A LESSON FROM CHILDREN

                Before joining Carmel, I used to regularly play board games with a friend of mine. This friend had a little girl who, being around two years old, would sit with one of us and watch the game with lot of excitement. Sometimes we would allow her to roll the dice at which her eyes would light up and she would shout with joy. We always wondered what she understood but were happy to see her happy. But as she started getting older, things slowly started changing.  She was no longer satisfied with being a mere spectator. As soon as we would start the game, she would rush to the board and pick up the dice and say “They are MINE!” We would tell her, “Yes they are yours, but can we please have them for some time so we can play?” But no amount of coaxing or bargaining would make her yield the dice. Finally, after having tried everything, we would try to distract her and

slowly get the dice out of her fist. But she was smarter than we thought. As soon as she sensed what we were trying to do, she

would put the dice in her mouth! At this we had to accept defeat and leave her alone for fear that she might swallow them rather than give them to us.

Incidents like these or similar ones may be common in families with small children. We may think it is cute and funny. Some may even analyze it psychologically and comment on the behaviour of the child and/or the parents. But is there anything that we can learn from this? I would like to suggest two of them.

1.      We are no different from children. In the case of children, we permit such behaviour, to some extent, because we think it is harmless and that they will overcome it with age. But if we introspect and look into our own lives, we find in ourselves the same unyielding character. The dice get replaced with something else. We all have attachments that we are not ready to let go of, come what may. We all desire to have a faith like Abrahams but are rarely ready to make sacrifices. The attachment may be to money, fame, authority, beauty, clothes, our passions, knowledge, shopping, MY ideas, MY reason, MY opinion, MY suggestion, and many other things that we cannot detach from but which are really a hindrance in our growth as spiritual persons and also in our daily relationships with people.

We fail to see that everything that we have is received as a gift from God and we actually have nothing of our own, not even our own life.

2.      When we see such behaviour in children, doesn’t it actually make us wonder what Jesus may have meant when he said “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God (Mt 18:3) “. The essence lies in the same behaviour mentioned above. The only thing worth clinging on to is the Kingdom of God. No amount of persecution, trials, and worldly attractions should take us away from this. The kingdom of God is our only Goal. The more we empty ourselves of our attachments, the more we will be filled with God.

What are you attached to? The kingdom of God, or something else? If it is something else then maybe it’s time to loosen your fist and maybe even open the mouth and spit out at least one of the dice.

             Sr.  Benedicta of the Holy Face (Novice)

                           Carmel of God the Father, Pune

THE PEARL - OH THE PEARL

The pearl, the pearl, the pearl

Oh! The pearl how it fascinates me

Oh! If I could only have that pearl!

The pearl of great price

This desire kept growing in me 

Oh! If only I could have that pearl!

Who will help me get it?

Oh! That pearl of great price

I knelt at the Lord’s feet

“Lord I really, wish to have that pear”

The Lord said – “Child go sell all you have and buy it “

All I have? What is it that I a poor Carmelite has?

Only my pride, jealousy, gossiping, attachment, my egos,

Oh the list is endless

“These are my possessions, Lord not this not that and this may be I can give up”

It was hard it was difficult

But my desire to posses the pearl kept growing stronger.

‘All for you Lord all for you everything I have I give to you’

In loving surrender I surrender myself

And Lo – the pearl was mine

Receiving His grace day by day

In Carmel Oh my beloved Carmel.

                                                                   Sr. Caroline  o.c.d

                                                                          Hassan Carmel.

BLESSED ISIDORE BAKANJA – Martyr for the Scapular

            The Brown Scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Sacramental well-known to many of us. Most of us received it on the day of our Baptism or First Communion or on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16^th July), which has also become synonymous as the feast of the Brown Scapular.

The Brown Scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mt. Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life  and the  need for prayer. [CDW, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy:  Principles and Guidelines (205)]. We see all the above mentioned attributes manifested in the person of Blessed Isidore Bakanja, who is relatively less known even in the Carmelite circles.

Blessed Isidore Bakanja was a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, then Belgian Congo. He was baptized at the age of 18 by Trappist monks and the same day he was also vested in the Brown Scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel. The monks encouraged all their converts to wear the scapular, telling them that the Scapular and the Rosary were the means by which they could show their Christian faith to others. This lesson was taken very seriously by Isidore.

He worked as a mason on a Belgian rubber plantation where most of the Belgian agents were Atheists. The workers were strictly forbidden from practicing their faith or exhibiting their piety openly. Despite the prohibition, Blessed  Isidore not only continued to pray openly but went a step further and fearlessly began catechizing his fellow workers in his own simple way.

The, apparently worthless, piece of cloth around his neck seemed to threaten the atheist agents who detested Isidore, his Christian faith and the values promoted by it.The wrath of his agents was finally unleashed upon him when, one day, he was asked to remove his scapular. To Blessed Isidore this demand was akin to apostasy and he undauntedly refused to remove the scapular. To break his resolve, he was flogged twice after which he was again asked to remove his scapular.  However, Blessed Isidore remained firm and refused again. This refusal so angered the agent that he tore off the scapular from his neck and threw it to the dogs. He was pinned to the ground and lashed more than 100 times with a whip made of elephant hide with nails on the end. He was then chained to a tree for days with very little food and water.

            On learning of an inspection of the Rubber plantations, the agents tried to move Isidore to another village. Scarcely able to walk, Isidore hid in the forest. When the inspector reached the plantation, he dragged himself up to him. The shocked Inspector later said, “I saw a man come from the forest with his back torn apart by deep, festering, malodorous wounds, covered with filth, assaulted by flies.”

The inspector took him away from the plantation and tried to treat his sores. But it was too late. His agony endured for another 6 months. During this time, he was visited by some Missionaries who counseled him to forgive his perpetrator. Isidore assured them that had already forgiven him and told them “When I am in heaven, I shall pray for him very much.”  Blessed Isidore Bakanja died on Aug 15, 1909, Scapular around his neck and Rosary in hand.

The Scapular is a reminder that “in Baptism we have been clothed in Christ, with the assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, solicitous for our conformation to the Word Incarnate, to the praise of the Trinity, we may come to our heavenly home wearing our nuptial garb.”[CDW, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy:  Principles and Guidelines (205)].

At his beatification ceremony, Saint John Paul II in his homily said, “Isidore was faithful to the gift of his Baptism....Isidore, your sharing in the paschal mystery of Christ, in the supreme work of his love, was total. Because you desired to be loyal to your baptismal faith whatever the cost, you suffered scourging like your Master. Like your Master on the Cross, you forgave your persecutors; and you showed yourself to be a builder of peace and reconciliation.”

As seen in the life of Blessed Isidore Bakanja, the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary does not mean an escape from the trials, temptations, sufferings and persecutions of this life. She does not promise a path strewn with roses. However, Our Lady does promise to accompany us along the way of the Cross. Blessed Isidore did not see the Scapular as a amulet or charm. He braved every suffering and would not be separated from his badge of belonging to Jesus and Mary.It is good to note that Isidore was only about 20-30 years (because we are not sure of his year of birth – which could be anywhere between (1880-1890) at the time of his martyrdom, and a Christian for just three years. What an example for Christians, and especially Carmelites!

Our Lady will obtain the necessary graces to courageously endure the trials and sufferings of life, upto the point of death, for a child of hers who has been a staunch disciple of her Son, faithful to a life of prayer and who trusts in the power of her intercession.

All chaste lily, rising despite the thorn,

Strengthen, help us, So feeble, soon forlorn,

Great protectress.

Be our armour, Valiant for Christ when war

Rages round us, Hold high the Scapular

Strong and saving.

 (Excerpts from the hymn Flower of Carmel, attributed to Saint Simon Stock)

 Sr. Benedicta of the Holy Face (Novice)

Cloistered Carmel of God the Father, Pune

Mary, Our Mother and Protector

Mary, Virgin and Mother,

Make me obedient like you.

Caring and loving each other,

Pleading, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Maiden, daughter of the Father,

You treasured His Word in Your Heart.

We want to live as brother and sister,

Then teach us how to play our part.

As you stood by the Cross so dear,

He made you a mother of us all.

Pilgrims flock to you from far and near,

You comfort them and hear them when they call.

Hail Holy Queen of Carmel,

Holding your Scapular so high.

Watch ov’r your children of Carmel,

Protecting us when danger is nigh.

Thus with you near us Mother,

Nothing shall we fear below.

When we do the will of the Father,

Heaven’s own blessings we shall know

-          Sr. Rose of Infant Jesus (novice)

                                                                                                                                                     Pune Carmel

THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE

There is no greater love

than the love of JESUS.

There is no love that's wiser, that's stronger, that lasts longer,

that's more willing or thrilling than the love of JESUS.

There is no love more beautiful, more bountiful, more bold,

more basic and unbiased than the love of JESUS

There is no love more caring, more sharing,

more daring to risk all danger for sinner and stranger,

than the love of JESUS

There is no love more gracious, more giving, more living,

more sacred, more selfless, more soul-satisfying,

more pure and undying, than the love of JESUS.

There is no love more verifiable, more valuable, more validating,

more victorious, more glorious than the love of JESUS.

There is no love more precious, more costly, more kingly

than the love of JESUS.

There is no love that is greater, that's more wonderful, more wild,

more passionate, more powerful

THAN THE  LOVE OF JESUS!

                                                                                     Sr. Camelia O.C.D

  

Heart of Jesus

Heart of Jesus, meek and mild,

Guard and guide thy tender child.

Filled with compassion for love of me,

Draw a sinner close to thee.

If by chance I go astray,

Hold me gently in thy sway.

Pull me closer to your heart,

That from thee I’ll ne’er depart.

Bleeds profusely ov’r sinners lost,

Making peace, but what a cost!!

Your mother’s heart beats one with thee,

Setting sinners, captives free.

When the pain is hard to bear,

Mourners too find solace there.

Illness, cross what misery,

Help us Lord we cry to thee!!

Heart of Jesus, tender heart,

Pierced and Wounded lonely heart.

When I yield to temptations, sin,

I too pierce that wounded heart.

Let me fix my eyes on thee,

Love thee Jesus eternally.

Then my heart will beat with thee,

In Paradise eternity!!

-          Sr. Rose of Infant Jesus (novice)

Pune Carmel

Sharing in the life of the Holy Trinity

On the Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the central mystery of our Christian faith and life, the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. The Liturgical arrangement of this feast explains the inner logic of our faith. The inmost Being (of God) as Holy Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone …… before the Incarnation of God's Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit (CCC 237). The feast, therefore, comes in succession after the celebration of the Incarnation of Christ (Christmas), the Paschal Mystery (Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ) and Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit). The Gospel readings (Jn: 14-17) in the last weeks of Eastertide have all been a prelude to this feast.

            Although revealed, the human intellect being limited and furthermore, tainted by sin in incapable of grasping the fullness of this mystery. We can, nevertheless, have some understanding of this mystery, which is the effort of all theological studies. This self-revelation of the Trinitarian nature of God, however, is not an end in itself. Along with theology, the Fathers of the Church identified the dimension of economy (oikonomia) which is the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life (CCC 236). God’s self-revelation is an invitation to enter into the fullness of this economy which is union with God (CCC 260). The greater purpose is not just to enlighten us but to draw us all into encountering the very mystery of God.

            Scripture reveals that the fullness of this union can only be experienced at the beatific vision when we will see God face to face (1 Jn3:2, I Cor 13:12). But Jesus has still promised that ‘”Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (Jn 14:23). In this present life we are all called to experience the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity. The mystics stand out as signs of the fulfillment of the experience of this divine economy. Reproduced below is a prayer of St Elizabeth of the Trinity called the Elevation to the Trinity.St. Elizabeth was a French Discalced Carmelite Nun who died at the young age of 26 and was canonized by Pope Francis in October last year.Msgr. Mariano Magrassi in a commentary on the prayer noted, “we find many publications with prayers that seem more of “literature”- i.e. written at the table. When these are placed before the Prayer of St. Elizabeth we have to admit: in the moment she was praying, in the moment she was writing, her heart was on fire. We cannot consider it a prayer composed by the mind at the desk, but we have to accept it as a prayer that was inspired, which speaks of her deep spiritual experience.”

            In mysticism, elevation of the spiritor joining with heavenly love is a stage just short of union. St. Elizabeth’s prayer was thus composed prior to her experience of complete union with God. Each paragraph of the prayer begins with the exclamation “O” expressing the attitude of deep desire and petition of a mystic overwhelmed by the blazing light of the mystery experienced. It expresses her desire to lose herself completely in God andnever be separated from Him even for a moment.While the prayer is an outcome of an encounter with God, it still is an appeal; an earnest cry to be more conformed and more ready for union with God. It reveals an acquired knowledge of the infiniteness of God. Despite the intensity of the prayer, the words are a pale reflection of an ineffable experience.

            Although St. Elizabeth is not known to have had any formal education in theology, the prayer demonstrates a profound understanding of the Holy Trinity. It is Christological in nature and falls under the realm of Mystical Theology,i.eknowledge of God infused by God Himself. The plea to the Holy Spirit is to conform the soul more and more to Christ with the ardent desire that the Father may see the very image of His beloved Son in her because, as we pray in the Doxology at mass, it is only through Christ, and with Christ and in Christ that we have access to the Holy Trinity.

            Finally, a prayerful reflection and repetition of the prayer shows how truly mystical it is. St. Elizabeth was burning with an almost consuming love when she composed it and the prayer leaves a spark of that fire of love in any soul sincerely seeking the face of the Beloved.

Elevation to the Trinity composed by St Elizabeth of the Trinity

O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it your heaven. Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative action.

O my beloved Jesus, crucified by love; I wish to be a bride for Your heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You...even unto death! But I feel my weakness, and I ask You to “clothe me with Yourself,” to identify my soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to substitute yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Saviour.

O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance.

O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, “come upon me,” and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery.

And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little creature; “cover her with Your shadow,” seeing in her only the “Beloved in whom You are well pleased.”

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself; I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness.

Sr. Benedicta of the Holy Face

                                                                                                     Cloistered Carmel of God the Father.