O.Carm

Giovedì, 02 Febbraio 2023 08:00

Celebrating At Home - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Vulnerable risk-takers
(Matthew 5:13-16)

Last Sunday, in the ‘Beatitudes’, Jesus called his disciples to be vulnerable risk-takers in the way they lived their lives.

Continuing the Sermon on the Mount this week, Jesus goes on to say that if they live this way, they will be like the salt that transforms the ﬂ avour of food and the light that transforms the darkness.

Undertaking this path of transformation produces the ﬂ avour and light of good works which lift burdens from our fellow human beings, not for the praise of the disciple but for the praise to God. In this way, these good works draw others into the circle of God’s friendship and the experience of the kingdom.

Disciples walk the path of vulnerability and risk in order to help lift burdens from human beings; to make the world safe for their brothers and sisters.

These good, life-giving actions towards our fellow human beings restore life, heal relationships and seek peace and justice.

This non-aggressive, non-grasping, non-competitive stance towards one another would hardly be described by many in today’s world as the way to a successful life. It is a real challenge to live by the Gospel in a world which fawns over and celebrates wealth, power, aggression, status and deceptive and combative behaviour. We, too, can be easily seduced.

We need to be bold and brave in our care for one another, like a light-ﬁ lled city on a hilltop.

So, can we run the risk of being poor in spirit, gentle, a peacemaker, working for what is right, being merciful, or persecuted in the cause of right? Can we be vulnerable risk-takers?

As always, the ﬁ rst reading (see back page) provides an introduction to the Gospel text. The reading from Isaiah (58:7-10) gives some very practical examples of good works: share your bread with the hungry, clothe the naked, look after your family members. Then ‘your light will shine’. Integrity will be yours and God will walk with you. ‘If you do away with the angry word and the clenched ﬁ st, feed the hungry, give relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness and your shadows become like noon.’

A great ‘setting of the scene’ for the Gospel!

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Mercoledì, 01 Febbraio 2023 07:35

Bl. Candelaria of St. Joseph, Virgin

On February 1, the Carmelite Order celebrates Blessed Candelaria of St. Joseph. The day is celebrated as an optional memorial in Latin America.

Blessed Candelaria was born Susana Paz-Castillo Ramírez in 1863. She enthusiastically welcomed the call of God to holiness, and since her youth, stood out in practicing living and effective charity, with which she cared for, consoled and healed the sick and wounded that strife had left on the streets of her birth city.

Martedì, 31 Gennaio 2023 11:30

Lectio Divina February 2023

Giotto di Bondone - No. 19 Scenes from the Life of Christ - 3. Presentation of Christ at the Temple

Lord our God,

help us to love You with all our hearts and to love all people as You love them.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

"Lectio divina," a Latin term, means "divine reading" and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. In the 12th century, a Carthusian monk called Guigo, described the stages which he saw as essential to the practice of Lectio divina. There are various ways of practicing Lectio divina either individually or in groups but Guigo's description remains fundamental.

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Lunedì, 30 Gennaio 2023 07:36

Provincial Chapter of the Rio Province in Brasil

The members of the Province of Fluminis Januarii held their chapter from January 23-27, 2023, in the retreat house of São Carlos a Jundiá in São Paolo, Brasil.

The theme of the gathering was “Carmel –a Passion for God, for Humanity, and for the Brotherhood—in a World in Transformation.” Fraternity and mission were key themes of the Chapter.

The province was founded by Carmelites from Portugal. In 1595 the vice-province of Brazil was erected, consisting of four houses: Olinda (1583), Bahia (1586), Santos (1589) and Rio de Janeiro (1590). In 1720, the province was erected from the vice-province of “Estado do Brasil,” being separated from Bahia-Pernambuco.

Because of the political situation, most of the houses belonging to religious orders in Brazil were forced to close in the 19^th century. However, from 1894 the Spanish Carmelites came to restore the province. In 1904 the Dutch Province undertook the restoration. Having reunited with the Province of Bahia for a decade, the Fluminis Januarii Province was re-established in 1962 and placed under the protection of St. Elias the Prophet.

During the Chapter the following were elected to leadership:

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Venerdì, 27 Gennaio 2023 12:41

Memorial of Blessed Archangela Girlani, Virgin

29 January Optional Memorial in the Italian Provinces

Born Eleonora, she was born in 1460 in Trino in the Marquisate of Monferrato.

It is written in an old manuscript that Blessed Archangela lived her religious life so intensely that, just as the monastery was entitled "Saint Mary in Paradise", she and the other nuns, even though still here on earth, lived as if already absorbed into heaven.

Prayer*

Father in heaven,
you gave the virgin Blessed Archangela Girlani
particular dedication to the mystery of the eternal Trinity.
Through her prayers
may we taste the delights of your glory
already here on earth,
and look upon you for ever in heaven.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

*Texts taken from the “Carmelite Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours,” Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome: 1993.

Giovedì, 26 Gennaio 2023 08:03

Celebrating At Home - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catching the vision
(Matthew 5:1-12)

Last Sunday’s Gospel introduced the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, his call to repentance, the choice of some disciples and the spread of his fame.

Now, over the next four Sundays, the church will take us on a journey through Jesus’ teaching in Chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s Gospel. These chapters form the Sermon on the Mount. Each Sunday’s Gospel builds on the one before – they are part of this ﬁrst discourse in Matthew’s Gospel and need to be understood in a connected sense, not as a series of isolated sayings.

The text we know as the ‘Beatitudes’ introduces Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom, discipleship, the true meaning of the Law and true righteousness (virtue), interior disposition of the heart against external fulﬁlment of Law, trust in God and keeping the Kingdom as the focus of the disciple’s life.

Matthew’s beatitudes have been understood as a pattern of life for the follower of Jesus. Put in the context of Jesus’ call to conversion (the idea of radical change and transformation), those willing to be transformed will enjoy the blessings of the kingdom as their reward.

To be ‘poor in spirit’, to experience sadness (‘mourn’) because of the present state of affairs, to be gentle and unselﬁsh rather than on the make, to have a passionate commitment to justice, to exercise mercy instead of taking advantage, to be ‘pure in heart’, to be ‘peacemakers’, to endure persecution and calumny for the sake of the right way of life (‘righteousness’) and allegiance to Christ: all these things make one vulnerable here and now, entailing much loss. The vulnerable make the world safe for humanity.*

For those who live according to the heart of God as Jesus reveals it, the blessings of the Kingdom will be theirs, their place in the household of God will be assured and they will be making the world a safe place for their brothers and sisters.

*Byrne, Brendan, Lifting the Burden: reading Matthew’s Gospel in the Church Today. St Pauls, 2004, pp55-57

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Martedì, 24 Gennaio 2023 14:37

Elective Chapter of the Monastery of Janua Coeli

The Carmelite community of Janua Coeli Monastery in Cerreto di Sorano (GR), Italy, celebrated its Elective Chapter on January 17, 2023.

The monastery was established on May 19, 1992, by nuns from the Carpineto Romano community. Its canonical erection was on September 8, 2000. It is part of the Federation of Santa Maria Magdalena de' Pazzi. More can be learned about the monastery by visiting its website: www.monasterocarmelitane.it

The results of the elective chapter were as follows:

Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sr Miriam del Dio Vivente Tamiano, O. Carm.

1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sr Carmela del Cuore di Gesù Bambino Conventi, O. Carm.

2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Sr M. Ester di Cristo Re Salerno, O. Carm.

3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Sr M. Ludovica dell'Emmanuele Benedetti, O. Carm.

4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Sr M. Daniela del Buon Pastore Solustri, O. Carm.

Formator | Formadora | Formatrice:
Sr Miriam del Dio Vivente Tamiano, O. Carm.

Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa:
Sr Maria Joseph di Nazareth Lumicisi, O. Carm.

Sacristan| Sacristana | Sacrestana:
Sr M. Irene della Trinità Angelantoni, O. Carm.

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Lunedì, 23 Gennaio 2023 15:12

Elections of the Province of Pernambuco, Brasil

The Province of Pernambuco, serving in northern Brasil and Mozambique, held their provincial chapter on January 16-20, 2023.

The first house of the Order in the Americas was founded in the city of Olinda (Pernambuco), in 1583, by priests from the Province of Lusitania (Portugal). In 1720, two provinces were simultaneously established in Brazil, namely: Rio de Janeiro and Bahia-Pernambuco. From the year 1679 the Pernambucan convent of Goiana (founded in 1666) had accepted the Reform of Touraine. This reform movement eventually led to the establishment of the autonomous province of Pernambuco. In 1683 the Prior General Angelus Monsignani decided that the convents of Recife (founded in 1654) and Vila Real (which was later succeeded by Paraiba) would be handed over to the Carmelites of the Reform. In 1725 a vice-province was instituted and in 1744 the province of Pernambuco was canonically established, having three convents, six residences and about one hundred brothers. The religious and political conflicts of the 19th century severely affected the province.

As the seed for a new birth, the convent in Recife remained until, in 1894, the brothers from Spain arrived to begin the work of restoration. Goiana reopened, Gameleira (1920) and Princesa (1938), Campina Grande (1951) and Camocim de Saint Felix (1962) were founded. In 1990, the old convent of Piedade, now restored, was designated the House of Formation as many young men came to join the province as a result of the focus of the province over the years on vocational ministry. Five new houses opened: Petrolina (1998), Carmopolis (2000), Aracaju (2002), and Icó (2011). The São Cristóvão convent, founded in the 17th century, was handed over to the Province by the Archdiocese of Aracaju to be inhabited by the Carmelites again.

In 2002, a house was opened in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, with a second house founded in 2019 in Matola. In 2012, the original church and monastery in Olinda was restored to the Province.

During the Chapter the following were elected to leadership:

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Lunedì, 23 Gennaio 2023 14:58

General Chapter of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters

The General Chapter of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters took place from January 2 to 8, in Cajazeiras - PB, northeast Brazil. The theme was "Hand in Hand, on the Way, Toward the Fountains of First Love" and the Motto "Lord Give Me This Water" (Jn. 4:15).

Let us pray for the Mission at the service of the Congregation and the Church.

The results of the elective chapter were as follows:

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Venerdì, 20 Gennaio 2023 07:35

Celebrating At Home - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The light shines
(Matthew 4:12-23)

Last Sunday’s Gospel served as an introduction to Jesus, the Lamb of God.
The Sunday Gospels between now and the beginning of Lent will use the Sermon on the Mount to help us explore and reflect upon who this Lamb of God is and how we, as disciples, should respond to him. They will unfold for us how Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the source of true peace and how we can find our way to him and to one another – that is, how we can live faithful to the tradition of Jesus.
This Sunday Jesus begins his ministry in an unexpected place – Capernaum in the countryside, not in the holy city, Jerusalem. The familiar Gospel demand: Repent for the kingdom is close at hand, is sounded for the first time by Jesus, echoing John the Baptist.
To the ministry of proclaimers of the Kingdom Jesus adds four intimates who will be with him throughout the journey into the light.
The Gospel begs many questions: just what is this Kingdom all about? Who is this Jesus who seems to have the power to compel prosperous, ordinary men to follow him? What does it mean to be ‘fishers of men’? Why does Jesus begin his ministry in an unexpected place? What is this Good News of the Kingdom that Jesus offers?
In all, the Gospel serves not just to tell us about Jesus and what he did, but also to help us reflect on our own experience of Jesus: what does it mean for us also to be called (not just as followers but also as ‘fishers’)?
How immediate and life-changing is our response to him? Can we follow him all the way to the cross? How do we proclaim the Good News of the kingdom? How are we healers of people and situations which are part of our lives?