Teresa was born at Avila in Spain in 1515.  She entered the Carmelites and

made great progress in the way of perfection and was granted mystical

revelations.  Wishing to share in the spiritual renewal of the Church of her

time, she began to live her religious life more ardently and soon attracted

many companions, to whom she was like a mother.

She also helped in the reform of the friars, and in this had to endure great

trials.  She wrote books which are renowned for their depth of doctrine and

which showed her own spiritual experiences.  She died at Alba in 1582.

 

 

Evening Prayer I

 

Hymn

 

PSALMODY

 

Ant. 1 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to

little ones.

Psalm 112

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

May the name of the Lord be blessed

both now and for evermore!

>From the rising of the sun to its setting

praised be the name of the Lord!

 

High above all nations is the Lord,

above the heavens his glory.

Who is like the Lord, our God,

who has risen on high to his throne

yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and

earth?

 

>From the dust he lifts up the lowly,

from his misery he raises the poor

to set him in the company of princes,

yes, with the princes of his people.

To the childless wife he gives a home

and gladdens her heart with children.

 

Ant. 1 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to

little ones.

 

Ant. 2 Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her

praise.

 

Psalm 145

My soul, give praise to the Lord;

I will praise the Lord all my days,

make music to my God while I live.

 

Put no trust in princes,

in mortal men in whom there is no help.

Take their breath, they return to clay

and their plans that day come to nothing.

 

He is happy who is helped by Jacob's God, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

who alone made heaven and earth, the seas and all they contain.

 

It is he who keeps faith for ever,

who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

 

the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

who raises up those who are bowed down,

the Lord, who protects the stranger

and upholds the widow and orphan.

 

It is the Lord who loves the just

but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

Sion's God, from age to age.

 

Ant. 2  Nations will proclaim her wisdom, and the Church will sing her

praise.

 

Ant. 3 The Lord gave her wisdom and

understanding beyond measure, and a

heart as vast as the sand on the seashore.

 

 

Canticle: Eph 1:3-10

Blessed be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

 

He chose us in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy

and blameless before him.

 

He destined us in love

to be his sons through Jesus Christ,

according to the purpose of his will,

to the praise of his glorious grace

which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our

trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us.

 

He has made known to us

in all wisdom and insight

the mystery of his will,

according to his purpose

which he set forth in Christ.

 

His purpose he set forth in Christ,

as a plan for the fulness of time,

to unite all things in him,

things in heaven and things on earth.

 

Ant. 3  The Lord gave her wisdom and

understanding beyond measure, and a heart as vast as the sand on the

seashore.

 

Reading

1 Cor 2:6-10

Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this

age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart

a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our

glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they

had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what

God has prepared for those who love him,' God has revealed to us through the

Spirit.

 

 

Short Responsory

R/. She became a teacher * in the Church of God.

Repeat R/.

V/. The Lord filled her with the spirit of wisdom and understanding * in the

Church of God. Glory ...

R/.

 

Canticle of Mary

Holy Mother Teresa, light of the Church, teach us the way of perfection, and

lead us to the eternal mansions where Christ has his home.

 

Intercessions

With our Mother Saint Teresa let us call upon our loving Father, in the name

of Christ our friend and companion.

Let us pray:

R/. Lord, may your kingdom come.

 

You made your Son a source of life, so that whoever believes in him might

have life for all eternity; - may we listen to the voice of Christ our true

life, and so have life in him. R/.

 

You gave us your only-begotten Son as our teacher of holiness and our way to

you; - may we your children loyally follow Christ the way of perfection, and

pray to you without ceasing. R/.

 

You promised through Christ that with him you will come to dwell in those

who surrender to your love; - may we let your Spirit of love take possession

of our hearts for Christ, and so be admitted to the inmost mansions of your

dwelling-place. R/.

 

You made Christ head and cornerstone of the Church, the foundation on which

we might build; - may we love and serve the Church for his sake, rooted and

founded in his love and faith. R/.

 

You raised Christ to your right hand in glory, to prepare a place for us in

your presence; - may all the dead who seek your face be with Christ, and

contemplate the glory you have given him. R/.

 

Our Father ...

 

Prayer

Father,

by Your Spirit You raised up Our Mother

St. Teresa of Jesus

to show Your Church the way to perfection.

May her inspired teaching

awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns

with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

***************

Invitatory

The Lord is the fount of wisdom; come, let us adore Him.

 

Office of Readings

 

Hymn

 

Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my

life: when shall I see God face to face?

 

Psalm 41

Like the deer that yearns

for running streams,

so my soul is yearning

for you, my God.

 

My soul is thirsting for God,

the God of my life;

when can I enter and see

the face of God?

 

My tears have become my bread,

by night, by day,

as I hear it said all the day long:

"Where is your God?"

 

These things will I remember

as I pour out my soul:

how I would lead the rejoicing crowd

into the house of God,

amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving, the throng wild with joy.

 

Why are you cast down, my soul,

why groan within me?

Hope in God; I will praise him still,

my savior and my God.

 

My soul is cast down within me

as I think of you,

from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon, from the Hill of Mizar.

 

Deep is calling on deep,

in the roar of waters:

your torrents and all your waves

swept over me.

 

By day the Lord will send

his loving kindness;

by night I will sing to him,

praise the God of my life.

 

I will say to God, my rock:

"Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

oppressed by the foe?"

 

With cries that pierce me to the heart,

my enemies revile me,

saying to me all the day long:

"Where is your God?"

 

Why are you cast down, my soul,

why groan within me?

Hope in God; I will praise him still,

my savior and my God.

 

Ant. 1   My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my

life: when shall I see God face to face?

 

Ant. 2 There is no measuring your glory, Lord: who can express your mercy

and greatness?

 

Psalm 144

 

I will give you glory, O God my King,

I will bless your name for ever.

 

I will bless you day after day

and praise your name for ever.

The Lord is great, highly to be praised, his greatness cannot be measured.

 

Age to age shall proclaim your works,

shall declare your mighty deeds,

shall speak of your splendor and glory,

tell the tale of your wonderful works.

 

They will speak of your terrible deeds,

recount your greatness and might.

They will recall your abundant goodness; age to age shall ring out your

justice.

 

The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love.

How good is the Lord to all,

compassionate to all his creatures.

 

Ant. 2   There is no measuring your glory,

Lord: who can express your mercy and greatness?

 

Ant. 3 The Lord is faithful to everyone who calls on him in sincerity of

heart: his kingdom will have no end.

 

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat

their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God,

 

to make known to men your mighty deeds

and the glorious splendor of your reign.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

your rule lasts from age to age.

 

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and loving in all his deeds.

The Lord supports all who fall

and raises all who are bowed down.

 

The eyes of all creatures look to you

and you give them their food in due time.

You open wide your hand,

grant the desires of all who live.

 

The Lord is just in all his ways

and loving in all his deeds.

He is close to all who call him,

who call on him from their hearts.

 

He grants the desires of those who fear him, he hears their cry and he saves

them.

The Lord protects all who love him;

but the wicked he will utterly destroy.

 

Let me speak the praise of the Lord,

let all mankind bless his holy name

for ever, for ages unending.

 

Ant. 3  The Lord is faithful to everyone who calls on him in sincerity of

heart: his kingdom will have no end.

 

V/. You, O Lord, are close.

R/. Your commands are truth.

 

First Reading

Phil 3: 8-21

I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more

valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere

refuse, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him. I no

longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying

the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ,

the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. All I want is

to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in

his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself

will be raised from death to life.

 

I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect.

I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me

to himself. Of course, my brothers, I really do not think that I have

already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me

and do my best to reach what is ahead.

So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's

call through Christ Jesus to the life above.

 

All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude.

But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to

you. However that may be, let us go forward according to the same rules we

have followed until now.

 

Keep on imitating me, my brothers. Pay attention to those who follow the

right example that we have set for you. I have told you this many times

before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them

enemies of Christ's death on the cross. They are going to end up in hell,

because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they

should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this

world. We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our

Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. He will change our weak

mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by

which he is able to bring all things under his rule.

 

Responsory

R/. Your life is hidden now with Christ in God. * When Christ your life

appears, you too will appear with him in glory.

V/. Neither death nor life, nor anything in all creation, can come between

us and Christ's love for us. * When Christ your life appears, you too will

appear with him in glory

 

Second Reading

A reading from the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Jesus

 

Whoever lives in the presence of so good a friend and excellent a leader as

is Jesus Christ can endure all things.

Christ helps us and strengthens us and never fails; He is a true friend.

And I see clearly that God desires that if we are going to please Him and

receive His great favors this must come about through the most sacred

humanity of Christ, in whom He takes His delight.

 

Many, many times have I perceived this through experience.

The Lord has told it to me.  I have definitely seen that we must enter by

this gate if we desire his sovereign Majesty to show us great secrets.  A

person should desire no other path, even if he be at the summit of

contemplation; on this road he walks safely.  This Lord of ours is the one

through whom all blessings come to us.  He will teach us these things.  In

beholding His life we find that He is the best example.

 

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side, Who will not

abandon us in our labors and tribulations, as friends in the world do?

Blessed is the one who truly loves Him and always keeps Him near.  Let us

consider the glorious Saint Paul:  it doesn't seem that any other name fell

from his lips than that of Jesus, as coming from one who kept the Lord close

to his heart.  Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully

considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and

found that they hadn't taken any other path:  Francis, Anthony of Padua,

Bernard, Catherine of Sienna.  A person must walk along this path in

freedom, placing himself in God's hands.

If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an

intimate and shares His secrets, we ought to accept gladly.

 

As often as we think of Christ we should recall the love with which He

bestowed on us so many favors, and the great things God showed in giving us

a pledge like this of His love; for love begets love.  Let us strive to keep

this always before our eyes and to waken ourselves to love.  For if at some

time the Lord should grant us the favor of impressing this love on our

hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall carry out our tasks quickly

and without much effort.

 

Responsory

R/.  For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

V/.  I willingly glory in my weakness, so that the power of Christ may be

strong in me.  *  For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

 

TE DEUM

 

Prayer

Father,

by Your Spirit You raised up Our Mother

St. Teresa of Jesus

to show Your Church the way to perfection.

May her inspired teaching

awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns

with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

 

Morning Prayer

 

Hymn

 

Ant. 1 My soul is thirsting for you, my Lord; my very flesh is longing for

you.

 

Psalms of Sunday Week I

 

Ant. 2 All your works proclaim you, Lord, and your saints bless you.

 

Ant. 3 In the assembly of your holy ones, Lord, I have sung of your mercy.

 

Reading

2 Cor 4:5-7

It is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and

ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

It is the same God that said, "Let there be light shining out of darkness,"

who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God's

glory, the glory on the face of Christ.

We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear

that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.

 

Short Responsory

R/. To you my heart has spoken: * it is you that I seek.

Repeat R/.

V/. I long for your face, Lord; * it is you that I seek.

Glory ... R/.

 

 

Canticle of Zechariah

Whoever loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show

myself to him.

 

 

Intercessions

The Lord of glory, the crown of all the saints, gives us the joy of

celebrating this feast of (our Mother) Saint Teresa.

Let us praise him, saying:

R/. Glory to you, Lord.

 

Source of life and holiness, in your saints you show us the infinite marvels

of your grace; - in company with Saint Teresa may we sing of your mercies

forever. R/.

 

You want your Spirit of Love to blaze like fire throughout the world; - may

we, like Saint Teresa, be instrumental in keeping that flame of love alight.

R/.

 

You sanctify your friends and reveal to them the mysteries of your heart; -

unite our hearts to yours in a friendship so close and intimate that we may

experience the secrets of your love, proclaim it to others, and win them to

you. R/.

 

You blessed the pure of heart and promised that they would see you; - purify

our sight so that we may see you in all things, and through all things be

close to you. R/.

 

You oppose the proud and give wisdom to the simple; - make us humble of

heart, so that we may receive your wisdom for the sake of the Church. R/.

 

Our Father ...

 

Prayer

(see above)

 

Evening Prayer II

 

Hymn

 

Ant. 1 The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory

of God, and shone like a precious jewel.

 

Psalm 121

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

"Let us go to God's house."

And now our feet are standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem.

 

Jerusalem is built as a city

strongly compact.

It is there that the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord.

 

For Israel's law it is,

there to praise the Lord's name.

There were set the thrones of judgment

of the house of David.

 

For the peace of Jerusalem pray;

"Peace be to your homes!

May peace reign in your walls,

in your palaces, peace!"

 

For love of my brethren and friends

I say: "Peace upon you!"

For love of the house of the Lord

I will ask for your good.

 

Ant. 1  The Lord showed me the holy city: it was resplendent with the glory

of God, and shone like a precious jewel.

 

Ant. 2  Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and he will make his home

among them.

 

Psalm 126

If the Lord does not build the house,

in vain do its builders labor;

if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep

vigil.

 

In vain is your earlier rising,

your going later to rest,

you who toil for the bread you eat:

when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.

 

Truly sons are a gift from the Lord,

a blessing, the fruit of the womb.

Indeed the sons of youth

are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

 

O the happiness of the man

who has filled his quiver with these arrows!

He will have no cause for shame

when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.

 

Ant. 2   Behold, the dwelling of God is with men, and

he will make his home among them.

 

Ant. 3 I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in the sufferings of

Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.

 

Canticle: Col 1:12-20

Let us give thanks to the Father,

who has qualified us to share

in the inheritance of the saints in light.

 

He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the

kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of

sins.

 

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn of all creation,

for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and

invisible.

 

All things were created

through him and for him.

He is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

 

He is the head of the body, the Church;

he is the beginning,

the first-born from the dead,

that in everything he might be preeminent.

 

For in him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to

reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace

by the blood of his cross.

 

Ant. 3   I will make up in my body whatever is lacking in

the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body the Church.

 

Reading

Jude 20-21

You, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and

build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love

of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal

life.

 

Short Responsory

R/. You are * the temple of the living God. Repeat R/.

V/. And the Spirit of God dwells in you, * the temple of the living God.

Glory ... R/.

 

Canticle of Mary

Holy Mother Teresa, look down from

heaven and see; visit this vineyard of yours, and perfect what your right

hand has planted.

 

Intercessions

Christ loved his Church and gave his life for her that she might be holy:

let us pray to Christ that his Church may be holy and spotless in all her

members:

R/. Be with your Church, Lord Jesus.

 

You are the head of the Church and the source of all her grace; - may all

your people be joined to you in faith and love, and realize that they are

the living and holy members of your body. R/.

 

You founded the Church on Peter and the apostles and through them you teach

us the truth and lead us in green pastures; - enlighten and guide those you

have placed over your Church, and confirm our faith so that in them we may

hear your voice leading us to life. R/.

 

You choose some to announce the Good News by teaching, baptizing, calling to

repentance, and offering in your memory the Eucharistic Sacrifice; - as the

harvest is great, and the laborers few, send laborers into your harvest. R/.

 

You choose some of your friends to follow you more closely in your poverty,

your chastity and your obedience, for the building up of the Church; - with

Mary as their Mother and teacher, may all religious cling to you and show

forth your life within them as they serve the Church. R/.

 

You made your people one body and one spirit in the unity of faith and

baptism; - may all whom you have redeemed preserve the unity of the Spirit

through the bonds of peace. R/.

 

You died for our redemption and rose so that we could have life; - may all

who have died in your love and await the revelation of your glory rejoice at

the eternal banquet in the company of your saints. R/.

 

Our Father ...

 

Prayer

Father,

by Your Spirit You raised up Our Mother

St. Teresa of Jesus

to show Your Church the way to perfection.

May her inspired teaching

awaken in us a longing for true holiness.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns

with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

 

****************

for Mass

 

Entrance Antiphon

Like a deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for You, my God.

My soul is thirsting for the living God.

 

Opening Prayer

(same as above)

 

Prayer over the Gifts

King of heaven,

accept the gifts we bring in Your praise, as You were pleased with our

Mother St. Teresa's offering of her life in Your service.

We as this through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon

For ever I will sing the mercies of the Lord; I will proclaim Your

faithfulness to all generations.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,

watch over the family You nourish

with the Bread of heaven,

Help us to follow our Mother St. Teresa's example and sing Your merciful

love for ever.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 

First Reading

Wisdom 7: 7-8; 10-14; 8: 2-3

Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called upon God, and

the spirit of wisdom came to me.

I preferred her to scepters and thrones, and I accounted wealth as nothing

in comparison with her.

I loved her more than health and beauty, and I chose to have her rather than

light, because her radiance never ceases.

All good things came to me along with her, and in her hands uncounted

wealth.

I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them; but I did not know that

she was their mother.

I learned without guile and I impart without grudging; I do not hide her

wealth, for it is an unfailing treasure for men; those who get it obtain

friendship with God, commended for the gifts that come from instruction.

I loved her and sought her from my youth, and I desired to take her for my

bride, and I became enamored of her beauty.

She glorifies her noble birth by living with God, and the Lord of all loves

her.

 

Responsorial Psalm

R/.  My heart sings with joy to the living God.

 

How lovely is Your dwelling place,

Lord, God of hosts.

My soul is longing and yearning,

is yearning for the courts of the Lord.  R/.

 

The sparrow herself finds a home

and the swallow a nest for her brood;

she lays her young by your altars,

Lord of hosts, my king and my God.

They are happy, who dwell in Your home,

for ever singing Your praise.  R/.

 

One day within Your courts

is better than a thousand elsewhere.

The threshold of the house of God

I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.  R/.

 

For the Lord God is a rampart, a shield; He will give us His favour and

glory.

The Lord will not refuse any good

to those who walk without blame.

Lord, God of hosts,

happy the man who trusts in You!  R/.

 

Second Reading

Romans 8: 14-17, 26-27

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but

you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"  it is

the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of

God,  and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with

Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified

with him.  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know

how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs

too deep for words.  And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the

mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according

to the will of God.

 

Gospel

John 7: 14-18, 37-39

About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  The

Jews marveled at it, saying, "How is it that this man has learning, when he

has never studied?"  So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but

his who sent me; if any man's will is to do his will, he shall know whether

the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the

glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.  On the

last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any

one thirst, let him come to me and drink.  He who believes in me, as the

scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'"

Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to

receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet

glorified.