Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. Prior General
Throughout the six years that the term of the General leadership lasts there are moments that are difficult, joyful, sad, emotional, moments in which one feels an extraordinary pride in our Carmelite family, and so on. At the end of last year, (from 29th November to 4th December 2010) we had one of those very intense, profound and joyful moments, in the meeting of the two General Councils, O.Carm and O.C.D., for a week at the Stella Maris de Monte Carmelo (Haifa, Israel). The meeting gave us a chance to think together, pray and meditate together, and to look at mission and the meaning and importance of Carmel for the Church and the society of today.
The first two days were devoted to a reflection on consecrated life in today’s world, led by Fr. Gabino Uribarri, S.J., the Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid. Fr. Uribarri has written a number of works on religious life, and his talks helped us to grow in our awareness of the ecclesial dimension of this life, as well as the responsibility it has in the area of evangelisation. Along with the talks, which were always very solid theologically and inspirational at the same time, we had some very interesting sharing of opinions in which we were able to see how we live out these dimensions in each branch of Carmel, as well as the difficulties we encounter in this area.
This first part ended with a visit to the ruins of the first Carmelite foundation. This was a particularly intense moment in which we went through the ruins of the first chapel, the prior’s cell close to the entrance (juxta introitum loci), the spring of Elijah and so on. We sang the Flos Carmeli together, and were very mindful of our sisters and brothers in both branches of Carmel throughout the world.
In the days that followed, the members of both councils visited places of Carmelite interest, and some of the other significant places in the Holy Land. As we went around we had Fr. Francisco Negral and Fr. Renato Rosso, both O.C.D. as our guides. Both were excellent guides who with genuine professional ability and spiritual insight, helped to get a real taste of the spirituality of the different places. Moreover, in each different place we had a Lectio divina, directed by Fr. Desiderio Garcia, O.Carm. who helped us to recapture and re-live the words of the Lord, right there in those places where they were pronounced for the first time.
It was also a great pleasure to visit the four monasteries of Discalced Carmelite women in the Holy Land (Mount Carmel, Nazareth, Bethlehem and the Our Father) where we were able to spend time with the nuns and enjoy their hospitality.
The last day was devoted entirely to the writing of a message for the Order and to the study and evaluation of other joint activities and areas of common endeavour. We looked again at some of the topics that have been studied in the meetings of the two councils, which take place in Rome twice a year.
All that remains is for us to sincerely thank the Carmelite communities at Mount Carmel and throughout the Holy Land for the wonderful hospitality they gave us, and also the Carmelite Sisters in Stella Maris, who, as they always do, made us feel so much at home by the simplicity, pleasantness and fraternal spirit of their hospitality.
During the week that we were in Mount Carmel, we received some bad news. Fifteen kilometres from Stella Maris, on one of the hills that form part of the Mount Carmel chain, there was a fire that burned many acres of forest, and, even more sadly, caused the death of 43 people who were passengers in a coach. Even though neither Stella Maris, nor the Wadi es Siah nor the Muhraqa were affected by the fire, the flames could be seen from miles away. We could not help but recall the words of Amos in the Bible speaking about the destruction of this highly symbolic place: and the top of Carmel dries up … (Amos 1,2). Without getting into visionary interpretations or anything so strange, we might perhaps see a sign in this, something that alerts us, a even warning. Carmel, the biblical place of beauty, synonymous with all that is fertile and the generosity of nature, is on fire on account of human neglect. Perhaps we as Carmelites may have a word to say to this world of ours that is taking giant steps towards the destruction of our environment, our waters, and nature itself. Together, we commend all the victims of the forest fire to the one God whom Elijah adored in these same places.
