As one can readily see from the dates of her lifespan, one can’t fail to note that St. Elizabeth of  the Trinity (1880-1906) was an almost exact contemporary of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897). The similarities in the lives between these two Carmelite saints are quite remarkable. Like St. Therese, she was born into a bourgeois French family where the practice of the Catholic faith, tainted though it was by the remnants of ...

NUNO ÁLVARES PEREIRA was born in Portugal on 24th June 1360, most probably at Cernache do Bomjardin, illegitimate son of Brother Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira, Hospitalier Knight of St. John of Jerusalem and prior of Crato and Donna Iria Gonçalves do Carvalhal. About a year after his birth, the child was legitimized by royal decree and so was able to receive a knightly education typical of the offspring of the noble families of the time. At ...

Teresa of Avila: Slayer of Dragons This woman, who had deep spiritual insights, described prayer as nothing but an intimate sharing between friends. Rather than describe a formula for prayer, she taught an attitude for life. She discovered that all we need to do is seek the Lord actively; then he will do his part to bring us closer to him. Once Teresa had arrived at this point in her life, all the other problems she faced ...

DAY NINE Loving God, St. Thérèse never doubted that her life had meaning. Help us to understand the possibilities for loving and blessing all those we meet in our lives each day with confidence in your deep and abiding love for us. Let us with St. Thérèse our sister model and intercessor, come to You with our petitions, relying on your grace and mercy. (Here mention your petitions quietly) Hear these petitions we make in trust and confidence ...