Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, shares a Lenten message about the Dark Night of the Senses, St. John of the Cross, disposing ourselves to God's grace, and seeking God, not His gifts.
Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS shares a reflection on how to accept our own weaknesses and obstacles to our union with God. Deacon Mark quotes the book Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird.
During this homily given by Fr. John MacQuarrie, the spiritual assistant for our Secular Carmelite Community, discusses the outward sign of Carmel as he welcomes three members of our community who were clothed with the ceremonial brown scapular. He also reflects on the Constitutions of the Secular Carmelites and our Christian roles as priests, prophets, and kings.
In this homily, Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, discusses the true meaning of joy and how the Carmelite saints viewed joy.
What can we do to be better predisposed to receive God’s Grace leading to Union with Him? We know that “only the pure of heart see God.” So, how do we purify our hearts most effectively? Discalced Secular Carmelite Deacon Mark Danis gives us great insights on this topic and quotes St. Elizabeth of the Trinity to help us understand.
Mountains play a prominent role in Carmelite Spirituality and in Prayer. What does the mountain represent? In the scriptures, we read about the Prophet Elijah and mountains. What did the mountains represent for Elijah? Even our Lord went to the mountains many times in His life. How does that connect to our lives today?
How did the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel come about? What is the connection with the Prophet Elijah? How did the spirituality of Elijah spread across the world? What happened on July 16th that is so significant to Carmelites? What is the connection of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the Church approved apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes and in Fatima? How are we connected today?
In marriage preparation, Catholic couples are instructed about the Covenant of Love. The elements in particular that are addressed are being free, full, faithful, and fruitful. Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, analyzes these same elements as it relates to Carmelite spirituality. It is very enlightening and enriching.
The “Will” in the Prayer of Contemplation (Ch. 13 of the book). Soren Kierkegaard said, Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. This one thing of course is God's Will. St. John of the Cross speaks about the activity of the will as much if not more than any of the other faculties of the human person. The other two are intellect and memory. But it is the will that most significantly drives human behavior. The will is perfected through the virtue of charity, which is to say, all our thoughts, words a...
During this Lenten season, and by focusing on a few important points in the scripture passage on the Samaritan Woman, Deacon Mark Danis uses the lense of contemplation to highlight the importance of coming to know the truth about ourselves so that by coming into the light, we may be transformed by God.
So often in the spiritual journey, we can run into roadblocks. We can mistakenly perceive that we have gotten off course, and we might immediately seek to turn back to find the right path again. However, if we are walking the path of contemplation, there will most certainly be times of darkness, instances where we may feel we have done something wrong, and where we are no longer experiencing the satisfactions we once knew in prayer. It is in these times when we need to continue our prayer with a...
If you feel as though you have reached a plateau in your prayer life, or after many years of active prayer, you feel as though you are suddenly stuck, it may be the Lord is calling you to a deeper encounter with Him. The spiritual life is not static, it moves through different phases. And, like any relationship, if it is going to continue to grow, there must be changes in the way we approach prayer. There eventually comes a time in our prayer life when the Lord takes a more active role, and He n...
What is like to enter into the 7th Dwelling Place? What was it like for St. Teresa? Then we turn to a discussion about spiritual marriage. We focus on what this experience/union with God was like for St. Teresa. These chapters truly help us to have Holy Amazement! RESOURCES: “Interior Castle, Study Guide, 2nd Edition” by St. Teresa of Avila; Translated and Prepared by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD; ICS Publications. “The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila,” Vol. 1 (includes “The Book of Her Life, Sp...
Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS, shares ways to prepare during Advent for the birth of our Lord. He provides suggestions specific for Secular Carmelites. This talk was given during a Holy Hour.
In the final rooms of the 6th Dwelling Place of the Interior Castle, St. Teresa teaches us about some special favors our Lord gives to prepare the soul with wedding garments for entrance into His Kingly Chambers, the Throne Room. The Lord gives us the light to know we are in God and God is in us and how damaging it is for us to sin in God. In order to go forward, the soul must also understand that God is Truth, the Light of Truth. St. Teresa clarifies that to walk in truth is to walk in humility...
On the Solemnity of St. Teresa of Avila, Deacon Mark Danis gave an inspiring reflection. His focus was on the famous quote of St. Teresa: “You must have a very determined determination.” He then asks what are we to be so determined about. Secondly, he asks how do we reconcile our determined determination with our total abandonment to God’s will. This is a very fruitful and inspiring reflection which also ties into the sixth mansion of St. Teresa’s great work, “The Interior Castle.”
The most challenging phase of our spiritual journey is the transition from meditative prayer to contemplative prayer. This transition literally requires us to begin to abandon the comfortable methods of prayer, and the use of our faculties, that we have come to rely on. In this conversation, Mark and Frances explain the disposition the soul must adopt when it discerns the Lord is calling it to this more intimate encounter in prayer. Here the soul moves to a condition of receptivity, silence, wai...
The Lord (the Bridegroom) continues to draw the soul (the Bride) closer to Him through the purification of the soul as well as mystical favors that may occur. In this episode, we talk about the importance of keeping the humanity of Christ present in our prayer. Additionally, we focus on two very special favors that St. Teresa of Avila experienced: the intellectual vision of Christ’s Presence at her right side…and the imaginative vision of the image of Christ engraved in the memory. Learning abou...
One of the most difficult phases in the spiritual life of prayer, is the transition from meditation to contemplation. In this conversation, Mark and Frances continue their discussion on Fr. Donald Haggerty's Book on the writings of John of the Cross. Here, they explore the five critical means for identifying if a soul is being invited to move from discursive meditation to contemplation. They identify both the experiences, and the potential risks as a soul is beginning to be drawn into this more ...
God continues to draw the soul closer to Him through the purification of the soul as well as mystical favors that may occur. In this episode, we talk about ecstasies, raptures, flights of the spirit, spiritual betrothal, gift of tears, and the prayer of jubilation. These are all communications from God to the individual soul to draw the soul closer to Himself. St. Teresa always helps us know the effects of such favors and how to discern if they are truly from God. Although some souls may never e...
In this homily, Deacon Mark Danis asked himself what can souls do to prepare themselves in the Active Night to enter into the Passive Night of the Spirit, which St. John of the Cross discusses in his book, “Ascent to Mount Carmel” as well as in book, “The Dark Night of the Soul.” Deacon Danis helps us understand why there is a need for the purification of the faculties of the memory, intellect and will and what we can do to respond favorably to God’s call to union with Him.
In the life of prayer, there are always transitions. We cannot remain static in our pursuit of God. In this particular program, Mark and Frances identify the seven vices that often hold us back from progressing into deeper, more interior stages of prayer. They also identify how St. John of the Cross counsels souls to respond to these impediments to our spiritual growth. Next, they offer evidence of the beginning of gift of contemplation. This transitional period is significant in that it is the ...
The 16th Century Spanish Franciscan Friar, Francisco de Osuna, was the author of a book considered to be a great masterpiece and spiritual classic called: “The Third Spiritual Alphabet,” which profoundly influenced the great Discalced Carmelite, St. Teresa of Avila. She particularly focused on his description and practice of the prayer of recollection as a pathway to union with God. In this podcast, Deacon Rusty Baldwin, discusses how this book influenced and formed St. Teresa of Avila. He also ...
As we continue the journey with Fr. Haggerty, through the works of St. John of the Cross, we now wrestle with one of the least understood, and little practiced requirements for entry into contemplative prayer. This program focuses first on the practice of asceticism, the healthy denial of our desires so that we can create space for God to fill us with the only desire that matters – Himself. Then, having gained some knowledge of the practice and benefits of asceticism, we turn to the purification...
In our first program on the topic of contemplation in St. John of the Cross, we discussed that we can expect to experience God’s concealment, which means we need to proceed in the darkness of pure faith. But this faith comes with its own measure of certitude; we do not need to feel as though we are lost. Indeed, in pure faith we proceed with the greatest confidence that we will not lose our way. At the same time, we need to be wary of even perceived divine communications. In this program, Mark a...
St. John of the Cross did not write for beginners in prayer. His works are for those who have been practicing prayer for some time and have begun to make progress on the spiritual journey. In this conversation, Mark and Frances discuss two of the most critical aspects of our maturing relationship with God. The first is the sometimes difficult reality that God conceals Himself from our efforts to encounter Him in prayer. There are practical reasons for why this is the case, and St. John of the Cr...
Here in the 6th Dwelling Place, the soul goes through an intensification of the Dark Night, specifically the Dark Night of the Spirit. It’s no surprise that St. Teresa of Avila begins in the first chapter with the trials and sufferings of this mansion. However, she quickly draws the souls attention to the LOVE of God in the second chapter through the Wounds of Love. She herself is known for having experienced an intense wound of love called the “Transverberation” of her heart by an angel. In the...
As we continue the journey through the interior castle, we grow deeper and deeper in our intimacy and relationship with the Lord. The 5th Dwelling Place/Mansion can be understood to be the deeper revelation of God to the soul and the joining of hands in spiritual courtship with our Divine Spouse. It is in anticipation of a deeper union to come in the remaining mansions. St. Teresa of Avila gives us the analogy of the silkworm turning into a butterfly to help us understand this interior transform...
What are the Evangelical Counsels and why are they important to Carmelites? This homily by Deacon Baldwin was given to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites in Dayton during a Community meeting Holy Hour.
As we continue the journey through the interior castle, we grow deeper and deeper in our intimacy and relationship with the Lord. The 5th Dwelling Place/Mansion can be understood to be the joining of hands in spiritual courtship with our Divine Spouse and is in anticipation of a deeper union to come in the remaining mansions. St. Teresa of Avila helps us understand this interior transformation by giving us the analogy of the silkworm turning into a butterfly. The degree of prayer called “the pra...
