Carmelite Archives - Page 5 of 20

Would You Like a Flower?

Carmelite homily for Thursday (Week 12), June 25, 2020 – Lectionary 374 (Matthew 7:21-29)

In today’s Gospel Jesus uses the metaphor of building a house. And to listen to his word is like to build a secure, strong house, and to not listen to his word is to build a flimsy house built on sand which will get washed away. But we’re Carmelites! We’re mendicants which means wandering friars. We’re homeless! That’s our call. Not to build a strong house but to be homeless. Even Mount Carmel, our first foundation, is in ruins. Blessed Titus Brandsma writes, “Carmel is the mountain of flowers and with full hands the children of Carmel have strewn these flowers over all the earth.” That’s how we live in Christ; that’s how we follow the word. We wander everywhere over the earth saying, ‘would you like a flower?’

Announcing Beauty

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, June 24, 2020 – Lectionary 371 (Luke 1:57-66) – the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

I was a teacher at one of our high schools and I was asked to be a chaperone on the student trip to Europe. After the trip was over I stayed in Europe and went to visit Straubing in Germany, which was the founding house of the United States Carmelites, to spend the rest of the summer there. And when I arrived it was this day – the Nativity of John the Baptist. And I walked into the church expecting it to be empty and it was packed with people, and the choir was singing, and there was incense, and it was sheer beauty. And that’s always been my understanding since that that’s what John the Baptist does. He’s a precursor of the Lord; he’s the announcer of the Lord; he’s the one who says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God.’ He points out beauty. Carmel, as you know, means ‘Garden of God.’ It is a beautiful garden. That’s always been my understanding of John the Baptist. He brings us into, points at, shows us beauty. Let’s live in beauty this day.

Narrow Road?

Carmelite homily for Tuesday (Week 12), June 23, 2020 – Lectionary 372 (Matthew 7:12-14)

Saint Teresa of Avila writes, “I don’t see how, Lord, nor do I know how the road that leads to you is narrow.” And I agree with her! Even though Jesus says in today’s Gospel, ‘try to enter the narrow gate for the road that leads to destruction is wide.’ Actually, I think, if we try even a little bit of love or try a little bit of acknowledgement of God, God takes over; God guides; God directs. The Holy Spirit fills us with grace. And so how can that be narrow when we’ve got God empowering it, and fueling it, and guiding it? I think Teresa of Avila is right when she writes, “I don’t see how, Lord, nor do I know how the road that leads to you is narrow.”

Enough to Make a Sad Soul Bloom

Carmelite homily for Monday (Week 12), June 22, 2020 – Lectionary 371 (Matthew 7:1-5)

In today’s Gospel Jesus warns us not to judge others and the measure we measure out will be measured back to us. And he gives us the good example of why look at the speck in your brother’s eye and miss the plank in your own. But what’s the point? I think it’s to make life rich and rewarding instead of picking at each other and bringing each other down, building each other up. Saint Therese of Lisieux, who lived in a difficult Carmel, says, “A kind word or an amiable smile is often enough to make a sad soul bloom.” That’s our purpose; that’s our mission – to make a sad soul bloom. Instead of cutting them down or trampling them, make the sad soul – make all souls – bloom. That’s our vision; that’s our duty; that’s our mission.

Do You Love Me?

Carmelite homily for Friday (Easter V), May 29, 2020 – Lectionary 301 (John 21:15-19)

Today we have a Resurrection Gospel. It’s the well-known scene on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples have come in after a miraculous draught of fish. And afterwards, Jesus asks Simon three questions – do you love me? do you love me? do you love me? He doesn’t ask questions like, ‘Simon, why did you doubt when I told you to walk on water?’ or ‘Simon, why did you fall asleep in the garden?’ or ‘Simon, why did you deny me in the courtyard?’ or ‘Simon, where were you when I was on the Cross?’ No, no accusations, just simple questions. Saint John of the Cross writes, “At the evening of life you will be examined in love.” Just like Simon Peter in today’s Gospel, I think those questions will be asked of us. Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?

Seek Yourself in Me, and Me in Yourself

Carmelite homily for Thursday (Easter V), May 28, 2020 – Lectionary 300 (John 17:20-26)

In one of her poems, Saint Teresa of Avila writes, “Soul, you must seek yourself in Me, and in yourself seek Me.” That to find God is a dynamic of seeking yourself in God and seeking God in yourself. That it’s this kind of cycle or spiral of deep introspection into the things of God and into yourself. And the deeper you move into yourself, the closer you are to God; and the closer you are to God, the closer you are to yourself. I think that’s what Jesus is praying for in today’s Gospel when he prays for the Apostles and he says, ‘Father, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’ Yes, that prayer is for the Apostles, but that prayer is also for us. Let us seek him in ourselves and seek ourselves in him.

Nourished on Truth

Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Easter V), May 27, 2020 – Lectionary 299 (John 17:11-19)

In today’s Gospel Jesus says, as he prays for the Apostles, ‘consecrate them in truth; your word is truth; I consecrate myself for them so that they may be consecrated in truth.” There’s a lot of truth language here, but there needs to be because there’s a lot of lies. Society says, ‘oh, there shouldn’t be any pain; there really is no death; do what you want as long as you don’t hurt anyone.’ There’s a lot of lies. Advertisers! They promise everything, just buy the product. Truth needs to be discerned; discerned deeply. Saint Therese writes, “I can nourish myself on nothing but truth.” That is true – where true nourishment is. Not in lies, not in emptiness, not in falsehood – but in truth. But it takes a little bit to get there; it takes a lot of work to get to that food.

Total Delivery

Carmelite homily for Tuesday (Easter V), May 26, 2020 – Lectionary 298 (John 17:1-11)

In today’s Gospel Jesus is praying for the ones that the Father has given him. But it’s a two-way street. The Father gives us to Jesus, but then do we give ourselves then to Jesus? Saint Therese writes, “For a long time I have not belonged to myself since I delivered myself totally to Jesus, and he is therefore free to do with me as he pleases.” That’s our mission; that’s our part. Yes, the Father has given us this great gift of life; has given us Jesus. And we need to give ourselves to Jesus. To follow Therese’s example and deliver ourselves totally to him.

The Mystical Life

Carmelite homily for Monday (Easter V), May 25, 2020 – Lectionary 297 (John 16:29-33)

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the Apostles they’re going to be afraid; they’re going to run; they’re going to abandon him; they’re going to go to their homes. But he tells them, ‘take courage and be not afraid.’ But they don’t see the bigger picture; they don’t see the hand of God; they don’t see the plan of God. They don’t see Jesus for who he really is. Blessed Titus Brandsma writes, “Carmel, unlike the children of our day, is not afraid of the mystical life.” That’s the call of today’s Gospel – the mystical life, the spiritual life. To connect heart to Jesus, to connect mind to Jesus, to take on the mind of Jesus. To see the deeper plan, to see God’s hand. And when we see that, and live that, we cannot be afraid.

Remaining Here With Us

Carmelite homily for Sunday, Ascension Day, May 24, 2020 – Lectionary 58 (Matthew 28:16-20)

Today we’re celebrating Ascension Sunday. Most dioceses in the United States move the Feast to today. And I like the depictions of the Ascension, like in old prayer books or the Old Masters, the Apostles are all looking up into the sky and there’s a cloud, and from the bottom of the cloud are sticking Jesus’ feet. The message is ‘he hasn’t left us completely’ or ‘we are to follow in his footsteps.’ He remains with us. That’s exactly what Saint Therese of Lisieux understands in this Feastday. She writes, “You returned to your realm of light, and still remain hidden here to nourish us in our vale of tears, with Holy Communion.” Yes, we celebrate Ascension – Jesus departing for heaven – but there’s a lot of Jesus remaining with us still. Jesus in each one of us; Jesus in our neighbor; Jesus in the Sacraments; Jesus nourishing us in Holy Communion. So it’s partial Ascension?