Spiritual Direction with St. John of the Cross

In the inner wine cellar

I drank of my Beloved, and, when I went abroad

through all this valley

I no longer knew anything,

and lost the herd which I was following.

In this poem of St. John of the Cross, The Spiritual Canticle, he begins to explain what takes place in the depth of this union with the soul and the Bridegroom. He tells us:

This wine cellar is the last and most intimate degree of love in which the soul can be placed in this life...and we can assert that there are seven of these degrees or wine cellars of love. They are all possessed when the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are possessed perfectly according to the soul's capacity for receiving them.
The Spiritual Canticle, Stanza 26, No. 3

In our Carmelite tradition, we have many saints who teach us that heaven begins now. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity is a holy Carmelite who speaks about this in her writing.  As Secular Carmelites, we must make the effort now to be holy, so that when the Lord comes unexpectedly he will find us ready for the Kingdom. 

In your circle of friends, family, and co-workers, do you know anyone who possesses a gift of the Spirit in its fullness, in its perfection? Do you know someone who is perfectly patient? Do you know someone who has perfect peace, gentleness, and kindness? Do you know someone who is perfectly loving and charitable, despite being persecuted? If you do, then you know a saint!  These are how the blessed in heaven live and move and have their being in union with God. 

When people come to our community who are interested in Carmelite spirituality, I tell them, yes, it is a way of life, but more importantly, we are striving for a state of being, a state of holiness. We want to begin the process of spiritual purification now, because we want to see God immediately when we die. As St. Therese teaches, if we love perfectly in this life, we do not have to go to purgatory.  This desire does not stem from a fear of purgatory, but flows from a heart that is completely in love with God and is waiting and longing to see him face-to-face.

Let us pray for the souls in purgatory, who long to see God face-to-face. They need our prayers so that they can be filled with all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Once they enter the final depth of the "wine cellar" they will be in a glorious state of being, one of holiness, ready to experience the beatific vision and experience the union with God they so long for.

Let us pray for our world and for the conversion of sinners. One only has to read the news to see that God is not loved in the world, that many do not revere him or fear him. Our world needs the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray that he renews the face of the Earth!

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son, let the might of your love be more and more felt in the hearts of men. Let your light shine more and more on souls that are wandering in the darkness far away from God. Turn them to the light-giving Heart of Jesus and to the healing stream of His Precious Blood. Strengthen souls that love you. Perfect in them your Seven Gifts and your Twelve Fruits, and so make them your temples here that you may be adored in them forever. Amen.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

SPIRITUAL LIFE DICTIONARY

TODAY'S TERM: HEROIC VIRTUE

Photo: R. Massaro, St. Henry Church Nashville, Tennessee

Our Lady: Full of Grace and model of virtue

In a previous post, I touched on the subject of heroic virtue. Many Catholics believe that a person is canonized because of mystical gifts or supernatural phenomena.  However, this is not the case. A person is canonized because they led a heroic Christian life and possessed all of the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. We know that it takes a very long time for someone to be raised to the Altar and be recognized as a Saint in the Church. It takes a long time because the Church investigates the person's life, their writings, their verbal statements, etc. If witnesses are still living, they are interviewed to help determine if the person led a holy and virtuous life. And, as I stated in a previous post, the Church does not canonize a person because they possessed one virtue, they must possess all of the virtues. 

While discussing this subject, we should make it clear that we are not speaking of natural virtues, those good habits that are acquired through repetition. While this is good, we are speaking of infused virtue. Infused virtue, a gift of God's grace, makes supernatural acts possible, although not necessarily easy, that is why it is considered heroic. The saintly soul cooperates with God's gift and responds in charity when it is clearly not easy.

We could read the lives of the saints and recount each story of the unique gift of heroism particular to that saint. But for the moment, let's bring sanctity into the modern day world. For example, a person in the work place, who is known as a Christian, is ridiculed for their faith day after day after day. The person being ridiculed, in turn, responds in charity, day after day after day. The person ridiculed also does not lose his joy or peace over the mistreatment. This is an example of heroic virtue.

The late Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. is a scholar on this subject. He states that there are five traits of heroic virtue. This is from his classic, The Fire Within:

We may indicate five traits that signal when a virtue is practiced to a heroic degree. The first is that one does what is to be done even in difficult or excruciating circumstances. We love truth heroically not simply when we accept Jesus' and the Church's teaching in ordinarily difficult or unpopular circumstances but even if we must undergo persecution or martyrdom rather than deny it...

The next three traits can be grouped together: one acts promptly,easily and joyously. The saint does not delay or procrastinate in reacting in a humble manner or in loving an annoying neighbor. The correct response comes readily and easily, as if by second nature, for it is part of the new creation produced by the indwelling Trinity. What needs to be done is done joyously as well, and for the same reason: one is living a new life...

The fifth trait of heroic virtue is habitual constancy. The preceding characteristics are found not simply on an isolated occasion when one may conceivably act with an apparent ease and joy (prompted possibly by pride or a vain defiance) but are customarily observed in whatever situation calls for the virtue in question. This is the kind of sanctity the Church looks for and requires in her canonization processes. It is a result of reaching the summit of union. 

Dubay, Thomas, S.M. The Fire Within. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1989. Print.

St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) warns us that we should be constantly on guard that we do not give up prayer and thus lose virtue. Let us pray for each other, that the Holy Spirit give us a great desire for sanctity. 

St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my thoughts may all be holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit,

That my works, too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,

That I love but what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,

To defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,

That I always may be holy. Amen.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

THREE WORDS OF WISDOM

VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS

Photo: R. Massaro-Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

For those not familiar with Latin, today's three words are translated, "Come Holy Spirit."

When I first launched Spirit Singing, I wrote a series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit in light of Carmelite spirituality.  In the next few weeks, I'll be re-posting some of those early writings. I hope you are blessed by them. You can also click on the labels at the end of this post to access to them.

I have been thinking a lot about the gifts of the Holy Spirit lately. Pope Francis has declared this year, a "Year of Mercy." In light of this, I have been thinking about the souls in purgatory and trying to find ways to be merciful and to pray for the deceased in a special way. The Spiritual Works of Mercy state that we should "pray for the living and the dead." One day, while praying, I felt inspired to begin a "Novena for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit," and I would ask God to apply it to a particular soul and to all the souls in purgatory. I felt my inspiration was confirmed,when, a few days later, I found an old prayer pamphlet entitled, "Novena to the Holy Ghost." It received an Imprimatur in 1948. Please keep in mind that this is a general Novena to the Holy Spirit that has a plenary indulgence attached to it. In this post, I am only sharing that I am praying it as a private devotion for the souls in purgatory. 

NOVENA PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST

Why am I focusing on the gifts of the Holy Spirit for those in purgatory?  The Church teaches that canonized saints are those who lived a virtuous life.  In fact, the requirement is that they lived a heroically virtuous life, meaning, they possessed the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) and the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance). When the Church canonizes someone it means it recognizes the sanctity of the person. Therefore, the person must be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier. 

Years ago, I was privileged to attend a conference by the late Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. He stated, "A saint must possess ALL the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You can't just have one or two and get into heaven." He explains heroic virtue in his classic work, The Fire Within:

To appreciate more fully the next facet of the contemplative culmination, we need to reflect on the meaning of heroic virtue. This term does not refer merely to the ordinary fidelity we commend when we say that another is a good and sincere person. Rather, we envision a degree of loving uprightness and moral excellence that, left to our own native resources, we find humanly impossible. It is the living of a Gospel virtue (faith, hope, charity, temperance, fortitude, patience, humility) in a manner surpassing human strength.
The Fire Within, Thomas Dubay, S.M. Ignatius Press, 1989.

So, I am on a spiritual mission to ask the intercession of the Holy Spirit to purify the holy souls in purgatory and to fill them (and us) with his gifts. We can ask the Church to join us in our effort: the Church Triumphant, includes the saints in heaven, the Church Suffering are the holy souls in purgatory, and the Church Militant are the faithful on earth. 

I unite myself with all the faithful on earth, with all the holy souls in purgatory, and with all the saints in heaven, as I pray this Novena to the Holy Spirit.  

A NOVENA PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven promised to send the Holy Spirit to finish your work in the souls of your Apostles and Disciples, please grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom, that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with You, and that I may overcome with courage, all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease Him, mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of your true disciples and animate me in all things with your Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray:

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us by the same Holy Spirit to be truly wise and to ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

Second Song: Knowledge

The gift of knowledge points out to us the path to follow and the dangers to avoid in order to reach heaven.

St. Teresa of Avila says that self-knowledge is painful!

When we enter into a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus in the life of prayer, he begins to tell us about ourselves, and sometimes this is not a pleasant revelation. In the life of prayer, when one is seeking to obtain a pure heart, the light of the Holy Spirit begins to reveal to our minds all sorts of deep-seated attachments that we possess.

The gift of knowledge helps us to put into light the worldly things we can easily become attached to. We then make a choice with our will to give up the attachment and pray for God's grace to actually help us to do it. The life of the Carmelite is a call each day to become detached to the world and to die to ourselves. A Carmelite is called to do this with great joy!

Embracing the cross and trying to enter through the narrow door are painful prospects. If we keep in mind our heavenly goal and place our trust in Christ our Hope, we can strive for holiness with a calm and peaceful heart that brings joy to our lives. A joy that is the hallmark of authentic holiness.

I recall the lives of the French Carmelite martyrs of Compiegne who went to their death singing! The popular opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites is based on this true story.

An excerpt from the true story:

The nuns were sentenced to the guillotine. An ironic sidelight: the one nun of royal blood, Marie of the Incarnation, happened to be away at the time of the arrest and thus escaped execution; one of only three survivors of her community, she became the martyrs first historian, collecting eyewitness accounts of the nuns deaths. Reverend Mother Émilienne, Superior General of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, wrote in a letter:

I learned from a person who was a witness to their martyrdom that the youngest of these good Carmelites was called first and that she went to kneel before her venerable Superior, asked her blessing and permission to die. She then mounted the scaffold singing Laudate Dominum omnes gentes. She then went to place herself beneath the blade allowing the executioner to touch her. All the others did the same. The Venerable Mother was the last sacrificed. During the whole time, there was not a single drum-roll; but there reigned a profound silence.

Sister Charlotte of the Resurrection, seventy-eight and an invalid, having been thrown roughly to the pavement from the tumbrel, was heard to speak words of forgiveness and encouragement to her tormentor. Sister Julie had an extreme horror of the guillotine; yet she refused to leave her sisters even when her family sent for her, saying, We are victims of the age, and we must sacrifice ourselves for its reconciliation with God." Another witness said of the nuns, They looked like they were going to their weddings."

Copyright ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included. http://www.icspublications.com/

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, please pray that the Light of the Holy Spirit may give us knowledge that we may see ourselves as God sees us.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

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Seven Songs of the Spirit-First Song: Wisdom

Photo: R.Massaro(c)2011SpiritSinging

St. Charles Borromeo Church-Parma, Ohio

"No one can say 'Jesus is Lord', except by the Holy Spirit" St. Paul I Cor 12:3


Seven Songs of the Spirit: Wisdom, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, Knowledge, Understanding, Fear of the Lord.

First Song: WISDOM

Wisdom is the highest gift imparted by the Spirit. St. Bernard tells us that " It is the supernatural Gift of the Holy Spirit which enables us to know God and to rejoice in perfect love." Wisdom enlightens the mind and inflames the heart with love for God.

In the song, "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman", we sing in supplication to Our Lady to, "Teach us the Wisdom of God." She who is full of grace,  full of virtue, the sinless spouse of the Holy Spirit, is indeed the Blessed One we can call upon for the Spirit of Wisdom.

Mary, the first disciple, showed us how to rejoice in the Lord. Often, her Magnificat is remembered as a one-time event that she proclaimed during her visit to Elizabeth. But Our Lady’s Magnificat will be sung throughout time and eternity; Her hymn of praise will never be silenced. Our Lady eternally sings in the Spirit, "My Soul Magnifies the Lord..." When we give ourselves totally to Mary we enter into the chapel of her soul, as St. Louis Marie de Montfort instructs us to do and join in her hymn of praise. With Mary, we sing a blessed and glorious hymn of love inspired by the Spirit of Wisdom to the Most Holy Trinity.

Secular Carmelites are called to imitate the Virgin Mary, who pondered the Word in her heart.

Our Rule states:

The Blessed Virgin Mary holds a particular place in the life of a Carmelite. She is, first of all, his model of fidelity to grace and constancy in God’s service. She is also Mother of the whole Order, which enjoys her special patronage. The Secular Carmelite’s interior life must be permeated by an intense devotion to Our Lady. Exteriorly, too, he will honor her daily by some particular act, and by wearing the brown Scapular of Carmel.

Our vocation of prayer and contemplation on behalf of the Church is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Our Lady, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, help us to sing the Wisdom of God!
 

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS
_____________________

Spiritual Direction with St. John of the Cross

From the Spiritual Canticle

Stanza 26

In the inner wine cellar

I drank of my Beloved, and, when I went abroad through all this valley

I no longer knew anything,

and lost the herd which I was following

This wine cellar is the last and most intimate degree of love in which the soul can be placed in this life. Accordingly she calls this degree of love "the inner wine cellar," that is, the most interior...

And we can assert that there are seven of these degrees or wine cellars of love. They are all possessed when the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are possessed perfectly according to the soul's capacity for receiving them.

It should be known that many people reach and enter the first wine cellars according to the perfection of their love, but few in this life reach this last and most interior; for in it is wrought the perfect union with God, called spiritual marriage, of which the soul is now speaking. (St. John of the Cross)

When observing the lives of the saints we can recall the great love and union they had with Christ. A love so interior and vehement that is caused them to do great things for the salvation of souls. The Apostles come to mind here because we know of what they suffered in spreading the Gospel of Christ. We know that when they were filled with the Holy Spirit observers mistakenly thought they were drunk with wine. The holy inebriation they experienced was an overflow into their senses of the love of God pouring his gifts of the Spirit into their souls.

St. John of the Cross teaches us that holy consolations from God can overflow into our senses. For example, the gift of tears is a sensible manifestation of the love of God which he places in our heart. We must be careful, as he teaches us not to be attached to the consolation of the senses. We may grow to expect them, or feel that God has abandoned us when they disappear. We must walk in the night of pure faith.

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Wisdom

Understanding

Counsel

Fortitude

Knowledge

Piety

Fear of the Lord

Let us pray to Our Lady, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, that through her intercession she will bring us to that holy union with the Most Holy Trinity, to spiritual marriage with our Beloved, Christ our Lord.

Let us pray for each other.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

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The Fruits of the Holy Spirit-11th Hymn of Virtue: Charity

"...Over all these put on Love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect." Colossians 3:14

In this article, I will be using the symbolism of a holy garment of love that Christians should wear.

In preparing for the feast of Pentecost, I have been thinking about how the Holy Spirit helps us to be faithful to our Secular Carmelite promises of chastity, poverty, and obedience. We know that if we are in the state of grace that the Holy Spirit is living and working in us and providing us with the gifts and fruits of the spirit to respond with love to the situations in our every day life.
The Gifts of the Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord.
The Fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity,gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity
In St. Paul's letter to the Colossians he is in effect telling us to put on a holy overcoat of Love. This glorious garment will be seen by all and "They will know we are Christians by our Love."

However, we must remember that underneath this holy coat are still the beautiful garments of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit that we have put on, when we put on Christ.

According to St. Teresa, the truly humble person will not know that he wearing such a beautiful and saintly garment. He will notice other people wearing the garment and secretly pray to God that he may possess this garment, too. If we possess this garment of Love, we will be seen as the one who wears a garment like Jesus wore.

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta was known for saying, "There are not two loves, or three loves, only one Love. And God is love."

Bl. Teresa was a person poor and humble in the eyes of the world. She wore a lowly habit of the consecrated religious, but even for those who are walking in darkness they could see that she was clothed in the holy habit of God's Love.

As Carmelites, we put on a holy habit-the Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. We normally wear it, not for others to see but next to our heart where true love of God and neighbor is born, and lived out in response to our baptismal promises.

We make our promises near the altar, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, with the Saints as witnesses and we entrust our promises to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

Our Lady, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit will help us to keep our baptismal garment pure and our holy cloak of Love unstained as well.

Let us be open to the Holy Spirit, especially on this holy day, that He will clothe us with the robe of salvation, His Spirit living and working in us. May others truly be witnesses of our holy life and echo that famous hymn: "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love."

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

Seventh Song: Fortitude

The gift of Fortitude removes timidity and fear of human of respect. It strengthens the soul to hate sin and to practice virtue. This gift gives us courage to undertake great sacrifices for our salvation and to defend Jesus Christ in word and deed, even unto death.



Fortitude gives us the grace to remain steadfast in prayer, especially when sensible consolations cease.

 

St. John of the Cross states in the Living Flame of Love Stanza 2 #27:And here it ought to be pointed out why so few reach this high state of perfect union with God. It should be known that the reason is not that God wishes only a few of these spirits to be so elevated, he would rather want all to be perfect, but he finds few vessels that will endure so lofty and sublime a work. Since he tries them in little things and finds them so weak that they immediately flee from work, unwilling to be subject to the least discomfort and mortification...they are in need of greater constancy and fortitude than they showed. 

Souls who possess the gift of Fortitude pick up their cross and follow Jesus on the narrow road. They imitate the Savior whom they follow. He becomes their strength and their courage. They imitate him who was obedient, even unto death.

The Carmelite, or anyone who is traveling the road of contemplative prayer must struggle courageously against Satan who wishes to deter us from our goal of union with the Holy Trinity. And while we may not be tempted to grave sin, it is the small imperfections and daily dying to our egos that require heroic Fortitude to continue each day to remain faithful to a life of virtue and prayer.

Before canonization the saints are scrutinized to see if they possess ALL the virtues and gifts of the Spirit, for you can not have one without the other. The soul in the Unitive Way (spiritual marriage) possess the Gift and Virtue of Fortitude.

Becoming holy is not for the faint-of-heart. It's back-breaking spiritual work!


A short examen in the light of Fortitude:

*Do I fear criticism or ridicule because of my Catholic faith?

*Have I ceased to pray due to a lack of real effort on my part or because of dryness or lack of sensible consolation?

*Have I failed to respond to the Lord's invitation to a deeper, intimate friendship with him?

*Do I desire to detach myself from sin?

*Am I afraid of self-denial, penance, and mortification?

*Do I pray only when I feel like it?

In order to possess heroic virtue and the gifts of the Spirit we must die to ourselves. Let us pray for each other that we bury our ego six feet under and not grieve the loss. For to die to ourselves is to gain Christ!

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds 
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Sixth Song: Counsel

Counsel is a Gift of the Holy Spirit which helps us to choose good over evil. This gift helps us to please God by following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. This gift is especially helpful to spiritual directors.

One of the main dilemma's a person seeking union with God may find is the lack of a good spiritual director. In our lay Carmelite community, this subject comes up often. While it may be difficult to find a spiritual director in the physical sense, we know that we have only to turn to St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila for direction. However, it is truly comforting to find a willing listener and encouraging voice!

Why is it so hard to find someone who understands the deep prayer life of a secular Carmelite or anyone on the road of contemplative prayer? Some priests and most lay people are not familiar with all of the writings of our holy father and mother. Simply mention St. John of the Cross and one gets the response of "Oh, the Dark Night!" And even that teaching is misunderstood by the general Catholic population. Most people have a notion that contemplative prayer is only for religious or especially pious people.

The universal call to holiness is for all the baptized to respond to. We are all called to a deep, intimate friendship with Jesus Christ.

Fr. Thomas Dubay, a Marist priest, is a scholar of Carmelite spirituality. He is regularly seen on EWTN and has written numerous books on contemplative prayer. His book Spiritual Direction is a much needed book written in light of the fact that it is difficult for serious people of prayer to find good spiritual direction. His book is a direct response from numerous inquiries to him about where to find a good spiritual director.

Many saints, our own St. Therese included, confessed that they too, at times had no one to lead them but the Lord, that he alone directed their souls. I believe this is true today, but only in rare cases. Most people, erroneously, try to direct themselves. That is why we need the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that we do not lead ourselves astray. We need to pray for a good confessor/spiritual director.

St. Teresa and St. John give plenty of advice on what to look for in a spiritual director.

St. John says that a director must be:

*Intelligent

*Discreet

*Experienced

*Knowledge of the ways of the Spirit

He says beginners should take great care into whose hands they entrust their souls.

St. Teresa's list of a good confessor:

*Must be intelligent

*Must be spiritual (practicing advanced prayer)

*Unworldly

*Obedient to their superiors

*Must know that souls seek perfection-even from venial sins

*Should not discuss matters in which he is ignorant

*Should not readily agree/disagree with everything penitent says

*Must be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit

*Must have sympathetic understanding

Oh, God, who did instruct the hearts of the faithful by the brilliant light of the Holy Spirit, grant that through this same spirit, we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in his consolation, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds 

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Fifth Song: Understanding

Understanding is that Gift of the Holy Spirit which enables us to comprehend the mysteries and doctrines of our faith.

"I offer you praise, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children." (Luke 10:21)

Take your pick of any Carmelite Saint, or any saint for that matter, and these words of Our Lord ring true again and again throughout history.

St. Therese was one of the little ones to whom our Lord revealed hidden mysteries of his Love. We fittingly call St. Therese the "Little Flower." Her great humility caused the Holy Trinity to reveal to her that kingdom where Jesus says you must become like little children in order to enter. We know that her way is one of simplicity, trust, and spiritual childhood, where the little one relies on the Father to teach him everything.

The Gift of Understanding overshadows the simple person; He is given light so as to understand great mysteries of our faith, such as the Incarnation or the Most Holy Trinity.

St. Teresa of Avila speaks of this in her writings when she says she was given light and understood in an instant a particular mystery of our faith. These touches of the Holy Spirit and the understanding given would be hard to put into words. They are given to the soul who is intensely in love with God. Great secrets are shared between these lovers.

St. Teresa describes a soul in the sixth mansion of her Interior Castle:

"When the Lord so wills, it may happen that the soul will be at prayer, and in possession of all its senses, and then there will suddenly come to it a suspension in which the Lord communicates most secret things to it. Such a vision is highly profitable because, although it passes in a moment, it remains engraved upon the soul."

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity wrote about the humble, simple soul receiving wisdom and knowledge of God. She writes, "The humble can never rank God high enough nor themselves low enough. But here is the wonder: their weakness turns into wisdom...Whoever possess humility has no need of many words to be instructed; God tells him more things than he can learn; such was the case with the Lord's disciples." (Heaven in Faith)

As lay Carmelites, we know that St. John of the Cross teaches us that we should not seek out these divine touches or consolations. Our Lord gives them to the humble and childlike soul who seeks to love him for himself alone and not for his favors.

St. John of the Cross writes in his Spiritual Canticle, "Who can describe in writing the understanding he gives to loving souls in whom he dwells? And who can express with words the experience he imparts to them? Certainly, no one can! Not even they who receive these communications."

Let us pray to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, that she obtain for us from the Holy Spirit true understanding of our souls. May the Spirit show us our weaknesses and ugly faults so that with His grace we may overcome them. May he help us root out all pride and arrogance, which is far removed from the pure heart of a child of God.

Let us cry out with Our Lady, "He who is mighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His Name!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

________________________

Fourth Song: Piety

By the gift of Piety, the Holy Spirit infuses in us a reverence for God and the things of Heaven. This gift prompts us to love God and neighbor.

St. Teresa writes about the state of this soul with the gift of piety in her third mansion of the Interior Castle. She says these people love to spend time with His Majesty. They are fond of hearing the Word of God and listening to sermons, which may cause them to shed gentle tears.

We may have a perverted notion of the gift of piety. When you call someone pious, it almost has a negative connotation to it. The true gift of piety, is sincere, holy, and a condition of the heart. It is not merely "appearing" to be holy by our behavior and actions.

Thinking of the Gift of Piety brings to mind Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:Blessed are those who hunger for holiness, they will have their fill. As Carmelites called to contemplative prayer, we need to constantly challenge ourselves and ask the hard questions:

*Do I simply observe the letter of the (Carmelite) Law by just giving to God what is required and nothing more; 1/2 hour of mental prayer each day. Or do I seek to spend extra time in silent prayer, perhaps in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Do I have a real hunger to spend time with the Lord?

*Do I love the Word of God and spend time with the Lord in silent meditation, listening for Him to speak? Or, do I just do the minimum requirement of 1/2 hour of spiritual reading per day, and even that is a drudgery for me. Do I hunger for the Word of God and ponder it in my heart in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

*Do I try to live a Eucharistic centered life by attending daily mass when possible? Do I have a real hunger and longing to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist?

As Carmelites, we are called to seek the face of God in prayer on behalf of the Church. We have promised to do this with our brothers and sisters and all of heaven as witnesses of our holy commitment. We are also called to live the Beatitudes. Our promise formula states:

I, ______________desiring to follow the Crucified and risen Christ in the Secular Order of Carmel, renew my profession/vow, and I promise to tend toward Evangelical Counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience, and of the Beatitudes, according to the Rule of Life of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites.

I confidently entrust my promise/vow to the Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Carmel.

Let us ask Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to obtain for us from the Holy Spirit the true gift of infused Piety. A piety that will set our hearts of fire for God and the things of Heaven!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

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Third Song: Fear of the Lord

The Gift of the Fear of the Lord is that childlike fear which causes us to dread no misfortune so much as that of displeasing God.
True Fear of the Lord may be hard to discern in the life of the beginner on the road of prayer. There are some souls who experience a great and painful trial: Scrupulosity! Even our Carmelite Saint, Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church, experienced this spiritual trauma.



True Fear of the Lord is what a soul experiences in St. Teresa's third mansion of the Interior Castle. These souls, she says, "are very sensitive to the offenses against God...They are keen to the ugliness of even venial sins..." She says these souls striving for holiness do not want to displease His Majesty in any little thing.


The soul that is scrupulous is centered on itself, concentrating on what "I" have done. The soul with the gift of holy fear is aware of its own weakness and sins and knows that it has failed, yet cries out, " I'm sorry, I have offended "You." We can see where the focus lies. St. Therese is a great example of this dilemma. She was deeply aware of her own littleness, her own weakness before God, but she trusted in Him to be her strength.


Anyone who has suffered from scrupulosity knows the torture it can inflict on the whole person. It is necessary to have a spiritual director who has dealt with this situation and knows how to instruct the soul. The person who suffers must be obedient to the confessor and not go confession hopping in order to find some peace by confessing the same sins over and over, because they believe they were not forgiven, or did not confess right, and so on.


These souls need patience on the part of the confessor. If the right director is found, the soul can achieve great heights because of this spiritual purification. The soul must be humble and ask the Holy Spirit for light and guidance.


Here is Fr. Angelus' (formerly of EWTN) ten commandments for dealing with scrupulosity:

1). Do not repeat prayers! No matter how badly they may have been prayed, even if the prayers were given as a penance in confession. Never!

2). Do not repeat the confession of sins that have already been confessed. Never ever!

3). If you doubt the earnestness of your sorrow in confession, consider the sorrow as having been adequate.

4). A doubtful sin is no sin for those suffering from scrupulosity.

5). Should you be in doubt that you have already confessed a sin, always consider the sin as having been confessed.

6). Examine your conscience for no longer that one minute each day, and for no longer than 5 minutes before a confession.

7). If you have prayed at the time of temptation, you can be sure that you did not commit a grave sin.

8). If you have ever made a general confession do not make another one. Once a month is a good norm for the frequency of confession.

9). If possible, go to confession to the same confessor. This one is very helpful and important. If I even start to slip into Scrupulos behavior, Father L. will cut me short too.

10). Cultivate a humble heart by complete obedience to the direction of the confessor. Be patient with yourself. Love is the goal of all of our lives. And this is the only way to secure peace. And peace is the Lord’s farewell gift to you and to me.

These two examples of fear I have mentioned above reflect examples of perfect and imperfect fear. Imperfect fear is a concentration on ourselves and the soul's fear of the pains of hell. The perfect or childlike fear is an example of the fear that the Saints possessed. They did not want to displease God the loving Father, and did not want to hinder their union with him.

St. John of the Cross exhorts us to climb Mt. Carmel to reach the Summit. We have the teachings of the Carmelite Saints to help us in our quest. May Our Lady of Mt. Carmel lead us by the hand to overcome our egos, die to ourselves and reach the summit-Christ our Lord!

Our Lady, Queen and Beauty of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
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