my little Carmelite Alphabet

.. a live draft.. updated 10.28

🔥 Caveat of the day added to the footnotes¹..

10.28 It’s been a year since I’ve been here…

A is for Abide..

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Suscipe Christe tui famuli..

St. Teresa de Jesus learned to pray by reading Francisco de Oscuna’s The Third Spiritual Alphabet. I’ll be visiting here to list & contemplate what Carmel means to me in my own words. It’ll be in very, very draft form.. rather raw.. simple inspired reflection if it pleases His Majesty.

A is for Abide, Anticipation and Aspiration.

Abide.

 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.
If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you.  In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples.  As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Father's commandments, and do abide in his love.
- St. John 14, 4-10

Jesus says it 10 times in His Last Discourse, so I have spent quite awhile trying to discern what it means for me to Abide in Him in my Daily Life. I am so full of sin and concupiscence, have so many faults and flaws. How do I abide in Him?

I can figure this out by assessing what it must mean to Abide in Him and to not Abide in Him.

To Abide in Christ must mean when I:

- Abide with Him in Prayer (Faith)— unite my prayers with His to the Eternal Father, especially through the Holy Mass, the greatest prayer on the planet. I have Faith by believing He is there & hears me.