Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

From The Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book Two, Chapter 19:

9. And to such a point did they carry this inability to understand the sayings of God as it behoved them, that even His own disciples, who had gone about with Him, were deceived, as were those two who, after His death, were going to the village of Emmaus, sad and disconsolate, saying: Nos autem sperabamus quod ipse esset redempturus Israel. We hoped that it was He that should have redeemed Israel. They, too, understood that this dominion and redemption were to be temporal; but Christ our Redeemer, appearing to them, reproved them as foolish and heavy and gross of heart as to their belief in the things that the prophets had spoken.

And, even when He was going to Heaven, some of them were still in that state of grossness of heart, and asked Him, saying: Domine, si in tempore hoc restitues Regnum Israel. That is: Lord, tell us if Thou wilt restore at this time the kingdom of Israel [Acts 1:6].

The Holy Spirit causes many things to be said which bear another sense than that which men understand; as can be seen in that which he caused to be said by Caiphas concerning Christ: that is was meet that one man should die lest all the people should perish. This he said not of his own accord; and he said it and understood it in one sense, and the Holy Spirit in another.

10. From this it is clear that, although sayings and revelations may be of God, we cannot always be sure of their meaning; for we can very easily be greatly deceived by them because of our manner of understanding them. For they are all an abyss and a depth of the spirit, and to try to limit them to what we can understand concerning them, and to what our sense can apprehend, is nothing but to attempt to grasp the air, and to grasp some particle in it that the hand touches: the air disappears and nothing remains.

Communicationes – OCD Headquarters

Ávila-Spain (28-04-2012).- The Fourth Iberian Congress of the Secular Carmel began In the evening hours today. It will be celebrated in Ávila through next Tuesday, May 1, and brings together more than 150 participants.

Secular Carmelites, provincial delegates, and assistants from all over Spain and Portugal are meeting in the International Teresian-Sanjuanista Center of Avila (CITeS). Their objectives are to strengthen the Teresian charism in laypeople, tighten fraternal bonds among the participating communities, and stimulate an exchange of experiences regarding the application and execution of the Formation Program, or Ratio Institutionis, which has been implemented in recent years.

Saverio Cannistrá, the Father General, and Emilio J. Martínez, Vicar General, will give two presentations about the Teresian charism “for the Carmelite secular” and as “fount for the faithful Christian,” respectively. They will also actively participate in a round table answering attendees’ questions.

Additionally, Father Alzinir Debastiani, recently appointed General Delegate for the Secular Carmel, will be formally presented to participants during the congress. He succeeds Father Aloysius Deeney in this position.

For his part, Father Deeney, until now General Delegate, will give a presentation on “The Ratio Institutionis, or guiding principles for formation” in the OCDS.

The Secular Carmel worldwide

Members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites live the spirit of Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross in the midst of family, social, and work realities and share the spirit and charism of the friars and nuns of the Teresian Carmel. The Order currently has more than 50,000 members dispersed throughout the five continents.

Other Developments:

 News from OCD Headquarters - April 28 2012

• Inauguration of the Fourth Iberian Congress of the Secular Carmel
• Ávila in a flurry of preparations for the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the convent of Saint Joseph
• Father Alzinir Debastiani, new General Delegate for the Secular Carmel
• Tribute on the occasion of the 90th birthday of Sister Amata Neyer

We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary only a few months ago and we want to remember those who came before us and also those who have passed on.

In addition, we want to call attention to the holy card we made that calls attention this feat and all of those hearty and prayerful souls that helped us to endure to the present day.

Having said that, we want to draw your attention to the image at the top of this post, depicting the original hearty souls that started us at Carmel and those who continued the Way and the Ascent through to the past century (not neglecting our Savior and his Blessed Mother, of course).

The following material is taken from the Printery House website:

Description

This icon was written to celebrate the great Jubilee of the Lord’s Incarnation, but is timeless in its theme. At the center is Christ Emmanuel, the Child of the first coming, surrounded by signs of His second coming in Glory. Behind Him stands Mary, hands raised in prayer, “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet” as spoken of in Revelation. Six representative saints of Carmel hold out hands of prayerful intercession; the prophet Elijah, Teresa of Avila, Thérèsa of Lisieux, John of the Cross, Edith Stein, and Elizabeth of the Trinity.

Image Origins

This icon is a modern composition, written especially for the Jubilee of the Incarnation and the beginning of the third Christian millennium, but its theme is timeless. It looks back and gives thanks for the surpassing gift of God taking flesh in our midst and looks forward to His coming in glory. The composition incorporates themes from traditional iconography such as Christ Emmanuel, the Virgin of the Sign, and a pair of mandorlas. The surrounding saints are in prayerful poses as might be seen in a traditional Orthodox Iconostasis, heads inclined toward Jesus.

Theology and Symbolism

In the center of the icon stands Mary, her hands lifted in the “orant” posture of prayer. In this pose, she is known as the Virgin of the Sign, recalling Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 7:14): “The Lord himself will give you a sign…” Thus the icon celebrates the great Jubilee of the Lord’s Incarnation. Yet Mary’s feet rest on the moon and the sun envelops her. She is also the Woman of the Great Sign spoken of in Revelation 12:1. She wears a dark red hooded cloak or homophorion, marked with stars at her head and shoulders symbolic of her perpetual virginity before, during, and after the birth of her Son.

Jesus is enveloped in a mandorla, a symbol of Divine Revelation that represents a window into heaven. This symbol is used in icons of Transfiguration, Resurrection, and Last Judgment. He is shown as Christ Emmanuel, the Child of the First Coming, but placed amid majestic signs of His glorious second coming. He wears a brilliant robe symbolic of royalty and the open book proclaims that He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.

The saints surrounding the central image are especially relevant in Carmelite history. Beginning at top left and continuing clockwise: Imitation of the prophet Elijah who worked miracles on Mount Carmel [1 Kings 18:17-46] has been an important component of Carmelite spirituality from its beginning. St. Teresa of Avila, founder of the Discalced Carmelites, holds a scroll bearing words from her book, The Way of Perfection, wherein she explains why she began her reform movement. St. John of the Cross, a great poet and mystic, founded the male branch of the Discalced Carmelites. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity entered the Carmelites in 1901 at age 20 and died just six years later, inspiring many by her letters and the example of her faith. Saint Edith Stein was born a Jew, became a professor of Philosophy, converted to Catholicism in 1922 through study of the works of St. Teresa of Avila and became a Carmelite sister in 1933. The Nazis executed her at Auschwitz in 1942. Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as “The Little Flower,” became a Carmelite at the age of 15, dying of tuberculosis nine years later in 1897. Her book, Story of a Soul, helped many to rediscover God’s unconditional love. She was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997, joining St. Teresa of Avila in that rare distinction. These surrounding saints hold up their hands in a posture of intercession. Their petition is written on the Virgin’s red mandorla: “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.” It is the first prayer of the early Church and the prayer that will always rise in the souls of those who love the Lord.

Below is what is found on the back of our 50th Anniversary holy cards. Again, God bless those who came before us, especially our first director, Fr. Cyprian Killackey, O.C.D., who recently passed from this earth, may he rest in peace.

Back of the 50th Anniversary holy card:

Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites
of the
Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
and the
Holy Mother St. Teresa of Jesus
Sacramento, California

March 3, 1962 – March 3, 2012
50th Anniversary

Bounteous Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Glory of Mount Carmel, we are members of your family; endow us with your own virtues and bring us safely to the Holy Mountain, Christ the Lord.

Holy Mother St. Teresa of Jesus, light of the Church, teach us the way of perfection and lead us to the eternal mansions where Christ has His home.

Father, may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Carmel, and the example and the teachings of St. Teresa of Jesus bring us to union with You, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit now and for all eternity. Amen.

Jn 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

“I have told you this in figures of speech.
The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will tell you clearly about the Father.
On that day you will ask in my name,
and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

From The Dark Night, Book Two, Chapter 20:

6. Such is the secret ladder of which the soul here speaks, although on these higher steps it is not very secret to the soul, for love reveals a great deal through the remarkable effects it produces. But on this last step of clear vision at the top of the ladder, where God rests, as we said, nothing is any longer hid from the soul, and this because of its total assimilation. Accordingly our Savior exclaimed: On that day you will not ask me anything, etc. [Jn. 16:23]. Nevertheless, until that day, however high the soul may ascend, something will still be hidden in proportion to one’s lack of total assimilation to the divine essence. Thus, by means of this mystical theology and secret love, the soul departs from itself and all things and ascends to God. For love is like a fire that always rises upward as though longing to be engulfed in its center.

Jn 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

From the Story of a Soul, Chapter XI:

But I have not told you all my thoughts on this passage of the Sacred Canticles: “Draw me—we will run!” Our Lord has said: “No man can come to Me except the Father Who hath sent Me, draw him,” and later He tells us that whosoever seeks shall find, whosoever asks shall receive, that unto him that knocks it shall be opened, and He adds that whatever we ask the Father in His Name shall be given us. It was no doubt for this reason that, long before the birth of Our Lord, the Holy Spirit dictated these prophetic words: “Draw me—we will run!”