What are are you working on in your spiritual life?

[Therese]

Yes, Patricia and Brigid.

I meant to say that I am a candidate with the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order, not a Discalced Carmelite Secular Order.  I trust you knew what I meant.

[Therese]

St. Teresa of Avila said: "To suffer and not to die"

St. Teresa actually said "Either to suffer or to die."  The point is she welcomed suffering so much even to the point of death.

[Bailey2]

St. Teresa actually said "Either to suffer or to die."  The point is she welcomed suffering so much even to the point of death.............I just want to love the cross and not hate it anymore. Smiley

I am far from this; but I take comfort in the fact that St. Teresa took a long time to come to this and....... she stopped praying for a long time after she almost died of illness.  At that time, the illness didn't bring her closer to Christ but further away.......  as I said, great comfort to know it takes time........ 

[Therese]

St. Teresa actually said "Either to suffer or to die."  The point is she welcomed suffering so much even to the point of death.............I just want to love the cross and not hate it anymore. Smiley

I am far from this; but I take comfort in the fact that St. Teresa took a long time to come to this and....... she stopped praying for a long time after she almost died of illness.  At that time, the illness didn't bring her closer to Christ but further away.......  as I said, great comfort to know it takes time........ 

I didn't know this about St. Teresa, Bailey2.  Very interesting!  Do you know how she finally go closer to God after her illness?

[eschator83]

This is a wonderful thread.  I hope it's all right for me to bring it forward both to give me more time (and reminder) to read.  I found it while thinking about Shin's quote about seeking a peaceful mind?  Shame on my tired memory.  It was tonight's quote, St Theodore Studite, I was trying unsuccessfully to find a thread on his life.  But I found 14 great references to him, almost all quotes.  Curiously my regular search yield nothing, but the revised search yielded 14.

[eschator83]

In my previous post I referred imperfectly to the 5/31 quotation from St Thalassios that a life of inward stillness needs, curiously, "weapons" of self-control, love, prayer, and spiritual reading.  I am accustomed to discussion of our interior life as basically separate from our exterior life, and yet I think the two must be very closely interrelated. 
From my long ago days in RCIA I recall there were Life in the Spirit programs; I think both weekend retreats and multi-week programs.  Although many friends of ours participated in them, we were told it would be better to focus on RCIA, and join Life in the Spirit later.  I just searched the web for current Life programs, and will keep reading for specific ideas and suggestions.  My current schedule of prayer, meditation, and Saints reading, plus writing and posting seems substantial, but Heaven knows I could more pure.