"The soul must empty itself of all that is not God in order to go to God. . . For Christ, desire to enter into complete nakedness and poverty in everything." ~ St. John of the Cross
"I cannot do it alone; the waves run fast and high, and the fog closes chill around, and the light goes out in the sky. But I know that we two shall win in the end - Jesus and I. I could not steer it myself - my barque on the roaring sea - what of that? Another sits in my barque, and pulls or steers with me. And I know that we two shall come into port - His child and He. Coward, wayward and weak, I change like the changing sky - one day eager and brave, the next, not caring to try; But He never gives in, and we two shall win, Jesus and I. Strong, and tender and true, crucified once for me, I know that Jesus never will change, whatever I do or be. We shall finish our course, and get home at last - His child and He."
"Death cannot be bitter for the soul that loves, for in it she finds all the sweetness and delight of love. She rejoices over death as she would over the thought of her betrothal and marriage, and she longs for the day and the hour of her death." ~ St. John of the Cross s.12
"Dear Jesus, halp me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood me with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may be only a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come into contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me - but solely Thee, my Jesus."
As a contemplative fraternity, we seek the face of God and we serve the Church in the world or possibly in eremetical solitude.
"O God, You know my weaknesses, that I am poor and destitute, that I cannot do, nor even think any good without You. Arise up then; strengthen me with grace, that I may fervently execute what I have firmly resolved, and not only avoid all evil You forbid, but also perform all the good You command, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For this reason I lay down that you are to keep silence from after Compline until after Prime the next day. At other times, although you need not keep silence so strictly, be careful not to indulge in a great deal of talk. Rule 21
"Lord Jesus, I cry out to you in my pain and sorrow. Give me the strength to praise You in my sadness. When prayer is difficult for me, hear my heartfelt cry, Jesus, my need for You is great yet my tortured mind finds it difficult to see beyond this darkness of the soul. Be near me Lord, hear my weak cry of Jesus Mercy. Lead me from my despair into Your comforting arms, and those of Your Blessed Mother, until I can finally rest with You."
"When you walk in the dark night and in the emptiness of spiritual poverty, you will think that everyone and everything is failing you — including God. But nothing is failing you." ~ St. John of the Cross
"Dear Lord, I give You pride of place in my heart, my home, my school, my workplace. Let me forever place You in the centre of my thoughts, words and deeds, my relaxation time, so that with You and through You my life is lived for You. Let my life not be dictated by materialiasm, more possessions, greater fame but rather help me to keep You as my rock, my stability, my focus in all I do and say."
Every day, if possible, the brothers are called, from solitude and from their apostolic work, to the Eucharist - source and culmination of their lives. Carmelite Constitution - 20
"Lord, keep me faithful to Your ways, honest in my dealings with others, and truthful in my speech. Let me not be the instrument to harm others through gossip, even if I know it be true. Help me to 'put my house in order' so that my every word, deed and action is carried out in true honesty and complete truthfulness without hurting or taking from others. Let me never fall into the trap of 'everyone does it!' Or see dishonesty as being justified in any way. Lord forgive my dishonesty and help me to change and make amends."
"You will not arrive at what you desire by following your own path, or even by high contemplation; but only through a great humility and a surrender of the heart." ~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux s.13
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in Thee. There are times, Lord, when I feel down and lost, when it is hard to drum up faith in You, yet You never lose faith in me. I am Your precious child whom You love regardless. Help me through my periods of doubt, of despair, of loneliness, of anguish, and yes, even in my times of anger with You. When I am unable to pray, let me just whisper - 'Jesus Mercy, Mary Help' - I just need to get through this difficult period when all seems lost. Stand by me, Lord, in my despair."
As a contemplative brotherhood, we seek the face of God also in the heart of the world. We believe that God has established his dwelling place among his people. Carmelite Constitution - 21
"Lord, my walk in life must be with You, Your Holy Spirit is my guide and my protector. Help me to focus my eyes on You, to listen to Your word, to spend time with You daily, to draw on the power and strength only You can give. Only in You can I reach my goals, walk my journeys, nourish my loved ones and share Your love with them and others. Let me be the light of You shining for others so that they too can come to recognise Your great goodness."
These fraternal values find expression and nourishment in the Word, - in the Eucharist, - and in prayer. Carmelite Constitution 20
"Lord, I kneel before you in my sinfulness, I repent of my wrongdoing and with Your help will try to avoid all ocassions of sin. Your forgiveness cleanses me, washes me anew, so that I now shine out as a child of grace. Help me in my weakness, keep me strong and faithful to Your ways, Lord. Like Saint David help me to wear the shield of Your protection"
These fraternal values find expression and nourishment in the Word, - in the Eucharist, - and in prayer. Carmelite Constitution 20.
"Dear Lord, let me not jump to conclusions about others, let me not judge by appearances, by manner or by circumstances. Let me show compassion and love to those less fortunate than I, because, there but for the Grace of God go I. Let me not criticise others for their actions but rather place them in Your care with my prayers. Keep me from gossip, that most evil of sins, and let my words about others be only of praise for the Christ within them.You are the potter, Lord, and through You the broken pot can be re-modelled and moulded into Your precious child again."
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Contemplation begins when we entrust ourselves to God, in whatever way he chooses to approach us; it is an attitude of openness to God, whose presence we discover in all things. Carmelite Constitution.20
"Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! Let me accept the obstacles in my path as a learning experience and to be able to hand them all over to You. I know, Lord, that for every door that closes another will open. Help me to get through the trials and tribulations of disappointments and to look to You for the answers. Help me to face every challenge strong in my faith that You stand beside me always, guiding me on the right path."
For us to be brothers means to grow in communion and in unity, overcoming privileges and distinctions, in a spirit of participation and co-responsibility. Carmelite Constitution -19.3
"Lord, help me today and every day to curb my tongue, control my temper and watch my words. Surround me in peace so that situations will not activate an angry response. Help me to think before I react, to whisper a short prayer of peace before I respond, to take just a second to think before I say something I regret. Dear Lord, let my home and workplace be a haven of peace and joy, not one of tension and anxiety. Let my family and colleagues respect me not fear me."
You are to eat whatever may have been given you in a common refectory, listening together meanwhile to a reading from Holy Scripture where that can be done without difficulty. Rule 7
"Lord Jesus, in my rejections I cry out to You. My heart is heavy, I live in fear. Dear Jesus, help me to see myself as You see me - a beautiful creation in Your image. Give me the strength and courage to ignore my abusers and to value myself as You value me. Help me to learn to first like myself then love myself a little more each day. Help me to realise that I am Your lovely child and that You have a grand plan all laid out for me. I place my broken heart in Your loving care."
"I resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the cross and to receive the divine dew, the blood falling to the ground with no one hastening to gather it up. I then understood that I was to pour it out upon souls." ~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux s.11
"Lord, let my work be honest, my relaxation joyful, my example godly, my prayers sincere, my words truthful and my time with friends and family generous. Let every action of mine be through You and for Your glory so that the inheritance I leave behind will warrant Your words - 'Well done, good servant'."
