Tuesday, June 7, 2022

An Enclosed Garden of God: Documentary of Carmelite Life

Sorry for the delay but here is the promised full documentary on the daily life of the nuns in the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Fairfield, Pennsylvania.  This documentary is absolutely beautiful and so well done.  My whole family enjoyed it so I encourage you to make a movie night out of it!


May the Sacred Heart of Jesus bless us all and protect His Carmelites!

 

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Pray for the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph



Hello dear friends!

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

I have some sad news to share with you.  You may have already heard, but Rome is bringing the hammer down on our beloved Carmelite nuns of the Carmels of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  I just found this video last night that explains the situation very well in a short amount of time.  Miss Bauer is the Director of Marketing & Development for the Carmel in Fairfield so she knows all the most important and true details.  



The most important thing we have to do is pray for these communities.  They also need help building their monastery.  More information about their life and building project can be found here: www.fairfieldcarmelites.org  

I also have a few more videos to share with you.  One is an interview with the nuns' chaplain who was just removed by Rome and the other is an absolutely beautiful documentary of the nuns' lives so stay tuned for those!

May God bless you and keep you!

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Video: Invictus - Captain of my Soul

Please enjoy one of my new favorite songs...  It is just absolutely beautiful.  


From the video description:

Originally posted on Lifesite News.
"Inspired by the famous poem, “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley, the Sisters of the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have written a song to inspire the Church amidst the current wave of cultural confusion. Fittingly, the song, named for the Latin word meaning “unconquered,” rings as a ballad, a battle cry of a soldier who follows closely and submits faithfully to his Master and Captain, Jesus Christ."

Find more information about the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Fairfield, PA here!

 

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

How Can I Know Whether I Have a Religious Vocation? {Repost}


{Thank you to Mrs. VanderPutten of Finer Femininity for allowing me to repost this excerpt!}


by Father Daniel A. Lord

How can I know whether I have a religious vocation?

It’s too bad, but the fact is that there are a great many more people called by God to priestly and religious life than have the courage to accept the call.

Sometimes they don’t give themselves a chance to hear the call. Sometimes they regard a vocation as something amazing, startling, thunderstriking. And all the time, if they have a religious or priestly call, it is the greatest good luck of their lives.

The signs of a vocation are clearly before the eyes of anyone who cares to see them. Here, then, are the signs, briefly sketched:

First, the person must have the necessary qualifications.

This means health sufficient for the religious life. It implies enough education to do the work demanded by the particular Order.

The person must be free from habits of sin. If in the past the person had such a habit but has overcome it, that past habit need not be an essential bar. It is wise, however, to talk this over with one’s confessor.

Very importantly it is not necessary to be outstandingly virtuous or to find piety or prayer easy and simple.

Novitiates and seminaries are established as places where young religious can learn the way of the spiritual life. They will study virtue, prayer, and piety there.


The normal qualifications needed today for religious life are those of any good, wholesome young man or woman who enjoys life and has a body made healthy by clean living and wholesome sports and recreation, a mind trained to decent thinking and a fair grasp of truth, and the ability to get along with people.

Naturally, the higher the qualification of mind and body and heart, the finer the material they bring with them to the religious life.

Second, the future priest or religious should have a supernatural motive for wanting to become a priest or a religious.

It is not, of course, sufficient motive to want to rush into seminaries and novitiates in war times in order to dodge the draft. Nor should one enter because there one will be sure of meals, of a roof over one’s head, of an education, of intellectual life, and of pleasant companionship.

Yet a person may have what may seem a low motive – the fear of hell, let’s say – and be said to have a supernatural reason: Many a young man or woman took the first step toward high sanctity when he or she ran into the arms of God through sheer fear of losing his or her soul.

Other supernatural motives are higher in the scale of dignity: the desire to be sure of heaven and eternal salvation, the fear of offending God amid the temptations of the world, an impulse to work for the salvation of others, the desire to become like the saints in love of neighbor and closeness to God, a longing for the companionship of Christ, a pure and unselfish love of God.

The third thing necessary is the aspirant’s acceptance by a religious community, or, in the case of the priesthood, by a Bishop.

In the amazingly rich providence of God there has grown up in the Church the widest variety of priestly and religious work. There are communities suited to almost every type of taste and talent. The many ingenious schemes for religious perfection are remarkably varied.

Yet, as a rule, a person thinks of religious life because of pleasant association with some definite men or women religious, or of a priestly life because of admiration for some priest. This in itself may be an indication that one would fit well into the kind of life led by the person admired and respected. It is common sense, then, that a first thought be given to that community.


With all the seriousness in the world, I beg of you to think seriously of priestly and religious life. Anyone who has even a slight inclination toward such a life is cheating himself miserably if he doesn’t give the impulse the fullest possible consideration.

There is no other life comparable to religious or priestly life in the happiness offered or the useful work made possible. No cowardice, no difficulties, no diffidence about oneself, no shrewd considerations for the future should be allowed to stand in the way of so glorious an opportunity.

Fortunate, indeed, is the soul who hears, however faintly, the call of Christ. Happy the soul who feels the impulse to enter into such happy association with the Virgin Mother.

Sometimes it takes more courage to accept than one naturally possesses. Often one treads to this high life a road that is like martyrdom. Within the priestly or the religious life there will be hard and laborious living, days dominated by rule, the need to develop high virtue and strong self-mastery.

But I have often told young people that really the hardest part of religious life is the step by which one enters it. From that point on, Christ, given half a chance, takes over. He works day and night with the cooperative and generous soul.

There is no other life comparable to that spent in happy companionship with the Savior, in work for the kingdom of God on earth, in companionship with men and women dedicated to the love of Christ, in constant opportunity for personal worth, Christ-like living, God-like achievement.

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Should you date while discerning?

{I've had this post in my drafts for some time but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share it now.}

Can you imagine dating two guys at once? I don't think so.  So why would someone date a guy while pursuing a relationship with Jesus?

This is a subject I explored in the early days of my vocation discernment.  Should a young person, girl or guy, date while discerning?  Some people have different opinions on this subject but the answer is really simple.  No, you shouldn't date while discerning a vocation to the religious life.  To see why one shouldn't date while discerning, let's examine the purposes or ends of discernment and dating.

What is the purpose of discernment?

Now, discernment comes from the Latin word "discernere" which means "to separate."   So in the discernment of our vocations, we try to step aside (separate) from distractions and our own desires in order to find God's will.  We try to figure out or see what our calling from God is.  If you think God might be calling you to the religious life, you discern more deeply that possibility.  A vocation to the priesthood or religious life is a special calling from God to a special relationship with Him.

Photo credit: I'm Mary Katherine Photography

What is the purpose of dating?

When you court or date someone (especially in the Christian world) you are trying to find the person you are going to marry and be with for the rest of your life.  Dating isn't just a fun outing with a friend.  It's a time set aside between two people so that they can get to know each other better and discern God's plan for their lives.

So really, dating and discernment are very similar processes.  Ultimately, you're trying to figure out where you're called to spend the rest of your life.  The difference is with whom!

Some people will tell you that you need to date someone first before discerning a religious vocation.  Go have that experience to see if you want it.  But if you feel God is calling you to be His bride, why go around with other guys?  Being Christ's bride is a wonderful and great calling, therefore, if we feel drawn towards that, we should discern that first.  (The same goes for guys.  To serve Christ and His Church as one of His apostles in the Holy Priesthood is a privileged calling.  If you feel the call to this vocation, you should, therefore, discern it with your whole being.)


We are taught to give everyone and everything our best.  Therefore, why wouldn't we give Our Lord our best effort?  Discern your vocation without reserve or other obligations.  If you would try to pursue a relationship with Our Lord and a guy at the same time, things would get confusing very quickly.  Our human emotions and attractions to physical attachment can blur our vision.

You may think to yourself, "I still like guys.  I would love to be married and have kids.  Does this mean I'm not called to the religious life?"  Not necessarily!  We're all human and as humans, God has designed us for marriage ("male and female He created them.")  Marriage is a good thing and a natural desire.  A vocation to the religious life, however, is not natural.  It is supernatural.  When Christ calls someone to the religious life, to complete and total union with Him, He is calling them to rise above their natural passions and enter into a supernatural relationship.  To give up everything and follow Him.  He is calling them to a great sacrifice.  That's exactly what this vocation is.  A sacrifice of self.  So don't be worried or distressed if your imagination strays with thoughts of romanticism but calmly and patiently refocus your mind on discerning God's will and not your daydreams.

It is natural for us as humans to desire marriage but to desire a life of sacrifice with Christ is a desire placed on your heart by God.  Don't ignore it.  Listen and follow it.  God may just be calling you to a life of divine love, union with Him, and more spiritual children than you can count!  Whatever you do, whether dating or discerning a religious vocation, seek God's perfect and holy will.  As long as we strive to do His will, we can't go wrong.

Photo credit: Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration