Presence to God and zeal for souls.
No one will be surprised that in such a climate a connatural form of activity will spontaneously come into being, we mean prayer understood not so much as an exercise but as being present to God. This is altogether objective and interior, silent and sustained, detached and spiritual.
To prayer, as it is understood at Carmel, there are no limits; just as there are no limits to the quality of interior silence that it realizes and the links it fashions between man and his God. According to the measure of the soul's generosity and divine grace, the living God possesses and vivifies this solitude.
The exercise of prayer at Carmel is accompanied by a minimum of material conditions. Prayer involves no rigorously prescribed methods. For its development it requires the liberty and fidelity of a soul constantly visited and vivified by the spirit.
The Rule faithfully preserves this conception of life with God. The central obligation there laid down is "to meditate night and day on the Law of the Lord".
But the example of Elias, as well as an inner exigency, urges the hermits to realize within themselves and without, a spirit of silence and solitude eminently favorable to prayer and of which the desert is the most perfect expression.
The desert calls out to the spirit and the spirit calls out to the desert. Between the spirit of Carmel and the desert there is a living relation. Carmel's prayer is the desert in which the spirit dwells. But the desert also induces thirst, and prayer slakes the soul's thirst only to create new capacities for the infinite. "They that drink me shall yet thirst" (Eccl. 24: 29).
If it is not without meaning that the word of God was heard in a desert, it is equally significant that the possession of the Promised Land was conditioned by an exodus through that same desert. The soul, too, arrives at a meeting with God, in prayer, only at the price of an exodus painful to sense and spirit. But the soul then knows the infinite value of things divine and enjoys that liberty of the children of God which is characteristic of Carmelite spirituality.
This search for God in silence and solitude, this absence of imposed forms of prayer, a colloquy that is free and truly heart-to-heart in "the place of the espousals"--this is what the desert means, this is what has characterized Carmel from the beginning.
Life of God and desert: these timeless realities are never separated in the Old Testament or in the New. The desert of the soul is the very place of God's communication.
"The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily" (Is. 35: 1). The depth in which the intuitions of the Carmelite soul are rooted may make them seem obscure. They are, nevertheless, astonishingly living and active. Consciously or not, the soul unceasingly returns there, to strive to live them fully and directly.
If no one is more convinced than the Carmelite of the riches and benefits of tradition, it is also true that no one is more faithfully and lovingly attached to it, yet no one else is more fully persuaded that it is necessary to live personally and to experience in direct contact the mystery of God. Tradition may indeed explain and give a love for the divine realities tasted in prayer: it cannot confer that supreme and incommunicable knowledge which is a fruit of divine wisdom. This comes
only to him who suffers God in his soul and in his life.
To remain living and active, the revelation of the divine transcendence and mercy ought to be renewed in each one of us. But as soon as the divine revelation crosses the threshold of our inner dwelling, there is a dawn and centuries vanish. The soul brought back to an absolute beginning watches the flowering of an eternal spring in his own soul. Is not "the verdant one" the meaning of Elias' name?
God Himself is there and speaks to the soul. And the soul making her own the words of the prophet, murmurs: "He liveth. He before whom I am".--"As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth. . . " (Cf. 3 Kgs. 1 7: 1, 4 Kgs. 2: 6).
The spirit of Carmel is none other than this power and life which spring from the divine word and seek to enter the soul; none other than this divine presence which is waiting to be received and communicated in a reciprocal gift. Today, no more than in the first days, can this word wait for tomorrows in which it will be accomplished.
If the impossible were to take place and the past were suddenly obliterated and tradition no longer existed, and the call of the living God were to sound for the first time in a soul, this call would carry with it the spirit of Carmel in all its freshness, its newness, its eternal richness.
Because it is of God and is pure reference to God, this spirit is distinguished by a clarity, a simplicity and a limpidity that are absolute. It has nothing to do with techniques. It fears more than all else material and spiritual encumbrances, multiplicity of means, devotions and spiritual exercises. It is God just as He is that it seeks and desires: God, for the mind all mystery, but for the soul light and
delicious knowledge.
The spirit of Carmel is a spirit of childhood, of original life, of newness, of immediate proximity to the divine outpouring. It drinks "of the torrent" without a shell; it does not kneel down but stands erect. It is born of God in all its profundity and passes into man renewing and in truth creating him. That is why this spirit is so immediate, so lacking any kind of transition, so without compromise; so bare, with the bare life of the Old Testament; that is why it is so essential. Strengthened by a power that transcends human means and traverses, without ignoring, what is relative, it discovers its goal and goes straight towards it with a
totalitarian exigency of unitive transformation. In short, it advances with a thirst for the absolute, which, once having been felt, can never more be slaked.
Without the least shadow of pessimism, the least disdain for the world, the Carmelite is deeply conscious of the infinite distance separating the created from the uncreated, God from His creature. Prayer gives him an understanding, better still, permits him to acquire a kind of experience of the absolute. It is also through prayer that the Carmelite, we read in the second chapter of the "Institution des premiers moines," "tastes in his heart and experiences in his soul the strength of the divine Presence and the sweetness of the glory from above".
This does not make the spirit of Carmel aloof toward what is created and toward those who live and grow in the earthy and the relative; this experience of God, on the contrary, is the origin of the most active zeal for souls which is characteristic of the action and person of the prophet Elias.
Carmel has never, in fact, separated the apostolic from the contemplative life in its father Elias "who was afire with zeal for the Yahweh of armies" (3 Kgs. 19: 10; 18) with fierce energy preserved in the people of Israel belief in the true God, and who has never ceased to serve as a model to the Order that claims him as founder. In 1275 Nicholas the Frenchman, the seventh prior general, recalled this in these words in his "Ignea Sagitta":
"Conscious of their own imperfection, the hermits of Mount Carmel remained long in solitude. But because they desired to be in some way useful to their neighbour, and lest on this point they incur guilt, at times, yet very rarely, they left their hermitage. And as it was with the scythe of contemplation that they harvested in the desert so now in preaching they will scatter the grain on the threshing floor and with open hands they will sow the seed."
So it came about that from the beginning Carmelite prayer has had an apostolic side and overflows with missionary fervor. Although these spiritual realities are part of the distant epochs of its pre-history, they have come down through the ages and will always be characteristic of Carmel. This inalienable treasure transmitted to us from
century to century by the hermits seems to us in its brilliance and marvellous freshness like an ancient jewel discovered in all its beauty in the desert sands.
29 Jun 2010
The Memorial to Mother Mary of Jesus
This is the memorial to Mother Mary of Jesus erected near the extern chapel entrance at Notting Hill Carmel. It speaks for itself.
16 Jun 2010
Way of Perfection for the Laity by Fr Kevin OCD
ON THE NATURE OF THE THIRD ORDER AND THE DUTIES 0F THE TERTIARIES
The Third Secular Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and of the Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus is an association of persons who, though living in the world, desire to aim at Christian perfection in the way most suitable to their state of life, according to the spirit and under the direction of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, under the protection of the august Queen of Carmel, and in imitation of the many saints whose virtues have adorned her venerable Order.
The Order is called the "Third Order," because there are three Orders, the First is that of the Friars, the Second the Nuns, both of which practice the Primitive Rule of Carmel. It is called the "Secular Order" because there is a Third Order of Carmel (or rather in any Third Orders) composed of those who embrace the religious state. They are spoken of as the Regular Third Order. The Third Orders, whether Regular or Secular, live according to a rule modeled on the Primitive Rule observed by the First and Second Orders. The title of the Third Order we are considering embraces the name of "The Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus" to distinguish this Order as being "under the direction of the Order of Discalced Carmelites."
The whole Order of Carmel is under the title, patronage and "protection of the august Queen of Carmel." The Order of Carmel has a venerable tradition and cherished belief that St. Elias, its founder, dedicated the Order to the Virgin Mother of God whom he saw in prophetic vision prefigured in the little cloud rising from the sea (3 Kings, xviii. 4-4). There can be no doubt that the Order has ever been named after Mary, and ever claimed her special patronage. When we treat of the habit or scapular we shall show how Mary herself has recognised thIs claim. It is fitting that the Order should claim so high a patronage because as we shall repeat frequently in. the course of this explanation of the Rule, the Order of Carmel is in a special manner the guardian of the interior life, and Mary is the greatest model of the interior life. Besides, the interior life requires more helps and safeguards because of the dangers it involves by reason of the very greatness of its aims, and so it requires the most powerful Protectress.
From what has been said it will be understood why the Third Order is described as "an association of persons living in the world." Moreover, it is stated to be "an association of those who desire to aim at Christian perfection in a way most suitable to their state of life." All persons are given, not merely the counsel, but the command to be perfect by our loving Saviour Himself: "Be you perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. v. 48). Amidst the distractions of the world many are inclined to overlook this precept, and so those desirous of fulfilling it are well advised in binding themselves down to a rule which requires in its practice more than is undertaken by Catholics generally and which at the same time does not interfere with the legitimate demands of their state of life.
It is added "according to the spirit of the Order of Discalced Carmelites." We have mentioned that the Carmelite Order is the special guardian of the interior life. The history of the Discalced Reform proves this claim very conclusively. The reform was initiated by St. Teresa of Jesus and helped forward by St. John of the Cross. These two saints animate the spirit of the Discalced Carmelites. St. Teresa of Jesus is usually acknowledged as the great saint and teacher of prayer. From her own experiences she has described the science and art of prayer in a manner which gives her the undisputed title of Mistress of Prayer and the Interior Life, as Saint Pius X assures us (Apostolic Letter, 7th March, 1914). St. John of the Cross teaches in the most masterly way everything that is required to attain the spirit of prayer and the most intimate union with God. The example and teaching of these two great saints leave nothing to be desired in giving all the help required for the most interior life. It is according to the spirit of these two great saints that Carmelite Tertiaries are to regulate their lives. We shall have occasion frequently to refer to them again.
It is stated that the Tertiaries are to be "under the direction of the Order of Discalced Carmelites." This is a consequence of what has been written in the preceding paragraph. Tertiaries who are joined in a congregation are at least under the direction of the Order to the extent that the Director, if not a Discalced Carmelite, must be appointed by a Superior of the Order (Rule n. 94). In the case of isolated Tertiaries, they must be received and admitted to the Profession by a member of the Order or by a priest delegated by a Superior of the Order. More¬over, where it is possible it is advisable that Tertiaries have as their confessors or directors those who are members of the Order or who understand its spirit, so that they themselves may more readily acquire the spirit of the rule they have embraced.
Lastly, the members of the association regulate their lives "in imitation of the many saints whose virtues have adorned her (the august Queen of Carmel's) venerable Order." The Order of Carmel has given very many great saints to the Church. In pre-Christian times the study of the lives of the two Prophets of Carmel, St. Elias and St. Eliseus, will edify and show us how the spirit of Carmel was even then put into practice. In Christian times we have the lives of St. Angelus, St. Albert, St. Peter¬ Thomas, St. Andrew Corsini and very many others to consider. In more recent times we have the very many holy persons who have followed in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, and especially we have to consider the life and virtues of their most renowned daughter, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus.
The Third Secular Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and of the Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus is an association of persons who, though living in the world, desire to aim at Christian perfection in the way most suitable to their state of life, according to the spirit and under the direction of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, under the protection of the august Queen of Carmel, and in imitation of the many saints whose virtues have adorned her venerable Order.
The Order is called the "Third Order," because there are three Orders, the First is that of the Friars, the Second the Nuns, both of which practice the Primitive Rule of Carmel. It is called the "Secular Order" because there is a Third Order of Carmel (or rather in any Third Orders) composed of those who embrace the religious state. They are spoken of as the Regular Third Order. The Third Orders, whether Regular or Secular, live according to a rule modeled on the Primitive Rule observed by the First and Second Orders. The title of the Third Order we are considering embraces the name of "The Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus" to distinguish this Order as being "under the direction of the Order of Discalced Carmelites."
The whole Order of Carmel is under the title, patronage and "protection of the august Queen of Carmel." The Order of Carmel has a venerable tradition and cherished belief that St. Elias, its founder, dedicated the Order to the Virgin Mother of God whom he saw in prophetic vision prefigured in the little cloud rising from the sea (3 Kings, xviii. 4-4). There can be no doubt that the Order has ever been named after Mary, and ever claimed her special patronage. When we treat of the habit or scapular we shall show how Mary herself has recognised thIs claim. It is fitting that the Order should claim so high a patronage because as we shall repeat frequently in. the course of this explanation of the Rule, the Order of Carmel is in a special manner the guardian of the interior life, and Mary is the greatest model of the interior life. Besides, the interior life requires more helps and safeguards because of the dangers it involves by reason of the very greatness of its aims, and so it requires the most powerful Protectress.
From what has been said it will be understood why the Third Order is described as "an association of persons living in the world." Moreover, it is stated to be "an association of those who desire to aim at Christian perfection in a way most suitable to their state of life." All persons are given, not merely the counsel, but the command to be perfect by our loving Saviour Himself: "Be you perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. v. 48). Amidst the distractions of the world many are inclined to overlook this precept, and so those desirous of fulfilling it are well advised in binding themselves down to a rule which requires in its practice more than is undertaken by Catholics generally and which at the same time does not interfere with the legitimate demands of their state of life.
It is added "according to the spirit of the Order of Discalced Carmelites." We have mentioned that the Carmelite Order is the special guardian of the interior life. The history of the Discalced Reform proves this claim very conclusively. The reform was initiated by St. Teresa of Jesus and helped forward by St. John of the Cross. These two saints animate the spirit of the Discalced Carmelites. St. Teresa of Jesus is usually acknowledged as the great saint and teacher of prayer. From her own experiences she has described the science and art of prayer in a manner which gives her the undisputed title of Mistress of Prayer and the Interior Life, as Saint Pius X assures us (Apostolic Letter, 7th March, 1914). St. John of the Cross teaches in the most masterly way everything that is required to attain the spirit of prayer and the most intimate union with God. The example and teaching of these two great saints leave nothing to be desired in giving all the help required for the most interior life. It is according to the spirit of these two great saints that Carmelite Tertiaries are to regulate their lives. We shall have occasion frequently to refer to them again.
It is stated that the Tertiaries are to be "under the direction of the Order of Discalced Carmelites." This is a consequence of what has been written in the preceding paragraph. Tertiaries who are joined in a congregation are at least under the direction of the Order to the extent that the Director, if not a Discalced Carmelite, must be appointed by a Superior of the Order (Rule n. 94). In the case of isolated Tertiaries, they must be received and admitted to the Profession by a member of the Order or by a priest delegated by a Superior of the Order. More¬over, where it is possible it is advisable that Tertiaries have as their confessors or directors those who are members of the Order or who understand its spirit, so that they themselves may more readily acquire the spirit of the rule they have embraced.
Lastly, the members of the association regulate their lives "in imitation of the many saints whose virtues have adorned her (the august Queen of Carmel's) venerable Order." The Order of Carmel has given very many great saints to the Church. In pre-Christian times the study of the lives of the two Prophets of Carmel, St. Elias and St. Eliseus, will edify and show us how the spirit of Carmel was even then put into practice. In Christian times we have the lives of St. Angelus, St. Albert, St. Peter¬ Thomas, St. Andrew Corsini and very many others to consider. In more recent times we have the very many holy persons who have followed in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, and especially we have to consider the life and virtues of their most renowned daughter, St. Teresa of the Child Jesus.
5 Jun 2010
'God is Love' by Fr. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus OCD
The teaching of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus was based on this central experience. The greatest grace of her life was her understanding of Mercy. The theology she elaborated flowed from a personal insight, something which came naturally to her. At times she experienced suffering so intense that she said, "When I am in heaven, if I have been mistaken about this, I will come and let you know. But in the depths of her being she was certain. Her entire teaching flowed from this light in the next talk I shall try to enlarge on this, but now I should like to show how this doctrine has changed our spirituality, so to say. She was not the only one, there had been other messages of Love through the ages, but I believe that Thérèse's is still the most important one from a theological and spiritual point of view.
In the years following her death Pius X recommended frequent Communion, which points us toward positive holiness. The holiness and asceticism of the 19th century were negative: people sought above all to purify themselves and make reparation to God. The characteristic note of spirituality in our times is the positive aspect of love which has become a part of our way of life. This is why it succeeds. In each era we follow the grace and light God gives us. Formerly the stress was more on sacrifice; today it is on presence and contact. There was a grandeur about former times, but people did not have the same understanding of Love and Mercy. Their spirituality did not appeal to the majority, since few were strong enough to live by it. Now, on the other hand, as the concept of divine Mercy has been brought to the fore, it has been
a powerful influence in opening up the mystical life to the many.
Two periods can be distinguished here. I believe St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus is the herald of the new one. She has exemplified and modernized, in a certain sense, the spirituality of St. Paul, who said, "Through the grace of God I am what I am, and the grace he gave me has not been without result"
Thérèse's greatness lay in her discovery of Mercy. On one occasion she said to her infirmarian, "You know well that you are taking care of a little saint." They cut her finger nails. 'Keep them,' she said, "some day someone will treasure them." She also remarked: 'They say I have virtue but that isn't true; they are mistaken. I do not have virtue. God gives me what I need at each instant. I have only what I need for the present moment. These paradoxes are extraordinary and disconcerting. There is a certain quality of greatness in St. Thérèse. I assure you that I have studied her in depth for forty years and her greatness has often overwhelmed me. She has renewed our understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as we see them operating in her contemplation. It harmonises with the teaching of St. Thomas. It is not a matter of sentimentality or of novelties. It is a rediscovery, an illustration of the traditional doctrine. I believe this is one of the great graces granted to our times.
In her surroundings, Thérèse was unique. I have known Mother Agnes since 1927. I loved and revered her deeply. She was a very holy soul, and the same was true of Sister Genevieve. But St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus was a giant in comparison and far surpassed them. She is the only one, we could say, to have read and perfectly understood St. John of the Cross. In spite of her superior intelligence and spiritual knowledge, however, she showed perfect submission - a sure proof that her understanding was indeed supernatural.
To be practical, we should exploit this theological knowledge of God, of Mercy. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus has left her mark on our times. She has, so to say, popularized contemplation and sanctity itself.
In the years following her death Pius X recommended frequent Communion, which points us toward positive holiness. The holiness and asceticism of the 19th century were negative: people sought above all to purify themselves and make reparation to God. The characteristic note of spirituality in our times is the positive aspect of love which has become a part of our way of life. This is why it succeeds. In each era we follow the grace and light God gives us. Formerly the stress was more on sacrifice; today it is on presence and contact. There was a grandeur about former times, but people did not have the same understanding of Love and Mercy. Their spirituality did not appeal to the majority, since few were strong enough to live by it. Now, on the other hand, as the concept of divine Mercy has been brought to the fore, it has been
a powerful influence in opening up the mystical life to the many.
Two periods can be distinguished here. I believe St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus is the herald of the new one. She has exemplified and modernized, in a certain sense, the spirituality of St. Paul, who said, "Through the grace of God I am what I am, and the grace he gave me has not been without result"
Thérèse's greatness lay in her discovery of Mercy. On one occasion she said to her infirmarian, "You know well that you are taking care of a little saint." They cut her finger nails. 'Keep them,' she said, "some day someone will treasure them." She also remarked: 'They say I have virtue but that isn't true; they are mistaken. I do not have virtue. God gives me what I need at each instant. I have only what I need for the present moment. These paradoxes are extraordinary and disconcerting. There is a certain quality of greatness in St. Thérèse. I assure you that I have studied her in depth for forty years and her greatness has often overwhelmed me. She has renewed our understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as we see them operating in her contemplation. It harmonises with the teaching of St. Thomas. It is not a matter of sentimentality or of novelties. It is a rediscovery, an illustration of the traditional doctrine. I believe this is one of the great graces granted to our times.
In her surroundings, Thérèse was unique. I have known Mother Agnes since 1927. I loved and revered her deeply. She was a very holy soul, and the same was true of Sister Genevieve. But St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus was a giant in comparison and far surpassed them. She is the only one, we could say, to have read and perfectly understood St. John of the Cross. In spite of her superior intelligence and spiritual knowledge, however, she showed perfect submission - a sure proof that her understanding was indeed supernatural.
To be practical, we should exploit this theological knowledge of God, of Mercy. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus has left her mark on our times. She has, so to say, popularized contemplation and sanctity itself.
26 May 2010
Carmelite Spirituality - Part 2 by Fr Paul of the Cross OCD
Primacy of the contemplative spirit.
A direct and intimate experience with God is the basis of Carmel spirituality. Therefore, before any Rule, and in order that the Rule may be lived when it is formulated, a contemplative spirit and a deep sense of God are required of those who wish to lead the life of Carmel.
Of one who understands how to stay before God, no special activity, no special practical disposition is required. While, on the contrary, this sense of God, this thirst to remain in His presence does not belong to that category of realities that a Rule or a technique can call into being. Nor can they be developed in any way ascertainable by the sense. They must exist prior to the realization of a contemplative religious life. God Himself has placed them in the soul's very centre and ceaselessly maintains them by means of His grace and His Holy Spirit.
This enables us to understand how, although it is not an institution in the western meaning of the term but only a place for the election of a spiritual reality, Carmel has long been able to exist in a free, spontaneous, elementary way and to subsist through the sheer power of its "spirit".
This primacy of "spirit", necessary in every religious institute seems even more necessary in Carmel.
No exterior activity, whatever be its form, not even fidelity to the Rule, jealously guarded though this must be, can ever take the place of what ought to be the soul of Carmel, we mean the divine current that reaches the depths of man's being and impels the Carmelite to return constantly to his centre.
This search for God, so essential and so secret, leads of itself to simplicity and spiritual poverty. Instinctively the soul seeking God longs to be disencumbered, to be delivered from all things spiritual and material, in order to think of God alone, to be freed from things of the flesh in order to attain to life in the spirit, and to become altogether spiritual.
An idea like this necessarily leads to a spiritual conception of religious life. In fact, nowhere as much as in Carmel must life and observances be vivified by the spirit.
That is why a religious as familiar with the origins of Carmel as John of Saint-Samson could write in "De la perfection et decadence de la vie religieuse":
"I say that in the days of these first patriarchs and founders, religious life (at Carmel) was a body strongly and excellently animated by spirit, or rather it was all spirit, and all fervent spirit."
In fact the ideal of Carmel was always, according to the expression of this same author in "Le vrai esprit du Carmel," "to live in a state of great purity... and to enter into God with all one's strength".
It is obvious that John of Saint-Samson here refers to the "Institution des premiers moines," a text highly representative of the spirit of Carmel and of its oldest and purest mystical traditions. In it we read these lines in which the author seeks to describe the life of the first hermits of Carmel.
"This life has a double end. The first is ours as the result of our virtuous work and effort, divine grace aiding us. It consists in offering God a holy heart, freed from all stain of actual sin. We attain this end when we are perfect and in Carith (which means ' hidden in charity ')...The second end of this life is communicated to us as God's pure gift. I mean that not only after death but here in this mortal life we can in some way in our hearts taste and experience in spirit the power of the divine presence and the sweetness of heavenly glory. This is called drinking from
the torrent of divine pleasure."
At Carmel, purity of heart is never disassociated from delight in things divine. The illusion most to be dreaded has always been to aspire to the highest gifts while disdaining or underestimating the necessary publications. There is another and equally dangerous snare: to try to live a life of high perfection for its own sake and not to aspire to receive the communication of divine life. Carmelite spirituality consists of a supernatural balance which is only possible where there is habitual recourse to the spirit with humility of heart. Although Carmel can see the weakness of its children without astonishment or pessimism, and because it
counts on the abundance of divine mercy to remain undisturbed, it has no pity for the slightest shadow that soils the soul. A man who voluntarily harbors some vain attachment in his heart is not a spiritual man. But of what price is purity without spiritual fruitfulness? A detachment in which there is no love?
In fact theological primacy makes it impossible for the Carmelite soul to deviate in his pursuit of his double goal. If he aspires to love with the love of God Himself, it is because he is strong in his hope, resolute in his faith, docile in all things to the invitations of the Spirit; it is because he depends on God alone.
A direct and intimate experience with God is the basis of Carmel spirituality. Therefore, before any Rule, and in order that the Rule may be lived when it is formulated, a contemplative spirit and a deep sense of God are required of those who wish to lead the life of Carmel.
Of one who understands how to stay before God, no special activity, no special practical disposition is required. While, on the contrary, this sense of God, this thirst to remain in His presence does not belong to that category of realities that a Rule or a technique can call into being. Nor can they be developed in any way ascertainable by the sense. They must exist prior to the realization of a contemplative religious life. God Himself has placed them in the soul's very centre and ceaselessly maintains them by means of His grace and His Holy Spirit.
This enables us to understand how, although it is not an institution in the western meaning of the term but only a place for the election of a spiritual reality, Carmel has long been able to exist in a free, spontaneous, elementary way and to subsist through the sheer power of its "spirit".
This primacy of "spirit", necessary in every religious institute seems even more necessary in Carmel.
No exterior activity, whatever be its form, not even fidelity to the Rule, jealously guarded though this must be, can ever take the place of what ought to be the soul of Carmel, we mean the divine current that reaches the depths of man's being and impels the Carmelite to return constantly to his centre.
This search for God, so essential and so secret, leads of itself to simplicity and spiritual poverty. Instinctively the soul seeking God longs to be disencumbered, to be delivered from all things spiritual and material, in order to think of God alone, to be freed from things of the flesh in order to attain to life in the spirit, and to become altogether spiritual.
An idea like this necessarily leads to a spiritual conception of religious life. In fact, nowhere as much as in Carmel must life and observances be vivified by the spirit.
That is why a religious as familiar with the origins of Carmel as John of Saint-Samson could write in "De la perfection et decadence de la vie religieuse":
"I say that in the days of these first patriarchs and founders, religious life (at Carmel) was a body strongly and excellently animated by spirit, or rather it was all spirit, and all fervent spirit."
In fact the ideal of Carmel was always, according to the expression of this same author in "Le vrai esprit du Carmel," "to live in a state of great purity... and to enter into God with all one's strength".
It is obvious that John of Saint-Samson here refers to the "Institution des premiers moines," a text highly representative of the spirit of Carmel and of its oldest and purest mystical traditions. In it we read these lines in which the author seeks to describe the life of the first hermits of Carmel.
"This life has a double end. The first is ours as the result of our virtuous work and effort, divine grace aiding us. It consists in offering God a holy heart, freed from all stain of actual sin. We attain this end when we are perfect and in Carith (which means ' hidden in charity ')...The second end of this life is communicated to us as God's pure gift. I mean that not only after death but here in this mortal life we can in some way in our hearts taste and experience in spirit the power of the divine presence and the sweetness of heavenly glory. This is called drinking from
the torrent of divine pleasure."
At Carmel, purity of heart is never disassociated from delight in things divine. The illusion most to be dreaded has always been to aspire to the highest gifts while disdaining or underestimating the necessary publications. There is another and equally dangerous snare: to try to live a life of high perfection for its own sake and not to aspire to receive the communication of divine life. Carmelite spirituality consists of a supernatural balance which is only possible where there is habitual recourse to the spirit with humility of heart. Although Carmel can see the weakness of its children without astonishment or pessimism, and because it
counts on the abundance of divine mercy to remain undisturbed, it has no pity for the slightest shadow that soils the soul. A man who voluntarily harbors some vain attachment in his heart is not a spiritual man. But of what price is purity without spiritual fruitfulness? A detachment in which there is no love?
In fact theological primacy makes it impossible for the Carmelite soul to deviate in his pursuit of his double goal. If he aspires to love with the love of God Himself, it is because he is strong in his hope, resolute in his faith, docile in all things to the invitations of the Spirit; it is because he depends on God alone.
19 May 2010
Mother Mary of Jesus on Modernism
This passage shows well the attitude of Mother Mary of Jesus and we would do well to adopt it ourselves to keep us free from this and all heresy -
Another service which she rendered this priest was to point the dangers of modernism, long before its condemnation. He had sent her some books of Loisy’s [a renowned modernist author]. Her comment is characteristic: ‘I only gave a glance at Abbe Loisy — it is just what I knew it was, most terrible. Oh! the cure to all these sins and heresies and horrors would be the surrender of our will and being to God. There is only our mind fit to learn and understand the right and the wrong, the truth of God and the infinite beauty of supernatural faith’.
Taken from 'In the Silence of Mary'. Published by Notting Hill Carmel 1964.
Another service which she rendered this priest was to point the dangers of modernism, long before its condemnation. He had sent her some books of Loisy’s [a renowned modernist author]. Her comment is characteristic: ‘I only gave a glance at Abbe Loisy — it is just what I knew it was, most terrible. Oh! the cure to all these sins and heresies and horrors would be the surrender of our will and being to God. There is only our mind fit to learn and understand the right and the wrong, the truth of God and the infinite beauty of supernatural faith’.
Taken from 'In the Silence of Mary'. Published by Notting Hill Carmel 1964.
13 May 2010
The Discalced Friars by Fr Benedict Zimmerman
This is a brief description of the life of a Discalced Carmelite Friar as it was lived according to the traditional Rule. You will find it very edifying -
Shortly before midnight the brethren rise and repair to the choir, where at the twelfth stroke of the hour they continue Matins according to the Roman rite. The singing is not plain chant, as in the monasteries of the Benedictine, Trappist or Carthusian Orders, but a simple kind of monotone, which, however, is not devoid of solemnity. Matins last about an hour and a quarter, followed by a short meditation before the Blessed Sacrament. The Midnight Office is of great importance; at a time when the world is forgetful of God, or even grievously offending His majesty, the Church, through her various Religious Orders, presents herself in supplication before His throne, praising His glorious name, and expiating for the world’s sinfulness.
About 2 a.m. the monks are back in their cells to take some repose: not an easy thing to do on cold winter nights. They rise again before five to chant Prime and Terce and make an hour’s meditation which is followed by
The true home of the monk is his cell. This is about twelve foot long by ten in width. Its furniture is of the simplest kind; the bed consists of a board, six feet by two and a half or three feet, resting on trestles, and covered with some blankets and a pillow. There is a writing table, with shelves for books, and a chair. On the walls are a cross and some pious pictures.
At half past ten Sext and None are recited in choir, followed at eleven by dinner. This is the first, and during the greater part of the year the only, meal. Those, however, who are unable to keep such a long fast can easily obtain permission to take a cup of coffee after
After dinner there is an hour’s recreation in common, but during the rest of the day silence is strictly enjoined. At two o’clock Vespers are chanted, frequently followed by the Office of the Dead. The afternoon is devoted to work, only interrupted by an hour’s meditation. In the evening there is a second meal, followed by a short recreation in summer, but in winter there is only a small collation. Compline and Night Prayers having been said, the Religious retire to their cells at about half past seven.
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