Prayer

A Light for our Path

“Your word is a lamp for my steps, Lord, and a light for my path” Ps 118 Our Carmelite Rule bids us to “ponder the Lord’s law day and night”, as Mary did. The Word is a lens through which we learn to see and judge all that happens in our daily lives and world. It is a school of daily conversion, where we meet Jesus and grow into his mind and heart; we put on his attitudes, as portrayed in the Beatitudes.

Lectio Divina

“Lord, who can grasp all the wealth of just one of your words?” St Ephraem Each Sister spends time every day in Lectio Divina, i.e. “sacred reading” of the Scriptures. Lectio Divina dates back for centuries. The early hermits on Mount Carmel would take a single word or short passage from Scripture, carrying it in their hearts throughout the day, ruminating on it and often repeating it aloud, savouring it… Once a week we come together for a shared group Lectio Divina, usually on the Gospel for the coming Sunday. We gain new insights and spiritual nourishment from listening to each other. It is surely a sign of today’s new springtime that the Holy Spirit is opening up this “living power among us” (1 Thess 2:13) through Lectio Divina, helping us to discern today the signs of the times and the way forward.
© 2025 Carmelite Monastery of St Joseph, Kilmacud, Co. Dublin, A94 YY 33, Ireland Registered Charity in Ireland    CHY 6210   CRA No. 20010720 Hosted by Blacknight Made with Xara
St. Joseph’s Carmel
© 2023 Carmelite Monastery of St Joseph, Kilmacud, Co. Dublin, A94 YY 33, Ireland Registered Charity in Ireland    CHY 6210CRA No. 20010720 Hosted by Blacknight Made with Xara

A Light for our Path

“Your word is a lamp for my steps, Lord, and a light for my path” Ps 118 Our Carmelite Rule bids us to “ponder the Lord’s law day and night”, as Mary did. The Word is a lens through which we learn to see and judge all that happens in our daily lives and world. It is a school of daily conversion, where we meet Jesus and grow into his mind and heart; we put on his attitudes, as portrayed in the Beatitudes.

Lectio Divina

“Lord, who can grasp all the wealth of just one of your words?” St Ephraem Each Sister spends time every day in Lectio Divina, i.e. “sacred reading” of the Scriptures. Lectio Divina dates back for centuries. The early hermits on Mount Carmel would take a single word or short passage from Scripture, carrying it in their hearts throughout the day, ruminating on it and often repeating it aloud, savouring it… Once a week we come together for a shared group Lectio Divina, usually on the Gospel for the coming Sunday. We gain new insights and spiritual nourishment from listening to each other. It is surely a sign of today’s new springtime that the Holy Spirit is opening up this “living power among us” (1 Thess 2:13) through Lectio Divina, helping us to discern today the signs of the times and the way forward.
St. Joseph’s Carmel