Each week one of our Sisters contributes a reflection on a topical subject, or a theme in the Liturgy.

Wednesday 29th March 2023 Mutual Dependence I love the story told about Bro. Vincent Cook, a Dominican who was born blind. Once he went to Liverpool, a city he had never visited before. Feeling his way along with his white cane, he came to a very busy road and asked if there was anyone he could cross over with. Someone agreed eagerly. They set off across the busy road to the sound of cars shrieking to a halt and horns loudly hooting. When he got to the other side he thanked the man for helping him across. The man replied: No, you helped me. I am blind! We need each other and God blesses our mutual dependence. God said to St. Catherine of Siena: “I could well have supplied each of you with all your needs, both spiritual and material! But I wanted to make you dependent on one another so that each of you could be my minister dispensing the graces and gifts you have received from me.” Yes, the gift of love is given because somebody somewhere is dying for the lack of a kind word; mercy is given because somebody is cloistered in their own wrong-doing. These are gifts which create worth in another person. The poet William Blake put the point well when he wrote: “Love seeketh not Itself to please Nor for itself hath any care, And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.” (The Cloud and the Pebble) BACK TO TOP Friday 24th March 2023 Listen to God and set out in Trust It is interesting to notice how often we read in scripture that God asks someone to leave everything to undertake a journey, whether a physical journey or a change of lifestyle. When Jesus called his disciples he was asking them to do both these things. Two saints we celebrated recently, St. Patrick and St. Joseph both needed great courage to obey the call of God. St Patrick having escaped from captivity in Ireland, certainly had no intention of returning; but in a dream he heard the call to come back and preach the faith to the Irish people, and because he trusted in God he obeyed. St. Joseph showed extraordinary trust in God in his willingness to leave everything to follow the way God revealed to him. First of all he accepted responsibility for Mary and her child. Then, in obedience to that same communication from God in a dream, he was the one to give Jesus his name, and by doing so he acknowledged publicly that he accepted him as his child and became his legal father. Then when he received another revelation, again in a dream, Joseph set out straight away for Egypt bringing Mary and Jesus, to protect the child from Herold’s intention to kill him. How many of us would be willing to set off at a moment’s notice? We would certainly have to be very convinced that it was truly necessary. The Ukrainian refugees are an example in our time of people making a decision to leave a homeland for the greater good of their families; many African people have taken the same road in the face of famine and of persecution. In the mid nineteenth century, during our own time of famine, many Irish families left for America in the hope of a better life. When God called Moses to liberate the Israelites from slavery he had no idea what this would involve. He was not at all enthusiastic about asking Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go, but the call from God was irresistible. Even though the people were rebellious as they made their journey through the wilderness Moses interceded with God for them and persevered on the journey. When God called Abraham he asked him to leave his country, his relatives and his own family home. Everything familiar had to be left behind. He followed that call even though he didn’t know where he was going. A lot of trust is needed to follow without knowing where the journey will take you, many people are too apprehensive to begin the journey and those who do begin may have to put up with scepticism, even from those closest to them. Yet those who put their trust in God will always be willing to let go of the past and set out on a journey of new beginnings. Abraham’s trust did not fail and God fulfilled his promise to make him father of a great nation, and more. Today Abraham is considered father of Jews, Christians and Muslims and is revered by them all. Many years ago a friend of mine, was told he must vacate his rented office in central London. He had sold his own business but was using the office as the headquarters of a small religious charity, helping the homeless poor. He pleaded with the landlord to let him stay and was given two more weeks, but was told to get out by the following Saturday because the bulldozers would be moving in on the Monday to demolish half the street for a new development. He put his trust in God and prayed for guidance. He was convinced that some place would turn up so he ordered a removal van for early on Saturday morning. When asked ‘Where are we going?’ he had to admit he didn’t know, ‘but God knows,’ he said ‘and I will know by Saturday’. On the Friday evening he received a phone call from a priest who had heard of his plight from a mutual friend and offered his vestry and a room in the bell tower of his church. It seems that it is trust that allows God to work, not only in times of crisis but even in the most ordinary events of life. Images: Wikimedia Commons: The Flight into Egypt. Frecso in Lower Basilica in Assisi He Sent them out Two by Two. James Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. BACK TO TOP Thursday 16th March 2023 God’s Love God so loved the world so much that He gave His only Son… John 3:16 Really that is the heart of Lent isn’t it – that we come to know the depths of God’s love for each of us. Imagine that He loved us so much that He gave us his only Son to draw us into His very own Life and Love. We have God’s very own love in our hearts to share with one another. So, Lent has to be about loving, prodding us to wake up to the wonder of God’s love searching us out, and calling us to love to one another. A young newly married couple from India once came on a holiday to Ireland. A little child dashed out in front of their car and was killed to the immense sadness of the couple and the unbearable sorrow of the parents of the little one. The Indian couple returned to their country with heavy hearts. But a year later, they came back with their first-born child and presented him to the sorrowing parents. They genuinely came to hand over their precious first-born child. We can just imagine that even if the parents of the dead child did not take their child from them, a huge healing must have happened in their sorrowing hearts to see the love and care of this young Indian couple for them in their grief. God so loved the world that He gave his only Son….. He wants our happiness and our well being and He gave us His only Son to show us the way to be truly happy. He wants us to live as brothers and sisters, helping each other and bearing each other’s burdens. One of our Sisters sings the hymn called God so loved the world by Stainer every Good Friday during the ceremonies and it is hauntingly beautiful. Let’s listen to God’s love pleading with us in another hymn. Come back to me Come back to me with all your heart, don’t let fear keep us apart. Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life. Every day is a new opportunity for living this new life. BACK TO TOP Wednesday 8th March 2023 ‘Vulnerable Risk Takers’! These few words of Pope Francis came alive for me some weeks ago when the priest at Mass quoted them. When I think of risk taking I think about jumping out of a helicopter and hoping I will pull the right cord at the right time and the parachute will do the right thing. As I write and think about this unlikely possibility, I can feel the fear of such a risky adventure. As you see in the photo Sr. Gwen is always prepared to take a risk. Bolt (the horse) decided not to bolt on this occasion! Putting the adjective Vulnerable before Risk seems strange to me - I think it should be ‘Mighty Risk Takers! But Pope Francis calls us to be authentic Risk Takers. It is the journey to risk speaking the truth even when we feel uncomfortable, unsure and vulnerable. To take the risk in stretching out the hand of friendship to someone with whom our relationship is fractured; to care for the weak and vulnerable, even when we are unsure how to relate to them. It is also changing our mindset and imagining the world differently and then acting on what God is calling us to be and do. And it is not always about others, I too can be weak, frail and vulnerable and in need of compassion and mercy. I am reminded of the title of a book called ‘The Wounded Healer’ and Pope Francis’ invitation to see the Church as a field hospital for sinners and for the weak and vulnerable. Since I came across these words Vulnerable Risk Taker I have noticed how often Pope Francis uses them in his talks. You can also add fragility, weakness, compassion and mercy to his favourite words. He has taken many risks since he became Pope. But the risks come after deep prayer and discernment. In an article by Robert Mickers in www.ncronline.org/ we read about how Pope Francis offered a clear example of his risk taking in 2016 when he stopped in Havana to meet the Russian Patriarch Kirill. ‘It was an historic event because a face-to-face meeting of the (Catholic) bishop of Rome and the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow and all Russia had never occurred before. That’s because the predecessors of these two spiritual leaders would not give up their own pre-conditions before the meeting could take place.’ (R Mickers) But Pope Francis took the vulnerable risk of dropping all those demands. He just told Patriarch Kirill he would meet him whenever and wherever the Orthodox leader desired. "Let's just meet" was his plea. Francis allowed the patriarch to dictate the terms. Political analysts said it was yet another example of him being a "risk-taker" (a calculating one at that!), similar to his decision to visit Central African Republic when a civil war was still underway.’ With all that has happened since with the war in Ukraine we can only pray that the Patriarch Kirill will remember Pope Francis invitation to meet as Risk Takers but most of all as two Spiritual Leaders in order to find ways to bring peace to a very disturbing situation for all sides and our world. BACK TO TOP Friday 3rd March 2023 It would take Christ to pass by with his Cross... It would take Christ to pass by with his Cross. For years that ardent prayer has echoed in my heart. It was my soul’s longing when I lived through the trauma of those early days of The Troubles in Derry. Looking down from Creggan Heights over the seething Bogside, I used to repeat with many sighs... It would take Christ to pass by here with his Cross... That desire, that aching longing is intensified a hundredfold now as we weep over the bleeding wound that is Ukraine, over the gaping wound that recent earthquakes have opened up in Turkey and Syria, over the unstoppable human haemorrhage of refugees and the running sores of festering conflicts in Africa and throughout our world... Yes, wouldn’t it take Christ to pass by with his Cross in all these situations? As we begin these graced days of Lent we find new hope and consolation because Christ is indeed passing by, or rather, He is right there in the heart of all this unspeakable suffering, just as Elie Wiesel could say that God was there in the Nazi concentration camp on the gallows where the young innocent victim struggled between life and death, dying in slow agony... He is lifting the Cross from the shoulders of these millions of suffering people, our brothers and sisters... He is taking their burden of death, anguish and despair upon himself. He is there with us all, because as the mystic, Caryll Houselander said of World War II, “This war is the Passion of Christ”. Yes, Christ suffers his Passion until the end of time in everyone who suffers in mind heart or body... He is there, not ‘passing by’, but fully engaged. He is there lifting the heavy cross from the broken shoulders of all who are part of this vast sea of human suffering. He is ministering to them in the heroic dedication and courage of all aid workers, in all who perseveringly seek a peaceful resolution to all conflict... Here in Carmel this is our burning Lenten plea: It would take Christ to pass by our broken world with his Cross... BACK TO TOP Friday 24th February 2023 Spring Cleaning There’s a real feel of springtime in this part of the world, even on cold days! The birds are singing and there’s a brightness pouring through the windows on sunny days that shows up all the dust and cobwebs! It creates a desire in me for spring cleaning and decluttering. Isn’t there a great sense of satisfaction when a good cleaning job has been completed and one can sit back and enjoy a tidy room again? This week we began the season of Lent, when people traditionally “give up” something like sweets, chocolate or smoking. I was reflecting about what I might give up this Lent, when (as often happens) the words of a secular song popped into my mind, an upbeat chart-topper from 1990 by Irish rock band “Hothouse Flowers”. The song is called “Give it up” and the theme of the lyrics are about giving charity to the less fortunate, but the opening verse seems particularly appropriate for me this Lent: Well, I'm coming face to face with my conscience Coming to an understanding of myself Clear out all the old cobwebs Clear out all the old books from the shelf Listening again to this song with its positive vibes, I got to thinking: What if I do some spring-cleaning in my spiritual life and my mind and clear out some cobwebs and clutter? Wouldn’t that be a great Lenten practice, to make more room for God in my life and in my heart? St Teresa, our Carmelite Mother and Founder, often wrote about the soul as a palace for the King, and with her typical humour and vivid imagery she said: “if we fill the palace with vulgar people and junk, how will there be room for the Lord with His court? He does enough by remaining just a little while in the midst of so much confusion.” (Way of Perfection 28:12) This is good food for our reflection. What are the cobwebs and junk that fill up our minds and hearts? Can we do some spiritual decluttering this Lent so as to make room for God to come and fill us with the graces and joys of Easter? I hope and pray that we can! BACK TO TOP Wednesday 15th February 2023 Rhythms of Grace One of our sisters supports people serving long prison sentences by regularly writing letters and emails to them and she frequently receives letters back from them. It is obvious that her letters are greatly valued by the prisoners. Recently sister shared a little about what had happened in one of the prisons in recent weeks and it reminded me of what happened in 2001 in the largest prison in Sweden. Truls Bernhold, a Lutheran minister, completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius ---- that is, a 30- day silent retreat during which meditation on the life of Christ is central to the exercises. Each person is accompanied by a spiritual director for 1 hour each day. Sometime later Truls received training on how to LEAD the Spiritual Exercises. In 2001 he was invited to lead a meditation group in the Kumla Prison, the largest in Sweden that houses the country’s highest-risk prisoners. The effect of the meditation course on the prisoners involved impressed the authorities and a disused building was converted to accommodate 8 prisoners in a centre known as “the monastery.” There Truls began to lead small groups of prisoners in a 30- day retreat using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. He listened to the prisoner and then invited him/her to meditate on a passage of the Gospel--- on different episodes in the life of Christ. Truls believed that by simply offering the prisoner the words of scripture, the presence of Christ was made possible in a way among the unbaptised and those who will largely remain unbaptised. Like the story of the sick woman who didn’t want to meet Christ but sought healing by reaching out from the crowd to touch the fringe of the Lord’s garment as he passes by --- “She came up behind Jesus through the crowd and touched his cloak and she felt in herself that she was cured” (Mk. Ch 5.) ---so here, women and men can reach our for healing and the retreat leader does not proselytize: he just lets the grace of the Word quietly do its work. Yes, the in break of God’s grace can take place anywhere! As we begin this season of Lent we might gently remind ourselves that---if moments of quietness are woven through our weeks of Lent, our innate capacity to hear God’s Word can be sharpened and our hearing aids recharged! To take the Word into our minds and hearts, and to allow it to change us, is the work of Lent! As ABBA POEMEN said: “The nature of water is yielding and that of a stone hard. Yet if you hang a bottle filled with water above the stone so that the water drips drop by drop, it will wear a hole in the stone. In the same way, the Word of God is tender and our heart is hard. So when people hear the Word of God frequently, their hearts can be opened to the rhythms God’s grace.” BACK TO TOP Friday 10th February 2023 Saints and Snowdrops It is always a joy to see the first snowdrops, the heralds of spring. Even though they sometimes show themselves in January they are often known as the Fair Maids of February. In Ireland we say that the Feast of St. Brigid on February 1st is the first day of spring and as snowdrops appear around this time St. Brigid is often portrayed with them in art. Traditionally snowdrops represent innocence and simplicity as well as new beginnings, hope and the ability to overcome challenges. Perhaps for these reasons they are often used as symbols of sympathy and consolation. In medieval times snowdrops were usually put on the altar on Candlemas Day, (February 2nd) to symbolise the purity of Our Lady, and they are sometimes known as Candlemas Bells. We don’t usually associate St. Therese with snowdrops, but I remember reading about an interesting cure at Gortnamucklagh, Glenties, in Co. Donegal, which involved Therese and snowdrops, it took place the year before her cause for canonisation was introduced. The account was given in a 1913 edition of Showers of Roses. These were books published at least annually by the Carmel of Lisieux in the early twentieth century, quoting from letters sent to the Carmel from people who had received favours from Sister Therese. The letter recounting this cure was written on April 12th 1913 by Michael McNelis who gave an account of the cure of his wife Mary, who was critically ill after giving birth to a child. He wrote: My wife was in indifferent health for nearly three years and on January 24th last she gave birth to a child, which two days later, according to promise, received the name Mary Frances Teresa. However, puerperal fever set in, and finally - it was 2am on the morning of the 27th - three doctors and the priest thought it was all over. She lingered until the forenoon. We were making, as you know, a novena to the Little Flower and more than once a remark was passed: “She is so busy, I wonder if she will think of poor Donegal!” Evidently she did think of it and she “came down”, as she promised to do and comforted us all. About eleven o’clock my little Kathleen, a child of four years, who had promised to make her First Communion in honour of Sister Therese if her mother was cured, came into the house with a bunch of most lovely snowdrops. There were exactly six. She said a nun had given them and had told her to take them to father for mamma and mamma would be cured. The flowers were put into water, but nothing was thought of the “nun” until after a time the room, and even the whole house, began to be filled with a strange, sweet perfume. Snowdrops, of course, have no perfume. However, we traced it to the flowers and then investigated the child’s story. The nun, according to the little one, came down from the skies and put the flowers in her hand, adding the above message for my dying wife. It seems the apparition was dressed in white; the child also noticed the beauty of the face and the hands and how quickly she flew away when she had delivered her message. I may add that there were no nuns in the neighbourhood and no snowdrops either. Thank God my wife recovered promptly! One of the doctors had certified that it was an incurable case of infectious septicaemia, but that she now enjoys better health than she has done for two years. After a most careful enquiry we are all convinced the child’s statement was perfectly correct. The flowers retained their wonderful scent for the space of a week. One of the doctors carried off two of them to a friend who was very ill and they perfumed that house also. See this website for an icon of St Brigid with snowdrops. It is in St Brigid's Church, Kildare: https://brigidine.org.au/about-us/our-patroness/the-icon-of- saint-brigid/ BACK TO TOP Wednesday 1st February 2023 Come to Him February is upon us with all its signs of Spring to cheer our hearts: snowdrops daffodils, birdsong, to name but a few. St. Brigid, Secondary Patroness of Ireland, heralds it in. An ancient writing about her says: “Everything that Brigid would ask of the Lord was granted her at once. For this was her desire: to satisfy the poor, to rid of every hardship, to spare every miserable one. She was simple before God; she was compassionate to the suffering, she was splendid in good works.” Only yesterday a mother told me that she had gone to the Shrine of St. Brigid in Faughert for a healing blessing for herself and her sick son. So, Brigid’s influence lives on. Who does not look forward to the healing feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11th? There is no end to the queue of people at this time in need of healing: children, teenagers, parents young and old, all wanting to drink from the spring of Christ’s healing waters. Then comes St. Valentine’s Day on February 14th to warm the hearts of all who love or want to be loved. Our beloved Sr. Kevin who died a year ago at the age of almost 99 used to busy herself writing little love notes. She would often include a little poem or verse she had read that appealed to her. Here is one of the very last she wrote in our Monastery: Come to Him Never think that no one cares. There is always One who shares, All your troubles, all your cares, Come to him. What if others seem unkind, what if no one seems to mind. Help in Him you’ll always find. Come to Him. Does your heart sink like a stone? Into troubled waters thrown. Struggle not to rise alone. Come to Him. Always He is waiting there. Longing all your loads to share, When things seem too heard to bear, Come to Him. There is One who understands, all your eager heart demands, Come and place it in His Hands. Come to Him. Let it be an early Valentine tweet of Love from Heaven for you and me and everyone, as we live through this healing month of February. Image of St Brigid's Well (Tobar Bride), Co. Kildare: Taken from Wikimedia, Attributed to: Eflmd, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons BACK TO TOP Thursday 26th January 2023 Journey’s End or Beginning? ‘What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning.’ TS Elliot Over the past few weeks two rowing boats from Ireland called Brugha and Crean joined 43 other boats to be part of the Atlantic challenge. There were 5 men in the Brugha and 4 in the Crean. They were going to row 3,000 miles.They were facing high temperatures, high winds with waves reaching 30 feet and the possibility of meeting ‘curious’ sharks and flying fish. We heard about their intense preparations and training. It took two years. They had goals they wished to reach one of these was to win the race. But they were aware that there was more to the experience than winning the race. They knew that teamwork was essential. If they didn’t row in harmony they would make it harder for each other. They set another set of goals for themselves; that they were leaving as friends and they were committed to growing in their friendship or at least remaining friends. That they would not wish the time away but enjoy the experience and reflect on the deeper values in life. Another very important goal for them was to raise funds for the LauraLynn Foundation (Ireland’s Children’s Hospice)and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute). These were loft ambitions. They were on an adventure of a lifetime! In Kilmacud Monastery we became a small part of the team. No! We didn’t take to the high seas! We remained at home and supported the lads and their families with our prayers. As they journeyed on the high seas we were aware they too were also taking time each day to pray and reflect on their experience. They worked together to build relationships, deal with practical problems and share honestly if they have a problem with each other. In monastic life it is a given, ‘don’t let the sun set on your anger’, we deal as best you can with issues both practical and personal. The rowers arrived safely at their destination singing their hearts out just after midnight 15th January. It will take time for the rowers to unpack the experience and the life lessons learnt. They came 5th in the race and first in their class, breaking the record on time for a 5 man boat. The song they were singing was ‘The Wild Rover’ with words that include ‘I never will play the wild rover no more’. I am not convinced about that! Whatever they do they will carry this life experience and use it to build healthy relationships and community wherever they are. They raised funds beyond their expectations for the LauraLynn Foundation and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) and were deeply grateful to all who donated so generously. Well done rowers - Diarmuid, Géaroid,Tom,Shane, Derek in the boat called Brugha and Dan, Frankie, Jim, and Eugene in the boat called Crean. Keep the spirit of adventure alive in all you do! ‘The end is where we start from’. (TS Eliot) BACK TO TOP Wednesday 18th January 2023 Letters from Home... Faithfully they came, every week, my dear Mother’s letters, and up at the right hand corner the simple heart-warming address, Home, the Kitchen… She gave me the news of all the family in her own lovely home-spun way, mingling a mother’s tenderness with her solid advice and wisdom that sprang naturally from the bedrock of her deep faith. How they fed my soul and filled my heart, and how I miss them now that she has gone to God. Letter-writing is such a fast disappearing art in today’s digital world of texting, soundbites, twitter etc...Maybe we Carmelites are among the few who still engage in this art as we exercise our Apostolate of the Pen in response to the many who turn to us in their anguish and heartache with sick family members, wayward children, financial challenges etc. We hope we can bring some solace to lighten their burdens. Yes, a letter in your hand is worth a hundred on the laptop or computer; it can be held and treasured, read and re-read again and again... And the Good News is that we still get letters from home, every day, to assure us that we are loved and remembered. The Word of God in Scripture has been beautifully described as ‘our Heavenly Father writing to His children’... our letters from HOME, if you like! These come to us in our daily Liturgies or in our private or shared ‘sacred reading’, Lectio Divina. They are new-born for us every day...an inexhaustible fountain from which we can drink, yet never empty. Our Carmelite Rule urges us to be like Mary, ‘pondering the Lord’s law day and night’. The Word becomes the lens through which we look out on life and on our beautiful yet struggling world. This week we begin the great Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity and it is heartening to know that one of the principle uniting treasures between the different Traditions is the Word of God. It is a living power among us as we each try to respond to the desire of the heart of Jesus That they may be one. How appropriate that some years ago, Pope Francis created the 3rd Sunday of the Year, which falls within the Unity Octave, the Sunday of the Word of God, highlighting its ecumenical centrality. Next time you read the sacred Word, remember that it is your Love letter from HOME...speaking to you personally and giving you guidelines for that day... BACK TO TOP Friday 13th January 2023 Sisters It was my sister’s birthday this week, an occasion that made me reminisce about our childhood together. From an early age our mother always taught us to value each other, because she never had a sister growing up, and always wished she had. Like all siblings, we had our squabbles, but most of the time we were good friends. I have so many memories of games and adventures together as children and trips out to concerts as teenagers. Our lives have taken different paths. I am a Carmelite nun here, and she is living in England with a husband and three children. Now I am surrounded by Sisters of a different kind, both in my community and in other religious communities that I have contact with. These new Sisters are of all ages and nationalities, and I value them all, each and every one of them. The gifts of each Sister are unique and the richness of having so many Sisters is a great blessing for me. Yet, there is nobody quite like my very first sister. As American novelist George R.R. Martin said: “You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you.” It is true! I need my sister to be straight-up and honest with me at times when my Sisters in community are too polite or gracious to do it! And I need my sister’s empathy and understanding at times when even those I live with do not fully understand a struggle I am going through. My sister’s birth, all those years ago, was a day of great blessing for me. Yes, Mum, I am so grateful to have a sister. Thank you, God, for my sister. BACK TO TOP Wednesday 4th January 2023 Across the Miles A few months ago, Sr. Emmanuel returned to her community in Vietnam after spending three years in our community here in Kilmacud . During that time she had an opportunity to study aspects of our Carmelite Charism and also perfect her English, with the added flavour of a slightly Dublin 4 accent!! Some of our sisters accompanied her to Dublin Airport to say a final goodbye. These days about 45,000 people per day are passing through the Airport. Many are accompanied by parents and grandparents who have come to say goodbye as loved ones return to jobs, study, etc., after celebrating Christmas with family and friends in Ireland. At the airport we can see love manifest in human form. Everyone wants to say goodbye, and to say it well in gesture and word. Sometimes, no more than a whisper in the ear and that last touch of the hand at the departure gate. Lips moving so clearly that one can spell the words: “Don’t forget the rashers and the Tayto! Say hello to everyone.” To breathe in a deep gulp of love for a second and --- then to hold it for another year. Oh, there is time for one last, enormous hug; that extra hug that a child can carry with them across the miles over the seas. And teary-eyed parents and grandparents loudly whispering: “May the Lord bless you and keep you. And until we meet again, may God hold you safely in the palm of His hand. And don’t forget to give a taste of God’s love to anyone who may need it. WE LOVVVVVE YOU!!” May each one of us always treasure the love of our family and friends. BACK TO TOP Thursday 29th December 2022 The Mystery of Christmas Those of us living in the west are fortunate that the celebration of Christmas falls in the darkest week of the year. In this time of physical darkness Christ’s birth brings light into our lives in a very vivid and evocative way. The reality of the darkness highlights the coming of Christ as the light of the world. He came to enlighten our lives with love, joy and peace. Even many people without faith prepare for this mid-winter festival and become touched by the spirit of joy and kindness that surround it. Yet for some the reality of peace may seem unattainable. In these days when there is so much suffering in the world, from war, famine and a series of pandemics, how can we understand the message of peace? Edith Stein reflected on this in a lecture entitled ‘The Mystery of Christmas’ which she gave in January 1931. She points out that on the very day after the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child we celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian Martyr and then two days later, the Feast of The Holy Innocents, murdered so brutally on the orders of a jealous and fearful king. Edith goes on to say, ‘What is the meaning of this message? Where now are the jubilant sounds of the heavenly choir? Where the peaceful bliss of Holy Night? Where is the peace on earth? Peace to those of good will; but not all are of goodwill. Therefore the Son of the Eternal Father must leave the splendour of heaven because the mystery of evil has wrapped the earth in dark night. Darkness covered the earth and he came as light to illumine the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend him. To those who received him he brought light and peace; peace with the Father in heaven, peace with everyone who like them are children of light and children of the heavenly Father, a deep interior peace of the heart; but no peace with the children of darkness. To them the Prince of peace brings no peace but the sword…This is the one hard and serious fact which we may not allow to be obscured by the visible attraction of the Child in the manger. The mystery of the Incarnation and the mystery of evil belong together…The child in the manger extends his little hands, and his smile seems to be saying what would come forth later from the lips of the man: ‘Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened’; and the poor shepherds out on the hills of Bethlehem, who heard the good news of the angel, follow his call and make their way with the simple answer, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem’. Also upon the kings from the orient lands, who followed the wondrous star with such simplicity, there dropped from the Infant hands the dew of grace and ‘they rejoiced with great joy’. These hands give and request at the same time: you wise men, lay down your wisdom and become like children; you kings give up your crowns and your treasures and bow down meekly before the King of Kings; do not hesitate to take up the burdens, sorrows and weariness which his service demands. You children who as yet cannot give of your own free will, of you these little hands will request your gentle life before it has even begun; it can serve no better purpose than sacrifice in praise of the Lord.’ We can never plumb the depths of the Mystery of Christmas but we know with Isaiah that: ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of shadow a light has shone.’ BACK TO TOP Thursday 22nd December 2022 Emmanuel Naming a new- born baby is such a special thing. Don’t we all wait with a certain excitement for the name a couple will choose for their child. Jesus brought His own name with Him. The angel announced it to Mary. It means God Saves. Jesus will be the one to deliver humanity from all evil, violence and injustice. He will bring in the Reign of God’s mercy and compassion and forgiveness. But there is another astounding name that Jesus has, and it is Emmanuel, a name that means God- is- with- us. That is the message of Christmas. God has come to us as a child. He has not come to impose himself on humanity. He comes with the tenderness of a little child. He is very near to you and me right here in the middle of our lives if we can open ourselves up to the mystery. God can be born in us. We need not feel alone ever again. He is with us, in us, upholding us in our joys and struggles. Thats why the angels sang at the birth of Jesus - that is the reason for all the excitement of Christmas. But isn’t it true. We must sit quietly with ourselves and let the mystery dawn on us. Hear the voice of Love sounding within ourselves. We must let the wonder of God-with-us sweep us off our feet, reduce us to wonder and awe and thanksgiving. Then we will truly rejoice. How the early Christians loved the name of Jesus… They knew He was God- with-them. They lived and died with His name on their lips. The young Carmelite in this photo is called Emmanuel. She is our dear Vietnamese sister who lived with us in Kilmacud Carmel for 3 years. See her now in her Carmel of Hue in Vietnam holding out the Infant Lord to us and reminding us of St. Therese’s words: I could never be afraid of a God who made Himself so small for love of me… I love Him…. He is all love and mercy. Happy Christmas dear reader. Rejoice! God -is- with-you! BACK TO TOP Thursday 15th December 2022 Unpacking the crib As I watch Sister Mary Brigeen unpacking the crib it brings back memories of previous Christmases. I am reminded of people I have shared this special season with. But going further back I reflect on the Christmas story and the events which led to this great God Intervention in time. I think of that young woman Mary who said ‘yes’ to an invitation to be the Mother of God while not fully understanding the mystery of the journey God was inviting her to take (Luke 1.26 -38). The statue Sister is unpacking reminds me not of a lifeless statue but of that real person who was Mary, a living flesh and blood woman. She lived in a very oppressive country. When only weeks away from giving birth she had to go on a long journey to fulfil her and Joseph’s civil duties. It would take about a week to travel over that rough terrain. She did not travel by helicopter or in a first class carriage in an express train but probably went on foot. It was all very real and very uncomfortable. I am reading a book that has greatly helped me in this reflection to consider Mary’s reality. It is a book by Dr Ruth Patterson. Ruth captures what Mary, the young woman, might have been like. She describes the statue she saw while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land. ’Here is a young girl hair loose, striding forward as if to meet the future and all that it may hold, her face eager and alight, embodying the ‘yes’ that is given after the questions, the wonder and awe, the struggle. She steps ‘into an unknown future, leaving herself open to being impregnated by a love that changes and continues to transform the world.’ In Ruth’s understanding of Mary we see another human person who faced pain, suffering, struggle and mystery. Looking again at our crib statue I see how all of this and how Mary can identify with our world. She is there for us and with us. We are not alone. I conclude this reflection with a poem. I write during the days while the snow is falling and there is a heavy snow fog which makes travelling very difficult or almost impossible. But there are always some guiding lights to help us take the next step on the journey as reflected in the following poem. Advent by Joyce Rupp It is time for the pilgrim in me to travel in the dark, To learn to read the stars That shine in my soul. I will walk deeper Into the dark of my night. I will wait for the stars, Trust their guidance, And let their light be enough for me. https://whatwasithinking.blog/2020 BACK TO TOP Thursday 8th December 2022 Does it ring a bell? Recently many of us were awakened by the sound of our chapel bell ringing out loud and clear into the silence of the calm night. With deliberate confident strokes it spelt out the Angelus pattern: 3 strokes by 3 and then the long uninterrupted 9 strokes, as it always does, but... this was Midnight! This had never happened before... What could be wrong??? What must the neighbours think of us disturbing them at this hour of night??? Relieved that the striking had stopped we returned to bed , but I was sleepily beginning to wonder...What was the meaning? Who could have rung the bell? For me it had special significance because this Advent I‘ve been struck as never before how this prayer of the Angelus draws us into the whole mystery of the Incarnation...of God becoming Man, which is what Christmas is all about... And the Word was made flesh...and dwelt among us As we pray the Angelus together in community three times every day, I want to stay with those words and let the wonder of them take hold of me...Yes, Jesus the Son of the Father, truly became Emmanuel, God-with-us... and He is still Emmanuel, God with us in the here and now of our lost, anguished, violent, upside-down yet beautiful world... Doesn’t that mind-boggling reality call for the ringing of bells to let the world know this Good News? It wouldn’t be the first time that someone rang her Monastery bell to alert everyone and call them to ’wake up’ to the astounding fact that ‘Love is not loved’ (St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Carmelite mystic of 16th century!) I will never forget the emotion that welled up in my heart when I heard church bells ringing in the distance for the first time after the deadening silence of the long Covid lockdown. Back again too are joyous wedding bells and the slow grave toll of funeral bells... But Christmas is above all the season of bells.. .Every child knows the sheer magic of ‘Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells’ and the tinkling of sleigh bells. Bells feature big in Christmas decorations, cards, stamps etc... Each evening at 6 p. m. RTE TV and Radio mark a respectful pause for the Angelus...fittingly before the daily news. How appropriate, because this is the greatest Good News there is, and it’s a new reality every day: the Word is made flesh and dwells among us, Emmanuel... But to get back to our mysterious nocturnal Angelus bells...we never discovered the cause. Could it have been the Angels reminding us of the greatest news ever told? In the coming days when you hear the Angelus bell, I hope something of the wonder of the real meaning of Christmas will fill your heart with Joy and peace... When I apologised to our neighbours for the intrusion, they kindly made light of it saying they thought it must have been to mark ‘a special feast day’ How right they were! BACK TO TOP Saturday 3rd December 2022 Voice in the Wilderness Once Advent comes, our annual Christmas mailing rolls into action! One of our Sisters has been doing trojan work for the past couple of weeks packing envelopes, and distributing them around to other Sisters in the Community who like to add a final personal word to the recipients. There are many people who hear from us by mail only once a year, and we like to bring them a message of hope and peace during this special season. Our world often seems like a “wilderness” as regards God’s presence. One has only to switch on any news bulletin to hear reports of wars, sickness, violence and natural disasters. It can sap the energy and lower the spirits of even a most positive person. Avoiding the public news is not the solution, however, as even in our personal lives and those close to us,

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