St. Teresa of Avila’s Concept of Meditation
On Why a Crown is Fitting for Our Lady
How the Blessed Will Go Up Into Heaven After the Judgment: (Part II)
Path of Perfection
The Life of St. Benedict: Conquering the Flesh and the Devil
Catechism of the Council of Trent: “Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified”
The first part of this Article (of the second we shall treat hereafter) proposes for our belief that when Pontius Pilate governed the province of Judea, under Tiberius Caesar, Christ the Lord was nailed to a cross. Having been seized, mocked, outraged and tortured in various forms, He was finally crucified. “Suffered” It cannot be…
The Seven Last Words of Christ: Meditating on the First Word
And Jesus said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” —Luke 23:34 There are “Seven Words” (or pronouncements) which Christ uttered while elevated upon the cross, which may be likened to seven rich and verdant leaves springing forth upon a mystical vine [the cross itself being this spiritual vine]. Again, the wood…
Sermon for Ash Wednesday: Fasting
THESE first four days of the holy season of Lent serve as a preface to indicate the preparation that we ought to make in order to spend Lent well and to dispose ourselves to fast well. That is why I thought of speaking to you, in this exhortation, of the conditions which render fasting good…
The Holy Face of Jesus: Shrove Tuesday
History The Holy Face of God is mentioned 840 times in Scripture and His Countenance is mentioned 101 times.[1] The Psalms of King David are rich with the word Face and this context brings lively devotion to the Holy Face. At the Nativity, humanity had the first glimpse of the Face of God in the…
The Secret Impetus Behind St. Jacinta’s Mortification
Servant of God Sister Lúcia recalls how the vision of hell impacted her cousin, St. Jacinta. “But the vision of hell obsessed her, and she would ask anxiously again and again, ‘What are the sins those people commit to go to hell?’ “‘I do not know,’ I would respond. ‘Perhaps the sins of not going…
The Interior Castle: The Gate of Meditation and Prayer
Now let us return to our beautiful and charming castle and discover how to enter it. This appears incongruous: if this castle is the soul, clearly no one can have to enter it, for it is the person himself: one might as well tell someone to go into a room he is already in! There…
Meditation on Retreat: Who Are You?
Consider, with St. Bernard, that it has been in retreat that God has always pleased to signalize His greatest mercies toward men. It was in retreat on Sinai that Moses received the tables of the law; it was in the retreat of Carmel that Elias received the double spirit that animated him; it was in…
Admonitions Useful for Purifying the Heart
The voice of Jesus—Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of Heart; and ye shall find rest for your souls. The voice of the Disciple—These are the words of Jesus Christ, whereby we are commanded to learn and imitate the Virtues of His Heart, that we may be set free from all misery…
