A saint’s quote about joy (Teresa of Avila)

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“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.”
— St. Teresa of Avila

Joy is an essential aspect of Christianity, and it is a sign of the presence of God in our lives. This was a teaching emphasized by Pope Francis, who encouraged religious priests and nuns to show the world their joy and to spread the good news of the Gospel. He reminded them that if they do not have the joy of their faith, they cannot bear witness and others will see Christianity as a sad and gloomy religion.

St. Teresa of Avila, a mystic and founder of monasteries, understood the importance of joy in the Christian faith. Despite her own struggles with migraines and busy schedules, she encouraged the sisters in her monasteries to express their love and joy for Christ through music and dance.

In life, we all go through cycles of happiness and unhappiness. However, as Christians, we can always experience and express deep joy, the type that cannot be diminished by anything that comes our way. This is because we trust in God and have faith in His love for us, as demonstrated through the sacrifice of His son Jesus on the cross. The Holy Spirit guides us and gives us the grace to live in accordance with God's will, and through this, we can have the joy of Jesus in our hearts and hope for eternal life in heaven.

As we strive to live in God's presence, let us pray for his joy to fill our hearts and shine His light on others. As Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11)

Be blessed!

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Prayer: Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon by St. Francis of Assisi

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Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,
Mother Earth
who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon
for love of You and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.

Thank you for reading my blog and may God bless you and yours

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He is the brightness of eternal glory

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Happy the soul to whom it is given to attain this life with Christ, to cleave with all one’s heart to him whose beauty all the heavenly hosts behold forever, whose love inflames our love, the contemplation of whom is our refreshment, whose graciousness is our delight, whose gentleness fills us to overflowing, whose remembrance makes us glow with happiness, whose fragrance revives the dead, the glorious vision of whom will be the happiness of all the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. For he is the brightness of eternal glory, the splendor of eternal light, the mirror without spot.

St. Clare of Assisi

Everything is yours

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Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

my memory, my understanding,

and my entire will,

All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

that is enough for me.

St. Ignatius of Loyola – patron saint of all spiritual retreats and soldiers, as well as founder of the Society of Jesus – pray for us!

Changing the world, a little at a time

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Changing the world, a little at a time
What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world.
We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as our friend. ~Dorothy Day
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