Carmelite Monastery of St Joseph, Kilmacud - Sisters' Reflections

I always feel privileged to have been born into a Catholic family, wrapped by the loving atmosphere and filled with Catholic tradition, I have no problem when the three existential questions appear: who am I? where have I come from? where am I going? Most religions try to offer an explanation and a method to reach the ultimate happiness of life whatever way they define it. Being a Catholic, I have a strong conviction about where I come from and where I go after death. That I come from God and will return back to God. Just from here to there is quite a journey. How to live this life is a question that most people struggle with.   I have lived life fully like other young people with a decent education, a stable job, a nice family to live in, and a good circle of friends to socialize with. But one day, I reached a critical point: I wondered if this is the kind of life that I am called to? How will I answer God when facing Him at the end of my days? For the question: “what have you don...

    Both Matt and Therese after their conversions were drawn to the Mass. Matt clung to his daily Mass and visits to the Blessed Sacrament to ward off his terrible craving for drink.  Christ in the Eucharist whetted his thirst. Matt’s mind, under the guidance of his priest friends expanded.   He was reading the Bible. He was learning from spiritual books loaned to him.   He was reaching out to the poor. Therese on looking at a picture of the precious blood flowing down to the ground without anyone hastening to gather it up was resolved to remain in spirit at the foot of the Cross to receive the divine dew and pour it out on souls. She became “a fisher of souls” and Matt seems to have fallen into her net!   Both of them turned to the Blessed Mother of God. Therese would say “ She is more Mother than queen.”   Matt said . “No one knows the Good Queen She is to me”. In 1888, 4 years after Matt Talbot’s conversion, Therese Martin entered the Carmel of ...

In this great Jubilee Year of Hope, we rejoice to be celebrating the centenary of the death of Venerable Matt Talbot. The Carmelite family are also celebrating the centenary of the canonisation of St. Therese on May 17th 2025. Matt was attracted to the young saint of Lisieux whose message of confidence in God’s merciful love was running like a forest fire around the world. We find her message making an enormous impact on the struggling alcoholic sucking his pebble as he walked the streets of Dublin to ward off his craving for drink and the other terrible withdrawal symptoms he was experiencing. Matt called Therese “his little brick”! She beckoned him on along his path of conversion. When shame and guilt scorched his mind and heart – her confidence in God’s merciful love was like oil poured into his wounds. In these 2 young people – 28 year old Matt and 14 year old Therese Martin, is there not something similar in their conversion? Christ’s grace of conversion descended on Matt outside ...

  The great season of Lent in the   Jubilee Year of Hope is upon us. As I began this blog, news came that Chi’s beloved grandfather in Saigon has slipped away to heaven to be with God whom he loved and served so well for 95 years. He died surrounded by his loving family and Chi accompanied him in prayer from Kilmacud Carmel. He gave her every encouragement to follow her   Carmelite vocation. May he rest in peace forever and watch over his loved ones especially Chi, our postulant.   The refrain of a hymn we were learning seems to me to capture the heart of Our loving Father as he gazes on His children   preparing to live Lent.   Come back to me , with all your heart.  Don’t let fear keep us apart.  Long have I waited for your coming home to me in love And living deeply our new life. Dear Sr. Kevin of happy memory loved the hymn – Come as you are by Paul Gurr. It too captures the heart of Our Abba Father   as he sees into the hearts of H...

A few weeks ago one of our Sisters fell and broke her wrist. (She is now well on the way to healing, thank God). In the aftermath of the accident, the usual procedure was followed: first aid, transport to hospital, x-ray and diagnosis, resetting the injured bone, and wrapping in a protective cast to promote full healing. But that was only the beginning, and since then Sister has been receiving lots of TLC and assistance with various needs that are difficult to do “one handed” and we are all happy to aid her recovery in whatever way we can. Isn’t it true that when a family member or friend has such an accident, it brings out the best in us? These days the daily news is reporting on the inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing which killed 29 people plus unborn twins.   Many more were left maimed and scarred for life, not only physically but emotionally and mentally. This opportunity for them to tell their story may help to bring some healing of wounds carried for decades. Often we do...

Last week my team, Shelbourne FC (whom I have followed and supported for 30 years) won the league again! What joy and celebration there was amongst all the supporters, team and management of the club. The scenes I was able to view online were so uplifting and made me smile and my heart pump with happiness! It was the first time in 18 years since they won the league… eighteen long years… it makes me stop and think… Eighteen years ago I joined this community at Kilmacud, and so much has happened in my life in that time – ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Eighteen years ago my nephew was born, and over all these years, through the normal ups and downs of life (thank God more ups than downs) he is now grown into a wonderful intelligent, healthy, caring and thoughtful young man. And over the past eighteen years, that beloved football club, Shelbourne, that was my second home for many years before I became a Carmelite, have been through such doldrums, such difficult times, barely surviving… b...

  In yesterday's Gospel, Jesus says: “the Kingdom of God is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour ’til it was leavened all through.” A few months ago, Dr. Jessie Rodgers, the Scripture scholar broke open this parable for us. Do you know how much 3 measures of flour is? Well, I did not. It is enough to make 52 loaves of bread! Dr. Jessie does the Parables of Jesus with children sometimes and the comment of one little girl on the 52 loaves of bread was – “ that Mammy must have had very greedy children”! What strikes you I wonder? Maybe that the good woman must have had strong arms to mix that amount of flour? What grips me is that a tiny bit of yeast could make 52 loaves of bread rise. Our young sister makes a large loaf of yeast bread and I love to see it swelling up. But what is so much more awesome is that Jesus uses that image of the tiny bit of yeast when He wants us to discover the wonder of the Kingdom of God’s lov e and goodness. Yes and He tel...

  As the days become warmer and brighter, I think back to the glorious childhood summers of endless joy and sunshine.  I suspect the memories are coloured with a fair slice of imagination as the weather was clearly as changeable then as now, but we only remember the good days!   One thing about summer that didn't change was the Summer concert and the predictable 13th century song 'Summer is a-coming in'.  There are many versions of this, which I suppose is not surprising given the length of time it has been around. I still remember the version we sang: Summer is a coming in, Loud now sing, cuckoo. Groweth seed, and bloweth reed, And spring the woods anew.     Sing Cuckoo. Ewe now bleateth after lamb, Loweth after calf the cow, Bullock starteth,  buck now verteth, Merry sing cuckoo, cuckoo  cuckoo.  Well singst thou cuckoo,  Nor leave thou never now. We were told that it dated from the thirteenth century and the earliest copy wa...

           The Spirit Empowers us and Speaks to us in the ordinary events of daily life   We have been preparing during the past few weeks for the feast of Pentecost. The time when the Holy Spirit came to the Mother of God and Jesus’ Disciples in the upper room.   ‘ They (the Christian Community) all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.’ Acts 1:4.   The Spirit empowered them to go out, with courage, and spread the Good News. What is that Good News? The Good News of Christ is that, He came down to earth not only that He may share in our humanity, but that we may share in His divinity .   Jesus came among us to show us the way to live our lives and remind us that he is present with us, individually and collectively, until the end of time. And there is more! But how do WE today experience this outpouring of the Spirit? There are times when I can be so full of...

  Last Sunday we celebrated the joyful   feast of the Ascension, Jesus’ homecoming to the Father; a great feast of HOPE.   He left us, not as orphans, but promising to be with us to the end of time and to continue to work with us through the Holy Spirit. Hope stretches us beyond what we can see or feel, and our faith assures us that where Jesus now is, one day we hope to follow.   If we take time to be still and quieten our hearts of all the fleeting, dizzying attractions the world offers, we soon discover, like St. Augustine, that our hearts will be restless until we rest in Him. Yes, we are wired for eternity.   Our hearts will live for ever and ever.   Heaven is our Homeland.   It’s as if we all come into the world with a return ticket . Like Jesus, we have come from the Father and we are returning to Him, no matter how long or how many twists and turns on our life’s journey... I find that the elderly help us to reclaim this focus, readjust ...

The weather has been very changeable here in Ireland since the beginning of May, and before that, April and March were colder and wetter than usual. It has really affected farmers and other outdoor workers a lot. Here at the monastery, we have been praying for better conditions to allow them to keep their important livelihood going. Reflecting on the recent weather has brought to my mind some Golden Oldie hit songs centred on the theme of weather. Do you remember Fred Astaire in the 1935 film Top Hat singing: “Isn’t this a lovely day?” (song written by Irving Berlin).    He didn’t care about the rain, once he was with the woman he loved: The weather is frightening the thunder and lightning Seem to be having their way But as far as I'm concerned, it's a lovely day … Let the rain pitter patter but it really doesn't matter If the skies, skies are gray long as I can be with you, it's a lovely day In contrast, the sunshine could not lift the spirits of Buddy Holly ...

Today is the feast of St. Joseph the worker. A feast introduced in 1955 by Pope Pius X11 to counteract   Labour day which had socialist and communist overtones. It was to highlight the sanctifying notion of work. No better man than St. Joseph to do this – he who   worked in the home of Nazareth in the company of Jesus and Mary. See this beautiful statue of St. Joseph which came to us from the Delgany Carmel and notice the white lily in his hand. It was skilfully crafted on to his staff by one of the Vietnamese sisters who lived with us for some time. In their country they appeal to St. Joseph in their every need and they urged us to pray to him for the gift of new vocations. They even translated the prayer they say into English for us! Now we say it after Mass for some years and with good results! Our great St. Teresa had enormous devotion to St. Joseph and named many of her monasteries after him. Let her words about him sink into your heart!   I took for my Advoc...

  What a very interesting comment?   But it is worth reflecting on. When I first read it I was taken aback and then I wondered what if it is true? What if I did not concern myself with what people think about me? We all like to be liked. We like to create a good impression. And, of course In daily life it is important that we portray a good image of ourselves and not be disagreeable.   You will have your own reaction to the above quote but I think it is also empowering.   When I thought about it I realized I should leave the other person their freedom to form their own opinions.   I need to be free to live from my own inner truth and convictions. We are on a journey and with the help of God we all try to work on improving ourselves. And we ask God where we need to improve. While reflecting on the above I was reminded of St Th é r è se. St Th é r è se in her book, the   Story of a Soul talks about an occasion when a sister came into a room where th...

  It’s not easy for us to grasp the reality of Christ’s Resurrection. None of us has ever witnessed a dead person come to life again. We must use our imaginations in order to try and understand what it was like for his family and friends to see him fully alive again in person and sharing meals and conversations with them. Yet, sometimes in life we catch a glimpse of the real miracle and wonder of Resurrection. These are times of grace, and I would like to share my personal experience of Resurrection these past few weeks. For 23 years I have ministered to people in prison through correspondence and offering them a loyal friendship. Exactly one month ago, one of my friends learned that a judge had granted his release. He has been decades in prison and has worked hard to improve himself in that time. Now he is a new man with a future ahead of him as he re-joins society. He has paid the price and done his time and now it is time for him to live a new life of Resurrection! When I ...

Yes, Holy Week and the Easter Triduum is a journey into the heart of God’s forgiveness and compassion – the greatest Love Story ever told.   God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life. (Jn. 3)    Pope Francis in his wonderful letter Misericordiae Vultus says:  “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s Mercy.” Then he makes up a new word “mercifying.” God’s gaze has mercified us he tells us, blessing us with kindness, empathy, mercy and love. Isn’t it wonderful that through the loving gaze of Jesus God has revealed to you and to me that we are his loving children. Pope Francis says, “God is always first, first to wait for us, first to love us, first to help us.”  Let us hold that wonderful news in our hearts this Holy Week .Through God’s gentleness and compassion, we have been mercified. We in turn can be merciful to each other. We can change the way we receive people into our...

It’s a leap year, so a perfect time for a reflection on “leaping” in the Bible! Wherever this word occurs in Scripture, it is in the context of a joyful encounter with God. King David was so overcome with joy when the Ark was ceremoniously brought into the city, that he leapt and danced unselfconsciously (2 Sam 6:16). To see a King leaping is one thing, but in a poetic way the psalms even speak of mountains, hills and nations leaping: He makes Lebanon leap like a calf… Ps 29:6 Mountains leapt like rams, hills like lambs…   Ps 114:4 And then there is a gentler description of an interior movement: “my heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him” Ps 28:7 Leaping for joy is the reaction of all creation when the Almighty God comes close, and even God does some leaping too! The Beloved in the Song of Songs is described as coming to find his lover (the human soul) “leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills” (Songs 2:8). What a wonderful joyful image of the Lord...

For many people Lent is a time to give up things, perhaps things that could be harmful to us if taken in excess, like smoking, drinking alcohol or overeating.  Forgoing such things can be a good discipline and improve our health, but the real purpose of giving things up in Lent is to unite with Jesus 40 days of fasting in the desert.   Some saints and spiritual writers see a more basic call to give up all that is not necessary to make room for God to enter and fill us with his Loving merciful presence. Among our Carmelite writers we see it especially in St. John of the Cross, but even further back we find similar ideas expressed by Johann Tauler (1300-1365). He was a Dominican priest and theologian and was a follower of Meister Eckhart, but he holds his own place as one of the Rhineland Mystics, who stressed friendship with God.  He wrote: It is certain that if God is to be born in the soul it must turn back to eternity. It must turn in towards itself with all i...

It is Ash Wednesday and we are all happily walking around signed with the sign of the Cross on our foreheads. The birds are singing outside and spring is in the air.   So is God’s   tender Mercy - reaching out to us as this season of grace begins. The words of a song   are singing in my heart –   Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart.   Long have I waited for your coming home to me. And living deeply our new life.   Yes, our Loving Abba Father is searching for each of us and especially his lost and troubled children. He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son…   That’s why Jesus came -   to reveal the Father’s tenderness for each one of us.   The favourite hymn of   our old Sr. Kevin now in Heaven   was –   Come as you are.   Come as you are that’s how I want you   Come as you are, feel quite at home.     Close to my heart, loved and forgiven, ...