Union with God

All of Carmelite spirituality is rooted in the human heart's deepest desire for intimate union with God. This union with God is through love – the Carmelite Rule places the final stage of discipleship through a way of following Jesus Christ.

The attaining of Union with God is primarily God's work, yet the soul can correspond with a joyful detachment from everything that is not God.

No other saint has explained the path to Union with God better than St. Teresa of Jesus, Carmelite Doctor of the Church on prayer.

From Christ, the Carmelite, henceforth, is not to look away; in dependence on Him the Carmelite intends to live. Carmel is all about searching for God and union with God.

The truth about Jesus which Carmelites are called to live out is Christ's prayerful union with His Father while in the midst of the world.

The friars seek to live a life of faithful prayer, seeking union with God through a "life of allegiance to Jesus Christ."

The Essence of the Carmelite Charism is Prayer and Contemplation leading to union with God.

“Carmelite spirituality enables God-seekers to discover new heights and depths of union with God,” says Father Michael Berry, O.C.D., a Discalced Carmelite.

Carmel is a journey that brings us to greater union with God, souls and Holy Mother Church! St. Teresa of Jesus called this journey "the royal road to Heaven”.

St Elizabeth of the Trinity once said describing our Carmelite life, “The life of a Carmelite is a life of communion with God from morning until night”.

Thus the goal of the Carmelite life is union with God.

Shield of Carmel

The Shield of Carmel or

The Carmelite Crest

 

There have been several explanations of the design and they are all connected with the Prophet Elijah of the Old Testament. The Carmelites trace their origin to the hermits who lived in the spirit of Elijah on Mount Carmel in the twelfth century.

 

The peak or point in the centre of the shield is taken to represent Mount Carmel, the scene of the Prophet’s greatest triumph over the false prophets of Baal, and the dwelling place of the followers of Elijah. The star in the lower part symbolises Elijah while the two stars above it represent Christ and Mary. Many saints and early writers have seen a symbol of Our Lady in the cloud which Elijah saw arising from the sea to bring rain to the parched land of Israel (see 1Kings 18:44). The early hermits built an oratory in honour of Our Lady on Mount Carmel and chose her as their patroness. Later they become known as the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. Others have seen the lower star representing us and the upper stars representing Elijah and Mary, the two great models for the Order, guiding us up the Mount towards Christ. Another interpretation sees the lower star representing Elijah and the Prophetic Tradition while the two upper stars represent the Greek (Eastern) Tradition and the Latin (Western) Tradition.

 

The sword symbolises the power and zeal of Elijah. In the Scriptures Elijah appears again and again as God’s Prophet, speaking out boldly against abuses and reminding the Israelites of their special calling to live as God’s people. The sword is sometimes shown as flaming, to suggest the ardent and zealous spirit of the Prophet; moreover it recalls the fire which he called down from heaven upon the mountain of Carmel to confound the false prophets of Baal (see 1Kings 18:38). Elsewhere in the bible we are told, Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his sword flashing like a torch (see Ecclesiasticus 48:1).

 

Around the crest are grouped twelve stars. The number is meant to refer to the crown of the woman in the Book of Revelations (or the Apocalypse), who has always been taken as a figure of Our Lady, And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet and her head a crown of twelve stars (Revelations 12:1).

 

 

The motto or legend consists of the words of Elijah taken from the First Book of the Kings, 19:10: With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts. In Latin the phrase reads: Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum. These words express the whole life of the prophet Elijah and the very spirit that moved him. The crest or coat of arms stands as an emblem of that tradition and is associated with Carmelite spirit which has been handed down to us.

 

 

source:

http://www.carmelites.ie/crest.html

Toledo

Toledo is a city and municipality located in central Spain; it is the capital of the province of Toledo in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Toledo is a historic city in Castilla La Mancha, sitting majestically above the Tagus River and denoted a UNESCO heritage site in 1986.

The history of Toledo dates back to Roman occupation (Toletum) circa 192BCE. The ruins of the Roman circus are still visible just outside the walls of the city.

Toledo was considered the holiest city in Spain in the Catholic faith.

Our holy father St. John of the Cross entered a Carmelite Monastery at the age of 21 in Toledo Spain. But after the anti-Reformist General Chapter of the Calced Carmelites in 1572 he was abducted and imprisoned at a Carmelite friary at Toledo. He was imprisoned in a dungeon here which was seven meters long and one meter sixty wide.

Confined in a dark cell in this monastery of the Toledo Carmelites, St John used to bleed from the wounds inflicted by their floggings, he was also starved. He was incarcerated  for nine months.

After six months in the Toledo Carmelite prison, a new warden brought St. John the writing material he requested, and he wrote down some of his earliest poetry. He knew, with a grim certainty, that he was going to die if he remained in his prison at Toledo much longer.

He escaped from the prison in August 1578.

Teresian Carmels

The definition of Teresian Carmels is a barefooted Carmelite of the reformed order established in the 16th century by St. Teresa of Ávila.

It was to become the first of a new Order: the Discalced Carmelites. [The term 'discalced' means 'barefoot' and comes from the practice of wearing sandals].

The Order was established in the 16th century, pursuant to the reform of the Carmelite Order by two Spanish saints, Saint Teresa of Ávila (foundress) and Saint John of the Cross (co-founder). Discalced is derived from Latin, meaning "without shoes".

Todo y Nada

(All and Nothing)

Todo y nada is the spiritual genius of St. John of the Cross. According to him, "To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing.”

Everything and nothing in his understanding of God: todo y nada.

Some say that the spirituality of Saint John of the Cross can be summed up with just this one word: nothing.

This famous poem by St. John of the Cross is from THE ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL expressig the spiritual dialectics of all/nothing (todo/nada) very well. Here the word todo is used 2772 times.

Thus the core of St. John of the Cross' teaching is “nada, nada, nada!” which means “nothing, nothing, nothing” other than God.

Teresa of Avila

“Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.” ― Saint Teresa of Avila (March 28, 1515 – October 4, 1582)

St. Teresa of Ávila, born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was also called Saint Teresa of Jesus. She was born in Avila and died in Alba, Spain. She was the third child of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda by his second wife, Doña who died when Teresa was 12.

She was a  Spanish nun, one of the great mystics, a reformer of the Carmelite Order, Doctor of the Church and religious woman of the Roman Catholic Church.

She was an influential and pivotal figure of her generation. St. Teresa, dissatisfied with the quality of her religious life after living several years at the Incarnation Convent in Avila, had begun her reform to establish houses. She founded 17 Carmels in her lifetime and together with St. John of the Cross, she succeeded in restoring the Carmelite Order.

From her earliest years she was religiously inclined. She is known as the patroness of the religious and the sick. She received numerous visions during a period of great illness.

She died in 1582 at the age of 67 and was made a saint in 1622. In 1970, she was named a Doctor of the Church for her writings and teachings.

St. Teresa was a woman who achieved greatness at a time when women had few opportunities.

On October 15, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Teresa of Jesus, more commonly known as Saint Teresa of Ávila.

The historic walled city of Ávila in central Spain is synonymous with the story of Saint Teresa of Ávila, dating back to the 1500s.

St. Simon Stock

After the Crusades, the Englishman St. Simon Stock (d. 1265) reorganized the Carmelites as mendicant friars. He was an early prior general of the Carmelite religious order.

On May 16, the Catholic Church remembers St. Simon Stock, a twelfth- and thirteenth-century Carmelite monk.

St. Simon Stock was born to a very illustrious family in Kent County, England (c. 1165), of which his father was governor. From his infancy he turned all his thoughts and affections to attain to the most perfect love of God.

St. Simon Stock is associated with the brown scapular of the Carmelite order. St. Simon Stock was one hundred years old when he died.

On July 16, 1251, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock in the town of Aylesford, England. “Whosoever dies in this garment (the Brown Scpular) shall not suffer Eternal fire. It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a ..."

He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection." The scapular (from the Latin, scapula, meaning "shoulder blade") consists of two pieces of cloth, one worn on the chest, and the other on the back, which were connected by straps or strings passing over the shoulders.

Scapular

One of the signs in the tradition of the Church from many centuries ago is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is a sign approved by the Church.

The Brown Scapular is a sacramental worn around the neck. It was given to St. Simon Stock, of the Carmelite Order, by Our Lady, in England, in the 13th century.

One way in which Mary is honoured in the Carmelite family is through the Brown Scapular. The Scapular is a symbol of Mary's protection.

On July 16, 1251, Our Lady appeared in the Carmelite habit and held out the Brown Scapular to St. Simon Stock in response to his prayers on behalf of the men.

Through this scapular Our Lady promised a special protection for all members of the Carmelite Order

Salamanca

Salamanca is a city in western Spain that is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the community of Castile and León. It is 212 kilometres away from the capital, Madrid.

Our holy father St John of the Cross began his studies at the University of Salamanca – he studied Theology and Philosophy there.

He completed further studies at Salamanca and in 1567 was ordained to the priesthood.

Spiritual Canticle

THE SPIRITUAL CANTICLE (Spanish: Cántico Espiritual), is one of the gretest poetic works of our holy father and Spanish mystical poet, St. John of the Cross.

The full title is SPIRITUAL CANTICLE OF THE SOUL AND THE BRIDEGROOM OF CHRIST.

St John of the Cross, the Doctor of the Church, wrote this poem as an expression of his burning love for God.

In THE SPIRITUAL CANTICLE St. John of the Cross tries to explain the mystical process that follows the soul until it reaches its union with God. In order to get this, the poet uses an allegory: the search of the husband (Christ) by the wife (the human soul). It is about divine union – the stanzas between the soul and the bridegroom. St. John tries to provide an explanation for the mystical process that follows the soul until it reaches its union with God.

Story of a Soul

(L'Histoire d'une Âme)

THE STORY OF A SOUL is the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux (the Little Flower) which conveys her "Little Way" of spiritual childhood - her "elevator" to Heaven, as she called it.

THE STORY OF A SOUL has become one of the greatest Catholic classic books. This young French woman felt the call of God early on her life and became a Carmelite nun at fifteen. She died at twenty-four. The book is distinguished by St. Therese's capacity for self analysis and her ability to draw meaning from the natural world.

She wrote this autobiography out of obedience to Mother Agnes of Jesus (her religious superior who was also her sister, Pauline). THE STORY OF A SOUL she tells of her life story which was very short (1873-1897).

Understanding of Biblical Verses

Dear DLL Jesus,

I am extremely thankful to you for making me understand the Biblical verses through daily happenings of my life!

From last so many days now Lord you are making me understand but I keep forgetting to write them down! I have forgotten them all but two!

So let me write about these two before I forget these as well!

1) Everything is vanity.......

The meaning of the word vanity is "excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements".

Here I will take only one part of the meaning because you explained to me the meaning of the above verse in context to my birthday!

Every year, from last ten years now, by this time I do so much of shopping for my birthday! I not only shop for my own self but for everyone at home and my shopping is completely done for my birthday in July. I only keep counting the days!

But this year because of the lockdown I have not done anything! I have not bought anything either for myself or anyone at home! There are no chances of going to the beauty parlour also!

So a couple of days back when I was thinking about my birthday, the above verse came into my mind - everything is vanity - and I immediately understood its true meaning!

I understood that all the shopping was for the admiration of my own appearance - to look good on my birthday, click photos and upload on Facebook! How shallow everything has been for me for the last ten years! How shallow I have become because of social media!

2) Now, the second revelation that came to me was just in the afternoon when I was mopping the floor!

No particular biblical verse but something about your love and mercy on me for being obedient to you!

Yesterday evening I had shifted the banana plant to the kids window. In the morning when I was watering the plants, I saw it fallen down and its leaves were all chewed up by Minnie. So I was upset with her! I had made this known to her!

In the afternoon when I was mopping the floor, Minnie was moving around from one room to the other! So I told her to sit at one place till I finished mopping! And she actually sat down!!!

And I was very happy!

So I told her momma is very happy with you for being obedient and I am not angry anymore for what you did to the banana plant!

The moment I said these words, I thought of the love and mercy of God! I understood that you, O lord, are very happy when we are obedient to you! You delight in our obedience to your words and forgive all our past offences! We are your favourite ones and your anger is only for a short while! I understood everything!

I also understood today's first reading about king Ahab! I have been following his behaviour in the readings and cannot imagine how he could be so inobedient!

So, thank you Lord for making me understand the scriptures at a personal level!

😇😇

Silence & Solitude

Chapter 10 of the Carmelite Rule says that a Carmelite is to stay in or near their cell, always watchful in prayer, unless doing some physical work. They lived in separate cells or huts and observed vows of silence, seclusion, and abstinence.

The Carmelites, formally known as the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, were to hear Mass every morning in the oratory of the community, take vows of poverty and toil, and maintain daily silence from vespers until terce the next morning.

Even meals are to be taken in silence while they listen to a reading from a spiritual book.

From Elijah, Carmelites learn to listen for the voice of God in the unexpected and in silence. We seek to allow the Word of God to shape our minds and our hearts - ours is a way of life in which the Word of God is cherished in silence.

For souls aspiring to contemplation, both silence and solitude are a necessity. The early Carmelites went into the solitude of the desert to focus their lives exclusively on God. They viewed Elijah as the father of monasticism, and from that time they sought God's presence in solitude and lived on Mount Carmel.

“Solitude is not an empty space, a void; it is an encounter with the God who loves us…”

Solitude walks hand in hand with silence.

Carmelite spirituality proposes silence and solitude as necessary pre-requisites for prayer and contemplation. Silence refers not only to external noise but also to the stilling of one’s internal noises. 

Silence is the condition for listening attentively to the still small voice of God. Solitude provides the ambience where one may be alone so as to focus more attentively on the Beloved. Solitude then is not primarily separation or isolation from others, but a place of privileged encounter with the Beloved.

Each Carmelite from solitude, pilgrims to the encounter with the Lord every morning, and we can sing with the psalmist: "O God, you are my God-- for you I long!

Carmelite nuns embrace a life of silence and solitude to foster an atmosphere conducive to recollection and prayer. As God's sweetness is tasted in the silence, a desire for solitude naturally arises.

 

Reformed Carmelites

A reform movement within the Roman Catholic Church took place in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and our holy mother St. Teresa of Ávila was an important figure in this Reformation which is also called the Counter Reformation. 

She is considered as the Spanish religious reformer and credited with reviving Catholicism in the 1560s and 1570s when Protestantism threatened to bring down the church. Her most significant contribution was the founding of the Reformed Discalced (Barefoot) Carmelite Convent of San Jose, a Catholic order for women. At the time of her death in 1582 she had started seventeen new Reformed Discalced Carmelite convents, or religious houses, in Spain.

The Carmelites were formally known as the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The need for reform of the Carmelite order was recognized by the early sixteenth century, and some early attempts at reform were made then.

St Teresa started a reform movement among the nuns and then with the help of St John of the Cross, among the friars in 1568 in Spain. In 1592 this reform, called that of the "Discalced Carmelites" or of the "Teresians", became independent from the Carmelite Order and grew rapidly.

St John of the Cross began the first monastery of the Teresian reform for the friars.

The reformed Carmelites are also known as Discalced (shoeless) Carmelites and have produced many canonized saints.

So it is today in the 21st century the Discalced Carmelite friars and nuns continue to live this way of life begun on Mount Carmel and reformed by St Teresa of Avila. An important element of her reform was to rescue the practice of mental prayer.

The aim of the reform was to restore and emphasize the austerity and contemplative character of primitive Carmelite life. Because Reformed Carmelites wore sandals in place of shoes and stockings, they came to be called the Discalced, or barefooted, Carmelites, to distinguish them from the older branch of the order.

The Rule

The Rule of life was given to the early Carmelites by St. Albert Avogadro between the years 1206 - 1214.

It was amended and confirmed by his Holiness Pope Innocent IV.

In the legislation of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, the Rule has a privileged place, since it is a primordial document with a two-fold value: spiritual and normative.

The eremitic Rule of St. Albert is the shortest of the rules of consecrated life in existence of the Roman Catholic church.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e16689d2af57f45b383b4d9/t/5e2114f412540e1f1c713d6b/1579226356261/RuleofStAlbert.pdf 

 

 

Reminiscences

THE PRAISE OF GLORY: REMINISCENCES are the writings of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity who died in 1906 at the age of 26 in the Carmel of Dijon.

When writing about God, her language was simple and affectionate though she was nourished on the writings of St. John of the Cross.

She has let a rich spiritual legacy of writings and reflections and set the standard for contemplative prayer. Her many letters and spiritual writings offer spiritual food and nourishment for the soul.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is the most recently canonized Carmelite saint.

Her writings reveal a profound spirituality that all Christians can learn from.

Queen of Carmel

There are many titles given to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Queen of Carmel is one of them.

Not only is Mary Queen of Carmel, but also the Beauty and Flower of Carmel, the Flos Carmeli. In Mary's perfect yes, the Church sees itself brought to perfection.

 

We Carmelites bear the name 'Brothers and Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary' and belong to a religious family dedicated to her love and service. This special bond with our Lady influences our whole way of life; it pervades our communities, nourishes our life of prayer and our ministry.

 

Devotion to Mary as Mother is a characteristic expression of Carmelite Spiritualty. Mary is also seen as Sister, sharing the journey of faith with us. To both are added the title of Beauty – the name Mount Carmel means: the garden of God – so that Mother and Beauty of Carmel is an honoured title among Carmelites.

 

Our Lady as portrayed in the Gospels is thus put before us as the perfect embodiment of the ideal of our Order. Like her, we strive to treasure God’s word in our heart, pondering it in faith and thus, under her guidance, strive to share more fully in the mystery of Christ and his Church.

Poverty

Poverty is the state of being extremely poor. In keeping with the Carmelite tradition, the Carmelite monks profess the evangelical counsels by making vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty to God and to their neighbour.

Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience are now taken in some form by all formal congregations and orders of religious in the Roman Catholic Church.

Indeed, for religious men and women, vows of poverty, chastity and obedience are of the very essence of their vocation.

The vows of poverty, chastity and obedience which members of religious orders take form one single commitment to follow Christ in a particular way.

By our vow of poverty, we proclaim that Christ is the “pearl of great price,” the true treasure to which no earthly thing can compare.

The poverty of a Carmelite is a means for the apostolate.

Practice of the Presence of God

The Practice of the Presence of God is a book of collected teachings of Brother Lawrence (born Nicolas Herman), a 17th-century Carmelite friar, compiled by Father Joseph de Beaufort. The compilation includes letters, as well as records of his conversations kept by Brother Lawrence's interlocutors.

The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life being Conversations and Letters of Brother Lawrence.

Brother Lawrence was a 17th Century monk who honed the skill of practicing the presence of God.

Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite monk and head cook in his monastery's kitchens.

Practice of the Presence of God is a creative Christian work that is required reading according to many believers.

Practicing the presence of God by Brother Lawrence is an amazing prayer practice to help you grow closer to God.

Called an "unparalleled classic", The Practice of the Presence of God has moved readers for centuries.

These, the conversations (now entitled The Practice of the Presence of God) and 16 letters represent Lawrence's full teaching. God is in the kitchen.

http://www.orthodoxebooks.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/The%20Practice%20of%20the%20Presence%20of%20God%20-%20Brother%20Lawrence.pdf

Perseverance in Prayer

“God withholds Himself from no one who perseveres.” – St. Teresa of Avila

Jesus taught a parable about a woman pestering a judge until he heeded her request with the intention of exhorting us always to pray and not give up.

One of the most difficult aspects of prayer is persevering when it seems that God is not answering.

The temptation to give up prayer is one that St. Teresa herself fell prey to, much to her dismay.

St. Teresa of Avila and Perseverance in Prayer:

“Perseverance is the most necessary thing here" (II Mansions, i; Peers, II, 214)

She wrote extensively on prayer and the spiritual life asking God to give “strength to our souls”.

St. Teresa's encouragement to stay the course with prayer is a gift not only to her. St. Teresa counsels, as always, perseverance and greater attentiveness to the call of love.

 It consists in persevering prayer so as to open to receive what God gives.

 Through perseverance in prayer, she came to greater awareness of God's presence and His love for her.

St. Teresa of Avila remains an inspiration and a trustworthy guide for all who try to persevere in prayer.

St. Teresa is known for being in the highest union with God in prayer.

Prayer

The dictionary meaning of prayer is “a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.” Prayer is the act or practice of praying to God or an object of worship.

Traditionally, Catholic prayers fall into four types:

Adoration: Praising God.

Contrition: Asking for God's forgiveness.

Petition: Asking God for a favour.

Thanksgiving: Showing God gratitude.

The most important characteristic of Carmelite spirituality is living in God's presence. This relationship with God takes shape in prayer. Thus, the heart of Carmelite life rests in faithfulness to community and solitary prayer.

Prayer is an important part of Carmelite life. We are called upon to pray daily.

It is important to reserve every day a little time to read or listen to the Word of God. If one stops praying, it is difficult to get back into a rhythm. In fact when this spirituality enters the heart, where the intimate conversation with God happens, it becomes mental prayer.

Prayer is at the very heart of the Carmelite vocation. Through praying alone and together as a community, Carmelites seek to communion with God.

“For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.” ― St. Teresa of Avila

 For St. Teresa, prayer is simply friendship with Jesus. Real prayer is nothing other than the expression of a relationship of friends. She says: “Humility is the principal virtue that people who pray.”

In the works of St. Teresa of Avila we are shown the importance of prayer as friendship; in St. John of the Cross how we are led as God's people from selfishness to joy.

“The important thing in prayer is not to think much but to love much” [Interior Castle, 4, 1, 7].

OCD

The Discalced Carmelites – OCD (Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum) or Teresian differ in that they follow the reforms of the Carmelite Order made by Saint Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) in the sixteenth century. One such reform is the wearing of sandals, no uppers to the shoe -- ‘shoeless’ – discalced, a sign of poverty and reform.

 

The crest of the OCD Carmelites uniquely features a cross at the summit of the mountain.

 

It is the largest branch of the Carmelite Family today and is present worldwide.

 

As Discalced Carmelites we are a family of men and women, both religious and lay, situated in many countries of the world with a deep friendship with Jesus Christ.

 

The Discalced Carmelites came to India in the beginning of the 17th Century.

Ordo

Ordo is an annual calendar that gives directions for each day's Mass and Office.

It is a booklet containing short and abbreviated directions for the contents of the Office and Mass of each day in the year. 

Obedience

We Carmelites seek the presence of God and call others to a deep connection with our Lord through our evangelical vows of chastity, poverty and OBEDIENCE.

The Rule consisted of sixteen articles, which enjoined strict obedience to their prior, residence in individual cells, constancy in prayer, and the hearing of Mass.

In keeping with the Carmelite tradition, the Carmelite monks profess the evangelical counsels by making vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty to God.

For the Carmelite Community, obedience corrects and purifies the relationship with God.

We exercise evangelical obedience “by being open to will of God”, in whom we imitate Jesus, Mary, and Joseph who were obedient to Father in everything.

The Carmelite reform of the nuns and the friars are due to St. Teresa's initiative under the impulse of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to the Magisterium of the Church.

This community of Carmelite hermits live a hidden life of silence and prayer and obedience to their Superior and their place within the Religious Community.

Carmelites take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to help them grow in their freedom to serve God and their neighbour.

The vow of obedience leads the nun to imitate the obedience of Jesus Christ. Carmelite Seculars, together with the Friars and Nuns, take the promise of obedience to live open to the will of God.

July 2018

Though I have finished writing about all the plants and trees I could recall since my childhood, I am uploading this pic because of its beauty!

This pic was clicked in July 2018 - the day these three plants were bought!

As one can make out, there's the variegated spider lily and the lemongrass, accompanied by the peace lily (as I was told by the local nursery).

But I still don't know the exact name of the third plant! If anyone is aware, please make me aware too!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Mary, the Mother of God, has a multitude of titles under which she is invoked.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is Mary, mother of Jesus. Carmel is a mountain in Northern Israel, where the Carmelite order was founded in the twelfth century. Our Lady of Mount Carmel personifies the “enclosed garden” created solely for God and watered by Him, containing all beauty, grace, and virtues.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel means Mary as she is honoured in the Carmelite Order. Mary is first seen as patron. This is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The brown scapular and the rosary are given by her. Blessed Virgin Mary said to St. Dominic: "One day through the rosary and the scapular I will save the world." The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and queen of Mount Carmel.

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated each year on July 16. At Lourdes in 1858, the Virgin chose to make her last apparition on July 16. The feast was assigned to 16 July, because on that date in 1251, according to Carmelite traditions, the scapular was given by the Blessed Virgin to St. Simon Stock.  

Pothos Plants

Today's plant is the pothos!

I had saved the best for the last - this means today's plant post is the last plant to be written about!

And I write about the pothos plants that I have.

Basic pothos care is very easy. These plants enjoy a wide range of environments. They do well in bright indirect light as well as low light.

A pothos is arguably the easiest of all houseplants to grow, even if you are a person who forgets to water your plants. But my problem is that I always overwater my plants.

These plants have a multitude of common names including golden pothos, Ceylon creeper, hunter's robe, ivy arum, money plant, silver vine, Solomon Islands ivy, etc.

Also called devil's ivy, pothos can be grown in hanging baskets or as a potted plant on a desk. They are excellent at helping to purify the air.

Pothos or the money plant, as famously known in India is one of the easiest to grow plant in India.

Epipremnum aureum, or Pothos, is a tropical aroid vine in the family Araceae and native to French Polynesia.

Golden pothos, also known as devil's ivy, is the easiest indoor plant to care for because it can withstand infrequent watering and low light.

These plants have shiny, heart-shaped leaves that often have gold, white, or yellow variegation. 

These plants have added a lovely and gracious appearance to my window garden!

 I have two of mine pothos plants in  ceramic pots.

 

Carmelite Saints on Prayer

“Mine are the heavens and mine is the earth. Mine are the nations, the just are mine, and mine the sinners. The angels are mine, and the Mother of God, and all things are mine; and God himself is mine and for me, because Christ is mine and all for me. What do you ask, then, and seek, my soul? Yours is all of this, and all is for you. Do not engage yourself in anything less or pay heed to the crumbs that fall from your Father’s table. Go forth and exult in your Glory! Hide yourself in it and rejoice, and you will obtain the supplications of your heart.” – Saint John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love, 27

“Vocal prayer must be accompanied by reflection. A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to; what he is asking; who it is who is asking and of Whom, I don’t call prayer – however much the lips may move.” – Saint Teresa of Avila, from The Interior Castle

“Prayer does not necessarily mean talking to God; it more often means listening to him.” — Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, Practice of the Presence of God

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned towards heaven; it is a cry of recognition and love; embracing both trial and joy.” – Saint Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul

“Consuming Fire! Spirit of Love! Descend within me and reproduce in me, as it were, another incarnation of the Word that I may be to Him another humanity wherein He may renew His mystery.” – Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, Prayer to the Trinity

“True pupils of the school of Carmel should be in a high degree wrapped up in themselves, to find and meet God in the innermost recesses of their souls.” – Blessed Titus Brandsma, Carmelite Mystical Historical Sketches

“Make prayer your business.” – Nicholas of Narbonne, Ignea Sagitta (The Flaming Arrow)

Dieffenbachia or Peace Lily?

So, which plant is this?

Dieffenbachia or Peace Lily?

Many plant identifying apps declared it as the Dieffenbachia. But the local nursery sold it to me as the peace lily. Still in a daze as to which plant is it?

Anyway, it has lost its charm!

This pic is from July 2018 as to when I bought it!

Now it is growing again after shedding all its leaves.

Mary, Mother of the church!

 Mother of the Church (in Latin Mater Ecclesiae) is a title officially given to Mary by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1964, at the close of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), Blessed Pope Paul VI formally declared Mary as the “Mother of the Church”. The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan.

 

“There is no Church without Pentecost. And there is no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary.” — Pope Benedict XVI

 

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost. The term Pentecost comes from the Greek word Pentēkostē which means "fiftieth". It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. In the Christian tradition, this feast officially ends the Easter season and also represents the birth of the early church.

 

In the New Testament, Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the apostles of Jesus Christ. But much before this, Pentecost existed as a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. The apostles, along with Mary, had assembled together in the Upper Room. They were celebrating this Jewish harvest festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. As we are aware, it sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit descended on all of them. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)

 

Along with them, at Pentecost even Mary received the Holy Spirit. It was the same Holy Spirit that had overshadowed her at the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel had said to her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called the Son of God" (Lk 1:35).

Mary had been chosen to be the Mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Our Blessed Mother Mary, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, became Theotokos, the Mother of God. At Pentecost, Holy Spirit again came upon her, giving birth to the early church, and the church became the body of Christ in history.

 

Back in the fourth century, Saint Ambrose of Milan proposed Mary as Mother of the Church due to her faith in bringing forth Christ our Lord. Since then Mary was understood by many early theologians as both the mother of the Head of the Church, Jesus, and also the symbol of the Church par excellence.

 

Mary is called the Mother of the Church, because she's the Mother of Christ, and the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. It is one of the most recently-awarded titles for her, only being proclaimed officially by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

 

In 2018, Pope Francis decided to create the new memorial of Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, on Pentecost Monday. On March 3, 2018, Pope Francis announced that the Church will celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, on the Monday after Pentecost. This year it is being celebrated today.

 

This new memorial of Mary continues to foster devotion to Our Lady, especially in her role as our mother. In addition, it will remind us that from the beginning of the Church at Pentecost, Christ’s followers have turned to Mary to guide them back to Her Son.

 

The eighth chapter of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium (Vatican II), is titled “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.” The Council Fathers taught that Mary’s role in the plan of salvation is connected to both Christ and the Church.