homily Archives - Page 15 of 19

A Soul Surrendered

Carmelite homily for Friday, December 13, 2019 – Lectionary 185

In today’s Gospel Jesus remarks about the gripey people. That he says, “We played you a flute but you would not dance so we sang you a dirge but you would not wail. That John the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking and you said he’s crazy and so Jesus came eating and drinking and you said he’s a glutton. No matter what happens people will complain. Teresa of Avila says, ahh, put that all aside. One of her great lines is, “For a soul surrendered into God’s hands doesn’t care whether they say good or evil about it.” That could sum up today’s message of the Gospel.

Here All Are Loved

Thursday, December 12, 2019 – Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe — Carmelite homily for Lectionary 690a

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe where Mary appears in Aztec and Christian symbols on a hill in Mexico City, Tepeyac, to an indigenous man, Juan Diego, and has a message of unity and brotherhood and sisterhood and love — that it is an embrace of God. That’s a wonderful message. Teresa of Avila, when she’s describing her reformed Carmels, her new foundations, says, “Here all are friends; here all are helped; here all are loved.” Even though that comes from Teresa of Avila that is exactly the message of today’s Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Yoke is Easy; Burden is Light

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, December 11, 2019 – Lectionary 183

In today’s Gospel we have words of great comfort. Jesus says, “Come to me all who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy; my burden is light.” Who doesn’t want that? But between those two parts is the key where he says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Ahhh, I don’t know if we want that – that meekness thing, that humble thing? No. But that’s the key. As Teresa of Avila says, “May the Lord be praised who freed me from myself.” We’re trapped by our pride; we’re trapped by our appetites; we’re trapped so many times. Enslaved by these. It’s when we are freed and we learn to be meek and humble of heart, then the yoke is easy and the burden is light.

Getting Lost

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, December 10, 2019 – Lectionary 182

In today’s Gospel we have the well-known parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus asks, which of you who have a hundred sheep, if one is lost would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go look for the one? But how do we not be the one? How do we avoid that? How do we prevent that? Teresa of Avila has a very simple answer. She writes, “For all who follow Christ, if they don’t want to get lost, must walk along the paths he trod.” It’s as easy as that.

A Really Delightful Flower

Monday, December 5, 2019 – Immaculate Conception — Carmelite homily for Lectionary 689

Carmel means “Garden of God.” Carm = Garden; El = God. And so there’s this tie with flower throughout Carmelite literature and Carmelite spirituality. That’s why Therese calls herself a “Little Flower” because she compares herself to the big flowers, the prize roses like John or Teresa. Mary, according to Titus Brandsma, her symbol is the sunflower because it follows the sun but with its head down. Today the Church celebrates this great Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – a delightful flower in the world’s and in Carmel’s garden. We’re named after Mary, after all. Saint Titus Brandsma says, “The devotion to Mary is one of the most delightful flowers in Carmel’s garden.” That’s what we celebrate today: a really delightful flower in Carmel’s garden.

Consider Carefully

Carmelite homily for Sunday, December 8, 2019 – Lectionary 004 (Second Sunday of Advent)

Edith Stein, also known as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, was a Carmelite who was executed – martyred – at Auschwitz. She says, “If you decide for Christ it could cost your life. Consider carefully what you promise.” In today’s Gospel we have John the Baptist proclaiming Good News, and baptizing for repentance, and saying, the one following me I am not worthy to even untie his sandal. He opts for Christ. He decides for Christ. And it costs him his life because that Christ-like message is so other-worldly. Focused on the other; serving the other; living in truth; living in honesty; living in integrity; living in authenticity. The world hates these actually. So if you decide for Christ it could cost you your life. Consider carefully what you promise.

For Love Alone

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.

Complete Conversion

Carmelite homily for Friday, December 6, 2019 – Lectionary 179

In her autobiography, A Story of a Soul, Saint Therese talks about her ‘Christmas Conversion.’ She was young – fourteen. But she says it was her “complete conversion.” There was a Therese before and a Therese afterwards. It was sudden. In today’s Gospel we have ‘sudden.’ These blind men are suddenly – and the word is ‘suddenly’ – healed. They can see what they did not see. That’s what Therese had at her ‘Christmas Conversion.’ It was Christmas Eve; she was fourteen, and she said, “I felt charity enter into my soul and the need to forget myself and please others; since then I’ve been happy.” That’s her ‘Christmas Conversion.’ It was a selfish, self-centered, self-oriented, self-motivated, self-aggrandizing Therese before and it was an other-centered, other-helping, other-focused, other-loving Therese after. That’s the call of the Gospel. That’s the call of all of us in Jesus.

Castles in the Air

Carmelite homily for Thursday, December 5, 2019 – Lectionary 178

Be Little and Let Jesus Do the Work

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.