glory of the Carmelite Order, *
 St. Teresa, Queen of Mystical Theology, *
 St. Teresa, lustrous name of Avila and Spain, *
 St. Teresa, who didst forever glorify the name of Teresa, *
 St. Teresa, wishing to suffer or to die, *
 St. Teresa, exclaiming, O Lord, how sweet and pleasing are Thy ways! *
 St. Teresa, desiring so much the salvation of souls, *
 St. Teresa, tasting and seeing how sweet is the Lord, even in this vale of miseries, *
 St. Teresa, exclaiming, O death, who can fear thee who art the way to true life! *
 St. Teresa, true lover of the Cross of Christ, *
 St. Teresa, who didst live to love, died to love, and wilt love eternally, *

 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
 Spare us, O Lord.

 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
 Hear us, O Lord.

 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
 Have mercy on us.


 V. Pray for us, O holy Saint Teresa:
 R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 Let us pray

O God, Who didst replenish the heart of Thy blessed servant St. Teresa with the treasures of Thy divine love: grant that, like her, we may love Thee and suffer all things for Thee and in union with Thee; that we may gain souls to Thee, and secure our own; and this we beg through the merits of our Saviour and the intercession of Thy glorious virgin Teresa. Amen.



 _______________________________


Hymn to St. Teresa of Avila



Blest messenger of heaven! thou didst
 Thy home in childhood leave,
 Intending to barbaric lands
 Christ or thy blood to give.

But thee a sweeter death awaits;
 A nobler fate is thine;
 Pierced with a thousand heavenly darts,
 To die of love divine.

Victim of perfect charity!
 Our souls with love inspire;
 And save the nations of thy charge
 From everlasting fire.

Praise to the Father, with the Son,
 And Holy Spirit, be;
 Praise to the Blessed Three in One,
 Through all eternity. Amen





 _______________________________


Hymn: Haec est


Teresa's spirit on this day
 In beauty took its upward way,
 Pure as a white and shining dove,
 To heaven's holy house above.

She heard the Bridegroom's joyful cry:
 Come, Sister, come from Carmel high
 The marriage of the Lamb to share;
 Receive thy crown of glory there.

O Jesus, Bridegroom of the Blest,
 By all the Virgins' choir confessed,
 To thee forevermore belong
 Their worship and their marriage song.
 Amen.



(Roman Breviary)




 ______________________________




Prayer of St. Alphonsus



O Seraphic virgin, St. Teresa, beloved spouse of the Crucified, thou who didst burn with such great love of God while on earth, and now burnest with a still purer and brighter flame in Heaven; thou who didst so greatly desire to see Him loved by all men, obtain for me too, I pray thee, a spark of that holy fire, whereby I may oppose the world, creatures, and myself; and grant that all my thoughts, desires, and affections may be ever employed in pursuing, whether in the midst of joys or of sufferings, the will of the Supreme Good, Who deserves our unbounded love and obedience. Oh, obtain for me this grace, thou who art so powerful with God, that, like thee, I may be all on fire with divine love.   Amen.


(Indulgence of 300 days)




 ______________________________




St. Teresa's Book-Mark,
which she kept in her Breviary



Let nothing trouble thee,
 Let nothing affright thee.
 All things pass away.
 God never changes.
 Patience obtains everything.
 God alone suffices!

When crosses would afflict thee,
 Oh! let thy watchword be,
 Thy holy Mother's lesson,
 "Let nothing trouble thee."

If darkness round thee gathers,
 And fills thy soul with fear,
 "Let nothing e'er affright thee,"
 She whispers in thy ear.

In every joy or sorrow
 Which meets thee day by day,
 She bids thee to remember
 That all things pass away."

If lonely or forsaken,
 By friends thou art forgot,
 Thy Spouse, she doth remind thee,
 "Is one that changeth not."

When hope within thee wavers,
 And distant seems the goal,
 How patience winneth all things,
 She tells thy weary soul,

That nothing in the wide world
 Is needful unto one
 Whose happy soul possesses
 God's own eternal Son.

To drink the living waters
 At any cost or price,
 To quench thy thirst she whispers,
 "God only doth suffice."

Oh! sweet, seraphic Mother,
 May these dear words of thine
 Help to unite me closer
 Unto my Spouse divine!





 ______________________________




Hope in the Mercy of God



 When I was in the midst of the pleasures of the world, the remembrance of what I owed to God made me sad, and when I was praying to God my worldly affections disturbed me. This is so painful a struggle that I know not how I could have borne it for a month, let alone for so many years. Nevertheless, I can trace distinctly the great mercy of our Lord to me, while thus immersed in the world, in that I had still the courage to pray. I say courage, because I know of nothing in the whole world which requires greater courage than plotting treason against the King, knowing that He knows it, and yet never withdrawing from His presence; for, granting that we are always in the presence of God, yet it seems to me that those who pray are in His presence in a very different sense; for they, as it were, see that He is looking upon them, while others may be for days together without even once recollecting that God sees them.

It is true, indeed, that during these years there were many months, and, I believe, occasionally a whole year, in which I so kept guard over myself that I did not offend our Lord, gave myself much to prayer, and took some pains, and that successfully, not to offend Him. I speak of this now because all I am saying is strictly true; but I remember very little of those good days, and so they must have been few, while my evil days were many. Still, the days that passed over without my spending a great part of them in prayer were few, unless I was very ill, or very much occupied.

When I was ill, I was well with God. I contrived that those about me should be so, too, and I made supplications to our Lord for this grace, and spoke frequently of Him. Thus, with the exception of that year of which I have been speaking, during eight and twenty years of prayer, I spent more than eighteen in that strife and contention which arose out of my attempts to reconcile God and the world. As to the other years, of which I have now to speak, in them the grounds of the warfare, though it was not slight, were changed; but inasmuch as I was--at least, I think so--serving God, and aware of the vanity of the world, all has been pleasant, as I shall show hereafter.

The reason, then, of my telling this at so great length is that, as I have just said, the mercy of God and my ingratitude, on the one hand, may become known; and, on the other, that men may understand how great is the good which God works in a soul when He gives it a disposition to pray in earnest, though it may not be so well prepared as it ought to be. If that soul perseveres in spite of sins, temptations, and relapses, brought about in a thousand ways by Satan, our Lord will bring it at last--I am certain of it--to the harbor of salvation, as He has brought me myself; for so it seems to me now. May His Majesty grant I may never go back and be lost! He who gives himself to prayer is in possession of a great blessing, of which many saintly and good men have written--I am speaking of mental prayer--glory be to God for it! and, if they had not done so, I am not proud enough, though I have but little humility, to presume to discuss it.

I may speak of that which I know by experience; and so, I say, let him never cease from prayer who has once begun it, be his life ever so wicked; for prayer is the way to amend it, and without prayer such amendment will be much more difficult. Let him not be tempted by Satan, as I was, to give it up, on the pretense of humility; let him rather believe that His words are true Who says that, if we truly repent, and resolve never to offend Him, He will take us into His favor again, give us the graces He gave us before, and occasionally even greater, if our repentance deserves it. And as to him who has not begun to pray, I implore him by the love of our Lord not to deprive himself of so great a good.

Herein there is nothing to be afraid of, but everything to hope for. Granting that such a one does not advance, nor make an effort to become perfect, so as to merit the joys and consolations which the perfect receive from God, yet he will by little and little attain to a knowledge of the road which leads to heaven. And, if he perseveres, I hope in the mercy of God for him, seeing that no one ever took Him for his friend that was not amply rewarded; for mental prayer is nothing else, in my opinion, but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with Him Who, we know, loves us. Now, true love and lasting friendship require certain dispositions; those of our Lord, we know, are absolutely perfect; ours, vicious, sensual, and thankless; and you cannot, therefore, bring yourselves to love Him, as He loves you, because you have not the disposition to do so; and if you do not love Him, yet, seeing how much it concerns you to have His friendship, and how great is His love for you, rise above that pain you feel at being much with Him Who is so different from you.

O infinite Goodness of my God! I seem to see Thee and myself in this relation to one another. O Joy of the angels! when I consider it, I wish I could wholly die of love! How true it is that Thou endurest those who will not endure Thee! Oh, how good a friend art Thou, O my Lord! how Thou comfortest and endurest, and also waitest for them to make themselves like unto Thee, and yet, in the meanwhile, art Thyself so patient of the state they are in! Thou takest into account the occasions during which they seek Thee, and for a moment of penitence forgettest their offences against Thyself.



 ST. TERESA OF AVILA

http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/St.%20Teresa%20of%20Avila.html

Litany of the Saints of the Carmelite Order

 Lord, have mercy on us.
 Christ, have mercy on us.
 Lord, have mercy on us.
 Christ hear us.
 Christ, graciously hear us.
 God, the Father of Heaven,
 Have mercy on us.
 God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,
 Have mercy on us.
 God, the Holy Ghost,
 Have mercy on us.
 Holy Trinity, one God,
 Have mercy on us,

 Holy Mary,
Pray for us. *

 Queen of All Saints, *

 Mother, Ornament of Carmel, *

 Saint Joseph, Protector of Our Order, *

 Our holy Father, the Prophet Elias, who by thy prayer and contemplation laid the foundation of our Order on Carmel, *

 Saint Eliseus, who through thy disciples didst preserve the spirit of Elias on Carmel, *

 St. Telesphorus, watchful guardian of the Church, *

 St. Anastasius, invincible amid the most fearful torments, *

 St. Gerard, who didst die a glorious martyr's death for the spread of the Faith, *

 St. Angelus, glorified with the triple crown of Confessor, Virgin and Martyr, *

 St. Peter Thomas, great servant and imitator of Mary, who adorned thee with all virtue, and strengthened thee in martyrdom, *

 Blessed Dionysius of the Nativity, invincible soldier of Christ and His holy martyr, *

 Bl. Redemptus of the Cross, who through thy holy zeal hast earned the martyr's crown, *

 St. Dionysius, zealous believer in the Mystery of the Holy Trinity and the defender thereof, *

 St. Serapion, renowned for thy virtue and sanctity, and for thy wisdom and knowledge, *

 St. Spiridion, great lover of evangelical simplicity, *

 St. Cyril of Alexandria, vigilant defender of Mary, Mother of God, *

 St. Albert, our most wise lawgiver and director, *

 St. Andrew Corsini, wonderful peacemaker and despiser of worldly honors, *

 St. Hilarion, admirable for thy life of prayer and mortification in solitude, and for thy power over evil spirits, *

 St. Berthold, who didst unite the dwellers on Carmel into one ecclesiastical Order of Mary, *

 St. Brocard, great zealot for the observance of religious discipline, *

 St. Cyril of Constantinople, eminent for virtue, wisdom and learning, *

 St. Simon Stock, privileged servant of Mary, *

 St. Albert of Sicily, exalted model of unspotted purity, *

 St. Avertanus, example of perfect obedience, *

 St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, and sure guide in the mystical life, *

 Bl. Franco Lippi, outstanding for severe mortification and holy silence, *

 Bl. Romaeus, model of humble monastic virtue, *

 Bl. Angelus Augustine, marvel of eloquence in preaching the Word of God, *

 Bl. John Soreth, burning with love of the primitive observance, *

 Bl. Aloysius Rabatha, model of holy and severe penance, *

 Bl. Jacobinus, renowned for thy profound meekness and great humility, *

 Bl. Bartholomew Fanti, burning with love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, *

 Bl. Nonius Pereira, loyal servant and devotee of Mary, *

 St. Euphrasia, perfect example of obedience, *

 St. Euphrosina, wonderful lover of purity, *

 St. Teresa, illustrious reformer of Carmel, full of heavenly wisdom, *

 St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, victim of crucified love, *

 St. Therese of the Child Jesus, teacher of the "Little Way" and Patroness of the Missions, *

 Bl. Frances of Amboise, noble by birth, but nobler in virtue and steadfast confidence in God, *

 Bl. Jane Scopelli, perfect model of prayer and mortification, *

 Bl. Archangela, most tender in thy love for Jesus and Mary, *

 Bl. Mary of the Incarnation, lover of real meekness, *

 Bl. Anne of Saint Bartholomew, one with Teresa in the reform of Carmel, *

 Bl. Mary of the Angels, like to the angels in innocence and purity, *

 Bl. Jane of Toulouse, admirable for love of solitude and prayer, *

 Bl. Therese and Companions, martyrs for Christ in the French Revolution, *

 St. Teresa Margaret, great venerator and humble disciple of the Sacred Heart,*

 All ye holy Virgins and Matrons of Carmel,*

 All ye holy men and women who by thy virtues have given glory to Carmel, *


 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
 Spare us, O Lord.

 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
 Graciously hear us, O Lord.

 Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
 Have mercy on us.


 V. Pray for us, all ye Saints of Carmel:
 R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let us pray:

 Almighty and merciful God, Who dost rejoice us by the memory of all the Saints of the Carmelite Order: grant that, inspired by their example and merits, we may live for Thee alone in the continual observance of Thy law and in the perfect abnegation of self, and that we may attain to perfect happiness with them in heaven. Through Christ Our Lord. R. Amen




  http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/

http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/St.%20Teresa%20of%20Avila%20combat%20with%20Satan.html

Exerpts from "The life of St. Teresa of Jesus of the order of Our Lady of Carmel", 1916
 by Saint Teresa of Avila, Reverend Benedict Zimmerman O. C. D.


Divine Locutions. Discussions on that Subject


. . . . . I look upon it as a most certain truth, that the devil will never deceive, and that God will not suffer him to deceive, the soul which has no confidence whatever in itself; which is strong in faith, and resolved to undergo a thousand deaths for any one article of the creed; which in its love of the faith, infused of God once for all,--a faith living and strong,--always labors, seeking for further light on this side and on that, to mold itself on the teaching of the Church, as one already deeply grounded in the truth. No imaginable revelations, not even if it saw the heavens open, could make that soul swerve in any degree from the doctrine of the Church.

If, however, it should at any time find itself wavering even in thought on this point, or stopping to say to itself, If God says this to me, it may be true, as well as what He said to the Saints--the soul must not be sure of it. I do not mean that it so believes, only that Satan has taken the first step towards tempting it; and the giving way to the first movements of a thought like this is evidently most wrong. I believe, however, that these first movements will not take place if the soul is so strong in the matter--as that soul is to whom our Lord sends these graces--that it seems as if it could crush the evil spirits in defense of the very least of the truths which the Church holds.

If the soul does not discern this great strength in itself, and if the particular devotion or vision help it not onwards, then it must not look upon it as safe. For though at first the soul is conscious of no harm, great harm may by degrees ensue; because so far as I can see, and by experience understand, that which purports to come from God is received only in so far as it corresponds with the sacred writings; but if it varies therefrom ever so little, I am incomparably more convinced that it comes from Satan than I am now convinced it comes from God, however deep that conviction may be.

In this case, there is no need to ask for signs, nor from what spirit it proceeds, because this varying is so clear a sign of the devil's presence, that if all the world were to assure me that it came from God, I would not believe it. The fact is, that all good seems to be lost out of sight, and to have fled from the soul, when the devil has spoken to it; the soul is thrown into a state of disgust, and is troubled, able to do no good thing whatever--for if it conceives good desires, they are not strong; its humility is fictitious, disturbed, and without sweetness. Any one who has ever tasted of the Spirit of God will, I think, understand it. Nevertheless, Satan has many devices; and so there is nothing more certain than that it is safer to be afraid, and always on our guard, under a learned director, from whom nothing is concealed.

Our Lord shows St. Teresa the place which she had by her sins deserved in hell. The Torments there. She narrates how it pleased God to put her in spirit in that place of hell she had deserved by her sins. She tells a little compared with what there was besides of what she saw there.

 
Some considerable time after our Lord had bestowed upon me the graces I have been describing, and others also of a higher nature, I was one day in prayer when I found myself in a moment, without knowing how, plunged apparently into hell. I understood that it was our Lord's will I should see the place which the devils kept in readiness for me, and which I had deserved by my sins (1). It was but a moment, but it seems to me impossible I should ever forget it, even if I were to live many years.

The entrance seemed to be by a long narrow pass, like a furnace, very low, dark, and close. The ground seemed to be saturated with water, mere mud, exceedingly foul, sending forth pestilential odors, and covered with loathsome vermin. At the end was a hollow place in the wall, like a closet, and in that I saw myself confined. All this was even pleasant to behold in comparison with what I felt there. There is no exaggeration in what I am saying.





But as to what I then felt, I do not know where to begin, if I were to describe it; it is utterly inexplicable. I felt a fire in my soul. I cannot see how it is possible to describe it. My bodily sufferings were unendurable. I have undergone most painful sufferings in this life, and, as the physicians say, the greatest that can be borne, such as the contraction of my sinews when I was paralyzed, without speaking of others of different kinds, yea, even those of which I have also spoken, inflicted on me by Satan; yet all these were as nothing in comparison with what I felt then, especially when I saw that there would be no intermission, nor any end to them.

These sufferings were nothing in comparison with the anguish of my soul, a sense of oppression, of stifling, and of pain so keen, accompanied by so hopeless and cruel an infliction, that I know not how to speak of it. If I said that the soul is continually being torn from the body it would be nothing,--for that implies the destruction of life by the hands of another; but here it is the soul itself that is tearing itself in pieces. I cannot describe that inward fire or that despair, surpassing all torments and all pain. I did not see who it was that tormented me, but I felt myself on fire, and torn to pieces, as it seemed to me; and, I repeat it, this inward fire and despair are the greatest torments of all.

Left in that pestilential place, and utterly without the power to hope for comfort, I could neither sit nor lie down: there was no room. I was placed as it were in a hole in the wall; and those walls, terrible to look on of themselves, hemmed me in on every side. I could not breathe. There was no light, but all was thick darkness. I do not understand how it is; though there was no light, yet everything that can give pain by being seen was visible.

Our Lord at that time would not let me see more of hell. Afterwards I had another most fearful vision, in which I saw the punishment of certain sins. They were most horrible to look at; but, because I felt none of the pain, my terror was not so great. In the former vision our Lord made me really feel those torments, and that anguish of spirit, just as if I had been suffering them in the body there. I know not how it was, but I understood distinctly that it was a great mercy that our Lord would have me see with mine own eyes the very place from which His compassion saved me. I have listened to people speaking of these things, and I have at other times dwelt on the various torments of hell, though not often, because my soul made no progress by the way of fear; and I have read of the diverse tortures, and how the devils tear the flesh with red-hot pincers. But all is as nothing before this; it is a wholly different matter. In short, the one is a reality, the other a picture; and all burning here in this life is as nothing in comparison with the fire that is there.

I was so terrified by that vision,--and that terror is on me even now while I am writing,--that though it took place nearly six years ago, the natural warmth of my body is chilled by fear even now when I think of it. And so, amid all the pain and suffering which I may have had to bear, I remember no time in which I do not think that all we have to suffer in this world is as nothing. It seems to me that we complain without reason. I repeat it, this vision was one of the grandest mercies of our Lord. It has been to me of the greatest service, because it has destroyed my fear of trouble and of the contradiction of the world, and because it has made me strong enough to bear up against them, and to give thanks to our Lord, who has been my Deliverer, as it now seems to me, from such fearful and everlasting pains.

Ever since that time, as I was saying, everything seems endurable in comparison with one instant of suffering such as those I had then to bear in hell. I am filled with fear when I see that, after frequently reading books which describe in some manner the pains of hell, I was not afraid of them, nor made any account of them. Where was I? How could I possibly take any pleasure in those things which led me directly to so dreadful a place? Blessed for ever be Thou, O my God! and, oh, how manifest is it that Thou didst love me much more than I did love Thee! How often, O Lord, didst Thou save me from that fearful prison! and how I used to get back to it contrary to Thy will.

It was that vision that filled me with the very great distress which I feel at the sight of so many lost souls, especially of the Lutherans,--for they were once members of the Church by baptism,--and also gave me the most vehement desires for the salvation of souls; for certainly I believe that, to save even one from those overwhelming torments, I would most willingly endure many deaths. If here on earth we see one whom we specially love in great trouble or pain, our very nature seems to bid us compassionate him; and if those pains be great, we are troubled ourselves. What, then, must it be to see a soul in danger of pain, the most grievous of all pains, for ever? Who can endure it? It is a thought no heart can bear without great anguish. Here we know that pain ends with life at last, and that there are limits to it; yet the sight of it moves our compassion so greatly. That other pain has no ending; and I know not how we can be calm, when we see Satan carry so many souls daily away.

This also makes me wish that, in a matter which concerns us so much, we did not rest satisfied with doing less than we can do on our part,--that we left nothing undone. May our Lord vouchsafe to give us His grace for that end! When I consider that, notwithstanding my very great wickedness, I took some pains to please God, and abstained from certain things which I know the world makes light of,--that, in short, I suffered grievous infirmities, and with great patience, which our Lord gave me; that I was not inclined to murmur or to speak ill of anybody; that I could not--I believe so--wish harm to any one; that I was not, to the best of my recollection, either avaricious or envious, so as to be grievously offensive in the sight of God; and that I was free from many other faults,--for, though so wicked, I had lived constantly in the fear of God,--I had to look at the very place which the devils kept ready for me. It is true that, considering my faults, I had deserved a still heavier chastisement; but for all that, I repeat it, the torment was fearful, and we run a great risk whenever we please ourselves. No soul should take either rest or pleasure that is liable to fall every moment into mortal sin. Let us, then, for the love of God, avoid all occasions of sin, and our Lord will help us, as He has helped me. May it please His Majesty never to let me out of His hands, lest I should turn back and fall, now that I have seen the place where I must dwell if I do. I entreat our Lord, for His Majesty's sake, never to permit it. Amen.

When I had seen this vision, and had learned other great and hidden things which our Lord, of His goodness, was pleased to show me,--namely, the joy of the blessed and the torment of the wicked,--I longed for the way and the means of doing penance for the great evil I had done, and of meriting in some degree, so that I might gain so great a good; and therefore I wished to avoid all society, and to withdraw myself utterly from the world. I was in spirit restless, yet my restlessness was not harassing, but rather pleasant. I saw clearly that it was the work of God, and that His Majesty had furnished my soul with fervor, so that I might be able to digest other and stronger food than I had been accustomed to eat. I tried to think what I could do for God, and thought that the first thing was to follow my vocation to a religious life, which His Majesty had given me, by keeping my rule in the greatest perfection possible.

 (1) Way of Perfection, ch. xiii. 2.--As Ribera remarks, it does not follow from this passage that St. Teresa had ever committed a mortal sin--and thereby deserved hell--as there is abundant evidence even from her own words that she never had such a misfortune, but only that she would have fallen into grievous sins if she had not mended her life.






  http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/