Reflections on Receiving the Holy Habit

By: Sister Mary Louise, O.C.D.


Wedding dresses, graduation gowns, first communion clothing, prom gowns, these are all familiar these types of clothing as are the special celebrations for which they are worn. They help mark significant moments in life. Worn for a few hours, they are then packed away as precious reminders of an event that has passed. Last Sunday, March 16, three young women were clothed in beautiful garments as a way of marking a certain moment in their lives. The difference was that after a few hours these "gowns" were not packed away. But early Monday morning the young women again put them on.. and again Tuesday morning... and Wednesday...and they will continue to wear them for the rest of their lives. This is because we are not talking about satin and silk but the holy habit of Carmel.

What is the significance of the clothing that we as Carmelites wear? What does it mean to be clothed in the garment of our Immaculate Mother? The answer was clear in the Sacred Heart Chapel on Palm Sunday: conversion. But it wasn't so much that a message was preached, as that a conviction shared in a radical way by each sister was expressed verbally. It was a tangible experience of the presence of sisters who have persevered to the end in the life long struggle of conversion, of sisters with whom we have made it through another day, as well as sisters with arms outstretched eager to begin a life of continual striving for the perfection of charity. They have been approved to make their first vows and in a few months they will commit themselves to our way of life. Now their outward appearance matches the interior reality. Because as we greeted and congratulated the three brides-to-be, the radiant smiles on their faces bore witness to the treasure we have in our community: union in Christ. It was truly their special day, but I think each of us and all of us together took yet one more step closer to our Divine Bridegroom, led by the guiding hand of His Mother, the Queen and Beauty of Carmel. We congratulate Sister Maralisa, Sister Julianna, and Sister Marie Rachel. We congratulate you and we love you, our dear sisters!

True Meaning of Lent

My goodness! It's been a while since the last blog's been put up. Where does the time go to?! Whew. Makes you realize how quickly time passes and how attuned we need to be to the graces in front of us right now.

Being in the season of Lent...it struck me how different one's approach to Lent can be depending on how it is perceived. Some see it as a time of "giving up". A time that we hope passes by quickly so that we can eat what we want to eat and go about life as we always do - without much thought. I recall Lent being a time of negatives - don't do this, can't do that, etc.

In reality, Lent is a grace-filled time which gives us an opportunity to grow in our willingness and ability to love the Lord more freely. I was recently given an article touching upon the transforming effects of love. It beautifully stated that in "falling in love with someone, the beloved, who before was one of many, or perhaps unknown, suddenly becomes the only one, the sole person in the world who interests us. Everything else is left behind and becomes a neutral background. A very real transfiguration takes place..." Lent simply put, is a time in which we are called to love more deeply, more completely, more freely. It's a time of stripping away and emptying so as to be made wholly His. Lent speaks of love - allowing ourselves to be transfigured by His love for us and our love for Him.

Visiting God's Country!

Sister Mary Philomena and I returned home yesterday from visiting MN - the land of 10,000 frozen lakes, the land of the free and the brave, the land overflowing with milk and honey. Or so all the Minnesotans think! :) Although I have to admit, Minnesota has the tendency of growing on you. :)

We had the privilege of staying at St. Paul's Seminary and had the gift of meeting priests and seminarians who seek to live a life totally given over to the Lord. Beautiful. It was truly beautiful and edifying.

To go through our entire weekend would be wonderful for me, but probably long for you. All in all, in the different events we attended our experiences spoke clearly of a Catholic culture, a culture open to life, open to vocations. It was such a joy to be a part of this. To be a part of this in sub-zero weather no less. :) I'm going to see if I can attach a couple of pictures - although if I recall correctly, the only time pictures were taken were when we were playing in the snow. Well...I suppose playing in the snow for a Californian is part of being immersed in the Minnesotan Catholic culture. :)

Picture to left: "Toboggan-ing" or at least pretending to.
Picture to right: Line-dancing with some of the students at the University of St. Thomas



It looks like all we did was play! Rest assured we did some work too. :)

Ushering in 2008!

As we prepare to begin 2008, thoughts turn to the brevity of life. Life, which we so dearly hang on to. Yet our grasp on life only truly begins to make sense when we let go and try to fathom the mystery of the God Who loved us unto death. We know and believe that we were made for greater things - and in this New Year, our "greatness" will lie in our living our ordinary daily lives extraordinarily well. In this, life makes sense. In the ordinary, God will make Himself known. Life will be lived to its fullest, because we will be living it with Him, in Him and for Him.

Advent Reflection: Fourth Sunday of Advent

By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D.

During the Advent season we read of the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. “Mary rose and went with haste…” (Lk1:39). Our liturgy once again bids us to make haste. But like Mary, our preparation must not center on ourselves. Mary prepared for the coming of God by reaching out in charity. Advent is a time to reach out to others; to give of ourselves. In this way, we will prepare our hearts for His coming.

“For while all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course, the almighty Word leapt down from heaven from the royal throne…” God comes in silence. So let us, as the Psalmist bids, “Open wide the gates, that the God of glory may come in.” (Ps. 124) Let us, during these last days before His coming, open wide the “stable” of our hearts. Let us prepare a place there for Him to be “born to us” once again. Let us “listen” within ourselves so as to hear the gentle voice of the Christ Child.

“Let the clouds rain down the Just One and the earth bring forth a Savior (Is. 45:8) “O Emmanuel, come to save us!”

Advent: The Reason for the Season

By: Sister Mary Colombiere, O.C.D.

In Advent we experience expectation, anticipation, preparation and longing. We want things to be set right. We want deliverance from monotony, suffering, anguish, trials and worry. But joy can be experienced even in the midst of trials. Part of our Advent journey is to allow God to lead. Our Lady must have experienced great anticipation and joy in view of the coming birth of Jesus, but she was not spared trial and hardship. She lived as a real person in a real moment of time. She was a member of a subjugated people under Roman domination. She prepared for the coming of the birth of her God and her Son always within the context of what God placed before her each day.

When we lose the sense of wonder we fail to transcend the person, thing or event before us. Life becomes an endless succession of days, a countless series of activities to complete, never-ending tasks to be performed. We get caught up in the hectic pace and busyness of life and the joy of doing what we are doing is slowly drained from us. In our liturgical seasons we fall prey to the frenzied tempo of commercialism. We lose the wonder of childhood and we look toward Christmas as one more thing to get over, shopping to finish, gifts to wrap, cards to write, meals to prepare, cookies to bake, rooms to decorate, etc. They are no longer activities to look forward to as traditions we celebrate, labors of love, events that look to the manger, but last minute hurried tasks that pile up around us like gift wrap torn from packages and then left heaped up on the floor.

But then how do we take advantage of Advent to prepare for Christmas? Perhaps we have gotten too far away from why we have Christmas at all. It is after all Christ's birthday. How can we make this the focus of everything we do in the days leading up to Christmas?

It is essential that we slow down and simplify. To slow down I need to take some time to reflect on what I do and why I do it. Is each one of my Christmas activities something that is done in a thoughtful and loving way? Can I simplify some of those activities so that I can truly enjoy them more? How many of these activities spiritually prepare me or my family for the Birth of Jesus? Is Advent for me a Reason for the Season of Christmas?

Reflection for the Second Week of Advent

By: Sister Mary Louise

In a book I was reading recently the author made a beautiful point about our Blessed Mother. He said that all through the Old Testament, God was preparing to send His Son. He began by setting aside a people as His own, then a tribe, then a family, until finally He set aside one individual person to be completely His own: Mary.

As we celebrate the great solemnity of the Immaculate Conception I am drawn to think of Advent from a different perspective. A time of awaiting, but who is doing the waiting? How great must have been the longing of Our Heavenly Father to send His Son into the world! “When the fullness of time had come, He sent forth His Son, born of a woman.” How great must have been the rejoicing in the Heart of the Trinity the day that Mary was conceived. At last, the redemption of mankind was at hand. The long wait that stretched from the desecrated garden, all through the years of exile, captivity, and oppression would soon be ended. As a tiny baby girl stirred in her mother’s womb, unseen by any human eye, with what great passion did the heart of God move with love for His people!

And He waits for me today. He has graces He wishes to impart to my soul. When I open my heart to Him, the torrent of His love is released and His longing Heart delights in possessing what He has so ardently desired. May Mary Immaculate obtain for us the grace to recognize the God Whose longing for union far surpasses ours own.