Lmst

Just finished a reflection on Greg Isenberg's #KPI

"Treat Sunday night like a career dashboard, check your pulse at 8 PM" - Sunday Scaries as Diagnostics -

https://open.substack.com/pub/jesparent/p/treat-sunday-night-like-a-career?r=1nc49l&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

#sundayscaries #leadership #vision #community #career #vocation #success #resilience

Quote of the day, 19 May: St. Edith Stein

In order to develop to the highest level the humanity specific to husband and children, woman requires the attitude of selfless service. She cannot consider others as her property nor as means for her own purposes; on the contrary, she must consider others as gifts entrusted to her, and she can only do so when she also sees them as God’s creatures towards whom she has a holy duty to fulfill.

Surely, the development of their God-given nature is a holy task. Of even higher degree is their spiritual development, and we have seen that it is woman’s supernatural vocation to enkindle, in the hearts of husband and children, the sparks of love for God or, once enkindled, to fan them into greater brightness.

This will come about only if she considers and prepares herself as God’s instrument.

Saint Edith Stein

Spirituality of the Christian Woman (1932)

Stein, E 2017, Essays On Woman, The Collected Works of Edith Stein, Book 2, translated from the German by Oben, F, ICS Publications, Washington D.C.

Featured image: California photographer Caleb Morris captures this shallow focus image of a woman gazing out a storefront at golden hour. Image credit: Caleb Morris / Unsplash (Stock photo).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How am I being called to serve others selflessly—as God’s instrument, not for my own ends?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#gifts #love #spiritualDevelopment #StEdithStein #vocation #woman

The Fourth Sunday in Easter

Today’s readings

Today’s brief Gospel reading begins with the wonderful line, “My sheep hear my voice.” Reflecting on that line caused me to wonder: how are the sheep to hear the shepherd in this day and age? There are so many things that vie for our attention, so many circumstances that distract us from everything important, that it would be easy to miss the call of the shepherd altogether.

So that’s what I want to preach on today: What will it take for us sheep to hear our Master’s voice? We who are so nervous about any kind of silence that we cannot enter a room without the television on as at least background noise. We who cannot go anywhere without our cell phones and/or ear buds implanted firmly in our ears? We who cannot bear to enter into prayer without speaking all kinds of words and telling God how we want to live our lives? In a previous parish, we were praying before our worship commission meeting. The chairperson of the commission was leading prayer, and part of that prayer called for some silent reflection. I could see the uneasiness on his face, and pretty quickly, he moved on from the prayer. That’s not uncommon: we often find silence awkward. If even our prayer and worship are cluttered with all kinds of noise, how are we to hear the voice of our Shepherd who longs to gather us in and lead us to the Promise? Yet Jesus makes it clear today that entering into the silence and listening for his voice is the only way we can survive spiritually, the only way we can come at last to eternal life.

Here’s a deeper question: how are we to hear the Shepherd’s voice if there are no shepherds to make it known? Today is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. And I want to talk about all vocations today, but in a special way, I want to talk about vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Because these vocations, and especially the priesthood, are called upon to be the voice of Christ in today’s world. This is a special, and wonderful challenge, and I know there are young people in this community that are being called to it. We hear in today’s Liturgy of the Word that this task is not always easy because it is not universally accepted, as Paul and Barnabas found out. But it is a task that brings multitudes of every nation, race, people and tongue to the great heavenly worship that is what they have been created for.

We know that every person has a vocation. Every person is called on by God to do something specific with their life that will bring not only them, but also others around them, to salvation. Parents help to bring their children to salvation by raising them in the faith. Teachers help bring students to salvation by educating them and helping them to develop their God-given talents. Business people bring others to salvation by living lives of integrity and witness to their faith by conducting business fairly and with justice and concern for the needy. The list goes on. Every vocation, every authentic vocation, calls the disciple to do what God created them for, and helps God to bring salvation to the whole world.

On this Mother’s Day, we can see in our Blessed Mother, the model of living our vocation. Through her fiat, she embraced the Father’s will for her, and put her life in his service. Just this past week, we saw a Cardinal priest from our own metropolitan area become the successor to Saint Peter, our new pope. I don’t think that he would have seen that coming when he was studying for the priesthood in the Augustinian order, and I don’t know if any of us foresaw ever having an American pope, but his vocation called him to that service, and he said yes, his own fiat to God’s will.

What about you? Are you doing what God wants you to do with your life? Maybe your answer won’t require a radical change; it certainly won’t require you to become the pope! Maybe it just means you renew your commitment to your family, your work, your life as a disciple. But if you’re a young person out there and have only been thinking about what’s going to make you successful and bring in lots of money, maybe God is today asking you to stop thinking only of yourself and put your life’s work at the service of the Gospel. Maybe you’ll be called on to be a teacher, or a police officer, or a health care professional. And maybe, just maybe, God is calling you to enter the priesthood or religious life. On this day of prayer for vocations, I’m just asking you to pray that God would make his plans for your life clear to you, and that you would promise God to do what he asks of you. I can tell you first hand that nothing, absolutely nothing, will make you happier.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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#vocation

Quote of the day, 10 May: Pope Leo XIV

This reflection is drawn from a homily delivered by Pope Leo XIV while serving as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Callao, Peru. Preached on the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 17 January 2021, he invites the faithful to renew their relationship with Jesus.

The readings we have heard at this Mass for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to return to the beginning of our life of faith, to take a look at how we are living our relationship with Jesus.

In the Gospel, Jesus begins a dialogue with a question. He says to the disciples of John the Baptist—who will later become His own followers—“What are you looking for?” (Jn 1:38).

What are you looking for? What am I looking for? These are the first words of Jesus in this Gospel passage. We can say that the encounter with Jesus begins with a question: What are we looking for in life? What are we looking for in Jesus? The response of the two disciples is: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” As if to say, Where can we find you?

This question is very important for our lives—perhaps more than ever in these times—when we must seek the Lord and live our faith in new ways.

This question—Where can we find you? Where are you staying?—expresses a desire present in the hearts of all of us, of every human being—at least of those who seek something beyond the surface. Those who want to understand the true meaning of life and want to encounter God because they feel that need, that restlessness, that desire to live in union with the Lord.

When Jesus responds to the disciples’ question—“Where are you staying?”—He answers: “Come and see” (Jn 1:39).

The Lord calls us to follow Him, and if we follow, we will truly see wonders—even in the midst of suffering and pain and so many difficulties.

The Lord invites us to stay with Him, just as He did with the disciples of John. These disciples discover in Jesus the Lamb of God, the fullness of truth. That’s why Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, when he realizes he has found the Messiah, goes and finds his brother and says, “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41). And then Peter too comes to know Jesus.

We want to live with Christ, to follow His example—He came to serve, not to be served. To live our faith especially through this experience of encountering Christ, through His Word—reading the Word of God, asking the Lord to enlighten us, to give us the capacity to hear His voice—through the Word and through other people who accompany us on the journey.

May the Lord help us to fulfill it, to be faithful, to live out this commitment He has asked of us. May we be faithful Christians, bearing witness with our lives—because we have already encountered Jesus. And now He wants to call us once again to accept that invitation: “Where are you staying?”

“Come and see.”

Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A.)

Prevost, R.F. 2021, Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Diocese of Callao, 17 January. Available at: https://www.diocesisdelcallao.org/noticias/mons-robert-prevost-escuchando-la-palabra-de-dios-descubriremos-nuestra-vocacion

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Pope Leo XIV (Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A.) greets the faithful from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica following his election as Supreme Pontiff on 8 May 2025. Image credit: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk (Some rights reserved).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have I made space to hear Jesus’ voice in Scripture and respond to His invitation to “come and see”?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#disciples #followingJesus #JesusChrist #PopeLeoXIV #service #unionWithGod #vocation #witness

Quote of the day, 14 April: St. Thérèse of Lisieux

We have only the short moment of this life to give to God… and He is already preparing to say: “Now, my turn…” What a joy to suffer for Him who loves us unto folly and to pass as fools in the eyes of the world.

We are not idlers, squanderers, either. Jesus has defended us in the person of the Magdalene.

He was at table [cf. Mk 14:3–6, Jn 12:1–8], Martha was serving, Lazarus was eating with Him and His disciples. As for Mary, she was not thinking of taking any food but of pleasing Him whom she loved, so she took a jar filled with an ointment of great price and poured it on the head of Jesus, after breaking the jar, and the whole house was scented with the ointment, but the APOSTLES complained against Magdalene…

It is really the same for us, the most fervent Christians, priests, find that we are exaggerated, that we should serve with Martha instead of consecrating to Jesus the vessels of our lives, with the ointments enclosed within them.…

And nevertheless what does it matter if our vessels be broken since Jesus is consoled and since, in spite of itself, the world is obliged to smell the perfumes that are exhaled and serve to purify the empoisoned air the world never ceases to breathe in.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Letter LT 169 to her sister, Céline (excerpt)
19 August 1894

Note: When St. Louis Martin died on 29 July 1894, Céline was at his bedside and closed his eyes. She buried him on 2 August, then traveled with her aunt and uncle, Céline Fournet and Isidore Guérin, to Caen. There, on 19 August, she wrote to Thérèse about the painful opposition she faced from their cousins, Francis and Jeanne La Néele, who resented her decision to enter the Carmel of Lisieux on 14 September. That same day, Thérèse responded with this letter—her tender, passionate defense of the “waste” of love, inspired by Mary of Bethany.

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Clarke, J 1988, General Correspondence: Letters of Saint Therese of Lisieux: Volume 2 1890-1897. Centenary ed., Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have you ever been misunderstood for choosing what you believed would please Jesus?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#apostles #CarmelOfLisieux #CélineMartin #Jesus #MaryOfBethany #misunderstood #perfume #StThérèseOfLisieux #vocation

Quote of the day, 10 April: Jessica Powers

I love Abraham, that old weather-beaten
unwavering nomad; when God called to him,
no tender hand wedged time into his stay.
His faith erupted him into a way
far-off and strange. How many miles are there
from Ur to Haran? Where does Canaan lie,
or slow mysterious Egypt sit and wait?
How could he think his ancient thigh would bear
nations, or how consent that Isaac die,
with never an outcry nor an anguished prayer?
I think, alas, how I manipulate
dates and decisions, pull apart the dark,
dally with doubts here and with counsel there,
take out old maps and stare.
Was there a call at all, my fears remark.
I cry out: Abraham, old nomad you,
are you my father? Come to me in pity.
Mine is a far and lonely journey too.

Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit, O.C.D. (Jessica Powers)

Abraham (1967; 1984)

Powers, J 1999, The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Abraham serving the angels is an oil on oak panel painted by Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1607–1669) in 1646. In this scene from Genesis 18, Abraham welcomes three mysterious visitors who renew God’s promise of a son. Sarah, standing in the doorway at right, overhears and laughs in disbelief. Image credit: Netherlands Institute for Art History / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Where is God calling you to walk by faith today—without a map, without delay?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#Abraham #faith #JessicaPowers #journey #OldTestament #poetry #readiness #SrMiriamOfTheHolySpirit #vocation

Quote of the day, 2 April: St. Edith Stein

“Through him, with him, and in him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever.”

With these solemn words, the priest ends the eucharistic prayer at the center of which is the mysterious event of the consecration. These words at the same time encapsulate the prayer of the church: honor and glory to the triune God through, with, and in Christ.

Although the words are directed to the Father, all glorification of the Father is at the same time glorification of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the prayer extols the majesty that the Father imparts to the Son and that both impart to the Holy Spirit from eternity to eternity.

All praise of God is through, with, and in Christ.

Through him, because only through Christ does humanity have access to the Father and because his existence as God-man and his work of salvation are the fullest glorification of the Father;
with him, because all authentic prayer is the fruit of union with Christ and at the same time buttresses this union, and because in honoring the Son one honors the Father and vice versa;
in him, because the praying church is Christ himself, with every individual praying member as a part of his Mystical Body, and because the Father is in the Son and the Son the reflection of the Father, who makes his majesty visible.

The dual meanings of through, with, and in clearly express the God-man’s mediation.

The prayer of the church is the prayer of the ever-living Christ. Its prototype is Christ’s prayer during his human life.

Saint Edith Stein

The Prayer of the Church (1936)

Note: Edith’s former prioress, Sister Teresia Renata Posselt, O.C.D. comments on this essay in her biography, Edith Stein: Life of a Philosopher and Carmelite. Sister Teresia Renata writes:

Ecclesia orans. The classic phrase is indeed the most concise way of expressing the essence of Edith Stein. She was the embodiment of the Church’s prayer. No happier theme could have been offered her, to touch the deepest springs of her heart, than that set her by the Academic Union of St. Boniface: The Prayer of the Church. In 1936 she contributed an essay under that title to a symposium on “The Lifestream of the Church” (Bonifatius Verlag, Paderborn). The thoughts she there expresses are the precious fruits of her own enlightened devotion.

Whoever reads this, can discern that Sr. Benedicta here opens the carefully guarded door to the sanctuary of her soul and lets us glimpse a little of her intimacy with God, kindled to a flame of love by the Holy Spirit in the opus Dei and in contemplation. Many people who were not very close to her were disappointed when Edith Stein chose to enter the contemplative order of Carmel rather than a liturgical order. But anyone who reads her article The Prayer of the Church will unhesitatingly include her among the great men and women of prayer from whom she there quotes, and will realize that this soul, inclined to contemplation by nature and grace, by inclination and vocation, could only become a Carmelite.

Posselt, T 2005, Edith Stein: The Life of a Philosopher and Carmelite, translated from the German by Batzdorff S, Koeppel J, and Sullivan J, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Orans woman in the Catacomb of Priscilla, a symbol of the Church at prayer. Image credit: Kristicak / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved)

💠 Appreciate these quotes from the Carmelites?
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Reflection question:
How does knowing you’re part of Christ’s Body change the way you pray?
Share your thoughts in the comments.

#contemplative #essay #Liturgy #prayer #StEdithStein #TeresiaRenataPosselt #vocation

A fresco in the Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome, shows the figure of a woman raising her hands in prayer, surrounded by seated figures to the right and left

Quand clairement, ta vie t’appelle ailleurs...
#Vocation #Lyon #Bruxelles @KrissVK #HelloNewTerTer

Not everyone is made for the moment

Some are called.

It is where the word “#vocation” comes from.

http://inaniludibrio.com/2025/03/20/not-everyone-is-made-for-the-moment/

A quotation from Terry Pratchett

You know what the greatest tragedy is in the whole world? It’s all the people who never find out what it is they really want to do or what it is they’re really good at. It’s all the sons who become blacksmiths because their fathers were blacksmiths. It’s all the people who could be really fantastic flute players who grow old and die without ever seeing a musical instrument, so they become bad plowmen instead. It’s all the people with talents who never even find out. Maybe they are never even born in a time when it’s even possible to find out.
It’s all the people who never get to know what it is that they can really be. It’s all the wasted chances.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Moving Pictures [Ginger] (1990)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/pratchett-terry/4471…

#quote #quotes #quotation #calling #chance #life #opportunity #profession #talent #tragedy #vocation #waste

Avec le pape, en février, prions pour les vocations sacerdotales et religieuses https://svecoeurdejesus.com/priere-pape/vocations-sacerdorales/
#pape
#vocation
#appel

The #4PathsOfCreationSpirituality - the #ViaPositiva, #ViaNegativa, #ViaCreativa & #ViaTransformativa - are the means by which we deepen our #vocation as #spiritualwarriors & move beyond #blame or #selfpity to become strong & useful #citizens of #strength, #conscience and #confidence. https://bit.ly/40Awghy

Quote of the day, 24 January: St. John Paul II

“The kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15).

Today’s liturgy presents us with two key themes for reflection: conversion and vocation.

Conversion is proclaimed by Jonah, the Old Testament prophet, whom God sent to the great city of Nineveh with the message: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jon 3:4) because of their sins. Through the prophet, the Lord—whom the psalmist describes as the one who “instructs sinners in the way” (Ps 25:8)—calls the people of Nineveh to change their ways. And they respond: “They turned from their evil ways” (Jon 3:10), and so God, in his mercy, does not carry out the punishment.

Jesus Christ also proclaims conversion, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15). In both cases, conversion means turning away from sin. In Jonah’s time, this turning away was motivated by fear of punishment. But Jesus calls us to conversion because of God’s nearness and the promise of his kingdom.

Conversion is a pivotal moment in every person’s spiritual and moral life. It takes on different forms at various stages of life. Sometimes conversion is a major turning point that leads to a profound change in one’s direction and behavior. Other times, it happens in the small, almost unnoticed choices of daily life that are essential for the soul’s growth.

We often speak of first and second conversions, and sometimes even a third. The first conversion involves turning away from serious sins that hinder the life of grace. Later conversions are steps along the path of deeper transformation and closeness to God.

This theme is echoed in the responsorial psalm:

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! (Ps 25:6-7).

Conversion is deeply connected to God’s mercy.

The second theme is vocation.

In the first reading, we hear God’s call to Jonah: “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you” (Jon 3:2). And Jonah obeys.

In the Gospel, we see the call of the first apostles. Jesus calls Simon (later named Peter) and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, while they are fishing by the Sea of Galilee. He invites them: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mk 1:17). They leave their nets and follow him.

Vocation, as we see, is God’s call to each person, entrusting them with a mission. With the call comes the grace to fulfill it. Jonah initially resists, feeling overwhelmed by the task, while the apostles respond with readiness—though their journey will not be without challenges.

The psalm expresses this call beautifully:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long (Ps 25:4-5).

Indeed, when God calls, he also gives hope.

These two themes—conversion and vocation—are central to the Christian life. They shape God’s saving plan for us and foster our inner growth. Conversion means breaking away from sin and striving for holiness, while vocation reveals God’s purpose for our lives and our response to his love.

As we draw closer to God, we discover the mission he has entrusted to us. Conversion and vocation go hand in hand. Just as Simon, Andrew, James, and John became “fishers of people” (Mk 1:17), so too, each of us is called to embrace God’s plan for our lives.

Today, I am delighted to visit your parish, dedicated to St. Teresa of Avila, a remarkable mystic known for her deep relationship with God and her love for others. This marks my first pastoral visit in 1982 as Bishop of Rome, and I greet you all with joy.

I extend my greetings to the Cardinal Vicar, the Apostolic Nuncio, the Auxiliary Bishop, and especially your parish priests from the esteemed Carmelite Order, who faithfully shepherd this community. I also warmly greet the lay groups supporting their ministry—catechists, the Catholic Action group, the Secular Carmelites, the Young Couples group, and many others. My heartfelt greetings go to every member of this parish—workers, families, elderly people, those who are suffering, and especially the youth, who hold a special place in my heart.

I want to embrace each of you in light of today’s Gospel message. Every person here is experiencing their own journey of conversion, known only to them and God. Some may feel far from God, others may still be awaiting that first step of conversion. And each of you has a vocation—whether as parents, children, teachers, doctors, students, or workers. To each of you, Christ says: “Follow me.”

Your parish is located in an urban setting with a growing elderly population and a decrease in births, yet with many schools for young people. It is essential that your parish be a place where all find a true sense of community. The Gospel must be known and lived here.

Your parish, dedicated to St. Teresa, is a special space within the larger Church of Rome. Here, God continues to call people to conversion and helps them discover their unique vocation. Through this, each life finds its full meaning.

May your parish truly be a place where God’s grace transforms hearts and leads each person to their calling.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that “for the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor 7:31). Indeed, time passes. The year 1981 is behind us, and we have entered 1982.

Only God remains forever. Our lives have lasting value when we turn away from sin and embrace God’s call.

May this new year be a time of ongoing conversion and renewed commitment to our vocation.

Saint John Paul II

Homily, Pastoral Visit to the Roman parish of St. Teresa (Corso d’Italia 37)
Sunday, 24 January 1982

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: St. John Paul II is seen here during his pastoral visit to Cali, Colombia on 4–5 July 1986. Image credit: Hernan Valencia / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#conversion #DiscalcedCarmelite #friars #homily #Rome #StJohnPaulII #vocation

The #Zohar instructs us:
"...A person’s real work in this world
is the work of the Blessed Holy One"...
There is #work (as #job) & there is real work (what we are on the #Earth to accomplish: our #vocation therefore). We are here to do the #divine work on Earth in this time & place. bit.ly/4g0tibI

Quote of the day, 7 January: St. Teresa of the Andes

Mommy, there’s no need to worry, since I’m always on vacation with Jesus. Besides, from Christmas, the 25th until January 6, we had several recreation days which we might call a Carmelite’s vacation time.

Nevertheless, Mommy, nothing seems to distract a soul that’s searching for God alone. I myself am shocked when I see my indifference over what had previously filled me with enthusiasm. My only happiness now is to live for my Jesus alone. In Him I find everything my soul desires in an infinite degree.

I never tire, Mommy dear, of thanking God for having chosen me for Himself, despite my sinfulness; and may the vocation of your Carmelite always help you to love and praise Him more.

Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Letter 157 to her mother
18 January 1920

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Andes mountains are always a stunning view in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. The Cuernos del Paine are one of the features that await tourists to the nation’s Southern Patagonia region. Image credit: Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

#Carmelite #Jesus #recreation #StTeresaOfTheAndes #vocation #monasticLife #happiness #GodAlone #Christmas

Bonjour
« Trois vocations chez un homme : préparer, discerner, laisser croitre le Seigneur et diminuer soi-même. Un chrétien ne s’annonce pas lui-même, il en annonce un autre : le Seigneur. Et un chrétien doit être un homme qui sait s’humilier lui-même pour que le Seigneur grandisse dans l’âme des autres » (Pape François) https://www.saintvincentdepaul-saintmalo.fr/pages/messes-st-preparation/messe-des-dimanches/textes-du-jour-notre-dame-d-alet.html #Humilité #discernement #Dieu #vocation #SaintPierre #JésusChrist #bible #NouveauTestament #Evangile #EvangileDuJour #Textesdujour #saparole

Quote of the day, 16 December: Blessed Mary of the Angels

One day, my mother sent me to see her. Finding one of our [Discalced Carmelite] Fathers on the same balcony, he called out to me (and asked) if I wanted to come near him so that he could shield me from the abundant rain that was falling. I accepted his offer. I began to greet him and thank him, with all the polite pleasantries of the world.

He began to ask me if I wanted to become a religious. I answered that my age still allowed me time to think about it. But the good religious, not satisfied with this answer, pressed me insistently, saying that I had all the appearance of one called to this life.

I let myself be persuaded and replied, “Yes.”

He then asked, “Where?”

I said, “At Saluzzo,” but my heart did not find peace. I feared they would say that I did not have a true vocation, as I couldn’t find a convent that suited (satisfied) me.

I had barely voiced this thought before I even fully considered it—something entirely contrary to my nature, as I am usually very reserved in sharing my thoughts. But God allowed it for my good.

The good religious then asked me, “What about joining one of ours?”

I replied, “I don’t know them.”

He began to explain the life they led and how they wore habits made of the same cloth as the one he was wearing. As he described their observance, I felt my desire growing within me.

At that moment, another downpour came. This good religious placed his cloak over my head. Oh, God! What an effect this cloak had on my soul! It felt as though I were under the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I pleaded with her to accept me as her daughter and not to deny me this grace. I made the same petition to the Holy Shroud, and with such tenderness of heart that the tears from my eyes did what the rain from heaven could not—they drenched me completely.

Blessed Mary of the Angels

From her writings

Note: The friar mentioned above was Father Francesco Antonio di San Andrea, O.C.D., and “Saluzzo” refers to the Cistercian Monastery of La Stella in Rifredo, near Saluzzo, where the Blessed initially entered religious life at age 12. This monastery was her first experience of monastic life before she eventually entered the Carmel of Santa Cristina in Turin in 1676. In 1703, she founded the Carmel of St. Joseph in Moncalieri.

Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from an anonymous portrait of Blessed Mary of the Angels. Image credit: santibeati.it / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

#BlessedMaryOfTheAngels #Moncalieri #rain #ShroudOfTurin #Torino #vocation

Advent III — Joy

SCRIPTURE

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.

Zephaniah 3:14-18a

READING

“To live always joyfully. God is infinite joy” (14 May 1919).

“When one loves, everything is joy. The cross doesn’t weigh down. Martyrdom isn’t felt. One lives more in heaven than on earth. The life of Carmel is to love. This is our vocation” (May 1919).

Saint Teresa of the Andes

From the writings of St. Teresa of the Andes

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2021, God, The Joy of My Life: A Biography of Saint Teresa of the Andes With the Saint’s Spiritual Diary, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

All scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

Featured image: Photographer Father Lawrence Lew, O.P. captures this image of a rose vestment and Advent wreath. Image credit: Lawrence Lew O.P. / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#Advent #Carmel #joy #love #StTeresaOfTheAndes #vocation

Quote of the day, 10 December: Thomas Merton

O God, My God! Why am I so mute? I long to cry out and out to Thee, over and over, and Thou art nameless and infinite. All our names for Thee are not Thy name, infinite Trinity.

But Thy Word is Jesus, and I cry the name of Thy Son and live in the love of His heart and believe, if He wills, He will bring me the answer to my only prayer: that I may renounce everything and belong entirely to the Lord!

Saint Theresa, Little Flower, never cease praying for me!

J.M.J.T.

Thomas Merton

Part Three: St. Bonaventure’s, New York
5 December 1941

Note: Merton expert Fiona Gardner discusses Thomas Merton’s relationship with St. Thérèse of Lisieux in her 2012 article, “A Tremendous Experience”: The Influence of St. Thérèse of Lisieux on the Spirituality of Thomas Merton, which was published by the International Thomas Merton Society in its scholarly journal, The Merton Seasonal: A Quarterly Review. Thomas Merton was killed on 10 December 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Merton T & Hart P 1995, Run to the mountain: the story of a vocation, 1st edn, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco.

Featured image: Father M. Louis (Thomas) Merton, O.C.S.O. is seen at his desk in the front room of his hermitage on the grounds of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Nelson County, Kentucky. In the background, a statue of St. Thérèse is illuminated by light streaming through a stained glass window of a French church. Image credits: Father Merton, Merton Center / Wikimedia Commons (fair use); St. Thérèse, Franck / Adobe Stock (Stock photo)

#discernment #HolyTrinity #infinite #intercession #prayer #sacrifice #StThereseOfLisieux #ThomasMerton #vocation #willOfGod

Quote of the day, 26 November: St. Raphael Kalinowski

Saint Raphael Kalinowski’s last and longest stage of life is the thirty years (1877–1907) he lived in the Carmelite monastery. Consenting to the voice that called him to Carmel, Joseph Kalinowski entered formation, ready to work for God within the Church after decades of service as an engineer, military officer, prisoner of war in Siberia, professor and tutor.

On November 26, 1877, he went to Graz, Austria and was clothed in the habit of the Order, receiving at the same time his religious name: Raphael of Saint Joseph.

How did Kalinowski come to know Carmel? We turn to Father Szczepan T. Praskiewicz, OCD, for the details. He provides fascinating insights into the development of the Saint’s vocation.

Karmelitenkonvent Linz | Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

In his Memoirs Saint Raphael tells us that early on during his exile in Siberia he happened upon a copy of a book written by Piotr Skarga, The Lives of the Saints:

That opened up many horizons for me. There I discovered a note on the Order of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and its rapid diffusion in the West. It occured to me that precisely this Order should be able to bring the schismatics back to the Church of Rome. Guided in a marvelous way by Providence, I entered this Order ten years later.

As with every vocation story, there were many graced encounters that guided his steps along the way.

Saint Raphael Kalinowski had wanted to find a way to become a Carmelite friar, which is why he became a tutor to Gucio, the young son of the noble Czartoryski family residing in Paris. But in God’s providence and unbeknownst to Saint Raphael, one of his pupil’s aunts was a Discalced Carmelite nun in the Carmel of Krakow.

In true Teresian spirit, this aunt, Sr. Mary Xavier of Jesus was seeking young men to renew Carmelite life in Poland. When the Saint accompanied his young pupil on a trip from Paris to visit his aunt at the monastery in Krakow, Kalinowski made a profound impression upon the nun; still, it was the Holy Spirit that spoke to her spirit, impressing upon her the fact that her nephew’s tutor was sent by Divine Providence.

Without saying a word, Sr. Mary Xavier of Jesus began a prayer crusade for the family tutor and his vocation to the Discalced Carmelites; furthermore, she began to correspond with him.

Saint Raphael explained what had happened in a letter to his family back home in Vilnius, Lithuania:

I have a sign of the mercy and goodness of the Lord, which brought me hope and consolation through people consecrated to him. Gucio’s aunt, the Reverend Sister Mary Xavier of Jesus… whom I met only once at the grilles and who hardly knows me, only a few days ago—exactly when I least expected it—sent me the following poem of the seraphic Saint Teresa: Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you…

Nada te turbe in the current Polish translation

Fr. Praskiewicz tells us that St. Teresa’s famous Nada te turbe became Kalinowski’s motto. Soon after he received Sr. Mary Xavier’s letter, he wrote to his parents:

Each day I take strength from Saint Teresa’s words about which I wrote to you, my dear parents, in my last letter.

In the end, these very words were the source of divine inspiration that induced him to join the sons of St. Teresa, the Discalced Carmelite friars. He wrote to his parents on 4 November 1876:

A year ago there came to me, like an echo, a voice from the grilles of Carmel. This voice was clearly addressed to me and I have accepted it; it was a salvific voice from the infinite mercy of God commanding me. I can only exclaim, ‘I will sing the mercies of the Lord forever.’ The only thing that now remains for me to do is to ask your parental blessing.”

Kalinowski attended to the details, the housekeeping of his life as anyone aspiring to enter religious life would do: prepare to leave a job, a home, to travel and pray. On 5 July 1877, he left the Czartoryski family in Paris and traveled to Linz, Austria to meet the Discalced Carmelite provincial superior.

God rewarded Kalinowski for the steadfast pursuit of his vocation at such a mature age—Raphael of St. Joseph was 42 years old when he received the holy habit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

A statue of Saint Joseph in the Maria Schnee convent of the Discalced Carmelite friars in Graz, where St. Raphael Kalinowski entered the novitiate. Image credit: Eigenes Werk / Wikimedia Commons

Praskiewicz OCD, S 2016, Saint Raphael Kalinowski: An Introduction to his Life and Spirituality, Translated from the Polish by Coonan, T, Griffin, M & Sullivan, L, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Discalced Carmelite crest is seen above the main entrance to the friars’ convent in Linz, Austria. Both St. Raphael Kalinowski and St. Alphonsus Mary Mazurek passed beneath this hallowed gate; the friars in Linz also cared for the Servant of God Père Jacques Bunel after he was liberated from the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in 1945. Image credit: Andrzej Otrębski / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved)

#CarmeliteHabit #Clothing #Graz #Linz #NadaTeTurbe #novitiate #StRaphaelKalinowski #SzczepanTPraskiewicz #vocation

#vocation

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