My Special Devotion...

Every day I went to Communion and talked with Jesus for a long time,
but my special devotion was the Virgin.
I told her everything.
From that day on the earth no longer held any attraction for me...

~Diary, St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes 

 

 

The Fruit of Love

 

 Here in the tiny Host I find the fruit of love...

-- St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face

 

Perfection...

 

 

I am the Handmaid of the Lord...

 

And the angel said to her in reply,

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."

Then the angel departed from her.

(Lk 1:30-38)

 

 

 

Mission Statement #2

In Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them go out of themselves to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence within -- that will allow God to communicate Himself to them and transform them into Himself.

-- St. Elizabeth

Mission Statement #1

My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death.  I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.

-- St. Therese

We Need More Science...

 

 

The Most Beautiful Day of My Life...

On that day

When Jesus made his home in me,

When God took possession of my heart

So completely, so well, that since that hour,

Since that secret interchange, that divine, delightful exchange,

My one desire has been to give my life,

To repay some little way his mighty love,

To the Beloved of the Eucharist

Who lives within my feeble heart,

Flooding it with his favors....

The most beautiful day of my life...

 

 

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Poems #47

 

 

 

 

A Cross...

There's a hiking trail with a small hill on it behind my home.  At the top, someone's planted a stainless-steel cross in the ground.  The monument has the words "Charlie Bremer" etched on it. 

Perhaps this person passed away or met with an untimely death.  But I could find no record of this person or the individual(s) that erected the memorial on the internet.

The ascent to this area can be challenging, but it is at the same time rewarding.

With tired legs and labored breath, one looks upward and is inspired to continue climbing, to keep moving..  Always drawing closer to the cross...

Will You?

 

 

On St. Michael...

[This article is taken from https://soulofacarmelite.com/category/st-michael/ ]

All Catholics should consecrate themselves to St.Michael who is the leader of all the armies of God. Make the consecration below and renew it often.


O St. Michael the Archangel, most Noble Prince of the Angelic Hierarchies, valorous warrior of Almighty God, and zealous lover of His Glory, terror of the rebellious angels, and love and delight of all the just, desiring to be numbered among thy devoted servants, I, today offer and consecrate myself to thee, and place myself, my family and all I possess under thy most powerful protection.

Coming to Carmel and Marian Devotion...

Was thinking today about some words Fr. Deeney mentions in his book "Welcome to the Secular Order...".  Candidates seeking to enter the Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) will usually read this book as part of their curriculum their first or second year.

In one of the early chapters, Father talks about the qualities that are desirable for individuals seeking to enter Carmel as secular members.  Fr. Deeney remarks (rather forcefully) that one's love and honor for the Blessed Mother in and of itself does not a good Carmelite make.

A person comes to the community, a person with a great love of the Blessed Mother, who wants to wear the scapular in honor of Mary as a sign of dedication to her service...

There are so many committed Catholics who are devoted to Mary and even experts in Saint Teresa, Saint John of the Cross, or one of our saints who do not have the vocation to the Secular Order... All the other aspects of Marian life and devotion can be present, devotion to the scapular, the rosary, and other things...

It is not the spirituality, nor the study, nor the devotion to Mary...

A very frequent experience of many groups is to have a person approach the Secular Order to become a member, . . . (someone) who is very devoted to Mary, a person who has been on many pilgrimages to Marian shrines throughout the world, a person who is very familiar with many of the apparitions and messages attributed to Mary, a real authority on current Marian movements... 

There are other Marian groups and movements that might be the home for this person, but it is not the Secular Order.

Fr. P. Aloysius Deeney, OCD


Thank you Fr. Deeney.  Of course this is true.

But I might add for those of us who have made a commitment to Carmel, that our love for Our Blessed Mother is now rooted and anchored.  We have a strong desire to continue to know and learn more about this Lady and Mother.  

Indeed, our devotion for her can only increase over the years -- against a backdrop of the new Carmelite way of life. 

Carmel (of course) should mean a continued growth in Marian life and devotion...

Attitude Toward Work

Brother Lawrence explains his custom of bringing the presence of Christ with him during his day:

Completely immersed in my understanding of God’s majesty, I used to shut myself up in the kitchen. Alone, after having done everything that was necessary for my work, I devoted myself to prayer in the time that was left.

The prayer time was really taken at both the beginning and the end of my work. At the beginning of my duties, I would say to the Lord with confidence, “My God, since You are with me and since, by Your will, I must occupy myself with external things, please grant me the grace to remain with You, in Your presence. Work with me, so that my work might be the very best. Receive as an offering of love both my work and all my affections.”

During my work, I would always continue to speak to the Lord as though He were right with me, offering Him my services and thanking Him for His assistance. Also, at the end of my work, I used to examine it carefully. If I found good in it, I thanked God. If I noticed faults, I asked His forgiveness without being discouraged, and then went on with my work, still dwelling in Him.       

Thus, continuing in the practice of conversing with God throughout each day and quickly seeking His forgiveness when I fell or strayed, His presence has become as easy and natural to me now as it once was difficult to attain.

 

 

De Colores...

 

 

 

"Janua Coeli"

During the last years of her life and during her last illness, St. Elizabeth often referred to Mary as “Janua Coeli” (Gate of Heaven).  

She was seen often in the presence of the statue of the Virgin of Lourdes.

Elizabeth carried this statue with her almost continuously – even when she was absent from the infirmary.

 

 

 

  

 

Mary And the Carmelite Saints

This is a little project that describes the relationship of several famous Carmelite Saints and the Most Blessed Virgin Mary:

• St. Teresa of Jesus
• St. John of the Cross
• St. Therese of Lisieux
• St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
• St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
• St. Teresa of the Andes
• St. Mary of Jesus Crucified
• St. Raphael Kalinowski

English and Spanish versions are available.

The online booklet is available here:

http://anyflip.com/fmnq/bdqn  (English, Black Background)
http://anyflip.com/fmnq/lkpq  (English, White Background)
http://anyflip.com/fmnq/vrfw  (Spanish, Black Background)


The booklet can be downloaded (PDF format) here:

Mary Booklet -- English, Black (PDF -- English, Black Background)
Mary Booklet -- English, White (PDF -- English, White Background)
Mary Booklet -- Spanish, Black (PDF -- Spanish, Black Background)


There is also a 5-part video series on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEaPq9IxkbtW8f-VQlR5rboFghlFqwN42

In Union and Moved By the Spirit...

God alone moves these souls [who have reached habitual union with God] toward those works that are in harmony with his will and ordinance, and they cannot be moved toward others. Thus the works and prayer of these souls always produce their effect.

Such were the prayer and the works of our Lady, the most glorious Virgin raised from the very beginning to this high estate, she never had the form of any creature impressed in her soul, nor was she moved by any, for she was always moved by the Holy Spirit.

St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mt. Carmel, Book 3, 2:10

Let Go Of Your Plans...

 

 

Preparation for Communion...

St. Therese lived in the presence of the Blessed Mother when fulfilling the most important act of the day: receiving Holy Communion. This was her method of preparing:

 

I picture to myself my soul as an open field from which I ask the Blessed Virgin to remove the obstacles which are my imperfections…At the moment of Communion, I sometimes imagine my soul is a child of three or four years, who has just come from play, hair disheveled, and clothes disorderly and soiled. These are the injuries that I meet in combating with souls…. Then comes the Blessed Virgin and in a moment makes me respectable looking and fit to assist at the Banquet of the Angels without shame (Autobiography, 254)

 

 

 

In Praise of Mercy...

To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy,
we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother,

for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You,
because She is chosen from among men and angels.

Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us.

Through Her, man became pleasing to God;

Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.

(St. Faustina Diary, 1746)

 

 

The "Virgin of the Smile"

All of a sudden the Blessed Virgin appeared beautiful to me, so beautiful that never
had I seen anything so attractive; her face was suffused with an ineffable benevolence and tenderness, but what penetrated to the very depths of my soul was the “ravishing smile of the Blessed Virgin.”

 

Replica of the statue of the "Virgin of the Smile".

Therese's cure from a mysterious illness took place on May 13, 1883.

It was Pentecost Sunday.

 

The Holy Family...

My wife and I arrived a bit late for Mass today, and found it necessary to sit in the crying room.  There were few seats remaining in the rest of church.

On the wall in the room was a framed picture of the Holy Family -- Mary, Joseph, and a young baby Jesus.

A young mother in the pew before us held her toddler son, who took an immediate interest in the painting.  Glancing up at the portrait and moving his fingers aroound, he promptly declared "Daddy", "Mommy", "Baby".

It doesn't take a genius to recognize the simple beauty present in the family of God...

On Suffering...

There is a call to suffering with Christ and, through this, to cooperate in His salvific work.

In uniting ourselves with the Lord, we become members of his Mystical Body.
Through his members Christ extends His own life and it is He who suffers in them.

When we are in union with the Lord, our suffering becomes His suffering.
It becomes an integral part of the great work of salvation and is therefore fruitful.

(Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Letters 60).

Chosen for the Cross...

 

 

 

Saw this quote on a Carmelite Facebook site.

Think the message is quite compelling.

 

(My apologies for any possible copyright violations for repeating it here).

At Lourdes...

 

"I am the Immaculate Conception"

 

 

 

The Canticle Of Mary

El Rosario / The Rosary

El Rosario / The Rosary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tekUeHIlc8

 

 

Light. . .

 

You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor does one light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
It is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
And glorify your heavenly Father (Mt 5:14-16).

 

 

Thoughts When We Were Young...

One day, one of my teachers at the Abbey asked me what I did on my free afternoons when I was alone.

I told her I went behind my bed in an empty space which was there, and that it was easy to close myself in with my bed curtain and that ‘I thought.’   “But  what do you think about?” she asked. ‘I think about God, about life, about ETERNITY…I think!’

I understand now that I was making mental prayer without knowing it and that God was already instructing me in secret.”

–Story of A Soul

Glory...

A few years ago I was attending a morning mass at St. Maria Goretti in Scottsdale, AZ.   There is a lovely window in the sanctuary that caught the sun at a interesting angle right after communion.

I snapped a quick picture (hope the Lord wasn't too offended by the disturbance). 

Perhaps a little glimmer of the wonder and glory of God...

Laudem Gloriae

At the end of her life, St. Elizabeth began to call herself "Laudem Gloriae." Elizabeth wanted that to be her name in heaven because it means "in praise of glory."

She said: "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."

A Little Cell...

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity once told a young girl she was looking after:

You must build a little cell within your soul as I do .  Remember that God is there and enter it from time to time; when you feel nervous or you're unhappy, quickly seek refuge there and tell the Master all about it...

Do you have a little cell prepared for God?

Am I Willing...

Found a little poem that a Carmelite friend wrote.  Some things to think about.


AM I WILLING TO SUFFER IN ORDER TO MOVE CLOSER TO GOD?

 

1. If I never experienced pain, how would I know He is a healer? 

2. If I never prayed, how would I know He is a deliverer? 

3. If I never had a trial, how could I call Him an overcomer? 

4. If I never felt sad, how would I know He is a comforter? 

5. If I never made a mistake, how would I know that He is a forgiver? 

6. If I knew everything, how would I know He will answer my question? 

7. If I was never in trouble, how would I know that He will rescue me? 

8. If I was never broken, how would I know He would make me whole? 

9. If I never had a problem, how would I know that He can solve them? 

10. If I never suffered, how would I know what He went through? 

11. If I had all things, how would I know to be appreciative to Him? 

12.If I was never corrected, how would I know His love? 

13. If I had all power, how would I know my need to depend on Him? 

14. If my life was perfect, how would I know my need for Him? 

15. If I never went through fire (purgation, purification) how could I be made more pure?

 

 

 

Behold. . .

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...

 

 

Christ the Redeemer

During the recent 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro there was a lot of fanfare -- both good and bad.

The country of Brazil got some publicity surrounding the zika virus and other issues.

But on the positive side, the television media periodically panned to this wonderful statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Mount Corcovado. 

Airline travelers coming into Rio de Janeiro can't help but spot this landmark-- it's difficult to miss.

Come Lord Jesus.

If Only For the Gospel's Sake

With the Lord's help, I composed this little tune about 10 years ago.  Tried rearranging it a few times, adding more verses -- but eventually came back to a simple format with limited vocals.  Has kind of a "dreamy", contemplative feel.

The theme is based upon the famous words of St. Paul in Corinthians:

"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win over the Jews... To the weak I have became weak, to win over the weak... I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel" (1 Cor 9). 

As I think about the lives of the saints, it's a reminder of what they did -- and what we are called to do...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbzLSHzFLSo

Praying With Mary

Think I read somewhere a while ago that all our prayers and supplications pass thru the hands of Our Blessed Mother... 

Maybe some saint wrote about this.  I don't remember.

While probably not a dogma or an official church teaching, it seems like a pious and lovely thought. And indeed, it seems reasonable. 

If God wished to redeem and save humanity with the help of Our Lady (Gen 3:15 ff), would not God let Mary participate in its day-to-day redemption as well? 

Mary always points to Jesus.