Blessed Archangela Girlani, Virgin

I have been a Third Order Carmelite since 2000, and yesterday we celebrated the Memorial of Blessed Archangela Girlani. She was born in the town of Trino in northern Italy about the middle of the fifteenth century. She took the Carmelite habit in Parma and eventually became prioress there. She held the same office in the new monastery at Mantua, where she died in 1495. She had a special devotion to the Holy Trinity. The reading assigned for her in the Carmelite Proper of the Office of Readings was from the Exhortations on the Carmelite Rule of Blessed John Soreth. I found this reading very profound and relevant for us today. The reading starts with, "We read in the Rule, 'Each of you is to have a separate cell, situated according to the lie of the land you propose to occupy.'" He goes on to talk about the importance of the cell and how it can lead the Carmelite to "fullness of perfection and makes him worthy to speak to God." He also compared the cell (where one lives) to the cell of your body. We are to live always in the presence of God, and to be "caught up in union with God, as a bride is joined to her husband." Later in the reading, he gives advice on how to live safely in your cell. You are to have three Guardians: "God, your conscience, and your spiritual director." This reminds us that whether we are alone at home or if we are out and about living our lives, God is always present. Regarding conscience, we are to form our conscience according to the teachings of God through scripture and the teachings of the Church. Finally, we are to find someone trustworthy to be our spiritual director who we can trust to share our spiritual life with and to seek advice. Through our constant reminder that we are always in the presence of God, John Soreth invites us to "love and cultivate your inner cell, and the exterior one, too." This is a call to remind us that God is always present to us. We are to use our "interior cell" to grow in relationship with God. We are called to "be a master of yourself, to set your life in order" according to the Will of God. Through the intercession of Blessed Archangela Girlani, let us grow deeper in love with God, and realize that we are always in the presence of Him who made us. Blessed Archangela Girlani, pray for us.