Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS)'s Podcast
The Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS) is a centre for research and formation that promotes spiritual formation and renewal, drawing on the rich resources of the venerable Carmelite tradition.
It is an apostolate of the Anglo-Irish Province of the Discalced Carmelites, based at the Carmelite Priory at Boars Hill, Oxford, England.
OUR MISSION
CACS strives to achieve its mission through structured study and formation programmes in spirituality from the Carmelite perspective, especially Prayer and Spiritual Direction. At the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, you are welcome to enter into the silence where God’s voice is heard in prayer, word and sacrament, inviting you to journey ever more deeply into a place of growth and wholeness. Our goal is to bring people to experience a life-transforming friendship with God through a lived experience of Carmelite spirituality that is authentic to its biblical roots.
Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS)'s Podcast
Second Sunday of Advent, Year A
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
Word & Wisdom is a weekly reflection on the Sunday’s scriptures and the wisdom of the Carmelite tradition. It promises to offer you real spiritual food to sustain you on the journey.
This Word and Wisdom Podcast is brought to you by the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, Oxford (carmelite.uk.net).
To receive audio and written copies, subscribe by emailing podcasts@cacs.org.uk
To connect with our Living Prayer Podcast on Youtube, kindly click: https://www.youtube.com/@CACSOxford
Christ Is Our Peace
Our world yearns for peace and harmony. We find ourselves torn apart on every side by conflict and division. Yet, amidst this discord, we cling firmly to the words of our Lord: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you." As we petition the Lord for this gift on the Second Sunday of Advent, let us light the candle of peace and proclaim with the Psalmist: "In his days, justice shall flourish, and great peace for ever."
In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies that a shoot shall sprout from the stock of Jesse. He shall be filled with the Spirit’s gifts—equity and righteousness. As a judge, His justice will restore harmony to the earth, bridging the divide between every part of creation. His adjudications will bring unimpeachable peace among nations and tongues, dismantling class divisions, racial prejudice, and unjust systems. On His holy mountain, all shall be one, for He is our peace.
St Paul, in the second reading, invites us to contemplate unity, which brings eternal glory to God. He urges us to imitate Christ, the Prince of Peace foretold by the prophets. Christ came to bridge the ancient divide between the circumcised and the uncircumcised—between Jew and Gentile. He came to bring into the communion of His Father all those who walk the face of the earth, proving that God’s promise extends to all humanity.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist emerges with a stark message demanding urgent attention. He warns the Pharisees and Sadducees that access to the peace of the Kingdom of Heaven does not depend solely on biological descent from Abraham. While lineage has its value, it is secondary to a repentant heart that accepts the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Baptist warns that the One coming after him will separate the wheat from the chaff; only then will He grant peace to the repentant.
Let us reflect on the paradox of these promises. Isaiah and Paul speak of a peace achieved by uniting divides. Conversely, John the Baptist preaches a peace achieved by separation. Yet, this separation—the winnowing of the wheat from the chaff—serves the ultimate goal of unification. The Lord gathers those who are Abraham's children not merely by blood, but by faith. To these, He grants everlasting peace.
St John of the Cross, our Mystical Doctor, illuminates this further. He reminds us of a joyful truth: true peace is achievable in this life, but it involves uniting ourselves entirely with the will of God. In His will is our peace. St John teaches us to strive to preserve our heart in peace, letting no event of this world disturb it, reflecting that all temporal things must come to an end.
He views peace as a gift bestowed upon us in Christ—a peace the world cannot give. To preserve this treasure, we must detach ourselves from worldly attachments. These attachments create confusion and division, luring us away from the interior quiet where Christ dwells. By separating ourselves from the chaotic noise of the world, we are unified with the Lord in the centre of our souls. This is the Carmelite wisdom: a peace achieved through a form of separation that enables the profoundest unification.
As we traverse our earthly journey, let us never forget that Christ, our Peace, is always with us. He is in our hearts, coming to us in the Sacraments and the daily events of our lives. Let us strive to be like Him, fulfilling our purpose to give glory to God. Rejoice, for Christ has given us His peace!