Category: Ask a Carmelite Sister
Ask a Carmelite: “Is my prayer good enough?”
Dear Sister, My prayer experiences don’t seem good enough or holy enough, long enough or intense enough. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can pray better? Dear Friend, Yes, I do have a few suggestions. That’s easy… First of all, I suggest not using the expression “prayer experiences” at all. Hit the [...]
Ask a Carmelite: “Does this mean I’ve lost my faith?”
Dear Sister, “Sometimes I struggle in understanding God or some of the teachings of the Church. Does this mean I’ve lost my faith? How does one lose faith? Can faith be restored if it has been lost?” Dear Friend, If understanding certain aspects of the Faith is a struggle you are certainly not alone. As [...]
Ask a Carmelite: Prayer or Good Works?
Dear Sister, Growing up, I was taught that we needed to “pray, pray, pray” in order to save our souls. But recently, a friend told me that we need to do good works instead. Which is more important: prayer or good works? Dear Friend, I remember hearing it said many years ago in a Catholic [...]
Ask a Carmelite: Getting More from Holy Mass
Dear Sister, I don’t get much out of Mass. Do you have any suggestions? Dear Friend, I suppose you have already heard a couple phrases that have become aphorisms on this ‘issue’: “Don’t come to get – come to give” and “You will only get out what you are willing to put in”. While it [...]
Ask a Carmelite: Isn’t It Enough to Believe in Jesus?
Dear Sister, Do I really have to believe all the other things the Catholic Church teaches? Dear Friend, I do realize that the idea of ‘believing all that the Catholic Church teaches’ sounds excessive and even authoritarian to many ears, but it must be remembered that the Church has never asked – much less required [...]
What are Attachments… How Can I Determine if I am Attached to Something?
Dear Sister, In your series on getting stuck in spiritual growth (which was very helpful by the way) you mentioned the idea of “attachments.” I think I understand this as I have read a bit of St. John of the Cross. However, I would be grateful if you could help me understand it a bit better [...]
The Relationship of Faith and Suffering
Dear Sister, There is so much suffering in the world. Why does God allow people to suffer, especially good people? What is the relationship, if any, to faith and suffering? Dear Friend, There is indeed “so much” suffering in the world! I would recommend to you #302-314 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which deals with this [...]
Breaking out of Bad Habits
Ask a Carmelite Sister Dear Sister, I have the bad habit of judging people. As I grow older, the habit grows along with me. I am a very logical person, and it is very painful for me to watch people not get punished for wrongdoing, or hide their misdeeds, or grow wealthy while those of [...]
Help in Times of Sickness
Ask a Carmelite Sister Dear Sister, I attended Catholic school in my elementary and high school years. At that time, I loved and enjoyed my Catholic religion. Since then, though, I guess you would call me a “fallen-away” or “lapsed” Catholic. I hopped onto the train of life using the fast track and have been [...]
Parents, You are not Alone!
Ask a Carmelite Sister Dear Friends, Sister Laus Gloriae here with a question this time. “Do parents know that they are not alone in raising their children?” Our beloved Sister Maureen, principal of Coleman Carroll High School in Miami, Florida, and former supervisor of education for the Carmelite Sisters, asked me this question recently. She [...]
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