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Mary was born after the life of grace, having given all her heart and soul, to be the Mother of God. From this comes a close union between her and us, she loves us, guides us, and is ever willing to give us what we should be.

Until slumber comes to the appetites through the mortification of sensuality, and until this very sensuality is stilled in such a way that the appetites do not war against the spirit, the soul will not walk out to genuine freedom, to the enjoyment of union with its Beloved.

Those who seek to please God without reservation, at all times and in every situation, draw upon themselves the divine gaze and receive from the Sacred Heart of Jesus the greatest affection and care.

All Three Persons of the Holy Trinity dwell in the soul that loves Them ‘in truth’ ... keeping Their word. And when the soul has understood its riches, whatever natural or supernatural joy may come to it from creatures or even from God, only calls it to enter within itself, to enjoy the substantial good which it possesses and which is none other than God Himself.

There are not two doctrines of St. John of the Cross, one for religious and one for seculars; there is only one, which applies to all Christians indiscriminately and does not require a special state of life, but only a disposition of will, namely the disposition of not wanting to be confined to mediocrity and therefore of not refusing generous renunciation at every privation required for attaining a more intimate union with God.

How your life would be transformed if you were frequently with Jesus as with a friend! Do you perchance think that Jesus will not receive you as such? If you think such a thing, you would demonstrate that you do not know Him. He is all tenderness, all love for His sinful creatures.

With daring confidence, and reckless of self, I will remain there till death, my gaze fixed upon the Divine Sun. Nothing shall affright me, neither wind or rain; and should impenetrable clouds conceal from my eyes the Orb of Love, should it seem to me that beyond this life there is darkness only, this would be the hour of perfect joy, the hour in which to urge my confidence to its uttermost bounds, for knowing that beyond the dark clouds my Sun is still shining, I should never dare to change my place...O Divine Sun, I am happy to feel myself so small and frail in Thy presence, and my heart is at peace.

That is what life in Carmel means: to live in God, contemplating His goodness and beauty, and dedicated entirely to the fulfillment of His blessed Will. Then every immolation, every sacrifice becomes divine; through everything the soul sees Him whom she loves and everything leads her to Him... it is a continual communion. All day long she surrenders herself to Love, by doing the will of God, under His gaze, with Him, in Him, for Him alone.

The more lofty the degree of loving union to which God destines the soul, so much more profound and persistent must be its purification.

Much will be asked of the one who has received much, and He as been so overwhelmingly generous to His little bride, but she abandons herself to His love and sings the hymn of His mercies while still on earth.

It is in prayer that the soul learns to know Jesus and thus to love him. Since love cannot be satisfied with difference but with equality, the result is union in similarity.

Let us thank God to have united our souls by the bond of true friendship, which consists in mutually perfectioning ourselves to get closer to God.