Lent (90)
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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'."
"I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. But the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life." 1 Kings 19.14
"Dear Lord, forgive my complacency, I take so much for granted. Let me praise and thank You daily for all I have. No matter how bad my situation may appear to me, it is nothing compared to that of others. Today I give You thanks for the blessings You give me in abundance and I pray sincerely for those who are less fortunate. I pray too for the governments of this world, that they will turn their weapons into ploughshares and value the peoples of every nation, improving their lot instead of degrading them or denying them their basic freedoms."
The Apostle would have us keep silence, for in silence he tells us to work. As the Prophet also makes known to us: Silence is the way to foster holiness. Elsewhere he says: Your strength will lie in silence and hope. Rule 21
"Lord, I come to You in my weakness, in my pain, in my sorrow. I cry out - heal me! Give me the peace of mind and body I so badly need. Still my worrying heart, remove my anxieties, heal me of the hurts, hatred and angers I carry. Like the leper at the pool, I too need the gentle touch of Your healing hand. Lord, in Your healing, instill in me the reminders of my constant need for You, lest I forget that without You I am nothing."
Carmelites live their life of Allegiance to Christ through a commitment to seek the face of the living God (the contemplative dimension of life), through fraternity,and through service (diakonia) in the midst of the people. Carmelite Constitution - 14
to await these changes with patience and faith in Your holy providence. Help me also to praise Your Holy Name in the asking and in the receiving"
At the time for offering sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command. Kg. 18.36
"Dear Lord, forgive my complacency, I take so much for granted. Let me praise and thank You daily for all I have. No matter how bad my situation may appear to me, it is nothing compared to that of others. Today I give You thanks for the blessings You give me in abundance and I pray sincerely for those who are less fortunate. I pray too for the governments of this world, that they will turn their weapons into ploughshares and value the peoples of every nation, improving their lot instead of degrading them or denying them their basic freedoms."
"Even though you should fall one hundred times, to prove your love for Him, rise each time with even greater strength." ~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux
"Lord, I come to You in my weakness, in my pain, in my sorrow. I cry out - heal me! Give me the peace of mind and body I so badly need. Still my worrying heart, remove my anxieties, heal me of the hurts, hatred and angers I carry. Like the leper at the pool, I too need the gentle touch of Your healing hand. Lord, in Your healing, instill in me the reminders of my constant need for You, lest I forget that without You I am nothing."
Your loins are to be girt with chastity, your breast fortified by holy meditations, for as Scripture has it, holy meditation will save you. Carmelite Rule 19
"Lord, I come before You today to ask for Your blessings in all I do and to thank You, knowing that You will answer my prayer. In Your time and in Your way Lord You will provide for my needs, help me to await these changes with patience and faith in Your holy providence. Help me also to praise Your Holy Name in the asking and in the receiving."
A contemplative attitude towards the world around us allows us to discover the presence of God in the events of ordinary daily life and especially, to see him in our brothers and sisters. Carmelite Constitution 19
"Lord, protect me and mine every hour of the day and night. Keep me close to You in thought, word and deed and away from situations which will separate me from You. Lord, You know my weaknesses - be my strength, You know my temptations - guide me only towards You, You know my sorrows - be my joy, You know my pain - be my relief. Help me to walk every minute of my time hand in hand with my guardian angel, eyes ever focussed on You."
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Your brother B., and whoever may succeed you as Prior, must always keep in mind and put into practice what our Lord said in the Gospel: Whoever has a mind to become a leader among you must make yourself servant to the rest, and whichever of you would be first must become your bondsman. Carmelite Rule 22
"Lord, I place myself into Your loving hands, let me not waken in the morning without praising Your goodness to me, or go to sleep at night without thanking You for the completion of the day. Keep me, Lord, ever in Your presence, help me to keep You ever in my thoughts, words and deeds."
"O Jesus, let me weep for myself, for I am nothing but dry wood to be cast into the fire. But you give new life to the dry wood by grafting it onto the wood of the cross." ~ Bl. Titus Brandsma.
"Lord Jesus, help me to kneel and ask for success in all I do even though You know my needs. Let me become like the little child asking the Father for His gifts. Help me to understand that You are only waiting to be asked. Today, dear Lord, I ask for Your blessing to improve my situation and that through it I may glorify You in all I do.
You must give yourselves to work of some kind, so that the devil may always find you busy; no idleness on your part must give him a chance to pierce the defences of your souls. Carmelite Rule 20
"Lord Jesus, I give You my hands to do Your work, I give You my feet to go Your way, I give You my eyes to see as You do, I give You my lips to speak Your words, I give You my spirit that You may pray through me, I give You my mind that You may think through me, I give You my heart that You may love through me. I give You my whole self that You may use and bless me in all I do. I ask Your blessing in my daily endeavours that they may be for Your Glory"
The values of contemplation - when lived faithfully in the midst of the complex events of daily life - make Carmelite brotherhood a witness to the living and mysterious presence of God among his people. Carmelite Constitution - 18
"Lord, I know You are with me today in all my adversities, my sorrows and pain. You have said: "Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find, Knock and the door will be opened unto you." Today, dear Jesus, I ask, I seek and I knock. Help me now to be able to hand all over to You and to accept the outcome. Not my will be done but Thine."
