CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY:
St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila)

Photo: R. Massaro (C)2017 Spirit Singing- Regina Health Center Richfield, Ohio

 In sum, my Sisters, what I conclude with is that we shouldn't build castles in the air. The Lord doesn't look so much at the greatness of our works as at the love with which they are done. And if we do what we can, His Majesty will enable us each day to do more and more, provided that we do not quickly tire. But during the little while this life lasts--and perhaps it will last a shorter time than each one thinks--let us offer the Lord interiorly and exteriorly the sacrifice we can. His Majesty will join it with that which He offered on the cross to the Father for us. Thus even though our works are small they will have the value our love for Him would have merited had they been great.

May it please His Majesty, my Sisters and daughters, that we all reach that place where we may every praise Him. Through the merits of His Son who lives and reign forever and ever, may He give me the grace to carry out something of what I tell you, amen.  
The Interior Castle, Seventh Mansion, Chapter 4, No: 15-16.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Buckeye Lake, Ohio

The Virgin Mary is present in a special way, most of all as a model of faithfulness in listening to the Lord and in service to Him and to others. Mary is the one who preserved in her heart the life and actions of her Son and meditated on them, providing for us an example of contemplation. At Cana she counseled to do what the Lord commanded. Mary is an example of apostolic service. On another occasion, she waited, persevering in prayer with the apostles, for the coming of the Holy Spirit, thus giving witness to intercessory prayer. She is the Mother of the Order, Secular Carmel enjoys her special protection and cultivates a sincere Marian devotion.

The Constitutions of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (Washington Province) I:4

A PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF MOUNT CAMEL

O, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel,
Fruit of the Vine, splendorous of Heaven.
Blessed Mother of the Son of God,
Immaculate Virgin,
assist me in this my necessity.

O, Star of the Sea, help me
and show herein you are my mother.

O, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succour me in my necessity.

There are none that can withstand your power,
O, show me here you are my mother.

O, Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands.

Amen.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

THE SCHOOL OF CARMEL

 

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, O.C.D.S.

CARMELITE QUOTE

 St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila):

 Knowing ourselves is something so important that I wouldn't want any relaxation ever in this regard, however high you may have climbed into the heavens. While we are on this earth nothing is more important to us than humility. So I repeat that it is good, indeed very good, to try to enter first into the room where self-knowledge is dealt with rather than fly off to other rooms. This is the right road.

Interior Castle I 2:9

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE QUOTE

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein):

A knowledge of the cross can be gained only when one comes to feel the Cross radically. I have been convinced of that from the first moment and have said, from my heart: Ave Crux, spes unica! (Hail Cross, our only hope!)

Only those who are saved, only children of grace, can in fact be bearers of Christ's cross. Only in union with the divine Head does human suffering take on expiatory power. To suffer and to be happy although suffering, to have one's feet on the earth, to walk on the dirty and rough paths of this earth and yet to be enthroned with Christ at the Father's right hand, to laugh and cry with the children of this world and ceaselessly sing the praises of God with the choirs of angels--this is the life of the Christian until the morning of eternity breaks forth.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

Carmelite Quote

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and inspired by the words of St. Paul wished to become a "Praise of Glory" to the most Holy Trinity. This is an excerpt of her description of a soul who is a Praise of Glory:

A praise of glory is a soul that lives in God, that loves him with a pure and disinterested love, without seeking itself in the sweetness of this love; that loves him beyond all His gifts and even though it would not have received anything from Him, it desires the good of the Object thus loved...Thus the soul must surrender itself to this will completely, passionately, so as to will nothing else but what God wills.

A praise of glory is a soul of silence that remains like a lyre under the mysterious touch of the Holy Spirit so that He may draw from it divine harmonies: it knows that suffering is a string that produces still more beautiful sounds, so it loves to see this string on its instrument that it may more delightfully move the Heart of its God.

As Secular Carmelites we are striving to be a Praise of Glory in our own unique way by using the gifts God has given us. We are not holy of ourselves and our own efforts. We only reflect the light, and beauty, and holiness of the Trinity living within us. When we become Christlike and become the image of his Son by our charity, we become a true Praise of His Glory.

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CARMELITE QUOTE

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, O.C.D.S.

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
_______________________

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

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

Happy Feast Day of St. John of the Cross

ALL SOULS OF CARMEL

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

The Feast of All Carmelite Saints

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

Happy feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus 

Photo: R. Massaro Lourdes, France (C)2019 Spirit Singing

Secular Carmelites throughout the world will be praying and fasting on Monday, July 15, in preparation for the solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16.  Secular Carmelites fast on the vigil of the major feasts of the Order.  

Although we are asked to fast on these special days of preparation, Carmelites are called to mortify and detach themselves from worldly pleasures often. Detachment helps us to be disposed for prayer, for as St. Teresa of Jesus tells us in her Way of Perfection, "Prayer and self-Indulgence do not go together.
(The Way of Perfection, 4:2)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us!


Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE FEAST DAYS

Photo: R. Massaro-Carmelite Monastery-Cleveland, Ohio

Carmelite Feast Day: St. John of the Cross-Dec. 14
Happy Feast Day to all Carmelites!

Song of the Soul That Rejoices 
in Knowing God Through Faith.

A poem by St. John of the Cross

That eternal spring is hidden,

for I know well where it has its rise,

although it is night.

I do not know its origin, nor has it one,

but I know that every origin has come from it,

although it is night.

I know that nothing else is so beautiful,

and that the heavens and the earth drink there,

although it is night.

I know well that it is bottomless

and no one is able to cross it,

although it is night.

Its clarity is never darkened,

and I know that every light has come from it,

although it is night.

I know that its streams are so brimming

they water the lands of hell, the heavens, and earth,

although it is night.

I know well the stream that flows from this spring

is mighty in compass and power,

although it is night.

I know the stream proceeding from these two,

that neither of them in fact precedes it,

although it is  night.

This eternal spring is hidden 

in the living bread for our life's sake,

although it is night.

It is here calling out to creatures;

and they satisfy their thirst,

although in darkness,

although it is night.

This living spring that I long for,

I see in this bread of life,

although it is night.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE CHURCH

Dear Secular Carmelites,

The entire Church-the body of Christ- is experiencing a dark night of faith and of the spirit. Now is the time for us to remain faithful to our calling of prayer on behalf of the Church.

During this time of purgation, let us call upon Our Lady under the titles of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and Our Lady, Star of the sea, to help us and guide us through this storm. 

Let us remain faithful to the charism of Carmel: to pray for priests and seminarians. Let us pray for our Holy Father, all bishops, and all those in leadership positions within the Church. May they keep their minds and hearts fixed on Jesus.

Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten us and guide us!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

Traditional Prayer to Our Lady, Star of the Sea

Ave Maris Stella
Hail bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.
Break the captives' fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus
Joy for evermore
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three
Father, Son, and Sprit
One same glory be, Amen.

  

CAUSE OF GREAT JOY: Another Carmelite Blessed!

Beatification of Venerable Marie Felice, OCD
June 23, 2018! Affectionately known as "Chiquitunga" was beatified today in Paraquay.
Contracting Hepatitis at the age of 34, her final words before dying: "How happy I am! … What a joy to meet my Jesus! … Jesus, I love you, what a sweet encounter! Virgin Mary!"

Read more about her:

https://cruxnow.com/…/paraguayan-catholics-rejoice-for-bea…/

Blessed Marie Felice, pray for us!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

CORPUS CHRISTI

CORPUS CHRISTI

As secular Carmelites, we can be witnesses in the world of God's love by being a witness to our charism of prayer.  In the quotes below, our Holy Mother, St. Teresa, teaches us to linger with the Lord after receiving Him in Holy Communion.

In our busy lives, are we guilty of running out of church as soon as Mass is over?  Is it "business as usual" just a few moments after we have just received Jesus, the Bread of Life?  Of course, sometimes it is necessary for us to leave immediately, but let us take to heart the teaching of St. Teresa and stay with Our Lord after Communion.  This is a wonderful time for mental prayer, and even if we only have fifteen minutes to stay with Jesus, it is fifteen minutes of heaven that will prepare us for the challenges of the day.  

Our charism is prayer.  Let us make every effort to receive Jesus daily, if possible. Let us make our heart a dwelling place for the Living God.

Photo:  R. Massaro C)2018 Spirit Singing

​

The feast of Corpus Christi was one of St. John of the Cross' favorite feast days.  Here are a few lines of his poem The Song of the Soul that Rejoices in knowing God through Faith:

This eternal spring is hidden in this living bread for our life's sake,
although it is night.
It is here calling out to creatures; and they satisfy their thirst, although in darkness,
because it is night.

This living spring that I long for,
I see in this bread of life,
although it is night. 

From The Way of Perfection, Chapter 34:

No. 10:

...He has many methods of showing Himself to the soul, through great interior feelings and through other different ways. Be with Him willingly; don't lose so good an occasion for conversing with Him as is the hour after having received Communion. If obedience should command something, Sisters, strive to leave your soul with the Lord. If you immediately turn your thoughts to other things, if you pay no attention and take no account of the fact that He is within you, how will He be able to reveal Himself to you? This, then, is a good time for our Master to teach us, and for us to listen to Him, kiss His feet because He wanted to teach us, and beg Him not to leave.

No: 12:

But after having received the Lord, since you have the Person Himself present, strive to close the eyes of the body and open those of the soul and look into your own heart. For I tell you, and tell you again, and would like to tell you many times that you should acquire the habit of doing this every time you receive Communion and strive to have such a conscience that you will be allowed to enjoy this blessing frequently. 

St. John of the Cross, pray for us!

St.  Teresa of Jesus, pray for us!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS