Photo: (C) Spirit Singing-R. Massaro Byzantine Catholic Cultural Center Cleveland, Ohio

Merry Christmas from the Secular Carmelites-Community of the Holy Family.

A Nativity Poem by St. John of the Cross:

When the time had come

for him to be born,

he went forth like the

bridegroom

from his bridal chamber,

embracing his bride,

holding her in his arms,

whom the gracious Mother

laid in a manger

among some animals

that were there at the time.

Men sang songs

and angels melodies

celebrating the marriage

of Two such as these.

St. John of the Cross

Excerpt from the Romances, No. 9.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY: WILL YOU SHELTER HER

The Virgin, weighed
with the Word of God,
comes down the road:
if only you'll shelter her.
St. John of the Cross

 



Will you shelter her?


"In the history of the Church, the Order of Carmel has come to be known for its dedication to a life of prayer and to Mary, the Mother of Jesus."

This quote is from Fr. Emmanuel J. Sullivan, O.C.D. from his work entitled, Mary and the Holy Spirit in the Writings of St. John of the Cross.
As we reflect on this quote by by Fr. Sullivan, let's keep this theme in mind: shelter.

Fr. Sullivan tells us that Carmel is known for its life of prayer, but not just a life of prayer, but dedication to a life of prayer. As Secular Carmelites, we can ask ourselves these questions: Are we dedicated to our life of prayer that the church has called us to? Are we dedicated to imitate the Virgin Mary who pondered the Word in her heart? Do we look forward to the time of mental prayer?

We can be assured that if we make a place for Mary in our lives, we are creating a holy shelter for Christ as well. Wherever Mary is present, Christ is present.

"You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride." Songs 4:12

The image of the enclosed garden (the monastic cloister or enclosure) has come to represent the life of Carmel, the life of intimate prayer with the Beloved, where we remain with Him in the shelter of our heart. We often say that we have chosen Carmel, but is it not the Lord who first chose us to follow this path?

He asks us and all men to find a shelter of rest in Him. "Come to me all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." Yes, holy rest of contemplation; this is His gift to us in which we do not have to labor with our intellect or imagination during the time of prayer.

We can turn to our Holy Father Elijah to see the symbolism of shelter in his life. In the book of Kings we read that Elijah took shelter in a cave. But the Lord cried out to him, "Why are you here?" He responds with the famous anthem of the Carmelites, "I have been zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts." He was asked a second time, "Why are you here?"

Elijah took shelter in fear for his life, but because he listened to the voice of God, and was intent on doing his own will, the Lord fed him with bread for the journey

(a prefigurement of the Eucharist) and sent him on mission. 

Carmelites continue the mission of Elijah in the world today. By our prayer life, regular reception of the Holy Eucharist, our dedication to the Mother of God, and to the Church, we provide a holy witness to the world. A deep prayer life is a powerful witness against secularism, materialism, and individualism. These are the idols worshipped today that we must denounce with our promises of chastity, poverty, and obedience.

During this Advent season, Let us meditate on this same question that was asked of Elijah. Why am I here? Why am I in the family of Carmel?

The vocation of prayer in Carmel is not for ourselves alone, but for the Church and the world. We have to leave the shelter of our prayer life to attend to daily duties. This can be extremely difficult. St. Teresa tells us it is painfully difficult for people who are given to prayer to attend to duties of business. But we know, too, that the Lord sends the Holy Spirit to help us and we may be given the type of prayer that we can go about our daily duties while being in deep communion with the Lord. Sometimes, we may find that it is a mystery and an especially delightful one as to how this takes place.

Our local Secular Carmelite community is named after the Holy Family. In these remaining days of preparation and waiting for the Lord, let us meditate on the theme of shelter. How do we shelter the Holy Family in our spiritual life? How do we shelter and keep company and find rest in the Holy Family of the Most Holy Trinity?

Let us look to Our Lady, the Daughter of the Eternal Father, the Mother of the only-begotten Son, and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, she who is caught up in the mysterious love of the Holy Family of the Trinity. Mary will obtain for us the grace we need to become holy Carmelites, to be holy dwelling places of God.


The tabernacle is a holy shelter for our Eucharistic Lord. We are living tabernacles where God is ever-present in our soul!

If we provide a place for Mary in our lives, we welcome the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as well.

WILL YOU SHELTER HER?
Peace be with you!

Rosemarie
_______________________

 ALL SAINTS OF CARMEL

FEAST DAY: November 14

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, O.C.D.S.

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

FEAST DAY: November 8

I would be all silence, all worship,

so that we can penetrate more into Him

and live so full of Him

who could deliver it through prayer

to those poor souls who do not know the gift of God

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY: ST. TERESA OF JESUS' TRANSVERBERATION

 

The Transverberation of St. Teresa of Jesus

Today the Discalced Carmelite Order celebrates that mystical grace granted to St. Teresa which we call the Transverberation, also referred to within the Carmels of Ávila as “la gracia del dardo” or the “grace of the dart.” St. Teresa herself recounts the experience in chapter 29 of her Life:

“I saw close to me toward my left side an angel in bodily form. … the angel was not large but small; he was very beautiful, and his face was so aflame that he seemed to be one of those very sublime angels that appear to be all afire. They must belong to those they call the cherubim, for they didn’t tell me their names. … I saw in his hands a large golden dart and at the end of the iron tip there appeared to be a little fire. It seemed to me this angel plunged the dart several times into my heart and that it reached deep within me. When he drew it out, I thought he was carrying off with him the deepest part of me; and he left me all on fire with great love of God. The pain was so great that it made me moan, and the sweetness this greatest pain caused me was so superabundant that there is no desire capable of taking it away; nor is the soul content with less then God. The pain is not bodily but spiritual, although the body doesn’t fail to share in some of it, and even a great deal. The loving exchange that takes place between the soul and God is so sweet that I beg Him in goodness to give a taste of this love to anyone who thinks I am lying.” (Life, 29.13)

Photo: R. Massaro

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

Photo: R. Massaro (c) 2020 Spirit Singing-St. Peter Church Mansfield, Ohio






CHRIST IS RISEN!!  ALLELUIA!!

INSPIRATION FROM THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

Remember that Jesus has gone before you bearing His cross and has given His life for you upon that cross, so that you may bear your own cross and long to die on it for the love of Him. For if you die with Him, you will also live with Him; and if you have shared His suffering, you will also share His glory.

Behold how in the cross there is all and how all depends on our dying there; for there is no other way to life and interior peace except by way of the cross and by daily mortification. You can go anywhere you will, seek whatever you wish, but you will not find a higher road above nor safer road below than the road of the holy cross. 
Imitation of Christ Book 2, Chap. 12, No. 3



Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Prayer to Our Lady Health of the Sick

Photo: R. Massaro (c) Spirit Singing-St. Rose Church Girard, Ohio

Our Lady, Health of the Sick,
I look to you for the comfort of a mother's love,
I pray to you on behalf of those who are suffering
and for my own healing needs.

Mary, your love strengthens me
and brings me peace.

Our Lady, Health of the Sick,
embrace all who are emotionally and physically ill that they may return to
good health under your tender care. And please intercede for my very
special needs. (mention your needs here).

Mary, your love strengthens me and brings me peace.

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us.  Amen.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro-Our Lady of Cedars Church Akron Ohio (C)2020 Spirit Singing

This is an ancient prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary called the “Sub Tuum Praesidium.” It is the oldest known prayer to Our Lady asking her intercession. This prayer is older than the Hail Mary prayer.This ancient prayer is attributed to the discovery of a 3rd century Egyptian papyrus, a small scrap of papyrus with brown ink, dated between the years 250 AD-280 AD.

Here is the prayer:

We fly to Thy protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
Amen.

Most Holy Mother of God, Mother of the Church, pray for us!


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

The Prayer of St. Padre Pio

Photo: R. Massaro (c)2020 Spirit Singing

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life and without You I am without fervour.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light and without You I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close and life passes, death, judgment and eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You. Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more. With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen.

(Prayed by St. Pio after he received Holy Communion)

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

INSPIRATION FROM THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

Photo: R. Massaro (c)Spirit Singing

Lift up your eyes to God in heaven and beg His forgiveness for your sins. Abandon idle things to idle minds and concern yourself only with what is God's will for you. Close your door and call to your beloved Jesus. Remain with Him in your room, opening your heart completely to Him; for nowhere else will you find so much peace.

Imitation of Christ Book 1:8.






Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

INSPIRATION FROM THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

Photo: R. Massaro (C)Spirit Singing

In silence and stillness the devout soul advances and learns the hidden truths of Scripture. There it finds the salutary tears that wash away the guilt of sin, so that it grows more intimate with God as it severs itself from the clamor of the world. The more you keep away from friends and acquaintances, the more our Lord and His Angels will draw near to you.

The Imitation of Christ, Book 1:6.







Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

Stained Glass Scapulars-Reflections on the Secular Carmelite Rule

Please enjoy this post from the archives of Spirit Singing

Photo: R. Massaro (C) 2017 Spirit Singing

From Poustinia by Servant of God, Catherine de Hueck Doherty:

If we are to witness to Christ in today's marketplaces, where there are constant demands on our whole person, we need silence. If we are to be always available, not only physically, but by empathy, sympathy, friendship, understanding and boundless caritas, we need silence. To be able to give joyous, unflagging hospitality, not only of house and food, but of mind, heart, body and soul, we need silence.

True silence is the search of man for God.

True silence is a suspension bridge that a soul in love with God builds to cross the dark, frightening gullies of its own mind, the strange chasms of temptation, the depthless precipices of its own fears that impede its way to God.

True silence is the speech of lovers...

What wonderful words of wisdom from Servant of God, Catherine.  As Secular Carmelites,  we should exclaim, "Spoken like a true Carmelite, Catherine."  Although her book was published in 1975, her writings are certainly prophetic in nature. She understands clearly the spiritual problems that can arise in a technological society. She understands the current age; the attachment to materialism, individualism, relativism and a deep lack of desire for solitude and prayer.  The first line of the excerpt above speaks right from the heart of St. Teresa of Jesus who teaches us that prayer and contemplation are gifts given to strengthen us for service.

She is also very Carmelite in nature when she writes of the desert and the poustinia as a state of being. She writes that poustinia is a condition of the heart and soul of a man or woman. How do we find this place of the heart where God dwells? Her teaching is that we need to stand still. "Stand still, and allow the strange, deadly restlessness of our tragic age to fall away like the worn-out, dusty cloak that it is...the restlessness was considered the magic carpet to tomorrow, but now in reality we see it for what it is: a running away from oneself..."

We can now turn to our Carmelite saints and their teaching for more on this "standing still" spirituality. Who, but Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, the holy Carmelite of the "Indwelling of the Trinity," speaks of this "chapel of the heart" where we can enter anytime and find intimate friendship with God. It is the chapel that is always available to us through prayer and contemplation.  It is the place where we enter to adore the living God present in our soul. 

She writes: I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence within which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself.

"To keep them in this great silence..." this is the teaching of Catherine also: at first such silences will be few and far between. But if nourished with a life of liturgical prayer, mental prayer, with the sacramental life of the Church, slowly, slowly, like a seedling of a mighty tree, silence will grow and come to dwell in a soul more and more often. Then suddenly, it will come to stay one day.

Yes, this is what we are seeking: union with God. The union of Martha and Mary. The union of the active and contemplative life. We are called to be missionaries in the marketplace while possessing the silent heart of a contemplative. These two are joined by the Holy Spirit who go about their daily activities united with the Beloved, so that all things are done through Him, with Him, and in Him.

Secular Carmelites are called to a little "poustinia" each day. We are called to 1/2 hour of mental prayer. Many followers of Carmelite spirituality will confess that they have a difficult time being faithful to the time of prayer that is required of us.  We need to stop looking at this requirement as an obligation (although it is) and look at it as a joyful entrance into silence where God meets us face-to-face, where we can, in Catherine's words, "shed the cloak of restlessness" and experience the peace of heart that God offers to us in prayer.

Let us pray for each other, that we be faithful to our commitment to prayer. Remember, this gift is not for ourselves alone, but for the entire Body of Christ.  It is our gift to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Please, let us be generous givers of God's gifts.

Catherine Doherty is the founder of Madonna House.  Here is a movie about this foundation entitled "The People of the Towel and Water:






Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

Photo: R. Massaro (c)2020 Spirit Singing
Christ the Servant Parish Canton, Ohio

These forty days of Lent, O Lord
with You we fast and pray
teach us to discipline our wills
and follow Lord Your way.

(Excerpt from the Hymn, These Forty Days of Lent)


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

OUR LADY'S BLESSING

(Ancient Prayer)

May the light of the countenance of My little Child ever shine upon thee, and may the perfection of His actions be seen in all thy works that naught may be found at the last day but that for which thou mayst be rewarded. May His Sacred Heart be thy refuge when beset by temptations and afflictions, and mayst thou enter It through the pierced Heart of thy Queen and Mother. Be thy last hour the best hour, and may the Names of Jesus and Mary seal thy lips till thou meetest Us in eternity. Amen.


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS