Into the Wild: a blog by the Discalced Carmelites UK

On Thursday we went to Toledo, a city that played a role in St Teresa's work and St John's life. It was a place not without difficulties and is most associated with the town in which John of the Cross was imprisoned. It is also where St Teresa began writing her Interior Castle.  Through the maze of small medieval streets, Fr Matt guided us to the Friar's Monastery where we had Mass and then were able to walk around the garden. The views from the garden are impressive, overlooking the river that runs alongside Toledo and its suburbs.  John of the Cross' arrest is not easy to explain and can be quite shocking when you consider it was done by his own community. Part of is the history of the time, which is too extensive for here. What can be very briefly mentioned here is part of what Fr Matt said: during this time disobedience was the major reason people would be punished, usually with imprisonment. Imprisonment for disobedience was all to common and it happened in most mo

On Tuesday we set out for Segovia, to the Monastery of St John of the Cross, where his body rests and which is one of the few houses remaining where he lived. It also quite beautifully contains a hermitage he built in the garden of the monastery. As we set out for the top of the garden someone stopped Fr Matt saying we couldn't simply scamper about on our own because something could happen (falling off a ledge I think was the fear) and so he appointed Fr Matt as a personal supervisor! We didn't find out until later about his new 'position' as a wise father he had watched us wandered off into the garden in small groups finding our way to the hermitage without saying a word. The views from the garden are quite beautiful looking out onto the valley and the hill on which the city centre of Segovia was built. A certain peaceful silence reigns over it all, you would never think there is a road at the bottom of this hill. We then had mass at the tomb of John of the Cross insid

On our first night here as we discussed over dinner the following day, Audrey asked about tea and where the kettle was. I realised then that this one cultural difference had been forgotten, Spanish homes don't usually have kettles.  Most people drink coffee cooked on the stove in a mocha (think Italian espresso but larger) rather than tea. The British love of proper tea, similar to the Latin love of coffee, meant a mission was set: Audrey set out yesterday in search of a kettle.  Later we set out for the Monastery of the Incarnation where St Teresa lived for 30 years of her life and where she had her conversion. The topic of love kept coming up and it all seemed so very connected. The first reading this past Monday was from Ephesians 4:32-5:8, in which God calls us to be friends with each other and to love one another as God has loved us. For St Teresa, friendship was fundamental to the spiritual life because of our relationship with God is a deep friendship that gives birth to all

We set off from Oxford at what felt like the crack of dawn. Once in Gatwick the pilgrims that came from other parts of the UK joined us and we gradually got to know each other. Somehow the hours went by and I barely noticed them. Somehow half the day had gone by and though the early rise did make me sleepy I didn't feel the type of exhaustion I can sometimes feel when travelling. Expectation, curiosity, and good company contributed to this.  We are staying in the birth house of St Teresa, the home of the oldest congregation of discalced friars. The Monastery church is built on top of Teresa's paternal home, our rooms overlook the courtyard.  The gospel for today was from Luke 18:9-14; it spoke of how the tax collector and not the pharisee went home justified. Fr Matt led us in a meditation of this passage bringing our attention of how at the root of it the parable was speaking of prayer and maturity in the faith. Both the publican and the pharisee came to God, seeking a relatio

Welcome to the blog of the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, run by Discalced Carmelites and lay people. Here you will find meditations, interviews, and pilgrimages diaries. We hope these will help you in your daily walk with God and lead to a deeper relationship with Him.  Our Centre welcomes all who desire to seek their own way to the wholeness and the meaning of life.  The centre offers courses and programmes, based mostly on Carmelite spirituality and its ancient tradition of prayer. For more information on the courses, retreats, and other programmes offered please visit our  website. If you live in or near Oxford you are very welcome to visit us, for mass or for some quiet time. The area around us also offers wonderful opportunities for walks and, if artistically inclined, some nature painting. We also count with a well-stocked bookshop. where you can spend hours leafing through many Carmelite and other Catholic spirituality classics. It is regularly open during the day o