Standing in His Light (Christian Music) = Lift your voice 💫 with this new Christian melody! - #God #Jesus #TheLord #Praise #ChristianMusic #Bible #Music #Song #Prayer #Faith #Light #Guidance #ChristianYouth #SpiritualJourney #TrustingGod #PresenceOfGod #JoyInFaith #HopeInChrist #GodsLove #ChristianWorship #GodsPromises #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianLife #HolySpirit #StrongFoundation #BlessedAssurance #SeekingTruth #GodsCreation #InnerPeace - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Peace in the Midst of the Fire

Sometimes the miracle isn't having your prayer answered. Sometimes, it's you having joy. God wants you to have peace in the midst of the fire! #motivation #biblestudy #bishopshammahwomackel #faith #spiritualgrowth #biblestudy #peace #lifeinchrist #presenceofgod #purpose #wordofgod from Bishop Shammah Womack-El

https://bishopshammahwomackel.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/peace-in-the-midst-of-the-fire/

Relentless: A 12-Stone Altar – The Unshakeable Evidence of a God Who Never Leaves
Where is God when hardship hits hardest? How do we reconcile a loving God with seasons of silence, pain, or perceived abandonment? These are the haunting questions Michele Cushatt faced—and the heart behind her deeply stirring book, Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves. More details…https://spiritualkhazaana.com/relentless-evidence-of-god-who-never-leaves/
#relentless #presenceofgod #godsfaithfulness #gloryofgod #proofofgod

Taking One Step Closer to God: A Soulful Journey Toward Holiness
Taking One Step Closer to God by Donald R. Johnston is a practical, step-by-step study for those longing to deepen their spiritual journey and embrace a life of holiness. Designed as a six-week devotional and reflective exercise, the book walks readers through a carefully,,, More details… https://spiritualkhazaana.com/taking-one-step-closer-to-god-holiness/
#onestepcloser #spiritualjourney #takingonestepclosertogod #spiritualgrowth #presenceofgod

Quote of the day, 3 September: Brother Lawrence

Means to acquire the presence of God:

It would be appropriate for beginners to formulate a few words interiorly, such as: My God, I am completely yours, or God of love, I love you with all my heart, or Lord, fashion me according to your heart, or any other words love spontaneously produces.

But they must take care that their minds do not wander or return to creatures. The mind must be kept fixed on God alone, so that seeing itself so moved and led by the will, it will be obliged to remain with God.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, o.c.d.

Spiritual Maxims, 30

Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God,  translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Photographer Marko Vombergar captured this image of a pilgrim to Argentina’s 2016 National Eucharistic Congress in Tucumán. Image credit: Marko Vombergar for aleteia.org / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#BrotherLawrenceOfTheResurrection #GodAlone #loveForGod #mentalPrayer #presenceOfGod

Quote of the day, 14 August: Brother Lawrence

The [practice of the] presence of God is an application of our mind to God, or a remembrance of God present, that can be brought about by either the imagination or the understanding.

I know someone who, for forty years [Brother Lawrence is speaking of himself], has been practicing an intellectual presence of God to which he gives several other names. Sometimes he calls it a “simple act,” a “clear and distinct knowledge of God,” an “indistinct view,” or a “general and loving awareness of God.” Other times he names it “attention to God” “silent conversation with God,” “trust in God,” or “the soul’s life and peace.”

This person told me that all these forms of God’s presence are nothing but synonyms for the same thing, and that it is at present second nature to him. Here is how:

This person says that the habit is formed by the repetition of acts and by frequently bringing the mind back into God’s presence. He says that as soon as he is free from his occupations, and often even when he is most taken up by them, the recesses of his mind [esprit] or the innermost depths of his soul are raised with no effort on his part and remain suspended and fixed in God, above all things, as in its center and resting place.

Since he is generally aware that his mind, thus held in suspension, is accompanied by faith, he is satisfied. This is what he calls “actual presence of God,” which includes all the other types of presence and much more besides, so that he now lives as if only he and God were in the world. He converses with God everywhere, asks him for what he needs, and rejoices continuously with him in countless ways.

It is important, however, to realize that this conversation with God takes place in the depths and center of the soul. It is there that the soul speaks to God heart to heart, and always in a deep and profound peace that the soul enjoys in God.

Everything that takes place outside the soul means no more to it than a lit straw that goes out as soon as it is ignited, and almost never, or very rarely, disturbs its inner peace.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, o.c.d.

Spiritual Maxims, 20–23

Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God,  translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Sister Vanesa Guerrero of the Purity of Mary Sisters looks out over the Balearic Sea at Valldemosa, Mallorca. Image credit: Vanesa Guerrero, rpm / Cathopic

#BrotherLawrenceOfTheResurrection #conversation #habit #interiorLife #presenceOfGod

St. Edith Stein Novena 2025, Day 5: We are not ruined

SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 68:32–35

Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord
who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens.
He thunders his voice, his mighty voice.
Come, acknowledge the power of God.

His glory is on Israel; his might is in the skies.
God is to be feared in his holy place.
He is the Lord, Israel’s God.
He gives strength and power to his people.

Blessed be God!

MEDITATION
Three Dialogues: I Am Always in Your Midst

God is

How foolish now this doubt appears to me!
If God’s call sounds within a soul,
When he leads it to our house’s door
And to knock hard—why should we not open
The door wide, our arms and our heart?
If he shows the way, then he also knows
That it is not a wrong track where people suddenly get lost;
No spurious way that ends in desert sands.
That step by step the road will be revealed, I firmly believe.
And in fact what is certain?
Where is “certain fate”? Yes, we see—
And it’s good that we are so confronted—
How around us structures are becoming ruins
That seemed to us to have been raised for eternity.
One thing alone is certain: that God is
And that his hand holds us in being.
Then even if around us the whole world falls to wrack and ruin,
We are not ruined if we hold ourselves to him.

PRAYER

Saint Edith Stein,
faith in the holy angels gives me confidence—
confidence to believe, in the midst of all suffering,
in the divine life-force we all share,
which flows through all creation
as the sap flows from the vine into its branches.

We do not stand alone
in this fierce struggle between life and death.
“When my enemies press in on me…” (Ps 56:2),
“…then God fights for me.” (Josh 23:10)

In this valley of tears,
I lift my eyes in trust to you,
you holy angels and saints:
your task is to pass on that Love
whose “beginning and end is the triune God.”
(Edith Stein, Complete Works)

We are held and drawn into this radiant stream
of light and love, of life and truth.
The more we are united with you
through surrender to the divine will,
the more your love becomes our love,
your light our light.

If we believe in this communion,
we already walk in the light.

Intercede for us,
that we may take part in the restoration of all creation.

Here mention your intentions

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

℣. Saint Edith Stein,
℟. Pray for us.

Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

All scripture references are from The Jerusalem Bible Reader’s Edition, copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday & Company, Inc. as accessed from The Internet Archive website.

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. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.

Let us unite in prayer

#faith #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StEdithStein

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

“And the word was made flesh.”

This became reality in the stable of Bethlehem. But it has also been fulfilled in another form: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” The Saviour, knowing that we are and remain human—daily struggling with our weakness—aids our humanity in a manner truly divine. Just as our earthly body needs its daily bread, so the divine life in us must be constantly fed: “This is the living bread that came down from heaven.”

If we truly make it our daily bread, the mystery of Christmas—the Incarnation of the Word—will be re-enacted in us each day. And this, it seems, is the surest way to remain in constant union with God and to grow every day more securely and more deeply into the Mystical Body of Christ.

I am well aware that many will think this an exaggerated demand. In practice, it means for most of those who start this habit that they will have to rearrange their outer and inner life completely. But this is just what it is meant to do. Is it really demanding too much to make room in our life for the Eucharistic Saviour, so that He may transform our life into His own?

We have time for so many useless things: we read senseless rubbish in books, periodicals, and newspapers, sit in cafés, and chat for a quarter or half an hour in the street. All these are distractions by which one wastes time and strength. Should it really be impossible to save an hour in the morning in which one is not distracted but recollected—in which one does not spend oneself but gathers strength sufficient to carry one through the whole day?

It is true: more is needed for this than just the one hour. We must live from one such hour to the next in such a way that we are allowed to come again. It is no longer possible to “let ourselves go,” even only for a little while. We cannot escape the judgment of a person with whom we are in daily contact. Even without words, we feel what others think of us. We will try to adapt ourselves to our surroundings, and if this proves impossible, it will be torture to live together.

Thus it is also in daily intercourse with our Lord. We shall become ever more sensitive to what pleases and displeases Him. If before we had been, on the whole, quite satisfied with ourselves, this will now become very different. We shall find much that is bad and change it if possible. And we shall discover many things that we cannot think are satisfactory—and yet are so hard to change.

And so we shall gradually become very small and humble, as well as patient and indulgent with the motes in the eyes of others, because we are busy with the beam in our own. And finally, we shall learn even to bear with ourselves in the light of the divine presence, and to give ourselves up to the divine mercy which can deal with all the difficulties that are too much for our own strength.

It is a long way from the smug self-satisfaction of the “good Catholic” who “does his duties,” reads a “good paper,” etc., but apart from that does what he likes, to a life guided and provided by the hand of God in the simplicity of the child and the humility of the publican. But whoever has walked in this way will no more turn back.

Thus, being a child of God means to become small—and at the same time to become great. Living eucharistically means quite naturally to leave the narrowness of one’s own life and to grow into the breadth of the Christ life. If we seek the Lord in His house, we shall not always occupy Him only with ourselves and our own affairs. We shall begin to be interested in His affairs.

Saint Edith Stein

The Mystery of Christmas: Incarnation and Humanity
Lecture given to Catholic academics, 13 January 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: Photographer Tim Foster captured this golden hour image of hikers at El Hoyo volcano in Nicaragua. Image credit: Tim Foster / Unsplash (Some rights reserved).

💠 Appreciate these quotes from the Carmelites?
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💠 Reflection question:
What might Christ wish to rearrange in your life so you can live more eucharistically?
Share your thoughts in the comments.

#Eucharist #faithful #incarnation #little #presenceOfGod #relationship #StEdithStein #transformation

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

Quote of the day, 12 February: Brother Lawrence

“Sometimes I think of myself as a piece of stone before a sculptor who desires to carve a statue; presenting myself in this way before God I ask him to fashion his perfect image in my soul, making me entirely like himself.”

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, o.c.d.
Letter 2 (excerpt)

“To consider oneself as a piece of stone before a sculptor who desires to carve a statue.” Could Brother Lawrence’s insight not serve as a guide in our spiritual life? To allow the Holy Spirit to imprint in us the traces of God’s Love and Mercy through the sacraments—especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation—without neglecting the Word of God, which strengthens and sustains us. To accept, like a model standing before the sculptor, the work of God shaping us. A vast undertaking, requiring perseverance, at times even courage, but above all, the willingness to welcome God’s work in our daily lives. The Lord desires the conversion of his children so that they may love and follow him—not in monotonous repetition, but in the beauty of each new day.

This echoes what God revealed to the prophet Jeremiah:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel” (Jer 18:1–6).

Whether as sculptor or potter, God’s work in each of us follows the same pattern. At every moment, God opens a space of renewal, shaping in us his image. From the very first pages of Scripture, in the Book of Genesis, we see God at work, particularly in the creation of humanity:

“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being” (Gen 2:7).

Sculpting, molding, shaping—it does not matter which word we use. The reality remains the same: God comes to restore his image in us, an image that time, hardship, or even sin may have distorted. He enters into our daily lives, whatever they may be. Will we hear his call?

With Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, one essential question emerges again and again in the spiritual life: How do we live with God throughout the day? How do we remain in his presence? Our Carmelite brother offers us the answer:

“The holiest, most ordinary, and most necessary practice of the spiritual life is that of the presence of God. It is to take delight in and become accustomed to his divine company, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly with him all the time, at every moment, without rule or measure, especially in times of temptation, suffering, aridity, weariness, even infidelity and sin…. We must continually apply ourselves so that all our actions, without exception, become a kind of brief conversation with God, not in a contrived manner but coming from the purity and simplicity of our hearts.” (Spiritual Maxims 6–7).

The Word of God and the wisdom of Brother Lawrence guide us on this journey. “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Rev 2:7).

This is the ongoing work of the spiritual life: to listen, to surrender, and to allow the Master to work. He comes to renew us. He comes to sculpt his image in us.

Father Didier-Joseph of the Holy Family Caullery, o.c.d.

2018 Carmelite Online Lenten Retreat

Note: Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, o.c.d. died on 12 February 1691, at the Discalced Carmelite convent on the Rue de Vaugirard in Paris. After decades of humble service in the monastery kitchen and as the community’s sandal maker, he was led by the choirs of angels to the presence of God. Though he left no theological treatises, his Letters, Conversations, and Spiritual Maxims continue to inspire countless souls.

Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God,  translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Adobe Express creates the following image in Firefly with the following prompt: “A bald, elderly 17th-century French friar with a joyful and serene expression, sitting alone on a simple wooden chair in a dimly lit monastic cell. He wears a well-worn brown habit. Using a wooden lap desk, he writes a letter by candlelight with a quill and parchment. The atmosphere is warm, peaceful, and prayerful. There are no other people in the room.” Image credit: Firefly / Carmelite Quotes (Some rights reserved)

#BrotherLawrenceOfTheResurrection #conversation #God #mentalPrayer #presenceOfGod #sculpture #spiritualDirection #statue

Quote of the day, 14 January: Brother Lawrence

Reverend and Dear Mother,

I received from Miss N. the rosaries that you gave her. I am surprised you haven’t let me know what you think of the book I sent you. You must have received it. Put it diligently into practice in your later days. Better late than never.

I cannot understand how religious people can remain content without the practice of the presence of God. As for me, I keep myself recollected in him in the depth and center of my soul as much as possible, and when I am thus with him I fear nothing, though the least deviation is hell for me.

This exercise does not hurt the body. It is nonetheless appropriate to deprive it occasionally, and even with some frequency, of some innocent, permissible, little consolations. For God will not permit a soul desirous of being entirely his to find consolation other than with him, and that is more than reasonable!

I do not say we must put ourselves to a great deal of trouble to do this; no, we must serve God in holy freedom. We must work faithfully, without turmoil or anxiety, gently and peacefully bringing our minds back to God as often as we find ourselves distracted.

We must, however, place all our trust in God and let go of all our cares, including a multitude of private devotions, very good in themselves but often carried out for the wrong reason, for these devotions are nothing more than the means to arrive at the end. If, then, we are with the one who is our end by this practice of the presence of God, it is certainly useless to return to the means. We can continue our loving exchange with him, remaining in his holy presence sometimes by an act of adoration, praise, or desire, other times by acts of oblation, thanksgiving, or anything else that our minds can devise.

Do not be discouraged by the repugnance you feel on the side of nature. You must do it violence. In the beginning you may often think you are wasting your time; nonetheless, you must continually resolve to persevere until death in spite of all the difficulties. I commend myself to the prayers of your holy community and to yours in particular and I am in Our Lord,

Yours,

From Paris, November 3, 1685

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, O.C.D.

Letter 4, to the same nun as Letter 3
Saturday, 3 November 1685

Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God,  translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Photographer Mark Notari captures this image of pots and pans on a stove in a commercial kitchen within a market in Oaxaca, Mexico. Image credit: notarim / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#BrotherLawrenceOfTheResurrection #freedom #innerPeace #prayer #presenceOfGod #recollection #Rosary #selfDenial #trust

Quote of the day, 21 December: Père Jacques

The Virgin Mary, especially in the mystery of her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, is the model for baptized Christians who carry the presence of Christ within them. Mary opens for us the paths of interiority and mission, as [the Servant of God] Père Jacques expressed in this sermon from May 1927, delivered to the faithful during the month of Mary:

“Mary spent delightful months of divine friendship as she carried Jesus. But we too, my friends, carry God within us. We can be certain that we possess the Good God living within us, as long as our souls remain in grace. (…) Oh, my friends, if this mystery could be revealed to your eyes! If your gaze could one day perceive the presence of the Good God in the very depths of your hearts, how your life would change, what a transformation in your entire being! Let us therefore resolve to cultivate the habit of thinking about the presence of God within us. We are bearers of God; the Good God lives in us. Oh, let our souls, from time to time during our days, gather in recollection for a moment—perhaps only a few seconds—to close our eyes, to descend within ourselves, and there, encountering God, the Good God, let us look upon Him with a kind smile and lose ourselves in Him in an affectionate embrace. Oh yes, may each hour of our lives bring us into greater intimacy with the divine guest who dwells within our souls. This will be our joy, our consolation. Mary will help us and will be our example.”

This awareness, so deeply rooted in Père Jacques’ heart, that every faithful baptized person carries Christ within, was present even during his seminary years, before he delved deeply into the teachings of the saints of Carmel. He wrote:

“One always and everywhere carries the Good God within, the Holy Trinity, who dwells in us through grace… Ah, yes, to live thus, within oneself, with the Good God everywhere, always—at the hotel, on the train, on the road, in the countryside, on the street!” (Letter, 14 January 1924).

Jean-Alexandre de Garidel, o.c.d.

Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (excerpt)
Carmelite Online Advent Retreat, 21 December 2014

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: The Visitation was designed by Raphael (Italian, 1483–1520), who charged 300 scudi. He delegated the execution (c. 1517) of the painting to his assistant Giulio Romano; the landscape was entrusted to Giovanni Francesco Penni. The painting was commissioned by Giovanni Branconio, apostolic protonotary, on behalf of his father, Marino Branconio, for the family chapel in the church of San Silvestro in Aquila. In Marino’s choice of subject, the name of his wife Isabella, and that of his son Giovanni, must have been decisive. It was acquired in 1655 by Philip IV (1605-1665), who deposited it in the Monastery of El Escorial. It entered the Prado Museum in 1837. Image credit: Copyright ©Museo Nacional del Prado (Used by permission)

#grace #HolyTrinity #indwelling #intimacy #PèreJacquesDeJésus #prayer #presenceOfGod #VirginMary #Visitation

Quote of the day, 30 November: Anders Arborelius, ocd

To pray is simply to realize and accept God’s presence to us and in us. It’s by no means reserved for those who live tranquil lives in monasteries—if we happen to believe that it’s so tranquil there.

Prayer ought to be the very breath of everyone who follows Jesus and believes in the Most Holy Trinity. We have to be very practical people if we want to live in God’s presence. We have to see His traces everywhere.

Cardinal Anders Arborelius, O.C.D.

Chapter 3, To Remain in the Holy Trinity

Arborelius OCD, A. 2020, Carmelite Spirituality: The Way of Carmelite Prayer and Contemplation, EWTN Publishing, Irondale, Alabama.

Featured image: A fruit vendor pauses to pray in the market in Cali, Colombia. From the photo series Caminando por el Centro de Cali – Serie Completa. Image credit: © Cindy Muñoz / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#breath #CardinalAndersArborelius #HolyTrinity #love #prayer #presenceOfGod #simplicity

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:3–8

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, no. 32

This is the measure of the holiness of the children of God: “to be holy as God, to be holy with the holiness of God” [cf. 1 Jn 3:3]; and we do this by living close to Him in the depths of the bottomless abyss “within.” “Then the soul seems in some way to resemble God Who, even though He delights in all things, yet does not delight in them as much as He does in Himself, for He possesses Himself a supereminent good before which all others disappear. Thus all the joys which the soul receives are so many reminders inviting her to enjoy by preference the good she already possesses and to which nothing else can compare” [St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, 21:12]. “Our Father who art in Heaven…” [Mt 6:9]. It is in “this little heaven” that He has made in the center of our soul that we must seek Him and above all where we must remain [St. Teresa of Avila, Way of Perfection, 28:5; Spiritual Canticle, 1:6].

Reflection: To Be Holy

We are called to a holiness that mirrors God’s own—a holiness born from remaining close to Him, “in the center of our soul.” St. Elizabeth urges us to seek God within, to rest in that “little heaven” where He dwells in us. What might it mean to practice His presence within us, cherishing it above all else? God invites us to a life of deep communion, where we find a joy that nothing else can match. Today, let’s embrace our call to be holy, grounded in His love.

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/06/liznovena24-9/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:8–14

I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, no. 28

All the intensity of St. Paul’s soul is poured out in these lines. The object of this retreat [or, “novena”] is to make us more like our adored Master and, even more, to become so one with Him that we may say, “I live; no longer I, but He lives in me. And the life that I now live in this body of death, I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” [Gal 2:20]. Oh, let us study this divine Model; His knowledge, the Apostle tells us, is so “excelling” [or, “surpassing”].

Reflection: Christ Has Made Me His Own

St. Paul’s desire to “know Christ” in every sense—His life, death, and resurrection—is echoed by St. Elizabeth’s call to unite ourselves fully with Him. We’re invited to let go of all that doesn’t lead to Him, to press on toward the “surpassing value” of knowing Christ intimately. What attachments could I release to make room for this deeper unity? To be “made one” with Christ is to let His life flow through ours, transforming our every action. Today, let’s keep our gaze on Him, our “divine Model,” drawing closer to His Sacred Heart.

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/05/liznovena24-8/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:17–18

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, nos. 24–25

“Be holy for I am holy” [1 Pet 1:16, citing Lev 11:44–45]. It is the Lord who speaks. “Whatever may be our way of life or the clothing we wear, each of us must be the holy one of God.” Who then is “the most holy”? “The one who is most loving, who gazes longest on God and who most fully satisfies the desires of His gaze.” How do we satisfy the desires of God’s gaze but by remaining “simply and lovingly” turned towards Him [cf. St. John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, 3:33] so that He may reflect His own image as the sun is reflected through a pure crystal. “Let us make man in our own image and likeness”: such was the great desire in the Heart of our God. The form of the soul is God who must imprint Himself there like the seal on wax, like the stamp on its object. To “realize this ideal” we must “keep recollected within ourselves,” “remain silently in God’s presence,” while the soul immerses itself, expands, becomes enkindled and melts in Him, with an unlimited fullness.

Reflection: Reflecting His Own Image

To be holy is to allow God to leave His mark on us, as a seal imprints itself on wax. St. Elizabeth calls us to be a “pure crystal,” letting God’s image shine through us. Holiness doesn’t depend on our role or appearance; it’s about remaining inwardly turned toward Him. Today, consider: How do I allow God’s love to transform me? What might I let go of to become more transparent to His light? Our call is simply to be open, to let His presence reflect in us from “one degree of glory to another.”

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/04/liznovena24-7/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:24–27

I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, no. 20

“We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us” [1 Jn 4:16]. That is our great act of faith, the way to repay our God love for love; it is “the mystery hidden” in the Father’s heart, of which St. Paul speaks, which, at last, we penetrate and our whole soul thrills! When it can believe in this “exceeding love” which envelops it, we may say of it as was said of Moses, “He was unshakable in faith as if he had seen the Invisible.” It no longer rests in inclinations or feelings; it matters little to the soul whether it feels God or not, whether He sends it joy or suffering: it believes in His love. The more it is tried, the more its faith increases because it passes over all obstacles, as it were, to go rest in the heart of infinite Love who can perform only works of love. So also to this soul, wholly awakened in its faith, the Master’s voice can say in intimate secrecy the words He once addressed to Mary Magdalene: “Go in peace, your faith has saved you.”

Reflection: To Repay God Love for Love

To repay God “love for love” means trusting deeply in His love, especially when we can’t feel it. St. Elizabeth shows us a faith that goes beyond feelings, resting in the assurance that God’s love is constant, even in trials. How might I live today with this unshakable faith, seeing each moment as an invitation to believe in His goodness? God asks only that we meet His infinite love with a heart that trusts—beyond doubt, beyond fear, resting in the mystery of His kindness.

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/03/liznovena24-6/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:15–17

I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, no. 18

When we receive Christ “with interior devotion, His blood, full of warmth and glory, flows into our veins and a fire is enkindled in our depths.” “We receive the likeness of His virtues, and He lives in us and we in Him. He gives us His soul with the fullness of grace, by which the soul perseveres in love and praise of the Father!” “Love draws its object into itself; we draw Jesus into ourselves; Jesus draws us into Himself. Then carried above ourselves into love’s interior,” seeking God, “we go to meet Him, to meet His Spirit, which is His love, and this love burns us, consumes us, and draws us into unity where beatitude awaits us.” “Jesus meant this when He said: ‘With great desire have I desired to eat this pasch with you’” [Lk 22:15].

Reflection: Carried into Love’s Interior

In the Eucharist, Christ draws us deeply into His own life, sharing with us the fullness of His grace and virtues. St. Elizabeth speaks of being “carried above ourselves into love’s interior,” where we’re drawn into unity with God. How do I approach the Eucharist—do I see it as an invitation to be transformed, to let Christ’s love consume me and draw me closer to Him? Today, as I receive or meditate on the Eucharist, I will ask to be led ever deeper into the mystery of His love.

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/02/liznovena24-5/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:28–29

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, nos. 13–14

Our God, wrote St. Paul, is a consuming Fire, that is “a fire of love” which destroys, which “transforms into itself everything that it touches” [St. John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, 2:2]. “The delights of the divine enkindling are renewed in our depths by an unremitting activity: the enkindling of love in a mutual and eternal satisfaction. … Certain souls “have chosen this refuge to rest there eternally, and this is the silence in which, somehow, they have lost themselves.” They think much less of the work of destruction and detachment that remains for them to do than of plunging into the Furnace of love burning within them which is none other than the Holy Spirit, the same Love which in the Trinity is the bond between the Father and His Word.

Reflection: God Is the Fire of Love

St. Elizabeth teaches us that God’s love is a consuming fire, not to harm, but to transform us completely. This fire is the Holy Spirit, dwelling within, uniting us with the Father and the Son. Today, consider: Am I open to letting God’s love burn away what keeps me from Him? What might I surrender to His purifying fire? As we rest in this “Furnace of love,” we discover the joy of being continually transformed in God’s own life.

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/11/01/liznovena24-4/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:1–2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

St. Elizabeth Speaks: Heaven in Faith, nos. 9–10

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home in him” [Jn 14:23]. The Master once more expresses His desire to dwell in us. “If anyone loves Me”! It is love that attracts, that draws God to His creatures: not a sensible love but that love “strong as death that deep waters cannot quench” [Song 8:6–7]. “The property of love is never to seek self, to keep back nothing, but to give everything to the one it loves” [St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, 32:2]. “Blessed the soul that loves” in truth; “the Lord has become its captive through love”! [Spiritual Canticle, 32:1].

Reflection: Blessed the Soul That Loves

Christ invites us to love as He loves—freely, without holding back. St. Elizabeth reminds us that true love keeps nothing back. It’s a love that welcomes God to dwell in our hearts fully, as His “beloved children.” Today, consider: How can I offer myself more completely to God? Is there something I’m still holding back? This love “strong as death” calls us to surrender all to Him, trusting that He, too, will give Himself completely in return.

Novena Prayer

O Saint Elizabeth,
in your great love for God,
you were always so close
to the needs of your friends.
Now that you are in Heaven,
before the Face of the Lord,
intercede with Him
for the intentions we entrust to you.

(Mention your intentions)

Teach us,
in faith and love,
to live with the Holy Trinity
in the depths of our hearts.
Teach us, like you,
to radiate God’s love
among all people,
in our daily lives,
so that we may become a praise of His Glory.

Our Father…
(pray slowly to God dwelling within you)

Glory be…
(three times, in praise of the indwelling Trinity)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

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.

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

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/31/liznovena24-3/

#HeavenInFaith #HolyTrinity #novena #prayer #presenceOfGod #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #unionWithGod