Author Archives: Bharati Kansara
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DAY SIXTEEN
It is critical to absorb this prayer of St Teresa today. There can be no love for God that remains hidden or concealed. This love must express itself in acts, deeds, compassionate work to help all others in this world who travel this path with us towards God. I must expand my love and compassion to all who cross my path if I am to declare true love for God. In turning away from the vanities and pleasures of this world, I need to show my love for God and to please God by ceasing to quarrel or feel envy, and to do as much good in this world as opportunities manifest themselves.  Bharti
PRAYER:Â The soul that truly loves God
loves all good,
protects all good,
praises all good,
joins itself to good people,
helps and defends them,
and embraces all the virtues.
It loves only what is truly worth loving.
Whether your love of God is great or small,
it must show itself.
Love for God can never be concealed.
Resolve firmly to do and suffer for God,
putting your resolution into action
whenever the opportunity occurs.
Your love must not be just something you imagine,
You must prove it by works.
MANTRA:Â Love cannot be hidden.
EVENING PRAYER:Â My love for you – great or small –
must show itself
whenever the opportunity occurs.
My love must not be
something I just dream about,
something in whose warmth I wrap myself
in the closing hours of the day.
I must prove it by works.
True love goes beyond prayerful words
to loving deeds.
True love for you must not – cannot – be concealed.
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DAY FIFTEEN
This Prayer of St Teresa blew me away! It was exactly what I needed to hear. I needed to hear of the power of humility and the power of grace. That of ourselves we are truly nothing. That humility in acknowledging the power of God to work through us to achieve great things is paramount. I need to acknowledge my own weaknesses, follies and misjudgments, and that, by the grace and love of God, I can find the power and the glory to do great things in this world to help others and, ultimately, myself as created in the image of God. Bharti
PRAYER:Â The whole foundation of prayer is humility.
The more we humble ourselves in prayer,
the more will God lift us up.
Once while I was wondering
why our Lord so dearly loves the virtue of humility,
this thought suddenly struck me
without previous reflection:
it is because God is the supreme Truth,
and humility is the truth.
It is a basic truth
that of ourselves we are nothing.
Whoever ignores this
lives a life of falsehood.
Those who realize and accept this truth
are the most deeply pleasing to God,
the supreme Truth,
for they walk in truth.
MANTRA:Â Humility!
EVENING PRAYER:Â Let me go humbly into the darkness
admitting to myself and to you
that of myself I am nothing.
Let me walk in this hard truth
accepting my own frailty and folly,
even as you open my eyes
to the incomprehensible wonders and marvels
that you have in store
for those who follow you in truth.
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DAY FOURTEEN
I am humbled by St Teresa’s guidance today. She tells me to cut out petty pride and self-love which makes me believe that it is I who am doing good deeds or acts of creativity and joy, when I know full well, if I tell the unvarnished truth, that it is only by the grace of God that I am able to accomplish anything at all. If I am honest with myself, it is not my ingenuity, skill and creativity that I bring to bear on my life day to day. It is God who showers me with the gifts of creativity and love, and makes them flow through my body and intellect, to grace my day and my life.  Bharti
PRAYER: Let us learn from this, my brothers and sisters,
that if we would bear any resemblance to our God,
we must strive ever to walk in truth.
Above all that we should not wish to be thought
better than we are.
In all our deeds
we should ascribe to God what is God’s;
and attribute what is ours to ourselves;
we should seek for truth in all things.
In this way we will care little for the world,
which is built on deceptions and falsehood
and therefore cannot last.
God grant us
never to lose the grace of self-knowledge.
MANTRA:Â Let me walk in truth.
EVENING PRAYER:Â Forgive my lies,
the dozen ways in which today I have denied
in word and action that you alone
are the source of all true life.
Cleanse my lips, my heart, my whole life
of the untruths,
the petty pride and self-love
that so easily, so persistently, come between us.
Fill my night with your forgiveness,
with that peace
that is possible only for those
who walk in your truth.
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DAY THIRTEEN
I need this prayer as I need breath and nourishment in order to live. I need to know and feel in my heart that God is Truth itself and anything that is not connected to God’s Truth is a lie. As long as I believe in God as Truth, all the mysterious ways of this human world will be revealed to me as well as the mysteries of the divine world. If I believe that God is Truth and worldly wisdom is imperfect, then I can face any obstacle in my path that disturbs me, and trust in God’s wisdom and Truth to overcome anything, no matter how painful and how much it wounds my heart. Bharti
PRAYER:Â The Lord said to me:
‘Very few are there who love me in truth.
For to love in this way is to know
that everything that is not pleasing to me
is a deception.
But if you love me in truth
I will not hide anything from you.’
I see now that it is great blessing
to set no store by anything that is not true,
anything that is not pleasing to my Lord.
I have come to believe
that there is no obstacle that I cannot overcome.
For it comes down to this:
The Lord is Truth itself.
All else is a lie.
MANTRA:Â There is no obstacle that I cannot overcome.
EVENING PRAYER:Â Grant me rest in the knowledge
that there is no obstacle to your love
that cannot be overcome,
if only I accept your invitation to walk in truth
in the presence of you who are Truth itself.
Place your truth on my lips and in my heart.
For it comes down to this:
You, Lord, are Truth itself.
All else is a lie.
If I speak your Truth, O Lord God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.
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DAY TWELVE
In the pain and suffering which is a part of this life on earth, we are so consumed by the immediacy of our troubles that we find it hard to step back and assess our difficulties with objectivity and a far perspective. This prayer of St Teresa touches me deeply, telling me not to be myopic and so focused on these earthly problems, however large they seem to loom. I should rather focus my attention on that union with God that will transform my life beyond recognition and make everything else pale in comparison. Then I can see all the problems of the world from a unique vantage point of fearless joy and unshakeable peace. Without this union, I am truly lost and out of tune with my true self. With this union, I do not question the circumstances of my life. Bharti
PRAYER:Â May God let you taste
the incredible joy of complete union.
Nothing the world can give us —
not possessions, not riches, not delights, or honors not
great feasts or festivals —-
can match the happiness of a single moment
spent by a soul totally united to God.
Nor can any earthly pain or suffering,
any effort or striving on our part,
earn such a loving touch,
so complete a union,
an experience of love so profound.
We cannot in fact earn a single hour
of the satisfaction, joy and delight
that God can bring to our soul.
‘All the trials of the world,’ says St Paul,
‘are not worthy to be compared
with the glory for which we hope.’
MANTRA:Â What am I without you, Lord?
EVENING PRAYER: Â With St Augustine, I pray fervently:
‘Give me what you have chosen for me,
and bring about in me what you desire for me.’
For what am I without you?
What am I worth if I am not near you?
If ever I should stray from you,
even a short distance,
how would I ever find myself?
But if I have you, God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.
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DAY ELEVEN
This day’s prayer is so refreshing. It tells us that God is approachable whatever condition we are in, whether we are anxious and fearful, or whether we are full of appreciation for the gifts he is showering on us. And he doesn’t care if we sometimes slip up and address him incorrectly or in a tired or slapdash fashion. Thankfully, the Lord is generous with our occasional sloppiness and weariness. As long as we turn to him and share our lives with him, our joys as well as our cares and worries, he is content. And if we lapse for a while, or we cannot connect with him on occasion, he is forgiving like a mother. We have no need to stand on ceremony with our dearest friend. Bharti
PRAYER:  Don’t spend all your time
summoning up the presence of God.
There is nothing wrong with this method of prayer,
but enjoyable as it is
give your soul
a day of rest from your labor.
Keep yourself in the presence of God,
let your imagination work for you,
but do not weary your mind
or grow tired composing speeches.
Simply set out your needs
and acknowledge that you have no right
to be always aware of God’s presence.
There is a time for this,
and a time for that.
Observe them.
Otherwise your soul will grow weary.
MANTRA:Â Do not be anxious.
EVENING PRAYER:Â As this day ends and I recall your presence
let me not be anxious
about what I shall say to you.
There is no need, I know,
to compose beautifully worded prayers,
You will hear whatever words I have.
I need not grow exhausted
summoning up your presence,
or weary my mind and grow tired
composing speeches to you.
Let me simply set my needs before you –
making sure that I never allow
my pleasure in your gifts
to make me forgetful of you the Giver.
For if I have you, God,
I will want for nothing.
You alone suffice.
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DAY TEN
This is exactly what I needed to hear! St Teresa tells me to follow God and not to care for the mischief-makers, the nay-sayers, the worldly-wise, the blasé, the trouble-makers that beset the path on which I struggle. It gladdens me to hear that the road is rocky and my days may be far from untroubled and public opinion may be talking behind my back and the thorns of adversity may pierce me on every side. Yet, by having the courage to stay the course and the will to follow my love of God and all his creatures – the path of St Teresa – I will come to a perfection of which now I only dream. Bharti
PRAYER:Â It is absurd to think
that you can travel a road full of bandits
to reach a costly treasure
without running any risks.
The worldly think that happiness consists
of journeying peacefully through life.
Yet for the sake of making an extra dollar
they will sacrifice their sleep night after night,
and leave others with no peace of mind or body.
You are traveling by the royal and safe road
along which our Lord,
all the elect, and the saints have passed.
Put aside the misgivings
that the world would impose upon you.
Practice humility.
Despise the values of this world.
Do these things
and you can be sure
that you are on the right road.
MANTRA:Â All things are possible in God.
EVENING PRAYER:Â Let nothing, O Lord
disturb the silence of this night.
Let nothing make me afraid.
Silence the voices
that would discourage me
from following the royal road of perfection.
My happiness will consist
not in untroubled, peaceful days,
but in the courage to follow your will
wherever it may take me.
In your words,
not in public opinion,
I will find my way.
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DAY NINE
It amuses me to think that all my life I have thought of myself as a beggar when, in fact, I am heir to the richest kingdom of all, the kingdom of God! Why, have I not, for so many years, seen the kingdom within where God dwells in my very soul? Why, have I stumbled in the darkness when a radiance beyond all knowing awaits me? To be awakened to my true heritage, and that of all humans, is refreshing beyond words. The riches of the earth pale in comparison to the riches within one’s own soul.  Bharti
PRAYER:Â Let us think of our soul as resembling a castle
formed of a single diamond,
or a very transparent crystal containing many rooms,
of which some are above, some below, others at the side.
In the center, in the very midst of them all,
is the principal chamber,
in which God and our soul
hold their most secret intercourse.
Nothing can be compared to
the great beauty and capabilities of our soul.
However keen our intellects be, we are no more able
to comprehend the depths of our soul
than we are able to comprehend God,
for our soul has been created
in the image and likeness of God.
It is our soul’s likeness to God
that makes it possible for us
to commune with the God in whose image
we have been made.
MANTRA:Â You take delight in my soul.Â
EVENING PRAYER:Â As darkness descends,
let me retreat to the very center of my being,
to my soul,
which you, my heavenly father,
have created in your own image and likeness
and which you have chosen as your home.Â
Make me aware of your presence
and of my likeness to you.
Let us speak together in the silence of the night.
If indeed my soul is a paradise
in which you take your delight,
let me find my delight in your presence.
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DAY EIGHT
For imperfect and vacillating beings such as I, it is infinitely comforting to know that one does not have to do anything extraordinary to permit God to enter and sustain our lives as the chief source of true joy and delight. It is inexpressibly humbling to know that God is everywhere, even in the depths of despair to which we may have sunk in our dejection. If he is there at the lowest point of our lives, then surely we can assume that he will be there for us wherever we are and whenever we seek him. This is where the sinner can take hope that the door of heaven desires to open to her, should she but raise her eyes to seek God. Bharti
PRAYER:Â Remember how St Augustine tells us
about his seeking God in many places
and eventually finding his father within himself.
Do you suppose it is of little importance
that a soul that is easily distracted
should come to understand this truth,
and to find that, in order to speak to its eternal father
and to take delight in him,
it has no need to go to heaven
or to speak in a loud voice?
However quietly we speak,
God is so near that we will be heard.
Nor need we feel strange
in the presence of so great a guest.
We must talk with God humbly.
We should spell out our troubles
and beg to have them put right;
and at the same time realize
we are not worthy to be the children of God.
MANTRA: Â No matter how quietly I speak, God hears.
EVENING PRAYER:Â I need no wings to go in search of you,
but have only to understand
that the quiet of this night
is a place where I can be alone with you
and look upon your presence within me.
For if I have you, God,
I want for nothing,
You alone suffice.
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DAY SEVEN
I am totally blown away by the forthrightness and boldness of St Teresa. For she asks us not to express a false humility and remain silent and unresponsive in the presence of God. She tells us to boldly welcome God into our house and converse with him openly and frankly as one would do with a spouse, father, mother, sibling. We may feel totally undeserving of such intimacy. However we must realize that God is essential to our being, and we must open our hearts and let him enter, otherwise we will have missed the greatest opportunity of our lives.  Bharti
PRAYER:Â You do not have to be bashful with God
as some people are,
in the belief that they are being humble.
It would not be humility on your part
if your sovereign were to do you a favor,
and you refused to accept it.
But you would be showing humility
by taking it and being pleased with it,
yet realizing how far you are from deserving it.
Speak with God as a father, as a mother,
as a brother, as a sister,
as a lord, as a spouse.
Ask permission to speak
with the spouse of your soul.
Remember how important it is
for you to have understood this truth –
the Lord is within us
and we should be aware of his presence.
MANTRA:Â Do not be bashful with God.Â
EVENING PRAYER:Â Let me not be shy in your presence.
Rather let me speak with you
in confidence, trust, and love.
For you are my father and mother,
my brother and sister,
my lord, my spouse.
In whatever way pleases you,
teach me what I must do to please you.
However undeserving I am,
I humbly ask you
to fill this night
with the gifts of your love,
with the gift of yourself.