If you take time to reflect on these two parts of our Third Order Rule, you will see it is a pretty tall order to undertake.

Transcription

1 Lay Carmelites are called to live in the presence of the living and true God who in Christ has come to live among us. Letting ourselves be guided by the actions of the Holy Spirit, we are open to a transformation of mind and heart, of vision and actions, as stated in our Third Order Rule. Chapter 8 #32. Our duel mission of evangelization and service, - spreading the Good News that God loves us all and wants us to do the same for others is what we bring to the world. Chapter 11 #44 states that Every Lay Carmelite is like a spark of love thrown into the forest of life: they must be able to enflame anyone who approaches them. Those we encounter should receive from us some warmth from our contemplative hearts which can see the image of God in others. Each of our Communities becomes a center for life which is authentically human because it is authentically Christian. From the experience of recognizing each other as brothers and sisters, comes the need to involve others in that fascinating human and divine undertaking which is the construction of God s Kingdom. If you take time to reflect on these two parts of our Third Order Rule, you will see it is a pretty tall order to undertake. Establishing relationships are vital for our growth and transformation. In our world which keeps getting more technological, which allows us to connect by the press of a button, we need to be witnesses of God s love. We need to be the personal, face to face connection which reawakens us to His gift of our humanity. 1

2 When we look at the pictures in our Called to Service slideshow and, in a few moments, listen to the examples of these four Lay Carmelites, our actions show that we do serve in our communities, our families, our parishes and the wider places where we work and live. Our service come from the inner strength we experience in our Carmelite Way of Life. Our prayer life, our relationship with Jesus Christ, is what calls us to act with justice, peace and love. It calls us to be Christ s body, His hands and feet because without knowing Christ we cannot be His disciples. Stated over and over in our formation, listening is fundamental to our journey, our transformation. What is it we are listening for? St. Teresa shows us: If our desire is to please God, then the answer we seek can be found by being aware of His presence and our efforts become a gift from God. It is He working in us. When we gather for our monthly community meetings we take the time to listen to each other, to look back at how our month has gone and reflect on all of it in light of the question we might ask Our Lord: What is your will for me? Mary, our greatest intercessors, our Spiritual Mother, gives us the answer; the same one that she gave the servers at the Wedding Banquet in Cana - Do whatever He tells you to do. To prepare for this convocation over 200 Lay Carmelites sent in their stories of how they are listening. How they are Called to Service, doing whatever He tells them to do. 2

3 So at this time I am going to ask our presenters to tell you about their ministries. The Inter Provincial Lay Carmelite Commission picked these four to tell you about their service because they deal with different types of service. To make it easier for you, if you wish to contact any of them for more information, their e- mail addresses are in your tote bag. Jackie Mashia from Holyoke, MA, brings the Brown Scapular catechesis to children preparing for their First Communion and their parents. Patricia Tardi s presentation will be given by Pat Martin from Toms River, NJ. because Patricia s grandchild is a little Tardi in being born. So she has to remain home with the family. Pat Martin will speak about care within a community; Mary Wolfe s presentation will be given by Rebecca Moak, from Richland, Washington. Mary is assisting her husband who is recovering from surgery. Their ministry takes them out of the norm of a community and evangelizes by sharing the charism in an Affiliate group. Margaret Looper from Houston, TX will show one ministry that goes out to an area of service that many of us encounter because cancer knows no boundaries. We have many other wonderful ministries, many areas of service going on. So at this time, please stand if I mention something that you do as an individual or community: do you take on a leadership position in your Lay Carmelite community? Are you involved in various parish ministries such as Catechist, Sacristans, Lectors, Usher, Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion or Music Ministry? Are you a deacon? Do you bring Communion to the sick, run Faith sharing groups, Bible 3

4 classes, RCIA? Are you a parish secretary, or a member of your finance or parish council? Do you: prepare food baskets, work with blood drives, collect clothes for the needy, visit shut-ins, hold baby showers for pregnant teens, assist youth groups? Are you assisting in nursing homes, hospitals or cancer centers? Do you assemble scapulars or rosaries? Do you volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program, work in prison ministry? Are you a companion to senior citizens, do you assist seniors to get to doctor appointments or church? Are you involved in hospice care, donate funds for missions, work at homeless shelters, make shawls or quilts for those in need. Do you care for special needs children or offer respite to their caregivers? And last but first for us: Do you PRAY! Please look around and notice the many ways you are sharing your gifts and talents with and for others. Thank you. Please sit. For whatever God calls each of us to do, we must begin with prayer. The beauty of our charism is that our prayer life reminds us that it is God who is calling; God, who is doing the work in us. We are called to open our hearts to respond to His Word. Sometimes we are active in a ministry or service that we believe we have been called to by God but it is from us. Sometimes it is from a pain or brokenness or a passion that we have felt this calling for action. We might even try to impose it on the whole community saying: We have to do this? 4

5 When we find ourselves pushing an agenda, even a good cause to support, please stop and listen to the community councils decision. The council must reflect on how the group as a whole unit is best able to serve. Individually, it might be your gift to the world, or the council might see that you are getting lost and consumed in the action, the individual passion, that you are losing sight of God. It becomes about you and your need to heal the world of this evil. Let us never lose sight of Who we are living for, Who we serve. Whose Kingdom we are trying to bring others to. So that at the end of this earthly journey God will say to each of us, my good and faithful servant come and sit at my table. So as we go forth back to our daily routines let us do it faithfully, prayerfully, knowing that as St. Teresa points out Christ has no body now but yours and as St Thérèse would say In all things do them with LOVE. Listen to Mary s message: Do whatever He tells you to do? We will then be carrying out our mission no matter where or what that might be because we will do it In Allegiance to Jesus Christ. We will be open to being transformed by He who loves us. Then the world will know us because they will see the face of God in all that we do. 5