Quote of the day, 4 January: Jessica Powers

I went into the Christmas cave;
there was no Child upon the straw.
The ox and ass were all I saw.

I sought His stable where He gave
His goodness in the guise of bread.
Emptiness came to me instead.

Filled with my Father’s words, I cried,
“Where have You hid Yourself?” and all
the living answered to my call.

I found Him (and the world is wide)
dear in His warm ubiquity.
Where heart beat, there was Christ for me.

I went back to the Christmas cave,
glad with the gain of everywhere.
And lo! the blessed Child was there.

Then at His feasting board He gave
embrace. He multiplied His good
and fed in me the multitude.

Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit, o.c.d. (Jessica Powers)

The Hidden Christ (1963)

Powers, J 1999, The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers, Siegfried, R & Morneau, RF (eds.), ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: A donkey, sheep, and cow surround a trough of hay inside a barn. Image credit: Future Vision (AI generated) / Adobe Stock, Asset ID#: 1766663015.

#Christmas #InfantJesus #JessicaPowers #poetry #SrMiriamOfTheHolySpirit

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 6: If you knew

SCRIPTURE READING
Genesis 28:16

“Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!”

READING
RP 6 6r

O woman! If you knew the name of the one who has just come into your cavern! If you knew the Child whom Mary presses to her heart!…

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

#HolyName #InfantJesus #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #presenceOfGod #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #VirginMary

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 5: He knows

SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 37:18–19

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
    and their heritage will abide forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times,
    in the days of famine they have abundance.

READING
RP 6 2r

Mary, wake up, for the life of Jesus is in danger.

Yes, in his sweet sleep, the King of Heaven seems to ignore the message of one of his angels… However, He knows everything… O Mary! why doesn’t Jesus speak to you Himself? Why am I in charge of transmitting the orders of Heaven to the Mother of my God?… 

Herod is determined to put the Child to death. We must leave within the hour; tomorrow may be too late…

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

#Herod #InfantJesus #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #refugees #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux #VirginMary

St. Joseph Novena 2025, Day 2: He looks

SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 34:15

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.

READING
RP 6 1v

Little Child! How sweet Your smile is!… Is it really true that I, the poor carpenter Joseph, have the happiness of holding in my arms the King of Heaven, the Savior of humanity?… Is it true that I have the sublime mission of being the foster father to Him whose presence satisfies the ardent seraphim and who nourishes every creature? Is it true that I am the spouse of the Mother of God, the guardian of her virginity?… O Mary! Tell me, what is this profound mystery?… The Desired of the eternal hills, the Emmanuel for whom all the patriarchs have sighed, sits on my knees and He looks at me, His poor, unworthy servant.

NOVENA PRAYER

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
my great protector, Saint Joseph,
that no one ever had recourse to your protection,
or implored your aid without obtaining relief.
Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you.
Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer,
but graciously receive them.

(Mention your prayer requests)

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

V./ Pray for us, holy Father St. Joseph
R./ That we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Father,
you entrusted our Savior and his holy Mother
to the care of St. Joseph.
By the help of his prayers
may your Church continue to serve its Lord, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

of Lisieux, T 2008, The Plays of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “Pious Recreations”, translated from the French by Conroy S and Dwyer D J, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

#fosterFather #gaze #Guardian #InfantJesus #inspiration #novena #PiousRecreation #prayer #StJoseph #StThereseOfLisieux

Quote of the day, 6 January: St. Edith Stein

The Child in the manger stretches out His small hands, and His smile seems to say even now the same as later the lips of the Man: “Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened” [Mt 11:28].

The poor shepherds have followed His call, when the radiance of the sky and the voice of the angel had announced the good tidings to them in the fields of Bethlehem, simply saying: “Let us go to Bethlehem” and setting out on their way [cf. Lk 2:15].

The kings from the far-away East followed the marvellous star with the same simple faith; on them all the hands of the Child poured the dew of His grace and they “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” [Mt 2:10].

These hands give and demand at the same time: you wise men, lay down your wisdom and become simple like children; you kings, give your crowns and your treasures and bow down humbly before the King of kings; do not hesitate to take upon yourselves the sufferings and hardships His service entails.

The Christian mysteries are an indivisible whole. If we become immersed in one, we are led to all the Others. Thus the way from Bethlehem leads inevitably to Golgotha, from the crib to the Cross.

Saint Edith Stein

The Mystery of Christmas
January 13, 1931, Ludwigshafen, Germany

Stein, E 1931, The mystery of Christmas: incarnation and humanity, translated from the German by Rucker, J, Darlington Carmel, Darlington UK.

Featured image: The Adoration of the Magi by Dutch artist Leonaert Bramer (1596–1674) is an oil on oak panel on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Curators date the work between 1630 and 1635. Image credit: Detroit Institute of Arts (Public domain)

#Bethlehem #crib #cross #Epiphany #golgotha #InfantJesus #Magi #mystery #StEdithStein #star

Quote of the day, 5 January: Jessica Powers

There is a star above this street for me.

Hither I came of old,

bearing my myrrh and frankincense and gold.
Hunger and loneliness and poverty

I brought for their delight

once in my youth upon a snowy night.
I did not follow to the inmost place

where the Child lay asleep.

It was too splendid; the light dripped too deep.
I saw the tears upon the Virgin’s face.

I gave my gifts to her,

and the night ended in a golden blur.

Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit, o.c.d. (Jessica Powers)

Michigan Boulevard, Chicago (1932)

Powers, J 1999, The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Adoration of the Magi is an oil on canvas painting by Spanish master Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682). Executed ca. 1655–1660, this monumental painting—nearly two meters or over six feet in height—is a treasure in the Toledo Museum of Art collection in Toledo, Ohio. Image credit: Toledo Museum of Art / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

#adoration #frankincense #gold #InfantJesus #JessicaPowers #Magi #myrrh #poetry #SrMiriamOfTheHolySpirit #VirginMary

Quote of the day, 25 December: St. Thérèse

I am the Jesus of Thérèse

Our Lord to St. Teresa of Avila

O Little Child! my only Treasure. I abandon myself to your Divine Whims. I want no other joy than that of making you smile. Imprint in me your childish virtues and graces so that on the day of my birth into Heaven, the angels and saints may recognize your little bride.

Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Prayer 14, To the Child Jesus
ca. September 1896
Found on a prayer card in her breviary after her death

Thérèse, Gaucher, G & Kane, A 1997. The Prayers of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: The Act of Oblation, ICS Publications, Washington, DC.

Featured image: St. Martin Church in the Bull Ring neighborhood is the original parish church of Birmingham, England. This nativity scene is located at the base of the south transept stained glass window was designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and crafted by Morris & Co. in 1876–77. Image credit: KotomiCreations / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#Christmas #heaven #InfantJesus #nativity #prayer #smile #StThérèseOfLisieux #treasure

Quote of the day, 23 December: St. Edith Stein

When the days are shortening, when, in a normal winter, the first snowflakes begin to fall, then men’s thoughts, perhaps still shyly and hesitantly, will turn to Christmas. The very word diffuses a charm which few human hearts can resist. Even unbelievers, to whom the old story of the Child of Bethlehem means nothing, prepare for the feast, anxious to kindle a ray of joy here and there among their friends. Even weeks and months before, a warm current of love seems to traverse the whole earth.

A feast of love and joy—this is the star to which all men look in the first months of winter.  For the Christian, more especially for the Catholic, it means something else as well. The star will lead him to the manger with the Child that brings peace to the earth.  Christian art presents it to us in innumerable pictures; ancient tunes, replete with all the charm of childhood, sing of it.

If we live with the Church, the Advent bells and hymns will stir a holy longing in our heart; and if we have been introduced to the inexhaustible source of the Liturgy, Isaias, the great prophet of the Incarnation, will rouse us day by day with his powerful warnings and promises: “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and ye clouds, rain the just. The Lord is here, let us adore Him. Come, Lord, and do not delay. Rejoice, Jerusalem, with great joy, for thy Saviour comes to thee.”

From the seventeenth to the twenty-fourth of December the great O antiphons of the Magnificat (O Wisdom, O Adonai, O root of Jesse, O key of David, O sunrise, O king of the nations) cry ever more longingly their “Come to deliver us.” And it sounds with increasing promise: “Behold, everything is fulfilled” on the last Sunday of Advent, and finally: “Today you shall know that the Lord will come and tomorrow you will see His glory”.

Yet, when on Christmas Eve the trees are lit and the presents exchanged, men are still longing for other lights, until the bells ring for the Midnight Mass, and the miracle of the Holy Night is renewed on the flower-decked altars with their burning candles: “And the Word was made flesh.” This is the moment of bliss fulfilled.

Saint Edith Stein

The Mystery of Christmas

Featured image: Christmas hope by Romolo Tavani / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

#Advent #Christmas #incarnation #InfantJesus #joy #love #nativity #OAntiphons #StEdithStein

READING

My joy is to struggle unceasingly
To bring forth spiritual children.
It’s with a heart burning with tenderness
That I keep saying to Jesus:
“For you, my Divine Little Brother,
I’m happy to suffer.
My only joy on earth
Is to be able to please you.

PN 45, Stanza 6

REFLECTION

Have you considered your role in bringing others closer to Jesus? St. Thérèse, though she lived in a cloister, saw her mission as spiritual motherhood—unceasingly offering her struggles to bring spiritual children to Christ. This calling is not limited to the cloister. Each of us can offer our prayers, sacrifices, and acts of love to bring souls to Jesus, wherever we are. Today, reflect on how you can embrace your own call to spiritual motherhood or fatherhood. Ask St. Thérèse to help you find joy in offering everything to Jesus for the salvation of souls.

NOVENA PRAYER

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus,
remember your promise to do good on earth;
send your shower of roses in abundance
on those who call upon you,
and obtain for us from God the graces
we are waiting to receive from His infinite goodness.

mention your intentions here

God our Father,
you have promised your kingdom
to those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever. Amen.

We always refer to the website of the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux for the vast majority of our quotes concerning Saint Thérèse, Saint Zélie, and Saint Louis Martin. If you would like to purchase English translations for the collected works of St. Thérèse, please visit the website of our Discalced Carmelite friars at ICS Publications. 

Thérèse of Lisieux, S 1995, The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, translated from the French by Kinney, D, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/27/tejnovena24-7/

#divine #happy #heart #InfantJesus #joy #novena #spiritualMotherhood #StThereseOfLisieux #suffer #tenderness #TheLittleFlower

Venerable Margaret of the Blessed Sacrament from the Carmel of Beaune, France was born #onthisday in 1619. Her devotion to the Infant Jesus and his statue in the Carmel of Beaune is amazing; the statue survived the French Revolution!

Learn more
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/02/06/margbeaune-bday/

#venerablemargaretoftheblessedsacrament #margueritedebeaune #beaune #catholics #devotion #carmelites #infantjesus #childhood

St. Teresa of Avila & the Paris Carmelites lead our Advent reflection: “I don’t know how one can think about the Queen of Angels and about when she went through so much with the Infant Jesus without giving thanks to St. Joseph.”
Learn more:
✝️ https://carmelitequotes.blog

#advent #stteresaofavila #virginmary #queenofangels #stjoseph #infantjesus #blog #catholic #carmelite #quotes

St. Teresa of Avila & the Paris Carmelites lead our Advent reflection: “I don’t know how one can think about the Queen of Angels and about when she went through so much with the Infant Jesus without giving thanks to St. Joseph.”
Learn more:
✝️ carmelitequotes.blog #linkinbio

#advent #stteresaofavila #virginmary #queenofangels #stjoseph #infantjesus #blog #catholic #carmelite #quotes