Much has been said and written about the Carmelite Spirituality. The Carmelite Spirituality is almost 900 years old spiritual tradition within the Catholic Church. Our Carmelite spirituality begins on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. The first hermits, some probably lay pilgrims, and others former crusaders, came together toward the end of the 12th century to a place well known in Scripture for the presence and deeds of the Prophet Elijah. They were drawn by his words in the First Book of Kings: “God lives, in whose presence I stand.”
The Carmelite family comprises the priests, cloistered nuns and the secular Carmelites. We all seek to live as our Rule of Saint Albert whose feast day we celebrate on September 17. According to this Rule, we are to live “in allegiance to Jesus Christ”. Allegiance means loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause. So “allegiance to Christ” simply means “loyalty or commitment to Christ”. Our spirituality is focussed on Christ – characterised by an intense thirst for an immediate and direct experience of Jesus.
During his pastoral visitation, Rev Dr Fr Johannes Gorantla OCD, the Definator General, told us that as Carmelite men and women our motto in life should be to seek the face of God, listen to the voice of God, seek communion with God, and experience God. Giving the example of Mary in the New Testament, he said that Mary listened to Jesus when he went to her home to dine. She was just sitting at the feet of Jesus, looking at Jesus and listening to Jesus. He said that the more we listen to Jesus, the more we experience him.
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