We frequently pray to and invoke the Holy Trinity, yet the Holy Trinity is a mystery and hard to explain. Although we are quite limited, we can gain some insights into understanding the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as well as pondering “Who” the Holy Trinity is. Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, discusses this mystery and introduces us to Catholic Evangelist Frank Sheed’s approach as well. There is much to ponder here.
The day this was recorded was the first day of May and fell on a Sunday this year. It is also the day we would have been celebrating the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Deacon Mark Danis was just recently ordained to the diaconate and this is his first homily given to our Secular Discalced Carmelite community in Dayton, OH. 3 themes are covered: --St. Joseph the Worker --the gift of prayer and contemplation, especially in Carmel --St. Joseph as a model of contemplation Deacon Danis begins by quo...
Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. Secular Discalced Carmelite Jean Crowley peers thru the Carmelite lens at this great time and how the Holy Spirit is acting. Where do absence and silence come into play? What is the great “Silent Absence” and the “Silent Unseen?” Our guest draws us into a perspective we may not have thought about before. She also introduces quotes from our dear Discalced Carmelites, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. With her we continue to pray, “Come, Holy S...
Guest and Secular Discalced Carmelite Marika Zimmerman joins hostess, Frances Harry, OCDS for a program on the Liturgy of the Hours, the universal prayer of the Church. Part 2 focuses on questions that many people have asked us about the Liturgy of the Hours over the years. There is some sage advice offered and perhaps, a new tip or two for those who have been praying the LOH for years. Resources: General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours - Book One (Advent) of the four-volume set of the “...
Guest and Secular Discalced Carmelite Marika Zimmerman joins host, Frances Harry, OCDS for a program on the Liturgy of the Hours, the universal prayer of the Church. Highlights from the General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours are presented as well as some personal insights, suggestions and practical tips. This is helpful for anyone who prays the Liturgy of the Hours or for those wanting to know more about it. It helps to pray more attentively when you have an understanding of how the LOH...
We all suffer…but do we suffer well? What a mystery! What does it mean to suffer well? What are the challenges and fears about suffering? What are the gifts and blessings of suffering? What did our Carmelite Saints tell us about suffering? This in person conversation with guest, Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, is really a witness of what he went through and is going through now in his suffering. He has much insight, encouragement, and hope to offer us. This conversation is beneficial to anyone who i...
The feast of St. Joseph is March 19. After the Blessed Virgin Mary, he is the greatest Saint of all time. This year, 2022, the Knights of Columbus announced the selection of an icon of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus as the centerpiece of this year’s K of C prayer program. Our Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites was blessed to have a copy of this traveling icon with us during our Holy Hour. Deacon Baldwin gave us a presentation on this icon and what it signifies. St. Joseph was highly estee...
Silence is golden. We have often heard that phrase. Silence is really a deep Bible truth. In this presentation, Deacon Baldwin will address that truth and point out the use of silence in prayer and particularly in the life of contemplatives and the gift of contemplation in prayer. He addresses the questions: “Should I give up all vocal prayer and only strive for silence in prayer?” “What Scripture passage helps me understand this point?” “How do I grow in silence in prayer?” “What book does he r...
As a doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila has much to teach the universal Church and humanity at large. She was quite the mystic. We are so blessed that she wrote so much to help us grow in our union with God. In this presentation by Teresa Trygstad, OCDS, the influence of the Holy Spirit in the life of St. Teresa of Avila is highlighted. Several examples are given that help solidify the action of the Holy Spirit in her life and help us to ask ourselves, “where is the Holy Spirit acting in ...
The hidden power source behind our actions in fulfilling our mission as Secular Carmelites in the Church is THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! The Holy Spirit is involved in the Spiritual formation in the life of the Christian: He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He gives believers an inward assurance of salvation. It is the Holy Spirit who breathes life into the Church, and it is through the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit that we deepen the intimacy of our relationship with Jesus. The...
Praying the rosary is a Marian Devotion that many Catholics practice. As a Carmelite, it is a way of learning how to model Mary’s prayer life. In this presentation, our guest, Lynn Bete, a member of the Dayton Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, gives us a fresh perspective on how to live out our Carmelite vocation through the mysteries of the Rosary. She uses the Joyful Mysteries as an example. Prayer, Mission, and Union with God are the focal points. Carmelites would especially benefit from...
Advent is a beautiful time of reminding us to specifically prepare our hearts and wait with expectant hope and longing for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We look forward to His presence with great joy. It also tends to be a very busy time filled with special activities, tasks and opportunities that can really distract us. How might we approach all of this and still find God in all of it? Deacon Baldwin makes a very deep point that will benefit the soul wanting to prepare well for the Lor...
The visible material world is only part of God’s gracious creation. The spiritual reality of creation is often overlooked by people in general, however, anyone aspiring to grow in their relationship with God, does well to meditate on these spiritual realities. Deacon Baldwin discusses both describing their distinctness yet inseparability. He addresses who we are in God. He proceeds to describe the commonality between the Holy Trinity, the 7th Mansion (as Carmelites know thru St. Teresa of Avila’...
Anyone familiar with the writings of St. Therese of the Child Jesus knows that she struggles in dealing with difficult people, both as a young child and as a religious sister. Importantly, she also triumphed in learning how to embrace difficult people. What practical tips would Therese tell us about living with difficult family members, friends, neighbors, or co-workers?
God Feels Distant. How often have you felt that way or heard another person say that? How is this manifested? Is it normal in the spiritual life? How much are we attributing this to our feelings rather than our intellect? What are some examples of when this happens? How should we respond? What is the purpose of this in the spiritual life? These are some of the questions Deacon Baldwin answers in this presentation.
The Ratio Institutionis is a document found in The Book of Documents used in the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites as found at www.ocdswashprov/store/book . It basically addresses how to put the Carmelite charism into practice in our daily lives. It guides us in living out our Carmelite calling. The Ratio presents the purpose or philosophy behind a program of formation for the members of the OCDS. It is not the formation program itself, as far as which Saints to study or resources to use, bu...
What is “discernment”? That word is used frequently in Christian circles, especially in regard to answering the call to our vocation in life. Many souls have a fundamental misunderstanding of what discernment is. Deacon Baldwin clarifies what discernment is NOT, and what it IS. He then clarifies our understanding of the Christian essence of discernment. He points out and explains how true discernment is a form of prayer. He then describes how true discernment helps us gain interior freedom. But ...
After being fully professed by making the Definitive Promise in the Order, a member may choose to discern whether he/she is being called to make a vow. What is a vow? How does a vow differ from a promise? What kind of vow can one make? How is a soul prepared for making the vow? What is involved? Who is eligible and what time frame is involved? Most importantly, why would a member want to make the vow? These are some of the questions that will be addressed by Colleen Sollinger, a member and the c...
Aug. 9th is the feast of St.Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein). Deacon Baldwin gives a short background on this wonderful Saint and then zeroes in on how she lived out the “love of the Cross.” What was that like? Who was she? What did she believe? How did love change her? She indeed made the supreme sacrifice of the Cross, dying at Auschwitz.
In John 17: 14-16, Jesus states that we do not belong to the world. Still, He prays not that we be taken from the world, but that we may have the strength to resist evil. What do the Carmelite Saints have to say about remaining in God while being in the world? Examples are provided from Br. Lawrence of the Resurrection, General Gaston de Sonis, and St. Teresa of Avila.
How are we (as Carmelites/Christians) to be to the world what the soul is to the body? What do our Carmelite Doctors of the Church teach us? How are we in the world but not of the world? What is the soul? How does it operate? What is its relationship to the body? How does the soul and the body work together? How does this relate to our Carmelite/Christian calling? Secular Carmelites/Christians are sent to bring the Spirit of Christ into the world to animate and transform it. How do we do that? H...
Deacon Baldwin helps the listener to understand the word “mystery” as it applies to faith in God. He explains how the mystery of God goes beyond our intellect and reason. He then proceeds to introduce the steps to enter into the mystery of Divine Love.
4th in the Series: featuring Père Jacques de Jésus, OCD (1900 – 1945) Père Jacques (aka Lucien Bunel) was a French Roman Catholic priest who became a Discalced Carmelite Friar. He was born in France in 1900 and died in 1945. He lived through two earth-shattering wars in a country scarred by intense class conflict. Père Jacques was a talented preacher and youth group leader; a teacher with a revolutionary vision of education and love of human culture; a patriot who knew the life of a conscript, p...
3rd in the Series: featuring St. Maria Maravillas of Jesus, OCD (1891-1974) During the life of St. Maria Maravillas, a Discalced Carmelite nun and foundress, Spain was going through much upheaval. Religious persecution increased daily. In this conversation, you will learn how St. Maria Maravillas displayed courage in the face of opposition, even face to face opposition! The revolutionaries were a constant threat. What was this Saint’s response? What was her “martyrdom of heart?” You’ll also lear...
Second in the Series: featuring General Louis-Gaston de Sonis In this podcast, the conversation focuses on the life of General Louis-Gaston de Sonis, from France. Born in 1825 and 1887. He was a husband, father of 12, a military officer and a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. He displayed courage in the midst of many struggles, both in the military and in the world, personally and as a Catholic. Our guest, Colleen Sollinger, tells us about his life and some of the adverse situ...
In our day, there is much social upheaval and unrest and a strident political atmosphere. Additionally, living during the pandemic of Covid-19, has caused many pressures and struggles for the whole world. “Courage in the Face of Opposition” is needed as much, or even more, today as in previous times. Our guest, Colleen Sollinger, has put together several teaching points and nuggets of wisdom from our Carmelites that will help us to live now in our challenging situation, as they did in theirs. We...
We all are called by Heaven, but how many of us hear it? How many answer the call? What help do we receive in order to answer the call and fulfill the call? In this podcast, Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, examines the “call.” Here, he specifically addresses the call to Carmel as indicated in the “Promise” made by members. The content of this talk, however, pertains to every call from Heaven. With great clarity, Deacon Baldwin, lays out how the call may come. Additionally, he addresses the correlati...
Laura Reece Hogan is a is a professed Third Order Carmelite and the award-winning author of the chapbook O Garden-Dweller and a book of spiritual theology, I Live, No Longer I. Laura earned a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, and an Masters in Theology from St. John’s Seminary in California. She is also a poet and her poems can be found in America, First Things, The Christian Century, Dappled Things, and Whale Road Review, among other publications. Laura is...
The blessings from God are considered in this presentation in the light of Evangelical Perfection.
St. Joseph is becoming more and more prominent in the eyes of the Church. It wasn’t long ago that St. Joseph’s name was added to the Eucharistic Prayers in the Masses of the Catholic Church. Fr. Don Calloway also wrote a wonderful book in 2020 called “Consecration to St. Joseph: the Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” that has meditations to warm your heart greatly toward St. Joseph. Now, we have a whole year dedicated to him as Pope Francis has declared the year from Dec. 8, 2020 to Dec. 8, 2021 a...
