Carmelite Online Retreat — Advent 2023

with St. Teresa of the Andes

Prier Chaque Jour

Pray each day of the week with St. Teresa of the Andes

WEEK 1

Monday, 4 December: Daring to trust

“Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Mt
8:10).
“Trust is what most pleases Jesus. If we trust in the heart of a
friend who loves us, why don’t we trust in the heart of a God
where infinite kindness lies and in comparison with which the
goodness of creatures is but a pale comparison?” (Letters, LT
143).
I will make an act of trust in God during the course of this day.

Tuesday, 5 December: Love and praise

“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Lk 10:21).
“I have begun the life of heaven here on earth [...] a life of love
alone and of ceaseless praise” (LT 141).
Look up to heaven in faith, praising him for having called us into
being and to eternal life.

Wednesday, 6 December: An Intimate Friend

“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for
the crowd’” (Mt 15:32).
“I want Jesus to be your intimate friend, to whom you may
entrust your heart, tired and filled with sorrow. [...] Oh, Daddy,
how your life would be transformed if you went to Him often as to
a friend!” (LT 150).
Why not place at Jesus' feet all that wounds our hearts, with that
trust we can have in an intimate Friend?

Thursday, 7 December: Doing his will

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my
Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21).
“The best thing of all is to love God’s will. [...] Do you feel in your
soul this love for God’s will?” (LT 149).
Let's ask ourselves: is there any circumstance in our lives when
we forget to put Christ's commandments into practice?

Friday, 8 December: Lourdes! Lourdes!

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town
in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was
Mary” (Lk 1:26).
“The day before and yesterday we went to Lourdes [the Grotto of
the Virgin of Lourdes in Santiago]. Lourdes! This word alone
causes the deepest cords to vibrate in the Christian, the Catholic.
Lourdes! [...] Yes, my Mother. At Lourdes I found heaven” (Her
Intimate Spiritual Diary, 19).
Let's ask Our Lady for a place to find heaven with her, whether
it's a sanctuary, our prayer corner, or a chapel in our parish
church…
Saturday, 9 December: One short sentence
“Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom” (Mt
9:35).
She said goodbye to me last, hugged me and whispered in my ear,
“God exists, brother, and never forget that” (Luis Fernandez
“Lucho” Solar, Testimony for the Cause of Canonization).
Today, I will proclaim my faith—very simply and in one short
sentence—to a non-believer...

WEEK 2

Monday, 11 December: Amazed by God

“Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were
filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today’” (Lk
5:26).
“It is not a prince, nor a king who is calling you, but God. The
King of kings calls you in order to unite himself with you [...].
Imagine that he does not unite himself with the angels, and yet he
comes to call creatures who offend him. [...] He is our supreme
good [...]. How can we not break down in tears? How is it we
don’t die in the face of such love?” (Letters, LT 146).
Let's lift our eyes to the manger where Jesus is about to be born;
isn't it extraordinary? Let's gaze in amazement at this God who
comes to be united with our human nature.

Tuesday, 12 December: Live in love

“It is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little
ones should be lost” (Mt 18:14).
“Why not love that God who, with no need of us, loves us, gazes at
us and is always showering us with His favors? Live in love, live
in heaven, live in God. [...] Don't think I'm trying to conceal the
fact that suffering is there; but on the cross love is present, and
one is happy loving” (LT 159).
Today I will take a moment to remind myself that God is our
Father and that he wants us to be happy, despite the cross.

Wednesday, 13 December: Jesus the consoler

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).
“And when the weight of the cross weighs us down, let us call
upon Jesus to help us. He is there, walking along before us, but
won't turn a deaf ear to our cry. Despite His own suffering on the
road to Calvary, He did console the holy women; so why won't He
comfort us?” (LT 135).
Today, I will ask Jesus—the Consoler of afflicted hearts—to cast
his comforting gaze on me or someone close to me.

Thursday, 14 December: Strength and joy

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen
greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he” (Mt 11:11).
“Love for Jesus gives us strength and joy, helping us gather
merits for heaven” (LT 128).
Let us arise before God to call upon the love of Jesus! Let us ask
him for his strength, like that which filled Saint John of the Cross,
and for his joy, like that which inflamed the heart of the little
saint from Chile!
Friday, 15 December: Crazy with love
“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children”
(Mt 11:16).
How poor, how graceless, as I see it, the worship we offer to God
sacramentally present! What scant respect we have for the One
before whom the seraphim cover themselves with their wings,
prostrating themselves before Him. And He bears it all in silence,
remaining without splendor, hidden beneath the bread [...] Why
aren't we crazy with love for Him?” (LT 115).
Let's express our love for Christ hidden beneath the host at our
next Holy Communion...

Saturday, 16 December: Affection and tenderness

“I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not
recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also
the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands” (Mt 17:12).
“My dear little daughter, you should know how much good your
letters do me, not only now, but also before your resolution [to
enter Carmel], because I saw so much affection and tenderness in
them that they have given me new life.” (Letter from Miguel
Fernández to his daughter, St. Teresa)
Today I will send a word of comfort to someone in pain and/or
pray for them.

WEEK 3

Monday, 18 December: Women and mothers

“When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before
they lived together, she was found to be with child” (Mt 1:18).
“During these days of Advent, I will keep you close to me with the
Most Holy Virgin. May she be your model as a mother. (...) May
your little angel always be close to the Baby Jesus” (Letters, LT
153 to her sister, Lucia).
Let's entrust to Mary and Joseph all the pregnant women and
young mothers, who at times are in difficult situations.

Tuesday, 19 December: Intimate contact

“This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably
on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my
people” (Lk 1:25)
“By placing myself intimately in contact with souls, I've come to
notice that there are extremely painful wounds in everyone; that
everybody despite an apparent happiness, carries within them a
world of unhappiness” (LT 150).
I will show the Lord or the Blessed Virgin the intimate wounds
deep down in my heart...

Wednesday, 20 December: You have found favor

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And
now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will
name him Jesus” (Lk 1:30–31).
“Until Christmas let's live in deep recollection, bringing the Word
to birth in our heart. Bye now. A hug…” (LT 154).
With Christmas just a few days away, let's gather in prayer to
prepare for the coming of the Word.

Thursday, 21 December: “Love, invade me”

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my
Lord comes to me?” (Lk 1:42–43)
“I keep asking myself why God has loved me so much since I am
such a sinner and so ungrateful for His countless graces. And the
only reason for God's kindness I find is His infinite goodness” (LT
116).
“What you could do is recite the Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin. The ejaculatory prayer is, ‘Love, invade me’” (LT 149),
like Love invaded Elizabeth as she welcomed Mary.

Friday, 22 December: God is looking for you

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his
name” (Lk 1:49).
“Think that this is God, the One Being necessary, the Being who
has Being within Himself His own beatitude, His own happiness,
etc. Yet He is the One who seeks you out. He leaves His angels and
millions of people, to come into your soul, [...] to nourish in you
the life of grace” (LT 137).
Why not offer God, the Author of our life and salvation, our
gratitude through a prayer of praise or a song?

Saturday, 23 December: Christmas rejoicing!

“Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his
great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her” (Lk 1:58).
“I strive to acquire virtues: to be obedient, even in the smallest
matters, to be charitable with my Sisters, and above all to be
humble. To obtain humility, I try not to speak either for or
against myself” (LT 116).
Let's rejoice in the upcoming birth of Jesus; let's talk about
Christmas rather than ourselves!