"We are a Eucharistic People"

We are a Eucharistic people. The Eucharist - cleanses and separates us from sin[1], is our spiritual food,[2] is an increase of the grace received at Baptism[3], is the source of conversion and penance[4], and commits us to the poor[5]. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith[6].  Through our participation in the Eucharistic feast we establish a community of believers[7], are transformed through Christ[8], are united in Christ[9], are united as Christians[10], are united to the heavenly liturgy[11], and experience a foretaste of the life to come[12]. We are a Eucharistic people from age to age, united as one body in Love of Christ.

From the very beginning of the Church we have been a Eucharistic people. In Acts 2:42 our life as a Eucharistic people and the outline of our faith is present: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers. . . Day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with generous hearts.”[13]

The Eucharist, through the power of Christ’s great mercy and love, unifies us with all those present at the institution at the Last Supper, with the Church Fathers, with the martyrs of the early Church, with the great saints of the Middle Ages, with the Carmelite Order, with the Seraphic Order, with all the holy angels and saints from generation to generation, and on all the altars throughout the world. This unity transcends the barriers of time and space and provides for us not only strength, but also a comfort.  It provides a strength in numbers united fully to the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, to withstand and combat the attacks of the devil so as to win souls. It provides a comfort in such an unbreakable unity that provides for the hearts of all the faithful the opportunity and great privilege of developing, fostering, and witnessing to others an authentic Christian life saturated in mercy, grace, Eucharistic zeal, and charity.

Service

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you fastened your own belt and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will fasten your belt for you and carry you where you do not wish to go." (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."  -John 21:15-19

This Gospel reading,  I believe, is a beautiful example of what it takes for true service in the Church. If we look at this passage closely in the Greek text, we can see that there are two kinds of love spoken about. The first two times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, Jesus speaks of Agape love. Agape love being the highest form of love. Peter, however, because of everything that previously has happened with his betrayal of Christ, is hesitant to respond with that kind of love. Instead, he responds with Philia love, which is a devoted familial love. The last time that Jesus asks Peter, he asks him with Philia love and Peter responds in Philia love.

What is so beautiful about this Gospel reading is that Jesus meets Peter where he is at. He simply asks Peter if he loves him. Jesus doesn't ask Peter if he would be a great Pope and leader, teaching all truth without fault, guiding souls closer to Heaven without losing a single one. He simply asks, "Do you love me?" That's all that is required in service, true service in and of Church, love. It's not required that we perform miracles or do great works but rather that we love in all we do. It is in and through our movements of love that we truly follow Christ and that souls experience and witness Him, who first loved us!

Let us pray for the grace to simply love in all that we do, think, say, and pray!

Written by Alycia, Special Events Coordinator for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is beautiful! As we prepare for the great Feast of Pentecost, let us reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez, in his book, True Devotion to the Holy Spirit, gives us a wonderful reflection on such a topic. He says,

"The Holy Spirit's teaching is unction. He teaches us by pouring himself into us gently and penetratingly. His teaching is as a divine caress of love. He teaches us as mothers teach their children, with kisses of love, with an indefinable outpouring of tenderness. We learn from him as we perceive the fragrance of a perfume, as we savor the sweetness of a fruit or enjoy the caress of a breeze that enfolds us. 

The light of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of love; it is the happy consequence of union. United intimately to divine things through the work of the Holy Spirit, the soul tastes them by a direct divine experience. How profoundly do the words of St. John express this: "His anointing teaches you concerning all things."

The true director of souls, the intimate master, the soul of the spiritual life, is the Holy Spirit. Without him...there is no sanctity. The perfection of a soul is measured by its docility to the movement of the Spirit, by the promptitude and fidelity with which its strings produce the divine notes of the song of love. A soul is perfectly holy when the spirit of love has taken full possession of it, when the divine artist finds no resistance or dissonance in the strings of that living lyre, but only celestial strains coming forth from it, limpid, ardent, and delightfully harmonized."

As Pentecost approaches, may we be open and docile to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, the master of the spiritual life, so as to fully live out our Christian life in complete charity.

Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Amen!

Written by Alycia, Special Events Coordinator for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm

UPDATE!!

We have extended Early Bird Registration to July 2nd! Don't miss out on this great deal! We hope to see you all there!

Silence

"Silence is Golden."

Most everyone is familiar with this phrase. As I was walking through Manhattan on Saturday, I was thinking about how loud everything around me was. It didn't matter where I went: into a cafe, down into the subway, into the Museum of Natural History, or even on the deck of the Staten Island Ferry, I could not get away from the noise to hear myself think. I would often loose my own train of thought because I could hear so many other conversations around me. I heard the familiar phrase, "Silence is Golden". As I began to meditate with it, I realized how true these words are. It is important, not only, to maintain silence in the movie theaters out of respect for the people around you or at night while people are sleeping, but also in our daily lives. We desperately need the silence! There is so much noise around us that we often get distracted from our own day-to-day thoughts and it is crucial to have a place and some quiet time to hear what the Lord is saying to us.

If we cannot hear ourselves think, how can we expect to hear what the Lord is saying to us?

Written by Alycia, Special Events Coordinator for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm

Easter Joy!

As we begin this fourth week of Easter, let us maintain the joy of Christ’s Resurrection in our hearts.  As Pope John Paul II has said, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair.  We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”  We are the Easter people and Hallelujah is our song.  What does this mean for us?

This statement means that we are a people who are defined by Easter. It means we are defined by joy. One of the greatest arguments for Christianity is Christians themselves.  It is their joy through suffering, their love that is defined by sacrifice, their joy because of suffering.  This is what it means to be an Easter people!  It means looking at the cross and seeing pure love and joy. It means looking at the cross and seeing Jesus’ personal love for us and all mankind.  This love is all sacrifice, and it’s all beauty. We cannot look at the cross without the Resurrection because it is not merely the suffering that appears to our naked eye.  Likewise, we cannot look at the Resurrection without the cross.  They are unbreakably united and joined. We must never lose sight of the Resurrection when we experience hurt, suffering, and struggle in our lives.  We can choose, as St. Paul says, to rejoice in our sufferings, and in our flesh fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of the Church. The risen Christ still bears His wounds and the nail marks in His hands and feet.  Being an Easter people does not mean that we are free from woundedness, sorrow, or brokenness, but it means that we are not defined by our suffering, but by a loving God who loves us tenderly not despite, but because of our wounds.  How is our suffering transformed in this way?  How do we live as Easter people in the midst of pain and hurt?  To do this, we must choose to be people of Faith, of Hope, and of Love.

The Mercy of God

"You must believe in mercy to the point of believing that you are joy for Jesus" (I Believe in Love (IBIL), p. 96). 


Yesterday we, the Church, celebrated the beautiful feast of Divine Mercy! It is a feast to celebrate His great joy - the joy at being our Savior! 


St. Faustina, in her Dairy, states, "O my Jesus, Your goodness surpasses all understanding, and no one will exhaust Your mercy. Damnation is for the soul who wants to be damned; but for the one who desires salvation, there is the inexhaustible ocean of the Lord's mercy to draw from. How can a small vessel contain the unfathomable ocean?" (paragraph 631).


The beauty of mercy is that even though we are feeble and weak, the glory of God is manifested in and through us. St. Therese of Lisieux said, "We would like to suffer generously. We would like to never fall - what an illusion!" We will fall and stumble, but the mercy of God is so great that in a moment of humble confidence through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our sins are forgiven! What a gift! The God of Heaven and Earth, out of love, created us, loved us into existence. Regardless of the sins we have committed, when we return like the Prodigal Son, we console the Heart which loves us so much! 


"You must believe in mercy to the point of believing that you are a joy for Jesus!"


Written by Alycia, Special Events Coordinator for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm