Today's Gospel

At that time Jesus exclaimed:

“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."

Dear DLL Jesus,

How apt this gospel verse, taken from St. Matthew, is for me! 

All my life I have been considered childlike because I don't possess a college degree and not specialized in any creative course! Right from my childhood I have been ridiculed by relatives and friends for not having extraordinary talents and intellectual. The teachers in school, especially St. Michael's, Durgapur, would humiliate me because of the poor quality of my studies! I didn't have a great school life as I lagged behind in class because of so many changes in curriculum and syllabus due to relocations.

But Lord you raised me up by giving an understanding of the Bible - by revealing to me things that you withheld from the intellectuals! You handled me patiently unlike my school teachers - you gave understanding to this slow learner, this late bloomer!

I thank you Lord for this!🙏

I also understood yesterday's gospel verse - "I have come to bring fire and not peace and I have come to bring sword......"

While I was reading its commentary I read that there used to be discord in the family over following you! This rang a bell in the morning when I looked at my father's photo during the Mass - it dawned on me that how upset he was when he came to know that I would have to get converted to Christianity after marriage! Even my brother was wild and didn't attend my wedding! 

This verse further says that "if you prefer your family - father and mother and brother - over me, then you are not worthy of me". But then Lord I preferred you over everyone and decided to follow you! Though at that time I did it just to get married!

But you know everybody's heart! You must have found something special in my heart and that's why you showed special favour to me and slowly started revealing the hidden things!

Wow Lord, everything is so clear now! As clear as the morning!

The gospel passages of last few days are so very relatable to my life! And I have understood them so very well!😊

Word of God

The Eucharist and the Word of God are the two pillars of Carmelite Spirituality.

To read the word of God in the spirit of Carmel is to pray it with the heart of Mary. This means that as she, more than anyone, listened to and welcomed the word of God, we too should listen to and welcome the word of God in our life. As St. John of the Cross wrote so beautifully: “The Mother gazed in sheer wonder” (R 9).

Carmelite Spirituality is a spirituality of the Word of God.

Way of Perfection

THE WAY OF PERFECTION (Spanish: Camino de Perfección) is a handbook for the sisters of her reformed convent by St. Teresa of Ávila. She urged her nuns onto a deeper relationship with Our Lord.

It is a method for making progress in the contemplative life and was written in 1577. It was written during the height of controversy which raged over the reforms St. Teresa enacted within the Carmelite Order. In it, she sets out to lead others along the way to union with God through prayer, silence, and contemplation.

This book is a practical guide to prayer setting forth the Saint's counsels and directives for the attainment of spiritual perfection. Of all of St. Teresa of Avila's works, THE WAY OF PERFECTION is the most easily understood.

Although she designed her book for her fellow sisters of the Carmelite Order, there's plenty in there for those of us who don't live in convents.