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Saint Teresa of
Avila's
PRAYERS
as revealed
in Sievernich
Saturday, 17 July
2004 -
Feast of Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary
My
Lord and my God, oh my Jesus, to You be praise and thanksgiving at
all times. You, one and eternal, are hidden for me in the
tabernacle. How much courage and humility it must take for You,
Lord, the highest one, to become so small for us and to deliver
Yourself into the hands of Your priests as a gift for us all.
Jesus,
by concealing Yourself in the tabernacle, You overcome what is
lacking in us to be close to You. I want to be still and abide with
You in all my troubles and joys so that I can give myself to You.
May Your heart beat within mine, may I feel Your love, and may what
is mine be consumed in You.
The
ardour of Your love gives me the strength I need to see Your way.
Grant me, Jesus, the help of Your holy Mother so that I may find the
strength to walk Your way without looking to the left or right or
listening to the opinions of others. Jesus, my only desire is to see
You.
All
that is in You is lacking in me. Forgive me Lord, for being so
imperfect. Show me what I lack, be my merciful teacher and lead me
out of sin. I am nothing, yet with You, cradled in Your love, I can
do anything.
Touch
me, show me what I can do for You. Oh Jesus, I invite You to come to
me. Come, oh come into my unworthy heart. Find Your home within it
and grant that I may serve You completely. You can transform me in
and through Your love - I beg you to do so!
Jesus,
hidden in the tabernacle, priceless treasure from the Father to
mankind, sanctify Your priests from whose hands we receive You, our
gift. Grant them the courage and humility they need to see You. Show
them the awesome divine power of the transubstantiation, the love
which You bestow on them.
Touch
them and touch young people so that they may follow You. Call them,
Lord Jesus hidden in the tabernacle, call them for Yourself and for
us, that we may not be alone. Amen.
23 August 2004
'Our Father who
art in heaven...'
Remember that you
have a Father in heaven who is almighty and who cares for you. He,
the 'all', cares for you because you are His child. Call on the
Father and speak with the Eternal One. God, our Father, loves you,
you are His creature. The whole of creation rests in His hands.
'hallowed be Thy
name...'
Laud, praise and
sanctify the Name of our Father in heaven. He will gaze upon you and
the Holy Spirit will fortify and guide you. God has created you for
Himself, that you might find fulfilment in Him. The more a child
converses lovingly and respectfully with his father, the more the
father will shower him with his love.
'Thy kingdom
come...'
Seek the heavenly
Father's kingdom with longing. Regard that which is transient as
mere necessity. However, to the kingdom of the Father - the eternal
kingdom - you should open your heart wholly and respectfully.
'Thy will be
done...'
Not my will, Father,
Thy will be done! Father, I place myself into Your hands. They will
shelter me if I surrender to You completely. What you desire for me
is love alone. Yet only if I abandon myself to You fully, are You
able to do Your will for me. Then can I serve You. My will is weak
and I am wretched. Without you am I not totally trapped by sin?
Therefore I say joyfully: not my, but Your will be done!
'on earth as it is
in heaven...'
Heaven and earth -
are these not two completely different worlds: the eternal and the
temporal? Consider this: God our Father reigns on earth as in
heaven. Everything has come from Him, everything is in Him and
everything shall return to Him. Seek Him with your heart. Then,
within your heart, heaven and earth shall meet.
'give us this day
our daily bread...'
The Father cares for
His children. Pray and work whilst not forgetting your neighbour!
'and forgive us
our trespasses...'
God our Father is
merciful when, fully contrite, we ask His forgiveness. Forgiveness
is our liberation, our salvation. Seek it often so as not to draw
judgement onto yourself.
'as we forgive
those who trespass against us...'
Just as the Father
shows you mercy, so you must not fail to show it to your neighbour.
Do not bind him through blame. Instead free yourself and him through
forgiveness.
By putting love into
practice, you will place yourself and your 'debtor' into God's
hands.
'and lead us not
into temptation...'
God, who is love,
does not tempt. God, our Father, allows you to experience trials. By
these you must mature and recognise His greatness and your
smallness. Such 'purifying' processes serve to make you holy. Accept
them patiently!
'but deliver us
from evil...'
Avoid evil and do not
give in to darkness. If you have done something wrong, seek God's
forgiveness. In this way you will be delivered from evil.
'for Thine is the
kingdom...'
There is only one
royal, eternal kingdom - the kingdom of the heavenly Father.
'the power...'
What does God's power
enable me to do? Everything. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
are my strength.
'and the glory...'
My God, who can
measure Your glory, who is able to endure it? Nobody could begin to
grasp or portray it in any way.
'for ever and
ever. Amen.'
You alone are
eternal, my Lord and my God!
8 December 2004
Oh
Jesus, who are
both divine Child and sublime Majesty,
who, amongst us can understand You, who can comprehend Your love for
us miserable ones?
So-called
clever people consider Your love foolish
yet you simply look at them and love them.
The humble accept your love gratefully.
They are not unsettled by critical wordly eyes,
provided You are with them and love them.
Reveal
Yourself to us, Lord Jesus, You who are the Son of God!
Do not forsake us, have mercy on us!
Your
love is foolishness for the clever
because You surrender Yourself completely through Your priests.
Who has merited such love, Lord,
who can really claim to have done so?
Oh
divine child,
In Your sweetness You come to us.
You shower us with gifts
the clever as well as the humble.
For us You become small
so that we may touch You.
Love
is Your sceptre,
mercy is the globe in Your hand,
faithfulness is Your sublime garment
and Your trinitarian Father's omnipotence, oh heavenly child, is
Your regal crown.
Peace
is Your greeting,
and Your childlike words are a blessing for us.
Oh
divine child,
whoever sees You
will recognise that it is You, oh Jesus,
who rules the church and guides it through the ages.
For
in order to enrich the lowly
and rule the mighty, His Majesty approves that which is deemed
foolish.
Oh
heavenly Emperor, look upon us!
Oh divine child, reign among us! Amen.
Christmas Eve, 24
December 2004
Savour the blessings
of the holy night. Let yourself be consumed by the love of the Lord.
Amazing, how much grace was and is continually being imparted to us.
His sublime Majesty abandoned the divine throne and, out of love for
us, chose poverty and lowliness - so far removed from any grandeur.
Why did He do this for us?
Because He loves us,
every single one of us; thus His divine Majesty, taking on human
form as testimony to His unending love, desired to be close to us.
Gaze upon the child in the manger. Can you comprehend what He would
like to say to you personally?
'Love, just as I have
and will always love. Look at me, take me into your arms so that I
may gain access to your heart; grant me your love. Your faith must
be a reflection of my living love. I don't want you to look at me,
passionately calling to me: "Lord, Lord! I want to be totally loved
by You!" Instead, love me! May your love be alive and ardent. May
your words and deeds be a single expression of my love. May your
faith be my love in action. In suffering, my love burns like fire.
Consume yourself for me as I wish to be one with you!'
Thus the sublime
divine Christ child spoke to me on that holy night; thus He speaks
to you and to everyone. In a most special way, the divine King calls
His priests and all those consecrated to Him to be living witnesses
of His love. My friend, if this is how He calls you, His little one,
imagine how much more ardently He must speak to His priests?
Christmas Eve, 24
December 2004
Holy
Spirit, sublime divine power,
open the doors of my heart for my Lord.
Holy
Spirit, living power of God,
come to me and revive me.
Holy
Spirit, loving Wisdom,
guide me on the path to the Lord.
Holy
Spirit, consuming Love of God,
grant me a heart that gives more than it receives.
Holy
Spirit, divine faithfulness,
stay with me, that I may follow my Lord Jesus.
Amen.
Feast of the Epiphany, 6 January 2005
Jesus, the divine
Child, His sweetness and and sublime Majesty concealed from many,
calls all nations to Himself. He wishes to give Himself to each
nation.
Adore Him, you
nations, pray to Him the King of Kings. The Magi presented Him with
gold, frankincense and myrrh. You, however, give Him your heart and
adore Him!
My
Lord Jesus,
contemplating lost humanity
You Yourself became man,
at the same time retaining Your divine Majesty.
Sublime
Saviour,
I want to adore You just as the Magi did
when they found You.
Hidden
Godhead, Lord Jesus,
I adore You with my whole heart.
I entrust my entire being to You, oh Lord.
I
give You my whole life, King of Kings.
Pleading,
I approach You, hoping
that in Your mercy You might accept my gift.
If
You but reign in me, all my actions shall be
in Your honour.
I
have nothing else to give You.
I ask You that my wretchedness might be transformed in You.
When
I gaze upon You and adore You Lord,
I am enriched.
I
do not wish to adorn myself with worldly riches;
my soul desires to be adorned with Your love and friendship.
I
adore You,
You will bestow on me the the pure gold of Your kingdom.
I
adore You,
You will adorn me with precious jewels,
the virtues of heaven.
I
adore You, Lord Jesus,
You will look at me and put divine jewellery on me, the jewels of
eternal faithfulness.
I
adore You,
though I am poor, You adorn me and
provide me with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I
adore You, my Jesus,
kneeling before You, wretched, unworthy
yet precious in Your eyes.
Your wish is for you to be wholly united to me and me to You.
I
adore You, unending,
utterly self-giving Love.
Monday, 17 January
2005
As You gaze in
silence upon the Lord, you are safe in His hands. It is He who
wishes for your soul to be cradled in Him. He wants to transform
your heart. He, love personified, desires to make your heart into
His throne. Bid Him enter, pray and seek silence, so that what He
wills be done to you.
In Silence I am
safely cradled in You,
oh Lord Jesus, my Saviour.
Silence stills my
yearning for You,
in silence you dwell.
Silence stills the
thirst of my soul,
You are my living water.
Silence stills the
hunger of my heart,
You are my living bread.
Silence stills my
thoughts,
I abandon myself to You.
Silence stills my
deeds,
You act within me.
Silence stills my
hearing,
I desire to hear only Your word.
Silence stills my
seeing,
I want to see You and abide with You.
Silence stills me in
You!
28 January 2005
My Lord Jesus,
take my heart into Your hands.
Plant Your love
therein.
Grant me the
confidence and trust necessary
for Your love to grow in me.
To allow Your love to
grow,
I need an open heart.
Lord, I want to be a
fertile ground for You.
You plant, You are my
living water
and my eucharistic sunshine.
Grant me an open
heart
to break down the constraints of the first Adam.
Thus liberated, I can
walk freely in Your loving realm
confidently loving You and my neighbour.
Easter Sunday, 28. 03. 2005
Betrachtung
von Kreuz und Auferstehung
„Contemplate Our Lord Jesus, the Crucified One, with me and His
suffering and cross. How powerful and hard ... yet how shortlived is
this time when measured against the immense joy which the Lord
continuously gives us.
Halleluja, He is truly risen and has overcome the world with its
sorrow and its pain. It is by joining the cross to Our Lord Jesus
that humanity shall experience salvation. (Comment: It is only
through uniting our activities, sacrifices and sufferings to the
merits of Jesus and offering these to the heavenly Father, that they
bring salvation for our souls. Without Christ there is no salvation.
John 15, 4-6: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; nor can you, except
you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches: he who abides
in me, and I in him brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can
do nothing.)
Contemplate the Risen One with me. How much joy He places into our
hearts with His good news. We may follow Him and rise in Him. Jesus
does not abandon us, He remains with us in together with the Holy
Spirit because He is risen.
All
this He has done for you, dear reader, do not forget this! You are
loved by Him from the beginning, you are a part of Him and He
desires that you find the way to Him, as it is destined for you.
Rejoice, for His resurrection is also ours! Never tire in your love
for Him; follow Him with gladness!“
Easter
Sunday, 28. 03. 2005
Durch das Kreuz zur
Auferstehung
„Should I walk through darkness and pain,
You
have walked before me.
I
know Your way, You know mine.
You, Lord will not let me step into the unknown,
you
will catch me.
I
contemplate Your cross,
though not without You, my Lord.
You
have risen in glory,
and
with You victorious light
You
have brought us joy.
My
heart is on fire for You, the Risen One!
Permit me, oh Lord,
to
rise in You each day,
show me your victorious Easter light.“
Sunday, 17. 04. 2005, World day of prayer for vocations to the
religious life and the priesthood
 „God
gave man his most important tool, namely hands which are raised to
Him in prayer. Praying hands are loving hands. Loving hands are
helping hands. Your hands, extended to Him in prayer, are the
bridge, the link to the Lord. They are a bridge without a beginning
or an end, one which transcends all barriers; a bridge which is firm
and strong in the Lord, for it leads to Him and it is He who has
taught us to build it. Deo
gratias!“
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