Prayer is the latch that opens the window to God’s mysterious beauty and brings fresh air to our soul. Without the breath of prayer, faith suffocates. A daily practice of prayer stabilizes us against winds of deceit. Prayer liberates us f … [Read more...]
About Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS, OTR, is a discalced Carmelite, secular, and a registered occupational therapist. She is the author of the following books: From Ash to Fire: A Contemporary Journey through the Interior Castle of Teresa of Avila, Carmel Land of the Soul: Living Contemplatively in Today’s World, Mystics in the Making: Lay Women in Today's Church, Living Through Cancer: A Practical Guide to Cancer Related Concerns, and Everyday Holiness: A Guide to Living Here and Getting to Eternity. Her latest book, Courage Through Chronic Disease, was published by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Her articles have been in Spirituality, Mount Carmel, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, Review for Religious, Spiritual Life, Human Development, and other Catholic journals. Carolyn's reflections can be found online at contemplativechristianityorg.wordpress.com.
The Ineffability of the Mystical Body of Christ
November 24, 2023 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
The Church was established by Christ as an extension and continuation of his incarnation and his mission. Just as a natural body is formed of different organs and systems, each with their own function, so is the Church bound together by a … [Read more...]
Caregivers of the Soul
November 25, 2022 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
In the first dwelling of her spiritual classic, The Interior Castle, Teresa of Avila cautions us: “We know we have souls. However, we seldom consider the precious things that can be found in this soul, or who dwells within it, or its high v … [Read more...]
Solidarity in Suffering
June 24, 2022 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Physical suffering is an unpleasant fact of life. Responses to a chronic disease can fluctuate from creative growth to self-pity. It can bring out the best or the worst in a person as well as sanctify or darken their soul. In other words, … [Read more...]
The Will of God
March 26, 2022 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
A story is told about a man who lived a long life. When he died, the Lord said, “Come, I will show you hell.” The man was taken to a room where a group of people sat around a round table. At the center of the table was a huge pot of stew. Ea … [Read more...]
Prayer as the Gateway to Mystery
August 30, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
For a Christian, mystery is reverenced as that hidden dimension in things, people, situations and life which is beyond time, place or physical description. We may understand aspects of this esoteric reality beyond us and we can appreciate … [Read more...]
Heaven in the Heart
June 30, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
“It seems to me that I have found my heaven on earth, because my heaven is you, my God, and you are in my soul. You in me, and I in you — may this be my motto.” ~ St. Elizabeth of the Trinity What is the greatest earthly love we have known … [Read more...]
Sanctuary
March 26, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Sanctuary is like a singularly beautiful flower in a vast garden of words. It comes in varieties ranging from a place where we are safe from harm to an interior region of the heart where God dwells. “Sanctuary” originates from the Latin roo … [Read more...]
The Significance of Signs and Symbols
January 28, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Our Catholic faith is replete with beautiful signs and symbols that remind us of our heritage, teachings and traditions as followers of Jesus. A Christian sign is something that gives us direction by pointing beyond itself to a spiritual … [Read more...]
“I Am The Immaculate Conception”
November 13, 2020 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
In his classic and inspirational book The Song of Bernadette, a novel based on the true story of Mary’s apparitions and miracle at Lourdes, France, Franz Werfel wrote, “Then at last she revealed the most important happening of the day, whi … [Read more...]
Alpha and Omega
July 2, 2020 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Francis of Assisi is known to have said: “Sanctify yourself, and you will sanctify society.” On the Christian map, there are many roads to sanctity. Whatever the road, there is only one major and very necessary guide for this journey. His na … [Read more...]
A Forthright Faith
May 31, 2019 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
In his book Conversion, Donald Haggerty relates the following story: Toward the close of the Spanish Civil War, two soldiers from the Communist Republican faction were returning to their barracks after a night of drinking and cavorting … [Read more...]
The Necessity of Rituals
February 12, 2019 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Although we may not be aware of rituals, they weave themselves into the fabric of our days in one way that defines who we are as individuals. A definition of ritual can be a regular pattern of words or actions. The way we answer the phone … [Read more...]
Love’s Oblation
October 2, 2018 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
William L. Stidger told about a young lad he had baptized as a baby. The boy grew up, and when World War II began, he joined the Navy. One night his ship came into Boston, and the lad visited his former pastor and friend. During their visit … [Read more...]
Prayer as Energy for the Road
April 28, 2018 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Every man has two journeys to make through life. There is the outer journey, with its various incidents and milestones. There is also an inner journey, a spiritual odyssey, with a secret history of its own. (William Inge) Like our physical … [Read more...]
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