CITOC Magazine (10)
This year we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Albert of Jerusalem: because of that, this edition of CITOC-magazine is centred on the commemoration of that event. The Patriarch’s letter to the hermits of Mount Carmel became our Rule. With the passing of the years it has lost nothing of its originality. It is ever current and ever a source of inspiration, for the first hermits gathered around the spring of Elijah on Mount Carmel, and for the whole Carmelite Family, spread today throughout all five continents.
A short biography illustrates the life of the legislator, and an article looks at the historical context in which St. Albert responded to the request of the hermits for a “norm for their life”. Some thoughts about our Rule in the light of the ecclesiology of the II Vatican Council, and a number of testimonies from members of the Carmelite Family as to how to live out the Rule in daily life, create a bridge to our own days.
This edition also reports on a number of joyful events that show how our Rule is being followed in various nations and in various circumstances: the 125th anniversary of the arrival in New York of the first Carmelites from Ireland, which marked the beginnings of the American Province of St. Elias; the 25th anniversary of the refounding of the Order in France, restoring a presence that was interrupted by the French Revolution; the 25th anniversary of the Spanish Carmelite youth movement called Jucar.
Our Rule is being followed today in new and different settings. We see one response to the challenges of the moving tides of history, in the report on the unification of the Province of Aragon and Valencia with the Province of Castile, to form the one Province of Aragon, Castile and Valencia.
In addition to all these articles and the other items of information, we offer our customary selection of news items, some of which have already been published in CITOC-online, to give some idea of what is happening in the Order at the moment.
We hope all our readers will enjoy reading this latest issue of CITOC-magazine
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Fr. Christian Körner, O.Carm.
400 Years of Life in Praise of God and of Our Blessed Mother - - Nuestra Señora De Las Maravillas
Written bymonastery of Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas
The nuns of the Carmelite community of the monastery of Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas in Madrid are celebrating the 4th centenary of the monastery to thank God for the wonders he has done in this community over four hundred years of existence.
The celebrations began on the 3rd of February of this year with a Mass celebrated by the Prior General, Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. The concelebrants included, the Priors Provincial of the province of Castille and Aragon and Valencia, along with a number of Carmelite friars from the communities in Madrid. The President of the Mater Unitatis Federation , the Superiors General of the two Spanish congregations of Carmelite Sisters (The Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) members of the Arch-confraternity of Our Lady of Maravillas and a sizeable group of lay Carmelites, relatives and friends that regularly worship in our church also took part in the celebration.
This Madrid community came into being in a house on Calle Fuencarral, under the patronage of Doña. Juana de Barahona. The Carmelite friars learned of the desire of six young women from Madrid who wanted to consecrate themselves to God as Carmelites and responded positively.
An important date in the life of the community was the day in 1627 when the statue of Our Lady of Maravillas was donated. Tradition has it that one day, as a few sisters were walking in the convent garden, they found a small image of the infant Jesus lying in the middle of a bunch of “maravillas”, somewhat like daisies. The nuns picked up the Infant, brought it into choir and made a little altar for it. They began to refer to it as the Child of the Maravillas. That was in 1620. Seven years later, in 1627, Divine Providence bestowed a statue of the Blessed Virgin on the monastery. Devotion to this image of the Blessed Virgin, with a reputation for granting favours, spread more and more and many people came to venerate it. Seeing this situation the authorities decided that the statue should be venerated in a church. The sisters handed over the image of the Infant of Maravillas, found some years earlier. Faithful to the tradition the statue is still there, resting on a bunch of flowers held up by the Blessed Virgin. Ever since that time this Blessed Virgin has been linked to our community. The Blessed Virgin of Maravillas granted many favours. Indeed, King Philip IV, out of gratitude for the cure he had received through her intercession, donated the money to build the church for the monastery.
The group remained under the guidance of the Carmelite Friars up to 1627. After that, out of a desire to be recognised as consecrated religious, on the 15th of August, 1627, they put themselves under the care of the Ordinary. On the 10th of January, 1630, the Prioress, Isabel de la Santίsima Trinidad, and the Sub-prioress, Isabel de San Antonio, made their profession in the hands of the visitator, Dr. Xedels, the delegate of Cardinal Zapata, in accordance with the primitive rule of St. Albert, in the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance. On the 14th of same month and year, the remaining seven sisters made their profession in the hands of the Prioress, in the presence of the visitator, thus becoming a real Carmelite community in accordance with the norms of the Church and the Constitutions of the Carmelite Order.
The history of the monastery is linked to the revolt of the 2nd of May 1808 in the War of Independence against the French. Under the walls of the monastery there was an insurrection by the people. The sisters were exemplary in the care they gave to the stricken and wounded from both sides. The community had further difficulties, when they had to move house on successive occasions, having to rely on the hospitality of other communities, and seeing themselves as the victims of deceit, sale of their land, and religious persecutions. In 1902 a couple by the name of Calderón Gonsalvez, through the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin of Maravillas, built a new monastery on their own land, in the heart of Salamanca, a suburb of Madrid. It was opened in 1904, and from that time the nuns have left their house only once and that was during the Spanish Civil War.
The community grew so much that the time came to think about a new foundation in the Dominican Republic. Providence provided through the kindness of Dña Maria Grullón, the widow of Llomport, a native of Santo Domingo, who entered as a postulant in 1953. Her desire to found a monastery in her own country was warmly received by the community and by Fr. Alfonso M. Lopez Sendin, the General Commissary of the Carmelites of the province of Castille. The Archbishop gave his approval on the 2nd of December, 1953 leading to the foundation of a monastery of cloistered sisters in San José de las Matas, in the diocese of Santiago de los Caballeros. In 1974 there were already 30 nuns in the community, some of who moved on to the foundations of La Vega and Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.
Fr. Fidel M.ª Fernández Limcaco, a Filippino Carmelite, visited the community in Madrid where he expressed his desire to have a foundation of Carmelite nuns in the Philippines. The first expedition included six nuns, who had Sr. Maria Trinidad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesus Cuesta as their prioress. They set out on the 3rd of October, 1958. On the 30th of May, 1964 they moved into a new monastery, still under construction, in the outskirts of Dumaguete. The Chapel was not opened until the 19th of November 1977.
The community of Dumaguete grew and in 1990 a new foundation was made in Roxas City,, in the Diocese of Capiz, made up exclusively of Filippino sisters. Later, in 2009, six Filippino nuns moved out to form a new community in Bohol, in the Diocese of Tagbilaran.
To commemorate this centenary the community has published a book, that contains a summary of the history of the monastery from the beginning. A series of conferences, an organ concert and a triduum of thanksgiving will complete the programme of events, which will be closed by the Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela.
Br. Fausto Spinelli, O.C.D.
The recent excavations and the project to conserve and restore the ruins of the first Carmelite monastery situated in the Wadi 'ain es-Siah on Mount Carmel owe their existence to the interest and support given by Fr. Felipe Sainz de Baranda, General of the Discalced Carmelite Order, 1979-1991. One of the aims of the work was to preserve the entire area and its most important elements from deterioration. The work was urgently needed if parts of the remaining ruins were not to be entirely lost.
In March of 1987 Dr. Eugenia Nitowski, an American archeologist, began a series of archaeological excavations in addition to the project to safeguard the preservation of this important site. In the 'fifties and 'sixties some parts of the first Carmelite settlement had been studied by the archaeologist Bellarmino Bagatti.
The Wadi
The Wadi 'ain es-Siah forms one of the small valleys of Mount Carmel which descend steeply towards the coast. It lies four kilometers from Haifa on the main coastal road leading to Tel-Aviv.
Other wadis on the same mountain have been the sites of important archaeological findings. In particular in some of the caves were found the remains of a prehistoric man known as Homo Carmelensis .
The Wadi 'ain es-Siah is the location that the Latin hermits chose to inhabit during the period of the Crusades. Today, as then, anyone wishing to visit the monastic settlement must climb some distance up the steep and narrow valley. Before arriving at the level of the monastic complex, about halfway in the journey, one finds a fertile valley floor, partly transformed into large gardens. The fertility of the area is due to the rich source of water known as the «spring of Elijah». Its waters flow from the northern side of the valley from a rock and fill a large basin dug into the rock itself, at present covered over.
A little higher, the valley narrows between two ridges; to the north that of the hill Kababir, to the south that of the hill Karmeliya, together forming a natural gateway. Climbing higher one comes to a small open space chosen by the Latin hermits as the site of their monastery. Today its ruins, the object of the excavations, may still be seen.
To the east the Wadi 'ain-es-Siah ap-pears to be closed on that side by a hill whose outline is reminiscent of the Carmelite coat-of-arms. Rather than closing the valley, however, this hill divides it into two branches and then slopes towards the new quarter of Haifa.
The upper spring
Often visitors through the centuries have given the same name to this spring as to the lower one, «The spring of Elijah». From a sketch in the survey it may be concluded that it has undergone some notable external changes. At the beginning the water flowed from a double basin in the rock whose upper chamber bears similarity to an oven. From the lower chamber a fissure leads the water into two shallow tanks engraved into the rock which form a simple means of water storage. To the east of the cavern, on the face of the rock there are two niches, named in the survey «sedilia». The reservoir in front of the cave is recent. It raised the level of the water enough to cover the «sedilia».
The Discalced Carmelite Fr Ambrose of St Arsenius observed in 1634 that the upper spring was found inside the wall surrounding the monastery. This was confirmed by John Baptist of St Alexis (1780), who says that «the water comes out of the cave dug a little into the rock and is in relation to the inner side of the cloister wall».
The stable-chapel
On the northern slope of the valley, in front of the upper spring, two caves stand, one above the other, connected by a narrow stairway. They are formed out of the soft limestone, the lower one being square with a central pillar. The many tourists and scholars who have visited the caves have developed many theories as to their use in the past.
The lower cave was possibly the home of one of the monks of the «laura» which was on this site during the Byzantine period. Inside are found 14 or 15 basins, possibly feeding troughs, which seem to have been carved into the rock at the time of the Latin hermits or possibly later.
Some have argued that the cave was used as a chapel dedicated to Our Lady dating from the fifth century. This theory is based on information provided by studies of a house and tomb in Nazareth which dates to the first century of the common era, in which can be seen later additions dating from the Byzantine and Crusader periods. This chapel of the Virgin, which had an altar in the north-east corner, was used by the monks of the Byzantine «laura» who dwelt in the caves found throughout the valley or in buildings nearby.
The church
The remains of the church, with its foundations dug into the rock, is found on a piece of level ground to the west of the upper spring. The building was rectangular with a bell-tower or semi-circular tower positioned on its south side. The church was perfectly aligned in an east-west axis, as were most ancient churches. In the eastern section, raised by two steps, was the chancel. Bellarmino Bagatti identified two different sections in the church. The older section on the western side has the same technical characteristics as the «cell of the Prior». The eastern sec-tion on the other hand displays a different style of building (tribolated semi-columns) which suggests a later extension. However, the latest fragments found from different sections of the church, and the analysis of the different mortars used has led the experts to consider the rectangular shape of the church to be original, though with later maintenance and restoration evident.
In the northern part of the church, to-wards the entrance, a stone bench was attatched to the walls. This was probably used for the small community's times of prayer. One excavation has brought to light several pieces of a simple pavement made of limestone mortar around the edge of the central section of the northern wall.
During the campaign carried out in the spring of 1989, after consultation with the Israeli authorities responsible for archeological sites, persmission was received to reconstruct the entrance arch of the church using stones uncovered in the vicinity. Further restoration work has been carried out in different sections of the church wall, particularly in its northeastern corner.
The canals
Next to the church, running along its southern side a canal has been discovered, carved into the rock, which was covered with stones of a more or less equal size. This stone cover follows the canal along its almost straight course and forms part of the adjoining pavement, constructed of small stones placed closely together. The pavement cannot be described as elaborate but it reflects the careful work and attention of those responsible for its construction.
A further series of canals was uncovered on the eastern side of the church during the most recent archeological campaign. It seems that the church was threatened with damage from water flowing either from the upper spring or from the hill above the church. A series of canals carved out of the rock at a level a little higher than the church served to collect the water and prevent it collecting around the wall of the church, which might have constituted a threat to its foundations.
The kitchen
During the excavations carried out in the autumn of 1988 the monastic kitchen was uncovered situated beside the southern wall of the church. The construction, circular in shape, is called «tabum», which means oven. The fire-place consisted of a semi-circle of stones where two black strata of ashes show that it was twice destroyed before 1265. The tabum, made from clay, also shows signs of various reconstructions before its final destruction in 1291.
The tombs
Two tombs carved into the rock lie near to the entrance of the church, positioned perpendicular to it. One of them contained the skeleton of an elderly man (60-70 years old) with his hands lying crossed upon his chest. Many people believe that this could be the remains of one of the founders of the community or perhaps of a prior of particular importance.
The other tomb is smaller and more simply constructed and contained the bones of two people with indications that the grave was used for a reburial. Ac-cording to Fr Bagatti the two skeletons belonged to a man and a woman. Dr. Nitowski however asserts that they are the remains of two men, one aged 70-80 years and the other 19-20 years.
The monastery
In 1263 Pope Urban IV issued a Bull in which he recommended the faithful to give financial assistance to the construc-tion of a monastery which had been un-dertaken by the Carmelites on the slopes of Mount Carmel. The work is described in the Bull as «a sumptuous project».
On the same piece of level ground as the church a monastery of a square design was constructed as can be seen from some sections of wall which are still visible above the ground. No excavation has yet answered the many questions which these remains present to scholars.
Descriptions left to us by visitors to this monastery speak of a building of more than one storey and of a wide staircase which led to the lower appartments. The remains of the staircase show it to have been of truly monumental proportions and it was perhaps the only one of its kind. Today many structural problems on the site are threatening the survival of the remains of the staircase. The upper stories mentioned in visitors' accounts can be seen today only in the south-east corner of the monastery in the fragments of a pavement found above the vaulted chamber.
the vaulted chamber.
At the end of the stairway is found the so-called «vaulted chamber». The sections of walls preserved and the many dressed stones on the ground clearly indicate that it was a large and accurately constructed hall with a pointed roof, erected perpendicular to the slope of the hill. The chamber had a small door and two narrow windows on the western side.
Whilst clearing a section of the room of stones from the collapsed roof fragments of the pavement above were discovered. Furthermore it has been noted that the eastern wall was designed to include a section of the hill by flattening the side of the rock. The builders first levelled the limestone rock and then continued the wall following a more or less straight course with dressed stones brought from the region of Athlit.
During the excavations it became clear that the vaulted chamber had been con-structed on the site of a previous building. The two perpendicular walls discovered were perhaps part of the nearby building known as the «Prior's Cell» but further work will have to be carried out before firm conclusions can be reached.
The Prior's cell
Still on the southern slope of the wadi next to the vaulted chamber stands the so-called «Prior's cell» which according to Albert's Rule should have been built «at the entrance to the place».
Fr. Bagatti excavated this area in 1961 and uncovered two rooms, one of which was partly sacrificed during the construction of the wall of the vaulted chamber. The second room preserves part of the perimeter wall and communicated with the first room by a door. To the west of the cell ran a canal covered by large stones resting on several small pointed arches.
The Tower and the Tunnel
Some contemporary chronicles tell of the monastery having four towers, one in each corner, but only one in the northwest corner has to date been brought to light. Only the lowest room of this tower remains visible with two arches in its eastern and western walls. The room cannot have been built for habitation as it is in contact with the rock and is found at the lowest point of the wadi where the stream flows. From the room opens a fine tunnel which was perhaps constructed to provide extra drainage in the winter months.
Dr. Nitowski considers it strange that a tunnel had to be constructed for the stream so close to its natural course at the bed of the wadi. The structure of the tunnel bears a close resemblance to one excavated at the Crusader castle of Athlit (Castel Pelerim), which has been identified as a defensive measure. Dr. Nitowski has found other similarities between the Carmelite monastery and the castle of Athlit. Based on evidence from analysis of the construction techniques used and the identical materials found in both buildings it might be possible to conclude that both constructions were the work of the same builders.
It is interesting to note that throughout the area examined so far two types of stone have been used in the construction of the different buildings. The first, a whitish limestone, is soft and porous and therefore more susceptible to flaking and damage from atmospheric agents and chemicals. This stone is found in the place of construction. The second type of stone, a nut coloured sandstone, is hard and durable and was brought from the coastal area near to Athlit.
Carmelite Curia
The cover of this issue of CITOC-magazine shows a very beautiful photo of the first Carmelite Church in the entire American continent in Olinda, Brazil, founded by the Portuguese Carmelites in 1580 and rededicated again on August 5, 2012. The celebrations are an opportunity for the Carmelites to give thanks for the restoration and the return of this marvelous church that from 1877 was in the hands of the Brazilian state, and from today will be the office of the Prior Provincial.
The information on the reality of the Carmelite life in Latin America is rounded off with an article on the Third Congress of ALACAR (the Latin American Association of the Carmelites), an important initiative for the development and exchange among all members of the Carmelite Family in Latin America.
The article from the Prior General recalls the 70th anniversary of the martyrdoms of Blessed Titus Brandsma and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). The life of Blessed Titus is an example of the close relationship between the mystical life and commitment to the world in favor of human dignity. Today, the Carmelite NGO has also adopted this plan. An article about the activities regarding these relevant issues of justice and peace is presented by Carmelite NGO.
Next, we present three events in the field of formation in the Order: the course on permanent formation in the Holy Land on the theme: “Returning to the Sources”; the beginning of the common novitiate in Salamanca, Spain; and the regional meeting of Asia-Australia-Oceania formators which took place in Thrissur, India.
A number of meetings in recent months, which express the internationality of the Order, such as the Fifth International Congress of Lay Carmelites, the triennial meeting of bursars in Sassone and the Congress of Fr. Lorenzo van den Eerenbeemt, O. Carm., the cofounder with the Blessed M. Crocifissa Curcio of the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, will also be mentioned.
Another article in this magazine regards the founder of the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm, the Servant of God, Mother Mary Angeline Teresa, O. Carm. (Bridget Teresa McCrory), whose decree on the heroic virtues was promulgated. The challenges arising from historic moments of change always demand new responses as shown in the presentations on the unification of the two provinces of Upper and Lower Germany and the canonical erection of the new General Commissariat of Paraná in Brazil.
In addition to these articles, as well as other information, there is a selection of news highlights, some of which were published in CITOC-online.
We wish you all happy reading of these pages of the new issue of CITOC-magazine.
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.
ALACAR: OCARM - OCD CONGRESS - Asociación Latino Americana de Carmelitas
Written byMr. Abraham Maximiliano Camino
BEING AND DOING
At this time I want to share with my brothers in faith and Carmel, something that my mother taught me from childhood which is that God has something set aside for us, and in my life I have to discover it. Several years have passed and these words have stuck with me, and each time I witness that God has many things in store for his children and thanks to Carmel I can discover them.
I want to share the wonderful experience that touched my life in the ALACAR-COLOMBIA meeting of 2009. It is through these words and the title this article “Being and Doing” that I arrive at the conclusion that today a Christian has:
To Be = Mystic and Prophet = To Do
The Carmelites in accordance with their rich history, tradition and charism, show us through their 800 years of existence how we can find criteria that tell us whether we are really close to God, if God exists and lives in us, and thus in our lay lives to find a role (propositum) to live “En Obsequio Jesucristo” – (In allegiance to Jesus Christ).
Carmelite spirituality permits us to give a place for God or to let God BE God in our lives, but not like something occasional or temporary, but something that makes me act in freedom, to feel invaded by God’s presence in my life and come to look, act, talk, react as Christ would. Galatians 2.19 to 20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
A lay person must be an evangelizer, not only do what Christ does but BE HIM. Because we all have something to give. From the useless God brings out usefulness. (Retreat of the Carmelite Family - Vacare Deo. August 2009. Lima, Peru).
Being a Prophet Today
How can we be Christ?
Carmelite mysticism tells us that being a prophet today is not only to announce and proclaim with words but to act in a Christ like manner.
Therefore we not only have to DO, we have to BE.
To be in the presence of God (like Elijah) is to allow the same God to act in my life; only then will we be recognized as sons and daughters of God.
Prophecy is nothing else but to announce what we receive from God: Love. And this we give in how we each day treat others.
We will be known by love, whatever my service if I do it out of love and charity, all works will be meaningful. 1 Cor 13:1-13.
Everything is possible when Christ is the center of my actions in the manner of the first Carmelites who modeled their lives around Jesus Christ. That’s why they were recognized as brothers, they all had a sense of God and that is the great legacy that they left to us.
The Carmelites gifted us and presented us with their Charism, and through this beautiful spirituality linked to God under the example of holy Mary, we can be partners in building the Kingdom of God.
THROUGH:
Contemplation and Prayer: How do I decode the language of God who talks to me all the time?
Can I differentiate what is from God and what is not from God? Listening to the heart. Discern in the Spirit, since everything is put there to be discovered in contemplative prayer.
HERE AND NOW
FRATERNITY:
How do I share the language of God? Confronting and discerning with my brothers, which will give me confidence that this is God’s language, what we do together will be so that we all form this “Reign” (Kingdom of God): Here and Now.
SERVICE AND PROPHECY:
Understanding reality through the eyes of God leads me to proclaim the good that I receive from God and denounce what is not of God. From the love and mercy he has with me, and so you can have the same feelings of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and thus care for the poor and needy and reverence in them the living God.
The laity have a great challenge and indeed a prophetic mission, to denounce without fear in these difficult times anything that takes away from the presence of God while the world in which we live is encouraging us to become what is false. There we see the Prophecy of our father Elias, embodied in our Carmelite lives.
The history of Carmel, was no stranger to difficulties in each of its periods, and this has been demonstrated since the first Carmelites.
As committed lay Carmelites, in the spirit that guided our Father Elijah on Mount Carmel and out sister, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nazareth, by the example of them, we can live according to God’s will that the same spirit helps us to insert ourselves and be a main force in this reality that we live.
Christian Körner, O. Carm, Editor
The General Congregation, reflecting on the theme: “Qualiter respondendum quaerentibus sit?” - “What do you respond to those who ask?” was held from 5th to 15th September 2011 at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Canada. For the participants it was a very enriching meeting that offered a space for reflection on the identity and mission of Carmel in the Church today. The final message conveys profound considerations useful for further reflection in the Order. So we decided that the focus of this edition of CITOC would be a reminder of this important assembly.
The other submissions also offer a wealth of information on the present life of the Order. I would like to highlight a few. First of all, there are people who are expressing our charism, therefore it is a pleasure to share the news that Brazil has been able to celebrate the 100th birthday of Fr. Celestino Lui, O. Carm. In addition are other anniversaries, such as the 50th anniversary of the letter of the deceased Bishop Donal Lamont, O. Carm. against apartheid, remember the prophetic commitment of Carmelites. The Order, however, also mourns the death of some dear brothers. Thus we report the obituaries of P. Joachim Smet, O. Carm., the great historian of the Order, and P. Robert MacCabe, O. Carm., who have worked for many years as a doctor among the nomads in the desert of Kenya.
A constant theme at the General Congregation was that of hope. And surely it is the youth who are the hope of the Church and of the Order. Among the many participants of World Youth Day in Madrid there were more than 500 young people from Carmelite communities around the world. With the presence of a dozen nations, Carmelite Day on 17th August was a really wonderful event.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue of CITOC.
Citoc Magazine
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