Prayer & Spiritual Direction

For us Christians, prayer is a non negotiable. Prayer is a necessity. If we think prayer is a waste of time, we have misunderstood what prayer is. Prayer is relationship with God, talking to him and spending time with him. 

Without the grace and strength we receive from prayer it is easy to fall into discouragement, to be overcomed by trials and evil. 

God is calling us every moment into relationship and intimacy with himself, so he can communicate with us, and share his blessedness with us. All we need to do is pray and open ourselves to him when he calls …

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Psalm 95:8) 

Have you felt God calling you to spend more time in prayer? Unsure of how to respond? Open your heart and respond  “speak Lord, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10) 

Spiritual Direction can help you to deepen your prayer life, see where the Holy Spirit is speaking to you today.

The necessity of suffering in the spiritual life

Without downplaying how difficult suffering can be and without falling into sadomasochism, the beauty of our faith teaches us that suffering does have meaning and it can be part of the medicine to heal us as we progress in sanctification. 

We can have two choices in life - to become victims to suffering and get better over it, or we can humbly accept it knowing it is part of God’s Divine Providence to advance us on the path of holiness. This can be a tough doctrine to accept, that is why it requires humility and faith. Humility to accept that we don’t understand God’s ways, and faith to accept with trust that God is Good, He loves us and knows what is best for us. 

St Titus Brandsma - Master of Mysticism

The more I learn about St Titus and his writings, the more I admire him and feel connected to him as my brother in Carmel. He was a professor who taught a course on Christian Mysticism and was known to be a great promotor of the thought of Sts Teresa of Avila & John of the Cross. Someone once joked with him how could he belong to the Ancient Observance of Carmel (Calced/unreformed) when he was so imbued with the spirit of the Discalced Carmelites (Teresian reform) - he replied cheekily with his play on words “outside of my cell I am calced (shoed) but inside my cell I am discalced (barefooted)”. This is his greatest strength - drawing from both branches of the Order to be fully Carmelite. 

In this quote you can see that he emphasises that the starting point of the mystical life is God, not us. This means it’s all a working of grace. This grace working in us is creative, the action of the Holy Spirit is always creative as He works in us to recreate us into the image of Christ. Through Christ we become one with the Holy Trinity and this is the beauty of Christian Mysticism, it is Trinitarian and only possible through grace. 

Pentecost - the gift of the living fire of Charity

As we prepare to celebrate the wonderful and curious Solemnity of Pentecost, the Church gives us this beautiful hymn to pray, the “Veni Creator”. This is the same famous hymn that is sung before Papal Elections and also at Ordinations, it is useful to meditate on the imagery provided in the hymn. 

Fire is one of the primordial symbols of God in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:2-3, Exodus 15:7, Exodus 24:7, Deuteronomy 4:24, Deuteronomy 9:3, 2 Samuel 22:9, Psalm 97:3, Isaiah 33:14, Isaiah 66:15, Nehemiah 9:12-15), it symbolises something powerful, dangerous, uncontrollable and intangible. This is the mysterious presence of the Holy Spirit - the living fire that set our hearts aflame with love, giving us the burning charity & faith that Jesus desired for us (Luke 12:49). 

The sevenfold grace is the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit prophesied in Isaiah 11:1-2. The “Finger of God” refers to the power of the Holy Spirit which manifested in Exodus 8:19, Exodus 31:18, Dan 5:5, 24 & Luke 11:19. This is the same power that Jesus promised he would give us to be his children and lead us into the truth John 16. 

This hymn is so rich in biblical imagery you could spend ages meditating on it doing Lectio Divina, deepening your understanding of the Person & work of the Holy Spirit, who we profess in the Creed to be the “Lord and giver of life”

As the Apostles gathered with Mary when the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost (Acts 1:13-16) let us pray “Come Holy Spirit, come by the means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary your well beloved spouse” 🙏

——— 

Come Holy Ghost, Creator, come 

from your bright heav'nly home,

Come, take possession of our souls 

and make them all your own.

For you are called the Paraclete, 

best gift of God above,

The living spring, the living fire, 

sweet unction and true love.

And you are sev'nfold in your grace, 

finger of God's right hand,

Whose promise teaches little ones 

to speak and understand.

O guide our minds with your blest light, 

with love our hearts inflame,

And with your strength, which ne'er decays, 

confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our deadly foe; 

true peace unto us bring;

And through all perils lead us safe 

beneath your sacred wing.

Through you may we the Father know, 

through you the eternal Son,

And you the Spirit of them both, 

thrice blessed Three in One.

Now to the Father and the Son,

Who rose from death, be glory given,

with Thou, O Holy Comforter,

henceforth by all in earth and heaven.

Amen.

Prayer is life

For many of us, prayer is a retreat - a solace from the struggles and harshness of everyday life. While there is nothing wrong with this, we are also called to go deeper. If our prayer remains at this level, it will remain superficial and we will struggle to ever enter into intimacy with God. But once prayer becomes our life - then everything changes! We understand and experience God with us always, in the joys and the sorrows. We can continually commune with the indwelling Trinity anywhere at anytime. This understanding of the Divine Indwelling is the beauty of the Carmelite Spiritual Tradition, it is what we call “Practicing the Presence of God”. 

God deserves more and desires to be with us more than just during a few vocal prayers in the morning when we wake up or before going to bed. There is nothing wrong with this and it’s a fantastic start. But prayer needs to become our life, as the Catechism #2697 says quoting St Gregory Naxianzus “We must remember God more often than we draw breath“

Bride of the Word - the Ecstatic Virgin

Today is the feast of a little known Carmelite saint who was a famous mystic, known as the “Ecstatic Virgin” - St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi 

She experienced visions of God and her emphasis was on Jesus the Incarnate Word revealing himself to her, with her as the “Bride of the Word”. 

She is the patron of Third Order Carmelites and like St Catherine of Siena she also prayed for Church reform and write letters to the hierarchy. 

In her famous words - “let us love Love!”

New Saints - the white robed army of martyrs praises you Lord

Tomorrow is an exciting day in the Church where we will have 10 new Saints of God proclaimed! 3 of them specifically stand out to me and these 3 were killed and/or martyred. 

1) Titus Brandsma - my brother in Carmel. Professor of mysticism and journalist who preached against the Nazi’s, killed in Dachau for refusing to collaborate with the Nazi’s. 

2) Charles Foucault - hermit who struggled to find his vocation, and eventually had to create his own way of living his calling. Lived a simple life in the desert among people, killed by marauders 

3) Lazarus Devasahayam Pillai - Indian layman. Imprisoned for 3 years, tortured and martyred for refusing to deny Jesus. 

Holy Martyrs of God - pray for us to be faithful followers of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world!

Blessed Titus Brandsma - Carmelite mystic & martyr

This beautiful prayer of Bl Titus Brandsma has all the characteristics of Carmelite spirituality - gazing on Jesus, friendship with Jesus, affectivity, union with God in silence & suffering, and the Presence of God. 

Blessed Titus Brandsma, soon to be Saint - Pray for us to be modern mystics and prophets of Jesus to the world 🙏

To learn more about him, see the letter from the Carmelite Prior General here

Mary the true Contemplative

In Carmelite Mariology,  Our Lady is the true Contemplative who guides us to Jesus. She is our Mother and also our sister on the journey to God. 

Mary is the fruitful mystic who was filled with God. Daughter of the Father, Mother of Jesus & Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel - pray for us 

The holiness of labor and work - authentic Catholic manhood

Today 1st May is the feast of St Joseph the worker, but because today is Sunday we do not celebrate it liturgically. 

We often imagine Jesus & St Joseph as carpenters, but the Greek word in the Gospels is “tektōn”(τέκτων) which can also mean builder or craftsman. So the work they did was more varied than what we imagine today that carpenters do. This is why Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St Joseph the Worker on 1st May, to counter balance the influence of Socialism and Communism, to recognise the dignity and holiness of manual labor. 

St Joseph is the true model of authentic Catholic manhood. 

“The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.” - Pope Pius XII

God works through our wounds

Don’t forget the paradox that in our woundedness, our weakness and worry - that is when Jesus is closest to us in our suffering. Offering us His love, grace and forgiveness. His Presence is what will heal and transform us!

If God can work through people like St Mary Magdalene, St Augustine, St Francis of Assisi, St Charles Foucould - then he can also work through you and I

St Catherine of Siena - Mystic of Fire

Today is the feast day of that wonderful passionate saint, mystic and Doctor of the Church - St Catherine of Siena. 

She is often depicted in a habit and so it’s a common mistake to think she was a nun. However she was a laywoman! She belonged to the Third Order Dominicans and so wore a type of habit as a consecrated lay person. Not only did she have mystical experiences of God which are recorded in her “Dialogues”, she received invisible stigmata, experienced mystical marriage to Jesus and most famously she told off the Pope who was living in Avignon at the time - told him to “man up” and come back to Rome! 

She developed a beautiful concept of having an “inner cell”, the place within your heart where you can always have union with God no matter what your external circumstances. She also used an image of Christ’s humanity as the “bridge” between us and God. 

—- 

O God,

who set Saint Catherine of Siena on fire

with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and her service of your Church, grant, through her intercession,

that your people, participating in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of his glory.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

— Amen.

Conversion - the meaning of Lent

As we prepare for the beginning of Lent tomorrow and Ash Wednesday. Let us remember that conversion - metanoia is a lifelong process, it is about turning back to God from whom life, goodness and happiness flow. It is not about focusing on our own sins and despair, but turning to God with an open heart with trust and love. 

The opening prayer for tomorrow’s Mass beautifully sums up the spiritual warfare aspect of Lent : 

“Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting

this campaign of Christian service,

so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,

we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever”

Open a way in the desert

For the first time ever the Vatican has officially published some guidelines regarding the vocation of Diocesan Hermits according to Canon 603. I have not been able to find an official link on the Vatican website and this is a Google translation of the document I have been provided by from a Facebook group I belong to, but it’s mostly intelligible. 

It is a blessing to know that much of this document affirms what I am currently doing, the process I have been following and how I have written my Rule of Life