To speak of spirituality is to speak of inspiration, that is, of ways of seeing, of profound conviction, of attitudes and ways of being, of the dynamism of life.  It is to speak of what makes us live at the very depth of our being.  The spiritual life is putting into practice the life of the Holy Spirit who is within us.
Carmelite Spirituality is all about longing and desire

The Carmelite tradition recognizes this longing in the human heart. We are made to seek and search, to yearn and ache, until finally our hearts find something or someone to match the depth of its desire and longing - for us that goal is God. It is God who puts this longing within us - it is he who has touched us.   This deep current of desire within our lives is the result of God having first desired us.  St. John of the Cross says: “If anyone is seeking God, the Beloved is seeking that person much more”.  If God has given us such longings, God will ultimately fulfil them.  Silence and solitude remind us of that space in the heart where every person is called to find God’s presence. St. Teresa wrote in her famous bookmark:  “Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you, all things pass away.  The one who possesses God, lacks nothing.  God alone suffices”.  This is the basis of Carmelite spirituality.

"Contemplatives are part of the great tree of life, we hold it, for we are the roots.  The tree may be axed, burnt, stripped off for medicine, but if the roots are intact, the tree will be able to give life again to all. Everyone can come to it for shelter and solace."

We are called to a transformation of consciousness which frees us from violence, greed and hatred, opening to love, compassion and prophetic hope. The deepest dimension of Carmelite spirituality promises, therefore, a freedom of the heart that does not seek or expect its own consolation and fulfillment but rather is totally given for the flourishing of the contemplative dimension within every human heart and the continuing transformation of God's people in love.
Teresa of Avila described prayer as nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us (Teresa of Avila, Life 8.5).

A day by day faithfulness to this relationship opens one to the educating power and presence of Jesus' Spirit and calls forth a determination to commit oneself in fidelity to a lifelong process of self-gift and transformation. In a purifying movement entailing not only light, consolation and affirmation, but also dryness, darkness and suffering, intimacy with Christ matures expanding consciousness and affectivity with a new kind of contemplative understanding, wisdom and selfless love. Now a deepening identification with the suffering, crucified Christ brings about solidarity with the poor that is not only theologically grounded but actually experienced. In the darkness of this hidden presence of God, the self is broken open to embrace the victimized, the hopeless, the dispossessed, the suffering ones of the world.

A young student once asked Bakhita: "What would you do, if you were to meet your captors?" Without hesitation she responded: "If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today" “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me, I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.” St Bakhita

Pope Francis has declared the feast of St Josephine Bakhita, which is celebrated each year on 8th February to be the World Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action against Human Trafficking. St Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of victims of slavery and of Sudan.

God of peace and justice,
We pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear
that you would hold ad protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen
Archbishop Justin Welby
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell

ST JOHN OF THE CROSS - 14th December

Father in Heaven, you guided St John of the Cross
to penetrate the deep secrets of your Son’s Incarnation
and to grow in wisdom of the Cross, may we experience
the power of your love and seek your face in
the hidden encounters of every day. Amen

Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate
Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen
Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing
Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty
Christ is Risen indeed from the dead, the first of the sleepers,
Glory and power are his forever and ever.

ST HIPPOLYTUS OF ROME