Carmelite Conversations

Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS,  gives us an analogy of Spiritual Childhood of St. Therese of Lisieux.  He offers us an analogy that we can quickly identify with that will help us go deeper into understanding St. Therese’s great leap of faith into God. This analogy will also give us several insights into prayer.  Deacon Danis also reflects on the rosary as something we enter into rather than something that we just recite.

Resource:  “Contemplative Provocations:  Brief Concentrated Observations on Aspects of a Life with God” by Fr. Donald Haggerty, Ignatius Press.

One aspect of what is needed to experience Divine Intimacy is “detachment.”  This presentation will focus on what detachment is, and what it is not…with the goal of understanding and incorporating detachment into who we are.  To understand detachment, we must also understand attachment as well as right order in relationships.  Detachment is the process by which we set our loves in right order.  What is the active part of detachment?  What is the passive part of detachment?  How does detachment lead us into divine intimacy with God?

Members from several communities of the Order of the Discalced Carmelite Seculars gathered for a yearly retreat at the Maria Stein Spiritual Center in Ohio in August 2022.  The Sunday Mass fell on the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time in Year C.

Deacon Baldwin presents us with an in-depth parallel of the life of the Prophet Jeremiah with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He focuses on the purifying fire of love of the Holy Spirit, which also set St. Elijah on fire with zeal for the Lord.

We, in Carmel, are taught about this living flame of love through the writings of St. John of the Cross.  It is very important for us as Carmelites to pray for this purification and transformation that comes through this fire of love. 

In 2018, a letter from the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites, Fr. Saverio Cannistra, OCD, warns us not to become like the world, but be transformed by the living flame of love, so that we may truly love God and love our neighbor…so that we may know God so that He may be known.

Every Discalced Carmelite Secular will be edified, encouraged and inspired by these words regarding our vocation to Carmel.  For non-Carmelites, it is still a universal call to love…to holiness. 

Let us never forget who we are!!

Homily for the feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with Deacon Rusty Baldwin

Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS recently gave a homily on the topic of reparation that we are happy to share with you!

Silence is golden.  We have often heard that phrase.  Silence is really a deep Bible truth.  In this presentation, Deacon Baldwin will address that truth and point out the use of  silence in prayer and particularly in the life of contemplatives and the gift of contemplation in prayer.  He addresses the questions:  “Should I give up all vocal prayer and only strive for silence in prayer?”  “What Scripture passage helps me understand this point?”  “How do I grow in silence in prayer?”  “What book does he recommend to help us?” 

Resource:  “The Twelves Degrees of Silence” by Sister Marie-Aimee De Jesus, OCD

Have you  ever thought about your work as a road to holiness?  Discalced Carmelite Secular Tim Bete often struggled to understand the relationship between faith and work.  In this presentation, Tim references the teachings of Br. Lawrence of the Resurrection to explain how we can see our work as a place to encounter God.  He also pulls from Church documents, scripture, and the lives of other Carmelite Saints, to discover the meaning of our work.  We do well to ask ourselves how our work unites us with God.  That is addressed in this presentation.  Tim also provides a real life example that has played out in his own life and work.  Finally, he gives us 4 Keys to help us truly surrender to God and find real success in our work, the work of union with God.

RESOURCES/BOOKS:  

• The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, translated by Salvatore Sciurba; ICS Publications.

St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, OCD (also known as Mariam Baouardy) is one of the most extraordinary Saints in Carmel, following in the footsteps of Holy Mother St. Teresa of Avila.  Although uneducated, she was infused with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a great degree.  Rather than focusing on the charisms and phenomena in her life, this Carmelite Conversation focuses on her childhood and gives an indication on how the Holy Spirit formed her, practices/prayers that we may imitate.  Find out some of the teachings on the Holy Spirit that were given to St. Mary of Jesus Crucified to give to the Church.

Resources

• Mariam, the Little Arab by Amedee Brunot, SCJ

We frequently pray to and invoke the Holy Trinity, yet the Holy Trinity is a mystery and hard to explain.  Although we are quite limited, we can gain some insights into understanding the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as well as pondering “Who” the Holy Trinity is.  Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, discusses this mystery and introduces us to Catholic Evangelist Frank Sheed’s approach as well.  There is much to ponder here.

The day this was recorded was the first day of May and fell on a Sunday this year.  It is also the day we would have been celebrating the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Deacon Mark Danis was just recently ordained to the diaconate and this is his first homily given to our Secular Discalced Carmelite community in Dayton, OH.

3 themes are covered:

--St. Joseph the Worker

--the gift of prayer and contemplation, especially in Carmel

--St. Joseph as a model of contemplation

Deacon Danis begins by quoting Holy Mother Teresa on her confidence and devotion to St. Joseph. He continues by telling us the origin of the feast day to St. Joseph the Worker and the importance of the worker over work. 

What is the work of those in Carmel?  And how is that manifested? What guidance does St. John of the Cross give us?

Deacon Danis then relates this to the Gospel passage on the 3 denials of St. Peter.  How is this related to our prayer and our relationship with the Lord?  In what ways does St. Joseph model prayer?  Finally, in what ways do the prayers affect the whole world?

So, get to work!  Pray, pray, pray!