From a letter to his parents describing his call to Carmel:
A year ago there came to me, like an echo, a voice from the grilles of Carmel. This voice was clearly addressed to me and I have accepted it; it was a salvific voice from the infinite mercy of God commanding me. I can only exclaim, 'I will sing the mercies of the Lord forever.'
St. Raphael founded a Carmelite monastery in Wadowice, Poland the city where our late Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II was born. To learn more about this little-known Carmelite saint, read Saint RaphaelKalinowski: An Introduction to His Life and Spirituality available from ICS Publications.
Thought for today: Could you describe your conversion/call to Carmel in just a few short sentences as St. Raphael has done? What would you say if someone asked you?
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:
Photo: R. Massaro St. Joseph Church Circleville, Ohio
St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila): One day after Communion, His Majesty earnestly commanded me to strive for this new monastery with all my powers, and He made great promises that it would be founded and that He would be highly served in it. He said it should be called St. Joseph and that this saint would keep watch over us at one door, and our Lady at the other, that Christ would remain with us, and that it would be a star shining with great splendor.
The year 1933 was designated by the Church as a Holy Year to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the death of Jesus Christ. During Mass on the First Friday of April that year, Edith discusses further her awareness that she was to carry the cross for her Jewish people. "I talked with the Savior and told Him that I knew that it was His cross that was now being placed upon the Jewish people; that most of them did not understand this, but that those who did, would have to take it up willingly in the name of all. I would do that. He should only show me how. At the end of the service I was certain that I had been heard. But what this carrying of the cross was to consist in, that I did not yet know."
The Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne: Sign from Heaven
In 1794 sixteen Carmelite nuns were led to the scaffold during the French Revolution and there met their deaths of holy martyrdom. One of the martyrs, Sr. Anne Pelleras had a brother who experienced the following incident:
Later that evening the brother of one of the martyrs, Sr. Anne Pelleras, a notary, returned home. As he entered the dark hall he noticed a light shining on the wall, a light that followed him up the stairway. As he entered the room where his wife awaited him she asked what was the light that surrounded him. He turned round to see a bright globe that faded gradually. The next day, when he heard of the execution of his sister, he realized that she had been permitted to give this sign of her entry into glory. From the Carmel Clarion, Volume XX, No. 2
God of eternal love, You give us Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin,
the parents of St. Therese, as an example of holiness in marriage.
They remained faithful to You and your commandments in all the duties
and trials of life. They desired to raise their children to become saints.
May their prayers and example help Christian family life to blossom in our world today.
If it be your will, grant us the grace we now ask of You through the intercession of
Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, and let them be counted among the
Saints of the Church. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Born in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1428, Bl. Jane Scopelli began her religious life at home living as a Carmelite mantellata (member of a Carmelite lay confraternity, wearing the white cloak or mantella). In 1480, after the death of her parents, she formed a community with a number of other like-minded women. A few years later, in 1485, she acquired the house and the church belonging to the Humiliate in Reggio Emilia which she converted into a monastery. The nuns became known locally as "The White Nuns". The new community was affiliated to the Reformed Congregation of Mantua. Blessed Jane held the position of prioress in the community which grew to number twenty nuns. Many supernatural events were attributed to her and she was gifted with a great devotion to Our Lady, while living an intensely penitential life. She died on 9th July 1491 and her liturgical cult was approved by Pope Clement XIV in 1771. Prayer: Lord our God, may the witness of Your faithful bride the virgin Bl. Jane Scopelli awaken the fire of divine love in our hearts. May it inspire other young women to give their lives to the service of Christ and His Church. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Alongside the radical purification brought about by baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: efforts at reconciliation with one's neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one's neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity which covers a multitude of sins.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1434
For the Secular Carmelite the three pillars of Lent are not an annual observance that we try to fulfill. These sturdy pillars are what we cling to each day as we try to live out our vocation to live the Beatitudes.
The First Pillar: Prayer
Faithful to our Lord's invitation and to His example of praying without ceasing, and also to the Carmelite Rule's central command "to meditate on God's law day and night and to watch in prayer", the Secular Carmelites will prefer before all else to remain in the presence of God, continually fulfilling His holy will.
The Rule of Life, Article 4
Second Pillar: Fasting
The Secular Carmelite highly esteems the invitation of the Lord to deny himself and willingly to take up his cross daily and follow Him; he will therefore gladly mortify himself in union with the sacrifice of Christ, remembering too Our Holy Mother Teresa's remark that "prayer cannot be accompanied by self-indulgence" (Way of Perfection 4,2). The Rule of Life, Article 6
The Third Pillar: Almsgiving
The Secular Order of The Discalced Carmelites sets before its members ideals, based upon the charism and teachings of the Order's Saintly founders, which constitute their particular way in Christian holiness. These are: a deep sense of faith in God's love; fidelity to contemplative prayer with the spirit of detachment it entails, and generosity in the practice of fraternal charity and the apostolate. Rule of Life Article 2
We can read in the above excerpt from our Rule a summary of the three pillars of our call as Carmelites. Our main charism is contemplative prayer. The Lenten season brings this more into focus as we challenge ourselves to be more faithful to our commitment to seek the face of God in prayer.
Article 2 also mentions a spirit of detachment. This means not only to fast from exterior things but also from the sins we are attached to. This detachment will help us grow in union with God. Our Rule states, we must endeavor to practice fraternal charity at all times. Our love must be sincere. If our prayer life is authentic, the love we have for God will inspire us to perform acts of charity for our neighbor.
Another spiritual pillar we must cling to is almsgiving. Basically, almsgiving means charity. Let us give to our neighbor the love and respect they deserve as children of God.
Let us pray for each other; may our Lenten journey of prayer, detachment and love for one another help build up the holy body of Christ.
I give thanks to Jesus for making me walk in darkness, and in the darkness I enjoy profound peace. Indeed, I consent to remain through all my religious life in the gloomy passage into which he has led me. I desire only that my darkness may obtain light for sinners. I am content, nay, full of joy, to be without all consolation. I should be ashamed if my lover were like that of earthly brides who are ever looking for gifts from their bridegrooms, or seeking to catch the smile which fills them with delight.
Therese, the little Spouse of Jesus, loves him for himself...
Some souls--or their confessors--may think that God is leading them along this road of the dark night of spiritual purgation, but perhaps this will not be so. What they suffer will be due to one of these deficiencies. Likewise, many individuals think they are not praying when, indeed, their prayer is deep. Others place high value on their prayer while it amounts to little more than nothing.
Some people--and it is sad to see them--work and tire themselves greatly, and yet go backward; they look for progress in what brings no progress but instead hinders them. Others, in peace and tranquility, continue to advance well. Some others let themselves be encumbered by the very consolations and favors God bestows on them for the sake of their advancing, and they advance not at all.
To walk in Jesus Christ seems to me to mean to leave self, lose sight of self, give up self, in order to enter more deeply into Him with every passing moment, so deeply that one is rooted there; and to every event, to every circumstance we can fling this beautiful challenge: "Who will separate me from the love of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:35)? When the soul is established in Him at such depths that its roots are also deeply thrust in, then the divine sap streams into it and all this imperfect, commonplace, natural life is destroyed. Then, in the language of the Apostle, "that which is mortal is swallowed up by life (2Co 5:4)." The soul thus "stripped" of self and "clothed" in Jesus Christ has nothing more to fear of self and clothed in Jesus Christ has nothing more to fear from exterior encounters or from interior difficulties, for these things, far from being an obstacle, serve only "to root it more deeply in the love" of its Master.
In these trying times, it may difficult for one to find joy in life. As Christians, this gift is the hallmark of our response of accepting God's gift of our salvation: Jesus Christ. Do you find your joy in God alone? Or does it depend on the circumstances of the day-if things are going well?
As Secular Carmelites, we can ask ourselves, am I a joyful person? Do I find a positive outlook on challenging situations? Or, do I always find the negative in people and situations? If our prayer life is authentic, the grace of God changes us into peaceful and happy and joyful people, despite the problems we are facing.
St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) had a famous saying. She stated, "I would run a hundred miles from a sour-facedsaint." Wow! Maybe we should be more observant in our daily life. Do people want to run the other way when they see us? Or, do we welcome loved ones and strangers with a smile? I know when I am having a difficult day, sometimes just a smile from a stranger lifts my spirit. Sometimes, that little gift from God is all it takes to "balance our affliction."
Detachment from worldly pleasures can also bring us joy. St. John of the Cross teaches us that beginners find it hard to wean themselves from the pleasure of the senses. This, as we know, can be a life-long battle. But we may ask ourselves if we have been following a life of prayer for a number of years, have we truly begun to detach ourselves from the pleasure of the senses? Do we become irritable when we fast and pray?
St. Therese was not a sour-faced saint
We know that the saints gave up sleep and fasted. When was the last time we gave up a little sleep in order to pray? When was the last time (outside of Lent) that we gave up a favorite food or pastime? We want to become saints, but the time is now, not tomorrow. The saints became saints, not because they were faithful to disciplines of the flesh, but because they were faithful to prayer. Prayer leads to the life of virtue. It makes us holy people. Who are holy people? The people who respond in love to their neighbor and who remain joyful about it!
The saints were great evangelizers, maybe not in giving sermons publicly, but their lives were an open book of the Gospels. We can't evangelize if we are unhappy people, for people will not be spiritually attracted to us. Let us pray, that through our life of prayer and service, God transforms us into living charity and joy, a reflection of the kingdom.
God certainly does give us joy to balance the afflictions of daily life. We only need to look around us. The gift of life and the beauty of nature is all around us. The joy and consolation we receive in the Holy Eucharist and the Sacraments is overwhelming when we think about it. We can experience great joy in remembering that God has given us the angels and the saints to help us on our journey, and, most importantly, he has given us his blessed Mother to be our Mother! What great joy to know that she loves us and prays for us!
Our Lady: Mother of the Church
cares for each member
Where do you find your joy that God has given you to balance your purification in this life? Look for this joy. Some days it may be harder to see than others, but if we have the gift of faith, we know that God has not left us orphans. He remains with us.
Let us be instruments of God's joy. Let us bring joy to others to balance their affliction, especially to those who are sad and lonely and find life burdensome.
...You changed my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackloth and clothed me with gladness.
Psalm 30
The joy in giving oneself to God alone: Carmelite Nuns in Italy
Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
Monday, July 23, 2012
CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY
OUR LADY, MOTHER OF DIVINE GRACE
God of eternal wisdom, in your providence you willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should bring forth the Author of Grace, and take part with him in the mystery of man's redemption. May she obtain for us grace in abundance and bring us to the haven of everlasting salvation. We ask this through our Lord. Amen.
Born at Bolsward (The Netherlands) in 1881, Blessed Titus Brandma joined the Carmelite Order as a young man. Ordained a priest in 1905, he earned a doctorate in philosophy in Rome. He then taught in various schools in Holland and was named professor of philosophy and of the history of mysticism in the Catholic University of Nijmegen, where he also served as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone. He was a professional journalist, and in 1935 he was appointed ecclesiastical advisor to Catholic journalists. Both before and during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands he fought, faithful to the Gospel, against the spread of Nazi ideology and for the freedom of Catholic education and of the Catholic press. For this he was arrested and sent to a succession of prisons and concentration camps where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners and did good even to his tormentors; in 1942, after much suffering and humiliation, he was killed at Dachau. He was beatified by John Paul II on November 3, 1985.
From his writings:
Jesus called himself the head of the Mystical Body, of which we are the members. He is the vine, we are the branches. He laid himself in the winepress and himself trod it. He handed us the wine so that, drinking it, we might lead his life, might share his suffering. Whoever wishes to do my will, let him daily take up his cross. Whoever follows me has the light of life. I am the way, he said. I have given you an example, so that as I have done so you may do also...
Mary, who kept all God's words in her heart, in the fullness of grace granted her, understood the great value of suffering. while the apostles fled, she went out to meet the Savior on the way to Calvary and stood beneath the cross, in order to share his grief and shame to the end. And she carried him to the grave, firmly trusting that he would rise...
