The Carmelites of Australia and East Timor | Community organisation

The Carmelites of Australia and East Timor

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25.01.2022 Download Week 5 of Season of Creation http://ow.ly/C5Yp50BJ9Ou Thanks to the mass media, in 1999 the world became aware as never before, of the people of East Timor, Australia’s nearest neighbour. Many people cheered at the good news that 78.5% of the East Timorese had voted for their independence from Indonesia, whose armies had invaded and annexed their territory in 1975. Their hopes were shared across the world, that at long last they would be free to decide their own fu...ture, to choose their own leaders, and to govern themselves. Within days, however, hopes for the world’s newest nation turned sour. A local minority, made up mainly of murderous militias, armed to the teeth by the occupying Indonesian army, would not accept the people's vote. They therefore turned against the majority of their fellow-citizens with a ferocity equal to anything that has ever been perpetrated against innocent people anywhere. In Dili, the capital, and in other cities and towns throughout the territory, the combined enemy maimed and murdered thousands of pro-independence supporters, drove thousands of others from their homes, and forced thousands more to leave their own country as refugees. Once the people were gone from their homes, the enemy systematically looted and plundered the people's possessions, before finally burning their houses, their shops, and many of their public buildings to the ground. What the world witnessed, thanks to the extensive news coverage, was nothing less than the implementation of a 'scorched earth' policy... continue at https://www.carmelites.org.au/item/835-season-of-creation

24.01.2022 Memorial of The Holy Guardian Angels Alleluia, alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you angels, his ministers who do his will.... Alleluia! [Psalm 102:21]

23.01.2022 "If we are faithful to Christ and do good works, we can spread the light of God’s hope." - Pope Francis Lectio Divina can be download from our website at: https://carmelites.org.au/lectiodivina... Join our virtual community on Friday mornings at 10.00am AEDT for Lectio Divina. Contact the Carmelite Centre Melbourne to register for the Zoom invitation: [email protected] or visit the link below for more information: https://www.thecarmelitecentremelbourne.org/support/#Lectio

21.01.2022 One sabbath day, Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’ And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’ [Mark 2:23-28]

21.01.2022 Speaking to the faithful in the Paul VI Hall on Wednesday, Pope Francis described the prophet Elijah as one of the most compelling characters in the whole of Sacred Scripture. Elijah and the Bible He goes beyond the confines of his time, the Pope said. He also recalled how Elijah appeared at Jesus' side, together with Moses, at the moment of the Transfiguration.... In the Bible, the Pope noted, Elijah appears suddenly, in a mysterious way. Pope Francis said the prophet Elijah is a man without a precise origin, and above all without an end, taken up into heaven: for this reason, his return was expected before the coming of the Messiah. The Pope emphasized, Scripture presents Elijah as a man of crystalline faith. Elijah is the example of all people of faith who know temptation and suffering, but do not fail to live up to the ideal for which they were born. Prayer life Focusing on Elijah’s prayer life, Pope Francis underlined how prayer and contemplation sustained the Prophet not only in moments of great success but also in the face of adversity and persecution. In off the cuff remarks, Pope Francis highlighted the need for the spirit of Elijah in today’s world. How much we need believers, zealous Christians, who stand up in front of people with responsibility with the courage of Elijah: to say, "You cannot do this. Elijah is the man of God, who stands as a defender of the primacy of the Most High. And yet, he too is forced to come to terms with his own frailties. Wisdom of Elijah Pope Francis explained to those gathered, that Elijah shows us that there should be no dichotomy in the life of those who pray: one stands before the Lord and goes towards the brothers and sisters to whom He sends us. The proof of prayer is the real love of one’s neighbour. Elijah teaches us, commented the Pope, that ardent prayer and union with God cannot be separated from concern for the needs of others. Digressing from his prepared text, Pope Francis noted that prayer is a confrontation with God and letting oneself be sent to serve one's brothers and sisters. In prayer, Pope Francis pointed out, the prophet grew in discernment of the Lord’s will and found the courage to denounce injustice, even at great personal cost. Elijah’s experience of God in prayer, he noted, culminated, when the Lord appeared to him not in wind and fire, but in a quiet whisper. Elijah, a story for us all This is the story of Elijah, the Pope concluded, but it seems written for all of us." "In some evenings we can feel useless and lonely. It is then that prayer will come and knock on the door of our hearts. Even if we have done something wrong, or if we feel threatened and frightened, when we return before God in prayer, serenity and peace will return as if by miracle.

20.01.2022 Invitations refused and accepted The third of the parables addressed to the chief priests and the elders is our Gospel today. Told in the context of a wedding feast given by a great King it’s a parable in three parts. Download 'Celebrating At Home' for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time http://ow.ly/myD450BNT1J

19.01.2022 In a world known for its callous disregard for the poor and downtrodden, the example of Angelo Paoli is a refreshing breath of air. Angelo cared so well for his unfortunate brothers and sisters that he was known as ‘Father Charity’ or ‘Father of the Poor’. Fortunately, he did more than just act as one kind individual he was an excellent motivator, who set many wheels of benevolence in motion at the dawn of the 18th century. Moved by the plight of the poor and the sick in Ro...me, Angelo gathered a network of generous benefactors to feed and clothe them. He looked after the sick as well, caring for them in hospital and establishing a convalescent home where they could recover their strength before returning to family and work. Two Popes wanted to reward him by making him a Cardinal, but Angelo refused. He had no desire and no time to be a prince of the Church. His love and care of those in need came first. He died in 1720 at the age of 78 and was beatified in 2010. His favourite saying was: ‘Whoever wants to love God must search for him among the poor’. #blessed #angelopaoli #carmelite #saint #feast #fatherofthepoor

18.01.2022 Lectio Divina for October is now available to download from our website: http://ow.ly/2EF150BF6Vm You can download and save the scripture texts, reflections and prayers for Lectio Divina for each day of the month. Lectio Divina is a traditional way of praying the Scriptures. Visit our Lectio Divina page https://carmelites.org.au/lectiodivina for more information about how to pray using Lectio Divina. ... Join our Lectio Online group every Friday at 10am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) to prayerfully reflect on the coming Sunday's Gospel.

18.01.2022 Download #CelebratingAtHome for Palm Sunday at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome The passion in Passion Sunday Reading the passion story is always a deeply confronting experience. It’s not just the detail of the trial, torture and death of Jesus. It is the realisation that God has emptied himself of everything we expect gods to have might, power, astonishing wealth, swift and fierce retribution, preferential treatment for some and oppression for others, life itsel...f. In the person of Jesus, God emptied himself into a fragile, naked, tortured human being at the mercy of civil and religious authorities. The God that the religious authorities and the people of Jesus’ time expected in the Messiah is not the God who showed up in the carpenter’s son. Often, too, the God we expect and want is not the God we see in Jesus. What we see in the passion of Jesus is just how passionate God is about us humans.

18.01.2022 November 15 is the Feast of All Carmelite Souls Carmelites remember with love and thanksgiving all those people who have handed on to us the heritage of Carmelite life and spirituality. We remember especially those we have known and who have deeply enriched our own living of Carmelite life. These brothers and sisters of ours may not have been famous spiritual writers nor renowned for extraordinary experiences of prayer, but they made their mark on the Order and on each of us through their own efforts to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ in service to the Order and to the Church. May God welcome them fully into the Divine embrace.

17.01.2022 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! [Psalm 29:11] ...... Praising and Thanking God for reaching this huge milestone of 200,000 Facebook followers!!! Our charism of prayer and contemplation reaches out to embrace all people and to share with them the richness of the Carmelite tradition. We are enriched by people who share with us the spirit of healing and developing human society through the leaven of the Gospel. They are part of our family. In just over 3 years our page has grown from less than 1,000 followers to over 200,000 and we continue to feel the love and support from the global reach of our Facebook community. A special Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated privately for all our followers and their families and for your intentions.

15.01.2022 Download #CelebratingAtHome for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome Reflection - Partners with Christ The Gospel today begins with the foundational cry of Jesus’ ministry: The Kingdom of God has drawn near; repent and believe the Good News. The call of the disciples follows immediately. This Gospel builds on last Sunday’s readings about vocation, and specifically, about how becoming a follower of Christ leads to transformation and th...e proclamation of the Good News. The idea of repentance here is not about turning away from sinfulness, but about leaving a known way of life behind and turning around to face in a totally new direction as a follower of Christ. We see that played out in the call of the fishermen - called away from everything they know and even from their family to set off in a new direction, following Christ. The fact that Jesus called (and still calls) disciples is not about creating a flock of ‘blind followers’ but a people who live and work in active partnership with Christ to establish the Kingdom and preach the Good News. Becoming ‘fishers of people’ they draw others into the circle of God’s life. Using the proclamation at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the story of the call of the first four disciples, the Gospel invites us to think about our own vocation, our own call, as followers of Jesus and what might need to be left behind in order to enter more fully into the mystery of God’s Kingdom; how we might work in partnership with the Spirit of Jesus in making the Kingdom a living reality in the world. Note that the Kingdom does not exist apart from human beings it is to be incarnated (enfleshed) in the new people of God, the disciples of Christ.

14.01.2022 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, J...esus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven or to say, Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ he turned to the paralytic ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’ [Mark 2:1-12]

14.01.2022 May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. [Jude 1:2] ...... Praising and Thanking God for reaching this huge milestone of 200,000 Facebook followers!!! Our charism of prayer and contemplation reaches out to embrace all people and to share with them the richness of the Carmelite tradition. We are enriched by people who share with us the spirit of healing and developing human society through the leaven of the Gospel. They are part of our family. In just over 3 years our page has grown from less than 1,000 followers to over 200,000 and we continue to feel the love and support from the global reach of our Facebook community. A special Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated privately for all our followers and their families and for your intentions.

12.01.2022 Praising and Thanking God for reaching this huge milestone of 200,000 Facebook followers!!! Our charism of prayer and contemplation reaches out to embrace all people and to share with them the richness of the Carmelite tradition. We are enriched by people who share with us the spirit of healing and developing human society through the leaven of the Gospel. They are part of our family.... In just over 3 years our page has grown from less than 1,000 followers to over 200,000 and we continue to feel the love and support from the global reach of our Facebook community. A special Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated privately for all our followers and their families and for your intentions.

12.01.2022 Download #CelebratingAtHome for Holy Thursday at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome On this night we recall Jesus’ commandment to love one another, his washing of the disciples’ feet and the breaking of the bread of his own life, not just at table, but also on the altar of the Cross, for the healing and nourishment of the world. The liturgy on Holy Thursday is a meditation on the essential connection between the Eucharist and Christian love expressed in serving one another. Christ is not only present in the Eucharist but also in the deeds of loving kindness offered to others through us. We are the ones who make ‘real’ the presence of Jesus in every smile, kind word and loving action.

12.01.2022 This week’s #parable asks us how we have used the gifts that God has entrusted to us. It is essentially a parable about #stewardship. Download 'Celebrating At Home' for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time: http://ow.ly/6wEX50BIpff #prayer #lectiodivina #carmelite

12.01.2022 Invitations refused and accepted https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome The third of the parables addressed to the chief priests and the elders is our Gospel today. Told in the context of a wedding feast given by a great King it’s a parable in three parts.... The first part is about God’s gracious invitation and its indifferent and sometimes violent refusal by those invited first (the religious and lay leaders). Second part: God’s invitation having been rejected by the first to whom it was offered, is now offered to others - good and bad alike (the sinners). Third part: the story of the guest without a wedding garment - one who accepts the invitation but does not change - a little like the son in the first parable who said, Yes, but didn’t go to the vineyard. The wedding garment is a symbol of a converted life full of good deeds. The sense of the last line of the Gospel: Many are called but few are chosen, is that all are called to salvation, but it is only had by those who accept the invitation and who change and yield good deeds. There is no room for complacency. All three Gospel parables of the last three Sundays are about conversion. Conversion is not just turning away from sin but a radical reorienting of one’s life (turning) towards God. Repentance is not so much being sorry for past sins as a total change of direction. Conversion is impossible for the self- righteous because they don’t believe they need it. Hardness of heart and the refusal to listen are two great biblical sins. In the three parables, St Matthew is urging his community to seek after true righteousness which comes from conversion and repentance, which flows from allowing the vision of God to fill their eyes and hearts. The kingdom has been entrusted to them, they are to produce its fruit of good deeds through a life of continual turning towards God. Hard hearts, blocked ears, blind eyes, refusing to change are the path to death. We are those who choose Life.

09.01.2022 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.... - Laurence Binyon Remembrance Day | 11.11 Remembering all Australian service men and women who gave their lives. Lest We Forget

09.01.2022 Celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation The Church never asks us to simply commemorate something which happened a long time ago. There is always a sense of the eternal present in our feasts, liturgy and prayer. So, today we are not just commemorating the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary. We read it as a reminder that God is calling us, too, to be bearers of the living Jesus in our own moment of history. We are encouraged by Mary’s example of being able to say ‘Yes’... to God’s invitation without having all the answers. That must have taken great trust and great open-heartedness. ... The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.He went in and said to her, "Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you." She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,but the angel said to her, "Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?""The Holy Spirit will come upon you," the angel answered, "and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God."" "I am the handmaid of the Lord," said Mary, "let what you have said be done to me." And the angel left her. [Luke 1:26-38]

08.01.2022 Standing in prayer and solidarity with our friends in Timor-Leste

08.01.2022 1 October is the feast day of St Thérèse of Lisieux famous for her teaching on the 'the little way of confidence and love' found in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul. Thérèse Martin was born in Alencon in France in 1873. Whilst still young she entered the Discalced Carmel of Lisieux. Her writings reveal a very human character. She frequently fell asleep during the long hours of prayer in the monastery chapel. She always had a strong sense of God's love for her and felt h...er calling was to be love. 'What matters,' she wrote, 'is not great deeds, but great love'. She died on 30 September 1897, just 24 years old. She was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

07.01.2022 Download 'Celebrating At Home' for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome Stewards of God’s gift... In last Sunday’s parable, Jesus addressed the Jerusalem priests and elders with a message that action speaks louder than words. This Sunday, Jesus continues his address to them, building upon that message by using another parable. This week’s parable asks us how we have used the gifts that God has entrusted to us. It is essentially a parable about stewardship. God has entrusted the kingdom to us, individually and collectively. We are expected to cultivate and manage this Kingdom life in such a way that it bears good fruit, fruit that we can present to God, the ‘owner of the vineyard’. There is nothing in the parable to indicate that there was any actual produce for the landowner to collect. It may very well be that the tenants had simply neglected the wonderful vineyard altogether and allowed it to fall into ruin. Each of us has been given, not only the gift of life, but the wealth provided by God’s grace the very kingdom of God. Indeed, we have been privileged. However, with this privilege comes responsibility and we are ultimately responsible to God for the way we use or neglect the Kingdom within. We have to become a people who produce the fruit of the kingdom: love, mercy, justice, forgiveness, tolerance, hope, joy, deeds of loving kindness. What will we do with the Kingdom that has been entrusted to us? We pray that we may leave all the various ‘vineyards’ of our worlds in a better condition than how we were given them. May we work to develop and sustain our awareness, seek out opportunities to contribute and then make judicious use of the gifts and grace that God has given us by letting God’s grace be seen at work in us - and, through us, at work in the world. We are stewards of the Kingdom and of God’s grace. Let’s not waste such a great gift.

06.01.2022 Download #CelebratingAtHome for Good Friday at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome Our afternoon liturgy is a meditation on the passion and death of the Lord. We begin listening to the words of Isaiah about the suffering servant on whom is laid the sin of all. We are struck by the brutality of the passion. We wonder at the depth of love of a God who gives up his own life that we might truly live. We venerate the cross, not as a symbol of horrible death, but as a sign... of the victory of God’s love; the end of one way of living and beginning of another. We pray with Christ’s spirit for the needs of the world. We receive again the Food that nourishes and strengthens us on our journey to Easter day. Beginning The Lord is here, present among us. We are gathered with the whole Church in this moment of prayer. Preparing to hear the Word Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you solemnly: unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Eternal God, we are the harvest yielded by the death of your Son. As we gather around the cross of Jesus, remembering his great love for us, bring us to new life in Christ for he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen. The Passion of Jesus according to John https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome

03.01.2022 Please join us for Matthew Tonini’s Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday 18 April at 10.30am in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, cnr Richardson & Wright Streets, Middle Park (VIC). RSVP to: [email protected] or on (03) 9699 1922. Traditionally, newly-ordained priests celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving on the day following their Ordination, presiding for the first time at the celebration of the Eucharist.

03.01.2022 Download #CelebratingAtHome in PDF & ePub for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome Continuing the theme of last week’s #parable about the wise and the foolish women, this parable also concentrates on wisdom... https://carmelites.org.au/item/874-growing-the-kingdom #carmelite #prayer

01.01.2022 Download #CelebratingAtHome in PDF and ePub formats at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome Growing the Kingdom Continuing the theme of last week’s parable about the wise and the foolish women, this parable also concentrates on wisdom. The wise servants fulfil the bond of trust placed in them by the master by are being productive with an enormous amount of money entrusted to them. Like the perfect wife in the first reading, they are industrious in contrast to the third... servant who uses fear as an excuse for doing nothing. Like last Sunday, today’s Gospel is another ‘meantime’ parable - how do we live as disciples of Christ in the meantime as we wait for his return? The master entrusts his property to his servants and goes away. On his return, he asks for an accounting of what they have done with his property. The servants who have been industrious and productive are praised. The servant who did nothing is condemned. Christ has entrusted us with the Kingdom of God. We are called to work industriously and productively with the Spirit so that the Kingdom, the Reign of God’s grace, may be seen and experienced through us, and that others also may come to believe. The Kingdom gifts of love, justice, mercy, compassion and forgiveness are multiplied. The Kingdom grows. Both the first reading and the Gospel today praise busy, energetic people - those who produce much from what has been given to them. In these readings we find an image of how to wait in this ‘in between time’ for the final coming of Christ. The Christian disciple is called to watch and wait, not in a lazy or self-indulgent way, but eagerly doing the work of the Kingdom and producing its fruits of justice, mercy, peace, hope and love as we go about our daily tasks. It is the ideal of responsible stewardship which is proclaimed in the Gospel. We have been entrusted with the very life of God. What are we doing/will we do with it?

01.01.2022 Download 'Celebrating At Home' for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome Called to be a living Gospel This Sunday could very well be called ‘Vocation Sunday’. Both the first reading and the Gospel are stories of call and response.... The episode we read in the first reading is well described as ‘Samuel’s Call’. Three times he hears God calling but thinks it is Eli (a Temple priest) and goes to him. Eli finally understands that it is God calling Samuel and tells him that next time he hears the voice to say, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. The reading concludes with the thought that God was with (dwelt with) Samuel and that Samuel spoke in God’s name. Taken together with the Gospel, it’s hard to escape the thought that this Sunday is Vocation Sunday for all disciples. Just as God calls Samuel and Eli points the way, Jesus calls Andrew and the other disciple and John the Baptist points the way. Andrew responds (follows) and goes to ‘see’ and ‘dwell with’ Jesus. Next day, he calls Peter and both go to ‘see’ and ‘dwell with’ Jesus. Andrew’s meeting with Jesus transforms him into both a follower and an evangeliser. Peter’s meeting with Jesus (coming to ‘see’ Jesus) transforms him into the ‘rock’, the ‘foundation’ and the ‘shepherd’ (in John’s Gospel) of the flock. Using both these readings the church returns to Ordinary Times calling us to reflect on our vocation, our call, to be disciples to ‘come and see’ Jesus, to ‘dwell with him’ and to become evangelisers and shepherds in our own day. Spending time in the company of Jesus (dwelling with him) we come to see who Jesus and God really are often very different from the images we have grown up with. Christians are called to a ‘mature’ faith in Jesus, a living relationship which is not dependant on rules, threats and fear, and is motivated only by love. We learn to live in faithful relationship with Jesus. Eventually, we become the living ‘voice’ of Christ in our thoughts, words and actions. It is not a passive following to which we are called. This is not about simply putting our feet in the footprints of Jesus. This is about dwelling with him, making his home ours, making our home his. It’s about making room for him in our hearts and our lives, becoming the dwelling place of God and the voice of Christ to become a living Gospel of God’s love.