St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Little Flower, was called "the greatest saint of modern times" by Pope Saint Piux X. Her "Little Way" has touched the lives of millions throughout the last century. In this episode, Fr. Michael-Joseph of St. Thérèse is joined by Fr. Michael of the Heart of Jesus who unpacks the spirituality and teaching of St. Thérèse and shows how she lived this "Little Way" in her own life.

In the writings of the Carmelite saints, we read of the great fast, which has been kept in Carmelite monasteries for centuries. It always begins today, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and ends with the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter. However, beyond merely the beginning of a period of penance, or a curbing of eating for winter, this holy feast has held special significance for our saints.

OUR Lady, was the one welcomed from our beginnings onward as the protector of those who harken back to the Wadi on Carmel. She is all we could wish to have as patron and promotor of our ongoing life as an Order.

What is Carmelite life? One possible definition comes from the formula of profession for the Discalced Carmelite Friars: life with Mary in allegiance to Jesus Christ. Our Lady plays a central role in the life of a Carmelite. The official name of the order puts Mary at the center: the Discalced Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The following is a reflection from The Cenacle, a collection of fifty meditations on the Holy Spirit written by Fr. John Mary of St. Joseph, OCD circa 1696 and traditionally used by Discalced Carmelites as a preparatory retreat for Pentecost.

Today is the feast day of Saint Simon Stock, a figure whose history is shrouded in mystery and legend. The late Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh helps us to sift through all the uncertainty to find the rich spiritual significance of Saint Simon Stock's reception of the scapular promise from the Our Lady.

Our lives are often clouded with anxiety, frustration, and shame. Despite these difficulties, the saints were able to surrender to God's will and abandon themselves into His loving arms. Like them, we must accept the words of Jesus, "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27). But how? In this episode, we explore the themes of trust and surrender under the guidance of Saint Thérèse and the other Carmelite saints.

Asceticism is a necessary part of the spiritual life. Saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila espouse an absolute asceticism of complete detachment and relentless mortification. This zealous ideal can seem daunting if removed from the ultimate goal of their ascetical practices: love of God and neighbor. In this episode, we discuss the practice of asceticism and its important place in the Carmelite tradition.

Anyone committed to a life of prayer will face the difficulties of distractions and aridity at different times. These experiences can be extremely frustrating and disheartening. However, even the greatest saints faced these same trials in prayer, and they show us that they are actually opportunities for growth in our relationship with God. In this episode, we examine the experiences of distraction and aridity in our times of prayer based on the teachings of the Carmelite masters.

As we grow in the spiritual life, we may find that our prayer becomes less focused on what we are doing and more about what God is doing in us. Saint John of the Cross defines this type of prayer as "an inpouring of God into the soul" and offers three signs to help discern if God is inviting a soul to receive His grace in this way. In this episode, we explore the teachings of Saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila on passive prayer within the Carmelite tradition.

Saint Teresa of Avila proposes one particular method of prayer that she found to be most helpful in her own life: the prayer of recollection. In this episode, we discuss this practice of prayer as it is understood in the Carmelite Tradition. We also look briefly at Saint Teresa's famous analogy of the degrees of prayer: The Four Waters.

Most of us are familiar with various ways of praying, some of these methods taught to us from our youth. These types of prayer are not only for beginners but continue to be helpful aids as we grow in our relationship with God. In this episode, we will look more closely at four different methods, or modes, of prayer which are highly revered in the Carmelite tradition: vocal prayer, liturgical prayer, meditative reading, and discursive meditation.

Whether you’ve been praying for many years, or if you are just beginning, we all have one thing in common: the need for conversion. Lent is a season specifically set aside by the Church to focus on repentance and conversion. In this episode we explore what the Carmelite tradition has to teach us about living lives of continual conversion from the teachings of Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.

This is the essence of Carmel. This is the purpose of the entire spiritual life. This is the reason why the whole world was created. And this is the very reason why you were made...

Thomas Morgan Kavanaugh was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 19 February 1928. After attending Archbishop Messmer High School in Milwaukee, he entered the novitiate of the Discalced Carmelite friars in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1946...

Today, February 4, is the memorial of our newest beatified friar, Bl. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus. As a diocesan priest who entered Carmel five years after my ordination, I received much guidance from the writings and example of this great man who shared with me a common path...

Speak of strange and unexpected fulfillment of prophetic pronouncements. Edith Stein wrote that "what did not lie in [her] plan lay in God's plan." Years later as a contemplative nun living in a cloister in Cologne Germany she helped her Jewish sister Rosa prepare to follow her into the Catholic Church by receiving the sacrament of Baptism just as Edith did back on the first day of the year 1922.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is the exchanging of Christmas cards. There’s a joy-filled wonder in checking the mailbox and seeing a colored card-sized envelope. No matter who it’s from, we love receiving personal notes of affection, awkward family photos, and assurances of prayers and love in the coming New Year...

Saint John of the Cross is widely known for his spiritual writing. He is a Doctor of the Church, master of prayer, and expert of the spiritual life. His writings cover a wide range of subjects and themes, but John is seldom acknowledged for his teachings on the Blessed Virgin Mary. How is it that a man known for his spiritual wisdom, who devoted his entire life to achieving union with God in a religious order dedicated to living in imitation of Mary, is rarely recalled in relation to Our Lady?

“Let us understand most clearly the real fact: God gives [gifts] to us without any merit on our part. And let us thank His Majesty for them, because, if we do not acknowledge we are receiving them, we will not awaken ourselves to love."