Loving the Bride, vol 21

Something old....

Canticle to the Holy Face

Dear Jesus! 'tis Thy Holy Face
Is here the start that guides my way;
They countenance, so full of grace,
Is heaven on earth, for me, today.
And love finds holy charms for me
In Thy sweet eyes with tear-drops wet;
Through mine own tears I smile at Thee,
And in Thy griefs my pains forget.
How gladly would I live unknown,
Thus to console Thy aching heart.
Thy veiled beauty, it is shown
To those who live from earth apart.
I long to fly to Thee alone!
Thy Face is now my fatherland,
The radiant sunshine of my days,
My realm of love, my sunlit land,
Where, all life long, I sing Thy praise;
It is the lily of the vale,
Whose mystic perfume, freely given,
Brings comfort, when I faint and fail,
And makes me taste the peace of heaven.
Thy face, in its unearthly grace,
Is like the divinest myrrh to me,
That on my heart I gladly place;
It is my lyre of melody;
My rest - my comfort - is Thy Face.
My only wealth, Lord! is thy Face;
I ask naught else than this from Thee;
Hid in the secret of that Face,
The more I shall resemble Thee!
Oh, leave on me some impress faint
Of Thy sweet, humble, patient Face,
And soon I shall become a saint,
And draw men to Thy saving grace.
So, in the secret of Thy Face,
Oh! hide me, hide me, Jesus blest!
There let me find its hidden grace,
Its holy fires, and, in heaven's rest,
Its rapturous kiss, in Thy embrace!

----Saint Teresa of Lisieux
12 August 1895
translated by S L Emery

Something new....

Here's some good advice for your daily prayer:

In order for the decision of daily personal prayer to be effective, it has to be concretized as to time and place. In fact, wisely choosing the time and place is usually a process that takes awhile to be satisfactorily concluded, and is itself half the battle..Generally, it seems best to choose a daily time for personal prayer as one of the first things in the morning..The multiplicity of demands on our time and attention is such that if we do not put a priority on spending time alone with the Lord each day we are likely not to do it."

---Ralph Martin, Hungry for God, Servant/St Anthony Press


Something borrowed....
Here's some inspiration from the writing of Henri Nouwen on the passion we all eventually experience in our lives, courtesy of Happy Catholic.

Something blue....

Working to battle temptations this Lent? Call on Our Lady of Perpetual Help!.