Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
“God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Take a moment to let that statement, that truth, sink in. God actually went through with the terrible sacrifice with which he tested Abraham. He gave His only ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
What does it mean to proclaim a crucified Christ, to worship a crucified Messiah? The mystery of who Jesus is, both fully human and fully divine, reminds us that we cannot put any limit on God. Jesus accepted the constraints of humanity, and suffered and died on the Cross. Jesus then ove ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today in the Gospel Peter says to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here!” Given that Peter had just witnessed Jesus’ Transfiguration and the appearance of Moses and Elijah that could be categorized as a bit of an understatement. It is amazing, miraculous, and astonishing tha ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
This year we have chosen for our Lenten theme “Led By The Spirit.” The forty days of Lent commemorate the forty days that Jesus spent alone in the desert wilderness, facing temptation, fasting, and praying to His Father. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert to help prepare Him for ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today’s psalm encourages us to turn to God in our time of need. “I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble and you fill me with the joy of salvation.” We can mark our most intimate relationships by who we turn to first in difficult times. At first it is usually our parents and our fa ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
At this moment, our world is crying out for the healing Jesus offered the people of Capernaum in today’s Gospel. As we continue to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic, and the physical, mental and emotional strains that it brings, we find ourselves in great need of Jesus’ healing ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today in the Gospel we find Jesus teaching in the temple with an authentic authority which astonishes those listening and learning. Even the unclean spirit recognizes Jesus for who He is, “the Holy One of God.” Those present can sense that this is a new kind of authority, based not o ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
This Sunday we celebrate “Sunday of the Word of God.” This celebration is a gift to us from our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who in his Apostolic letter “Aperuit Illis” instituted the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be the Sunday of the Word of God. In Pope Francis’ own words fr ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
The Gospel today reminds us of a crucial aspect of being a follower of Jesus Christ - bearing witness to Him in the world. John the Baptist’s witness, proclaiming Jesus as the Lamb of God, causes Andrew to be drawn to Jesus. After a single afternoon with Jesus, Andrew bears witness to ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
There can be no greater endorsement for the power and importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, than that Jesus Himself was baptized. Little is known from Scripture of Jesus’s life from the time of the Magi’s visit until he comes to the river Jordan for Baptism. We know as a child, whi ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
This week we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the Magi to the newborn Christ Child. It is a beloved story of the Christmas season and it foreshadows the Paschal Mystery in the Magi’s gifts of myrrh, used to prepare the dead for burial, frankincense, used to incense s ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I hope you had an opportunity to connect with your family in the past few days, whether in person, on the phone, or on the omnipresent Zoom. Family is one of God’s greatest gifts. One of the lessons we ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In the Gospel today the Angel Gabriel assuages Mary’s doubt and fear by reminding her that “nothing will be impossible for God.” We are close to the celebration of the Incarnation, that seemingly impossible moment when God, the King of Kings, is born into human form in the lowlie ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks.” Wonderful advice from St. Paul but perhaps easier said than done. Rejoice yes, but always? What about when confronted with the sadness and disappointments that life presents? Pray, yes, but unceasingly? What ab ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
As we continue on our Advent journey we wait in hope for so many things. We wait for the coming of Christ at Christmas and His Second Coming at the end of time. We wait for the COVID-19 vaccine, and the end of this devastating pandemic. We wait to be able to safely see our family and f ...
