Catholic Fire

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church Poem: "En la cruz està la vida" "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Mark 8:34) Through the Cross both happiness and life are given, for there is no other road that leads to heaven. On the Cross there hangs "the Lord of heaven and earth" (Acts 17,24) and amid the stress of war peace comes to birth. All the evils of our life far off are driven; and there is no other road that leads to heaven. A "precious palm-tree" (Sg 7,9) is the Cross, so says the Bride, which her Beloved One has scaled, his arms stretched wide; and its fruit a savor sweet to God has given, for there is no other road that leads to heaven. The Cross is "like an olive-tree, fair" (Si 24,14) to the sight, whereof the holy oil provides healing and light. Wherefore, my soul, embrace the Cross, rejoice, be shriven, for there is no other road that leads to heaven. ...

"In all talking and conversation let something always be said of spiritual things, and so shall all idle words and evil speaking be avoided." ~St. Teresa of Avila

"We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble." ~ St. Teresa of Avila

"Unless you strive after virtues and practice them, you will never grow to be more than dwarfs." ~ St. Teresa of Avila

"You must never turn back for anything at all. You must not break away from holy prayer for any reason except obedience or charity. For often during the time scheduled for prayer the devil comes with all sorts of struggles and annoyances - even more than when you are not at prayer. He does this to make you weary of holy prayer. Often he will say, 'This sort of prayer is worthless to you. You should not think about or pay attention to anything except vocal prayer.' He makes it seem this way so that you will become weary and confused, and abandon the exercise of prayer. But prayer is a weapon with which you can defend yourself against every enemy. If you hold it with love's hand and the arm of free choice, this weapon, with the light of most holy faith, will be your defense" ~ St. Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue , 65 "Every soul should know that even though God does not answer its prayer immediately, he will not on that account fail to answer it at the oppor...

St. Teresa was born in Avila, Spain on March 28, 1515, the third child of Don Alonzo Sanchez de Cepeda and his second wife, Doña Beatriz Davila y Ahumada. When Teresa was 15, her mother died, leaving behind ten children. Teresa was considered the “most beloved of them all.” She was beautiful and was described as being of medium height, large build, and well-proportioned. Teresa was extroverted, very affectionate, charming, with a wonderful sense of humor, adapting easily to all kinds of people and circumstances. She was exceptionally intelligent and skilled in the use of the pen, needlework, and household duties. In 1531, following the marriage of her older sister, Teresa’s father entrusted her education to the Augustinian nuns at Santa Maria de Gracia. However, due to illness, she left at the end of 18 months and stayed at her uncle’s home to recover. While there, she read the “Letters of St. Jerome”, which led her to a religious vocation. When her father refused to consent to her vo...

"St. Teresa of Avila said that in this world it would be impossible for all subjects to speak to their king. For the poor the most they can hope for is to speak to him with the help of a third party. But to speak to You, O King of Heaven, there is no need of a third person. Everyone who wishes can find You in the Most Holy Sacrament and can speak to You at their convenience and without conditions. For this reason, the same saint states, Jesus Christ has concealed His majesty in the Sacrament, under the appearance of bread, in order to give us more confidence, and to take away our fear of approaching Him." "Jesus seems continually to exclaim from the altar: Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. (Matthew 11:28) Come, He says, come you who are poor; come, you who are infirm; come, you who are afflicted; come, you who are just and you who are sinners, and you shall find in me a remedy for all your losses and afflictions. ...

"Do your best and the good Jesus will help you. Though he may sleep in the boat, when the storm increases he will quiet the wind. He wishes us to ask him." ~ St. Teresa of Avila, Carmelite reformer and founder, Doctor of the Church, Mystic, 1515 - 1582

God gave me to see clearly the truth of the most Holy Trinity. It is just as learned theologians told me, but I did not understand it as I do now... What I have seen is this: three distinct Persons, each one visible and who speaks and to whom we can speak. Afterwards I thought how the Son alone took human flesh, which shows clearly that the three Persons are distinct. The Persons love each other, communicate and know each other. But, if each one is distinct, how can we say that the three are one essence? For this is what we believe. This is deepest truth, and I would die for it a thousand times. In these three Persons there is but one will and one power and one might; neither can one be without the others. There is one sole Creator of all created things. Could the Son create an ant without the Father? No, because their power is one. The same is to be said of the Holy Spirit. Thus, there is one God Almighty, and the three Persons are one majesty. Is it possible to love the Father withou...

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church Poem “Vuestra soy, para vos nací” – In the Hands of God I am Yours and born for you, What do You want of me? Majestic Sovereign, Unending wisdom, Kindness pleasing to my soul; God sublime, one Being Good, Behold this one so vile. Singing of her love to you: What do You want of me? Yours, you made me, Yours, you saved me, Yours, you endured me, Yours, you called me, Yours, you awaited me, Yours, I did not stray. What do You want of me? Good Lord, what do you want of me, What is this wretch to do? What work is this, This sinful slave, to do? Look at me, Sweet Love, Sweet Love, look at me, What do You want of me? In Your hand I place my heart, Body, life and soul, Deep feelings and affections mine, Spouse – Redeemer sweet, Myself offered now to you, What do You want of me? Give me death, give me life, Health or sickness, Honor or shame, War or swelling peace, Weakness or full strength, Yes, to these I say, What do You want...

"It is love alone that gives worth to all things." “To have courage for whatever comes in life - everything lies in that.” “What a great favor God does to those He places in the company of good people!” “Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.” "God has been very good to me, for I never dwell upon anything wrong which a person has done, so as to remember it afterwards. If I do remember it, I always see some other virtue in that person." "To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus acquire experience." "We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble." "There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers." "The tree that is bes...