October Meeting

Our monthly meeting was graced with Father Walter Carr giving us a talk on the topic "Prayer".
Father opened the presentation with the statement that prayer is both natural and necessary.

Quoting St. Agustin, "Prayer is the soul breathing". "Those who cease to breath die". Breathing is natural and healthy and Father compares this, breathing, with prayer. "Prayer is Love" and to love is to want the happiness of others. We can accomplish this through prayer. We heard many scripture passages taken from Acts telling us that the early church was in continual prayer. "Pray without ceasing" as Carmelites. Thank you Father for your inspiring words.

October Reflection:Our Good Example

"Each one of us ought to act as though the perfection of the Church depended on our personal conduct." St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

These days we hear so much about ecumenism and how to make the Catholic faith understood and appreciated by non-Catholics, but in the end we are Our Lord's best message, and the example of good Christian lives will draw more souls to Him than any number of dialogues. We are His hands and His feet and His lips. What does it matter what we "say" about our religion, if our actions belie our words? What if our feet are not following His pathways but going after dubious pleasures? What if we follow the latest extreme fashions in nclothes instead of dressing with Christian modesty? What if the jokes to which we listen and the books we read are sometimes shady? What if our business deals are not quite open and aboveboard? What if we scorn another's race or religion?

As Carmelites it is our vocation to bear witness to Christ and our love of His Blessed Mother. Our Lord told us to let our light shine forth before men. We should so live that our belief in the teachings of our Catholic faith shows plainly in all our words and actions. Then, indeed, we can be certain that Our Lord's message will be clear to all the world.
Love/Peace

Dora Zavala ocds