Vilhem Hammersoi - Artist

 "...we go to live in a profound solitude, since it is in this solitude that He speaks to the heart."

Elizabeth of the Trinity - Letters from Carmel

Rest in His Heart...

Digital Art by Lindy

 

Artist - Winslow Homer

"One must erase

 the word, 

discouragement

 from one's

 dictionary

 of love."

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity

Edouard Manet

“He prefers my silence.”

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Artist William Anderson Coffin

" In the stillness of prayer,

I am silent and I adore.

I am silent and listen to Him.

I love Him."

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Artist Lawrence Alma Tedema

"He dwells in me

and I in Him.

I have only to love

and let myself

be loved by Him,

always in silence."

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Artist Auguste Toulmouche

"Our Lord understands me very well, and

 He prefers

my silence."

St. Elizebeth of the Trinity

Painting by Maria Dorothy Webb

"In the light of eternity,

 the soul sees things as they really are."

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity.                                                                                                           

  

At The Foot of The Cross....

Artist George Frederick Watts

“Let us linger at the foot of the Cross, 

dwelling in silence with the Divine Crucified,

 listening carefully to Him.” 

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Peaceful was the night...

Painting by Adelaide Hiebel

"Peaceful was the night and deep the silence

When my boat set sail on the open sea,

Gliding over the boundless ocean

on the loveliest of journeys.

All was hushed beneath the vault of heaven

as if listening to the voice of the Eternal.

Suddenly the waves arose,

engulfing my light barque-

It was the Trinity opening out to me:

In that divine abyss I found my deepest center.

No more will you find me at the water's edge;

I have plunged into infinity, where I belong.

With my Three I live at peace,

In the wide freedom of eternity."

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity

Behold...

Painting by John Martin Borg

"A Carmelite is one who has beheld the Crucified."
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

Morning and Evening Prayer...

One of the things Secular Carmelites are asked to do is pray the Liturgy of  The Hours, especially Morning and Evening Prayer.  I have been doing this for several years now, but to be honest, sometimes I seemed to be just  saying words.  Sure, some of the verses REALLY appealed to me or spoke to my heart and my 4 volume set is full of 'underline marks' and little hearts drawn next to verses I really love...but, NOW my prayer time has IMPROVED SO MUCH due to a little book that my son Alex recommended to me called, 'A Companion to the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning and Evening Prayer', by Shirley Darcus Sullivan (I linked it at the bottom).  This little book has really made the Psalms, Readings, Canticles come alive for me!  It explains why we say certain prayers on certain days, little ways to enhance your prayer time etc.  One little tip was to use 'Direct Address', which is putting 'I, me, etc, to make it more personal or intimate. I do this even for the 'intercessions.  For instance, using this technique, part of this mornings  would read:


"Purify my heart with Your truth, and guide me in the way of holiness,
so that I may do what is pleasing in Your sight."

The book also gives a couple different ways to use it.  I like to read it BEFORE  I start my prayers. The author makes me much more aware of what I am reading!!  I can't tell you how much this has helped me!!  It also has a chapter on the Canticles of Zechariah and Mary, and why we use Zechariah's as our morning song, and Mary's in the evening.  It is really a great aid to helping me say the Hours more prayerfully and it draws on the spirituality of Carmel and Elizabeth of the Trinity, which makes it even better for me!  I highly recommend it!!  You can take a peek here:
 http://www.amazon.com/Companion-Liturgy-Hours-Morning-Evening/dp/0899424325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306500174&sr=8-1

A quote and reflection...

"Wherever I am or whatever I do, You never leave me alone; grant that I, too, may always remain with You. At every hour of the day and night, in joy or sorrow, in every work and action, may I always know how to find You within me"! St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

I have found that the more time I spend with God, the more I want to be in His presence ! It's kind of like when you first began dating your spouse...you wanted to be together ALL THE TIME! You thought about them when you couldn't be with eachother, wondering what he/she was doing, planning when you could be together again, thinking out what you wanted to say to them and just loving the feeling you had when you were together! The more time I spend on being accustomed to having Jesus at the side, the more I want Him there! I think that is why I'm really loving to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. It allows me sit down and spend time with the one I love and who loves me! They say (whoever 'they' is) that if you do something for a certain amount of days in a row, it becomes a habit, and I have found that to be true and I look forward throughout the day when I can sit down and spend some quiet time with Him. I have fallen deeply, madly in love!
But, I also know that if one wants to STAY in the blissful state of intimate love, that it takes work and that it doesn't just happen...I know this because I can honestly say that after 29 years of marriage, Steve and I are still 'in love'!
Sure, we have had our ups and downs, but, we love eachother enough to know it's important to talk and LISTEN to eachother. That, I think, is the kind of relationship God wants with us! He is important in my life, so I need to take time and show Him that I want to spend time with Him...then when the time comes,(and it will)when I hit a dry spell, I know in my heart, that just like with Steve, that God will not stop loving me and that it's time to get back to spending quality time together and making the effort to keep Him present in my mind and heart.
Lord, I want more than anything to have you in my life in an intimate way. It is only with you that I can be the woman that YOU intended me to be! Teach me to always rely on your love and show me other ways to love you as much as YOU love me!
Amen.