Chapter 5: Our role models

St. Joseph

Due to St. Teresa’s devotion to and trust in St. Joseph’ s loving care for her intentions and the needs of the reform, Discalced Carmelites regard St. Joseph as a Protector of the Order and a master of prayer.

Devotion to St. Joseph was a hallmark of St. Teresa of Avila. Teresa attributed her miraculous cure to Saint Joseph. St. Joseph is the silent figure of the New Testament as the Gospels do not record one spoken verse for St. Joseph. 

St. Joseph was entrusted by God to exercise his role as father and guardian of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Mt. 1 16, 18-24). Joseph is the last Patriarch who receives the communications of the Lord through the humble way of dreams (Gn 28, 12-14; Mt 1, 20-24). Like the ancient Joseph, he is an upright and faithful man (Mt 1, 19) whom God had placed as guardian of his household. He connects Jesus, the Messianic King, to the descent of David (Mt 1, 1-16; Lk 3, 23-38). Joseph, Spouse of Mary and foster father, guide of the Holy Family in their flight to and return from Egypt, retracing the way of the Exodus (Gn 37; 50, 22-26; Mt 2, 13-21).

Prophet Elijah

In Hebrew, Elijah means “My God is YHWH”. Elijah is held as a model of the contemplative life, particularly by Carmelites who first gathered on Mount Carmel, where Elijah contested the worship of the one true God of the Israelite people against that of the prophets of Baal. The Scriptures describe Elijah as a man who lived in the presence of God and whose zeal for the true God led him into moments of encounter with God both in silence and through his prophetic action. The inspiration found in the person of Elijah pervades the history of the Carmelite Order from its very beginnings and so he is also named “Father of all Carmelites”. The first Carmelites came to the Holy Land drawn by the places where Our Lord had lived.  

Carmelites are rooted in a prophetic tradition which goes back to the time of the Prophet Elijah. The original hermits of Carmel chose to reside at the Wadi Carith, Elijah’s well.  The choice of location for the Carmelite’s initial foundation placed them within the prophetic shadow of the Prophet Elijah, who is identified as the Father of Carmelites and who is still celebrated as a saint within the Order (Feast Day July 16).  Even St. Peter’s Basilica contains a statue of him with a sign stating, “Elijah, Founder of the Carmelites”.  

Mother Mary (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Mount Carmel is where the prophet Elijah strived against 450 priests of Baal and was given victory by God over them. (1 Kings 18:19–40). Hermits lived on Mount Carmel in northern Israel (near modern day Haifa) in the 12th century, where they dedicated a chapel to Our Lady. These became the first Carmelites. Eventually most fled, as Mount Carmel was taken by the Muslims in 1291, and the remaining brothers were killed and the convent burned. The Carmelites are unique in that they view themselves especially as “brothers of Our Lady,” emphasizing their spiritual fraternity with her.

As we attempt to follow Christ more closely, we Carmelites find inspiration in the Blessed Virgin Mary. She plays a very important part in the life and spirituality of the Order.

From the very beginning Carmelites have had a special place for Mary in their lives.

The Carmelites, formally known as the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount. We  imitate the virtues of Mary and experience of the Marian mystery is indissolubly united to Carmelite spirituality. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order.

An important Marian celebration associated with the Order of Discalced Carmelites is the Memorial of ”Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace,” celebrated on July 23.

Since the ancient hermits that established themselves on Mount Carmel, the Carmelites have been known for their deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They interpreted the cloud of the vision of Elijah (1 Kings 18:44) as a symbol of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

The Carmelites have spread among the Christian people devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, holding her up as a model of prayer, contemplation and dedication to God.

Because of the invasion by the Saracenes, the Carmelites were obliged to abandon Mount Carmel. One ancient tradition tells us that before leaving, Our Lady appeared to them while they sang the Salve Regina and she promised to be the Star of the Sea for them. They also knew Our Lady by this beautiful name because Mount Carmel rises like a star above the sea. In their quest for God, they came to see the Blessed Virgin Mary as their preeminent guide.

The Carmelites are known for their devotion to the Mother of God, since in her they see the fulfillment of Elijah's ideal. In their religious profession, they are consecrated to God and to Mary, and they take the habit in her honour, as a remembrance that their lives belong to her, and through her, to Christ. The devotion to Our Lady of Carmel was propagated especially in the places were the Carmelites were established. 

 

 

BEFORE CHRIST

 

Mount Carmel is a biblical place where the prophet Elijah dwelt.  It rises 1,742 feet above sea level and towers above Israel’s Mediterranean coastline.  It was here where Elijah prayed to God for the salvation of Israel, which was suffering a terrible drought at the time.  He continued to pray and sent his servant up the mountain several times to look for rain.  On the seventh try, Elijah’s servant returned with good news.  “Behold a little cloud arose out of the sea like a man’s foot” (1 Kings 1:44).  Soon thereafter, torrential rains fell upon the parched land and the people of Israel were saved.

Elijah saw the cloud as a symbol of the Virgin mentioned in the prophecies of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14).  The hermits who lived on Mount Carmel followed Elijah’s example and prayed for the advent of the much-awaited Virgin, who would become the mother of the Messiah.  The origins of the Carmelite Order can be traced back to Elijah and his hermited disciples.

Chapter 4: Virtues of Carmelites

Faith, Hope and Love

“And now these three remain: faith hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13) Faith is one of those words used by us all the time. By faith we Carmelites believe in God and believe all that He has revealed to us. As we grow in faith we grow in our relationship with Jesus. We see Mother Mary as a model of faith and are called to trust and openness ourselves. Her faithfulness to Jesus serves to spark that faith in us. The virtue of faith is the foundation of all Christian virtue, and it is at the heart of every Carmelite’s life.

The first hermits on Mount Carmel came from different countries of Europe. They had journeyed from their native soil to settle in the Holy Land of Jesus and Mary, seeking the face of the living God. Perhaps hope and love had driven them to that special place where God might be found, and for this reason they made a pilgrimage of trust to the mountains and the deserts of Israel. It is not surprising then that the journey theme, rooted in faith, hope and love, became such an integral part of our Carmelite spirituality.

We see these virtues of Carmelite spirituality in the lives and writings of our greatest saints Teresa, John of the Cross, and Therese. Their writings have given us tremendous insights into the meaning of the virtues and certainly have a primacy in our Carmelite tradition. Perhaps the latest Doctor of the Church, St. Therese, has placed this primacy into particular focus for us. It is difficult to describe Therese’s intense love of God and of the members of her community in Lisieux, but her spirituality begins with this truth. Her sister Pauline once said of her: “She breathed the love of God just as I breathe air.” Therese completely believed and trusted the beautiful words of St. John: “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

Hope is termed a theological virtue because its immediate object is God, as is true of the other two essentially infused virtues, faith and love. Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Hope is the gift to trust that God will grant us eternal life. The Beatitudes express our commitment to living by the virtue of hope. They teach us how to live virtues of hope, love and faith and how to make our daily commitment to God. This is the distinctive note of Carmelite life – intimate friendship with Christ. 

Chapter 3: History of Carmelites

The history of the Carmelites is just as beautiful as its charism.

Ever since the Old Testament times, when Prophet of God, Elijah, slew the prophets of the false god on its heights, the holy mountain of Carmel gained popularity. The Prophet Elijah was told to stand at the mouth of the cave on Mount Carmel as the Lord would pass by. Earthquakes, thunder and lightning occurred but the Lord was not in these momentous events. Then there was a gentle breeze and Elijah covered his face and fell to the ground because he knew God was in the silence of the gentle breeze. Since then Mount Carmel has forever been a holy ground.

Around 12^th century, some holy men started living on Mount Carmel after the Crusades and built a monastery with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. They called themselves the hermit brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and meditated on the Word of God in total silence. They led an austere life and looked up to Prophet Elijah for inspiration as he had found God in silence of the gentle breeze. It was around the year 1253.

 Pope Urban VI called them Carmelites in documents in 1379. Since then the Carmelites went on to establish monasteries in Europe and other parts of the world. Carmelite monasteries are now found all over the world.

The new Order was called discalced meaning without shoes – poor. It refers to the fact that this branch of the Order customarily went barefoot or wore sandals. The Discalced Carmel acknowledges St. Teresa as its mother and foundress.  In August 1562 she founded a new style of Carmelite community in Ávila, Spain. This Carmelite Doctor of the Church, with the help of Saint John of the Cross, reformed the Order in the 16th century. These two great contemplatives, along with St. Therese of Child Jesus, gave the Order a special orientation toward mysticism.

Chapter 2: Carmelite Saints and Doctors

There are various major sources of Carmelite spirituality such as the Rule of St. Albert, the writings of the doctors and founders of Discalced Carmel Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, and the writings of some of our Carmelite saints like Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (Thérèse of the Child Jesus), St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and few others.

St. Teresa’s greatest contribution to Carmelite spirituality is her writing of THE INTERIOR CASTLE. In this book she explains the way to union with God through interior recollection in God's beautiful dwelling place, which is one’s own soul. This is one of her greatest works and she describes a soul, "as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions." She says that God has created the human soul so exalted that, "Nothing can be compared to the great beauty and capabilities of a soul" that is in the state of grace. She says, "The soul of the just man is but a paradise, in which, God tells us, He takes His delight."

For St. Teresa of Avila, Carmelite spirituality was all about love of Christ, and consoling Him who is so offended by sin. She says in THE WAY OF PERFECTION, "Indeed all I cared for then, as I do now, was that, as the enemies of God are so many and His friends so few, these latter might at least be good ones." This was the central theme and the reason for her prayer life, "that I might be able to bring some comfort to our Lord."

St. John of the Cross is known especially for his four main writings THE ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL, THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, THE SPIRITUAL CANTICLE and THE LIVING FLAME OF LOVE. THE ASCENT OF MOUNT CARMEL deals primarily with the early stages of spiritual life. In this book he says, “My principle is not to address all, but certain persons of our sacred order of Mount Carmel to whom God is granting the favour of setting them on the road to this Mount.” Both he and St Teresa of Avila stress on the centrality of the concept of nada, nothing – by wishing and asking for nothing, the soul is enabled to “ascend the Mount of Carmel”.

The other books also provide St. John's perceptions of Carmelite spirituality, and deep thinking, for building a closer relationship with Christ. In St. John's eyes, Carmel was all about union of the soul with God. These two Spanish mystics have left us many books of practical advice on spiritual growth and prayer.

St. Therese of Child Jesus, also known as St. Thérèse of Lisieux, is another great saint and doctor of the church. St John of the Cross was her spiritual teacher and through his writings she entered more deeply into her journey of love. As a Carmelite nun, she was well grounded in Carmelite spirituality.  St. Therese, “The Little Flower’s”, writings had a profound effect on the spirituality of the twentieth century. Her poems and the book STORY OF A SOUL became some of the most widely read spiritual books of the time because of the fundamental elements of Carmelite Spirituality. St. Therese had great devotion to the Infant Jesus and her spirituality, found in her writings, THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ST. TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS and THE SCIENCE OF THE CROSS had a childlike simplicity and trust in God's love.

When writing about God, other Carmelite saints like St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s language was simple and affectionate. She wrote a lot but she is best known for her prayer “O My God, Trinity Whom I Adore.” Also particularly notable are her HEAVEN IN FAITH, a retreat she wrote three months before her death for her sister Guite; and the LAST RETREAT, her spiritual insights from the last annual retreat she was able to make.

Chapter 1: What is Carmelite Spirituality?

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. 

 

PROLOUGE

As a professional journalist, it has always been my desire to write a book – a book on any subject! When I was working in a jewellery magazine I wanted to write a coffee table book on diamonds. But I soon realized that for me writing 1000-1500 words articles were far easier than writing a book of 500 pages. Thus, the desire to write this coffee table book took a backseat and has remained just a desire till now.

Through a mutual decision taken by my husband and me to stop writing professionally, I became a domestic queen some years back. But once in a while I wrote for our parish bulletin – THE TIDINGS – and while writing for it, the desire to write a book resurfaced. So in the mighty name of Jesus I start writing this book because Jesus fulfils the desires of every heart. It is my first and probably the last attempt in writing a book.

I thought over a number of subjects that I could write on but nothing excited me. Eventually one subject that really excited me was “Carmelite spirituality”.  As a Secular Carmelite (OCDS), since December 2015, what better topic to write on than our spirituality? So, I began writing this book on 16^th September, 2019 (Monday).

My book will have only seven chapters because of two reasons – biblically, seven is the perfect number and St Teresa of Avila, the founder and mother of our Holy Order, has described the soul to be having seven mansions.

 Right now because of the global lockdown it has occurred to me that I should blog the contents of my book instead of publishing it.

So here it is!

INDEX

 

Chapter 1: What is Carmelite Spirituality?

Chapter 2: Carmelite Saints and Doctors 

Chapter 3: History of Carmelites

Chapter 4: Virtues of Carmelites

Chapter 5: Our role models

Chapter 6: Two strong pillars of Carmelites – Word of God and Eucharist

Chapter 7: Contemplation

 

My Book: Carmelite Spirituality