TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, my name is Gregory Houck.

I’ve been a Carmelite now for approaching 35 years.

Boy, time goes by.

And I’m here to talk about the angel comes twice.

When you look at scripture, Elijah, the angel came twice to wake him up and said, “Eat.

The journey will be too long.” Or, uh, Peter, this canvas was lowered by the angels twice in the Acts of the Apostles. slaughter and eat to get him away from following the strict dietary laws.

Or Gideon, the angel came twice into the threshing hole pole to uh get to him to be the judge and the leader of the people.

Joseph, St.

Joseph, the angel came twice.

I think the angel always comes twice because the first time is to give the message and the second time is to boot you to do it.

Well, in my case, I think the angel had to come a half dozen times.

You know, uh, my vocation story is starts off right after college.

Had a job interview in New Jersey.

My friend Dennis said he would go with me because he had a girlfriend there.

We’d drive that way.

He would see the East Coast.

He bailed out at the last moment.

Friends of his would put me up.

Turned out it was the uh, rectory at Our Lady Mount Carmel Tennifly.

The priests were very hospitable because they knew I knew Dennis.

And then I went from there to DC.

They invited me to White Friers Hall or Seminary to see the East Coast.

Very hospitable.

When I was leaving, the prior said, “We have a vocation retreat coming.

And would you be interested?” I said, “Yeah, because I was mooching off the Carmelites, but I wasn’t.” So before we could get my name and address, I left.

But that January, I got a phone call from the vocation director.

You’re on our list.

Who are you?

I said, ‘Well, I had a new job.

I could use a retreat.

So, I went.

And then right after that, Dennis announces his marriage.

I had to go to Denver to be one of the groomsmen.

When I get to the hotel, they had lost my reservation.

There were no hotel rooms open at all.

I didn’t know what to do when one of the priests from New Jersey from Tennifly was there to do the ceremony.

He said, “Well, I got two rooms beds in my room.

Stay with me.” And it’s like over and over again, God is introducing me to these Carmelites to get me to kind of sign on.

Well, I didn’t sign on.

So, I get to work right after the wedding.

My department is being transferred to another state.

I’m losing my job or have to move.

Oh, it was just and that’s when I decided I’m going to have to look at this.

So, um, one Sunday I had an application to Purdue University School of Engineering.

One pile was my resume.

If I need a new job, I have to update.

And one was the application to the Carmelites.

And I had a clipboard and I’m doing pros and cons.

And I finally said, you know, I could leave the Carmelites at any time.

It’ll be the shortest commitment.

For that reason and that reason alone, I picked up that application.

And wow, just like a wave of of peace and goodness and love washed over me.

And that was like the angel wave of good. the sixth visit saying this is what I want you to do.

I became a Carmelite and I didn’t know what treasures there were in this order.

Great saints, great ministry, a great charism, a great history.

It’s a wonderful Order.