The Exaltation of the Cross - Renewal of Promise For Traditional Lay Carmelites

Greetings in Jesus and Mary...

Tomorrow is the Feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross. It is in the Rule that we are to offer to God a renewal of our commitment to live this Rule. This day is an opportunity of reflection on what may be a stumbling block to fulfilling the daily requirements of this life of reparation for the sins of the world in honor of Our Lady of Fatima in the spirit of Carmel.

We are to remember that we are to embrace the cross with LOVE and follow Jesus and Mary.....always remembering that only those in the company of Mary stood at the foot of the cross....all the rest hid in fear. Love is the opposite of fear. Let us always remain in the company of Mary and in Her love for the cross!

Mary's love for the cross was Her love to imitate Her Son. We are called to this same motivation. We are called to carry like Him and after Him, in our soul and in our flesh, the marks of the crucifixion. "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross."

A flame dies little by little as it comes into contact with the hardships of life and the monotony of repeated demands. Inconstancy is a fault of the majority. "Only those capable of doing violence to themselves are worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven". Violence to my selfishness, to my pettiness, to the enticements of the world, violence to the demands of my flesh, and violence to the seductions of the devil....must be made daily. Today's world preaches one of ease...not sacrifice.  WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT HOLINESS CONSISTS IN REPEATEDLY BEGINNING OVER. St. Teresa of Avila's famous quote of ...."We must have determined determination." is one we must repeat when we grow weary. And the best way to stay on course is with Our Lady...Our dear Blessed Mother Who wants our holiness more than we do. She wants us to be true children of God and truly obedient to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Never was it known that anyone who fled to Her protection was left unaided. Again, remember that those who made it to the cross, were in the company of Mary.

Let us remember, we are here for eternal life and therefore we need to prepare for that eternal life. As a Carmelite, we are to make reparation for the sins we see around us but to do it with great love for God and for His souls. As St. Therese stated.....we are to be the heart....the Love.....that the world so DESPERATELY NEEDS!

May we live for God alone and love Him above all things by embracing the cross in order to win for God many many souls with the help of Our Blessed Mother!

​Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

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Promise for the Traditional Lay Carmelite of Fatima