Carmelite homily for Monday, June 29, 2020, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul – Lectionary 591 (Matthew 15:13-19).
Since today’s scripture passage is the same as for February 22 (the Feast of the Chair of Peter) this is a repeat of that homily.
In the Gospel for this Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Jesus asks of his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they give a bunch of answers and finally Simon says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus turns to him and says, “Your name is Peter.” He gives him a special name. But Jesus gives us a special name. Here’s what Saint Teresa of Avila has to write, “To always live in calm desire to rejoice solely in Christ, one’s spouse.” That’s the name Jesus, as we get closer and closer to him, gives us: spouse. So, yes, that’s what we celebrate on this Feast of the Chair of Peter – our espousal.
Carmelite homily for Sunday, June 28, 2020 – Lectionary 97 (Matthew 10:37-42)
Today’s Gospel has quite a few harsh passages. ‘If you love your father or mother more than me you’re not worthy of me. If you love your brother or sister more than me you’re not worthy of me. Unless you take up your cross and follow you’re not worthy of me. If you seek to save your life you’ll only lose it.’ What’s going on? What I think Jesus is doing is inviting us to live a little deeper than ego. Ego is about my stuff, my power, my appetites, my wants, my control – me! And he’s trying to get us a little deeper than that. Saint Teresa of Avila, who would agree with this passage yet was very devoted to her family, writes, “If the soil is well-cultivated by trials and persecutions, criticisms and illnesses – for few there must be who reach this stage without them – and it is softened by living in great detachment from self-interest, the water soaks in so deep that one is never dry.” That is the invitation, actually, of today’s Gospel: to live so deep that we are never dry. Let us live there – try to live there – today.
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.”
a commentary by Gregory Houck, O.Carm. – Friday, June 5, 2020
We are living in racially-charged times and race has become a ‘front burner’ issue with protests and even rioting throughout the United States in response to the killing of an African-American, George Floyd, by a policeman in Minneapolis; this on the heels of other recent racially-charged events in New York, Georgia and Kentucky. What is the Carmelite response?
First, some history. Spain of the 1500s, after driving out the Moors (Muslims) and the Jews from the land, put in Purity of Blood laws throughout the Spanish empire. Not only did a person had to be a natural-born white European to
become a priest,
become a nun,
be a member of the aristocracy,
teach in a university,
to hold any government position,
but that person had to also show that his/her parents and grandparents also had ‘pure blood.’ This prevented anyone of Jewish, Muslim, or native American ancestry from having any kind of employment, any kind of power or even a family anywhere in Spanish lands.
Yes, those were racially-charged times. In the middle of that Saint Teresa of Avila founded her first reformed Carmelite convent in 1568. She told the sisters that they would not follow the Purity of Blood laws when admitting new members to the Order. Some of those sisters, and much of Spain, were not happy with Teresa. Some accused her of being a lawbreaker or a free-thinker; and some plotted to have her arrested and locked up. She did not flinch – even when the Spanish Inquisition began looking into her policies. This is the Carmelite response – to support any oppressed minority and work against oppression but also to empower and include them fully.
This inclusive policy did not begin with Saint Teresa though. On Mount Carmel in the 1200s the first Carmelites were formed from a mishmash of nationalities and cultures and, yes, races; pushed together onto Mount Carmel by war. In those racially-charged times, those first Carmelites worked through all those issues and all those differences forming one Order and made it work. From its founding and throughout an 800-year history, this is the Carmelite way. Today, we too can work through this and make it work!
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.
Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Easter VI), May 20, 2020 – Lectionary 293 (John 16:12-15)
In today’s Gospel Jesus says that , ‘the Spirit of Truth will take what is Jesus’ and give that to us.’ Giving us that richness, that greatness, to trust the Spirit to give us what Jesus has. This is why, I think, Saint Teresa of Avila can say, “How can we share our gifts lavishly if we do not understand that we are rich?” That’s the call of the Gospel. The Spirit will take is Jesus’ and give to us. But why? So we can give to others, to share lavishly, because we are rich.
Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Easter V), May 13, 2020 – Lectionary 287 (John 15:1-8)
In today’s Gospel Jesus uses the well-known image of ‘I am the vine; you are the branches; remain on the vine and you will bear great fruit.’ To remain on the vine means to do what the vine does, what Jesus does, which is: forgive seventy times seven, return a blessing for a curse, love your enemies, turn the other cheek, the Golden Rule. This bears a great harvest, a great fruit. Teresa of Avila says, “Let us not cease to believe that even in this life God gives the hundredfold.” I think that’s what Jesus promises in today’s Gospel.
Carmelite homily for Monday, March 30, 2020 – Lectionary 251 (John 8:1-11)
In her work, The Way of Perfection, Teresa of Avila talks about perfection. And she’s condemning how the sisters can be looking at each other and then reporting to the prioress all the faults. Here’s what she has to say about that behavior, “Let us understand, my daughters, that true perfection consists in love of God and love of neighbor. All that is in the Rule and Constitutions serve for nothing else than to be a means towards keeping these commandments with ever greater perfection. So let each one look to herself only. And as to the breaches and faults of the sisters, keep silence. For perfection consists of love of God and love of neighbor; whereas, perfectionism comes from the devil.” And today we have all these people bringing this woman caught in adultery to Jesus. All pointing fingers at her. And Jesus, though he’s writing on the ground, is actually pointing fingers at them, telling them, ‘be silent.’ And when he looks up, they’re gone. It’s silent. Maybe we should’ve started there.
Carmelite homily for Monday, March 23, 2020 – Lectionary 244 (John 4:43-54)
In today’s Gospel we have a royal official coming to Jesus because his son is ill and asking for healing. This would take quite the step down for a royal official to go to Jesus who the Gospels describe as a carpenter, a laborer, kind of blue-collar. It’s quite the step down. Teresa of Avila writes, “One act of humility is worth more than all the knowledge of the world.” I think that’s the example of today’s Gospel and the call to us. How many times we don’t want to do something because we don’t want to give them the satisfaction? Or they’re supposed to apologize first! Or I’m the aggrieved party! No humility there. I think the call of today’s Gospel is humility. “One act of humility is worth far more than all the knowledge of the world.”
Carmelite homily for Thursday, March 19, 2020 – Lectionary 543 (Matthew 1:16-24)
When the Carmelites came to Europe from the Holy Land in the 1200s they brought with them a devotion – to Saint Joseph. Not very common in Europe at the time. And every new foundation, and in a new place or a new way, is dedicated to Saint Joseph. That’s why Saint Teresa of Avila dedicates her first monastery, reformed monastery, to Saint Joseph. And when the Carmelites came to the United States, their first parish is named Saint Joseph. We staff it to this day. On this Solemnity of Saint Joseph, let’s dedicate this day – this first day; every day is a first day – to Saint Joseph. Modeling our lives, our trust, our faith, our love, on his.
