JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!

Yesterday my daughter and I had the opportunity to attend the public Thanksgiving Mass at Our Lady of Solitude Monastery in Tonopah, AZ.  (See http://www.desertnuns.com/) This beautiful monastery is where the Poor Claire nuns of Perpetual Adoration now call home, and pray day and night before our Lord in thanksgiving for His gift of the Eucharist, to present the needs of the diocese, our communities, and for all souls in the greater world.

The architecture itself was a lovely reminder of how a church can raise one's mind to heavenly realities.  With its wood beams and archways, along with the stained glass windows of some of our most beloved saints, and of course the altar and tabernacle itself which depicted the Lamb of God, the monastery does a fine job of drawing one's mind and heart to higher mysteries. It is interesting to note that two Carmelite saints will eventually be depicted in the stain glass windows: St. Therese and St. Teresa Benedicta.  A beautiful statue of St. Therese of Lisieux already stands at the back of the church, showing us yet again how universal her reach and spirit.

The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Wall with a spirit of sincere thanksgiving and sharing of many memories over these past several years since the 'Desert Nuns' packed up their few belongings at the Mother House in Alabama, and came out to the desert with big hopes and lots of prayers.  During Mass, the nuns sat behind the grill with their visiting Dominican sisters who teach in many Phoenix area schools.  Their chanted hymns added another element that raised our hearts and souls to God. 

In such holy, prayerful, and joyful surroundings it was a good time for me to take stock of my own call to Discalced Carmel Secular Order whose vocation is to "undertake to live in the world and evangelical life of fraternal communion imbued with the spirit of contemplative prayer, in imitation of the Virgin Mary, and animated with apostolic zeal according to the example and teaching of Carmelite saints, and whose mission is to a life both contemplative and apostolic, to carry into the world the distinctive witness of Carmel: 'The Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand' 1 Kings 17,1.  

I asked myself:
1. Do I truly take the time in an attitude of humble thanksgiving to thank Our Lord for all that He has so generously bestowed upon me and my family? Do I recognize His gifts, and am I open to receive them? Is my attitude one of gratitude and joy no matter my exterior circumstances, or interior state?

2. Do I foster silence and contemplation in my daily life? Do I use words only as an instrument of peace and love, and seek to imitate Our Lady in all dealings with others?

3. When I do interact with others in the world, am I zealous only  for Our Lord's Glory or do I seek undue attention or praise for myself? 

In assessing these, I can truthfully say that much work still needs to be done to realize our charism within myself. I thank the Lord for His patience with me and His continual care for me in body and soul. Just as the desert nuns traveled far away without knowing how things would turn out, so we are asked to step out in faith and to journey our ascent of Mt. Carmel in a spirit of joyful thanksgiving, love, detachment, and acceptance of His perfect Divine Will.

After traveling far west over highways, past Arizona farmland, to the exit of the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant, and on 6 miles over a bumpy dirt road, it was a blessed pilgrimage that enabled me to assess my own Carmelite calling and how this is developing in my own life.  The First Reading of the Mass captured this opportunity perfectly, "“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.” Hosea 2:14

I pray that we will all avail ourselves of these opportunities of silence and solitude when they present themselves, and allow Our Lord to speak deeply within our hearts that we may become a 'Praise of Glory' to His Most Holy Name. Amen.