St. Teresa is venerated most highly as the Saint of Spain. Her virtues of faith, love and humility have influenced many throughout the centuries and in the time in which she lived. She still watches over her children, those devoted to her, influencing them with her faith and love of solitude amidst all the dangers and temptations of the present times.
Like the times in which St. Teresa lived, our present age is blemished with the tendency to be overindulgent in material goods and lazy about the spiritual life. The world seeks after scientific wisdom while ignoring or even denying the supernatural. Love is for the pursuit and acquisition of the material and all sorts of pleasures to tantalize the senses. All this captivates the heart and removes all love of God from it.
I’d like to propose this beautiful novena in honor of St. Teresa composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori.
St. Teresa offers a valuable remedy in her writings, teachings and in her devotion to God. Her heroic virtues, mirrored those virtues of Christ and reflected in her beautiful life, are represented in this novena. Each day highlights one of her virtues for us to meditate on and espouse.
Day 1
O Most amiable Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the great gift of faith and of devotion to the Holy Sacrament, which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa: we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy faithful spouse, Teresa, to grant us the gift of a lively faith, and of a fervent devotion toward the most Holy Sacrament of the altar; where Thou, O infinite Majesty! hast obliged Thyself to abide with us even to the end of the world, and wherein Thou didst so lovingly give Thy Whole Self to us.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 2
O merciful Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the great gift of hope which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa: we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy holy spouse, Teresa, to give us a great confidence in Thy goodness, by reason of Thy precious blood, which Thou hast shed to its last drop for our salvation.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 3
O most loving Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the great gift of love which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most loving spouse, Teresa, to give us the great the crowning gift of Thy perfect love.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 4
O most sweet Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the gift of great desire and resolution which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa, that she might love Thee perfectly; we pray Thee, by Thy merits and by those of Thy most generous spouse, Teresa, to give us a true desire, and a true resolution of pleasing Thee to the utmost of our power.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 5
O most kind Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the great gift of humility which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most humble spouse, Teresa, to grant us the grace of a true humility, which may make us ever find our joy in humiliations, and prefer contempt before every honor.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 6
O most bountiful Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the gift of devotion towards Thy sweet mother, Mary, and her holy spouse, Joseph, which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most dear spouse, Teresa, to give us the grace of a special and tender devotion toward Thy most holy mother, Mary, and toward Thy beloved foster-father, Joseph.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 7
O most loving Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the wonderful gift of the wound in the heart which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most seraphic spouse, Teresa, to grant us also a like wound of love, that, henceforth, we may love Thee, and give our mind to the love of nothing but Thee.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 8
O most beloved Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the eminent gift of the desire for death which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most constant spouse, Teresa, to grant us the grace of desiring death, in order to go and possess Thee eternally in the country of the blessed.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O Jesus! Who Teresa’s beauteous soul
With Thy love-dart didst fire;
Deep in my heat of hearts
Her own sweet longing of love of Thee inspire.
Day 9
Lastly, O dearest Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the gift of the precious death which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa, making her sweetly to die of love; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most affectionate spouse, Teresa, to grant us a good death; and if we do not die of love, yet that we may, at least, die burning with love for Thee, that so dying, we may be able to go and love Thee for evermore with a more perfect love in heaven.
Our Father..etc. & Hail Mary, etc.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
St. Teresa, pray for us!
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Graciously hear us, O God, our salvation! that as we rejoice in the commemoration of the holy virgin Teresa, so we may be nourished by her heavenly doctrine, and draw from thence the fervor of a tender devotion; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirt, God for ever and ever. Amen.
a solitary bird 