Novena to St. John of the Cross, Day 9: All things are forgotten

Scripture

Lord, I have given up my pride
and turned away from my arrogance.
I am not concerned with great matters
or with subjects too difficult for me.
Instead, I am content and at peace.
As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms,
so my heart is quiet within me.
Israel, trust in the Lord
now and forever!
(Psalm 131)

Reading

The soul is incapable of truly acquiring control of the passions and restriction of the inordinate appetites without forgetting and withdrawing from the sources of these emotions. Disturbances never arise in a soul unless through the apprehensions of the memory. When all things are forgotten, nothing disturbs the peace or stirs the appetites. As the saying goes: What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t want.

The Ascent of Mount Carmel: Book Three, Chapter 5

Prayer

O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.

O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of thee.

Mention your request

Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.

Let’s continue in prayer…

• Day 1 — What profit is there?
• Day 2 — An open wound
• Day 3 — Your heart in peace
• Day 4 — An imitation of his life
• Day 5 — Supreme goodness
• Day 6 — Guided through the dark night
• Day 7 — Surrender
• Day 8 — Inspired with love
• Day 9 — All things are forgotten

We are grateful to Professor Michael Ogunu, O.C.D.S., of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites in Nigeria for sharing this novena.

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.

Let us unite in prayer

#appetites #ascentOfMountCarmel #ascesis #carmel #carmelitas #carmelitasDescalzas #carmelitasDescalzos #carmelite #carmeliteHabit #carmelitePropers #carmelo #discalcedCarmelite #emotions #forgetfulness #memory #mountCarmel #novena #passions #peace #purification #sanJuanDeLaCruz #secularCarmelites #selfControl #selfDenial #selfEmptying #selfForgetful #selfGiving #soul #stJohnOfTheCross #withdrawing

Novena to St. John of the Cross, Day 5: Supreme goodness

Scripture

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
(Luke 18:18-30)

Reading

Compared to the infinite goodness of God, all the goodness of the creatures of the world can be called wickedness. Nothing is good save God only [Lk. 18:19]. Those who set their hearts on the good things of the world become extremely wicked in the sight of God. Since wickedness does not comprehend goodness, such persons will be incapable of union with God, who is supreme goodness.

The Ascent of Mount Carmel: Book One, Chapter 4

Prayer

O St. John of the Cross
You were endowed by our Lord with the spirit of self-denial
and a love of the cross.
Obtain for us the grace to follow your example
that we may come to the eternal vision of the glory of God.

O Saint of Christ’s redeeming cross
the road of life is dark and long.
Teach us always to be resigned to God’s holy will
in all the circumstances of our lives
and grant us the special favor
which we now ask of thee.

Mention your request

Above all, obtain for us the grace of final perseverance,
a holy and happy death and everlasting life with you
and all the saints in heaven.
Amen.

Let’s continue in prayer…

• Day 1 — What profit is there?
• Day 2 — An open wound
• Day 3 — Your heart in peace
• Day 4 — An imitation of his life
• Day 5 — Supreme goodness
• Day 6 — Guided through the dark night
• Day 7 — Surrender
• Day 8 — Inspired with love
• Day 9 — All things are forgotten

All scripture references in this novena are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Joseph.

Let us unite in prayer

#carmelitequotes #ascentOfMountCarmel #carmel #carmelitas #carmelitasDescalzas #carmelite #creator #creatures #discalcedCarmelite #goodness #goodnessOfGod #infinite #mountCarmel #novena #secularCarmelites #stJohnOfTheCross #teresianCarmel #union #unionWithGod #wickedness

Quote of the day, 11 November: The Carmelite Nuns of Mount Carmel

“This war will kill me.”

Saint Pius X

The saintly pope’s words were prophetic: he died on Thursday, 20 August 1914. The conclave assembled in Rome, and chose His Holiness Benedict XV as the saint’s successor. The moment was crucial.

The Carmelite nuns listened to the news as best they could. Things worsened day by day. The war seemed likely to drag on indefinitely, especially since the alliance of the Turks with the Germans. The battlefields embraced such a vast expanse that it necessarily divided the forces of the Allies and made operations more difficult, all the more so because the war took an unprecedented turn.

The Ottomans bombarded the Black Sea ports on 28 October, thus provoking war with the Triple Entente. Great Britain declared war on Turkey on 1 November. That very day, the French Consul in Haifa, Monsieur Maurice Grapin, had to leave his post in haste.

The Prioress received a letter from the assistant Dragoman (interpreter/translator) of the French Consulate informing her that from now on, all French interests were entrusted to the vice-Consul of America: “Your establishment being under the protectorate of America (United States), you may henceforth address yourself to Mr. Struve, vice-Consul of America, for all affairs that concern you. I believe it useful to add that you have been permitted to hoist the American flag at your establishment.” (Letter of 4 November 1914).

From that moment on, events unfolded rapidly.

Communications with France no longer existed, not even with families. Soon, the banks ceased functioning, and the nuns found themselves without resources, unable to access their usual income. The help of the Carmelite friars was precious. Trust in God and humble prayers for peace to return were the weapons of victory.

Around mid-November, the nuns were informed of what awaited them. The old agreements between the Ottomans and France had ended, and they had to await the official visit of Turkish soldiers. On 16 November, after Mass, the doorbell at the turn noisily announced this undesirable and unwanted visit.

The Prioress went to the parlor to see if she could persuade the visitors to be content with viewing the exterior of the monastery, without entering the cloister, but they refused to listen and even showed impatience.

One of them, more impatient than the others, had even climbed over the enclosure wall and found himself inside the monastery just as the nuns were about to open the enclosure door to let the soldiers inside; there were eleven of them in all.

They began visiting the house. They were very polite and discreet, and afterward, they proceeded to the garden. The Prioress asked the turn sister and the chaplain, Fr. Louis Marie-Joseph, to enter to accompany the soldiers. But the Turkish soldiers grew exasperated with the size of the surrounding enclosure wall they had to examine. Let us recall that the surface area of the Carmelite monastery and gardens was nine hectares—over 22 acres!

They divided the terrain. One of them went toward the hermitage dedicated to the holy Prophet Elijah, terror of the Turks, not without reason. This hermitage was a grotto dug into the earth and rock, which greatly intrigued the soldiers. Therefore, the explorer wanted to advance as far as possible, but at his approach, a large viper leaped from the stones, reared up before the soldier, and with a rather uninviting hiss, invited him to flee as quickly as possible. He saw that this serpent was not an ally! This unexpected encounter ended the visit.

In this small incident, the sisters saw the protection of St. Elijah. Along the way, however, the turn sister ventured to question a soldier: “Are you going to take the monastery?” His response: “No—we are going to take all of Mount Carmel!” The sister was dumbfounded.

From then on, the Carmelite nuns wondered what their fate would be.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Haifa

Près de la Source, pp. 84-85

Note: After receiving the Turkish decree on 23 November 1914 to vacate their monastery, the nuns departed on 4 December for Naples. Their final destination was a mansion at Manissy (Gard), France, owned by the Lafarge family.

Discalced Carmelite Nuns, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Haifa 2017, Près de la Source, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Printery, Jerusalem.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Main entrance of the original Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Haifa. The building now serves as an administration annex for Rambam Health Care Campus. Image credit: rndms / 123rf (Stock photo)

#CarmelOfHaifa #churchHistory #MountCarmel #StPiusX #WorldWarI

Quote of the day, 14 June: Peter-Thomas Rohrbach, ocd

“Go, return on your way through the desert to Damascus. And when you arrive you shall anoint Hazel to be king over Syria; and, you shall anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel. And Elisha, the son of Saphat of Abelmeula, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place” (Cf. 1 Kg 19:11-18).

The Lord had commissioned [Elijah on Mount Horeb] to anoint two kings and to select Elisha, whom he had never met, as his successor in the school of the prophets. Interestingly, Elijah did not accomplish the anointing of Hazael and Jehu during his lifetime: Elisha anointed Hazael, and he sent another one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu.

Elijah encountered Elisha for the first time on the return journey from Mount Horeb. Elisha was plowing a field when Elijah approached him, threw his mantle around him, and invited him to become a follower.

Elisha summoned his family and they killed the oxen and had a great feast, and when the meal was concluded the new prophet said his farewells and departed with Elijah. And thus was established that close friendship between the two men whom God had called to direct the activities of the prophets of Mount Carmel.

The Carmelite tradition makes frequent allusion to the double spirit which Elisha inherited from Elijah, interpreting it as a symbol of the prophetic vocation: the spirit of solitude and the spirit of prophetic preaching.

Elisha himself imbued his followers with this double spirit and his sons of the prophets were true disciples of Elijah. The exploits and adventures of Elisha and his sons of the prophets are related in 4 Kings [now known as 2 Kings], but it is difficult to follow the Elijahan tradition with any precision after the death of Elisha.

The Carmelites of the late Middle Ages stoutly defended the thesis that Elijah had actually founded an order and that his successors had lived on Mount Carmel in a line of unbroken succession throughout the Old Testament and New Testament eras. The Carmelite Constitutions of 1324 accordingly claim:

Therefore we state, in evidence of the truth, that since the time of the Prophets Elijah and Elisha who piously lived on Mount Carmel, holy fathers of the Ancient and New Testament, true lovers of the solitude of that mountain for the contemplation of heavenly things, have undoubtedly and worthily dwelt near the fountain of St. Elijah in holy penance, continuing a holy succession. Their successors, after the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, built a church there in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and they took Her name for title, and were consequently called by Apostolic privileges the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

Peter-Thomas Rohrbach, o.c.d.

Chapter I, The birth of an Order (excerpts)

Note: The tradition that Elijah and Elisha founded a prophetic community on Mount Carmel—one that continued in unbroken succession through the Old and New Testaments—is affirmed in the earliest Carmelite legislation. This tradition helps to explain the Holy See’s decision to restore the memorial of Elisha to the Discalced Carmelite calendar in 2023.

Rohrbach, P 1966, 2015, Journey to Carith: The Sources and Story of the Discalced Carmelites, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Ruins of the first Carmelite monastery in the Wadi Es-Siah on Mount Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Have you ever visited Mount Carmel in the Holy Land? If so, what impressed you most about the experience?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#Carmelite #Elisha #MountCarmel #PeterThomasRohrbachOCD #tradition

Quote of the day, 9 April: St. Teresa of Avila

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:44-46

So I say now that all of us who wear this holy habit of Carmel are called to prayer and contemplation.

This call explains our origin; we are the descendants of men who felt this call, of those holy fathers on Mount Carmel who in such great solitude and contempt for the world sought this treasure, this precious pearl of contemplation (Cf. Mt 13:46) that we are speaking about.

Yet few of us dispose ourselves that the Lord may communicate it to us. In exterior matters we are proceeding well so that we will reach what is necessary; but in the practice of the virtues that are necessary for arriving at this point we need very, very much and cannot be careless in either small things or great.

So, my Sisters, since in some way we can enjoy heaven on earth, be brave in begging the Lord to give us His grace in such a way that nothing will be lacking through our own fault; that He show us the way and strengthen the soul that it may dig until it finds this hidden treasure (Cf. Mt 13:44).

The truth is that the treasure lies within our very selves.

Saint Teresa of Avila

The Interior Castle, V, chap. 1, no. 2

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Brazilian photographer Mateus Campos Felipe captures a tender silhouette of his pregnant wife praying beside a lighted candle in the family’s icon corner. He took the photo just before the birth of their son. Image credit: Mateus Campos Felipe / Unsplash

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
What hidden treasure is the Lord inviting you to uncover more deeply in prayer today?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#contemplation #freedom #grace #habit #hermits #MountCarmel #prayer #StTeresaOfAvila #treasure #virtues

Episode 8 of 9,000-mile USA overlanding - #Zion! We head deep into #zionnationalpark from towering cliffs of #mountcarmel hwy and #tunnel to serene beauty of #virginriver Riverside Walk into #zionnarrows #canyon wading in water, this day packed with jaw-dropping scenery, fascinating geology and a few unexpected surprises: https://thevagabondcouple.blogspot.com/2024/07/trans-america-overland-road-trip-part-8-st-george-hurricane-zion-national-park-utah.html

#VagabondCouple #overland #overlanding #roadtripusa #roadtrip #travel #travelblogger #traveltheworld #travelphotography #wanderlust #WanderlustUSA

#Utah's Scenic Byway 12 - "All American Road" (State Route UT-12) - is considered the MOST BEAUTIFUL ROAD IN UTAH. It passes through fiery red #redcanyon in #DixieNationalForest, under two iconic #sandstone arches. Read more: https://thevagabondcouple.blogspot.com/2024/07/moab-red-canyon-kodachrome-basin-grosvenor-arch-grand-staircase-escalante-kanab-utah.html

#VagabondCouple #utahphotographer #kanabutah #mountcarmel #travel #travelblogger #traveltheworld #travelphotography #roadtrip #roadtripusa #overlanding #Overland

The spirituality of Carmel, which is a life of prayer and of tender devotion to Mary, brought me to the happy decision to embrace this life.

Saint Titus Brandsma

During his novitiate, Frater Titus devoted himself to learning everything he could about his new life as a religious as well as the history and spirituality of Carmel. With the idealism of his eighteen years, he gave himself over not only to studying the foundations of the Order but especially to integrating them into his personal life. 

Under the guidance of the Master of Novices, Fr. Pius Cox, and of the scholarly prior of Boxmeer, Fr. Gabriel Wessels, the young novice was preparing himself in a practical, down-to-earth way for his final step, religious profession.

The Master of Novices provided lessons on religious life, the meaning of the vows, the history and spirituality of the Order, and the life stories of the men and women who had been its bright lights: its saints, literary figures, mystics, theologians, missionaries, martyrs.

The novices were required to learn the Rule of St. Albert by heart and to understand thoroughly each article of the Constitutions, as well as to grasp the significance of the Divine Office, how to pray it correctly and sing it in choir, and how to participate as a community in the celebration of Holy Mass.

In one of the earliest lessons on the history of Carmel, Frater Titus learned that during the religious revival that followed the third crusade (1192), a few pilgrims and crusaders, mostly Franks, withdrew to the biblical Mount Carmel near the place named “The Well of Elijah.” There they sought to follow the example of the holy Prophet by a life of prayer, silence, and labor. 

Around 1209, at the request of the hermits living on the mountain, Saint Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote them a Rule integrating the ideals of their own way of life. In 1226, this Rule was approved by Pope Honorius III.

These early hermits had located their cells or hermitages around a church honoring the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. They had a sense of being totally dedicated to her, and it was not long before the people were calling them “Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.” 

It was through contemplation of the figures of Mary and Elijah the Prophet that Carmel developed its way of life and described it in the Constitutions of the Order. In Mary, Carmelites saw the ideal of what they felt called to become: people available to God. From Elijah, they inherited a courageous zeal to bear heroic witness to the Presence of the Living God in their world.

Titus Brandsma learned his lesson well. What most drew his youthful attention was the mysterious anonymity with which the Order presented itself to the Church. 

It was the group as a whole [that] had experienced the call and took Elijah as their “spiritual Father” and model. No individual hermit took upon himself the title of founder, nor has that title ever been given to anyone.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter II, Formation

Note: Can you spot the anachronisms? Click here for the answers. Do you have more to add? Mention them in the comments below!

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: St. Titus Brandsma appears in this photo wearing the full habit of the Carmelite Order, including the white mantle. At this moment, he was a seminarian studying theology, aged 22. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/09/16/titus-memrzrule/

#CarmeliteRule #Carmelites #Elijah #history #HolyLand #MountCarmel #novitiate #StAlbertOfJerusalem #StTitusBrandsma #VirginMary