Have you ever considered yourself a mystic? What exactly is a mystic? What is mysticism? How does it apply to me? The mystic, St. John of the Cross, dives into what the “Dark Night of the Soul” entails. In general, many p...

Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, shares a Lenten message about the Dark Night of the Senses, St. John of the Cross, disposing ourselves to God's grace, and seeking God, not His gifts.

Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS shares a reflection on how to accept our own weaknesses and obstacles to our union with God. Deacon Mark quotes the book Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird.

During this homily given by Fr. John MacQuarrie, the spiritual assistant for our Secular Carmelite Community, discusses the outward sign of Carmel as he welcomes three members of our community who were clothed with the ceremonial brown scapular.

In this homily, Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, discusses the true meaning of joy and how the Carmelite saints viewed joy.

What can we do to be better predisposed to receive God’s Grace leading to Union with Him?  We know that “only the pure of heart see God.”  So, how do we purify our hearts most effectively?  Discalced Secular Carmelite Deacon Mark Danis gives us great insights on this topic and quotes St. Elizabeth …

Mountains play a prominent role in Carmelite Spirituality and in Prayer.  What does the mountain represent?  In the scriptures, we read about the Prophet Elijah and mountains.  What did the mountains represent for Elijah?

How did the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel come about?  What is the connection with the Prophet Elijah?  How did the spirituality of Elijah spread across the world?

Marriages are free, full, faithful, and fruitful.  Deacon Rusty Baldwin, OCDS, analyzes these same elements as it relates to Carmelite spirituality.  It is very enlightening and enriching.

St. John of the Cross speaks about the activity of the will as much if not more than any of the other faculties of the human person. The other two are intellect and memory. But it is the will that most significantly drives human behavior.

During this Lenten season, and by focusing on a few important points in the scripture passage on the Samaritan Woman, Deacon Mark Danis uses the lense of contemplation to highlight the importance of coming to know the truth about ourselves so that by...

So often in the spiritual journey, we can run into roadblocks. We can mistakenly perceive that we have gotten off course, and we might immediately seek to turn back to find the right path again.

If you feel as though you have reached a plateau in your prayer life, or after many years of active prayer, you feel as though you are suddenly stuck, it may be the Lord is calling you to a deeper encounter with Him.

What is like to enter into the 7th Dwelling Place?  What was it like for St. Teresa?  Then we turn to a discussion about spiritual marriage.  We focus on what this experience/union with God was like for St. Teresa.  These chapters truly help us to ha...

Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS, shares ways to prepare during Advent for the birth of our Lord. He provides suggestions specific for Secular Carmelites. This talk was given during a Holy Hour.

In the final rooms of the 6th Dwelling Place of the Interior Castle, St. Teresa teaches us about some special favors our Lord gives to prepare the soul with wedding garments for entrance into His Kingly Chambers, the Throne Room.

On the Solemnity of St. Teresa of Avila, Deacon Mark Danis gave an inspiring reflection.  His focus was on the famous quote of St. Teresa:  “You must have a very determined determination.”

The most challenging phase of our spiritual journey is the transition from meditative prayer to contemplative prayer.  This transition literally requires us to begin to abandon the comfortable methods of prayer, and the use of our faculties, that we ...

The Lord (the Bridegroom) continues to draw the soul (the Bride) closer to Him through the purification of the soul as well as mystical favors that may occur.  In this episode, we talk about the importance of keeping the humanity of Christ present in our prayer.

One of the most difficult phases in the spiritual life of prayer, is the transition from meditation to contemplation. We explore the five critical means for identifying if a soul is being invited to move from discursive meditation to contemplation.

God continues to draw the soul closer to Him through the purification of the soul as well as mystical favors that may occur.  In this episode, we talk about ecstasies, raptures, flights of the spirit, spiritual betrothal, the gift of tears, and more.

In this homily, Deacon Mark Danis asked himself what can souls do to prepare themselves in the Active Night to enter into the Passive Night of the Spirit, which St. John of the Cross discusses in his book, “Ascent to Mount Carmel".

In the life of prayer, there are always transitions.  We cannot remain static in our pursuit of God.  In this particular program, Mark and Frances identify the seven vices that often hold us back from progressing into deeper, more interior stages.

The 16th Century Spanish Franciscan Friar, Francisco de Osuna, was the author of a book considered to be a great masterpiece and spiritual classic called:  “The Third Spiritual Alphabet.” It profoundly influenced St. Teresa of Avila.