God enfleshed in us

The Feast of the Trinity is a day for reflecting on who God is, not for trying to figure out how there can be three persons in one God.

The Church’s focus today is on experience, not theology.

In intellectual terms, God remains a mystery. For people of faith, God is known not by the mind, but by the heart. That is what spirituality and mysticism are about - exploring our experience of God.

Through our public liturgy, private prayer and contemplation we come to experience - to ‘know’ and feel in our hearts - that God loves us, accepts us, forgives us and constantly invites us into an ever deeper experience of love.

When we allow God’s heart to speak to ours in love we begin to absorb more of God’s life into our own. We are being transformed. Our values and attitudes, our ways of looking at and being in the world start to change. We begin to see with God’s eyes and feel with God’s heart.

We become passionate about the things God is passionate about: speaking truthfully, acting with justice and integrity, looking out for each other and especially for the vulnerable, promoting peace and understanding, ending competition and discrimination, respecting life.

That makes us better people and our lives become a blessing for each other and for the world.

That is what it means to live out of God’s great gift to us, the Spirit of Jesus Christ which God has placed in our hearts. God becomes enfleshed in us and we become stewards of God’s grace and life.

• pdf Celebrating At Home - Trinity Sunday [PDF] (412 KB)
• default Celebrating At Home - Trinity Sunday [ePub] (1.14 MB)
• pdf Celebrando En Familia - Santísima Trinidad (301 KB)
• pdf Celebrando In Casa - Santissima Trinità (340 KB)

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Celebrating at Home is a Liturgy of the Word centred around the Gospel reading for each Sunday. It includes a reflection on the Gospel and prayers.

It can be used personally or with your family. Parts for all to pray are given in bold print and all the other parts can be shared among those present.

We hope that Celebrating at Home will be a source of nourishment and strength for all who use it.

In the room you decide to use for this prayer you could have a lighted candle, a crucifix and the Bible. These symbols help keep us mindful of the sacredness of our time of prayer and can help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.

On May 25, 2021, the Congress of Theological Consultors recognized the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Titus Brandsma, O. Carm., relating to the scientifically inexplicable healing of Fr. Michael Driscoll, O. Carm.

The positive result of this second, fundamental stage towards canonization, will allow the Cause to be submitted to the judgment of the Ordinary Session of the Cardinals and Bishops, members of the Congregation. In the event of a positive outcome, the Prefect of the Congregation will then submit the conclusions of the Ordinary Session of the Cardinals and Bishops for the approval of the Supreme Pontiff. Finally, the Supreme Pontiff will convene the Ordinary Consistory in which the canonization of the Blessed will be officially announced.

Let us rejoice at the results achieved so far but let us continue to pray to the Lord so that the process will continue happily and we can arrive at the canonization of Blessed Titus Brandsma.

Sent to be God’s love in the world

At Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the first group of Christian believers - the disciples. This gift of the Holy Spirit is the culmination of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

It would be wrong to think that this gift happened only once, in one moment of history. In fact, the gifting of the Holy Spirit is a continuing event in the life of every believing person and, therefore, in every age of human history. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us - the enduring way in which Jesus remains present in the Church and in the life of each person.

Today we do not pray to receive the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us has been affirmed and proclaimed in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Instead, we pray to grow more aware of the Spirit’s presence in our lives and to allow that Spirit to grow within us, gradually re-shaping our minds and hearts in the image of Jesus.

Pentecost brings to a close the fifty days of the Church’s Easter celebrations. Soon we will begin Ordinary Time again. So, our feast today helps us understand that we take the Holy Spirit with us into the ordinary events and tasks of each day.

That is how we allow the sacred to touch, heal and transform us and the world around us.

The spiritual search is for the heart of God within our own. When we enter into relationship with Christ through the Spirit, the gifts begin to flow more abundantly. The Spirit is the source of reconciliation with ourselves and with each other. Reconciliation is essential if we are to ‘hold and guard’ each other in the midst of all that life throws at us, especially at the moment.

The Spirit brings gifts of wisdom, courage, understanding, right judgement, knowledge, reverence, wonder and awe in God’s presence. May we be graced by them all as we discern and decide how we can best work together to build up each other and to let God’s love be seen at work in each of us.

A Pentecost Commitment

Empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, we commit ourselves to take up more fully the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to us at baptism.

We reject everything to do with self-indulgence and narrow self-interest.

We commit ourselves to the destruction of poverty, injustice, fear, suffering and isolation.

We commit ourselves to witness Christ in every moment and every aspect of our lives by living in hope, trust, confidence, gentleness and self-control.

This way the Spirit will be our life, and we will fulfil our mission of service in our world.

Filled with the Holy Spirit we will grow in love for each other, in wisdom, courage, knowledge, perseverance, understanding, perception and in wonder at God’s presence and action in the world.

May God, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to fulfilment through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

• pdf Celebrating At Home - Pentecost Sunday [PDF] (311 KB)
• document Celebrating At Home - Pentecost Sunday [ePub] (946 KB)
• pdf Celebrando En Familia - Pentecostés (242 KB)
• pdf Celebrando In Casa - Pentecoste (240 KB)
• pdf Celebrando Em Familia - Pentecostes [Português] (259 KB)

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Celebrating at Home is a Liturgy of the Word centred around the Gospel reading for each Sunday. It includes a reflection on the Gospel and prayers.

It can be used personally or with your family. Parts for all to pray are given in bold print and all the other parts can be shared among those present.

We hope that Celebrating at Home will be a source of nourishment and strength for all who use it.

In the room you decide to use for this prayer you could have a lighted candle, a crucifix and the Bible. These symbols help keep us mindful of the sacredness of our time of prayer and can help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.

Professio Solemnis

• 05-04-21 Nicolás Ubaldo Carrizalez Castillo (Cat), Barcelona, España
• 10-04-21 Michael Joyce (PCM), Washington, DC

Ordinatio Diaconalis

• 10-04-21 Roger S. Malara Mondragòn (PCM), Nuevo Cuscatlán, El Salvador
• 17-04-21 Agedo Bento (Aust), Middle Park, Australia

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

• 13-04-21 Sohmon Ranjah Capah (Indo), Nord Sumatra, Indonesia
• 13-04-21 Doni Malau (Indo), Nord Sumatra, Indonesia
• 17-04-21 Matthew Tonini (Aust), Middle Park, Australia
• 08-05-21 Robson José da Silva (Pern), Primavera, Brasil
• 09-05-21 Elton Rafael Freire Barros (Pern), Ribeirão, Brasil
• 09-05-21 João Manuel Oliveira da Costa (Lus), Braga, Portugal

Called, chosen, sent to be God’s heart

The feast of the Ascension commemorates the return of Jesus to the Father. Jesus leaves in body but remains with us through the gift of the Spirit. We will celebrate the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit in next Sunday’s feast of Pentecost.

The true meaning of our feast today is not found in Jesus’ leaving, but in the way he calls his disciples back together, to re-form them as a new community entrusted with the spread of

the Gospel. Jesus sends the disciples out to make disciples of all nations and to teach them his way. But the disciples are not left to do all that on their own. Jesus promises that he is with them always.

Jesus has called the ragged, group of disciples, scattered after his crucifixion, back to himself to form them, fragile and doubtful as they are, into a community for mission in the name of God. The task of the historical Jesus is complete; the task of the church as the living Body of Christ has just begun. It is comforting to recognise that Jesus doesn’t insist on perfection before he calls us and entrusts us with his mission.

This mission is authorised by God and passed on to us through Jesus. It is not about authority over others. It is actually a call to act as God would act, true to God’s heart as Jesus has taught us.

Ever since Easter, we have been proclaiming that Jesus is alive. The feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost help us to realise that we are part of a long tradition of faithful disciples. We have our faults and failings, but our call is to witness to and teach the way of Jesus by the kind of people we are, the values and attitudes we hold, in thought, word and action - to be the living presence of God in the world today.

• pdf Celebrating At Home - Ascension Sunday [PDF] (360 KB)
• default Celebrating At Home - Ascension Sunday [ePub] (1.61 MB)
• pdf Celebrando En Familia - Ascensión del Señor (280 KB)
• pdf Celebrando In Casa - L'Ascensione del Signore (285 KB)
• pdf Celebrando Em Familia - Domingo da Ascensão [Português] (306 KB)

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Celebrating at Home is a Liturgy of the Word centred around the Gospel reading for each Sunday. It includes a reflection on the Gospel and prayers.

It can be used personally or with your family. Parts for all to pray are given in bold print and all the other parts can be shared among those present.

We hope that Celebrating at Home will be a source of nourishment and strength for all who use it.

In the room you decide to use for this prayer you could have a lighted candle, a crucifix and the Bible. These symbols help keep us mindful of the sacredness of our time of prayer and can help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.

Sor M^a Asunción Ibarra Lorea, (HUE)
27-03-21
Ortus: 02-11-27
P. Temp.: 10-07-60
P. Soll.: 10-07-63

Sr. Maria Magdalena Medrano Jimenez, (MAC)
30-03-21
Ortus: 14-06-31
P. Temp.: 25-09-55
P. Soll.: 25-09-58

Hna. María Eufrazina Hernández González, (SLC)
13-04-21
Ortus: 25-02-22
P. Temp.: 04-06-50
P. Soll.: 04-06-53

Sor M^a Magdalena Pla Tortosa, (ONT)
15-04-21
Ortus: 27-01-37
P. Temp.: 30-05-58
P. Soll.: 30-05-61

P. Celso Prieto Bermejo, (ACV)
29-04-21
Ortus: 30-06-43
P. Temp.: 08-09-64
P. Soll.: 12-10-70
Ord.: 14-04-71

P. Roberto Ballesteros Bayón, (ACV)
01-05-21
Ortus: 07-06-33
P. Temp.: 27-08-50
P. Soll.: 15-08-54
Ord.: 16-03-57

Gna. Pilar de Santa M. Magdalena de Pazzi Creus i Requesens (BAR)
02-05-21
Ortus: 16-05-30
P. Temp.: 12-05-59
P. Soll.: 13-05-62

Fr. Kevin Alban (Brit)
Prior Provincial
04-05-21
Ortus: 15-06-58
P. Temp.: 25-03-96
P. Soll.: 08-12-99
Ord.: 29-06-01

Fr. Ronald Terpstra (Neer)
04-05-21
Ortus: 18-02-34
P. Temp.: 10-09-56
P. Soll.: 10-09-59
Ord.: 09-07-61

God of Love, listen to this prayer.

God of holy people,
of Sarah, Ruth and Rebekah;
God of Elizabeth, mother of John, God of Mary, mother of Jesus, listen to us and bless the
mothers of our families.

Bless with the strength of your Spirit,
the mothers who taught us to stand and walk,
who continue to be strength for us
as we walk the journey of life.

Bless with the melody of your love,
those who showed us
how to speak, how to sing,
how to pray to you.

Bless with a place
at your eternal table
those who fed and nurtured our life
as it was formed within them.

Bless our mothers today
with good things and with health;
with joy, love and laughter,
and surround them with many good friends.

May they be carried one day
to your divine embrace:
there for all eternity to rejoice
with their family and friends.

Hold gently in your love our mothers who are now with you.

This blessing and all graces, we pray,
descend upon the mothers of our families:
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus, bond of love

As we approach the coming feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost, the Gospel today helps us understand that Jesus is our bond of love with the Father and with one another.

Jesus shows us the way to live full and happy lives by living in love: “I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.”

The commandments of Jesus are always about love - love of God and love of neighbour. Those who live by these commandments of Jesus abide with him, others and the Father in love.

Jesus is the reign of God in person. He is both the image of God and the model of the redeemed human being that each of us is called to be.

When Jesus says he has told the disciples everything he has learned from the Father it reminds us that Jesus was human as well as divine; that his life was a journey of learning, too; a path of facing choices and challenges. Jesus tells his disciples that they are his friends. They have become his friends because he has shared his knowledge and understanding and love of the Father with them.

We remain in Christ by remaining in his love and loving one another just as Christ has loved us. We are no longer servants but friends of Jesus because he has made known to us everything he learnt from God. Jesus has chosen us and commissioned us to be love and to do love in the heart of the world.

• pdf Celebrating At Home - Sixth Sunday of Easter [PDF] (248 KB)
• default Celebrating At Home - Sixth Sunday of Easter [ePub] (767 KB)
• pdf Celebrando En Familia - Sexto Domingo De Pascua (207 KB)
• pdf Celebrando In Casa - Sesta Domenica di Pasqua (206 KB)
• pdf Celebrando Em Familia - Sexto Domingo Da Páscoa [Português] (237 KB)

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Celebrating at Home is a Liturgy of the Word centred around the Gospel reading for each Sunday. It includes a reflection on the Gospel and prayers.

It can be used personally or with your family. Parts for all to pray are given in bold print and all the other parts can be shared among those present.

We hope that Celebrating at Home will be a source of nourishment and strength for all who use it.

In the room you decide to use for this prayer you could have a lighted candle, a crucifix and the Bible. These symbols help keep us mindful of the sacredness of our time of prayer and can help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.

Various celebrations are planned around the world to celebrate Laudato Si’ Week (May 16-24), the crowning event of the Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year. This week was called for by Pope Francis to celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of his encyclical on the environment. Various groups within the Order are also planning events. Write and let us know what your province, commissariat, or delegation or ministry site is doing to celebrate Laudato Si’ Week (May 16-24, 2021). The webpage dedicated to Laudato Si’ Week 2021 is (in English) https://laudatosiweek.org.

Here is just some of what is happening around the Order:

• The Indonesian Province will launch a vertical farming model in Karmel Syanti Argo (“syanti” means “peace,” “argo” means “mount”) in Pasuruan on Sunday, April 25. This location also functions as the Laudato Si’ Center. The purpose of this project is to teach pof urban people to produce vegetables in a limited space. Also by producing vegetables themselves, the carbon footprints will be reduced due to the decrease in the use of fuel to transport the vegetables from villages to cities. The oxygen produced in the photosynthesis process of the vegetables also helps maintain the quality of the air in the cities. More on the project can be found at: http://www.carmelitengo.id
   
• Salpointe Catholic High School, a secondary school of the PCM Province, held a teleconference entitled “What Kind of World Do We Want to Build Together” discussing implementation of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ in the Sonoran desert of Tucson where the school is located. Participants in the conference included Mayor Regina Romero of Tucson, the bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, Edward Weisenburger, Salpointe students, and representatives from the very active Environment Group at a local parish. The event closed with a video outlining projects students from Lourdes Catholic School in Nogales, Arizona are involved in. Both national Catholic press and local press outlets reported on the event. The full video of the teleconference can be viewed (in English) at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG7-P6RNxfw
   
• At The Friars in Aylesford, England, the community and visitors to the Carmelite shrine will pray for the planet during the normal prayer services and at the regularly scheduled Mass.

Jesus, true vine bearing fruit in us

We are still on the Easter journey. After the three day roller-coaster of emotions - from Jesus’ supper with his disciples, through trial and crucifixion, to the wonder of the women at the empty tomb - we now prepare ourselves to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

During these fifty days, our journey is steadied and enlightened by the words of the First Letter of St John. It has a central message made clear in today’s reading: we are asked to believe in Jesus and love one another. We are then assured that we are not alone in this challenge: “We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us.”

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins echoes this in As Kingfishers Catch Fire:

“For Christ plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his.”

This idea of Christ living within us is explored in today’s Gospel where Jesus likens himself to the “true vine.” He tells us: “Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty.”

Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit we can hold Christ within us, not only in our thoughts, our ideas, our actions, but deep within ourselves, in our souls and in our hearts. We are helped by prayer and by reflecting on the words of scripture, maybe meditating on the images, or by spending time with the phrases that we particularly notice. Or we can sit still and simply open our hearts and listen. Jesus says: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you …”

• pdf Celebrating At Home - Fifth Sunday of Easter [PDF] (831 KB)
• default Celebrating At Home - Fifth Sunday of Easter [ePub] (1.00 MB)
• pdf Celebrando En Familia - Quinto Domingo de Pascua (681 KB)
• pdf Celebrando In Casa - Quinta Domenica di Pasqua (675 KB)
• pdf Celebrando Em Familia - Quinto Domingo da páscoa [Português] (746 KB)

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Celebrating at Home is a Liturgy of the Word centred around the Gospel reading for each Sunday. It includes a reflection on the Gospel and prayers.

It can be used personally or with your family. Parts for all to pray are given in bold print and all the other parts can be shared among those present.

We hope that Celebrating at Home will be a source of nourishment and strength for all who use it.

In the room you decide to use for this prayer you could have a lighted candle, a crucifix and the Bible. These symbols help keep us mindful of the sacredness of our time of prayer and can help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.