ERNEST E LARKIN O. Carm (1922 – 2006) was a well-known and much-loved teacher, lecturer and retreat master. He entered the Carmelite Seminary at an early age and was ordained a Priest in 1946. He received his Doctorate in Spiritual Theology from the Angelicum University in Rome in 1950. He taught at the Major Seminary of Carmelites in Washington, D.C. and was a member of the Faculty of Catholic University for ten years. In 1972 he co-founded the Kino Institute in Phoenix which provides adult education and formation in the Catholic faith. After retirement he continued to lecture throughout the United States until his death. His last book Contemplative Prayer for Today: Christian Meditation was published posthumously in 2007. Medio Media
The following articles by Father Larkin about Carmelite Spirituality and prayer are available online:
https://ocarm.org/it/item/4296
In this paper I propose to interface the Carmelite tradition on contemplative prayer and two popular forms of contemplative practice called centering prayer and “Christian Meditation.” We are asking how these widely used, current practices fit into that tradition. Do the new forms agree or disagree with past thinking? What does the Carmelite tradition have to say pro and con about them?.... continued
https://www.ocarm.org/en/item/4361
Contemplation and today’s contemplative prayer—are they the same or different? And, if different, what is their content and how are they related? This paper attempts a clarification of terms. But more than semantics is involved. The deeper question at issue is: What are we doing when we practice contemporary forms of contemplative prayer, such as centering prayer or the “Christian Meditation” of John Main?.... continued
https://ocarm.org/en/item/1677
A few years ago a fantasy on monastic life appeared called Brother Petroc’s Return. Brother Petroc went to sleep in one age and woke in another to find things in the monastery completely changed. In place of the old disciplina, the leisurely, relaxed, reflective atmosphere of the Middle Ages, he found exercises and bells, examinations of conscience and meditations, introspection, subjectivism, and individualism.... continued
https://ocarm.org/es/item/1655
The question of Carmel’s call was asked more frequently in the early days than it is today. I served as director of the chapter in the decade of the ’50s. In those early years Carmel’s Call was the name of the manual of our prayers and practices; it was also the burning question of our identity and our reason for existence.... continued
https://www.ocarm.org/en/item/4036-st-teresa-of-avila-speaks-on-mental-prayer
“We need no wings to go in search of God, but have only to find a place where we can be alone and look upon Him present within us.” These words were written by St. Teresa of Avila in her book The Way of Perfection. St. Teresa of Avila learned as a small child that one had to die in order to see God. Little Teresa wanted to see God. Practical and courageous by temperament she devised a scheme. She and her brother, Rodrigo, would go to the land of the Moors.... continued
...are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119:103
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