Carmelite Final Promises

You may have noticed I've been more absent than usual recently. I'm trying, in addition to holiday cleaning, to prepare spiritually for OCDS Final Promises. For those who don't know, OCDS refers to the Secular branch of the Order of Carmelites, Discalced. A secular, sometimes referred to as "Third Order," is a member of a religious order who is not a nun, friar, monk, sister, or brother. In other words, we are attached to our order by prayer, spirituality, study, work, and charism.

The Discalced branch of the Carmelites was founded by St. Teresa of Avila, with the help of St. John of the Cross, in response to a need for reform in the then lax attitude toward the Rule of Life of Carmelites. In a time of great religious upheaval, Teresa found herself heading a convent where benefits and privileges were granted based on family wealth and favoritism, and where the rules were practically ignored. One of the rules that she reinstituted was the traditional habit, which included sandals, not shoes. Her reform was originally known by many popular names, but the name "discalced," meaning shoeless, was the one that stuck. St. John headed the male reform, at St. Teresa's request.

Today, the original Carmelite order (OC) and the Discalced Carmelites (OCD) make up separate orders with separate lines of authority and slightly differing spirituality, but they share a history and charism, as well as maintaining mutual "authority" over the Brown Scapular. The Brown Scapular, the symbol of both Orders, represents a smaller version of the brown habit of Carmelites. Both Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross have been named Doctors of the Church, and recently so was St. Therese of Lisieux, another Carmelite saint.

My name in Carmel is Mary of the Feet of Jesus. Please pray for me as I prepare to make my promises permanent on Saturday.

Catechism Highlights

Some teaching worth reflecting upon as those of us in the United States prepare to vote:

1867 The catechetical tradition also recalls that there are "sins that cry to heaven": the blood of Abel,[139] the sin of the Sodomites,[140] the cry of the people oppressed in Egypt,[141] the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan,[142] injustice to the wage earner.[143]

1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:
- by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
- by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
- by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
- by protecting evil-doers.

Daily Bread

A thought:
How often do I say "Give us this day our daily bread"?
How often do I go to daily Mass and receive Communion?

Hm. Maybe I need to work on that.

Two Scenes

Picture, if you will, two scenes.

In the first, Jesus is invited to the home of a Pharisee, where a notorious sinner cries on his feet in repentence, wipes them with her hair, and anoints them with oil. The Pharisee says to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner."

In the second, a worshiper is at Mass and notices that the young woman in front of her is wearing skimpy clothing. Snide comments cross her mind, and she wonders why the priest doesn't do something about the way people dress for Mass.

In the first scene, I bet most people see the sinner as representing us. We are sinners, we can't deny it; and we want to repent as wholeheartedly as this woman. We love Jesus, and we know that the Pharisee is wrong to judge Jesus for loving this sinner.

But if you see yourself as the worshiper in the second scene then maybe, like me, you've been casting yourself as the wrong character in the first scene.

Confession

I admit, I went way too long without the sacrament. About 7 months, and for at least the last few, I needed it. You see, I was angry and lethargic, and it was hard at one point not to blame God.

But that wasn't the really rough part. You see, I got over the anger. But I didn't get over the knowledge that I had allowed a wedge between myself and God. So, while I continued praying, it felt rather like an awkward meeting with an estranged relative. I love Him, and I wanted things to be right between us, but I couldn't just pretend like nothing had passed. When you love someone, and He loves you, you want to be on good terms. And it hurts like (well, pardon the language, but it's appropriate) hell to have that distance of unrepaired bridges between you.

I won't go into too much detail about why it took so long to get back to Him, but suffice it to say that it really was beginning to feel like someone was out to get me. Car breakdown after car breakdown. Illness. Hubbie having no choice about working weekends. And so on. But it was enough to really make me examine my motives, and to think and pray for a way to get to confession. God made me really want it. It wasn't going to be enough to go through the motions this time.

So today, I finally got there. It was two or three minutes, without any pouring out of emotion or sage advice. It was one of those really simple (though not necessarily easy) confessions where you sit down and just lay it on the line. "I did this. I did this other thing. I did such and such." And I received a fairly simple penance of praying before the Blessed Sacrament.

And the prayer was so simple. Simple as light filling a room. Simple as warmth flooding through your body when you come in from the snow. Simple as a few words from me, and a few words from the Lord. "See how easily I forgive?"

And for the first time in months, I feel unburdened. I can go to God without a feeling of shame, just one of overwhelming gratitude.

My friends, if you have not been to confession in a while, please go soon. Someone is waiting for you with open arms.

A "Massive" List of Pet Peeves

1. People who style their hair during Mass.
2. Bathing suit tops as clothing.
3. Beer slogans on shirts.
4. Smacking gum. (Oh, don't get me started. No, pushing the gum to the side of your mouth to receive Holy Communion does not suffice. Ever heard of the Communion fast?)
5. Lectors in sweat pants.
6. 7 year olds who play handheld video games during the homily.
8. Gossipping in the Communion line.
9. People who won't scoot toward the middle to let others fit into the pew.
10. Myself, when I let what's going on in the pews around me seem more important to me than what's going on at the Altar.

Catholic Alphabet Meme

I didn't see Julie's tags, so I went ahead and tagged myself after reading it on Happy Catholic. Only afterwards did I see she'd already tagged me. Well, I wanted to do it, anyway, so here goes.


[A is for apparitions - your favorite]: Fatima

[B is for Bible - the one you read most often]: RSV

[C is for Charism - the one you would most like to have]: I would love to have the gift of healing, though I'm not sure my desire is unselfish.

[D is for Doctor of the Church - your favorite]: St. Teresa of Avila

[E is for Essential Prayer - What's yours?]: Mostly whatever comes from the heart. Lots of thank-yous, and I love the Canticle of Zecharias (Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. He has come to his people and set them free) and Psalm 95 (Come, let us worship the Lord, and shout with joy to the rock who saves us.)

[F is for Favorite Hymn]: I have a lot. One of them is The Servant Song (Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you...) which is also a really good song for a wedding, I think.

[G is for Gospel - your favorite author?]: Matthew or John. I love how Matthew lays it all out, and I love the wisdom of John.

[H is for Holy Communion - How would you describe it, using one word?]: Incomprehensible

[I is for Inspiration - When do you feel most inspired by God?]: in nature

[J is for Jesus - When did you first meet Him?]: I don't remember ever not knowing Him.

[K is for Kindness - Which saint or person has most inspired you by their kindness?]: My mom.

[L is for liturgical year - your favorite time in the liturgical cycle?]: Very specifically, Easter Vigil. But heaven protect our Choir Tyrant if she forgets the Alleluia again!

[M is for Mary, the Mother of God - Your favorite term of endearment for her]: Mother

[N is for New Testament - Your favorite passage]: See above -- Blessed be the Lord...

[O is for Old Testament - Your favorite Book here]: Tobit.

[P is for Psalms - your favorite]: 95

[Q is for quote - saint quote]: "If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you haven't got very many."

[R is for rosary - your favorite mysteries]: Joyful. I always want to pray the joyful.

[S is for Saint - the one you turn to in time of need - not including the Blessed Virgin Mary]: In case it isn't obvious yet, St. Teresa of Avila. Also, St. Anthony and St. Therese.

[T is for Tradition - your favorite Catholic tradition]: Eucharistic Adoration

[U is for university - Which Catholic University have you attended or are currently attending?]: None.

[V is for Virtue - the one you wish you had]: self discipline.

[W is for Way of the Cross - Which station can you most relate to?]: Falling.

[X is for Xaverian Brothers - Do you know who they are?]: No.

[Y is for your favorite Catholic musician]: Michael John Poirier. His Ave is the most divine thing I've ever heard.

[Z is for Zeal for the faith]: Um, what's the question?

tags... um, how about Joel? (I always know he's going to see the tag. What can I say?)

Catholic Devotions Meme

Makes it way here from Julie of Happy Catholic, and the remiss Chris finally gets to it. I've kept those answers of hers that applied.

1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus?
Eucharistic Adoration

2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer?
The Brown Scapular, of course.

3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
Yes, the medal. Actually, a 4-way medal.

4. Do you have holy water in your home?
No.

5. Do you 'offer up' your sufferings?
When I remember.

6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
Occasionally, but not often.

7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration?
I go through phases. Working on it.

8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or Sunday morning Mass person?
I tend to prefer Sunday Evening, but my husband prefers morning, and it tends to work out better for the family if we split shifts -- adults in the morning, kids at LifeTeen evening.

9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Yep. Bless us O Lord and these Thy gifts...

10. Favorite Saint(s)?
St. Teresa, St. Anthony, St. Therese, St. John the Evangelist...

11. Can you recite the Apostles Creed by heart?
Yes.

12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
Yeah. It's kind of like an ongoing dialogue of snippets.

13. Bonus Question: When you pass by a automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
Yes, and for the workers helping them.

I am tagging: Joel, and anyone else who still reads this. :)