Haiku by Eric Lund

 

Oda Krohg - Artist

"Nothing is hidden from the Lord, but even our secrets are close to Him. Let us then do everything in the knowledge that He is dwelling within us that we may be His temples, and He God within us..." 

Office of Readings - St. Ignatius of Antioch

 

Elizabeth Murray - Artist

"Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God."

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Bouasse Lebel

"The pure simplicity of the soul is my joy and delight."

Albert Joseph Moore - Artist

"If we would see the stars of His mysteries, we must first descend into the deep well of humility." 

St. Catherine of Siena 

Media Art by Lindy

 

Adrien Moreau - Artist

"Joy does not depend on external circumstance but is an inner disposition of serenity that is the fruit of the presence of God."

Barbara Hughes

Sarony, Major &Knapp

"Scatter Joy!"  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elizabeth, Countess of Harrington - Artist

 "Joy is the sound of love, the color of gratitude and the song of hope."

Mary Davis

Vaclav Brozik - Artist

"A Flower blooms for its own joy."

Oscar Wilde

 I picked my 'Word of the Year'! This word has been popping up in my life recently. Not so much because I am joyful but rather, that I want to remember to be joyful! There is so much chaos in our world and I want to make a conscious effort to remember that how messy our world is, that there is joy also! 

Heavenly Father, give me a joyful disposition. Allow me to catch glimpses of how beautiful life really is! Joy does not depend on my circumstances but rather on my intimate relationship with You! 

 

Drawing - Key Design 17th.- 19th. Century

"Jesus doesn't just have the key to unlock our prisons - He is the key. Freedom begins when we invite God into our locked places, and he comes with everything He is..."

Encountering Emmanuel by Heather Khym

Lord, Make Me Whole....

Klimt - Artist

 "...throw yourself into My arms, for I make whole..."

He and I - by Gabrielle Bossis

Silvestro Lega - Artist

"...It's the love woven into each task that counts..." 

He And I by Gabrielle Bossis

Jules Bastien-Lepage- Artist

 "Just as the shepherds and the wise men responded to the sign of the star, we, too, are called to follow the light of Advent that leads us to encounter the person of Jesus."

Encountering Emmanuel by Heather Khym

Darkness Into Light....

 

Petrus van Schendel - Artist

"...Only when there is darkness can we experience the real comfort, wonder, and beauty of the light..."

Encountering Emmanuel by Heather Khym

Jesus, I Trust In You...

Carl Bloch - Artist

 "When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life. When Jesus leads you through your whole life, He brings you safely Home."

Corrie Ten Boom

First Sunday of Advent...

 

"...As we light the candles on the Advent wreath, let each flicker be a reminder that Christ is the true Light that dispels the darkness, and he is waking us from our slumber to the profound reality of His presence, love, authority and relentless pursuit of our hearts..."

Encountering Emmanuel - Heather Khym

Media Art by Lindy

 

"Grant that I not look upon the earth or upon worldly things any longer. I desire only to look upon You, sovereign Beauty, upon this Jesus Who has no equal. 

I want to be blinded to every worldly light, which is fleeting and deceitful. I shall follow my Light, Jesus, like the firefly, until I burn inside of it forever."

Holy Hours with Conchita Cabrera de Armida

Henryk Siemiradzki - Artist

Lindy Media Art 

The Golden Arrow - Sr. Mary of St. Peter

 

“With this flame you will light all the hearts in the world. The miracle will be this. This flame will become a fire, and with its shining light, this fire will blind Satan.”

 Miracle of the Flame 1962 is the time of year that we prepare our hearts for the Fire of the Flame of Love. 

Emile Munier - Artist

 

"...The birds seem to assume the nature of angels, and tenderly console us with their gentle carolling..."

The Carmelite Tradition

 

Frederic Leighton

"He who enters into the secret place of his own soul passes beyond himself, and does in very truth ascend to God. Banish, therefore, from thy heart the distractions of earth and turn thine eyes to spiritual joys, that thou mayest learn at last to repose in the light of the contemplation of God."

St. Albert the Great

Alfred Stephens - Artist

 "Beauty bypasses the intellect and 

pierces the heart."

Bishop Robert Barron

Winslow Homer - Artist

"He didn't promise us ease and comfort, but He did promise joy which we may have in the midst of any weight or heaviness that may be ours to bear."

Lilias Trotter

 

Eliphalet Fraser Andrews - Artist 
       
 "The still pool of living water lies in every soul, keeping life within that little plot of ground."
Lilias Trotter

 

Lorens Pasch - Artist

 " Once, when we were together, Therese laughingly took hold of my hand, printed in ink on my fingernail these words - "attachment to earthly things". She insisted that I remain branded in this way for some time..."

My Sister Saint Therese

Emilie von der Embde

 "Holiness means something more than the sweeping away of the old leaves of sin, it means the life of Jesus is developed in us. Oh, that we may learn to die to all that is of self with this royal joyfulness that swallows up death in victory in God's world around."

Lidias Trotter

Berthe Morisot

"Our Catholic faith isn't a mask to hide behind, it is a mirror to see ourselves as we really are."

Father Andrew Okeyo Ogacho, CP.

 

William Bouguereau - Artist

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who has found one has found a treasure."
Sirach 6:4

 

Carl Scherres - Artist

"Everyone needs a place to retreat; a spot where the world grows quiet enough for the soul to speak."

Angie Weiland Crosby

Media Art by Lindy

 

 

Artist Unknown

"The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be."

Reid Hoffman

One of the important aspects of Community for a secular Carmelite is to be able to share fellowship with those who are on the 'same page' so to speak. Even though our paths to the same destination may vary, we are able to assist one another to the heights of Mount Carmel. Heavenly Father, guide us to become the men and women that YOU intended us to be.  Amen.

 

Fabio Cipolla

"I must be willing to give up what I am in 

order to become what I will be."

Albert Einstein

Shhhh.....

Helen Allingham - Artist

 "God spoke to me today in flowers,

and I, who was waiting on words,

almost missed the conversation."

Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

A Grace in Time...

Jacek Malczewski

 Oh, you who came and kissed my head in my delirium.

Come once again and allow me to feel your cool lips on my forehead, Sweet Mother Mary, as you whisper in my ear, "All will be well."

John William Waterhouse

 

"As far as I am concerned, what does it matter what others think or say? I don't see why I should be disturbed about it."

St. Therese of Lisieux - Last Conversations

 

Jozef Mehoffer

"...True silence is the speech of lovers. For only love knows its beauty, completeness, and utter joy. True silence is a garden enclosed, where alone the soul can meet its God..."

Poustinia - Encountering God in Silence, Solitude and Prayer

George Elgar Hicks - Artist

 "Be good, and have patience with every one - above all, with yourself..."

St. Francis de Sales

Vilhelm Hammershoi - Artist

 

"Contemplative silence is the expectant hush of a soul waiting for God to speak."

Mother Mary of Jesus, O.C.D.

Peter Fendi - Artist

 The greater mystery, surpassing all words, summons us to silence. It must, of course, be silence with content, not just the absence of speech and action. We should expect the liturgy to give us a positive stillness that will restore us. Such stillness will not be just a pause, in which a thousand thoughts and desires assault us, but a time of recollection, giving us an inward peace, allowing us to draw breath and rediscover the one thing necessary.

The Spirit of the Liturgy

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Marianne Stokes - Artist

 "May your sweet presence enlighten us forever, O Virgin of silence. Give us your great peace."

The Power of Silence

Jules Breton - Artist

 "...We must carry the Fire of God's truth into rooms lit with artificial light, where people will laugh at our humble flame. And we must be there when the artificial lights fail, when storms come, when winds blow about the world and plunge it into darkness. It is then that they will welcome our flame and we must be there. We must be in place when storms come..."

The Cloistered Heart

A Refuge for our Lord...

Cloister of Merseburg Cathedral

 

"...A cloistered heart accepts God's grace to love Jesus Christ in the midst of a world which does not love Him, and to embrace His will in a world which does not embrace it. Thus the cloistered heart becomes a place of refuge not only for us, but for Christ Himself. To create such a refuge is a primary part of the cloistered heart's apostolate..."

The Cloistered Heart

Happy Solemnity!

Gaspar de Crayer - Artist

 

"...We must walk along this path in freedom, placing ourselves in the hands of God. If His Majesty should desire to raise us to the position of one who is an intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept gladly. As often as we think of Christ we should recall the love with which he bestowed on us so many favors, and what great love God showed in giving us a pledge like this of his love; for love begets love. Even if we are at the very beginning and are very wretched, let us strive to keep this divine love always before our eyes and to waken ourselves to love. If at some time the Lord should favor us by impressing this love on our hearts, all will become easy for us, and we shall carry out our tasks quickly and without much effort..."

Be a Light...

Vasily Tropinin - Artist

 

"The apostolate of the cloistered heart is to go forth as light in the darkness."

The Cloistered Heart

Lord, Teach Me To Empty Myself...

 

Peter Paul Rubens - Artist

"...I want you to be completely joyous. You will be when you have emptied yourself of self..."

He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

A Flower for our Lord...

Friedrich Krepp - Artist

"...Seize upon every opportunity of keeping silent and give Me this silence just as though you were picking a flower for Me. Oh, this beautiful silence full of peace, humility, serenity and intimacy with God! How much you can obtain in these blessed moments!..."

He and I By Gabrielle Bossis

  

Leon Richet - Artist

"...Our corrupt nature is the traitor who opens the gate of our heart for the devil and the world to enter..."

The Carmelite Directory of the Spiritual Life

George Dunlop Leslie - Artist

 

"...It is of little benefit for religious orders to acquire new plants through profession unless they strive diligently to water them and cultivate them..."

The Carmelite Directory of the Spiritual Life