current reflections...
Our Lady Of Mount Carmel
O holy woman of tenderness and wise counsel,
soothe a world
that longs for
simple joys and
peaceful days.
With your gentleness, strengthen and
renew all those who feel weighed
down, and put all of us in touch
with our own goodness.
Quietly, bring to harvest the
season of growth within, and
around us.
You, who hold our All within your embrace, tell us, again, that the best things in
life are free, and usually are close at hand.
O Companion by Day and Comfort by Night, we believe that all true
yearnings come from God and will be accomplished.
We place this cause in your hands.
(Three Hail Marys. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.)
From the writings of:
Mary Jo Loebig, O.C.D
Eldridge, Carmel
Easter 2018
Easter is a time to both remember and celebrate Christ rising from the dead. Perhaps it is also a good time to pray in gratitude for those who have helped us rise up in our own lives.
For example, first of all our parents come to mind. Today, it is a comon expression that parents raise their children. Although, my favorite uncle used to say that "the parents raise their children and the eldest child raises the parents." When we consider the impact the presence of our parents had on our lives and our presence had on their lives, it does seem to be a two way process.
In this short reflection however, I would like to consider others who have helped us rise to new and better lives. Recently, as I visited one of my elementary school teachers (Sr. Gregory) I could not help but reflect on how very much these devoted Sisters of Mercy helped better the lives of their students. My family were poor farmers and other students were also from the working class, but they took boys and girls from poor families and gave them educations to compare with the children who went to very costly schools. They themselves lived simply and poorly while pushing others ahead. In their own gentle way, they did an enormous amount to promote economic success and women's advancement. Above all else however, they loved us and taught us to appreciate the deep mysteries of faith and the joy of Life in Christ.
We realize that many others have also helped us along the way and we pray in gratitude for their actions, entrusting them to Our Risen Lord in whose life and works they share!
Christ is Risen!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
and He walks among us!
Alleluia!
Miriam Hogan, O.C.D
photo by John Hazelbaker
Lent 2018
A friend that is good with word games shared with me that the word Valentine has lent in it. Her observation seems all the more meaningful this year as Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day are on the same date.
Further, it seems especially appropriate that a day dedicated to remembering those that we love also calls us to remember Christ’s love for his father and our own love for God. Being drawn out into the desert with Christ, as Lent invites, is more than just a time of sacrifice and fasting, it is also a time for us to grow in Love.
St. Teresa of Jesus stated that, “the important thing is not to think much but to love much.” “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with your entire mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 Jesus further explains who our neighbor is and how we are called to show mercy to others.
Valentine’s Day helps us to focus not so much upon ourselves, but upon others. Lent also helps us to focus upon living in the presence of Love and to rejoice in all that we have been called to celebrate, walking with Christ into the desert of life today.
Finally a brief quote from the book Transformed By Love by Shirley Darcus Sullivan:
You have given me
Silence to seek you,
Solitude to find you,
A heart to beat for you,
And a will to surrender in peace
To your infinite love.
Wishing you a Blessed Lenten Season!
Miriam Hogan, O.C.D.
photos by John Hazelbaker
Advent
Contemplative Focus
The Holy Night of Christmas
Soon, the Holy Night of Christmas will be upon us. It will bring a night, bearing light and warmth. Truly, this Holy Night wants to find a home within us.
Karl Rahner, S.J., tells us that there exists in our heart an inner land where, often enough, we go alone and where only God can find a way. Although Christmas is certainly a time for going out to others, it is also a time for entering that sacred sanctuary deep within us. Rahner even encourages us to sing our own song to God, and to believe that God hears us.
In the depth of that Holy Night, we will hear a gentle word of love telling us not to be worried about the future, but to trust the God who is making a path before us.
Inspired by K. Rahner, Everyday Faith, Holy Night
From the writings of:
Mary Jo Loebig, O.C.D
Eldridge, Carmel
