Littlest Souls Archive (2012 – 2020)

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On this page you will find links to all past articles on Littlest Souls.

Of your charity, please consider saying a prayer for the author/compiler, who has decided to retire from writing indefinitely, so as to focus on more pressing matters. God willing, I will return some day to writing a book that I started working on many years ago.

I will try to check the site every now and then for possible comments.
To all readers/followers/supporters, thank you, and God bless!

‘Amplectere Mariam’!

[ps. The formatting needs serious work…]

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******* 2020 *******

“How shall we become more like Him except by doing His Divine Will?”
– St. Teresa of the Andes (d. April 12, 1920)

AUGUST

A Scriptural Hymn in Honour Of Mary

What The World Needs Now…

Christian = Temple, Priest, Victim

An Extremely Powerful Prayer of Thanksgiving For Holy Communion

The Key To Rebuilding Christian Culture: The Prophetic Words of St. Peter Julian Eymard (d. Aug 1, 1868; Feast: Aug 2)

JULY

The Value of Love: St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Describes the Reward of St. Aloysius

The Meaning of “The Miracle of the Sun” at Fatima (Oct 13, 1917)

MAY

How to Pass the Days in Peace and Joy: Advice from a Saintly Cardinal

APRIL

Jesus Lives On In The Church (Pt. 3): The Mystical Tradition (cont.)

Jesus Lives On In The Church (Pt. 2): The Mystical Tradition

Easter, 2020: The Centenary of Death of St. Teresa of the Andes

Jesus Lives On in the Church (Pt. 1): The Theological Tradition

JANUARY

The Saints are Eager to Share Their Spiritual Goods

The Devil’s Greatest Enemy (Pt. 3): Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces

******* 2019 *******

“I am the Mother of fair love, of fear, of knowledge, and of hope; I will always remain your Mother.”
– Our Lady to St. Crescentia von Kaufbeuren (d. April 5, 1744)

DECEMBER

The Devil’s Greatest Enemy (Pt. 2): Mary, the New Judith

The Devil’s Greatest Enemy (Pt. 1): Mary, the New Queen Esther

A Miracle of St. Therese: The Conversion of Fr. Hyacinthe Loyson

NOVEMBER

A Saint Tells Us How to Become “a great Saint”

What is the Ultimate Reason for the Incarnation?

OCTOBER

Ven. Louis de Blois: Thoughts on Paradise

SEPTEMBER

The Power of Praise: A Sublime Revelation Given to St. Mechtilde

Mary: Mother of the Eucharist

AUGUST

‘Man Ate The Bread of Angels’ (Ps. 77:25): The Eucharist as Milk

JULY

Some Consoling Biblical Titles for Christ

JUNE

The Most Essential Christian Prayer Book

MAY

The Value of a Fervent Communion

******* 2018 *******

“I reserve copious treasures in My Heart for these last times,
in order to revive the half-dead faith
of the Christians of these days.”
– Our Lord to Ven. Philomena of St. Columba
(d. August 13, 1868)

SEPTEMBER

A 19th century Benedictine Mystic: Some Anecdotes and Sayings (Pt. 2)

A 19th Century Benedictine Mystic: Some Anecdotes and Sayings (Pt. 1)

AUGUST

7 Years a Slave

FEBRUARY

St. Therese’s Hungarian Sister (d. May 13, 1933)

JANUARY

A Calendar of the Littlest Souls

******* 2017 *******

“[On aspirations:] How many victories I could win by this easy and powerful weapon!”
– Fr. Willie Doyle (d. August 16, 1917)

NOVEMBER

Meet the Littlest Souls…

AUGUST

33 Reasons to Consecrate Yourself to Mary

FEBRUARY

A Eucharistic Vision of Vénérable Mère Marie-Thérèse du Cœur de Jésus

JANUARY

Words from Jesus for the New Year

******* 2016 *******

“… I make the most beautiful masterpieces precisely from souls that I have drawn from the lowest things, from the mud, because I have more material to work upon.”
– Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero (d. September 1, 1916)

NOVEMBER

6 Easy Ways to Grow in Divine Love (Pt. 2)

OCTOBER

6 Easy Ways to Grow in Divine Love

SEPTEMBER

Wisdom from the Writings of Saintly Souls (on a Range of Topics)

An Offering of Oneself to Merciful Love

The Most Efficacious Remedy for the Evils of Today

JULY

Hidden Treasures of the Spiritual Life

Our Friends, the Saints

An Image of the Faithful Soul

Man’s Only Good

JUNE

Liberty of Spirit: The End of Scrupulosity

Consoling Revelations

“Virtue consists above all in…”

Some Saintly Insights into the “Little Way”

MAY

A Rose from St. Therese

Infinite Wealth? At What Cost?

Humility Feeds Love…

APRIL

Offer Your Indulgences for the Poor Souls in Purgatory!

The Fruit of Good Intentions: A Vision Given to St. Mechtilde

If There Were No Misery, There Would Be No Mercy

MARCH

The Life and Revelations of Sister Jeanne Bénigne Gojos

Why You Should Love St. Joseph

The Eucharist and a Conversation Between Christ and a Demon

If You Want to Save Souls…

14 Rules for Christian Living

Aspirations: An Easy Way to Attain Holiness and Joy

FEBRUARY

Loving God = True Freedom

Catching Foxes, and Eternal Salvation

10 Inspiring Sayings from the Saints

17 Lessons/Revelations on How to Love

Devotion to the Holy Face: A Key to Happiness and Final Perseverance!

Anniversary of an Extraordinary Soul: Yvonne-Aimée de Jésus

A “Challenge for Lent” from God Himself!

JANUARY

Some Scriptures and Corresponding Revelations

The Secret to Happiness

Prayer and Suffering

‘Devotion for the Dying’: The Most Pleasing Devotion to Jesus and Mary

God’s Providence: Fascinating Connections between 10 Mystics

Patron Saint Selections, 2016

******* 2015 *******

“Benigne must not be surprised to see some faults in herself after receiving so many mercies, and even to feel imperfect emotions, provided she does not dwell on them.”
– Our Lord to Sr. Jeanne Benigne Gojos (b. July 20, 1615)

DECEMBER

“Little Soul” Patron Saint for 2016 (“Jubilee of Mercy”)

NOVEMBER

Last post until the New Year…
(evidently not)

St. Mechtilde: Some Anecdotes

Our Lady Comforts Her Children at the Moment of Death

OCTOBER

God’s Goodness Surpasses All Understanding

Don’t Measure God’s Mercy

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#9)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#8)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#7)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#6)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#5)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#4)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#3)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#2)

Daily Revelation and Reflection: The Love of God (#1)

Superstitious Fears are Not from God

Merciful Revelations to Sr. Yvonne-Aimée (d. 1951)

SEPTEMBER

Why did God make us, knowing that we would sin? (And Various Other Revelations Given to St. Hildegard)

33 Safe-to-Read Mystics

A Simple Way to “Pray Always”

Some Revelations about the Catholic Faith

AUGUST

In Christ We Can Do All Things

How to Best Please God

APRIL

JOY in the Spiritual Life: Q + A

A Revelation That Most Catholics Are Saved (Pt. 2)

What Wounds Jesus Most?

A Defence of God’s Justice (A Catholic Perspective)

MARCH

Custody of the Eyes: A Commentary on St. Alphonsus

FEBRUARY

An Updated Post on Scrupulosity

Blessed Angela’s Visions of the Mass

Divine Grace and Beauty of Soul

A Beautiful Revelation for Every Christian (Pt. 3)

JANUARY

Some Remarkable Revelations About Heaven

6 Eucharistic Books That May Change Your Life (Excerpts included)

Jesus Asks His Spouses to Pray for Priests

Some Powerful Motives to Love God

******* 2014 *******

“[Addressing Judas:] O dear and beloved son, what a return thou makest to One who weeps the loss of thee more than His own Passion and Death, because for this He came into this world.”
– Our Lord to St. Camilla Battista da Varano (d. May 31, 1524)

NOVEMBER

A Revelation on Divine Mercy (to St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi)

“I am your God… I Myself want to live in your heart.”

Mary’s Appeal to the Worst of Sinners

Why Pray for the Souls in Purgatory?

OCTOBER

A Prayer EVERY Christian Should Know and Love…

Consolation for Scrupulous Souls (Some Advice from St. Alphonsus)

SEPTEMBER

Something to Consider When You Suffer…

My Favourite Scripture Verse.

How to Attain Lasting Peace

A Helpful Tip for Overcoming Temptation.

JULY

The Eucharist (part 2): The Eucharist in the Lives of 101 Mystics!

The Eucharist (part 1).

How to Remain Forever United to Jesus.

JUNE

Words from the Saints and Mystics on Humility

“Be like a child with Me,” says Jesus.

God is Patient and Rich in Mercy.

MAY

Trust in God’s Providence!

An Amazing Story of God’s Mercy Towards a Blasphemer!

Be Happy? Be SAVED? …Be ye perfect!

APRIL

Why Holiness Brings Unspeakable Joy to the Soul!

Our Lord’s Tender Love, as Revealed to Sr. Gertrude Mary.

Powerful Reflections on Eternity.

MARCH

Jesus: “If you knew how I love you…”

17 Quotes/Revelations to Inspire Confidence in God’s Love.

“God Alone!”: A Simple, Consoling and Blessed Rule for Living.

FEBRUARY

Excellent Online Resources for Scrupulosity! (**Including an Excerpt from Blosius**)

Do We Value God’s Love As Our Only Good?

God, In His Love, Would Close Hell If It Were Possible!

A Sure Way to Convert Sinners, Even in their Final Moments!

Amend Your Life and You Will Be Saved!

7 Signs of The Holy Spirit: A Revelation to St. Bridget

JANUARY

Encouragement For Those Tried By Unwanted Thoughts.

15 Reasons To Suffer With LOVE.

Some More Help For Overcoming Scruples.

Our Lord Weeps More for Sinners Than for His Own Passion and Death.

Those We Will Be Surprised To See In Heaven…

Something For Christians To Meditate Upon Daily.

Encouragement For Those Tempted To Despair…

A Beautiful Revelation For Every Christian (Pt. 2)

******* 2013 *******

“We of ourselves, it is true, could not by the offering of our whole lives make satisfaction to God for even one of the venial sins we think so lightly of when we commit them, but God views our good actions as the fruit of the Passion of His Beloved Son; and thus it is that a good action is more pleasing, necessarily so, to Him than a bad action is displeasing.”
– Ven. Mother Mary Potter (d. April 9, 1913)

DECEMBER

Divine Love Drives Out Scruples.

A Revelation That Most Catholics Are Saved.

Some Beautiful Words About HEAVEN.

Jesus Loves Your Company.

Consoling Thoughts On Salvation.

NOVEMBER

A Beautiful Revelation For Every Christian

A Powerful Meditation: The Thirty-Three Years of Jesus’ Life

How Jesus Intercedes for us at Holy Mass!

A Touching Prayer for a Sinner

The Conversion of Four Hardened Sinners

Distrustful soul, “Confide in the mercy of God.”

DIVINE MERCY: A Revelation To Bl. Angela

Merciful Revelations Given To St. Bridget

God’s Great Love For Judas

The Infinite Dignity of the Holy Eucharist!

God Abandons No One.

OCTOBER

A SURE Way to Be Happy.

Confession: Sins Forgotten Are Forgiven

“I wait for you…”

Worried About the Future?

Sr. Benigna Consolata: Friend of “little souls”

The Joy of Pain.

A Remedy For Sadness!

“Why do you fear death?” – Jesus to Sr. Mary

An Amazing Conversion Story: From Apostate to Saint

“My Future to Thy Providence”

SEPTEMBER

Seek Consolation In The Sacred Heart Of Jesus!

Keep falling into the same sins? Pray!

Jesus Is Most Deserving Of Compassion!

Love Of God: “the only true love”…

A Remedy For Anxiety (Revelations to a privileged nun)

Union With God: “An Anticipated Paradise”!

Fear Of Hell? … Consolation For The Doubtful

What Gives God “Infinite Pleasure”?

Three Reasons To Have GREAT Confidence In God!

Devotion To Mary: A Promise Given To St. Bridget

A Beautiful (And Extremely Encouraging) Revelation From Our Lord, Jesus, To Sr. Benigna!

Lacking Confidence In God?

To Inspire You With Love: “For THEE I was made man…” (Jesus to St. Mechtilde)

The Mercy of God “seeks even the obstinate.”

AUGUST

Jesus: “My child, you canst do nothing more gratifying to Me than to…”

A Cause For Hope: God’s Unchanging Goodness!

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY: Refuge For Even The Hardest, Most Despairing Sinners! (part 6)

Clarity for Scrupulous Souls: Simple Explanations of “Grey” Sins

JULY

The Blessed Virgin Mary Reveals The Meaning Of LUKE 2:7 To St. Gertrude

Spiritual Wisdom From A Saintly Priest: Words On Suffering, Heaven, Prayer, The Infinite Love Of God.

SUFFERING: How to Make the Greatest Evil in Our Lives Our Greatest Happiness

Visions Of Heaven: The Perfect Joy Of The Blessed

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY: Refuge For Even The Hardest, Most Despairing Sinners! (part 5)

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY: Refuge For Even The Hardest, Most Despairing Sinners! (part 4)

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY: Refuge For Even The Hardest, Most Despairing Sinners! (part 3)

The SUPREME Duty And Privilege Of Every Christian: To “… set fire to the world…”

A Revelation From God To All: Atheists, Christians…

God’s Unfathomable Mercy: Deathbed Conversions

JUNE

God Loves Us Because Of What HE Is, Not What WE Are!

Christian Mysticism: The Fire of Divine Love

The “First Nine Fridays” Devotion

Perfect Contrition: “The Golden Key of Paradise”

The Power Of St. Therese’s “little way”

“Do you know, daughter, for what reason I send crosses to souls dear to me?”

Incredible Revelations On ‘The Way Of The Cross’

Why Are Some Prayers Not Answered? (Revelation to St. Gertrude)

MAY

9 Powerful and Miraculous Prayers

Nine Reasons To Love God

Why is “The denial of sin… worse than sin”? (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

What We Can Learn From Victim Souls

How To Attain Peace Of Soul

Consoling Words of Jesus to St. Gemma

There Is Nothing Greater On Earth Than Holy Mass!

Consoling Revelations About Suffering

APRIL

“God wills only our good…”

50 ‘Counsels’ To Ease Our Worries, And Bring Us Joy!

MARCH

“If thou lovest Me… thou wilt console Me.”

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY: Refuge For Even The Hardest, Most Despairing Sinners! (part 2)

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY: Refuge For Even The Hardest, Most Despairing Sinners! (part 1)

Our Lady’s Crown of 12 Stars/Privileges

FEBRUARY

Inspiring Stories of The Rosary!

“He is there!”

The Rosary: The Greatest Prayer After The Mass!
(… and the Divine Office)

A Great Promise Revealed to St. Gertrude

Lukewarmness: A Barrier to Joy

******* 2012 *******

“Let us not forget her [Mary’s] anguish, and at the hour of death, the Madonna will console and assist us: yea, if expedient for our soul, she will show herself to us then, and she will manage that we will not feel the pains of death.”
– St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (d. February 27, 1862)

DECEMBER

Devotion to Mary, “Mother of All The Living”

The Catholic Church: God’s Gift to Mankind

NOVEMBER

Life And Revelations of Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero

Humility Will Set You Free!

OCTOBER

“Many Souls Exhaust Themselves…”

The Key To Spiritual Joy

Prayer: “A Key Opening GOD’S HEART”

Beautiful Words of Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez

Three ESSENTIAL Spiritual Principles!

Overcoming Discouragement and Despondency (part 2)

SEPTEMBER

Overcoming Despondency and Discouragement (part 1)

“Confidence is Fortified by Faith”

How To Be Holy.

“How foolish is your fear of being damned!”

AUGUST

More Beautiful Revelations from St. Mechtilde.

An Infallible Cure for Scrupulosity

Tender Words of Our Lord to St. Mechtilde.

Tender Words of Our Lord to St. Gertrude.

Whenever You Gaze Upon A Crucifix…

Treatise on the Seven Spiritual Weapons.

JULY

An Arsenal for Overcoming Temptation (Part 2)

An Arsenal for Overcoming Temptation (Part 1)

A Powerful Shield Against Discouragement

JUNE

Jesus Would Die For You Alone.

To “Sinful Souls Drowned in Despair”

Prayer Before Holy Confession (spoken by Jesus).

Confidence Obtains Everything.

MAY

Humility: More Precious than Gold.

God’s Nature is to Give.

21 Mercies of God.

Jesus: “In Mass I come with…”

A Beautiful Story of God’s Merciful Providence!

A Book You Shouldn’t be Without…

Decalogue of Mercy.

Decalogue of Confidence.

Decalogue of Love.

2 ‘Golden Arrow’ Prayers.

“…your soul is My Heaven…”

A Prayer Before Bed…

“Come to Me… Do Not Be Afraid!”

‘Persona Christi’

A “Love Letter” from God to YOU!

More helpful tips for the scrupulous.

Are you scrupulous?… Some helpful tips for confession.

INFINITE MERCY

God’s Mercy: Always “Open” to us!

The SEEMINGLY unforgivable sin.

God desires YOUR love!

Hope Does Not Deceive.

Divine Mercy: Hope for the despairing.

The Immense Value of an Act of Love!

A beautiful meditation from the Heart of Jesus

“The Secret of Sanctity!”

God does not “get angry”

St. Faustina’s prayer of repentance/trust

10 Inspiring spiritual books!

Perseverance in Prayer.

“Prayer to Obtain the Grace of Boundless Confidence”

Dear scrupulous souls… relax… this is for you!

 

 

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Christian = Temple, Priest, Victim

Bl. Mother Mary of the Divine Heart

In the latter part of the 19^th century, a humble religious in Germany was accustomed to receiving visits from Our Lord. Like St. Lydwine of Schiedam (d. 1433), St. Marie of the Incarnation (d. 1672), Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora (d. 1925) and Ven. Philomena of St. Columba (d. 1868) before her – to name only a few privileged souls – Our Lord would speak with her ‘face to face, as a man is wont to speak with his friend’ (Ex. 33:11).

Ven. Philomena of St. Columba (d. Aug 13, 1868)

The vocation of this noble soul, Bl. Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (d. 1899), was simple: she was, in imitation of Our Lord, to offer herself as a host for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. “Why”, Our Lord would say to her (I am paraphrasing different parts of her writings), “do you not leave the path of fear? Why will you not follow the path of love, which is shorter and easier?… It is My Will to be all for you… Your heart is an altar upon which everything must be consumed by Divine Love.” (As an aside, it is worth noting that St. Marie of the Incarnation, mentioned above, was never led by the path of fear; rather, she made giant strides along the path of Love).

Let me repeat those final words: “Your heart is an altar upon which everything must be consumed by Divine Love.” Are these words directed to a privileged few? Absolutely not. This is the sublime vocation of all souls, and it is to this that we must all aspire with all our being. We must, in a word, offer to God that sacrifice most pleasing to Him, without which all our other sacrifices are a mere farce. And what sacrifice is this? The sacrifice of our will.

It is only when God – Who is spirit (Jn. 4:24) – possess our wills, that can He act freely, thereby glorifying Himself in us: ‘For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams’ (1 Kg. 15:22). Obedience, the Saints tell us, pleases God more than great sacrifices “because obedience has no self-will” (Our Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden).

The next time you are tempted to murmur, remember that Jesus is offering Himself to the Father upon the Altars of our churches for your salvation; your vocation is to unite yourself, as did Mother Adele Garnier* (d. 1924), to this mystical immolation of Christ on the Altar of your heart; “by Him,” writes Dom Gueranger, “the Holy Ghost, Who sacred Fount He is (cf. Jn. 4:14; 7:37, 39), pours Himself out upon man, whereby to adapt him to his sublime vocation, and to consummate, in infinite love (which is Himself), that union of every creature with the divine Word.”

*An article on Mother Adele Garnier:
https://www.clairval.com/lettres/en/2015/04/12/2080415.htm

Concretely, you can unite yourself to Christ by receiving Him in Holy Communion, giving Him the key of your will. Always remember that this is the ‘one oblation’ by which ‘He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified’ (Heb. 10:14). There is no greater aid to holiness. Pray to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and you will see that this is true.

Mother Cécile Bruyerè‘s Masterful Explanation of the Christian Vocation

Mother Cécile Bruyerè, 1895

‘But this, for that He continueth for ever, hath an everlasting priesthood, whereby He is able also to save for ever them that come to God by Him, always living to make intercession for us.’ (Heb. 7:24-25)

“Thus the sovereign pontificate is eternal, and it is exercised for ever; not only in the adorable Person of the Son of God, but in that priestly tribe of which He is the Head, ‘a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood’ (1 Pt. 2:9), wherein all are priests, although in different degrees, and all are called to concelebrate with the supreme Pontiff (p. 409).

A temple, a sanctuary, an altar, a victim, the very presence of the living and true God – all these are not sufficient for liturgical worship; there must moreover be a pontiff. Now man is truly a priest, truly a pontiff in the august function which is celebrated in the sanctuary of his own soul: ‘Thou hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests’ (Apoc. 5:10). Every baptised Christian is priest and king in the secret temple of his own soul, although he is but a single living stone of the edifice built by the hand of God, of which edifice our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner-stone. Such, in his first epistle, is the teaching of the Prince of the Apostles: ‘Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ’ (1 Pt. 2:5).

But to realise all the perfection of this priesthood, man must, freely and voluntarily, offer his sacrifice, after the example of the eternal Pontiff whom we hear insisting on the absolutely free character of His oblation: ‘No man taketh my life away from Me; but I lay it down of Myself, and I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again’ (Jn. 10:18). This liberty, which shows him truly to be a priest, was understood by Isaias, when he said: ‘He was offered because it was His own will’ (Is. 53:7) (‘The Spiritual Life and Prayer’, p. 423-424).

“In order to live in one single act of perfect Love, I OFFER MYSELF AS A VICTIM OF HOLOCAUST TO YOUR MERCIFUL LOVE, asking You to consume me incessantly…”
– From St. Therese’s Act of Oblation to Merciful Love

How to Pass the Days in Peace and Joy: Advice from a Saintly Cardinal

Mary Magdalene at Christ’s Feet (Tissot)

[Various quotations interspersed]

“The grace of prayer is one of the highest favours that God imparts to the human soul. Prayer is indeed the atmosphere in which holiness develops and flourishes; it enables the Holy Ghost to communicate Himself with the bonds of love.

+ ‘With me is prayer to the God of my life.’ (Ps. 41:9)

The whole essence of asceticism is contained in this one word: “prayer.” We first pray in order to obtain the help of God’s grace in our struggles in the path of purification; and, when we are engaged in the path of meditation, again we have recourse to prayer.

+ “Only a mortified heart is free.” (Bl. Edward Poppe)

In Heaven itself we shall do nothing else but pray, so we may consider prayer as the beginning of our future state of blessedness.

+ ‘Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens’ (Lam. 3:41)

… We can always remain present in spirit before the Eucharistic Tabernacle, even when the material duties of our state necessitate our being absent in the body. Such was the practice of the saintly mother [St. Monica] of him [St. Augustine] who wrote in the ninth book of his “Confessions”: Ad pretii nostri sacramentum ligavit ancilla tua animam suam vinculo fidei (“To this Sacrament of our redemption Thy handmaid had bound her soul by the bond of faith.” – Sheed translation).

+ ‘But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection.’ (Col. 3:14)

… in the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus gives us His own Spirit, so that the multitude of those who receive Him may, through His grace, Who is their life, truly form cor unum et anima (‘one heart and one soul’ – Acts 4:32).

+ ‘They shall be converted that sit under His shadow.’ (Os. 14:8)

… In Heaven, besides the realization of the Beatific Vision, we shall derive special joy from the companionship of the Saints. The reason for this is that, as all the blessed are united among themselves by the most perfect bond of love, the happiness of each one will be infinitely multiplied by the happiness of the entire court of Heaven.”
– Bl. Cardinal Schuster (‘The Sacramentary’)

“Child, life and death consist in loving God.”
– A revelation to Bl. Ossana of Mantua (aged 5)
‘to live is Christ; and to die is gain’
– Phil. 1:21

Jesus Lives On In The Church (Pt. 3): The Mystical Tradition (cont.)

SOME REVELATIONS ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS AND THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT (cont.)

(4) A Vision of Bl. Marie d’Oignies
“In the life of Bl. Marie d’Oignies it is related that Our Lord was accustomed, on the occasion of different Feasts, to show Himself to her in the Blessed Sacrament under a form in harmony with the mystery being celebrated.” (‘Christ in His Mysteries’)

(5) A Revelation to Mother Jeanne Deleloë* (d. 1660)
“At Christmastide,” she writes, “during all those solemnities of our Saviour’s Birth, I received great favours; His Majesty often gave me a vivid light so that I knew these divine mysteries as if they were then really taking place.” (‘Christ, the Ideal of the Monk,’ Bl. Columba Marmion)

*“Often, during her ecstasies, she was heard reciting the Divine Office; but a curious thing was that she pronounced the verses alternatively, as if the inhabitants of Heaven were repeating the psalms with her; she recited the whole without omitting a single syllable, whatever was the Office of the day…
We likewise see St. Catherine of Siena asking Our Lord to teach her to read in order to be able to chant the Psalms and praises of God during the Canonical Hours. Often, too, Our Lord walked up and down with her in her cell and recited the Office with the Saint. It was as two religious might have done.” (ibid.)

(6) A Vision of St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
“God also granted her to see Jesus in the heart of the sisters after they had received Holy Communion; and sometimes she manifested in what form she saw Him in each of them,
He showing Himself to her in some as a child, in others at the age of twelve, and in others still at the age of thirty-three years, in others as suffering and crucified, and in others as risen and glorious; and this diversity occurred according to the various meditations the sisters were engaged in, or according to the capacity and the merits of each of them.” (‘The Life of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi,’ Fabrini)

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi in ecstasy

(7) Another Vision of St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
“One morning, it being Easter Sunday, whilst she was mistress of novices, and sitting at the table with unwonted joy and gladness, a novice waitress could not keep herself from asking her the cause of so great a joy. To whom Magdalen made answer: “Because I see Jesus resting in the breast of all the sisters, glorious and risen, as Holy Church to-day represents Him to us; and His presence is the cause of my being so joyful.” (ibid.)

Jesus Lives On In The Church (Pt. 2): The Mystical Tradition

God Deserves Infinite Praise
‘Great is the Lord,’ says the Psalmist, ‘and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain’ (Ps. 47:2). Truly, God is worthy of infinite praise: ‘exalt Him as much as you can: for He is above all praise’ (Ecclus. 43:33). How then are we to praise God adequately?

The Chalice of Salvation
The answer is simple: unite yourself to Christ; live by His life (1 Jn. 4:9), by His hidden, Eucharistic life. There is no other way: ‘What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things He hath rendered unto me? I will take the Chalice of Salvation; and I will call upon the Name of the Lord’ (Ps. 115:12-13).

God Alone Can Praise God Worthily
God alone can praise Himself sufficiently. For this reason, God was made man; to this end He established the Church (‘the City of our God’), which offers to Him, upon her Altars (‘His holy mountain’), the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that is, the perfect ‘sacrifice of praise’ (Ps. 115:17), which mystically renews the offering of Christ on Calvary:

‘For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My Name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for My Name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts’ (Mal. 1:11).

God is ALL
To reiterate: ‘What shall we be able to do to glorify Him? for the Almighty Himself is above all His works’ (Ecclus. 43:30). Be a host. Thus we shall realise, in full, the prayer of Jeremiah: ‘Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved, for THOU ART MY PRAISE’ (Jer. 17:14). This is the key to Christianity:

‘Sing to the Lord,
in union with His Bride, the Church, Who lives by His life,
O ye His saints: and,
through the Holy Mysteries,
give infinite praise,
through Christ, the God-Man,
to the memory of His infinite holiness.’
– Ps. 29:5 (the words in italics are mine)

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SOME REVELATIONS ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS AND THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

(1) A Vision of St. Hildegarde of Bingen
“As I gazed upon this Flesh and Blood I saw the signs of the Incarnation, the Birth, the Passion, of Our Saviour reflected in them as in a mirror, and just as we know these events to have been accomplished when the Son of God was on earth.” (‘Scivias’)

(2) Another Revelation of St. Hildegard of Bingen
Words of the Eternal Father: “Hence these mysteries shine before Me in the Heavenly places; for I have not forgotten them, but they will appear before Me in great brightness, like the dawn, until the end of the world.” (‘Scivias’)

Bl. Columba Marmion: “Doubtless we must never forget that under the Eucharistic species is found only the substance of the glorious Body of Jesus, such as it is at present in Heaven, and not such as it was, for example, in the crib of Bethlehem.
But when the Father looks upon His Son Jesus in the Heavenly splendours, what does He behold in Him? He sees the One Who lived thirty-three years upon earth for us; He beholds all the mysteries that this mortal life contained, the satisfactions and the merits whereof these mysteries were the source; He beholds the glory that His Son gave Him in living each of them.” (‘Christ in His Mysteries’)

St. Gertrude in ecstasy

(3) A Revelation to St. Gertrude the Great
“It is related in the life of St. Gertrude, that one day, on the Festival of the Ascension, when she received the Sacred Host from the hand of the priest, she heard Jesus say to her: ‘Behold Me: I come, not to bid thee farewell, but to take thee with Me to Heaven, and present thee to My Father.'” (‘Christ in His Mysteries’)

Easter, 2020: The Centenary of Death of St. Teresa of the Andes

“Christ is risen!”

Today – Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 – marks the centenary of the death of an extraordinary little soul: Teresa of the Andes (d. April 12, 1920).

[Further down the page, you will find some selections of her beautiful letters, taken from ‘Letters of Teresa of Jesus of the Andes’.]

A Quick Snapshot of Her Life
Known in the world as Juanita, as a young woman, this social, intelligent, playful, and devout “Child of Mary,” like St. Therese before her (one of her favourite Saints), followed the call to the cloister of Carmel. Inflamed with love for Jesus, the Spouse of Souls, she felt powerfully drawn to a certain little convent that, while poor and humble from a material point of view, was nonetheless a house permeated by the richness of Divine charity.

In any case, it was not comfort she was looking for, but ‘the God of all comfort’ (2 Cor. 1:3), Who “seeks solace from His little creature” (Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata, another inspiration to St. Teresa of the Andes). It was while visiting the aforesaid convent that Our Lord was pleased, on at least one occasion, to manifest Himself from the Tabernacle, not with an expression of sorrow – as was often His wont – but with a joyful countenance. By this, Our Lord would have His daughter know that she had found the paradise of delights to which He was calling her. He was consoled here, and it is here she would flourish.

During her brief time in the cloister, she led a life of great, albeit hidden virtue in the cloister, paying close attention to the inspirations of Divine grace. Our Lord made it known to her that she would die young, and for this reason she must practice great fidelity to the counsels of perfection given to her by our Blessed Mother, but more so to holy obedience, and to the holy Rule handed down by St. Teresa of Avila, her Patron in religion. Obedience was ever her guide. “A host, Eli,” she wrote to a friend, “has no will of her own.” “I want,” she wrote in another letter, “to be a host through the Host.”

Ever spurred on by her desire for God, Who often flooded the soul of His little spouse to the point of ecstasy, she did not always succeed in mortifying herself (in the world she had a weakness for her favourite caramels!), as she lamented on more than one occasion; nevertheless, she knew how to draw profit from all things, knowing well that humility (which cannot be separated from confidence in God) is the key to Charity. Like St. Therese, she knew how to take herself lightly and in the spirit of childlike liberty, without which perfection – that is to say, the flowering of God’s love in the soul – is utterly impossible.

After only 11 months in the convent, Sr. Teresa (affectionately known as “Teresita”) was consumed by love, ending her short life at 7:15pm on Friday, April 12, 1920.

Ora pro nobis!

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+ SOME SAMPLES OF HER LETTERS

Beautiful Apparitions of Our Lord
“Sometimes He appears to me so filled with beauty and tenderness that I can’t describe it. Believe me, it all causes me dissatisfaction with everything [that is less than God]…”

Real Friendship
“… real friendship consists of perfecting one another and of coming closer to God.”

Apostles of God’s Mercy
“We must, dear Isabel, be apostles of that Heart’s mercy. We must dissolve the wall of coldness with which they keep Him isolated. On the Altar, we must caress and console Him in His mystical agony.”

At the Foot of the Tabernacle
“… let us live forever at the foot of the Tabernacle, be it only in spirit, consoling Our Lord in His agony.”

With the Divine Prisoner
“… I’d like to live till the end of the world, suffering with the Divine Prisoner.”

Mary: Her “Priest”
“I’ve made an agreement with the Most Holy Virgin that she may be my priest who will offer me at every moment for sinners and priests, but bathed in the Blood of the Heart of Jesus.”

God’s Will: Our Only Good
“How shall we become more like Him except by doing His Divine Will? In loving and embracing It, we love and embrace a good that is infinitely pleasing to God; a good that contains within Itself eternal reason…”

Prayer: A Loving Gaze
“My prayer, for the most part, is a kind of gazing at God without using any reasoning… Interiorly, I feel a consuming fire completely consuming me.” (“Love, invade me!” – A Prayer she was fond of)

God Does Not Reject Sinners
“As for what you say about believing that Jesus looks at you in anger and not wanting to pardon you, that is a temptation… Why fear that Jesus will reject you? Would a mother reject a daughter, who, after failing in obedience, goes to beg her forgiveness? No, she would hug her daughter tightly to her heart. Why not believe that Jesus does this to us, His sinful creatures, since He possesses not only the tenderness of a mother, but a tenderness which knows no bounds, for it is infinite.”

Jesus Lives On in the Church (Pt. 1): The Theological Tradition

St. Peter of Alcantara, in ecstasy, being drawn to Christ, the ‘Sun of Justice’ (Mal. 4:2)

The Church: An Infinite Treasure to Men
The Catholic Church, cleansed and adorned with ‘the Precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb unspotted and undefiled’ (1 Pt. 1:19), is ‘an infinite treasure to men’ (Wis. 7:14); she is ‘the body of Christ’ (1 Cor. 12:27), redeemed ‘out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation’ (Apoc. 5:9). United to Jesus Christ, the ‘Head over all the Church’ (Eph. 1:22), ‘we are members of His body, of his flesh, and of his bones’ (Eph. 5:30). He is ‘our Everlasting Saviour’ (Bar. 4:22), Who, having loved us ‘with an everlasting love’ (Jer. 31:3), is ‘always living to make intercession for us’ (Heb. 7:25).

Christ: The Life of the Church
If we seek to be saved; if we seek the grace of God in abundance, we have but one thing to do: we have but to cling to the Church, our Mother. We must understand that the prayer of Christ, Who ardently prayed ‘that they may be ONE’ (Jn. 17:11), is not something vague or remote; on the contrary, Jesus continues to live in and through His Church; He continues to offer Himself on its Altars, drawing all men to Himself (Jn. 12:32).

The Eucharist: The Sacrament of Love and Union
In His “unwearying, unconquerable love” (St. John Henry Newman), Christ ‘loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for it’ (Eph. 5:25). And why? To the end that He might espouse Himself to the Church in the eternal nuptials of Paradise, of which the Holy Eucharist is both a sign and a pledge: ‘THIS IS MY BODY (Mt. 26:26)… I WILL ESPOUSE THEE TO ME FOR EVER’ (Osee 2:19).

The Prayer of the Bride
We cannot measure His love for His Bride, which lives by His very life (cf. 1 Jn. 4:9). The more intimately we are united with the Church, which is animated by His Spirit, the more surely will our prayers be heard. “The Prayer of the Church,” writes Dom Gueranger, on account of its intimate union with Jesus Christ, is “… the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most efficacious of all prayers. Happy, then, is he who prays with the Church, and unites his own petitions with those of this Spouse, who is so dear to her Lord, that he gives her all she asks…

‘… shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.’
– Cant. 2:14

It is… Jesus Christ himself who is the source as well as the object of the Liturgy; and hence the Ecclesiastical Year… is neither more nor less than the manifestation of Jesus Christ, and his Mysteries, in the Church and the faithful soul.

“Indeed, although Christ is no longer upon earth, although the historical reality of His mysteries has gone by, He ever remains our Head and the virtue of His actions and of His life is ever fruitful.”
– Bl. Columba Marmion

It is the divine Cycle, in which appear all the works of God, each in its turn; the Seven Days of the Creation; the Pasch and Pentecost of the Jewish people; the ineffable Visit of the Incarnate Word; His Sacrifice and His Victory; the Descent of the Holy Ghost; the Holy Eucharist*; the surpassing glories of the Mother of God, ever a Virgin; the magnificence of the Angels; the merits and triumphs of the Saints.

*“This Sacrament embraces the entire mystery of our salvation.”
– St. Thomas Aquinas

… Happy indeed should we deem ourselves, if we could make the faithful understand the grand glory which is given to the Blessed Trinity, to our Saviour, to Mary, to the Angels, and to the Saints, by this annual commemoration of the wondrous works of our God!

‘He hath made a remembrance of His wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord.’ (Ps. 110:4)

If, every year, the Church renews her youth as that of the eagle, she does so because, by means of the Cycle of the Liturgy, she is visited by her divine Spouse, who supplies all her wants. Each year she again sees him an Infant in the manger, fasting in the desert, offering himself on the Cross, rising from the grave, founding his Church, instituting the Sacraments, ascending to the right hand of his Father, and sending the Holy Ghost upon men. The graces of all these divine mysteries are renewed in her; so that, being made fruitful in every good thing, the mystic Garden yields to the Spouse, in every season, under the influence of the spirit he breathes into her, the sweet perfume of aromatic spices.

“… Jesus lives the reality of His mysteries in us, and when we have faith, and rest lovingly united to Him, He draws us with Him, making us partakers of the virtue proper to each of these states. Each year, as the soul follows the Liturgical cycle, it shares ever more intimately in these mysteries, and is identified more and more with Christ, with His thoughts, His feelings, His life.”
– Bl. Columba Marmion (p. 319, ‘Christ the Ideal of the Monk’)

… Now, what the Liturgical Year does for the Church at large, it does also for the soul of each one of the faithful that is careful to receive the gift of God. This succession of mystic seasons imparts to the Christian the elements of that supernatural life, without which every other life is but a sort of death, more or less disguised.” (Dom Gueranger, ‘The Liturgical Year,’ vol. I)

 

Some Revelations about the Catholic Faith

“… before the world ends the Son of Man will be brilliantly and beautifully seen in the Catholic Faith.”

– The Eternal Father to St. Hildegard von Bingen

+ Jesus to St. Bridget of Sweden: “… receive and venerate the sacraments of My Church.” (Bk 4, Ch 129)

+ Jesus to St. Bridget of Sweden: “She [the Catholic Church] is by nature outstanding by reason of her faith, beautiful by reason of the seven sacraments, laudable by reason of her conduct and virtue, lovable by reason of her fruits, for she reveals the true way to eternity.” (Bk 3, Ch 24)

+ Our Lady to Ven. Mary of Agreda: “Faith illumines and ennobles the understanding of man, since it directs him in the darkness of his natural ignorance, not to stray from the way, and it elevates him above himself so that he sees and under stands with infallible certainty what is far above his powers and assures him of it no less than if he saw it clearly before him. He is thus freed from the gross and vile narrow-mindedness of those who will believe only what they can experience by their own limited natural powers, not considering that the soul, as long as it lives in the prison of this corruptible body, is very much circumscribed and limited in its sphere of action by the knowledge drawn from the coarse activity of the senses. Appreciate, therefore, my daughter, this priceless treasure of the Catholic faith given thee by God, watch over it and practice it in great esteem and reverence.”

+ The Eternal Father to St. Hildegard von Bingen: “Let them lay bare these wounds by making a humble confession to a priest. And why is this? Because true confession is a second resurrection. How? The human race was slain by the fall of the old Adam; the new Adam by His death raised it up. And so the resurrection of souls arose in the death of the new Adam. And so a person should confess their sins, as the old Adam did not; for he concealed his transgression instead of confessing. How? He did not confess it by repenting, but concealed it by accusing the woman. Hence confession was instituted, to raise people up after they fall. And so anyone who confesses their sins to a priest for love of Me rises again from death to life; as the woman who purged herself from her impurity with tears at the banquet in the presence of My Son was snatched away from uncleanness (cf. Luke 7:36-50)… They should confess their sins to the priest, who is the minister of My Son, with devoted heart and mouth. And then the priest will give them a remedy of penance and bury their sins in the death of My Only-Begotten. And then they will rise again to life and glorify the Resurrection of My Son.” (Scivias II.6.82-83)

+ The Eternal Father to St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi: “Blood and water came out of His side, that the Church might be, like her Bridegroom, clear and ruddy — clear as the waters of His side, and ruddy as the blood…” (p. 391)

A Beautiful Revelation For Every Christian

“Nothing has ever happened and nothing happens save by the plan of My divine Providence. In all things that I permit, in all things that I give you, in tribulations and in consolations, temporal or spiritual, I do nothing save for your good, so that you may be sanctified in Me and that My Truth be fulfilled in you.”

– God to St. Catherine of Siena

These words are actually addressed to all. God loves us so much that He wants us to become holy. The greatest gift God can give us is to make us like His Son, Jesus. Even when God corrects us, He does so with the intention of bringing us to His Heavenly Kingdom. The more we let the Holy Spirit (His Love) act within us, the more pleasure we give to God, the more of His love we receive, the more merit we receive (which will be rewarded eternally in Heaven), and the more God can use us to bring souls to Him!

“Sanctity is to allow Me to live in you, and it is I who bring it to pass within you. It is to give Me your human nature so that I may live on among you.” – Jesus to Sr. Mary of the Trinity