Article By Kay Dumesnil, OCDS, of the San Juan de la Cruz Community in Houston, TX While in the Chapel after Mass this morning, a feeling of warmth came over me. Like being warmed by a heat, a magnificent flame, I began to think what a gift it was to be here in the presence of my Creator and His faithful Missionary Carmelites of St Teresa. Talking to God, I asked, why do you love me? Why have you given me such a wonderful environment to grow in Carmelite spirituality? How can you love me when I abandon you so often for worldly things. Let me focus on your Divine love for me. Please hold my han ..read more

Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD Let me begin by quoting lines from a poem by Jessica Powers (who in Carmel was known as Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit, OCD): Music by right is for the solitaries whom a long silence trains to the profound. The lines are from the poem "The Evening Chimes." It is a seemingly simple and straightforward poem. Yet its subject matter, the thing it's trying to tell us, has a spiritually intricate - perhaps "delicate" is a better word - a spiritually delicate weight to it. Thus, one struggles to express it or capture it in words. Yet the poem, I would say, does a superb job ..read more

Introduction by Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD One might define poetry, very simply, as “structured speech”—meaning that, since it is speech, even when it is written it should normally be read aloud, or at least read to oneself by sounding the words clearly in one’s head. Anyway, given that poetry is structured speech, how it is structured can vary quite a bit. Some poetry is structured formally, through the use of meter and/or rhyme. Most of us in the West sort of presume poetry will take this shape. English poetry originally did not, though. But the influence of Italian and French poetry changed ..read more

Article by an anonymous OCDS member. This morning brought a return to a sense of focus, in trying to rebound after days on the road. As I started my walk at the Rosary Garden, what riveted my eyes was the Sacred Heart statue at its entrance. What especially caught my attention was the figure of Jesus pointing to his Heart. It's such a definitive gesture! It's as if He's letting us know: THIS is the place to go - My Heart - no doubt about it! You have arrived at THE place to be when you abide here in this garden, in this time of prayer. "I am the Vine, you are the branches" also came to mind. T ..read more

Poem by anonymous Secular Carmelite member If God is my All and he is with me… why am I so lonely? Why do I feel alone? Father. Son. Holy Ghost. Even those three need one another to be God! That is my answer to why I need to seek the company of others in the race. But I must seek that company, that holy communion. in him… He must lead the way. It is in imitation of his perfect example that I seek others with whom to be myself. Each of us gives to the other Whatever we have. Each asks of the other that which we have not and need. Two together. Or three or four, Or more… And there is God ..read more

Article by Hannah De Lisser, an OCDS member As given in The Rule of Saint Albert, Carmelites “should live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ” and while this reflection isn’t all about the Rule all Carmelites wish to live up to, it does relate to it directly. Recently, after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, part of my penance – after my public flogging (just kidding) – was to meditate on the Passion of Jesus. During the season of Lent this is a particularly fine penance and meditation, but out of my meditation came a thought; possibly a distraction but I still went with this stream ..read more

Poem by Time Bete, OCDS The narthex, the nave, the steeple, the transept, the columns, the corbel, the buttress, the portal, the plaster, the gold, the marble, the silver. The Stations of the Cross carved in Paris and shipped in the hold of a schooner on its way to Boston. The bond stone, the bed joints, the mortar, the granite, the weep holes, the stretcher. The Irish mason who ate his lunch sitting on scaffolding, legs dangling in the air 200 feet above the ground. The bull’s eye, the rondel, the solder, the leading, the fish tape, the badger. The stained glass designed in Germany by a man w ..read more

Not too long ago, I came out of Mass with 1 John 4:16 on my mind and heart: specifically, "he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him."     What came through my mind was that the first part, abiding in God, being enveloped by him, is more often sweet, permeated with peace, and seems to happen more readily. God abiding in us brings the thought of being wounded, but in a welcoming way – not humanly so or something readily done, but more than worthwhile when recognized and embraced. It is more of a "journey" than the first dynamic. More than words can say, it is like a picture ..read more

Article by Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD It is important to remember that beauty is not an attribute that simply adheres to or belongs to a thing—be it a natural object or scene, or a person, or a work of art. Beauty, rather, is a moment of revelation. We grasp it, it grasps us. It is born of an interplay between our interior awareness and this something or someone, which interplay ends up bestowing on us a sense of wonder or grandeur, or a glimpse of perfection after its kind, or a moment of simple loveliness. Beauty isn't a thing, then. Rather, it happens. It is an event, a movement of the soul ..read more

Written by Time Bete, OCDS “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” — Acts 8:37 Photo by Delaney Van on Unsplash High on the shore, I heard the rapids call, boils and eddies and current strong, coaxing me to come closer; the river’s surface a deception, power and depth hidden below, so I was naive and unafraid as I gave myself over to it. Like a child in the waters of Baptism, I did not understand the river would require all; once surrendered, no going back. What looked innocent from afar, seized my legs and arms and head, tight wet grip, immersing, engulfing, obscuring ..read more