Quote of the day, 5 March: Blessed Teresa of Guadalajara

We have not had to leave, thanks be to God, as so many of our Sisters have had to do. Our Sisters of Malagón had to leave at midnight on the day they were burning religious houses, without being able to save anything from the fire except the clothes they were wearing.

Have you had to suffer any attacks against your monastery? They say the two religious Orders that have had the most to suffer are the Society of Jesus and our Holy Reform, for being the Orders most hated by the Masons. It is a sign that they are making war on them.

What greater joy is there than to be hated by the enemies of Christ? We suffer much in seeing the wounds inflicted on our Holy Mother the Church, and the blindness of so many souls who, to their own cost, insist on persecuting Him, who gave His blood in order to gain eternal happiness for them.

I wrote to my uncle to find out about you and he answered me that you did not have to flee. You can’t imagine through what struggles and distress we have passed, since, as happens on these occasions, the news coming to us is edited and augmented.

On the eve of the feast of the Ascension (May 14), they told us that the arsonists were in Sigüenza, and since that is so close to us, we spent the entire night expecting they would come here, but everything was very peaceful in Sigüenza. It was all a false report; actually, my father came to see us by way of Sigüenza.

Blessed Teresa of the Child Jesus and St. John of the Cross

Letter to Sr. Maria of St. Teresa, STJ
Octave of Christmas, 1931

Note: We recall the birth of Blessed Teresa on 5 March 1890 and the birth of her companion in martyrdom, Blessed Maria Angeles of St. Joseph on 6 March 1905.

Rodriguez, J 2016, The Dialogues of the Carmelites of Guadalajara: The Story of Three Martyred Carmelite Nuns of the Spanish Civil War, translated by the Carmel of St. Joseph, Carmelite International Publishing House, Trivandrum.

Featured image: A portrait of the three Discalced Carmelite martyrs of the Carmel of St. Joseph in Guadalajara. From left to right: Blessed Teresa, Blessed Maria Pilar, and Blessed Maria Angeles. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

#BlessedMariaAngelesOfStJoseph #BlessedTeresaOfGuadalajara #CarmelOfGuadalajara #martyrdom #SpanishCivilWar

Quote of the day, 29 March: Blessed Maria Angeles

My God, receive my life amid the pains of martyrdom and in testimony of my love for You, as You received the lives of so many souls as they loved You and died for Your love.

Blessed Maria Angeles of St. Joseph
Martyr of Guadalajara

Blesseds Teresa of the Child Jesus, Maria del Pilar, and Maria Angeles

So far we still live in deep peace, entirely unmolested within our cloister walls. But the fate of our Spanish sisters tells us, all the same, what we must be prepared for. And when such profound upheaval takes place in such close proximity, it is a salutary warning.

Saint Edith Stein

Letter 283 to Sister Callista Kopf, O.P. (excerpt)
Cologne-Lindenthal, 7 May 1937

Note: “The fate of our Spanish sisters” refers to the assassination on 24 July 1936 at Guadalajara, Spain, of three Discalced Carmelite nuns who were killed for their fidelity to the faith. Sisters María Pilar de San Francisco de Borja, María Ángeles de San José, and Teresa del Niño Jesús y de San Juan de la Cruz were beatified by Saint John Paul II on 29 March 1987, 33 days before he beatified Edith Stein.

Rodriguez, J 2016, The Dialogues of the Carmelites of Guadalajara: The Story of Three Martyred Carmelite Nuns of the Spanish Civil War, translated by the Carmel of St. Joseph, Carmelite International Publishing House, Trivandrum.

Stein, E. 1993, Self-Portrait in Letters, 1916-1942, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Discalced Carmelite, translated from the German by Koeppel, J, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Photos of the Blessed Martyrs of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Spain. Image credit for the individual photos: Discalced Carmelites.

🕊️ “My God, receive my life amid the pains of martyrdom …”
—Blessed Maria Angeles of St. Joseph

On 29 March 1987, the three martyrs of the Carmel of Guadalajara were beatified. Just months before she emigrated from Nazi Germany, St. Edith Stein reflected on their witness: “The fate of our Spanish sisters tells us … what we must be prepared for.”

💬 What are you being asked to offer in love today?

💬 Let’s reflect together—share your thoughts in the comments!

#BlessedMariaAngelesOfStJoseph #BlessedMartyrsOfGuadalajara #love #martyrdom #peace #prayer #SpanishCivilWar #StEdithStein #testimony

Join us as we honor the four Blessed Discalced Carmelite nuns martyred during the Spanish Civil War. Their faith, courage and love is inspiring!
Music credit: Sean Beeson

“Jesus, I love you!”

Confidence without limits in the mercy of God, hoping for everything from Jesus through Mary, who, as my mother and the mother of mercy, will watch over me.

Abandonment to what God desires of me, and for that, my Jesus, to love You madly and to aspire to intimate union with You.

May nothing and no one occupy my heart, but only You, my Spouse.

Blessed Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia

Retreat resolutions, 1933

Saint Thérèse says she understood that in order to arrive at being a saint it was necessary to suffer very much, to deny nothing to God and to forget oneself, and she added afterwards, “My God, I choose all! I don’t want to be a saint by halves.” This is what I have to do, not to wish to be a saint by halves, but to choose all sufferings…. Thus, I must allow myself to be transfixed, broken to pieces and consumed.

Second, obedience: to obey promptly, without reply, without murmuring interiorly or exteriorly. My superiors represent God, be they who they may, with their defects or virtues. The soul who is obedient to her superiors or confessors can be sure that she is going along the straight path of perfection.

Blessed Teresa of the Child Jesus and St. John of the Cross

Retreat resolutions (date unknown)

Jesus, I love you!… Love is nourished by suffering. Let us love Jesus greatly, suffering much for His love, because He suffered more for us.

Blessed Maria Angeles of St. Joseph

Letter to her eldest sister and godmother, Sr. Trinidad, O.I.C. (date unknown)

Let us live in the presence of Jesus, with complete abandonment in Him, desiring nothing more than to please Him and always doing what He asks of us until we reach the happy end of this journey of life.

Blessed Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Selected quotes from the Carmel of St. Anne and St. Joseph, Madrid

The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, was a time of intense anti-Catholic sentiment and hatred of men and women members of religious institutes. Many religious individuals, including members of the Carmelite family, faced persecution and martyrdom for their faith. Today, we remember four Discalced Carmelite nuns who gave their lives during this tumultuous period.

Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia, Teresa of the Child Jesus and St. John of the Cross, and Maria Angeles of St. Joseph were Discalced Carmelite nuns from the Monastery of Guadalajara, Spain. They were martyred on 24 July 1936, and were beatified by Saint John Paul II on 29 March 1987. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was prioress of the Carmel of St. Anne and St. Joseph in Madrid. A pharmacist by trade, she was one of the first women in Spain to achieve this qualification. She was martyred in Madrid on 15 August 1936, a grace for which she had longed, and was beatified by Saint John Paul II on 10 May 1998.

Let’s reflect on the quotes from these great martyrs:

• Blessed Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia’s retreat resolutions capture her deep trust in God’s mercy and her total abandonment to His will. Her profound love for Jesus and aspiration for intimate union with Him reflect the core of Teresian spirituality.
• Blessed Teresa of the Child Jesus and St. John of the Cross shared a significant insight into the path to sainthood. Her reflection on the necessity of suffering, obedience, and total self-giving is a powerful call to deeper commitment in our spiritual journey.
• Sister Maria Ángeles of St. Joseph beautifully expressed her love for Jesus. This captures the essence of the spirituality of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross—finding love in suffering and drawing closer to Jesus through the acceptance of trials.
• Blessed Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga highlights the importance of humility, suffering, and total self-offering in the pursuit of holiness. Her deep faith and dedication to following God’s will, even in the face of suffering, serve as a powerful example for us all.

Father, strength of the humble,
you sustained in martyrdom the virgins
Blessed Maria Pilar, (Maria Sagrario) and companions.
As they willingly shed their blood for Christ the King,
may we, through their intercession,
be faithful to You and to your Church until death.

Rodriguez, J 2016, The Dialogues of the Carmelites of Guadalajara: The Story of Three Martyred Carmelite Nuns of the Spanish Civil War, translated by the Carmel of St. Joseph, Carmelite International Publishing House, Trivandrum.

Featured image: Watercolor of a Spanish monastery created with Adobe Express text-to-image tools. Image credit: © 2023 Carmelite Quotes (Some rights reserved)

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#BlessedCarmeliteMartyrsOfSpain #BlessedMariaAngelesOfStJoseph #BlessedMariaPilarOfStFrancisBorgia #BlessedMariaSagrarioOfStAloysiusGonzaga #BlessedTeresaOfTheChildJesusAndOfStJohnOfTheCross #humility #love #MartyrsOfGuadalajara #spirituality #suffering #TeresianCarmel