prepared by ICS Publications.

Until a few years ago, very little from our silent monasteries penetrated into the world. It is different today. People talk a lot about Carmel and want to hear something about life behind the high walls. This is chiefly attributable to the great saints of our time who have captivated the entire Catholic world with amazing speed, for instance, St Therese of the Child Jesus.  Gertrud von le Fort's novel about Carmel has vigorously directed German intellectual circles to our Order as has her beautiful foreword to the letters of Marie Antoinette de Geuser.

What does the average Catholic know about Carmel? That it is a very strict, perhaps the strictest penitential Order, and that from it comes the holy habit of the Mother of God, the brown scapular, which unites many of the faithful in the world to us. The whole church celebrates with us the patronal feast of our Order, the feast of the scapular, on July 16. Most people also recognize at least the names of "little" Therese and "great" Teresa, whom we call our Holy Mother. She is generally seen as the founder of the Discalced Carmelites. The person who is a little more familiar with the history of the church and monasteries certainly knows that we revere the prophet Elijah as our leader and father. But people consider this a "legend" that does not mean very much. We who live in Carmel and who daily call on our Holy Father Elijah in prayer know that for us he is not a shadowy figure out of the dim past. His spirit is active among us in a vital tradition and determines how we live. Our Holy Mother strenuously denied that she was founding a new Order. She wanted nothing except to reawaken the original spirit of the old Rule [of St Albert].

Our Holy Father Elijah succinctly says what is most important in the first words of his that the Scriptures give us. He says to King Ahab who worshiped idols (1 Kgs 17:1), "As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."

To stand before the face of the living God that is our vocation. The holy prophet set us an example. He stood before God's face because this was the eternal treasure for whose sake he gave up all earthly goods. He had no house; he lived wherever the Lord directed him from moment to moment: in loneliness beside the brook of Carith, in the little house of the poor widow of Zarephath of Sidon, or in the caves of Mount Carmel. His clothing was an animal hide like that of that other great penitent and prophet, the Baptist. The hide of a dead animal reminds us that the human body is also subject to death. Elijah is not concerned about his daily bread. He lives trusting in the solicitude of the heavenly Father and is marvelously sustained. A raven brings him his daily food while he is in solitude. The miraculously increased provisions of the pious widow nourish him in Zarephath. Prior to the long trek to the holy mountain where the Lord was to appear to him, an angel with heavenly bread strengthens him. So he is for us an example of the gospel poverty that we have vowed, an authentic prototype of the Savior.

Elijah stands before God's face because all of his love belongs to the Lord. He lives outside of all natural human relationships. We hear nothing of his father and mother, nothing of a wife or child. His "relatives" are those who do the will of the Father as he does: Elisha, whom God has designated as his successor, and the "sons of the prophets," who follow him as their leader. Glorifying God is his joy. His zeal to serve him tears him apart: "I am filled with jealous zeal for the Lord, the God of hosts" (1 Kgs 19:10, 14; these words were used as a motto on the shield of the Order). By living penitentially, he atones for the sins of his time. The offense that the misguided people give to the Lord by their manner of worship hurts him so much that he wants to die. And the Lord consoles him only as he consoles his especially chosen ones: He appears to him himself on a lonely mountain, reveals himself in soft rustling after a thunderstorm, and announces his will to him in clear words.

The prophet, who serves the Lord in complete purity of heart and completely stripped of everything earthly, is also a model of obedience. He stands before God's face like the angels before the eternal throne, awaiting his sign, always ready to serve. He has no other will than the will of his Lord. When God bids, he goes before the king and fearlessly risks giving him bad news that must arouse his hatred. When God wills it, he leaves the country at the threat of violence; but he also returns at God's command, though the danger has not disappeared.

Anyone who is so unconditionally faithful to God can also be certain of God's faithfulness. He is permitted to speak "as someone who has power," may open and close heaven, may command the waters to let him walk through and remain dry, may call down fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice, to execute punishment on God's enemies, and may breathe new life into a dead person. We see the Savior's predecessor provided with all the graces that he has promised to his own. And the greatest crown is still in reserve for him: Before the eyes of his true disciple, Elisha, he is carried off in a fiery carriage to a secret place far from all human abodes. According to the testimony of Revelation, he will return near the end of the world to suffer a martyr's death for his Lord in the battle against the Antichrist.

On his feast, which we celebrate on July 20, the priest goes to the altar in red vestments. On this day the monastery of our friars on Mount Carmel, the site of Elijah's grotto, is the goal of mighty bands of pilgrims. Jews, Moslems, and Christians of all denominations vie in honoring the great prophet. We remember him in the liturgy on still another day, in the epistle and preface of the Feast of Mount Carmel, as we usually call the feast of the scapular. On this day we give thanks that our dear Lady has clothed us with the "garment of salvation." The events providing the occasion for this feast did not occur until much later in the Western world. In the year 1251 [according to tradition] the Blessed Virgin appeared to the general of the Order, Simon Stock, an Englishman, and gave him the scapular. But the preface reminds us that it was our dear Lady of Mount Carmel who bestowed this visible sign of her motherly protection on her children far from the original home of the Order. It was she who manifested herself to the Prophet Elijah in the form of a little rain cloud and for whom the sons of the prophets built the first shrine on Mount Carmel. The legend of the Order tells us that the Mother of God would have liked to remain with the hermit brothers on Mount Carmel. We can certainly understand that she felt drawn to the place where she had been venerated through the ages and where the holy prophet had lived in the same spirit that also filled her from the time her earthly sojourn began. Released from everything earthly, to stand in worship in the presence of God, to love him with her whole heart, to beseech his grace for sinful people, and in atonement to substitute herself for these people, as the maidservant of the Lord to await his beckoning this was her life.

The hermits of Carmel lived as sons of the great prophet and as "brothers of the Blessed Virgin." St Berthold organized them as cenobites, and at the instigation of St Brocard, the spirit which they had received from their predecessors was laid down in our holy Rule. Around 1200, it was given to the Order by St Albert, the patriarch of Jerusalem, and authorized by Pope Innocent IV in 1247. It also condenses the entire meaning of our life in a short statement: "All are to remain in their own cells..., meditating on the Law of the Lord day and night and watching in prayer, unless otherwise justly employed." "To watch in prayer" this is to say the same thing that Elijah said with the words, "to stand before the face of God." Prayer is looking up into the face of the Eternal. We can do this only when the spirit is awake in its innermost depths, freed from all earthly occupations and pleasures that benumb it. Being awake in body does not guarantee this consciousness, nor does rest required by nature interfere. "To meditate on the Law of the Lord" this can be a form of prayer when we take prayer in its usual broad sense. But if we think of "watching in prayer" as being immersed in God, which is characteristic of contemplation, then meditation on the Law is only a means to contemplation.

What is meant by "the Law of the Lord"? Psalm 118 which we pray every Sunday and on solemnities at Prime, is entirely filled with the command to know the Law and to be led by it through life. The Psalmist was certainly thinking of the Law of the Old Covenant. Knowing it actually did require life-long study and fulfilling it, life-long exertion of the will. But the Lord has freed us from the yoke of this Law. We can consider the Savior's great commandment of love, which he says includes the whole Law and the Prophets, as the Law of the New Covenant. Perfect love of God and of neighbor can certainly be a subject worthy of an entire lifetime of meditation. But we understand the Law of the New Covenant, even better, to be the Lord himself, since he has in fact lived as an example for us of the life we should live. We thus fulfill our Rule when we hold the image of the Lord continually before our eyes in order to make ourselves like him. We can never finish studying the Gospels.

But we have the Savior not only in the form of reports of witnesses to his life. He is present to us in the most Blessed Sacrament. The hours of adoration before the Highest Good and the listening for the voice of the eucharistic God are simultaneously "meditation on the Law of the Lord" and "watching in prayer." But the highest level is reached "when the Law is deep within our hearts" (Ps 40:8), when we are so united with the triune God whose temple we are, that his Spirit rules all we do or do not do. Then it does not mean we are forsaking the Lord when we do the work that obedience requires of us. Work is unavoidable as long as we are subject to nature's laws and to the necessities of life. And, following the word and example of the apostle Paul, our holy Rule commands us to earn our bread by the work of our hands. But for us this work is always merely a means and must never be an end in itself. To stand before the face of God continues to be the real content of our lives.

Islam's conquest of the Holy Land drove the hermit brothers from Carmel. Only for the past 300 years has our Order again had a shrine of the Mother of God on the holy mountain. The transition from solitude into the everyday life of Western culture led to a falsification of the original spirit of the Order. The protective walls of separation, of rigorous penance and of silence fell, and the pleasures and cares of the world pressed through the opened gates. The monastery of the Incarnation in Avila, which our Holy Mother entered in the year 1535, was such a monastery of the mitigated Rule. For decades she endured the conflict between the snares of worldly relationships and the pull of undivided surrender to God. But the Lord allowed her no rest until she let go of everything that bound her and really became serious about recognizing that God alone suffices.

The great schism of faith that was tearing Europe apart during her time, the loss of so many souls, aroused in her the passionate desire to stop the harm and to offer the Lord recompense. Whereupon God gave her the idea of taking a little flock of selected souls and founding a monastery according to the original Rule and of serving him there with the greatest perfection. After innumerable battles and difficulties, she was able to found the monastery of St Joseph in Avila. Her great work of reform grew from there. At her death she left behind 36 monasteries of women and men of the strict observance, the new branch of the Order, the "Discalced" Carmelites. The monasteries of the reform were to be places where the spirit of the ancient Carmel was to live again. The re-established original Rule and the Constitutions drawn up by the saint herself form the fence by means of which she intended to protect her vineyards against the dangers from without. Her writings on prayer, the most complete and most animated presentation of the inner life, are the precious legacy through which her spirit continues to work among us. (I have published a very concise presentation of her life in the collection "Kleine Lebensbilder" [Freiburg (Switzerland): Kanisiuswerkes, 1934].) It is the ancient spirit of Carmel. However, influenced by the battles over faith raging in her time, she gave stronger emphasis than did the primitive Carmel to the thought of reparation and of supporting the servants of the church who withstood the enemy in the front lines.

As our second father and leader, we revere the first male Discalced Carmelite of the reform, St John of the Cross. We find in him the ancient eremitical spirit in its purest form. His life gives an impression as though he had no inner struggles. Just as from his earliest childhood he was under the special protection of the Mother of God, so from the time he reached the age of reason, he was drawn to rigorous penance, solitude, to letting go of everything earthly, and to union with God. He was the instrument chosen to be an example and to teach the reformed Carmel the spirit of Holy Father Elijah. Together with Mother Teresa, he spiritually formed the first generation of male and female Discalced Carmelites, and through his writings, he also illumines for us the way on the "Ascent of Mount Carmel."

The daughters of St Teresa, personally trained by her and Father John, founded the first monasteries of the reform in France and Belgium. From there the Order also soon advanced into the Rhineland. The great French Revolution and the Kulturkampf in Germany tried to suppress it by force. But as soon as the pressure abated, it sprang to life again. It was in this garden that the "little white flower" [i.e., St. Therese of Lisieux] bloomed, so quickly captivating hearts far beyond the boundaries of the Order, not only as a worker of miracles for those in need, but also as a director of "little souls" on the path of "spiritual childhood." Many people came to know of this path through her, but very few know that it is not really a new discovery, but the path onto which life in Carmel pushes us. The greatness of the young saint was that she recognized this path with ingenious deduction and that she followed it with heroic decisiveness to the end. The walls of our monasteries enclose a narrow space. To erect the structure of holiness in it, one must dig deep and build high, must descend into the depths of the dark night of one's own nothingness in order to be raised up high into the sunlight of divine love and compassion.

Not every century produces a work of reform as powerful as that of our Holy Mother. Nor does every age give us a reign of terror during which we have the opportunity to lay our heads on the executioner's block for our faith and for the ideal of our Order as did the 16 Carmelites of Compiegne. But all who enter Carmel must give themselves wholly to the Lord. Only one who values her little place in the choir before the tabernacle more highly than all the splendor of the world can live here, can then truly find a joy that no worldly splendor has to offer.

Our daily schedule ensures us of hours for solitary dialogue with the Lord, and these are the foundation of our life. Together with priests and other ancient Orders of the church, we pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and this Divine Office is for us as for them our first and most sacred duty. But it is not for us the supporting ground. No human eye can see what God does in the soul during hours of inner prayer. It is grace upon grace. And all of life's other hours are our thanks for them.

Carmelites can repay God's love by their everyday lives in no other way than by carrying out their daily duties faithfully in every respect all the little sacrifices that a regimen structured day after day in all its details demands of an active spirit; all the self- control that living in close proximity with different kinds of people continually requires and that is achieved with a loving smile; letting no opportunity go by for serving others in love. Finally, crowning this is the personal sacrifice that the Lord may impose on the individual soul. This is the "little way," a bouquet of insignificant little blossoms which are daily placed before the Almighty perhaps a silent, life-long martyrdom that no one suspects and that is at the same time a source of deep peace and hearty joyousness and a fountain of grace that bubbles over everything we do not know where it goes, and the people whom it reaches do not know from where it comes.

Rev. Paul A.M. Denault, O. Carm.

When the first Carmelites came together on Mount Carmel some 800 years ago, they were embarking on a new quest. They were seeking the presence of God by contemplating deeply the Scriptures along with their own experiences. In this quest for God, they came to see the Blessed Virgin Mary as their preeminent guide. The earliest Carmelites were attentive to the scripture passage that described Mary as keeping “all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” And also, “his mother kept all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:19, 51) Contemplation is this act of reflecting interiorly on the things that surround us, the activities we engage in along with the light that we gain from the Scriptures. The early Carmelites recognized, then, that in order to grow in prayer and contemplation, they needed to follow the example and guidance of Mary.

Mary is also described in the Scriptures as the person most attuned to doing God's will, after her Son, of course. Confronted with the call to serve God's plan, she replied, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) When she asked her Son to help a wedding couple embarrassed by the lack of wine, and he seemed to rebuff her at first, she immediately told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5) Those simple words embody her own approach to the spiritual life, doing whatever the Lord God asks of her. The early Carmelites, then, took Mary as their example of living and acting in accordance with the will of God. She is seen by them as a woman of action.

Since Carmelite spirituality is so often identified with the silent life of interior prayer, it may seem strange to refer to Mary as a woman of action. The true fruit of deep authentic prayer is the desire to love others more. The early Carmelites spent much time in silent reflection of the Scriptures and so realized that at the heart of the mystery of God is a love that reaches out to help other people. Then they saw Mary acting the same way: out of love and concern for the good of other people. She became for them the model of both, intense prayer and loving action.

When a person comes to formation in the Carmelite Order today, he or she is asked to begin by gazing on the image of Mary that is found in the Gospels. The young Carmelite is asked to take on Mary as the model for life. Mary teaches us to reflect on the events of the days, the experiences we go through and signs of the times, all the while seeking the deeper presence of God in everything. She also teaches us to go out and “do whatever he tells you.” Moved by the love and compassion of Jesus, we are to respond with deeds of mercy and forgiveness. We are to bandage wounds and give hope even in the face of death. We are to work for what would promote true justice and peace.

The Constitutions of the Carmelites have this to say about Mary, “Mary is the Virgin of wise and contemplative listening who kept and pondered in her heart the events and the words of the Lord. She is the faithful disciple of wisdom, who sought Jesus God’s Wisdom and allowed herself to be formed and molded by his Spirit, so that in faith she might be conformed to his ways and choices.” The Constitutions go on to say, “Carmelites see in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and archetype of the Church, the perfect image of all that they want and hope to be. For this reason, Carmelites have always thought of Mary as the Patron of the Order, its Mother and Splendor; she is constantly before their eyes and in their hearts as the Virgin Most Pure.” (Article 27)

Those who seek to learn the Carmelite life are asked to keep Mary before their eyes and hearts as the perfect image of the Carmelite: prayerful, contemplative, yet eager to help other people in their daily burdens. She gives to those who come to her not only the protection of her prayers, as she prays for all the Church, but also the support of a good model, a good guide, to the deepest parts of the Christian life. She is the Perfect Image of all that we hope to be in Christ Jesus.

The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Onteniente, Spain, was held 11 December 2011. The following were elected:

• Prioress:  Sr. M. Magdalena Pla Tortosa, O.Carm.
• 1st Councilor:  Sr. M. Margarita Medina Armas, O.Carm.
• 2nd Councilor:  Sr. M. Jesús Barahona Berzal, O.Carm.
• Director of Novices:  Sr. M. Magdalena Pla Tortosa, O.Carm.
• Treasurer:  Sr. M. Lourdes Font Font, O.Carm.
• Sacristan:  Sr. M. Margarita Medina Armas, O.Carm.

At a recent meeting of the General Finance Commission of the Order, it was decided to hold the Triennial Meeting of Bursars at “Il Carmelo”, Sassone from 15 to 20 October 2012. Arrivals will be on 15 and departures on 20 October, with the working sessions from 16 to 19. There will be a mixture of plenary sessions, including an address by the Prior General and reports from the General Councillors, as well as regional meetings. This meeting is intended for friars and lay people who work as:
•  Provincial, general commissariat and general delegation bursars
•  Assistant provincial bursars
•  Finance directors/business managers
•  Provincial commissariat bursars
• Bursars from mission areas not yet constituted as delegations or commissariats
•  Members of the General Finance Commission
A formal letter of invitation will be going out to the above early in 2012.

The one longed-for by all
The presentation of the Child in the Temple
Luke 2:22-40

1. Opening prayer

O God, our Creator and Father, you willed that your Son, generated before the dawn of the world, should become a member of the human family. Rekindle in us an appreciation for the gift of life, so that parents may participate in the fruitfulness of your love, old people may pass on to young ones their mature wisdom, and children may grow in wisdom, piety and grace, all giving praise to your holy name. Through Christ our Lord.

2. Reading: Luke 2:22-40

22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; 30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel."
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; 34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

3. A moment of prayerful silence

- that the Word of God may dwell in us and that we may allow it to enlighten our lives;
- that before we pass any comments, the very light of the Word may shine and dominate with the mystery of the living presence of the Lord.

4. Some questions

to help us in our personal reflection.

a) Why should Jesus, Son of the Most High, and his mother Mary, conceived without sin, obey the prescriptions of Moses? Maybe because Mary was not yet aware of her innocence and holiness?
b) Is there special significance in the words and attitudes of Simeon and the prophetess Anna? Do not their actions and joy perhaps recall the style of the ancient prophets?
c) How can we explain this "sword" that pierces: is it a rending of the consciences before the challenges and richness of Jesus? Or is it only the inner pains of the Mother?
d) Can this scene mean anything to parents today: for the religious formation of their children; for the plan that God has for each of their children; for the fears and sufferings that parents carry in their hearts when they think of the time when their children grow up?

5. A key to the reading

for those who wish go deeper into the text.

a) As laid down in the law of Moses/of the Lord. This is a kind of refrain repeated several times. Luke mixes two prescriptions without making any distinction. The purification of the mother was foreseen in Leviticus (12:2-8) and was to take place forty days after the birth. Until then, the woman could not approach sacred places, and the ceremony was accompanied by the gift of a small animal. But the consecration of the first-born was prescribed in Exodus 13:11-16, and was considered a kind of "ransom" in memory of the saving action of God when he liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. For this also the offering was a small animal. In all of this scene, the parents seem to be in the process of presenting/offering their son as was done with sacrifices and Levites, while through the persons of Simeon and Anna it seems rather God who offers/presents the son for the salvation of people.

b) Simeon and Anna: these are figures full of symbolical value. Their role is one of recognition, that comes from both the enlightenment and action of the Spirit and a life lived in expectation and faith. Simeon especially is defined as prodekòmenos, that is, one entirely absorbed in waiting, and one who goes forward to welcome. He, too, appears to be obedient to the law, the law of the Spirit, who leads him towards the child in the temple. The canticle he proclaims manifests his pro-existentia, he has lived in order to come to this moment and now he withdraws so that others may see the light and the salvation to come for Israel and the pagans. Anna completes the picture, by her very age (symbolical value: 84 equals 7x12, the twelve tribes of Israel; or 84 – 7 = 77, double perfection), but above all by her way of living (fasting and praying) and by her proclamation to all who "looked forward". She is led by the Spirit of prophecy, docile and purified in her heart. Besides, she belongs to the smallest of the tribes, that of Aser, a sign that the small and fragile are those more disposed to recognise Jesus, the Saviour. Both of these old persons – who look like an original couple – are symbols of the best of Judaism, of faithful and meek Jerusalem, that awaits and rejoices and that from now on allows the new light to shine.

c) A sword will pierce: generally these words are interpreted as meaning that Mary will suffer, a drama made visible of the Our Lady of Sorrows. Rather, we need to see the Mother as a symbol of Israel. Simeon feels the drama of his people who will be deeply torn by the living and sharp word of the redeemer (cf Lk 12:51-53). Mary represents the path: she must trust, but will go through times of pain and darkness, struggles and painful silences. The story of the suffering Messiah will be painful for all, even for the Mother. One does not follow the new light of the whole world without paying the cost, without being provoked to make risky choices, without being always born again from on high and in newness. But these images of the "sword that pierces", of the child who will "trip" and shake hearts from their lethargy, are not to be separated from the meaningful action of the two old persons: the one, Simeon, takes the child in his arms to show that faith is a meeting and an embrace, not an idea of theorem; the other, Anna, takes on the role of proclaiming and enkindles a bright light in the hearts of all who "looked forward" to him.

d) Daily life, an epiphany of God: finally, it is interesting to note that the whole episode emphasises the situation of the most simple and homely: the young couple with the child in their arms; the old man who rejoices and embraces, the old lady who prays and proclaims, those listening who appear to be indirectly involved. At the end of the passage, we also get a glimpse of the village of Nazareth, of the growth of the child in a normal context, the impression of a child extraordinarily gifted with wisdom and goodness. The theme of wisdom woven into the fabric of normal life and growth in a village context, leaves the story as if in suspense, and it will be taken up again precisely with the theme of the wisdom of the boy among the doctors in the temple. Indeed, this is the episode that follows immediately (Lk 2:41-52).

6. Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the Lord!"
Our feet have been standing within your gates,
O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
"May they prosper who love you!
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers!"
For my brethren and companions' sake I will say,
"Peace be within you!"
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.

7. Final Prayer

Father, we praise you and we bless you because through your Son, born of woman by the working of the Holy Spirit, born under the law, has ransomed us from the law and you have filled our life with light and new hope. May our families welcome and remain faithful to your designs, may they help and sustain in their children the new dreams and enthusiasm, wrap them in tenderness when they are fragile, educate them in love for you and for all creatures. All honour and glory to you, Father.

General Intention: Victims of Natural Disasters. 
That the victims of natural disasters may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives. 

Missionary Intention: Dedication to Peace. 
That the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will. 

• Sunday, January 1, 2012
  Lectio: Solemnity of the Mother of God
• Monday, January 2, 2012
  Lectio: John 1,19-28
• Tuesday, January 3, 2012
  Lectio: John 1,29-34
  
• Wednesday, January 4, 2012
  Lectio: John 1, 35-42
• Thursday, January 5, 2012
  Lectio: John 1,43-51
• Friday, January 6, 2012
  Lectio: Epiphany of the Lord
• Saturday, January 7, 2012
  Lectio: Matthew 4,12-17.23-25
• Sunday, January 8, 2012
  Lectio: The Baptism of the Lord (B)
• Monday, January 9, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 1,14-20
• Tuesday, January 10, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 1,21b-28
• Wednesday, January 11, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 1,29-39
• Thursday, January 12, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 1,40-45
• Friday, January 13, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 2,1-12
• Saturday, January 14, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 2,13-17
• Sunday, January 15, 2012
  Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
• Monday, January 16, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 2,18-22
• Tuesday, January 17, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 2,23-28
• Wednesday, January 18, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 3,1-6
• Thursday, January 19, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 3,7-12
• Friday, January 20, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 3,13-19
• Saturday, January 21, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 3,20-21
• Sunday, January 22, 2012
  Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
• Monday, January 23, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 3,22-30
• Tuesday, January 24, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 3,31-35
• Wednesday, January 25, 2012
  Lectio: Conversion of Saint Paul
• Thursday, January 26, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 4,21-25
• Friday, January 27, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 4,26-34
• Saturday, January 28, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 4,35-41
• Sunday, January 29, 2012
  Lectio: 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
• Monday, January 30, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 5,1-20
• Tuesday, January 31, 2012
  Lectio: Mark 5, 21-43

David Cheah
Friend of The Carmelites

I remember my first Christmas celebrations back in Malaysia where I grew up. As a child, I had always sensed the wonder of ‘holy’ days, knowing deep inside that every special day worth celebrating had spiritual roots.

Being Asian, food was always a big part of any celebration and that came as an added bonus. Those holidays were meaningful, significant and every childhood memory became seminal treasures. Dishes and types of food were unique to each celebration or season, which made the anticipation of celebrations so much more interesting and special.

Today unfortunately, consumerism and economic rationalization have all but killed the spiritual significance and integrity of such celebrations.

Political correctness has also crept in and insists on removing spiritual and religious significance of these ‘holy days’ - overtly and covertly. How absurd! Holidays have become days off from work, when you get a little bit of free time to do what you choose. Most would indulge in excess of all sorts the night before and sleep in the next morning. Gone are the holidays where celebrations are meaningful and significant.

For me and my family, I make it a point for my kids to know why we celebrate holidays - both spiritual and secular ones. Often we involve others. After all that’s what community is all about. For example, during the Christmas season, we would visit the city with friends and family and take in the celebration, the generosity, the gaiety and the visual experiences; anything that reinforces the spirituality and significance of the special day when we celebrate Jesus’ birth.

We sometimes seek out people from different cultures and celebrate with them, especially if it involves food. We had our first European Christmas with a dear friend and her family at their home a few years ago. There was so much love, food and joy; a real sense

of family. We feel the kids will never forget these occasions as they grow up in an increasingly hostile, adversarial and materialistic world.

There is a very wrong view that Christmas must either be religious or materialistic to be meaningful. I personally believe that if there is joy, peace and bonding in almost any context, we would have successfully celebrated Christmas the way it was meant to be, reconciling all creatures to God and each other. That is the true message of Christmas after all, isn’t it?

I like to teach my kids that true enjoyment comes from spiritual, community and family involvement rather that being swept up in the consumerism of such occasions. It is becoming more difficult to overcome the covetousness and craving for more stuff when all we need is grace, love and kindness.

Thankfully though, the world still celebrates Christmas as it should be. There are many opportunities to re-discover the true meaning of Christmas. Carols by Candlelight, Church plays, creative retail displays and Christmas themed movies are just a few examples of what we can engage with to show our kids what Christmas is all about.

May you seek and find the peace, joy and shalom with your loved ones this Christmas season.

David Cheah

Friend of The Carmelites

On 19th December 2011, the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During the course of the audience the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the Decree concerning the Servants of God Alberto Maria Marco Aleman O.Carm. and eight friars of our Order; all killed by those who violently opposed their faith in the territory of the archdioceses of Madrid (Spain) between 1936 and 1937.
This group is to be added to those of the Province of Betica, Servants of God Carmelo M. Moyano and companions. Soon the date of the beatification of these two groups of martyrs will be decided with the authorities concerned. The Postulator General is still working on the process of the group of presumed martyrs of the Arago-Valentina Province.