This February 8th during the proclaimed Jubilee Year of our Lord 2025 we are celebrating with gratitude the Temporary Profession of Tia Meyer! On February 2nd we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord recalling our Carmelite Catholic tradition that contemplates through Our Lady this sacred Feast known as Candlemas and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As Carmelites we model our lives on the virtues of Blessed Virgin Mary. The newly-to-be Professed Tia[1] was baptized with the name Joseph. The Carmelite Blessed Mother Candlemas of Saint Joseph Feast Day is February 1st.[2] The Feast of Josephine Bakita is on February 8th also.[3] In our gratitude prayer for Tia, let us meditate on Candlemas/Presentation of the Lord and the role of Saint Joseph, our Community’s patron. “Saint Joseph, as the father, placed the Child in the arms of a priest, who, raising Him aloft and holding Him toward the Holy of Holies, offered Him to the Lord, and after the payment of the five shekels returned Him to His father while pronouncing the words of benediction. Our Savior submitted to this ceremony, though needing neither consecration nor sanctification. The union of His humanity with the Second Person of the Godhead had sanctified and united Him to God in such a manner as no sacrament or ceremony could do. Never during the time of the Old Testament had such a glorious sacrifice been offered in the Temple. Its majestic grandeur shed its radiance over the sacred edifice and throughout all the earth and all times, and caused the utter poverty and inadequacy of the ancient worship to be revealed in a more brilliant light Another Abraham is here now offering his Son, but one incomparably more just and more pleasing to God than the first Abraham. It is Saint Joseph. Hence, he has been chosen by God to be patriarch of the New Law. And if Mary and Simeon and Anna were present with Saint Joseph at this ceremony and together praised God with the words: “God is good and His mercy endures forever; we have received His mercy in the midst of His Temple.” [Ps. 117:1; 47:10] This would have been the first Candlemas procession, and it was formed by the most venerable and holy personages in all the history of the Church.”[4] |
[1] Tia: “It was St. Therese of Lisieux who led me to Carmel. On her birthday I asked her to ‘lead me with roses’ – and I promised I would follow. I told no one about my prayer or promise. Later that year (Nov.) when Terre reached out to inquire about how my interview went for discernment into the Carmelites – I originally said ‘no’. I felt like the time commitment (not option) and the 2X daily prayer on top of everything else was more than I wanted to commit to at the time. Terre’s response was “Carmel is always there and always open… {she inserted a ‘Rose emoji’}.
As soon as I saw the rose, I remembered my promise to St. Therese and immediately circled back to Terre to let her know that I changed my mind. Or should I say, St. Therese spoke up and changed my mind for me. The rest is history. Carmel has been a true blessing. I’m so grateful.”
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