Lessons from Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection – Lenten Reflection
As Easter is almost upon us, I did a bit of reflecting to see how Lent had been going thus far. At the start of Lent, I had asked for guidance from the Holy Spirit as to what I should focus on. In years past it involved giving things up. As a kid it was…
Good Friday Reflection on the Third Sorrowful Mystery
I love to contemplate the third sorrowful mystery, the Crowning with Thorns. It sounds morbid doesn’t it? I see so much love and dignity in this mystery. Here the King of the Universe, who could be crowned with comets, stars, the milky way, the entire universe, allows His Sacred Head to be pierced most cruelly…
Banishing our false gods – the importance of detachment in Carmelite spirituality
The first commandment, I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me seems fairly straight forward. We know to worship only the One True God and not other deities, pagan gods, etc. We also remember Jesus’ words that “You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Mt 6:24) and realize we are not…
A Call to Carmel from the Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a relatively recent devotion that began in Hungary at the request of the Virgin Mary to a lay Carmelite, Elizabeth Kindelmann. I first read about Elizabeth Kindelmann a few years ago, and her story piqued my interest so I ordered her spiritual diary online. …
The Year of St. Joseph – December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021
“Go to Joseph”. In Canada, today (Jan 7th) is the feast day of St. Andre Bessette, the uneducated, humble, devout porter, Brother Andre, who had a reputation for the gift of healing. His advice to everyone who came to him was to “go to Joseph”. Pope Francis is also asking all of us to go…
A Gift From God – Silent Retreat During Pandemic
Annual silent retreats have been a wonderful break from the world for me for the past 5 or 6 years now. It was an invitation from a fellow parishioner that got me to my first one at Manresa and I’ve been hooked ever since. I thought I would have a difficult time being unplugged and…
Carmelite Saints During Times of Persecution
With the spate of violence against Christianity recently, particularly against Catholic churches, it appears we’re in the midst of an upsurge of Christian persecution in the western world. Throughout Christian history there have been many periods of persecution. We have several amazing examples of how Carmelites have responded during times of persecution. The themes in…
Charity in the Heart of the Church – Lesson from Blessed Titus Brandsma
I’ve been thinking a lot about Blessed Titus Brandsma lately. The Carmelite priest was martyred at Dachau on July 26, 1942 as he had been labelled an “enemy of the German mission”. How could a 60- year-old frail Dutch priest be an enemy to another country? Titus recognized early on that the National Socialist ideology…
Carmelite Saints and St Joseph
Ever since praying a novena to St. Joseph 3 years ago asking for his intercession to help sell our home in a tough market I have come to know first-hand how much St. Joseph cares for us, his spiritual children, and the efficacy of his intercession on our behalf. But I still didn’t know that…
A Lesson from Franklin in Carmelite Formation
Although we are unable to be officially received into our Lay Carmelite Community after our first year of formation due to the pandemic, there is so much to be grateful for. Just being a part of this wonderful community for one. And looking back at our first year of formation, I have learned so much. …
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