Blog | Carmelite Spirituality

Is there anything sweeter than receiving a gift from a little child? Every mother who has been the recipient of a “present” from the sticky hands of her toddler can tell you that the gift is precious, and not because it’s useful to her.

Gratitude. It is the song of the heart that every soul can sing and every ear delights to hear. Its fragrance has the capacity to expand the heart and open the eyes of all who smell its sweet aroma. But how does this happen?

I wonder how we would each live if we knew that today was our last day on earth. We sisters have attended many funerals throughout these past months, from those who’ve lived long and full lives, to a child barely beginning life, a young woman who died tragically saving the life of another, and a husband and father lost suddenly to a heart attack.

Time—a word that affects all of us. Thoughts on time probably happen to everyone, especially as one grows older, but I find myself regularly marveling at how quickly time passes.

Want to increase joy in your life? Delight in life as it is, and not as you consciously or unconsciously expect it to be. This was St. Therese’s secret.

Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that you exist? From one perspective, it can seem like random happenstance. But if just one of those relationships hadn’t happened, you, unique as you are, would not exist. God arranged all these things with you in mind, because He thought of you and loved you even before He created you.

A good priest I know defines prayer as “the real you, conversing with the real God.” At one point, I was becoming discouraged in prayer, because it seemed I was always distracted…

A friend recently brought up an interesting concept. Are the fires of purgatory the Holy Spirit? If so, it would make that time of purgation much less intimidating!

Mother Luisita wrote in her spiritual notes: “What a great joy to have in my company, to possess, to have as my own, Jesus Himself! Who could ever snatch my Jesus from me?”

God thought of you, and the thought of you so utterly delighted Him that He created you. That is why you were made. You are His handiwork, a masterpiece of His art.