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

Wednesday 8th November 2023 Elizabeth of the Trinity On November 8, we celebrate the Feast of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity who was a Carmelite nun at Dijon in France. Born Elizabeth Catez in 1880, she had one younger sister Marguerite, known as Guite. When the little girls were aged 4 and 7 their father died suddenly, as the result of a heart attack, and some time afterwards their mother enrolled them both in the Dijon Conservatoire to study music. Elizabeth began her studies there when she was 8. If God had not called her to Carmel she might well have been a celebrated concert pianist. When she was thirteen she won first prize for her playing, having already won first prize for theory of music. The following year she won the much coveted Prize of Excellence for piano, but already her heart was set on God. Elizabeth had a natural capacity for contemplative prayer. Long before she entered Carmel she had an intense awareness that she was living in God’s presence. Elizabeth’s deep prayer animated her and she became actively involved in various works in her parish. She taught catechism and ran a club for the children of workers in a tobacco factory; she visited the sick and of course, as a musician, she sang in the parish choir. Elizabeth took part in all the usual activities common to girls of her age at that time. She dressed in the latest fashions, enjoyed dances and loved walking in the country, where she deeply appreciated the beauty of creation. She had a great gift for friendship and was popular with her peers, but in everything God was at the centre. She said that when she played the piano she forgot all about the audience and played only for him. On August 2nd 1901 Elizabeth entered Carmel she was full of joy; she found God everywhere, in her work as well as at prayer. She loved the silence of her cell where she liked to ponder the scriptures, discerning what God was saying to her. She gradually found her vocation to be a Praise of his Glory, a phrase she discovered when reading Ephesians. It was also from her study of scripture that Elizabeth’s gained deep insights into the mystery of the Trinity. She was extraordinarily aware of the indwelling of the Trinity in her soul and often referred to the Divine Persons as My Three. Elizabeth died of Addison’s Disease on November 9th 1906 at the age of 26, saying, ‘I am going to Light, to Love, to Life’. BACK TO TOP Friday 3rd November 2023 My mission - your mission My mother often told me as a child that we are each born with a mission. You have something to do for God that only you can do. No one else can fill your space. She was a wise deep little woman and how right she was comes home to me when I hear St. Teresa speaking of the dignity and beauty of every single person made in the image and likeness of God. He dwells within us. If only we could grasp how precious each of us is in His sight – with what tenderness He bends over each one of us. St. John Henry Newman had a sense of it in his beautiful prayer. The mission of my life. God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, while not intending it if I do but keep his commandments. Therefore , I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness will serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him. If I am in sorrow , my sorrow, may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about. Dear Reader let God’s Living Word from the liturgy confirm you in your mission: Think of the love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God’s children… BACK TO TOP Friday 27th October 2023 Our journey through November Next week we begin a month to remember the Holy Souls. November can be a bleak month with dark misty days and cooler challenging weather. But the first day of the month begins with All Saints Day. It sets a positive tone to the month. The Church is saying to us as we remember our beloved dead; we are all included in the feast of All Saints. The Holy Souls are in God’s Presence, already in the embrace of God. It is nice to have a month to remember the un-named saints. The little saints rather than the well known bigger Saints. We all know people we have lived with, people who did not consider themselves saints but were good, compassionate and always ready to listen to others. And there are saints we would be surprised to learn that they are included! They may not have belonged to any particular Church or Religion but they were compassionate, honest, searchers of the Truth. Take some time over the next few weeks and during the month to remember these people. If we have unresolved issues with people who have already passed into Eternal Life, it is never too late to be reconciled. In the Church we talk about the mystical body of Christ and it is a beautiful image. The Good News is we all have a place at the table. As we remember our saints and the holy souls we not only pray for them but with them and ask them to help us until we meet again. Come to think of it November has its own natural beauty and softness as we journey into winter and onward toward new life. The following may seem irrelevant. It is the conclusion of a poem Aos Óg by Padraig Daly. In it he is reflects on city life as he gazes out from his window in Dublin city. He sees the young people full of life and love but perhaps unaware of where it all comes from. ‘They are happy as we ever were They do not ask the why of the stars: This world and its circumstances suffices them. They do not think of death or sin, They harm no one knowingly. Little they know, Walking in light down city promenades, Answering phones, distracted by gadgets, Smothering out transcendence. That they and all their artefacts And all the earth and all the fiery stars Are plunged in God.” BACK TO TOP Tuesday 17th October 2023 75 Years on the Carmelite Road “E.M.S. is not what you think” is the title of a book by my nephew in the States sharing his exciting experiences as a paramedic in E.M.S. (Emergency Medical Services). Carmelite life is not what you might think, about “strict fasting and hard corporal penances”! On my final visit to Kilmacud Carmel before entering, the novice mistress advised me, as a preparation for the Carmelite life, to make “little acts of self-denial” – what my mother in her native tongue along with St Therese would call “petites sacrifices”. It was simple advice, and wise too! As a novice, my mother gave me a present of a Bible (trans. Ronald Knox). Two powerful passages have really sustained me all down the years. “It is I, the Lord your God, who hold you by the hand and whisper to you: ‘do not be afraid for I am here to help you’ “ (Is.41:13). “As the Father loves me, I love you. Remain in my love.” (John 15:9) I witnessed the election of several Prioresses. Great characters with different personalities, but all were blessed with genuine prudence and wonderful kindness. I had a novice companion who had a great sense of humour, full of fun and pranks! I owe her a lot. By just being herself she kept me afloat when I was at a low ebb. Prayer, a loving relationship with the Lord, and the petite sacrifices that crop up in many ways every day prove priceless. St Therese believed that “the smallest actions done with love win the heart of Jesus more than brilliant deeds”. So, to “put your whole self in” to prayer and sacrifice and to live by love in his presence. That’s what it’s all about! BACK TO TOP Thursday 12th October 2023 Letting Go It is the season of letting go. Trees are letting go leaves, and animals are preparing for winter. Recently I have noticed how many ways we can experience loss. On a large scale, we see reports of wars causing widespread destruction of human life and property and we hear of people forced to leave their homes with few belongings. We learn of the deaths of people closer to home, our own or loved ones of people we know. There is loss associated with ageing, reduced mobility or energy levels. There are also smaller daily losses when life interrupts our well-set plans and schedules. All these losses cause s greater or lesser amount of stress and grief that we need to work through and move on from. Letting go is indeed painful and difficult. Years ago, a wise person gave me some great advice for times of grief and loss. He said that because we are physical beings, it can be very helpful to create a personalised and practical ritual of letting go that is specific to the experience we are going through. Our personal ritual should be something that comes from within us, as an expression of our thoughts and emotions about the loss we are going through. I have found this advice most helpful at times in my life and I have found that being creative around the experience helps to bring about a closure and inner peace. Indeed, the Irish custom of “wakes” after the death of a person is an example of communal ritual that gives a sense of “letting go” to the community. Nature teaches us to be not afraid of “letting go” as it is part of the cycle of the seasons. Our Carmelite Saint Therese of Lisieux talks about having “empty hands” before God, because it is only then that we can receive something new. This attitude is one that brings hope and healing. May we live with expectation of something new and beautiful after every “letting go” experience that we have in life. Lord, make me brave Let me strengthen after pain as a tree strengthens after rain Shining and lovely again. Lord, make me brave As the blown grass lifts, let me rise from sorrow with quiet eyes, Knowing Your way is wise. Lord, make me brave Life brings such blinding things. Help me to keep my sight; help me to see aright That out of doubt comes light. -Author unknown Image: pixabay.com BACK TO TOP Friday 29th September 2023 St Thérèse In a nut- shell Thérèse tells each of us - you are God’s precious child. He delights in you. You are the apple of His eye. Have boundless confidence in your merciful loving Abba Father. Dare to hope. That same power which raised Jesus from the dead is working in you too. Nourish your life on the Scriptures. Be love in the heart of the church and the world.. But Thérèse, tell us again how you came by this wisdom at a time when God was seen as a stern judge. Your Mother died of breast cancer when you were only 4 and the life nearly went out of you with grief and loss. Your sisters became your little mothers but you were still fragile and lost. “God would have to work a little miracle to make me grow up. I was really unbearable because of my extreme touchiness. It was Christmas night of 1886 that I received the grace of my complete conversion…He made me a fisher of souls. I felt charity enter into my soul and the need to forget myself and please others: since then, I’ve been happy”. A year later you knocked on the door of Carmel to enter with one dream in your heart. I wanted to love …to love Jesus with a passion giving him a thousand proofs of my love. I came to Carmel to save souls and to pray for priests. But with the passage of time Therese, you came to realize that to love Jesus as He loved you was beyond you. God would have to do it in you. “Instead of becoming discouraged I said to myself: God cannot inspire unrealizable desires. I can then in spite of my littleness aspire to holiness.” You searched the scriptures for your answer and the whole mystery of God’s mercy came toppling in over you. God gives himself to the little ones, the poor in spirit. He comes down to lift us up. Being Love itself he is drawn to the helpless.. Having nothing I shall receive everything from God. You found your little way. God worked marvels for you Thérèse in your life and ever since. You kept your promise - “ I will come down… I will spend my Heaven doing good on earth”. On your feast-day this year please send healing and peace to all who call on you. BACK TO TOP Thursday 21st September 2023 Three different lives but with a lot in common Dorothy Day was a great American social activist, journalist and above all champion for the poor. She was born in 1897. Her cause for canonization has begun in the Catholic Church. I am sure Dorothy would be surprised by this as she lived a very unconventional life. Yet, she is considered to be the best known political radical activist in the American Catholic Church. Pope Francis recalled her great work when he visited America some years ago. I came across a quote by her recently that made me think again about her and her empathy for the poor. It also reminded me of the people who are not only inspired by her but imitate her. Here is the quote ‘would you give food to a poor person on an old cracked plate, thinking that was good enough? Do you think Martha and Mary thought the old chipped plate was good enough for their guest (Jesus)? It is not a duty to help Christ (in the poor) it is a privilege.’ She lived life against the grain and was unafraid to speak the truth. When she converted to Catholicism, as a young woman, prayer was the bedrock of her life and choices. She was a woman of prayer and action. She walked the talk. There are people in Ireland who follow the inspiration of Dorothy. I think of my friend Colm. He is a man of prayer, he believes passionately in non violence and for most of his adult life has dared to think differently. He was described in an article as a ‘faith based activist’. He has made choices that are not popular and like Dorothy has gone against the grain. Is he powerful in worldly ways? No. Is he effective – I would think and hope so. He has made his thoughts know by writing and also by demonstrating outside government buildings with his home-made placards in all weathers. At present he is actively opposing those who wish to change the laws on Irish Neutrality. In his reflection on this issue he said ‘if we lose our neutrality our diplomatic clout will be diminished.’ I am sure Dorothy Day is with him and his friends. Dorothy Day had great love for St.Thérèse whom she chose as her Patron. How would we connect these two women? St. Thérèse said ‘one Sunday, looking at a picture of Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck by the blood flowing from one of his divine hands. I felt a pang of great sorrow when thinking this blood was falling on the ground without anyone hastening to gather it up. I was resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the Cross and to receive its dew. … I don’t want this precious blood to be lost. I shall spend my life gathering it up for the good of souls.’ Dorothy Day ‘walked the streets of the poor, noticing their blood, drying their tears, trying in her own way to gather them up. St. Thérèse did the same thing mystically, deep inside the body of Christ. It is no surprise that Dorothy took St.Thérèse as her model. St. Thérèse, Dorothy and Colm are people unafraid to follow their inner Truth for the good of humanity but not without being misunderstood and suffering for their convictions. BACK TO TOP Wednesday 13th September 2023 Holy Ground Many of you will recall the compulsory lockdown experience during the Covid pandemic some years ago and how you found it so constrictive and burdensome... Yet for us cloistered Carmelites it was very much our natural, chosen, mode of living; a vital part of our lives, as ‘hermits in community’. It is the milieu in which our hearts expand to encircle the earth and embrace all our brothers and sisters. Over the years cloister, solitude and silence become more and more needs of the heart. Thy heighten our awareness, slow us down, teach us interiority. They tune us into the music of life and give ears to our hearts to hear the cry of the poor. They lead us to the wellsprings of life: ’the dearest freshness deep down things (G. M. Hopkins). They awaken our hearts to beauty, the healing harmonies of Nature. They fill us with reverence and wonder at the mystery of growth, the miracles-in-slow- motion that God is ever working in all of life. Our cloister does not insulate us from reality. There are few outlets, no nights out at the theatre or holidays abroad, yet it is the door into reality, to truth, to self- knowledge; a challenging and, at times, a rocky road, but one leading to inner freedom. During my walks in the garden, I love to look back at the monastery. It gives me a sense of perspective. I am amazed, and amused at times, at all the drama that can take place within four walls, all the weathers of the human spirit even within the space of a day. I remember one day, some years ago, a magnificent rainbow appeared, encircling the whole monastery like a benediction. My heart thrilled. Psalm15 sprang to mind; For me the measuring lines have fallen on pleasant sites. Fair to me indeed is my inheritance. That sense of contentment has never left me. Yes, the cloister is not an escape, but a sacred space of encounter, Holy Ground. I take off my shoes! BACK TO TOP Thursday 7th September 2023 The Wonder of Bees Many years ago, I got an idea to make a patchwork quilt – old style – cutting out pieces of cloth and sewing them together. I put great effort into my preparations, measuring everything carefully and cutting them to equal size. Or so I thought! When I began putting the quilt together, I realised I had to do some gentle stretching and pulling to make the pieces fit into each other! And so, I am always amazed and filled with wonder at the precision of a honeycomb, made by tiny bees with no measuring tools or rulers. Each six-sided cell has exactly the same dimensions as those around it, so that all fits together so neatly and perfectly! For some time, we have had resident honeybees in the roof of our chapel here in Kilmacud. Last week we decided the time had come to have them re- housed by a professional beekeeper in order that the colony would not grow too large. It was a painstaking and difficult job, but the colony was successfully removed and is now settled for the winter in a proper apiary. The beekeeper told us that he estimates there were 70,000 bees in our large chapel-roof community! We marvelled at a piece of the comb he left with u s, explaining how the bees when building their home leave exactly 8mm to move around between each piece of comb, and this was evident in our roof, even without man-made frames for them to build on! Such architectural skill from tiny creatures is awesome and inspiring; and they have no worries about pyrite or mica or aerated concrete because they can make all their own building materials from their own bodies! In the days following the bee removal, before the roof was repaired, many foraging bees and wasps came inside our chapel, attracted by the smell of honey. They found themselves trapped inside and buzzed against the windows for hours before becoming exhausted. Sometimes the noise of buzzing was so loud it felt like we were living inside a beehive, and I could hear the noise in my head everywhere in the house and even in bed at night! I wondered what I could learn from these poor disorientated bees that could benefit my distracted prayer in the chapel these days? Then it came to me… there are many, many people in our world today who are lost and trapped and trying to find an external or interior freedom. Each poor bee buzzing on the window could represent one of these suffering people. As the buzzing noise was so clear to me, I prayed that it would also be clearly heard by God and that He would bring relief and peace to those in our world who need it most. There is so much we can learn from bees, and how they organise their colony and communicate with each other. They each have assigned roles and each one is dedicated to the survival and safety of the whole community. They provide us with delicious honey and high-quality wax. Bees are so special that they are specifically mentioned at the most solemn moment of the greatest Church Liturgy of the year, i.e., the singing of the “Exsultet” after the blessing of the new Easter Candle. Yes, even the humble bees are acknowledged for their work in providing the wax for this candle, as we sing: “O holy Father, accept this candle, a solemn offering, the work of bees and of your servants’ hands…” We thank and praise God for all we have learned and can ponder about bees during this “Season of Creation”. BACK TO TOP Thursday 31st August 2023 Joseph and the Alphabet I was recently given a link to an article in a Jewish History website and was amazed to read that new research into ancient documents found in Egypt, indicate that the first alphabet was invented by Joseph the son of Jacob, the Joseph who was sold as a slave by his brothers and ended up saving Egypt and the surrounding country from famine. For a long time scholars thought that the Phoenicians had invented the alphabet but they could not fit Phoenician words with the texts. As far back as 1920 Hebrew had been suggested but it was discounted as was the theory suggested by W. F. Albright, a gifted scholar of Biblical Archaeology, who believed that these writings were the work of Israelite slaves. The oldest of these texts dates from about 1800 B.C. and the most recent from the late 1500s B.C. After that, the alphabet has not been found in Egypt but it suddenly appeared in Canaan. Scholars were puzzled, but to those familiar with the Old Testament this clearly indicates the Hebrew people, the only ones who would have known this language. However, it is unlikely that the Hebrew slaves would have been able to create an alphabet, whoever did it had to be very skilled with language and used to reading the hieroglyphics used before the creation of the alphabet as well as being a native Hebrew speaker This description fits Joseph so exactly a Hebrew who became the trusted servant of Pharaoh in Egypt. (See Genesis Chapter 41 ff.) For more detail as to the discoveries and illustrations see https://aish.com/the-jewish-invention-of-the-alphabet/ Image: Wikimedia Commons BACK TO TOP Wednesday 23rd August 2023 Do whatever my Son tells you (John 2:1-12) Last week we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Knock. It brought back memories to me of the visit of Pope Jonn Paul in 1979 to that great Marian shrine. His words made a deep impression on me. He said: Mother in this shrine you gather the people of God of all Ireland and constantly point out to them Christ in the Eucharist and the Church. At this moment we listen with particular attention to your words: Do whatever my Son tells you and we wish to respond to you with all our heart. We entrust to your motherly care the land of Ireland where you have been and are so much loved. Help this land to stay true to you and your Son always. Keep them faithful in prosperity to the faith they would not surrender in poverty and persecution. Help them to work together to build a just and peaceful loving society where the poor are never neglected and the rights of all especially the weak are respected. Queen of Ireland Mary mother of the heavenly and earthly church keep Ireland true to her spiritual tradition and her Christian heritage. Isn’t it awesome for us to know that Jesus in his last agony on the cross gave us his Mother to be our Mother too. He could not bear that we should journey through life without her Motherly protection. So let us hear her motherly voice in our ears saying: Do whatever my Son tells. Little Sr. Mary Paul now in Heaven for many years chose those words of Mary as her motto on her profession day. They lived in her heart and made her into the compassionate loving person she was, her heart always open to the poor and suffering. Mary came to the help of the famine stricken, persecuted people of Ireland in 1879. She will come to the help of our people in their present need. She will come to the help of each one of us. How blessed we are to have the Marian shrine of Knock in our midst as a place of healing and prayer. BACK TO TOP Friday 4th August 2023 Youth Festivals This week thousands of young Catholics are gathered in Lisbon, Portugal for “World Youth Day” with Pope Francis. Also, this week, thousands of young scouts are gathered in South Korea for the “World Scout Jamboree”. After the restrictions and lockdowns of the Covid-pandemic, young people must have anticipated these gatherings with great excitement and joy. International youth festivals like these are positive, affirming, and energising experiences for young people. Life-long friendships are made with people from all over the world. Memories are created of fun experiences and mishaps overcome. Often romance blooms too! My sister met her husband at a scout jamboree. I personally know two couples who met at World Youth Day events. In today’s culture of social-media and virtual-connections with people, time spent at these youth festivals in the real presence of other like-minded young people is very special and helps to build a solid identity in young hearts. The experience of meeting so many others with similar interests helps to build up self-esteem and courage for life. As we pray for the youth who are meeting this week in various parts of the world, let us “tap into” their joy and energy and allow their gatherings to re-energise us too. Let us pray for each one to have a positive experience of peer support, friendship and support. Joys Of Youth by John Clare How pleasing simplest recollections seem! Now summer comes, it warms me to look back On the sweet happiness of youth's wild track, Varied and fleeting as a summer dream: Here have I paus'd upon the sweeping rack That specks like wool-flocks through the purple sky; Here have I careless stooped down to catch The meadow flower that entertain'd my eye; And as the butterfly went whirring by, How anxious for its settling did I watch; And oft long purples on the water's brink Have tempted me to wade, in spite of fate, To pluck the flowers. -Oh, to look back and think, What pleasing pains such simple joys create! Poem: https://internetpoem.com/john-clare/joys-of-youth- poem/ Images: Wikimedia Commons BACK TO TOP

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