These fraternal values find expression and nourishment in the Word, - in the Eucharist, - and in prayer. Carmelite Constitution 20
"Lord, I kneel before you in my sinfulness, I repent of my wrongdoing and with Your help will try to avoid all ocassions of sin. Your forgiveness cleanses me, washes me anew, so that I now shine out as a child of grace. Help me in my weakness, keep me strong and faithful to Your ways, Lord. Like Saint David help me to wear the shield of Your protection"
These fraternal values find expression and nourishment in the Word, - in the Eucharist, - and in prayer. Carmelite Constitution 20.
"Dear Lord, let me not jump to conclusions about others, let me not judge by appearances, by manner or by circumstances. Let me show compassion and love to those less fortunate than I, because, there but for the Grace of God go I. Let me not criticise others for their actions but rather place them in Your care with my prayers. Keep me from gossip, that most evil of sins, and let my words about others be only of praise for the Christ within them.You are the potter, Lord, and through You the broken pot can be re-modelled and moulded into Your precious child again."
Contemplation begins when we entrust ourselves to God, in whatever way he chooses to approach us; it is an attitude of openness to God, whose presence we discover in all things. Carmelite Constitution.20
"Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! Let me accept the obstacles in my path as a learning experience and to be able to hand them all over to You. I know, Lord, that for every door that closes another will open. Help me to get through the trials and tribulations of disappointments and to look to You for the answers. Help me to face every challenge strong in my faith that You stand beside me always, guiding me on the right path."
For us to be brothers means to grow in communion and in unity, overcoming privileges and distinctions, in a spirit of participation and co-responsibility. Carmelite Constitution -19.3
"Lord, help me today and every day to curb my tongue, control my temper and watch my words. Surround me in peace so that situations will not activate an angry response. Help me to think before I react, to whisper a short prayer of peace before I respond, to take just a second to think before I say something I regret. Dear Lord, let my home and workplace be a haven of peace and joy, not one of tension and anxiety. Let my family and colleagues respect me not fear me."
You are to eat whatever may have been given you in a common refectory, listening together meanwhile to a reading from Holy Scripture where that can be done without difficulty. Rule 7
"Lord Jesus, in my rejections I cry out to You. My heart is heavy, I live in fear. Dear Jesus, help me to see myself as You see me - a beautiful creation in Your image. Give me the strength and courage to ignore my abusers and to value myself as You value me. Help me to learn to first like myself then love myself a little more each day. Help me to realise that I am Your lovely child and that You have a grand plan all laid out for me. I place my broken heart in Your loving care."
"I resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the cross and to receive the divine dew, the blood falling to the ground with no one hastening to gather it up. I then understood that I was to pour it out upon souls." ~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux s.11
"Lord, let my work be honest, my relaxation joyful, my example godly, my prayers sincere, my words truthful and my time with friends and family generous. Let every action of mine be through You and for Your glory so that the inheritance I leave behind will warrant Your words - 'Well done, good servant'."
"I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. But the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life." 1 Kings 19.14
"Dear Lord, forgive my complacency, I take so much for granted. Let me praise and thank You daily for all I have. No matter how bad my situation may appear to me, it is nothing compared to that of others. Today I give You thanks for the blessings You give me in abundance and I pray sincerely for those who are less fortunate. I pray too for the governments of this world, that they will turn their weapons into ploughshares and value the peoples of every nation, improving their lot instead of degrading them or denying them their basic freedoms."
The Apostle would have us keep silence, for in silence he tells us to work. As the Prophet also makes known to us: Silence is the way to foster holiness. Elsewhere he says: Your strength will lie in silence and hope. Rule 21
"Lord, I come to You in my weakness, in my pain, in my sorrow. I cry out - heal me! Give me the peace of mind and body I so badly need. Still my worrying heart, remove my anxieties, heal me of the hurts, hatred and angers I carry. Like the leper at the pool, I too need the gentle touch of Your healing hand. Lord, in Your healing, instill in me the reminders of my constant need for You, lest I forget that without You I am nothing."
Carmelites live their life of Allegiance to Christ through a commitment to seek the face of the living God (the contemplative dimension of life), through fraternity,and through service (diakonia) in the midst of the people. Carmelite Constitution - 14
to await these changes with patience and faith in Your holy providence. Help me also to praise Your Holy Name in the asking and in the receiving"
More...
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, was held 28 March 2011. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. M. Inés María Carmona Ortiz, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Lutgarda María Reyes, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. M. Linda María Pérez, O.Carm.
- 3rd Councilor: Sr. M. Genoveva Renta, O.Carm.
- 4th Couniclor: Sr. Magdalena María Alicea, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. Linda María Pérez, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. M. Lutgarda María Reyes, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. Magdalena María Alicea, O.Carm.
First Assembly of the Federation of St. Mary Magdalene de 'Pazzi, Italy
From 28 to 31 March 2011 , in a beautiful spirit of fellowship and prayer, the first Assembly of the Federation of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi of the Italian monasteries of the Order was held in Sassone, Italy. After a journey of collaboration among eleven of the Italian monasteries lasting several years, on July 16, 2010, the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life established the Federation.
After a fraternal reflection on the stages and significant moments of the path followed so far, the first President of the Federation and the Council were elected; besides this, some proposals were also put to vote. Together with the prioresses and delegates, the religious Assistant Fr. Matteo Palumbo, O. Carm., Vice Prior General, Fr. Christian Körner, O. Carm., and the Delegate General for the nuns, Fr. Josef Jancar, O. Carm. also participated. At the final celebration, the Provincial of the Italian Province, Fr. Giandomenico Meloni, O. Carm. also participated. The following were elected:
- President: Sr. M. Martina Simeone, O.Carm. (Sutri)
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Regina Di Serafino, O.Carm. (Fisciano)
- 2nd Councilor: Sr .M. Daniela Denitto, O.Carm. (Ostuni)
- 3rd Councilor: Sr .M. Anastasia Cucca, O.Carm. (Ravenna)
- 4th Councilor: Sr .M. Noemi Malagesi, O.Carm. (Carpineto Romano)
Through Jesus Christ, Son of the Father and “firstborn of all creation”, we live in union with God and with our neighbours in a new way.
And so, we share in the mission of the Incarnate Word in this world, and we form the Church, which is in Christ “as a sacrament - a sign and instrument of communion with God, and of the unity of the whole human race.”
(Carmelite Constitutions)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
through the obedience of Jesus,
Your servant and Your Son,
You raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 10:7-15
Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents the second part of the sending out of the disciples. Yesterday we saw that Jesus insists on directing them first toward the lost sheep of Israel. Today, we see concrete instructions to carry out the mission.
• Matthew 10:7: The objective of the mission: to reveal the presence of the Kingdom. “Go and announce the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.” The principal objective is that of announcing that the Kingdom is close at hand. This is the novelty which Christ brings to us. For the other Jews there was still a long time before the coming of the Kingdom. It would have come only after they had done their own part. The coming of the Kingdom depended, according to them, on their effort. For the Pharisees, for example, the Kingdom would be attained only after the perfect observance of the Law. For the Essenes, when the country would have purified itself. But Jesus thinks in a different way. He has a different way of reading the facts of life. He says that the hour has already arrived (Mk 1:15). When He says that the Kingdom is close at hand or that the Kingdom is already among us, in our midst, He does not mean to say that the Kingdom is just arriving at that moment, but that it is already there, independently of the effort made by the people. What they all expected was already present among the people, gratuitously, but the people did not know it, nor perceive it (cf. Lk 17:21). Jesus is aware of this, because He sees reality with different eyes. He reveals and announces to the poor of His land this hidden presence of the Kingdom in our midst (Lk 4:18). It is the mustard seed which will receive the rain of His word and the warmth of His love.
• Matthew 10:8: The signs of the presence of the Kingdom: accept the excluded. How should the presence of the Kingdom be announced? Only through words and discourses? No! The signs of the presence of the Kingdom are above all concrete gestures or acts, done gratuitously: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the devils. You received without charge; give without charge.” This means that the disciples should accept within the community those who have been excluded. This practice of solidarity both criticizes religion and society which exclude and proposes concrete solutions.
• Matthew 10:9-10: Do not take anything for the journey. Unlike other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus should not take anything: “Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or a spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the laborer deserves his keep.” This means that they have to trust in the hospitality of the people. The disciples who go without anything, taking only peace (Mk 10:13), show that they trust the people. It shows a trust in grace from God to act in people and to provide for them. It is certain that they will be welcomed, that they will be able to participate in the life and the work of the people of the place and that they will be able to survive with what they will receive in exchange, because the laborer deserves his keep. This means that the disciples should trust in sharing. It is also another way of respecting the poor, by not taking from them, and of contrasting the Good News with the laws of the time that demanded payment and tax for so many things. The social structure of the day was built on taking. Jesus builds a structure and community built on giving freely. By means of this practice they criticize the laws of exclusion and recover the ancient values of community life.
• Matthew 10:11-13: To share peace in the community. The disciples should not go from house to house, but should seek people of peace and remain in that house. That is, they should practice stability. Thus, through that new practice, they criticize the culture of accumulation which characterized the politics of the Roman Empire, and they announced a new model of living together. Once all these requirements were respected, the disciples could cry out: The Kingdom of God has arrived! To announce the Kingdom does not mean, in the first place, to teach truths and doctrine, but lead toward a new fraternal manner of living and of sharing starting from the Good News which Jesus has brought to us: God and Father and Mother of all men and women.
• Matthew 10:14-15: The severity of the menace. How is such a severe menace to be understood? Jesus has brought us something completely new. He has come to rescue the community values of the past: hospitality, sharing, communion around the table, acceptance of the excluded. That explains the severity toward those who reject the message, because they do not reject something new, but their own past, their own culture and wisdom! The objective of the pedagogy of Jesus is to dig out from the memory, to recover the wisdom of the people, to reconstruct the community, to renew the Covenant, to rebuild life.
4) Personal questions
• Today, how can we put into practice the recommendation not to take anything for the journey when going to a mission?
• Jesus orders His disciples to look for people of peace, so as to be able to remain in their house. Today, who would be a person of peace to whom to address oneself in the announcement of the Good News?
• Why would stability, as in not going from house to house while staying in a town, be important?
For further study
Most, if not all, monastic traditions include a vow of stability – to stay in one place. Take some time to read the ancient rules which guide our various communities, such as the Rule of St Benedict, St Albert, St Bruno, and so on. The authors of these rules often explain why a particular rule is made, and from where in the Gospel it is inspired. This can give insight into these instructions of Jesus and a historical perspective on the development of Christianity through the Middle Ages.
5) Concluding Prayer
God Sabaoth, come back, we pray,
look down from heaven and see,
visit this vine;
protect what Your own hand has planted. (Ps 80:14-15)
