Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
We recall the canonization of St Mary of Jesus Crucified on 17 May 2015, sharing her powerful prayer to Mary: “O Blessed Virgin, my Mother, I cast myself at your feet.”
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Bishop Silvio José Báez, ocd reminds us, “only the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, can make us walk in the truth. The Spirit is the living memory of Jesus in our hearts.”
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What does the Bible mean when it says to lift up your heads? Bishop Silvio Báez, OCD explains that the Virgin Mary teaches us the meaning: "being able to talk to God" in "a gesture of humility."
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St. Edith Stein explains the teaching of St. John of the Cross, indicating how faith, hope, and love enable us to draw closer to transforming union with God in our intellect, memory, and will.
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Bishop Silvio José Báez, OCD reflects on Jesus’ command, “Lazarus, come out!” and its impact on those of us who hear Jesus’ message, letting him grasp us by the hand, leading us from the dark tomb to new life.
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St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero was martyred on 24 March 1980 as he celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters' cancer hospital in San Salvador. In his last homily he said God blesses “every effort to better society.”
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"Christ is my utmost need," writes poet Jessica Powers. "I cling with all my strength unto a nail-investigated hand." This poem is a testament to the poetic genius of Powers, known in religion as Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit, OCD.
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St John of the Cross explains: “hope always pertains to the unpossessed object. If something were possessed there could no longer be hope for it.” The annunciation to St Joseph give us hope, as well.
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St. Thérèse's biographer Conrad de Meester, o.c.d. reminds us that her “last breath came with her last words: “My God, I love you.” Now love had taken full possession of her being.”
In her poem, "I Will Remain With You", St. Edith Stein writes, "You reign on the Almighty’s throne also in transfigured human form, ever since the completion of your work on earth."
The prophets called on God’s people to wait with hope. St. Edith wrote, “to suffer and to be happy although suffering […] this is the life of the Christian until the morning of eternity breaks forth.”
St. Teresa of the Andes had a lively devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In this prayer from 1917, she writes, "may your Heart be my refuge, my hope, my consolation, my solitude."
We share excerpts from Père Jacques' 1943 retreat conference on Hope and Abandonment: "When we sin against against hope, we effectively say to God: "I reject. You are wicked and heartless. I have no confidence whatsoever in you goodness"..." Père Jacques gives us the antidote and a beautiful prayer that is pleasing and powerful in the eyes of God.
From the Scheveningen prison, Titus Brandsma writes: "There was no holy card of the Virgin Mary in my breviary, yet her image is obligatory in the cell of every Carmelite; I had to find a solution for this..."
"The Apostle would have us keep silence, for in silence he tells us to work. As the Prophet also makes known to us: Silence is the way to foster holiness. Elsewhere he says: Your strength will lie in silence and hope."
Already in his first encyclical, John Paul II highlighted the mystery of merciful love contemplated in Christ the Redeemer: "'God is love'... This revelation of love is also described as mercy; and in man's history this revelation of love and mercy has taken a form and a name: that of Jesus Christ."
Lord, nothing here below can comfort me, neither creation, nor Heaven, nor earth, nor men, nor angels, nothing can give me the joy, the peace that I have lost in losing you, my God.
Six days before Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection died on 12 February 1691 at the monastery on Rue de Vaugirard in Paris, he wrote to a Blessed Sacrament Nun: “I hope for the merciful grace of seeing him in a few days.”
Saint Zélie Martin learns that her breast cancer has reached such an advanced stage that it is inoperable. She writes to her husband, "I'll go to Lourdes on the first pilgrimage, and I hope the Blessed Mother will cure me, if it's necessary. In the meantime let's stop worrying."
St. Zélie Martin confides in her sister-in-law that she is worried about Léonie's future. "If it only took the sacrifice of my life for her to become a saint, I would give it willingly."
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Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. ~ St. Teresa of Avila
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