A Celtic Journey with St. John of the Cross

We would like to share with you two beautiful musical reflections in honour of Our Lady and St John of the Cross recorded by Kerrie O’Connor and friends in our Chapel. We vacated the Chapel one afternoon while they did all the hard work!!  The first one is available on youtube and the second will be available for the feast of St John of the Cross on 14th December. We hope you will enjoy. https://youtu.be/R2YGDeZ0haE

 

A Celtic journey 

 

 

 Prayer & Reflection
for Women

From time to time we host days of prayer and reflection for women interested in exploring a vocation to Religious life. For further information please contact us at: carmel@roebuckcarmel.com

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Sunday Reflection  

 

Saints Peter and Paul 2025

 Saints Peter and Paul

 

Acts 12:1-11

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

Matthew 1613-19

 

Three weeks ago we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, the Birth of the Church.  In a sense, today we celebrate something of the Reality of the Church.  We are inclined to talk about Church in two ways; the Magisterium of the Church and the People of God.  Saints Peter and Paul represent both concepts and provide us with a double-sided view of the Reality of the Church.

It is a shame that too often we divide the Magisterium of the Church into slots of ‘Conservative’ and ‘Progressive’.  The gift of the Church given by Jesus is a treasure to be conserved and all of it which is good must be protected and conserved.  Of course the Church must be ‘Conservative’ but it must move on also.  The stability of what has been conserved will give impetus and protection when the Church moves on to cater for the needs of a particular time or people.

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16h Sunday in Ordinary Time   

Mark 6:30-34

Praying aloneThe business world today and indeed perhaps our everyday life is full of action and activity. Words such as ‘hyper’, ‘pressure’, ‘stress’, ‘aggression’, abound and are taken for granted as being what we have to put up with. Today’s liturgy presents a very different picture and is full of rest, peace, silence and gentleness. 

The Gospel episode gives us a glimpse of the Apostles as they return from their first pastoral journeys. They are full of enthusiasm and seem to have been impressed by their success--another business term! They can’t wait to tell Jesus about how well they had done. He did not suggest a refresher course, of a lengthy assessment test but ‘retreat’; step back, come aside, break off, rest awhile! “Come away to a quiet place all by yourself and rest awhile”.

Disciples of the Lord are called to proclaim the Kingdom first. Retreat is a time to be alone—not loneliness, which can be empty and destructive, but solitude where the emptiness creates the necessary space for God. Here we can reflect with God on our call, our mission, and whether God’s glory or our own success is our ambition.

The scripture readings today suggest that we are gently led to this quiet place by the gentlest and most loving of beings, the shepherd. The shepherd leads rather than drives, the shepherd is present rather than obtrusive, the shepherd prompts rather than directs. The place of silence is near ‘restful waters’ and the waters are refreshing and life-giving. It is significant that the only time that Mark mentions ‘apostles’ is in this passage and that when he does it is not in the context of further activity, mission and ministry, but in the connection with retreating from their busy-ness in order to build resources and learn from the Lord. We can hear God’s word most clearly in quiet and silence. An old advertisement for hi-fi equipment reads; “Silence gives you perfect Sound”.

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