Blog | Carmelite Spirituality
Joyful Penance
As a child I never looked forward to Lenten penances, it always meant “giving up” something that I liked very much. Among my friends it was understood that giving up vegetables was not an acceptable pentential practice. So usually it meant things like chocolate bars or a favorite television program.
Saint Claude de la Colombiere
The Miracle in Room 207by Sister Maria Elia, O.C.D.As Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, we have a deep devotion to the Heart of Christ and as such, we had a long-standing interest in the cause for canonization of Blessed Claude de la...
Mary, the Mother of God and Our Mother
Contemplating Our Lady as mother of Jesus when He was an infant and little boy, it is easy to imagine her doing all the things mothers do for their children – singing Him to sleep, kissing a skinned knee if He fell while at play, holding His hands helping Him to...
Las Posadas
During the special time of Advent, Catholics around the world may participate in the Hispanic tradition known as “Las Posadas”. This devotion re-enacts the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for the birth of the Christ child.
Our Merciful Mother — Our Lady of Guadalupe
n every approved Marian apparition, Our Lady has a specific mission. Each one reveals a determined and specific message—a unique and necessary goal. In the Anáhuac Valley of Mexico, on a barren hill called Tepeyac, Our Lady of Guadalupe came as a “merciful Mother,” a healer and restorer of all who are broken in body and in spirit. It is an amazing thought to consider that the “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars” would place her feet upon the bloodstained sod of a nation’s festering woundedness. Yet, that is precisely what she did and continues to do for our broken humanity.
The Truth About Mary
Sammy was a playful boy, like most of the five-year olds in my kindergarten classroom. Almost three feet tall with dark, dark eyes and dark, dark hair, Sammy possessed a smile that radiated from his soul. He came up with his own special way of greeting me in the morning: sneaking up behind me, grabbing my rosary beads which hung on the left side of my habit, and pulling them to full extension. He was so quick and so silent that the beads did not even make a noise. I didn’t realize he was even there until I felt the tug of the rosary beads.
Advent: The Reason for the Season
“For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Fall: Winter, Spring, Summer The cycles of nature coincide with the cycles of life. Those of you living today have relived these cycles countless times. We are presently experiencing Fall...
Watching and Waiting — Advent in Carmel
Waiting and watching.
These words describe Advent in Carmel.
Waiting and watching.
St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross
These two, although years apart in age and in their lived experience of religious life first met when Teresa, beginning the foundation of her second reformed Carmel, was 52 years of age and John newly ordained as a priest was 25.
What is a Vocation and How is it Different from a Job?
During this onset of adulthood, we begin thinking about a vocation, a career, a chosen path of life. This too can be scary, exhilarating, or downright emotional. We’ve all be there. And for anyone who hasn’t been there yet, be assured the day will come for you, too.