Carmelite Conversations

He is Near by from Mark Danis, OCDS, recorded by Frances Harry, OCDS

Many of us are homebound right now due to the pandemic of the coronavirus. The whole world is experiencing this scourging. What are we as Secular Discalced Carmelites called to do. Mark highlights some aspects of our Carmelite Charism that are particularly potent right now, in this period of Lent and the pandemic.

On Spiritual Communions with Frances Harry, OCDS

Since most of us, all over the world, are not able to physically go to Mass and received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, due to the pandemic coronavirus, we have a unique opportunity to intensify our spiritual practice of spiritual communions. St. Teresa of Avila gives us some wise counsel on this topic. Additionally, St. Therese of Lisieux, wrote a poem, “My Desires Near Jesus Hidden in His Prison of Love,” that will help inflame any loving heart.

The Well-Ordered Life by Deacon Russell Baldwin, OCDS

Deacon Russell Baldwin, OCDS, gave a homily on The Well-Ordered Life at our March 2020 Community meeting and holy Hour.

“The Angel of the Lord Declared Unto Mary”: Our vocation to Carmel through the Lens of the Angelus by Marika Zimmerman, OCDS

 
Marika Zimmerman, OCDS, gave this presentation at our March 2020 Community meeting.
 
Bibliography
Nine Themes in Carmelite Spirituality - 6. Carmel is Marian
by Fr. Patrick Thomas McMahon, O.Carm.
https://ocarm.org/en/content/ocarm/nine-themes-carmelite-spirituality-6-carmel-marian
Liturgy of the Hours Lenten/Easter Season Volume II for Solemnity the
Annunciation  Psalm Prayer Divine office for 25 March Psalm prayer after Psalm45 not in the four volume but found on line.  
http://www.ibreviary.com/m2/breviario.php?s=ufficio_delle_letture
St Teresa of Avila The Way of perfection Study Edition by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD Page 368
Bible References from the USCCB web site
http://www.usccb.org/bible/colossians/1
Catechism of the Catholic Church Part 1 The Profession of - Section 2 Chapter 2 Article 3  Paragraph 2 I. CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. . .
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p122a3p2.htm
Novena in Honor of Mary Mother Thrice Admirable and Queen of Schoenstatt booklet
By Sister M. Gunthildis, S.A.C.  Translated from German by Ulric J. Proeller, S.T. L.  The Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, New –Schoenstatt W. 284 N. 404 Cherry Lane, Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188   1986 pages 8-10
Divine Intimacy Meditations on the Interior Life for every day of the Liturgical Year by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. Tan Publishers Rockford Illinois © 1964 Pages 1133-1136 (The Annunciation)

Reflections on Poverty presented by Deacon Russell Baldwin, OCDS

Material and spiritual attachments are BIG roadblocks to our growing union with the Lord. This presentation by Deacon Baldwin, himself a Secular Discalced Carmelite, helps one ponder how to live out the Evangelical Counsel of Poverty in one’s own life. In a way, it is even harder for Seculars as the temptations are greater since they live in the world and use material possessions daily. Deacon Baldwin refers to the “Four Degrees of Poverty” of St. Alphonsus Liguori from the book, The Spouse of Christ. This is a very helpful reflection, especially for anyone considering making a promise or vow of Evangelical Poverty.
 

Mary in Scripture presented by Chris Cotter, OCDS

For 2020, our OCDS Community in Dayton, Ohio, has the theme of "Mary, Our Mother” for all of our community presentations. This month’s presentation is on “Mary in Scripture.” There are some eye-opening analogies and topologies presented in this talk that will bolster the faith of many. Additionally, many scriptural passages are referenced for your benefit. The presentation is by Chris Cotter, OCDS. 

“Little Child of Our Mother Mary” by Frances Harry, OCDS

It’s no surprise to learn of the great devotion St. Therese of Lisieux had for our Mother Mary. She was immersed in Marian devotion from her birth, being born into a family that all loved Mary. The focus of this presentation is on four aspects of Therese’s love for Mary: 1) the Ordinary/Simple Mary, 2) the Healing Mother/Child of Mary, 3) Being Under the Mantle/Veil of Mary, and 4) Mary’s Maternal Love: More Mother than Queen. At the end of the reflection, Therese’s poem “Why I Love You, O Mary” (from “The Poetry of Saint Therese of Lisieux” translated by Donald Kinney, OCD; ICS Publications) is recited. Take time to ponder this poem. It summarizes Therese’s love for Mary!

“The Baptism of the Lord” by Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS

This is a reflection given on the feast of the Baptism of our Lord that focuses on the sacrament of Baptism itself as well as our own Baptism in light of our vocation to Carmel.

St Elizabeth of the Trinity and prayer to the Trinity

What would it be like to fully experience the Trinity dwelling in you at all times.? What might it be like to live with continual spiritual guidance and direction, to experience rest and consolation, to know that you are confirmed in reality of an eternal destiny of unimaginable peace, and, most importantly, what would it be like to live in continual peace?
 
If any or all of these conditions of existence sound intriguing to you, then this specific podcast on the Prayer to the Trinity, of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is worth a listen. Here in this Carmelite Conversation, Mark and Frances walk you through Elizabeth's prayer to the Trinity, with assistance of a commentary on the prayer written by a Mother Amabel of the Heart of Jesus, a French Carmelite Nun.
 
There are a number of striking observations from the prayer, and also expanded upon in the commentary. The first is the call to become utterly forgetful of self. This is a message that often sounds strange to the modern generation, but it is a first prerequisite to anyone who desires to embark on the path to holiness and transformation in Christ. By beginning to place Christ first in our life, we will begin to understand how it is that He will be able to eventually take over our life and begin to literally live His life through us.
 
Another equally important requirement for us to begin to encounter the Trinity, is that we must be at peace in our own hearts and souls. This is not something we can achieve on our own, we must pray, indeed, we must plead with the Lord to give us this peace. For it is nothing other than the peace He promised us when He told His disciples He would give them a peace the world could not give. (John 14:27)
 
When we come to experience this peace, we need to be prepared to abandon everything in favor of remaining with the Lord, deep in the interior of our souls. We need to be prepared to offer Christ our very souls as His shelter, His place of repose and His dwelling place. He desires this from each of us.
 
We must also know that though we are powerless to offer ourselves in this way, we can rely on the fire of the Holy Spirit to prepare our souls for this coming, in exactly the same way the Holy Spirit prepared the Blessed Mother to both receive and later give birth to, or Incarnate Christ into the world through us.
 
Finally, we must learn to surrender ourselves to this complete absorption into the Three Persons of the Trinity, where we will discover infinite Solitude and the beginnings of an eternal Beatitude, which is nothing less than the promise of eternal life. 
 
If you are looking for a guide to this journey to the interior of your soul, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and her powerful prayer, along with the commentary, are a very good place to look.
 

The link between contemplative prayer and poetry

Frances Harry, OCDS, interviews poet Tim Bete, OCDS, about the link between contemplative prayer and poetry, including the "secret wisdom" discussed by St. John of the Cross the the concept of "creative intuition" discussed by Jacques Maritain.
Books of poetry by Tim Bete: The Raw Stillness of Heaven, Wanderings of an Ordinary Pilgrim
Primary source material: The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross (includes The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love, Letters, and The Minor Works) [Revised Edition]. ICS Publications.
The Range of Reason by Jacques Maritain https://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/range01.htm
 

How should we approach the poetry of St. John of the Cross?

Fraces Harry, OCDS, interviews poet Tim Bete, OCDS, about the poetry of St. John of the Cross. Below are resources and links to things mentioned in the podcast.
Books of poetry by Tim Bete: The Raw Stillness of Heaven, Wanderings of an Ordinary Pilgrim
Primary source material: The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross (includes The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love, Letters, and The Minor Works) [Revised Edition]. ICS Publications.
The Living Flame of Love by St. John of the Cross
1O living flame of lovethat tenderly wounds my soulin its deepest center! Sincenow you are not oppressive,now consummate! if it be your will:tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!
2O sweet cautery,O delightful wound!O gentle hand! O delicate touchthat tastes of eternal lifeand pays every debt!In killing you changed death to life.
3O lamps of fire!in whose splendorsthe deep caverns of feeling,once obscure and blind,now give forth, so rarely, so exquisitely,both warmth and light to their Beloved.
4How gently and lovinglyyou wake in my heart,where in secret you dwell alone;and in your sweet breathing,filled with good and glory,how tenderly you swell my heart with love.
Spanish1¡Oh llama de amor viva, que tiernamente hieres de mi alma en el más profundo centro!Pues ya no eres esquiva, acaba ya, si quieres; ¡rompe la tela de este dulce encuentro!
2¡Oh cauterio suave! ¡Oh regalada llaga! ¡Oh mano blanda! ¡Oh toque delicado, que a vida eterna sabe, y toda deuda paga! Matando, muerte en vida la has trocado.
3¡Oh lamparas de fuego, en cuyos resplandores las profundas cavernas del sentido, que estaba oscuro y ciego, con extraños primores calor y luz dan junto a su Querido!
4¡Cuán manso y amoroso recuerdas en mi seno, donde secretamente solo moras y en tu aspirar sabroso, de bien y gloria lleno, cuán delicadamente me enamoras!
 
The Living Flame of Love in song
In Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjvx3dx8RNI
Living Flame of Love (Marcus Steer) Malone University Chamber Choirhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLgA5cX0R0
Love's Living Flame sung by a choir (text by St. John of the Cross)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx6PP954Dh8
John Michael Talbot (song)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFdI6JMQuqg
O Living Flame of Love (song by Karl Kohlhase)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOaE2U0xljQ
 
Fr. Bonaventure Sauer's talk about poetry
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxECpvpN_K6BU3U0cXRucDF2WDQ/view
 
 
 

On St. Joseph and his purity and humility, with Tammy Jetton, OCDS

Tammy Jetton, OCDS, gives a talk about St. Joseph during a meeting of the Dayton Secular Community's monthly meeting.

The language of God, with Deacon Rusty Baldwin

This is an episode in the monthly series of talks by Deacon Rusty Baldwin, a Secular Discalced Carmelite who gives a presentation to our Community in Dayton each month. These are recorded live during our Holy Hours. In this program, Deacon Baldwin discusses the language of God.

St. Teresa’s Devotion to St. Joseph presented by Chris Cotter, OCDS

Reflecting on St. Teresa of Avila’s devotion to St. Joseph, we see that it comes from her own personal life experience and intercession with St. Joseph. This reflection is based on an except from St. Teresa’s: “The Book of Her Life.” Join in at the end by praying the Litany to St. Joseph.
 

Overview of the Life of St. Teresa of Avila presented by Deacon Russell Baldwin, OCDS

Rarely do we get an overview of St. Teresa of Avila’s life, since we most frequently focus on specific teachings from her. This is a refreshing overview with a little bit of trivia.

Making Sense of Suffering presented by Colleen Sollinger, OCDS

Our OCDS community had a special celebration for St. Therese on her feast day, Oct. 1st. We had a guest do a presentation on St. Therese. This podcast is that presentation given at St. Peter’s Church in Dayton, OH. Many people have a stereotypical idea that St. Therese, the Little Flower, had it easy growing up and then living in the Carmelite Convent. This presentation clearly lays out many ways that St. Therese suffering and how she dealt with suffering. One ends feeling hopeful that our own suffering offered to God is worthwhile and will aid in saving souls.

A Conversation with Michael Vanderburgh from St. Vincent de Paul

This conversation is with Michael Vanderburgh, the Executive Director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Dayton, Ohio. This may immediately raise the question as to what the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has to do with Carmelite Spirituality. Well, honestly, as the Scripture verse below indicates, we are all called to practice charity to some degree. However, in addition, it turns out that St. Therese of Lisieux's Father, Louis Martin, was a very active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. No doubt, young Therese was exposed, at a young age, to her father's commitment to the poor. This likely contributed to her own early desire to become a missionary and travel to foreign lands to both save souls and serve the poor. Again, this affinity to the poor is something we are all called to, whether members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Carmelites or any baptized Christian.
(Matthew 25:35-40) For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me. “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You? “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
It is with this thought in mind that we chose to speak with Michael about the great work being done by one of the many St. Vincent de Paul Society districts. We also wanted to hear Michael's own vision for the building on the success of the spiritual charism that is so central to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and how it is, in fact, the central theme for the foundation of the Society.
In this conversation you will hear about the more traditional work of the Society, including food pantries and clothing and housing goods that are distributed and sold, at significantly reduced prices, in the societies retail stores. But you will also hear about the significant number of people who are provided both short- and long-term shelter and housing in the City in Dayton. Finally, Mark and Michael discuss the Society's recent and significant and on-going support to survivors of the tornados that devastated the Dayton area over Memorial Day weekend in 2019. Finally, and most importantly, Michael shares his vision for the spiritual growth of the Society in Dayton, which will be built on the foundation of a new chapel within the Administrative Building in Dayton, and the beginning of Eucharistic Adoration. This is a very good program if you are looking for an opportunity to both better understand, and perhaps participate in one of the most prominent charitable ministries in the history of the Church.

After the Offering with St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese’s famous prayer, “The Act of Oblation to Merciful Love” is rich with spiritual concepts for us to ponder, especially the recognition of our poverty and weakness, yet pulsating desire to console Jesus in every way. Knowing souls were rejecting His love, St. Therese offers herself as a victim of his merciful love so that the love others souls rejected would come to her. She vehemently desires to be a saint but is not the great eagle that they are…so she implores God Himself to be her sanctity!! She displays her great confidence in God’s transforming fire of love. How may we imitate her? How may we make her prayer our own? This program carefully considers the duties of a victim of love, the obstacles to be overcome, the soul’s attitude toward suffering, and in what a “death of love” involves. Let us remember that St. Therese prayed for a “legion of little victims worthy of His love” to be raised up. Are you willing to be one?

St. Therese of Lisieux: A Willing Victim of Merciful Love

If you read St. Therese's Act of Oblation to Merciful Love, you will no doubt discover some terminology that might sound a little harsh to the modern ear. Terms like victim, holocaust, and martyr are not words that are cast about lightheartedly these days. But in order to fully appreciate St. Therese's use of these terms in her personal prayer to Jesus Christ, we must also understand what St. Therese is sacrificing or, to use a more familiar term, consecrating herself to. Therese understands that what God wishes to do in her soul, and indeed in each of our souls, is to both ignite the internal fire of love that will consume everything that is inconsistent with His Love, while, at the same time, God wishes to consume the very soul that is burning with this interior love for Him. This is not possible, Therese well knows, unless she make the ultimate sacrifice of herself to God, to His merciful love. In this program, Mark goes through each of these terms, and others, and he describes the context in which St. Therese is using them. He also explains how each of these terms is a perfectly appropriate description of the very action of the Holy Spirit within the soul. He then goes on to explain both some of the cautions related to a soul's adoption of the mindset of oblation to God, and he also describes the remarkable benefits that can accrue from a soul making and living such a sacrifice. Finally, Mark goes on to explain the remarkable benefit such a committed soul can have on the Church as a whole. This is a very valuable presentation for anyone who desire to gain a deeper understanding of just what the Lord is inviting each of us to, what is required of us to respond, and what eternal benefits are available for ourselves and the Church, if we only respond with great fidelity.

Carmel and the Evangelical Counsels with Deacon Rusty Baldwin

This is the second episode in a new monthly series of talks by Deacon Rusty Baldwin, a Secular Discalced Carmelite who gives a presentation to our Community in Dayton each month. These are recorded live during our Holy Hours. In this program, Deacon Baldwin discusses Carmel and the Evangelical Counsels.

Thoughts on the Wounds of Love and the Transverberation of the Heart

August 26 is the day the Discalced Carmelite Order celebrates the supernatural grace of the “Transverberation of the Heart” of St. Teresa of Avila.  What does that entail?  To what purpose can it be associated with?  How do you discern this grace?  St. Teresa gives us a detailed explanation of the first time she experienced the transverberation of her heart.  God has given us a great grace through the incorrupt body of St. Teresa, with an incorrupt heart, which may be seen today in a special reliquary.  What phenomena are associated with St. Teresa’s heart?  What does it mean?  How can we share in this grace in a natural, ordinary way?  What was St. Padre Pio’s experience of the transverberation of the Heart?  Understanding their experiences helps us to realize another way in which God is present and how it affects the whole world.

A Cell of Prayer, the Transverberation, and the Virtues of Mary

Prayer is to the soul what air is to the lungs.  If we don’t pray, we die spiritually.  St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, a Discalced Carmelite Mystic, talked about how we can be a “cell for Jesus”  and how Jesus wants to come to you.  In the depths of prayer, the Lord sometimes grants supernatural graces, which leads us to the deep prayer of 3 great Carmelites:  St. John of the Cross, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, and St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila).  One great grace that both St. Mary of Jesus Crucified (Mariam, the Little Arab) and St. Teresa of Avila experienced was the transverberation of the heart, a wound of the heart.  St. John of the Cross gives us a great explanation of this grace, then the descriptions of this experience from St. Mary of Jesus Crucified and St. Teresa of Avila is given. It is interesting to compare their accounts.  Then we turn to some quotes on the Blessed Mother and a meditation on the Virtues of Mary from St. Mary of Jesus Crucified.

Short Take on St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, the Little Arab

Recently canonized, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified is a Discalced Carmelite nun and mystic who received incredible supernatural charismatic gifts from God for the Church.  She is like the “Padre Pio” of the Carmelite world.  This conversation touches briefly on some highlights of her life and on some of her gifts. Her famous prayer to the Holy Spirit is also prayed on this podcast.
We quote St. Mary of Jesus Crucified on her “Prayer in Time of Desolation.”  When we suffer temptations of desolation, this prayer helps us to keep focused on God and to persevere on this spiritual journey. It has many metaphors and analogies that we can easily relate to.

The Act of Oblation to Merciful Love of St. Therese of Lisieux

If you are looking for a deeper understanding of the nature of the Lord's call to all baptized souls, and you want to discover the depth of commitment and devotion to which a soul can be carried, then you will want to listen to this series. Mark and Frances present here a Catechism on St. Therese of Lisieux's Act of Oblation to Merciful Love. It is the Saint's formal written expression and promise of abandonment to Jesus Christ. The conversation begins by laying the groundwork for the benefits St. Therese received by drafting and continually praying this Act of Oblation. It then presents the significant events, over the course of about five years, that led up to Therese's decision to put into words what she was experiencing in her heart. The Act itself is filled with the language and sentiments that St. Therese wanted to communicate in what is essentially her Love Letter to the Lord. Having read the entire Act, Mark and Frances then begin to analyze some of the more challenging terms for the modern ear. They explore and explain phrases like victim, oblation, holocaust and even martyrdom. These are striking terms to be found in a love letter, but what soon becomes clear, as one reads and prays St. Therese's document, is that her Act is less an offering and more an acceptance of what she understands the Lord wishes to offer her, which is nothing other than His complete self. It is her acceptance of the Lord's offer of merciful love that allows the Lord to complete His work in this well-known Saint. St. Therese's Act is also an invitation to each one of us, not to simply adopt her words, but rather, and more importantly, to open ourselves to the transforming work of sanctification that the Lord wishes to complete in all of us. If you want to truly understand the language of love, then this is a wonderful series for you.

Consummation of Love: From the Depths to the Heights

Continuing with the series on the life of the Discalced Carmelite mystic, St. Teresa Margaret Redi of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this program delves into the depths of aridity that caused this Saint to view her religious duties and devotions with repugnance; yet, because of her insatiable desire to love God, she obediently continues with the utmost charity for the other nuns, who never had any inkling of the depths of aridity, darkness, and coldness the Lord permitted her to go through.  There are many counsels given to her that will help other souls experiencing the trials of the Dark Night of the Spirit.  Her offer to be a victim soul was accepted by Heaven and she was intensely tested.  St. Teresa Margaret courageously went forth in a pure faith, a dark faith, an arid faith.  In the end, she died of love as the force of her love burst through the veil separating her from the one she loved with all her heart, mind, body and strength.  As she glorified the Lord on earth, so the Lord glorified His faithful servant in Heaven.  Many prodigies occurred at her death and afterwards.  Her body still lies incorrupt in Florence, Italy today. Up to the very end, she lived the hidden life in imitation of Jesus, and now, the Lord is bringing her to the fore for us as an example of a pure soul who battled bravely and was purified to an eminent degree.