Category: Therese of Lisieux

Carmelite homily for Sunday, January 26, 2020 – Lectionary 67 (Matthew 4:12-23)

One time I was taken to a concert, a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach.  It was so beautiful that as soon as it was over I said, ‘I want that in my life.’  And I began flute lessons; I joined a choir.  I think that’s what’s going on in today’s Gospel.  Jesus is walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and he runs into Simon and Andrew and says, “Come and follow me.”  And they follow him immediately.  It must be like they were so enraptured, so touched by Jesus, they want him in their lives.  And then he sees James and John and says, “Come and follow me” and they do it immediately.  They want him in their lives.  Saint Therese of Lisieux writes in her autobiography, Story of a Soul, “I wanted Carmel as soon as I learned of it; I find all the aspirations of my soul are fulfilled in this Order.”  I think it’s that same kind of ‘I want it as soon as I learn of it.’  It’s happening in today’s Gospel, it happened in the life of Therese.  Let’s hope it happens in our lives.  

Carmelite homily for Saturday, January 25, 2020 – Lectionary 142 – The Conversion of Saint Paul

Today’s Gospel, for the Conversion of Saint Paul, is the ending of Mark’s Gospel, where he’s talking about disciples.  They will drive out demons, speak new languages, pick up serpents, drink deadly things, heal the sick.  These are extraordinary feats.  But you notice that it’s the end of the Gospel.  I think our transformation in Christ is a lifetime call, a lifetime transformation, a lifetime journey.  That’s the Conversion of Saint Paul: our own conversion.  A couple of days ago I quoted Saint Therese and I’m going to use the same quote today.  She writes, “He transformed me in such a way that I no longer recognized myself.”  I think Saint Paul, at the end of his life, would look back and say, “that was me?”  And I think that’s the same with us – we’re so transformed, it’s amazing.  

Carmelite homily for Friday, January 24, 2020 – Lectionary 315 (Mark 3:13-19)

Today’s Gospel passage comes from Mark, and it’s the naming of the Twelve Apostles.  But there’s a name missing – mine!  There’s a name missing – yours!  Saint Therese, in her autobiography, Story of a Soul, writes, “The divine call had been so strong that had I been forced to walk through flames, I would’ve done it out of love for Jesus.”  Hopefully that describes the call of those Twelve, and your call and my call.  Yes, I think today’s Gospel is the calling of the Twelve but it’s the calling of a lot, lot more. 

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, January 22, 2020 – Lectionary 313 (Mark 3:1-6)

There’s a line in Saint Therese of Lisieux’s autobiography, Story of a Soul, which describes her journey.  She writes, “He transformed me in such a way that I no longer recognized myself.”  I think that’s what’s happening in today’s Gospel.  The man with the withered hand comes before everybody in the synagogue and Jesus heals him.  And that’s what happens to all of us.  Whatever the areas are that are withered, occluded, blocked, Jesus takes and heals us because it’s part of our transformation.  Transformation so deep and so rich that we may not even recognize ourselves.  

Carmelite homily for Monday, January 20, 2020 – Lectionary 311 (Mark 2:18-22)

A few years ago our Shrine of Saint Therese in Darien, Illinois, had a display of a chasuble which had been made out of the wedding dress Therese wore at her First Profession.  In those days you came to First Profession dressed in wedding attire; that was removed and the habit given.  After her canonization, the Pope of the time, Pius XI, requested that dress and had it turned into a chasuble.  In today’s Gospel Jesus says don’t take new cloth and put it on old.  But what about taking old cloth and making it new?  I think that is what Jesus was getting at.  Every person, every generation is to take these lessons, this faith, and make it new.  I think that is what Therese did in her ‘Little Way.’  And that’s the call of all of us.  Therese also did that – she took one of her sister’s dresses and turned it into a chasuble – old to new.  Let’s do that ourselves – old to new.  

Carmelite homily for Sunday, January 19, 2020 – Lectionary 64

In today’s Gospel we have Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and John the Baptist says to his disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God.”  And that is our task, is to proclaim the Lamb of God.  For example, Saint Therese writes about one sister in her community that was hypercritical and grumpy and grouchy and just unpleasant to be around, and Saint Therese writes, “penetrating into the inner sanctuary where he chooses to dwell, I took care to render for this sister all services possible; and when I was tempted to answer her back in a disagreeable manner, I was content with giving her my most friendly smile instead.”  That’s proclaiming the Lamb of God – is to see Jesus even in the crotchety or to everyone – to see Christ in all things, and to proclaim Christ in all things. To proclaim with John the Baptist and all the disciples: Behold the Lamb of God. 

Carmelite homily for Saturday, December 7, 2019 – Lectionary 180

In today’s Gospel Jesus looks over the crowds and says; wow, they’re like sheep without a shepherd.  So he summons the twelve apostles and sends them forth to work, saying, go to the lost sheep and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons, and remember, without cost you have received so without cost you are to give.  I think Therese understands this well.  In her autobiography, A Story of a Soul, she says, “In the evening of life I shall appear before you with empty hands for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works; I work for love alone.”  I think that’s why we work, we do, we serve the Lord.  Not for accolades or praise or any other form of payment – whatever those are – but for love alone.  

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, December 3, 2019 – Lectionary 176

Saint Therese of Lisieux was looking for some way to articulate her Little Way and she found this passage in the Book of Wisdom:  “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me.”  And she concludes, “The elevator which will raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus, and for this I had no reason to grow up but rather to remain little and to become this more and more.”  In today’s Gospel we have this image of becoming childlike and things that are hidden are revealed to the little ones.  I think that is Therese’s Little Way.  Let Jesus do this.  Let Jesus accomplish this.  Let Jesus’ grace work through us.  Be little, and let Jesus do the work.