Veni, Sancte Spiritus!
The following is a reflection from The Cenacle, a collection of fifty meditations on the Holy Spirit written by Fr. John Mary of St. Joseph, OCD circa 1696 and traditionally used by Discalced Carmelites as a preparatory retreat for Pentecost.
Brown Scapular: A Silent Devotion – From the Archives of Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD
Today is the feast day of Saint Simon Stock, a figure whose history is shrouded in mystery and legend. The late Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh helps us to sift through all the uncertainty to find the rich spiritual significance of Saint Simon Stock's reception of the scapular promise from the Our Lady.
CarmelCast – Episode 7: Trust and Surrender
Our lives are often clouded with anxiety, frustration, and shame. Despite these difficulties, the saints were able to surrender to God's will and abandon themselves into His loving arms. Like them, we must accept the [...]
CarmelCast – Episode 6: Asceticism
Asceticism is a necessary part of the spiritual life. Saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila espouse an absolute asceticism of complete detachment and relentless mortification. This zealous ideal can seem daunting if removed from the ultimate goal of their ascetical practices: love of God and neighbor. In this episode, we discuss the practice of asceticism and its important place in the Carmelite tradition.
CarmelCast – Episode 5: Difficulties in Prayer
Anyone committed to a life of prayer will face the difficulties of distractions and aridity at different times. These experiences can be extremely frustrating and disheartening. However, even the greatest saints faced these same trails in prayer, and they show us that they are actually opportunities for great growth in our relationship with God. In this episode, we examine the experiences of distraction and aridity in our times of prayer based on the teachings of the Carmelite masters.
CarmelCast – Episode 4: Passive Prayer
As we grow in the spiritual life, we may find that our prayer becomes less focused on what we are doing and more about what God is doing in us. Saint John of the Cross defines this type of prayer as "an inpouring of God into the soul" and offers three signs to help discern if God is inviting a soul to receive His grace in this way. In this episode, we explore the teachings of Saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila on passive prayer within the Carmelite tradition.