The Gospel today begins with the foundational cry of Jesus’ ministry.

This Sunday could very well be called ‘Vocation Sunday’. Both the first reading and the Gospel are stories of call and response.

Throughout 2024 we will continue to bring you Lectio Divina each month. You can download and save the scripture texts, reflections and prayers for Lectio Divina for each day of this month. Lectio Divina is a traditional way of praying the Scriptures. Visit our Lectio Divina page for more information about how to pray using Lectio Divina. Join our Lectio Online group. We meet every Friday at 10am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) [You are welcome to join from other time zones, eg. Perth/Singapore/Philippines: 7am; Timor-Leste/Tokyo: 8am; New Zealand: 12pm; Los Angeles: Thursday 4pm; New York/Toronto: Thursday 7pm] to prayerfully reflect on the Gospel of the coming Sunday. We will resume Lectio Online on Friday 2 February 2024.

Happy New Year from the Carmelites of Australia & Timor-Leste.

Last weekend (16-17 December 2023) members of the Lay Carmelite Community in Adelaide gathered for a retreat.

This year we approach Christmas with a full appreciation of the fervent Advent prayer in which we have all shared, pleading with the Lord to come and save us.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born.

We began Advent with the cry, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. We will end it with the joyful shout, ‘God is with us!’

Advent is very much about a fresh discovery of God’s presence and grace in our lives, in our own moment of history.

On Sunday 3 November, the first Sunday of Advent, 19 young Carmelites renewed their vows in St Elias community, Hera, Timor-Leste.