Saturday, 9 February 2013
Part Ten of Doctors of the Church--The Four Ladies Plus the Most Perfect of All
In summary, the four female Doctors of the Church show us that the Illuminative State involves the enlightening of the mind and soul with grace, and the Unitive State brings the Bridal Love of Christ to the soul, enveloping the saint in grace.
These four ladies reflect the best of characteristics of women who were united with God while still on earth. That their writings help us peek into the souls of those who know God and are completely known by God is a great grace for us.
These, our sisters in Christ, lead the way to perfection.
Suffering, purgation, cleansing, filling, enlightenment, filling.
Their writings fall into the categories of theology and spirituality, guiding us and encouraging us.
Of course, they point to the most perfect of all of God's creations, the most perfect of all women, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, who was created from the moment of her conception in perfection and the fullness of grace.
The Immaculate Conception, (as do the four lady saints), leads us to a union with Christ, each as we were created to have.
May Our Queen and Mother Mary, Teresa, Therese, Catherine and Hildegard look kindly on us today as we just glimpse at their greatness in the Spirit.
Some Back Posts on St. Catherine, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese, the Little Flower...
04 Aug 2013
Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux and John of the Cross and the Purification of the Spirit Pt. 24. Posted by Supertradmum. "ad lucem per crucem, and of the progressive configuration of the soul to Christ crucified."
15 Sep 2013
Fulton J. Sheen And St. Teresa of Avila. Posted by Supertradmum. Life, Truth, Love, states Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, are what we find in heaven. The soul who hates those would be tormented in heaven and that soul, who has ...
08 Feb 2013
St. John of Avila writes to a lady on what holiness is. Obviously, he was aware of those stages of perfection, and so inspired St. Teresa of Avila, to whom he wrote as well. He is summarizing all three stages here, purification, ...
02 Aug 2013
One can see the overlapping of ideas and experiences with St. Teresa of Avila. But, whereas Teresa is more descriptive, John is more systematic. 6. And in order to prove more completely how efficacious is this night of sense, ...
22 Sep 2013
The first thing, however, I want to note, is that the people of Ignatius's day, and in the days of St. Teresa of Avila, did not have access to Mass and the sacraments as we do now. People had to strive to be holy with perhaps only ...
24 Sep 2013
... 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." Teresa of Avila.
09 Feb 2013
I am using a link to a post from last year for the two Teresas. Both Teresa of Avila and Therese, the Little Flower are Doctors of the Church. Sometimes, Teresa is call the Great Teresa and Therese is called the Little Therese.
14 Aug 2013
However, let us turn to St. Teresa of Avila's words for an explanation, and remember, she had not committed a mortal sin, but was shown the consequences of her evil tendencies if she did not allow God to purify her and the ...
26 Nov 2012
Here is St. Teresa of Avila's definitions, from her Life, taken from the Catholic Encyclopedeia. Also, the fruits of the prayer of quiet follow. May I note that only those who are in sanctifying grace and in complete orthodoxy with ...
03 Jun 2013
This process started for me in Missouri in 2009, when I had cancer and studied the word of Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena in my convalescence, beginning to understand the radical change one must allow God to do in ...
28 Feb 2012
Continuing the series on perfection, I have switched temporarily from Garrigou-Lagrange to the Interior Castle of St. Teresa of Avila. In this book, St. Teresa refers to the enlargement of the heart. Quoting Prime, Teresa writes, ...
06 Aug 2013
John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, it seems that memory is to be avoided and the past completely set aside in the new life which God is demanding in the purification of both the senses and the soul. God has given me an ...
25 May 2013
Teresa of Avila, Angela of Foligno, Collete, Veronica Guiliani, Maria de Agreda, and Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, whose feast day is today. Here are some characteristics of a mystical marriage. The first is an almost continual ...
02 Sep 2012
She wrote hundreds of letters in her lifetime and a biography of her has just been published, literally, hot off the press. She was a mystic, in the unitive way, in the same category at St. Teresa of Avila, or St. John of the Cross.
08 Jun 2012
I seem to recall Saint Teresa of Avila writing in "Life" that, as a matter of policy, it's best to ignore elocutions, since all we need is obedience to the Church. This is what I normally tell those I meet who are "really into" some ...
26 Nov 2012
This is not the mystic state of St. Teresa of Avila or St. John of the Cross, but is the stage just prior to that state, which is called Extraordinary Contemplation. This higher contemplation is not a topic which I shall cover for several ...
04 Sep 2013
One does not know what to expect next if the symptoms are new and odd. One of the common themes in St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila is that of accepting suffering. One cannot choose the way it comes to one.
14 Aug 2013
As to books, just read the lives of the saints, and the Rule of St. Benedict, the writings of Therese the Little Flower and Teresa of Avila. One is called to a spirituality, such as Dominican-ism, or Franciscan-ism or Benedictine-ism ...
07 May 2012
So too were St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila.
St. Maximilian Kolbe and many, many other witnesses to the Faith. Many people are closed to repentance, especially if they are contracepting or in marriages which need ...
10 Jul 2013
This Rose and other roses like her, such as Catherine of Sienna, whose Illuminations I read while convalescing (two weeks) and Teresa of Avila, who I truly understand for the first time in my life, have led me to the realization ...
09 Feb 2013
Like Catherine, Teresa, and Therese, Hildegard cooperated with grace to come into unity with Christ. All these saints entered into the Unitive State. Catherine describes this, as does Teresa of Avila very clearly. Hildegard as ...
16 Mar 2013
So far, I have dipped into the writings of these great men women, Doctors of the Church, in the series. Hildegard of Binen Therese of Lisieux Teresa of Avila Catherine of Siena Augustine of Hippo Ambrose Albert the Great
08 Feb 2013
Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux and Hildegard of Bingen. I am concentrating on their holiness and some of the writings. The reason a person is declared a Doctor of the Church is sort of like an honorary ...
01 May 2012
2 comments: New Sister said... How can anyone read the writings of saints & then not inquire about/seek a spiritual director? (e.g., Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Faustina) Maybe that's the problem - lack ...
10 Mar 2013
Catherine of Siena Therese of Lisieux Teresa of Avila Hildegard of Bingen Augustine of Hippo Albert the Great Bede the Venerable Ephraim the Syrian Bernard of Clairvaux Peter Damian Ambrose Anselm of Canterbury
20 Nov 2012
Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross understood and practiced contemplative prayer. It is a grace, and I am convinced, for all Catholics. One must start with meditation, which is using the events in the Life of Christ in the Bible ...
18 Nov 2012
Teresa of Avila, Bernard, and many others, realizing that they were busy in the world as well. The contemplative prayer and meditation allowed them to be effective in the world. St. Catherine of Siena was a great player in the ...
10 Aug 2013
I could use more instruction on when it's appropriate to disclose sin because there are examples of saints who disclosed theirs – Saint Augustine and even the great Teresa of Avila, who in “Interior Castles” refrains from ...
02 Apr 2012
Continuing on the theme of perfection and middle-age, I come to the writings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. She writes, "God gives Himself wholly to the soul which gives itself wholly to Him." Father Gabriel of ...
16 Feb 2013
There are a few saints I am sure who moved very quickly through these stages, but even Teresa of Avila took years and years. One must start as young as one can organize one's life to do so. These selections from St. Albert ...
12 Feb 2013
Emily said... One of my favorite verses--such a good reminder. Much like St. Teresa of Avila's bookmark. 12 February 2013 17:34 · Post a Comment · Newer Post Older Post Home. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) ...
09 Aug 2012
I did the same thing, quite spontaneously. She loved the spirituality of the Carmelites, and so do I, although I am more Benedictine by practice and temperament. But, she took St. Benedict's name as well as Teresa of Avila's for ...
