Caryll Houselander
Caryll Houselander
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Caryll Houselander was born on July 9, 1901, in London, England. She is also known as Caryl Houselander.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: July 9, 1901
Died: August 12, 1954
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Houselander was a British Catholic mystic, writer, and spiritual guide. Her life's work is characterized by her mystical experiences, spiritual writings, and devotion to the Eucharist.
Early Life and Background
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Caryll Houselander grew up in a family of modest means. She was raised by her mother after her father's early death. As a child, she experienced deep emotional distress and felt isolated from others. Her experiences with physical illness during childhood led to spiritual explorations, which eventually transformed her life.
Houselander was educated at home due to poor health and developed an intense love for literature and poetry. She began writing at an early age and wrote for the local newspaper. Her experiences as a nurse in World War I further deepened her spirituality.
Major Accomplishments
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Houselander's mystical experiences led to a deeper understanding of Christian spirituality, which she shared through her writings.
Her life's work focused on the importance of prayer, spiritual surrender, and devotion to Christ.
She wrote extensively on themes such as contemplation, sacrifice, and love.Notable Works or Actions
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Houselander wrote numerous articles, poems, and books that explored her mystical experiences. Some notable works include:
_The Passion of Christ in the Heart of the World_
_A Rocking-Horse Catholic_
_The Reed of God_
Her writings often expressed a deep sense of devotion to Christ and explored themes of love, sacrifice, and spiritual growth.
Impact and Legacy
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Houselander's influence extends far beyond her own lifetime. Her mystical experiences and writings have had a profound impact on many readers worldwide:
Many have reported experiencing conversion or deepened spirituality after reading her works.
Houselander's emphasis on the importance of prayer, sacrifice, and love continues to inspire contemporary spiritual seekers.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Caryll Houselander is widely quoted and remembered for several reasons:
Her remarkable life experiences, marked by illness, loss, and spiritual growth, offer a powerful example of the transformative power of faith.
Her writings convey a deep understanding of Christian spirituality and provide a compelling vision of love, sacrifice, and devotion to Christ.
Overall, Caryll Houselander's remarkable life and legacy have left an indelible mark on contemporary spirituality.
Quotes by Caryll Houselander
Caryll Houselander's insights on:
The emotions roused by that most unavoidable of things, food, are astonishing.
Light’s glory is to dispel darkness. Christ has illumined you with wisdom and the fire of his presence. It has been sparked and kindled in you. Let it blaze.
When he is sick and you stand by the bedside shaken with fear, when he sleeps and you lean over him held by the amazement of seeing this little boy who has your life, God is there, too; indeed all this love of yours is only God’s love which you sense vaguely. He, the true father, is there; He is around and above and below the child; He is in his heart. You only love at all because God loves infinitely more.
God is everywhere: yes, but how dim faith is, what a remote idea heaven is, in the modern world!
The love for material things grows like a fungus in the soul and destroys the loveliness of the human heart utterly.
In this great fiat of the little girl Mary, the strength and foundation of our life of contemplation is grounded, for it means absolute trust in God, trust which will not set us free from suffering but will set us free from anxiety, hesitation, and above all from the fear of suffering. Trust which makes us willing to be what God wants us to be, however great or however little that may prove. Trust which accepts God as illimitable Love.
Sleeping in her still room, she gave Him the sleep of the child in the cradle, the sleep of the young man rocked in the storm-tossed boat. Breaking and eating the bread, drinking the wine of the country, she gave Him His flesh and blood; she prepared the Host for the Mass.
In our seeking for the lost Child, our contemplation of Our Lady becomes active. The fiat was complete surrender. Advent was a folding upon the life growing in our darkness. Now the seeking is a going out from ourselves. It is a going out from our illusions, our limitations, our wishful thinking, our self-loving, and the self in our love.
Every work that we do should be a part of the Christ forming in us which is the meaning of our life, to it we must bring the patience, the self-giving, the time of secrecy, the gradual growth of Advent. This Advent in work applies to all work, not only that which produces something permanent in time but equally to the making of a carving in wood or stone or of a loaf of bread. It applies equally to the making of a poem and to the sweeping of a floor.
Working, eating, sleeping, she was forming His body from hers. His flesh and blood. From her humanity she gave Him His humanity. Walking in the streets of Nazareth to do her shopping, to visit her friends, she set His feet on the path of Jerusalem. Washing, weaving, kneading, sweeping, her hands prepared His hands for the nails. Every beat of her heart gave Him His heart to love with, His heart to be broken by love. All her experience of the world about her was gathered to Christ growing in her.