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Monday 27 October 2014

Wise words from a Carmelite on a bus

Well, it is raining and cold. I have on four layers. And, despite the weather, I thought I should go out of my way to Valletta for Adoration and Maltese Mass, rather than Sliema, where I usually go.

Wondering who to go to for spiritual direction while I am here. a priest sat down next to me and we began, of course, to talk.

He does spiritual direction, and gave me some wise words on the 40 minute trip.

As a Carmelite, he pointed out that some orders are trained to do spiritual direction and some are not.

Keep this in mind. Not all diocesan priests have gifts for spiritual direction, either.

This good priest noted that, of course, the Dominicans train their men for preaching and scholarship, the Salesians train their men to work with youth, troubled youth mostly, and the Carmelites are trained to give spiritual direction.

Sadly, in some areas of America, the Carmelites have become uber-liberals. And, there, in that nation, it is hard to even find a Carmelite priest.

He also mentioned Thomas Merton, who I had just put back on the blog this morning. Synchronicity.

One more point this good priest made was that we all need to think about death. Again, synchronicity considering I just wrote about the Four Last Things. He stressed that we should consider death daily.

He shared his e-mail with me and I shall write to him.

God makes new doughnuts every day. Yesterday, I prayed for a spiritual director while I am here.

I got a little on the bus. God is good