Drink Of The Stream: Prayers of Carmelites

Drink of the Stream has 11 ratings and 0 reviews. SA Penny Hickey Carmelite history and prayer begin with Elijah on Mount Carmel.
Table of contents

Even when God speaks clearly which He will we often apply "selective hearing" i. And when we have finally admitted to ourselves that we heard God then we can provide lots of good reasons why we cannot heed God's will. These are big hurdles in prayer - 1 to cut through the noise, then 2 to cut through our selective hearing, and then 3 to cut through our rationalizations of our own will over God's will.

One strategy that is useful is to join 'time' and 'silence' together. Time allows our brains to slow down a bit; it takes time to process any front-burner issues in our lives, and it takes time to see past our immediate concerns.

Vespers Carmelite Saints

Silence speeds all this up by removing external distractions so our brains don't have to shout so loud, we can focus a bit longer, and we just might ask God, "What did you just say? At the same time however, it also raises interesting questions such as 'where is the mind in this description? Is the mind silent? Is the mind of no regard?

Interestingly, Therese's autobiography, Story of a Soul , is an extended reflection on her relationships, especially her relationship with God. What's more, her mentor, Saint Teresa of Avila, puts a lot of emphasis on reflection as an important part of prayer.


  • DRINK OF THE STREAM: Prayers of Carmelites.
  • Elpina, The Shepherdess.
  • Drink of the Stream: Prayers of the Carmelites by Penny Hickey.
  • Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear: A Memoir.

Why then doesn't this figure in Therese's description of prayer? To answer this question we need to consider her interest in the role of emotions in prayer. All the aspects of prayer that Therese mentions, "surge of the heart" or "a simple look towards heaven" or "embrace of trial or joy" are emotional responses.

Our emotions are always reactions to what is happening to us at the moment. If someone compliments you, you are glad. If someone criticizes you, you are hurt.

Store Sections

If someone threatens you, you are afraid. If someone bothers you, you are angry etc. So just what is Therese reacting to in this emotion-filled description of prayer? Simply put, she is reacting to God. Yet, God is not mentioned in her description at all though one might say that God is implied when Therese mentions "heaven" and "love. This is because the closer we are to God the more we realize that the ideas we had about God were wrong. So the mystics start to substitute other words for the word 'God. Without explicitly saying so, Saint Therese is saying the same thing.

Ultimately, Therese recognizes that God is in everything, so everything leads us to prayer. That's easy to say when everything is going smoothly and well, but what about when things are rough? Saint Therese reminds us that we can still pray then, because real prayer "embraces both trial and joy. And so we arrive back at the original question: It is not enough to know that God loves us; we've got to feel that God loves us.

by Penny Hickey | PB | Acceptable

Feelings are deeper than knowings - much deeper. The heart is much deeper than the head. That's what Therese's description of prayer is telling us, and that is why it is truly amazing; this description comes straight from the center of her heart. Descend within me and reproduce in me, as it were, another incarnation of the Word that I may be to Him another humanity wherein He may renew His mystery.

Drink of the Stream: Prayers of the Carmelites

When I was new to the Carmelites and on a retreat with a cloister of Discalced Carmelite nuns, I was using one of their breviaries when a prayer card fell out with a quotation from Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. I was so moved by the quotation I stole the card. I 'came clean' and confessed my theft and the sisters allowed me to keep the card.

Although I was moved, I thought it was also a mighty cheeky prayer. Who does Elizabeth think she is asking to be "another incarnation of the Word"? Isn't that reserved for Jesus Christ? And then it hit me, Exactly! That is what Jesus invites us to be - the Christ! And there is a lot of Scripture that says this. Read the passage about the 'head and members' of 1 Corinthians 12, the 'vine and branches' of John 15, or the 'capstone and living stones' of 1 Peter 2. He must've been a profoundly wise and holy man. What he is telling us is that prayer must not be an end in itself.

Drink of the Stream: Prayers of the Carmelites - Google Книги

Rather, prayer needs to get us somewhere. And that somewhere is Christ. Following Christ is the only instruction that is not given an "unless. Prayer must not be the end; rather, it is a means to an end. Drink of the Stream: Prayers of the Carmelites. Carmelite history and prayer begin with Elijah on Mount Carmel. From Elijah has descended a long line of saints who have heard the voice of the Lord calling them to leave everything and come "drink from the stream".


  • Pettigrews Charge at Gettysburg.
  • DRINK OF THE STREAM: Prayers of Carmelites.
  • Some Secret Sounds of Divinity (Some Secret Sounds ... Book 1)!
  • Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Rays Marvelous Fight.

This book is an invitation for you to come and pray with the holy men and women of the Carmelite order. The prayers and meditations in this book were compiled to help the reader listen to and pray with the saints of Carmel throughout the ages, from Elijah through the twentieth century. In these prayers are stories of particular times, places, longings, sometimes suffering, at other times ecstatic joy.

Preview — Drink of the Stream by Penny Hickey. Drink of the Stream: Prayers of the Carmelites by Penny Hickey Compilation. Prayers of the Carmelites 4. From Elijah has descended a long line of saints who have heard the voice of the Lord calling them to leave everything and come "drink from the stream". This book is an invitation for you to come and pray with the holy men and women of the Carmelite order. The prayers and meditations in this book will help the reader listen to and pray with the saints of Carmel throughout the ages, from Elijah through the twentieth century.

In these prayers are stories of particular times, places, longings, sometimes suffering, at other times ecstatic joy.

See a Problem?

These prayers allow one to enter into the most intimate depths of the souls of Carmelite saints. How better to learn than from the masters themselves. This book is made up of the prayers and meditations of more than twenty-five saints, along with a short biography of each saint, and numerous illustrations. In addition to helping one with prayer and meditation, it also provides prayer for specific topics. Whether one is a beginner or highly advanced in prayer, there is a prayer suitable for nearly every occasion.

These magnificent prayers echo from prison cells, hospital beds, battlefields, and even treetops. It gives special emphasis to the prayers and meditations of the three great Carmelite mystics: Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Drink of the Stream , please sign up. Lists with This Book.