We wish to see Jesus

John 12:20-33

1. Opening prayer

Father, hear our prayer: we implore You to send Your Spirit abundantly upon us, so that we may learn to listen to Your voice that proclaimed the glory of Your Son who gives himself for our salvation. May this attentive and concerned listening germinate in us a new hope so that we may follow wholeheartedly our Master and Redeemer, even in difficult and dark moments. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.

2. Reading

a) The context:

We have come to the end of the "book of signs", which is the interpretative key that John uses in his Gospel and is already foreshadowing the deadly conflict between the ruling class and Jesus. This passage is like a hinge between what John has told us up to now and ends with this appearance of the "peoples" (marked by the term "Greeks"), and that which is about to take place. John subdivides the next events into two sections. The first section is the dialogue with the disciples alone, in the context of the paschal supper (cc. 13-17); the second will be the public scene of the passion and the apparitions as the risen one (cc. 18-21).
This passage may not be entirely real. It wishes to point out that the opening to the people began with Jesus himself. It is not a question of going to others to convince them of something, but above all of welcoming their seeking and bringing it to maturity. This kind of maturity does not happen by itself but requires the collaboration of others and dialogue with Jesus. John does not tell us whether Jesus spoke to the Greeks. The text seems to abbreviate the story when it points to the "kind of Jesus" those who seek Him must go towards. It is the Jesus who gives His life, who bears fruit through His death. Not, therefore, a "philosopher" or "wise" Jesus, but above all one who is not attached to His own life and who gave His life and placed himself at the service of everyone else’s life.
Verses 27-33, which show the anguished and troubled soul of Jesus when faced with His imminent death, are also called "the Gethsemane of the fourth Gospel", in parallel with the Synoptic Gospels concerning the painful vigil of Jesus in Gethsemane. That which happens to a grain of wheat, that is, only when it breaks and dies can it free all its vitality, is also true of Jesus who in dying will show all His love by giving His life. The story of the grain of wheat is the story of Jesus and of every disciple who wishes to serve Him and have life in Him.

b) The text:

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus. "Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. "I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name. "Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again. "The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him."Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

3. A moment of silent prayer

to re-read the text with our heart and to recognize in the words and structure, the presence of the mystery of the living God.

4. Some questions

to see the important points in the text and begin to assimilate them.

a) Why is it that precisely Philip and Andrew were the ones approached?
b) What were the "Greeks" really seeking?
c) Have we sometimes been asked similar questions concerning faith, the Church, or Christian life?
d) Jesus does not seem to have met the "Greeks" but He made reference to His coming "hour". Why?
e) Did Jesus expect them to answer in set forms? Or through their witness?

5. A deepening of the reading

"Sir we wish to see Jesus"

This is the request some "Greeks" put to Philip. It is told that they "went up to worship at the feast". They were probably those "who feared God" of whom the New Testament frequently speaks, people who were sympathizers of the Jewish religion, even though they were not Jews. They may have been of "Syro-Phoenician origin as Mark tells us (7:26), when he speaks of the woman who sought the healing of her daughter. By their request, we may think that these "Greeks" were just curious to meet a famous and much talked of person.
But the context within which John places this request shows that they really sought Jesus with all their heart. Especially since they come immediately after it is written: "The whole world followed Him" (Jn 12:19). Then Jesus comments on the statement with "the coming of the hour of the Son of man". The fact that they went to Philip, and Philip then went to Andrew, is due to the fact that both of them came from Bethsaida, a city where people came from mixed background and one needed to understand several languages. These two represent two sensibilities: Philip is more traditional (as we can see from his words when he meets Jesus (Jn 1:45); while Andrew had already participated in John’s movement and was more open to new things (cf. Jn 1:41). This is to show that the community that opens itself to pagans, that welcomes the request of those who seek with a curious heart, is welcomed by a community that lives in a variety of sensibilities.

"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth…"

Jesus’ reply seems to be less interested in the Greeks who wish to see Him, and more directed to all, the disciples as well as the Greeks. He sees frontiers opening, hears the tumultuous following of the peoples, but He wishes to point out that this fame, which has attracted them, this "glory" that they would like to know more closely, is quite different from their expectations. His is a life that is about to be destroyed, a "word" that is about to be silenced, trampled to death, buried in the bowels of hatred and the earth to make it disappear. Thus instead of seeing glory in human form, they stand before a "glory" that reveals itself through suffering and death.
This is true for them, but it is also true for every Christian community that wishes to open itself to "Greeks". Such a community must "consult" with the Lord, that is, it must keep in contact with this facet, this death for life, must give its own contemplation of the mystery and not just provide ideas. It must live in full detachment from security and human gratification, so that it may serve the Lord and, it too, receive honor from the Father. Attachment to one’s life and to worldly wisdom – and in the Greek world these were important values – is the great obstacle to a true "knowledge of Jesus". To serve the name of the Lord, welcome the request of those who "seek Him", bring these seekers to Jesus, without living according to the Lord, without above all giving witness to sharing one’s choice of life, one’s gift of life, is useless.

"How is my soul troubled"

This "disquiet" of Jesus is another very interesting element. It is not easy to suffer. The flesh rebels, the natural tendency is to flee from suffering. Jesus too felt this same repugnance and had the same horror before a death that promised to be painful and humiliating. His question, "And what shall I say?", reveals this trembling, this fear, this temptation to avoid such a death. John places this difficult moment before the last supper. The Synoptics, however, place it at the prayer in Gethsemane (Mk 14:32-42; Mt 26:36-46; Lk 22:39-46). However, they are all agreed about this trembling and trouble, which makes Him like us, fragile and afraid.
But Jesus deals with this anguish by "entrusting himself" to the Father, reminding himself that this is His plan, that the whole of His life is directed precisely to this hour, that it is here that He reveals himself and makes sense. We know well that the theme of the hour is very important for John: see the first mention at the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:4) and then frequently (Jn 4:21; 7:6.8.30; 8:20; 11:9; 13:1; 17:1). It is not so much a matter of a precise time as of a decisive circumstance towards which everything is pointing.

"I will draw all people to myself"

Seen apart from the homicidal violence of one who felt threatened, the hanging on the cross becomes a real elevation, that is, the exhibiting of one who is salvation and blessing for all. From the violence that wanted to marginalize and eliminate, we move to the force exercised by that icon of the elevated. This is an "attraction" generated by curiosity, but which through love will become the source of discipleship, of allegiance in all those who can go beyond the physical event and see in Him total free gift of self.
It will no longer be seen as the ignominious death that creates distance, but the source of a mysterious attraction, a way that gives new meanings to life. A life given that generates life; a life killed that generates hope and new solidarity, new communion, new freedom.

6. Psalm 125

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
"The Lord has done great things for them."
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negev!
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy!

Whoever goes forth weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

7. Closing prayer

Lord our God, keep Your Son’s disciples from the easy ways of popularity, of cheap glory, and lead them to the ways of the poor and scourged of the earth, so that they may recognize in their faces the face of the Master and Redeemer. Give them eyes to see possible ways of peace and solidarity; ears to hear the requests of sense and salvation of so many people who seek as by feeling; enrich their hearts with generous fidelity and a sensitivity and understanding so that they may walk along the way and be true and sincere witnesses to the glory that shines in the crucified resurrected and victorious one. Who lives and reigns gloriously with You, Father, forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus, Light of the World
John 3:14-21

1. Opening prayer

Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of Your dwelling place,
lead our mind to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May our feelings, impoverished as they are,
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night,
and may it open our hearts to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
bringing us,
who have kept vigil us close to the divine Master,
the flavor of the holy memory.

1. LECTIO

a) The text:

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. ”For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

b) A moment of silence:

Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.

2. MEDITATIO

a) Some questions:

- God has loved the world so much…: how many judgments and prejudices on what we think is an insensitive and far away God. Would this not be, perhaps, because we attribute to Him that which instead are our responsibilities?
- Light came into the world, but men have preferred darkness: whoever deludes himself by being only man and lives away from God cannot choose the light, because the illusion would vanish. How much darkness surrounds my days?
- Whoever does the truth comes out into the light. He is not afraid to show what he is. Man is not asked to be infallible, but simply to be man. Are we capable of living our weakness as a place of encounter and of openness to God as well as to others, who like myself, need to work faithfully in their space and in their time?

b) Key to the reading:

3:14-15. “As Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him”. For the sons of Israel, who were bitten by the poisonous snakes in the desert, Moses offered the possibility of salvation by looking at the bronze serpent. If man succeeds in raising his head and looking on high, God prepares an alternative for him. He does not oblige but is there, available. The mystery of human liberty, of freedom, is the most lovable thing which God could invent! The choice of a look, of an encounter, of a new opportunity… the Son of Man in the desert of the world will be raised up on the cross as a sign of salvation for all those who will feel the need to continue living and will not allow themselves to be bitten by poisonous mistaken choices. Christ is there: cursed is he who has no faith, blessed is he who believes. We, like the Israelites in the desert, have been “bitten” by the serpent in Eden, and we need to look at the bronze serpent raised up on the staff of wood in order not to die: “Whoever believes in him has eternal life”.

3:16. For, in fact, God has loved the world so much, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. God loves us with a preferential love, a tangible love, a love which speaks… Could the Father come directly? Yes, but is the love of a Father, who gives His only Son, not greater? Every mother, if she is able to choose, prefers to die herself rather than see her son die. God has loved us so much, to the point of seeing His Son die!

3:17. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through Him the world would be saved. A God capable of a perfect judgment sends the Son not to judge but to be a place of salvation. Truly, it is necessary to discard every thought and to place oneself before such a great love. Only the One who loves can “judge,” that is, “save”. He knows the fragility of the human heart and knows that His image, which has been darkened, has the possibility to be clear again. It is not necessary to make it anew. The logic of life does not know death: God, who is life, cannot destroy what He himself has wanted to create. That, in some way, would be to destroy himself.

3:18. No one who believes in Him will be judged; but whoever does not believe is judged already, because that person does not believe in the Name of God’s only Son. Faith is the discriminating element in every existence. Not to believe in the name of the Only Begotten Son: this is already a condemnation, because he who does not accept love excludes himself from love!

3:19-20. And the judgment is this: though the light has come into the world, people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, to prevent his actions from being seen. The only judgment, by which humanity is invested, is the call to live in the light. When the sun rises, nothing can escape from its rays… and the same thing for men. When Christ is born, nobody can escape from this light which inundates everything. But men have constructed their houses to be able to flee from the light of the Love which sheds itself everywhere, houses of egotism, houses of opportunity. They have intertwined tunnels and hiding places to continue freely to carry out their deeds. And can a work deprived of light bear fruit? The light of existence has only one source: God. He who withdraws from the light dies.

3:21. But whoever does the truth comes out into the light, so that what he is doing may plainly appear as done in God. Everything which is under the rays of eternal love is filled with light as it happens in nature. It seems that everything smiles when the sun shines. The things which during the day are familiar and beautiful, at night, take a form which inspires fear by the fact that they are not visible. The sun does not change its form, but it exalts it in its beauty. Whoever lives the truth of himself and accepts his fragility as an ornament of his being a man is not afraid of light because he has nothing to hide. He knows that as a creature he acts in the logic of limitation, but this does not diminish the greatness of his work because his life is one with eternal truth.

c) Reflection:

The garden becomes a desert for the man who draws himself away from God. And in the desert of his limitations as man he once again finds the poisonous bites of the serpent. But God does not abandon His children, and when they withdraw from Him, he follows them, ready to intervene when necessary. A serpent, the symbol of healing, is raised every time that the poison weakens the life in man, Christ the Lord. If man prefers to look down to the ground and to remain in the desert of “I do it myself,” God, just the same, offers Himself: as a serpent, as the only way in which man can recognize Him. Christ has made Himself sin, damned, in order to save His image, in order not to let human life die out. Condemnation does not belong to God; it is man’s choice. I am completely free. God’s freedom has a price of condemnation. Only people who are not intelligent enough do not profit from a gift which is given to them. It is simply foolish not to accept what is best so as not to feel as debtors. In the sphere of love the word “debt” does not exist, because gratuitousness is the only term that can be consulted. With the word, gratuitousness light explodes: everything becomes possible, everything becomes an occasion. Works done in darkness or works done in God. It is better to go frequently to halls filled by the sunshine of a never finished apprenticeship! At least there life grows and joy fills all things with beauty.

3. ORATIO

Psalm 35

Sin is the oracle of the wicked
in the depths of his heart;
there is no fear of God before his eyes.
He sees himself with too flattering an eye
to detect and detest his guilt;
all he says is malicious and deceitful;
he has turned his back on wisdom.
To get his way
he hatches malicious plots even in his bed;
once set on his evil course
no wickedness is too much for him.

Yahweh, Your faithful love is in the heavens,
Your constancy reaches to the clouds,
Your saving justice is like towering mountains,
Your judgments like the mighty deep.
Yahweh, You support both man and beast;
how precious, God, is Your faithful love.
So the children of Adam
take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

They feast on the bounty of Your house,
You let them drink from Your delicious streams;
in You is the source of life,
by Your light we see the light.
Maintain Your faithful love
to those who acknowledge You
and Your saving justice to the honest of heart.

Do not let the foot of the arrogant overtake me
or wicked hands drive me away.
There they have fallen, the evil-doers,
flung down, never to rise again.

4. CONTEMPLATIO

When holy fear abandons me, Oh Lord, I feel sin which speaks in my heart: these are moments of illusion, moments in which I go to look for my failures. I experience the sense of guilt without end, and all this is useless because I have not understood that it is only in doing good, that the iniquitous and misleading words of evil are extinguished. To be obstinate to evil is an attraction, almost as if this would give me more importance and honor, more value. When I become aware that what you give me and allow me to live is immense, then I perceive the great abyss of Your fidelity, and I see how Your salvation does not know any limits. Everything inundates and takes me with it, me who are in Your image and all that You have created for me and to which I have given a name. Truly, Your grace is precious. In Your house the abundance of protection is in force, and pleasure and delight flow like water. If I look through Your eyes, Lord, then everything is light. And nothing is now difficult, because my heart, purified from temptation of being God in Your place, tells me that I will be God with You. Rivalry, competition, hostility… vanish in the face of Your offer to participate in Your divine life. God with you. You, the source of the image and I a reflection of that image! Your love as sap runs through the heart, through the depth of my humanity until I find my origin: in your Name.

During the General Congregation of the Order at Niagara Falls, Canada, last September, an on-going formation course in the Holy Land from 29th August to 12th September 2012 was announced. In a letter to the provincials last November inviting them to send participants to this course it stated that the theme of the programme would be Back to the Sources, with the time divided between Mount Carmel and Jerusalem. The course will be experiential, following a prayerful and reflective journey to the places of biblical and Carmelite interest. The programme will be led by some members of the International Formation Commission, and by an official Carmelite guide.

Members of the Order wishing to participate in this course should do so through their local provincials, commissaries or delegates sending their application to the Secretary General, Fr. Mario Alfarano at Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.. Applications will be received up until 1st April 2012.

On the 10th of February last, a ceremony to honour Fr. Bartolomé Xiberta was held at our house in Tarrasa (Barcelona, Spain) the city where he died in 1967. At the ceremony there was a presentation of the book written by the priest Josep Maria Manresa Lamarca, titled, The Ecclesiology of Fr. B. Xiberta (1897-1967), recently published by the Institutum Carmelitanum in Edizioni Carmelitane (Rome).

Along with the author, those who attended the ceremony included, Don Salvador Cristau, Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese of Tarrasa, (a message of support and affection was received from the Bishop of Tarassa, Don José Ángel Meneses, whom illness prevented from being present), the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., the Postulator General, Fr. Giovanni Grosso, O.Carm., the Prior Provincial of the Province of Catalonia, Fr. Manuel Bonilla, O.Carm., and Don Salvador Pie Ninot, professor of Ecclisiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University who directed the thesis that has just been published. Each of the speakers spoke about the figure of Bartolomé Xiberta from a particular point of view: the theologian, the Carmelite, the sage and the religious. As people are aware, Fr. Xiberta’s cause for beatification is underway.

On February 6, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. a 6.9 Magnitude earthquake hit the Negros - Cebu regions of the Philippines. Our parish has been badly affected with the loss of 23 lives, including many children and babies, over 40 houses were totally destroyed and another 12 very badly damaged.

The Carmelite parish priest has asked for our help and the Curia has sent $10,000 immediately in emergency aid, thanks to the generosity of the Little Flower Fund. Please help! You can contact the Bursar General in Rome who will send money directly to the Philippines and ensure all of it reaches the parish and the people.

by Sr. Mary Theodore Therese, O.Carm.

When Our Lord, Jesus Christ, turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, the headwaiter said, "...you have kept the best wine until now." That's how I feel about my life here in Carmel at Our Lady of Grace Monastery. God has blessed us exceedingly with his merciful love, grace and compassion to be able to live lives of consecrated devotion to Christ and our Blessed Virgin Mary in service of the Church and all humanity.

Simply, it's a miracle that I am here! It is the realization of the grace God planted in me at the moment of my childhood conversion at the Billy Graham Crusade in Indianapolis, Indiana, when my devout parents took my older sister and me along with them to hear Billy Graham preach. I was about seven years old and was so deeply moved by what I heard that I was ready, "to do whatever He tells you."

I will always be extremely grateful and indebted to my parents, Ralph and Catherine McWilliams, for their great love for God and the conscious living of their Christian faith. Their witness in sacrifice and love still lives on in my heart, shaping and influencing my path. In hindsight, I can now see how each twist and turn in my life was creating an important piece of this sacred puzzle that is still continuing to be shaped, formed and fitted together according to God's will and grace.

One such turn was becoming the caregiver of my mom which meant moving back to Indianapolis, and leaving my job in New York. I was taking a huge, frightful leap into the unknown. As it turned out, it became the most important "leap" that paved the way to the Catholic Church and to Carmel. By being in Indianapolis, I ended up with a firm which on a long-term project brought me to Austin, Texas.

One huge factor in my Catholic conversion was my love for Blessed John Paul II and his insistent call to holiness. In the spring of 2005 when Pope John Paul became ill for the last time, I was devastated and daily watched, prayed and cried along with the rest of the world
out of gratitude for all he meant to us.

I entered Austin's Saint Mary Cathedral for the first time to attend the Pope's funeral via satellite TV immediately it seems that a connection was made between me and the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, shrouded in darkness nearby. At first, I thought it was my imagination yet the feeling of her warmth and compassion was very real. I found myself returning often to the Cathedral for Mass services. Within the year, I began attending their RCIA class and came into the Church Easter, 2006. Several weeks later, I saw a flyer for a vocation retreat. Calling to get information, I found out about the First Profession of Vows for a Carmelite Nun that was to take place in Christoval, Texas. I was invited to attend. Rounding that corner and seeing the beautiful steeple of this holy place rise up out of God's earth as if it had been hidden for all time, I instantaneously knew that this was the place I have been searching for all my life!

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, O.M.I., was there. After the ceremony, he greeted me with such joyful liveliness, I felt right at home. Shortly thereafter, I visited again and to my surprise, the Bishop had come for a visit as well. I felt it was a confirmation from God that this is where he wanted me to be.

Still, it took a lot of discernment and questions to myself like "Have you completely lost your mind? After all you've worked for in life, you're going to give it up to become a nun?" Then the childhood memories came flooding back. The times when I told my Dad that I wanted to be a nun—and we weren't even Catholic! Where did that thought come from? How God works his wonders in us from the very beginning without our being aware!
Since I was a new convert, I was asked to wait at least two years and I am thankful I did. The Catholic faith is such a rich and deep treasure that those few years gave me more time to develop a greater hunger for the Word of God and to experience life as a Catholic.

Carmel! The Garden of God—the deep well of refreshment in His Presence, the challenge to open one's heart and surrender to his will and design.

Carmel, the desert—often barren and arid where only faith and hope provide deep roots as one waits to see his face.

Carmel, the wellspring of the great saints who tell us to trust, to trust and to wait, that God is ever-present beyond our deepest sensing and closer to us than our own breath.

Carmel, the place of true community and service so that not only we but all humanity can feed from the love of God that "has been poured into our souls by the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."

In summary, I am becoming a cloistered Carmelite nun so that, in poverty, I can become rich in grace; in obedience, attain true freedom; and in chastity, perfect purity of heart so that I can try to show God with this great love that he has given me how much I love him by living for him alone and serving and loving his people and his Church!

* Carmelite Preview  Fall 2011/Winter 2012

by Province of Arago -Valentina

By D.J. Fonntana-Schmidt, T.O.C.

On January 15, 2011, I made my final promises as a Third Order Lay Carmelite, in the Living Flame of Love Lay Carmelite Community of the Province of The Most Pure Heart of Mary. Our community is located in Bartlett, Illinois. As I prepared for my Final Profession I realized the stirring within my heart was the same I had experienced through the years that eventually led me to respond to Carmel’s call. There are so many beautiful mysteries to contemplate along this path. However, I tried to focus on that one mystery of our Catholic faith that had the strongest connection for me, personally, to my Lay Carmelite vocation, and I knew immediately it was The Lamb of God – Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, His most holy Sacrifice and Sacrament of the Altar.

The days before making my final promises actually elicited thoughts very much reminiscent of the days just before my first Holy Communion. The mystery and anticipation I felt were very much the same as I felt then. What was very different now were the many years which had given me a wealth of experience to draw upon, to help me understand the meaning of this mystery more clearly, of course, then I had at the age of seven. I began to look back on this experience to sort out wonder upon wonder of this holy sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ in direct relationship to my Lay Carmelite vocation. What I came to understand is how, as Third Order Lay Carmelites, we are called to go out into the world to love and to serve others. Through the gift of the most Holy Eucharist we are given the direction and strength to do so with great zeal.

A few weeks before my final promises, I listened to a set of audio tapes recorded during a novena held by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1973, where he spoke to a group in Ireland on the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.^[1] As I listened to Bishop Sheen on these tapes, one part of his talk in particular brought all of my reflections together so wonderfully. Following are these words that I listened to that day:

Bishop Sheen read these words of St. Thérèse:

“…I have no wish to amass merits for heaven. I work for love alone, my sole aim being to console the Sacred Heart. So at the close of life’s evening I shall appear before You with empty hands and I ask You not to count my works. All I want to do is to console You. See then, all that Jesus asks of us; He has no need of our works, but only our love. This very God, who declares that He needs not to tell us if He were hungry, did not hesitate to beg of the Samaritan woman a little water. He thirsted, but in saying, ‘give me to drink’ it was the love of His poor creature that the creator of the universe besought. He thirsted for our love and He wants us to surrender ourselves to Him to make Him happy.”

Bishop Sheen then commented, as follows, on these words of St. Thérèse:

“Could it ever be, then, that our Blessed Lord, who lived on this earth and ascended into heaven, is sorrowing? Is Our Lord still on the cross, and will He be on the cross until the end of time? Passages of St. Thérèse have a very unusual point of view. She never looks to Our Lord to be consoled; she’s always looking to console Him; that’s the amazing thing! You always thought that our Blessed Lord was perfectly happy and needed no consolation; how then, does St. Thérèse say that He needs consolation? I will explain this to you now. When our Blessed Lord was on the cross He spoke seven times. They were almost like seven notes of a funeral dirge, and one of the last words that He said were ‘It is finished’. That did not mean, ‘Thank heaven it’s over’, but it means, ‘My mission is accomplished; I have done all that my Father has asked me to do.’ So you see, here, He is saying He has finished the work that He had to do. Now if He had finished his sufferings, how could St. Thérèse say she has to console Him? Well the answer is this: When the Lord was on the cross, the body that He suffered in is the body He took from Mary. The body to which St. Thérèse is referring is His mystical body, the Church. In other words, Christ is glorified in His glorified body in heaven, in the body He took from Mary, but He’s living in His body on earth and He’s suffering many indignities now just as He suffered indignities then. So then, His sufferings were finished in the physical body, but His sufferings are not finished in the mystical body, the Church.”

Having now listened to these words of St. Thérèse as spoken by Bishop Sheen, and hearing his interpretation and further explanation, my thoughts immediately turned toward a homily given by the associate pastor of our parish on January 1, 2009, which I had noted in my journal. Our priest spoke of Mary, the Mother of God, and the place of nurture vs. nature in trying to reconcile our understanding of this great mystery of the divine and human nature of Our Lord, God, Jesus Christ. Through this insight he conveyed the message that, while we may think it is ridiculous to believe that it is up to us to “care for Our Lord”, this is not unreasonable, and in fact it is expected. We are given the responsibility to maintain the integrity of our Catholic beliefs and our knowledge of Jesus as both human and divine, truly the Son of Mary, and the Son of God. He continued to explain that one of the ways in which we must work most diligently to accomplish this is to serve each other with love and kindness, but especially to serve the poor and those in need in our society.

Now, here, two years later, the words from the homily of the priest of our parish are re-affirmed through the words of St. Thérèse and the comments of Bishop Sheen that I’d heard for the first time. Now, as I reflected upon the great significance of my final promises to live my life as a Third Order Lay Carmelite, the Eucharistic connection in Carmel had been brought full circle. All of this now formed a more solid connection for me to the Body of Christ, The Lamb of God, in our Catholic faith, in my Carmelite Spirituality. Suddenly – so beautifully, words spoken and heard in a span of two years apart from each other came together, giving me a greater awareness of the wonder and mystery of Jesus and the victory of the Cross. I now understood even more clearly; yes, it is our responsibility to care for Our Lord, the Body of Christ, the Lamb of God. When we receive Holy Eucharist we receive God; we receive His Real Presence, to remain always with us, just as He promised. The reason we continue to believe and continue to receive is because we continue to know that Jesus dwells within us to give us the courage, support, and determination needed to lead good lives, and to do whatever we can to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

            After receiving Christ Jesus in Holy Eucharist, each of us leaves Mass as a living tabernacle, being asked at the final blessing from our priest, acting in persona Christi, to go out and be Christ in the world. Through my journey as a Lay Carmelite I’ve come to realize more than ever how we are meant to carry this glorified gift of Holy Eucharist, of Jesus Christ, human and divine, out into the world. We are to continue to carry the light of Christ, burning as this “Living Flame of Love” within us. We are called to radiate this light of love upon all we meet. How wonderful this sounds – how difficult to achieve.

            In His humanity Jesus attained the victory of the cross for us. In His divinity Jesus re-presents the Sacrifice of Himself as The Lamb of God, and once again gives the gift of Himself to each of us in Holy Eucharist… truly God present with us! As we humbly and gratefully accept His gift of vulnerable, whole, complete self, wouldn’t it be a remarkable slight to leave that gift behind, forgotten and unappreciated, as we go out to continue our day-to-day lives? Of course, it would be a terribly offensive act on our part! However, as a Lay Carmelites we’ve been fully vested with the armour of God to enable us to fight adversity in the secular world in which we live and work, thus enabling us to actively communicate His Love through our words and actions.

            Through instruction on the Rule of St. Albert I know that I need to be “stout in conscience in full allegiance to Jesus Christ”, and I can persevere, because I am also under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is with these protections and reinforcements that I am able, and expected, to do much more to love and serve others. Again… very easily expressed, but very difficult to achieve. Unless, of course, I try to remember St. Thérèse and her “little ways”; unless I try to achieve this – not in giant strides of philanthropy or missionary pilgrimage – but in “little ways” of kindness, helpfulness, thoughtfulness to family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, strangers, as I meet them each and every day. Through my Lay Carmelite vocation I have come more clearly to understand how much I have been given in the gift of the Eucharist. It is through Holy Eucharist that I know I am given strength and new resolve to return to others a small portion of the immense love that I have been given by Christ Jesus. St. Thérèse conveys to us, so beautifully, her little ways and how we, as insignificant as we are, with continuing faults and failures, can work continually toward the true virtue of complete and sincere love for all.

            Often I have expressed to others the fact that I want to come to a place in my life where I will immediately see only God in everyone and see everyone only through the eyes of Christ, without hesitation, without pause. Each time I am reminded that we are human; we are finite and flawed, and can only hope to achieve this perfection when we finally leave this earthly home. Each time I become quiet and still and do not respond, because I know that everyone is right. Only God is perfect love, and we may never attain this state, here or hereafter. What I do feel, though, is the call to never stop working toward this goal, no matter how elusive and unachievable it may appear to be. We are all called to achieve the seemingly unachievable: “Be you therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).

            And so, I can only hope to persevere in achieving this way of perfection, through the Carmelite Way, through consistent little steps of love. I believe that to allow myself to fall deeply into the streams of Carmel will bring about the true humility necessary to eventually be able to live this love that has been given to me, given to all, and meant to be shared by all mankind. For me, then, the Lamb of God brought together all that I have been given, and all that is meant to be given in return, as best as I can. At Holy Mass the day after my final promises, I heard these words in the consecration, as well as from the Gospel, “– Behold, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). What wonderful affirmation!

            I know full well that I am not now, and never will be, worthy of this gift of Carmel’s Call. However, if it is God’s Will for me, then that is all I ever need to know, and this, then, is certainly where I belong. In accepting this gift I also know that I must continue to work toward reflecting Christ’s “Living Flame of Love” to everyone, as best as I can. I must always remember the words of Bishop Sheen, (commenting on St. Thérèse and her words on the consolation of Christ):

“…He’s suffering many indignities now just as He suffered indignities then. So then, His sufferings were finished in the physical body, but His sufferings are not finished in the mystical body, the Church.”

I believe that the main focus of my Lay Carmelite vocation, then, must be to try always to “console Christ” in striving to relieve the indignities and suffering in the world today. Again, I cannot do this on some grand scale, but in “little ways”, through genuine acts of love and kindness to each and everyone in my daily interactions. This sacrifice of the gentle lamb for all mankind, for all eternity, can never be repaid. His life was offered so we may know God’s great love for us and reflect His great love to others. Therefore, for me, The Lamb of God encompasses all. It is the Paschal Mystery, the Eucharistic Mystery of the Church; the centre and core of my Catholic belief and my Lay Carmelite Spirituality. It is my life and my salvation.

*From Carmel in the World No2 2011

[1]     “Novena to St. Thérèse of the Little Flower” by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen; Given at the Carmelite Church, Whitefriars Street, Dublin, in 1973. Audio tapes by: Carmelite Church, Whitefriar Street, Dublin, 1988.

By Fr. Joseph Chalmers, O. Carm.

Mary is a model for Carmelites and therefore a model for Carmelites who work in the area of peace and justice. Mary’s way of believing is a light and example for the work of the Carmelite NGO, as I hope to be able to explain in this article.

We read in Lk. 1: 46-52:

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

This passage is a favourite of many people who work in the area of justice because it speaks of throwing down the powerful from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. What has the figure of Mary to say to those who actively seek justice and peace for all and who are actively concerned with the integrity of creation?

Carmelites and Mary

As Carmelites we are proud of the intimate connection between the Order and Our Lady. She is the Patroness of the Order, our Mother and our Sister.^[1] In the Carmelite Rule, the hermits were directed to build a chapel in the midst of the cells: “An oratory should be built as conveniently as possible among the cells, where, if it can be done without difficulty, you are to gather each morning to hear Mass.” (Rule, 14)^[2] We know that this little oratory was named in honour of Mary, the Lady of the Place, as she was called, and this was the formal beginning of the long and rich relationship between Carmelites and Our Lady. In this chapel the hermits gathered together for the celebration of the Eucharist. Each hermit came out from the solitude of his individual cell, where he had been “pondering the Lord's law day and night and keeping watch at his prayers unless attending to some other duty.” (Rule, 10) Although Carmelite life has changed quite a lot in 800 years, this movement between the solitude of the cells and the communal aspect of the chapel remains a very important element of our spirituality.

A Journey of Transformation

The Carmelite life is a journey of transformation and this journey has both a solitary and a communitarian aspect. If we do not seek God and struggle with God’s will in solitude, we have nothing to offer the community, both in the narrow sense of the community within which we live and in the wider sense of the community of the human family. On this journey towards transformation, we receive strength from our individual relationship with God but we do not go to God simply as individuals. We are members of God’s People, the Church, and by vocation, members of the Carmelite Order. We are fortified by our communal celebration of the Eucharist to return to the search for God in solitude.

Our devotion to Our Lady must not be simply emotion. We must take her as our model who “pondered all these things in her heart.” (Lk. 2: 51). One of the Order's great spiritual theologians, Michael of St. Augustine, wrote that all those who profess themselves to be Mary’s sons, servants or brothers, must make a great effort to live up to the demands of their vocation, eager to model themselves on “their holy Patroness, a Mother so worthy of love and a Sister so full of solicitude.”[3] Another Carmelite author wrote in regard to the scapular that a holy heart under a worldly habit is much better than a worldly heart under a holy habit. Best of all of course would be a holy heart under a holy habit! Our living under the mantle of Mary points to our willingness to be transformed and to grow in our belief.

The transformation of the human person is usually a long, slow process. It will not happen without our co-operation. The Eucharist is food for our journey and will provide the strength to respond to the grace of God but we have to have the desire to respond. If we have no intention of changing, no matter how much damage we are doing to ourselves or to others, we are turning our back on the grace of God. What then does the daily celebration of Mass mean to us? Is it just a ritual with no effect on the rest of the day?

Our Lady urges us to “do whatever he tells you” (Jn. 2: 5). We know perfectly well what Jesus asks of his disciples. We are to carry on his mission in the world. Gandhi is reported to have said that the message of Jesus was very beautiful but it was a great pity that no one had tried to live it. We of course do try to live the Christian life but sometimes we lack a passion for Christ and a passion for humanity. We are aware of the implications of our vocation as Carmelites but fail sometimes to respond fully as if we were content to live on 50% power? There is always a need to transfer our faith into the messy reality of daily life.

The Eucharist does not only give us Christ; it demands that we become Christ. Just as Mary is the “Eucharistic woman” par excellence, so by participating in the Mass, we are to become Eucharistic people. It is not just something we do in the morning; it is something that shapes the way we live and how we relate to other people. We are aware from our Carmelite spirituality that Our Lady not only is a model for us of what Christian discipleship means, but she also guides us and helps us on our journey as our Mother and Sister. 

Just as we do not end our Eucharistic commitment by attending Mass in the morning, so we do not fulfil our relationship with Mary by singing the Salve Regina or the Flos Carmeli, or any other pious hymn.  Both the celebration of the Eucharist and our relationship with Our Lady is very demanding. We have to live the Eucharist and allow Our Lady to affect the way we live day by day.

Transformation is not just a change of one or two externals; it is a profound change of what motivates us in daily life. Our motivation is often hidden from us but it determines how we act and react throughout the day. It is this motivation that has to be purified at some point on our journey. Our external behaviour may be angelic or it may be a crucifixion to ourselves and/or to others but we really cannot change very much until such times as we have changed the root cause. Changing external behaviour is often necessary but no change will last unless the underlying motive is also changed. The latter is much more difficult.

The journey of transformation is long and arduous but it is God’s work. We simply need to respond to the grace of God that is always present to us. As St. Thérèse pointed out through her life and teaching, we must not dwell on our failings, but trust completely in the Merciful Love of God, to bring us to our goal. In the Eucharist, the Merciful Love of God is freely given to us. It is for us to respond like Mary, by pronouncing our “Fiat”, our eager acceptance of God’s presence and action in our lives.

Mary’s Prophetic Words

In the infancy narratives in Luke’s Gospel, the author is not just concerned with facts but with the meaning of the facts. He is writing history in the biblical manner, which means the story of the mighty actions of God. The infancy narrative in Luke is dominated by the idea of the messiah as the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel. When she is told of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary goes in haste to the hill country to a town in Judah (1: 39). If the ancient tradition of placing Elizabeth’s home in Ain Karim is correct, this would have been a journey of about 4 days. When Elizabeth sees Mary, she is filled with the Holy Spirit, and cries out in recognition that Mary is “the mother of my Lord” (1: 43). The people of God likewise cried out when they welcomed the ark of the presence of God (1 Chr. 15: 28; 2 Chr. 5: 13). David exclaimed, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” (2 Sam.6: 9). Elizabeth’s welcome seems to confirm Mary’s experience of God’s love and the Magnificat is an explosion of joy in response.

The Magnificat is full of Old Testament allusions and has a special connection to the canticle of Hannah (1 Sam 2: 1-10), who rejoices in the birth of her son, Samuel: and as she worshiped the LORD, she said:

"My heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory.

There is no Holy One like the LORD; there in no Rock like our God.

"Speak boastfully no longer, nor let arrogance issue from your mouths. For an all-knowing God is the LORD, a God who judges deeds.

The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength.

The well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.

"The LORD puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again.

The LORD makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts.

He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage. He gives to the vower his vow, and blesses the sleep of the just. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he has set the world upon them.

He will guard the footsteps of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall perish in the darkness. For not by strength does man prevail;

the LORD'S foes shall be shattered. The Most High in heaven thunders; The LORD judges the ends of the earth, Now may he give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed!"

Whatever its origin, Luke’s attribution of the Magnificat to Mary gives us the assurance that it truly represents her sentiments. Elizabeth had blessed Mary as the mother of the messiah because she believed that the promise made to her would be fulfilled (Lk.1: 45) and Mary gives the glory to God in joyful thanksgiving. 

The Magnificat is a song of thanksgiving that celebrates the history of salvation from three perspectives. The first part (1: 48-50) is the dialogue between the holy and faithful God and the humility and openness of the believer, represented in Luke’s Gospel by Mary. In the second part (1: 51-53) there is an historical confirmation of the saving action of God. What God will do in the future is guaranteed by what He has done in the past. From that sure base there arises a firm hope for a new world where the usual schemes of this world will be overturned. All of this is founded upon the faithfulness of God who does not lead astray. The third part (1: 54-55) tells of God’s saving intervention in the forthcoming birth of the messiah. God has been faithful to the promises made to Israel.

Every Christian shares in the threefold role of Jesus Christ: priest, prophet and king. A prophet is one who proclaims the Word of God. Christ is the Word of God. As believers we allow the Word to become part of us and we allow God to speak through us. We become a word from God to our world. Mary received the Word in her heart and in her womb: Behold the servant of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word. (Lk. 1: 38). The prophets of the Old Testament were all people of great faith. It is sufficient to remember the example of our father Elijah, who proclaimed the drought (I Kings 17: 1) and then foretold when it would end (I Kings 18: 44). He gathered all the people on Mount Carmel and challenged them to stop hobbling first on one foot and then on the other, either believe in Baal or Yahweh, and then follow whoever is God. (I Kings 18: 21).

Our choices have consequences. The world in which we live at present is the result of the choices of the few often imposed on the many. Carmelites are usually not numbered among the powerful ones of the earth but our choices can have significant consequences too if we have faith to believe that God can take our insignificant gifts and transform them into something great. All the work that we do in the area of justice, peace and the integrity of creation can bear abundant fruit if we have faith. In sight of the whole people, Elijah prayed with faith and his sacrifice was accepted by the Lord (I Kings 18: 36-38).

Mary is the woman of faith and represents the faithful believer in Luke’s Gospel. Elisabeth recognises her faith and declares it to be the cause of her blessedness. Mary believed that what was said to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. In the first few lines of the Magnificat, Mary gives glory to God and rejoices in God her saviour. She declares that God has looked upon her lowliness. Therefore all generations will call her blessed. In the eyes of the important and powerful people, Mary would not have counted since she is a poor woman, but God’s way of looking is very different from the way human beings look. We tend to see the exterior and base our judgements on that. God sees the interior, the heart, and responds to that. Mary is aware that God is all-powerful and has done great things in her. She then goes on to recount the works of God throughout history.

God shows mercy to those who fear Him. Fear of the Lord is a normal biblical expression that does not refer to the emotion of fear but is a way of describing a right relationship of the human being with God, who is the Holy One. God is distinct from everything else that can exist and is the Creator of all. The person who recognises the sovereignty of God and tries to keep His commandments is the one who fears God. Such a person can depend on receiving mercy from God who is constant throughout the ages. One thing that fascinates me about the rest of the Magnificat is that the verb is in the past tense. Mary rejoices in what God has done: shown might with His arm, dispersed the proud and arrogant, thrown down the powerful and lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. Is all that really true? Has God done all those things? Isn’t it a fact that the proud and arrogant continue along their path believing in nothing outside of themselves? Is it not a fact that the rulers continue to rule from their lofty thrones and the lowly are continually downtrodden? Is it not a fact that the hungry remain hungry and the rich get even richer despite the commitment of so many who work for justice?

A prophet receives a word from God for the world. The prophet must be open to receive the word and fearless in proclaiming it. A true prophet proclaims God’s word and not his or her own. Those who work in the area of justice and peace tend to have an awareness of some of the great injustices of our day and want to do something about these situations. This is very laudable but we must seek to be aware of who we are trying to help. Is it the poor and downtrodden or is it ourselves? In St. John’s Gospel, there is a famous scene where Mary of Bethany pours out very costly ointment over the head of Jesus. Judas protests about this colossal waste of money that could have been used to benefit the poor.

Jn. 12: 5-6:

"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?" He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the moneybag and used to steal the contributions.”

Not all comments in favour of the poor are prophetic. We have to be careful that our work and statements on behalf of the poor are in fact for the poor.

The false self is ever ready to spoil our good intentions and to twist them to its own purposes. The false self seeks its own security, survival and esteem and will seek these wherever they are to be found. Therefore we must have a constant guard of our heart to ensure that what we say and what we do are according to the will of God and not according to what will make us look good and feel good. In the Carmelite Rule, we are warned to “use every care to clothe yourselves in God’s armour so that you may be ready to withstand the enemy’s ambush” (Rule, 18). One of the parts of this divine armour is faith: “Faith must be your shield on all occasions, and with it you will be able to quench the flaming missiles of the wicked one (Eph. 6: 16): there can be no pleasing God without faith (Heb. 11: 6); and the victory lies in this – your faith (cf. I Jn. 5: 4).”

Power and Powerlessness

Faith is not just holding the correct set of beliefs; it is a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ, in which we “fear the Lord”, in the sense of realising that God is God and that by grace alone can we enter such a relationship. Faith means to accept God as God chooses to reveal Himself to us. God has loved the world so much as to enter it in a new way in His Son, Jesus Christ. God has stooped down to us in order to lift us up. God has taken on our human weakness in order to transform it. Every human being reveals something of God to those with eyes to see and ears and hearts that are open. In Jesus we encounter the help of God under the form of poverty. God takes on our poverty and shares his own riches with us (2 Cor. 8: 9). In order to participate in the riches of Christ, it is necessary also to participate in the mystery of poverty and of self-emptying, which is fully revealed to us in the death of Jesus on the cross. God reveals his power in powerlessness (2 Cor. 12: 9-10; 1 Cor. 1: 25).

Mary was open to the transforming action of God because she recognised her own nothingness. St. Paul understood that it was when he was weak that he was strong. (2 Cor. 12: 10). He was also aware that God chooses weak vessels in order to display His power:

Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God. (I Cor.1: 27-29).

St. Thérèse of Lisieux knew that her nothingness attracted God’s gaze and therefore she believed that her seemingly fantastic hopes to be a missionary to the ends of the earth, would be fulfilled, not because of anything she could do but because of God’s loving mercy. Mary believed in the power of God and that God’s power has already accomplished what He has promised from of old. All pride will be thrown down. Those who have trusted in God will find that their trust has not been misplaced. Those who hunger and thirst for God will be filled. However, she proclaims that this victory has already taken place because of the imminent coming of the messiah, her son, Jesus. All those promises made to Abraham and his children, have now been fulfilled in Christ.

In the rest of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus proclaims a new world order, not based on violent revolution but on a change of heart. In his inaugural sermon in the synagogue in Nazareth, he sets out his programme from the Prophet Isaiah,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Lk. 4: 18-19).

Mary’s prophecy in the Magnificat is beginning to come true. Wherever Jesus goes he expels demons and sickness. He even forgives sins (Lk. 5: 20). All these things represent the bonds that have imprisoned men and women. They are now broken but people must accept the new life that is offered to them. Fallen humanity does all in its power to kill this new life but Jesus is raised from the dead to eternal life and this life is offered to all people.

Sharing in the eternal life of God means to live the life of God. It means to see as God sees and to love as God loves. God has already thrown down the arrogant, deposed the rulers and raised up the lowly. We, the followers of Jesus Christ, must carry out his vision and his programme. We must bring the Good News of the Kingdom to the poor. We can only do that with the faith that Mary exemplifies. That faith must drive us and motivate all our actions so that we do not simply hear the Word of God but like Mary also put it into practice (Lk. 8: 21). 

Joseph Chalmers, O. Carm.
Aylesford, England

taken from Carmelite NGO

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1.  Is your work for justice and peace motivated by faith or by your false self?

2.  How can Mary help you in your work for justice and peace?

[1] For an overview of the place of Mary in Carmel, see, Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm., The Lady of the Place: Mary in the history and in the life of Carmel, trans. Joseph Chalmers & Míceá O’Neill, (Edizioni Carmelitane, Rome, 2001.

[2] For an in depth commentary of the Carmelite Rule, see, Kees Waaijman, The Mystical Space of Carmel: A Commentary on the Carmelite Rule, trans. John Vriend, (Peeters, Louvain, 1999). The numbering of the Rule has been changed following the guidelines of the two General Councils of the Carmelites, issued later in 1999. This can be found in John Malley, Camilo Maccise and Joseph Chalmers, In obsequio Jesu Christi: The Letters of the Superiors General OCarm and OCD 1992-2002,(Edizioni OCD, Rome, 2003),  p.127-139.

[3] Office of Readings for 16^th July in Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and of The Order of Discalced Carmelites, (Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome, 1993).

This year Ireland will host the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) which will take place in Dublin from 10-17 June 2012.The theme of the Congress is “The Eucharist; Communion with Christ and with One another”.

For the first time ever there will be a dedicated Youth Space at the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) “Go! Be Church, with Christ and with one another”. The Irish Carmelites are on the organising committee of the youth space and it promises to be a great week for young people (aged 17-25 yrs) with lots of different activities from contemplative prayer to social justice workshops. There will be opportunities for discussion and dialogue, meeting new people, and celebrating our faith together.

They are expecting over 2,000 youth and young adults from all over the world. To book your place at the Congress please see www.IEC2012.ie/youth (Please note online booking closes on 9th May).

The Irish Carmelites are offering a limited number of basic accommodation spaces to some Carmelite Youth – please contact Marie on Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. for more information.