St. Joseph the Worker and the Work of Prayer,Deacon Mark Danis, OCDS

The day this was recorded was the first day of May and fell on a Sunday this year.  It is also the day we would have been celebrating the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Deacon Mark Danis was just recently ordained to the diaconate and this is his first homily given to our Secular Discalced Carmelite community in Dayton, OH.

3 themes are covered:

--St. Joseph the Worker

--the gift of prayer and contemplation, especially in Carmel

--St. Joseph as a model of contemplation

Deacon Danis begins by quoting Holy Mother Teresa on her confidence and devotion to St. Joseph. He continues by telling us the origin of the feast day to St. Joseph the Worker and the importance of the worker over work. 

What is the work of those in Carmel?  And how is that manifested? What guidance does St. John of the Cross give us?

Deacon Danis then relates this to the Gospel passage on the 3 denials of St. Peter.  How is this related to our prayer and our relationship with the Lord?  In what ways does St. Joseph model prayer?  Finally, in what ways do the prayers affect the whole world?

So, get to work!  Pray, pray, pray!

The Carmelite Conversations Podcast is an apostolate of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites community of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Dayton, Ohio. Discalced Carmelite Seculars are practicing members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and inspired by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, make the commitment to the Discalced Carmelite Order to seek the face of God for the sake of the church and the world. For more information about Secular Carmelites, visit our website.