THE HISTORY OF THE CARMELITES

St. Elijah-Our Lady of Cedars-Akron, Ohio

Although Elijah and Elisha, and the others of the same Order, religious men, sons of the prophets, stayed mostly in the deserts following God's command, for the sake of the people they sometimes went into the cities and villages, working miracles among the people and foretelling the future, and condemning the vices of men, calling them back to God, and drawing many to their prophetic Order. Therefore, in the vicinity of certain towns and villages in the Promised Land, and especially in Galgala, Bethel, Jericho, and Samaria, they had communities of religious men, sons of the prophets, as can be read in the book of Kings, where monks stayed when they came to the towns and villages.

Those of the people whom they were able to attract to their prophetic Order, they first instructed in these communities on the prophetic discipline and the rudiments of the monastic religious life, in order that they might gently free them from city life and afterwards send them to the solitary places. For these monks, sons of the prophets, who were city-dwellers, once they had learnt the rudiments of the prophetic discipline and monastic life, the cities seemed like prisons, and solitude appeared to them like paradise. So, wishing to gain their salvation in a more perfect fashion, they preferred to lead the monastic and prophetic life far from the cities in solitude...

They were now so numerous that all could not be easily accommodated in the solitude of Mount Carmel, So, at the command of the prophets who governed them, they chose not only the Mount of Carmel but also other solitary places away from this mountain which were suited to their way of life and worship.
The Ten Books on the Way of LIfe and Great Deeds of the Carmelites by Felip Riobt, O. Carm.


Prayer:

Almighty, ever-living God,
Your prophet Elijah
Lived always in your presence
And was zealous for the honor due to your Name.
May we, your servants,
Always seek your Face
And bear witness to your Love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Our Lady's words to St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception."
Photo: Church of the Sacred Heart Lourdes, France

When Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta received permission to start her Order, the Missionaries of Charity, she began to experience a great spiritual darkness.

Here is an excerpt from 33 Day to Morning Glory ( A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration)
by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC:

From the beginning of this new congregation, Mother Teresa began to experience "such terrible darkness" in her soul "as if everything was dead." At times, it seemed unbearable, and she frequently found herself on the brink of despair. In 1961, she received a light in this darkness. After a conversation with a holy priest, she realized that her painful longing was actually a share in the thirst of Jesus: "For the first time in this 11 years--I have come to love the darkness.--For I believe now that it is a part, a very, very small part of Jesus' darkness and pain on earth. Teresa's experience of darkness and painful longing continued to the end of her life. She found the strength to persevere because, as her spiritual director put it, she realized that the darkness was actually a "mysterious link" that united her to the Heart of Jesus.

If you would like to prepare to make the total consecration to Mary Immaculate, here is a link to order the book on Amazon:

33 DAYS TO MORNING GLORY

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

Spiritual Life Dictionary

TODAY'S TERM: ASCETICISM

John the Baptist-A true ascetic

Asceticism is self-discipline in all its forms, particularly those voluntarily undertaken out of love of God and desire for spiritual improvement.
A Catholic Dictionary by Donald Attwater

This is a word that has been on my heart and mind of late.  Not just because we are now in the holy season of Lent, but I have been thinking about this for a number of months. 

One of the means God used for my conversion was reading an old worn copy of  Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, published by Benziger Brothers. As a teenager, I was mesmerized by reading the lives of these people who could choose and endure such radical physical and mental self-denial because they loved God! 

I think too, that I am wondering if there are saints like that today. I guess in a way, I'm wondering if the saints of the "old school" still exist.

It makes me sad when I think of the "short-cuts" the church has put in place over the years to accommodate the increasing distaste for mortification among people.  For instance, when I was growing up, we had to fast from midnight Saturday until after we received Holy Communion on Sunday.  Today, people gripe and complain because they have to deny themselves for one hour before receiving the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord.  Some can't even tolerate that short time frame and consume, candy, gum and mints during Holy Mass!  

The Catholic Dictionary goes on to explain that asceticism is not an end in itself...but a means towards personal sanctification.

So, we don't mortify ourselves just to prove we can do it, to tell others about it, to impress our confessor, to impress God. We mortify ourselves because as St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) teaches us,  prayer and self-indulgence do not go together. How right she is. 

In today's drive-through, immediate self-gratification society, how many give any thought to denying the body some pleasure? The Rev. Adolph Tanquerey, the author of The Spiritual Life, a great classic on prayer and the mystical life states that "Mortification is the enemy of pleasure."We must keep in mind that it is not wrong to take pleasure in eating or drinking, but we are discussing today, asceticism, a willing self-denial to deny the body so that we are not a slave to it. Self-indulgence leads to slothfulness in prayer and in performing good works.

For secular Carmelites, the teaching of St. John of the Cross on prayer and self-denial that is summed up in the term "detachment" is at the heart of our spiritual life. If we are truly seeking union with God, the "spiritual marriage" we have to travel through the bitter valley of detachment of the senses.  But once the soul has a taste of the living God, it quickly learns that no earthly pleasure can match it.

In today's world of social media, I see many religious communities blog and post pictures of events at their monasteries. The Holy Father Benedict the XVI encouraged people to use the Internet for evangelization. However, it takes wisdom and prudence to decide what to post. 

I know there are true ascetics in the world. I know there are monks and nuns and lay people we never hear about on face book or twitter who are denying their bodies food, water and sleep for the sake of the Kingdom and for the conversion of sinners. So don't be fooled if you visit face book and twitter and find someone who is going to sleep on a rock for a week or wear a hair-shirt for a month , or construct a pillar and pray there for 2 weeks and blog about it and post pictures of the events and circumstances of their sacrifice. This is blatant false asceticism.  

I'm praying for the true ascetic, the one who denies himself all sorts of things, in secret, before the Father alone. I'm praying for the true ascetic who is praying for me and my soul.  For I am the poor sinner who hopes to benefit from their self-denial.


To learn more about asceticism according to the Eastern Rite saints visit this website:

http://pittsburghoratory.blogspot.com/2012/05/asceticism-and-philokalic-spirituality.html




Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE QUOTE

St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila):

On the mystical experience, The Flight of the Spirit

The flight of the spirit is something I don't know what to call that rises up from the most intimate part of the soul. I only remember the following comparison, which I put down in that place your Reverence knows of where these kinds of prayer and others are explained at length; and my memory is such that I quickly forget. I think the soul and the spirit must be one, but that like a fire that is great and has been getting ready to start blazing, so the soul, through the readiness it has from God does suddenly begin to blaze and shoot forth a flame reaching high in the air, even though the flame is just as much fire as that which remains beneath. This flame doesn't cease to be fire just because it rises up. So here in the soul it seems something is produced so suddenly and delicately that it rises up to the superior part and goes wherever the Lord wills. This cannot be explained any further. It seems to be a flight, for I don't know what else to compare it to. I know it is recognized very clearly and that it cannot be stopped.

It seems that the little bird, the spirit, escapes from the misery of the flesh and the prison of this body, and thus it can be more occupied in what the Lord gives it. What He gives is something so delicate and so precious, from what the soul understands, that there doesn't seem to be any illusion in it or in any of these things when they take place. Afterward together were fears, since the one who received this favor was so wretched that everything seemed to give reason for fearing; although in the interior of the soul there remains a certitude and security that enables one to live, but not to set aside any efforts against being deceived.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE QUOTE

St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) on Prayer:

As regards the position of the eyes, common sense should furnish the answer. We definitely will not be able to sustain a conversation with Christ while we are gazing at passersby, or studying the interior of some church. If we make our meditation in a place free from noise or commotion, it might be possible to keep our eyes open and continue our conversation with Christ. But if one is in the midst of a variety of distractions, the eyes, must, of necessity, remain closed.

 As a general rule, St. Teresa encourages us to keep our eyes constantly shut during prayer. She notes that this will be extremely difficult at first; but after a short while, one will find himself unable to meditate unless his eyes are closed.

Rohrbach, Thomas. Conversation with Christ, Illinois: Tan Books, 1980





Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

The Letters of St. Teresa of Jesus

No. LIX.
To Mother Maria de San Joseph, Prioress of Seville.

JESUS. The Holy Spirit be with your Reverence.

My mother,–It seems our Lord does not wish me to remain long without afflictions, for you must know that He has been pleased to call to Himself His good friend and servant, Lorenzo de Cepeda. He was seized so violently with the "bloody-flux," that he died under it in less than six hours. Two days before, he had received the Most Blessed Sacrament. He died in his perfect senses, recommending himself very devoutly to our Lord. I hope in the goodness of God that he is now in the enjoyment of eternal glory, for he always lived in such a way as to have no other care but to serve Him: everything else soon tired him; and on this account he retired to his country house, which was about a league from Avila, in order to avoid the noise and gaiety of the world.

His prayer was continual, for he always kept himself in the presence of God: hence, His Majesty filled his soul with so many graces and favours, that sometimes I have been quite astonished at them. He was very fond of doing penance: he even did more than ever I wished him to do. He gave me an account of all his interior life, and it was wonderful to see the attention he paid to whatever I said: this I think arose from the great affection which he had for me. I now return such affection by rejoicing that he has left this miserable life, and is now in a place of repose. This I say not for the sake of saying it: but I assure you, when I think of his happiness I feel great joy.¹ I feel much for his children: but I hope God will help them, through the prayers of their father.
I have given your Reverence this exact account, because I know you will be grieved to hear of his death, and this account may help to console you all; for he certainly deserves to be regretted by the sisters. It was wonderful to see what he felt, on hearing of your afflictions, for great was the love he had for your house. Now is the time to repay that love, by commending his soul to God: on condition, however, that if he should not stand in need of your prayers (as I think he does not, considering the life he led), they may be applied to those souls who have greater need of them, in order that they may find some relief from them.

I must tell you that a short time before his death, he wrote to me at St. Joseph's convent in Segovia, where I now am, and which is eleven leagues from Avila. In that letter he said many things with regard to the shortness of life, which quite astonished me. And then, my daughter, it is certain everything passes quickly away, we ought continually to be thinking how to die a good death, rather than of the means how we are to live. Since I must still remain in this world, God grant it may be that I may serve Him in something. I am four years older than my brother was, and yet God has been pleased I should survive him. I have now quite recovered from my late illness, though I still have my usual indispositions, especially a pain in my head.

Tell my father Rodrigo Alvarez that his letter just came when I wanted it, for it speaks of the great advantage of afflictions. Tell him also that I think God works miracles through him, even during his life: what then will He not do after his death?

I have just heard that the Moors of Seville are conspiring together to get possession of the city. What a fine opportunity you will all have of becoming martyrs! Inquire if the report be true, and order the mother sub-prioress to send me an account of every particular. I was very pleased to hear you were in good health, as I was grieved before to hear you were ill. For the love of God, take great care of yourself. I have been told a good remedy for your disease, viz., dog-roses beaten to powder, when they are dry, and about half an ounce should be taken every morning. But ask the doctor about it. Let me beg of you not to be so long again, without writing to me.

Remember me very kindly to all the sisters, and to San Francisco. Mother-prioress and all the community here send their regards. It must seem to you very delightful to be among standards and the tumults of war,² if you only knew how to profit and to draw spiritual reflections from all the strange things you must see in that place. It is very necessary, however, for you to be on your guard, in order not to be distracted. I am very anxious you should all become saints.

What should you say if the Foundation of Portugal were made? Don Teutonio, archbishop of Evora, informs me that the town is not more than forty leagues from this place. I should feel great comfort were the foundation commenced. Since God spares my life, I desire to do something for His honour and glory; and as I have not long to live, I will not spend my time so idly as I have hitherto done in past years during which I suffered so much in my interior. As to other things, what I have done is not worth speaking about. Beg of our Lord to give me strength, that I may employ my time in doing something for His glory.

I have already told you, you may show this letter to Father Gregorio: I hope he will consider it as addressed to himself, for I certainly do love him in our Lord, and I have a great desire to see him. My brother died on the Sunday after the Feast of St. John. May His Majesty watch over you, and make you what I desire you to be.

Your Reverence's Servant,

TERESA DE JESUS.

July 4th, 1579.

¹ It seems as if the Saint had a revelation of his happiness.² The Saint alludes to the rumoured insurrection of the Moors.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

CARMELITE SAINT OF THE DAY

HENRY de  OSSO Y CERVELLO

The following biographical sketch is from Meditations From Carmel:

Henry was born at Vinebre, Catalonia, Spain, on the 16th October 1840 and was ordained priest on 21st September 1867. He was an apostle to young people in teaching them about their faith and inspired various movements for the teaching of the Gospel. As a spiritual director he was fascinated by St. Teresa of Jesus, the great teacher in the ways of prayer and Daughter of the Church. (She is better known in the English-speaking world as St. Teresa of Avila.) In the light of her teaching, he founded the Company of St. Teresa (1876) dedicated to educating women in the school of the Gospel and following the example of St. Teresa. He gave himself to preaching and the apostolate through the printing press. He underwent many severe trials and sufferings. He died at Gilet, Valencia, Spain, on the 27th of January, 1896. He was canonized on 16th July, 1993, in Madrid, by Pope John Paul II.

From the writings of Saint Henry de Osso, priest

(A Month in the Heart of Jesus, Prologue, EEO III, Rome, 1977, pp. 456-458)

“Identification with Jesus Christ”

"This is our main endeavor: to think, to feel, to love as Christ Jesus, to act and to speak as He-in a word, to conform our whole life to Christ’s. No one can be saved unless they are formed in the image of Christ. To conform our life to Christ’s, we need, above all, to study His life, know it, and meditate upon it, not only in its outward appearance, but by immersing ourselves in the thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams of Jesus Christ so as to do everything in union with Him. In His goodness, Jesus Himself invites us, both in word and hi action, to do this. For example, if we do not know the sentiments of His heart so as to put them into practice, how can we learn from His gentleness and humility? Or how can we come into His presence each time we act in order to imitate Him? Christ lived, ate, slept, spoke, kept silent, walked, worked, sweat, got tired, rested, was hungry, thirsty and poor; in a word, He suffered and died for us and for our salvation. Why is it, then, that we cannot make or imagine Jesus as real and down to earth, but only in theory and as the ideal, which is the reason we do not love and imitate Hun in everything, as we must? Jesus is our brother, flesh of our flesh, blood of our blood, bone of our bones. This is who our Jesus is, true God and true Man, alive, personal, and intimate. He let Himself be seen; He lived and spoke with us. For our salvation, being the eternal Word of God, He descended from heaven, became flesh, suffered, died, rose, ascended into heaven, and remained among us until the end of time to be our companion, our consolation, and our food in the Blessed Sacrament. Eternal life, then, our only happiness in time and eternity, consists in knowing Jesus more intimately. How happy will be the person who learns this lesson and lives it daily. What an inspiring thought! I will live, sleep, speak, listen, work, suffer-I will do everything, I will suffer everything in union with Jesus, with the same divine intention and sentiments that Jesus had and with which He suffered, which is what Jesus wants of me. Whoever does this-and all of us are called to do it-will lives in this life the life of the world to come and will be transformed into Jesus, able to say with St. Paul: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.”"

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds