Celebrating at Home: God is With Us!Nativity of the Lord*We began Advent with the cry, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. Now we end it with the joyful shout, ‘God is with us!’ Reflecting on the historical birth of Jesus, the Church proclaims the truth that God is, and has always been, with his people. And if God is with us, then God is for us. God is on our side.Read more ...  [*]Celebrating At Home - Nativity of the Lord [PDF][*]Celebrating At Home - Nativity of the Lord [ePub].     .     &n ...Continue Reading

  Celebrating at Home: The Promise Fulfilled4th Sunday of Advent*The great Christmas feast is almost here. As always in Advent, what is promised in the first reading is brought to fulfilment in the Gospel reading. We began Advent with the cry, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. We will end it with the joyful shout, ‘God is with us!’Our Advent journey has called us to:stay awake to the coming of God,prepare ourselves to receive the Lord,rejoice that he is not afraid to make his home with us, and toreceive  ...Continue Reading

  St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the ChurchDecember 14th | FeastWith all that the Eucharist is for a Catholic Christian, does John of the Cross have a Eucharistic spirituality? His devotion to the Blessed Sacrament or the Mass is not immediately evident. But, if in fact the Eucharist holds central importance for him, why is this obscure in his writings?For more on John of the Cross and His Eucharistic SpiritualityFor more on the life of John of the Cross +      +  ...Continue Reading

  Celebrating at Home: Are You the One?3rd Sunday of Advent*This Sunday marks the turning point in the Advent Season. Traditionally called Gaudete Sunday it is a day of rejoicing that the Saviour is near. The focus shifts from the final coming of Christ at the end of time to the first coming of Christ at Bethlehem. The note of joy is symbolised by the inclusion of the colour rose among the purple of the Season.The joyful first reading from the prophet Isaiah proclaims that God is on his way to save his people. ...Continue Reading

  SPIRITUALITY IN PRISON: RESISTING THE LOGIC OF WARDecember 10 | 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Warren Borg EbejerIn light of the fact that war and violence are increasingly on the rise in our world, on our own European doorstep, but not just, what is a Christian response to war and persecution? Specifically, what goes on in one’s mind when they have been unjustly imprisoned? Where lies the Christian hope in an otherwise bitter and anguished condemnation of war? In this seminar, we shall look at how three men of the 20 ...Continue Reading

  Blessed Bartholomew Fanti, priestDecember 5 | Optional MemorialA native of Mantua, Italy, he was a Carmelite in the Mantuan Congregation and already ordained priest by 1452. For 35 years in the Carmelite church of his city, he was the spiritual director and rector of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for whom he wrote a rule and a set of statutes.Humble and gentle, he gave an example to everyone of a life of prayer, of generosity and of faithful service of the Lord. He was outstanding for his lov ...Continue Reading

  Celebrating at Home: Prepare a Way for the Lord!2nd Sunday of Advent*The magnificent first reading from the prophet Isaiah this weekend looks forward to the appearance of one ‘on whom the spirit of the Lord rests – a spirit of wisdom and insight, counsel and power and knowledge of the fear of the Lord’. He gives judgement in favour of the poor. His judgement is not influenced by appearances or hearsay. He judges with integrity. His word strikes the ruthless and his sentences bring death to wickedness.In ...Continue Reading

  +     +     ++ Welcome to the latest issue of CITOC News!  We invite you to read the 3 articles below + + Bienvenido al nuevo número de CITOC Noticias.  Le invitamos a leer los 3 artículos que aparecen a continuación + + Benvenuti al nuovo numero di CITOC Notizie!  Vi invitiamo a leggere i 3 articoli qui sotto ++     +     + Carmelites Reinforce Presence Among the Poor in IndonesiaThe Society of the Litt ...Continue Reading

  *December - Diciembre - Dicembre 2022*ENGLISH | ESPAÑOL | ITALIANODownload English: ocarm.org/en/prayer/lectiodivina Descargar Español: ocarm.org/es/prayer/lectiodivina Scarica Italiano: ocarm.org/it/prayer/lectiodivina.     .     .ENGLISHLECTIO DIVINA - December 2022[*]Lectio Divina December 2022 [PDF] Download here[*]Lectio Divina December 2022 [ePub] Download here[*]Lectio Divina December 2022 [Mobi] Download here.     .   ...Continue Reading

  Celebrating at Home: Stay Awake!1st Sunday of Advent*The great Advent journey begins. The Advent readings are a rich tapestry of images centered on the truth that God has come among us. We do not pretend that we are waiting for Jesus to be born in a stable. That happened once, a long time ago, and it will not happen again. We remember that birth as we remember our own birthdays.The God who came among us is still among us. Advent’s invitation is to become aware of the all- pervading presence of the ...Continue Reading