St Matthew and Carmel

I found this passage by a Secular Carmelite named Carmel Semple that I have excerpted for St Matthew’s day. ‘Matthew 4:11–23 is a deeply Carmelite Gospel. It recounts how Jesus spent most of his life hidden quietly in Nazareth until he was baptised in the river Jordan by his cousin John the Baptist. He then withdrew to the desert where he fasted for forty days and was tempted by the devil. …  Each temptation tested Jesus’ trust, obedience and loyalty to God. In contrast, Adam and Eve betrayed trust in God’s word, disobeyed His command and desired to be as knowledgeable as God and separate from Him. Jesus reversed this pattern of sin and restored faithfulness to God based on trust, humility and love. ... Our Carmelite vocation begins in the silence of our own desert, where we too are tempted to distrust, disobey and ignore the quiet invitation that says, ‘Follow me.’ The easiest part is saying ‘yes’; the most difficult is fidelity to our vocation, particularly when prayer life seems dry and ineffective.  John of the Cross reminds us that faithfulness is often unseen and that God’s consolation frequently comes when prayer feels bare and unrewarding. Teresa of Ávila described the spiritual life as a gradual awakening, and Thérèse of Lisieux spoke of serving God in darkness, choosing trust without emotional reassurance. Carmelite spirituality does not promise immediate consolation; it teaches patience, endurance and fidelity to prayer when nothing seems to be happening.  When Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee and settled in Capernaum, in the land of Naphtali, far from the religious centre of Jerusalem. This was a time of discernment: Jesus listened, observed events, read the signs of the times and allowed his path to be shaped by obedience rather than ambition.  This attentive listening lies at the heart of our Carmelite spirituality. Elijah encountered God not in wind or fire but in a still, small voice, and Teresa of Ávila repeatedly urged her sisters to attend carefully to those gentle movements of God within their own lives rather than chasing dramatic spiritual experiences.  Perhaps the most striking moment comes when Jesus calls the first disciples. With the simple words, ‘Follow me,’ Simon, Andrew, James and John immediately leave their nets. Those nets represent security, identity and control.’ [Courtesy of Mount Carmel magazine] 

Intercessions

RIP Chinaka, Jacqui

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Catherine, Alex (43 with five children), Theresa K, Elena

Sophie – newborn having heart surgery; Sianna, young child in the post-operative phase; James, recovering from surgery

Ivy – sick child

Brian (recovering from Pneumonia)

Kevin (heart attack)

William Gove (in recovery)

Illness:  Katy Keeling, Noreen

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Mark – brain infection

Michael, Kira – vulnerable youngsters

Defence of the unborn and the elderly