Chapter of the Monastery of Mayagüez
The Prophetic Element of the Carmelite Charism
The British Province of Carmelite Friars
Every Christian shares in the threefold dignity of Christ - priest, prophet and king. We Carmelites have had a particular prophetic thrust from the very beginnings of our Order coming from the Elijan aspect of our spirituality. The figure of Elijah the contemplative has had a great impact on our spirituality. From him we learn to listen for the voice of God in the unexpected. God was not in the earthquake or the great fire or the mighty wind but in the sound of a gentle breeze, as it was known for many years, or "in silence" as it is more commonly translated now. The experience of Elijah has given courage to many generations of Carmelites. He believed that he spoke in the name of God and he had won a wonderful victory on Mount Carmel. However he also had to learn how God acts and so when his victory was not followed by even greater success but by serious threats on his life, he became depressed. He went into the desert, sat under a tree and wished he were dead. However God did not allow him to give up. The angel of the Lord, who can come in many different forms, gave him the necessary strength to continue his journey.
When he arrived at Mount Horeb, he had to learn that God's ways are not our ways and God's thoughts are not our thoughts. God asked him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19,9) Elijah answered, "I am zealous with great zeal for the Lord God of hosts …for the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have thrown down your altars and have put your prophets to the sword. Only I remain and now they are seeking to kill me." The Lord, after having come to Elijah in the sound of silence, reminded him that that there were at least seven thousand people in Israel who had not bent the knee to Baal or kissed him.
In recent years the Carmelite Family has become aware of the importance of the Prophet Elijah as an inspiration in the work of justice and peace. His contemplative experience impelled him to prophetic action. He denounced without fear the actions of the powerful people of his day and he brought the light of the Word of God into situations of sin. The story of Naboth's vineyard (1 K.21) is a good example of Elijah' s prophetic activity. King Acab wanted Naboth's vineyard for himself but Naboth did not want to sell his patrimony. The Queen, Jezebel, mocked her husband and challenged him to show who in fact was King in Israel. The queen had hatched a diabolical plot to accuse Naboth unjustly of blasphemy and to assume the control of the vineyard when Naboth was out of the way. The Prophet Elijah came on to the scene when Acab had taken the vineyard into his possession and he condemned Acab for abusing his authority. Obviously this was a very courageous step. Proclaiming the Word of God in certain situations can be very dangerous. The stories regarding the Prophet Elijah help us to focus specifically on the prophetic aspect of our vocation. We see a man who translated his contemplative experience into prophetic action and therefore is an excellent model for all Carmelites who are involved in an active apostolate.
To work for justice is an essential element of the preaching of the Gospel. This has been underlined innumerable times in church documents. However those who work in the area of justice and peace often meet with incomprehension or even antagonism from their own brothers or sisters. Why is not easy to explain but this fact has obscured a very important element of our work as religious.
God is not deaf to the cry of the poor and neither must we be deaf. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, God says, "Is not this rather the fast which I desire: break unjust fetters, untie the thongs of the yoke, set free the oppressed and break every yoke? Does it not consist perhaps in sharing your bread with the hungry and to bring the oppressed and homeless into your own home, in clothing those who are naked without neglecting your own people?" (Is. 58, 6-7). We live in God's world and creation has been entrusted to us as God's stewards. This does not mean that we have complete liberty to use or abuse the goods of the earth without thought for tomorrow or for future generations. We have certain rights but also certain duties towards the rest of creation. The Word of God is concerned with the whole of life and not just spiritual things. Elijah, the man of God, is at the same time a contemplative and also a prophet. Perhaps because he was a contemplative , he was able to be a prophet. Thus Elijah is a model for all Carmelites.
Jesus Christ is for us the primary model of what it means to be a prophet. We are above all followers of Christ and therefore we must seek to put into practice his teachings every day. Jesus Christ is priest, prophet and king because in him all the promises and roles of the Old Testament are fulfilled. He is the one in whom the work of the prophets reaches its culmination. The prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed the Word of God in particular situations. They warned and condemned but also comforted the people in times of difficulty. They sought to turn the hearts of the people towards God and they spoke with severity or with tenderness according to the situation.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God, God's yes to the world. By means of his death and resurrection we are redeemed and reunited with God. The Word of God does not return to Him without having completed what it was sent to do, according to the prophet Isaiah. This is true in a sublime way in the case of Jesus Christ through whom the whole of creation finds once again the road which leads to God. The prophets described the personal relationship which God had with the people as like a marriage. In Christ, God and the human family are united in a way which goes way beyond what the prophets spoke of and they can never be divided.
A prophet is someone who proclaims the Word of God in particular situations. Do not trust a person who wants to be a prophet or who believes himself or herself to be a prophet. A true prophet is one who is sent by God. This mandate gives a certain amount of confidence but also profound humility with the realisation that the choice of God is not based on merit but that God chooses the weak and makes them strong in bearing witness to Him. Pride is the sign of a false prophet.
The Word of God is like a double sided sword which penetrates between the bones and the marrow. Often this is most uncomfortable first of all for the prophet but always for those who listen. Some people are called to be prophets like those of the Old Testament but I think that this is a rare vocation. Nevertheless we are all called by means of our Christian and Carmelite vocation to share in the prophetic function of Christ, bringing the Word of God into every situation in which we find ourselves. This does not mean finding an explicit Biblical text for the situation but it means to give God the space to shape our hearts according to His Word so that our very presence becomes a word from God.
All of this is easy to say but how do we accomplish it in practice? We accepted Christ's call to follow him with the best of intentions. We had high ideals and generosity. Over time perhaps the experience of life has changed our ideals somewhat but hopefully has not destroyed them. Fundamentally the mission of all Christians is the same - to continue the presence and work of Jesus Christ in our world. The way we do this can and must change as circumstances change. No individual and no religious group can on its own fully reflect or fully represent the fullness of Christ and therefore every religious family has its particular charism which represents one aspect of the work of Christ. We cannot change our charism which is the gift of God to us for the world. Our charism defines the form of our participation in the mission of the Church. Mission and charism are intimately linked.
An essential element of the Carmelite charism is the contemplative aspect which has an intimate connection with the prophetic dimension. By responding to the challenge of the contemplative dimension of our vocation we become a word from God to our society which is the fundamental mission of a prophet.
To become a word from God it is necessary to enter a process of interior transformation and consent to the presence and action of God in our life. This is the work of God but God will not do it without our consent. This process can be painful because through it we come to see ourselves as we really are and not as we would like to be. The great danger is that we will seek to run away from this encounter with ourselves because we do not want to accept what is being revealed to us. This process of transformation includes a disintegration of what is false within us so that the true self can come to birth.
The false self is a defence which each one of us constructs around ourselves against a perceived danger, that is a threat to our need for esteem, our instinct for survival and our need to control our environment. If we think that these basic human needs are not being satisfied, and they never will be satisfied because they are insatiable, they can never have enough of a good thing, then we will seek to satisfy them in whatever way is open to us. We will seek esteem and affection from our families and friends, from the members of our community, from our superiors, from the people we serve in our apostolic work. We will seek signs of security everywhere. We will seek to have control over our own lives and also the lives of those people who enter our sphere of influence.
The false self is very subtle and can find a whole host of reasons for not changing. It is even more subtle when it manages to convince us that it does not exist. The false self is perfectly content in whatever way of life it happens to find itself. It can wear a religious habit - it does not matter - it simply changes its way of working. In the Gospel when Jesus says that one must lose one's life in order to find it, it is the false self which must die in order to discover the true self which is created in the image of God. However we do not want to lose this false self because it is the only self we know. For this reason the spiritual journey, which is simple is at the same time very difficult.
We do not fulfil our prophetic vocation simply by preaching or when we work with the poor and the emarginated, vital though that work is. We fulfil our prophetic vocation when we become a word from God and this involves a death in view of a resurrection, a new life in the image of God.
The prophets of the Old Testament spoke to the imagination. They asked the people to imagine another possible future. For example the prophets Isaiah and Mica spoke in a time of war of a time of peace when "from their swords they will forge ploughshares and from their blades, scythes. No nation will lift the sword against another nation and they will not learn the art of war anymore…." When the future is very dark, the prophets bring hope. However in order to do this, it is necessary to see beyond the present situation to the reality which lies beneath. This is the faith of Our Lady in the Magnificat who sees the proud cast down, the hungry filled with good things and the rich sent away empty when those who see only the external appearances would believe the opposite to be true.
Carmel is famous for its marian devotion which is expressed in many ways. The greatest devotion is to be conformed to the object of our devotion. Titus Brandsma said that the vocation of a Carmelite was to be another Mary. The "yes" of Mary gave the necessary space for Christ to be born. Through her, God now has a human face. Our devotion to Mary must not stop at the imitation of her virtues, though that is very important. We must allow Christ to grow within us so that we become transformed in him so that we can say with St. Paul, "it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me". (Gal. 2,20) In that way we will be a word from God, a tabernacle of the presence of God in the world. In that way we will live our prophetic vocation.
I believe that St. Thérèse of Lisieux was a prophet sent by God to remind the world of the simplicity of the Good News when it was obscured by human ideas of holiness. In the time of Thérèse, there was great emphasis on moral perfection and purity as a condition of approaching God. Thus the spiritual life was hard and rather grim. Thérèse was aware that she was not able to climb the huge mountains of spiritual perfection, but did not become discouraged but entrusted herself to the Merciful Love of God who raises little ones to the top of the mountain.
Abandoning ourselves into the hands of God with the desire of being whatever God wants us to be, disposes us completely to the action of God. Then we will be a word from God in every situation in which we find ourselves. This might mean that we are called upon to do something very important or perhaps we will be forgotten by everyone. Remember the example used by Thérèse of the different types of flowers all of which give pleasure to God. Some flowers are bigger or brighter than others or with a more beautiful perfume but God takes pleasure in all of them.
Fulfilling our prophetic vocation as members of the Carmelite family is a great challenge for each of us but it is not something which we can do with our own strength. We will be faithful to our vocation inasmuch as we consent to the purifying and transforming action of God in our lives. God will shape us and form us to become a word from Him. In this process Our Lady is the greatest example we have.
As St. Thérèse said, "Holiness does not consist in this or that practice. It consists in a disposition of heart which makes us humble and small in the arms of God, aware of our own weakness and daringly confident in His Fatherly goodness." (NV)
My Journey in Carmel
Johan Bergstróm-Allen, T.O.C.
My journey in Carmel began through personal contact with Carmelites. As a child - and later as a member of the Third Order - my mother was a regular visitor to Aylesford after the return of the friars fifty years ago. My own personal involvement with the Carmelite family began in 1997, when I went to university at York. The Catholic Chaplain on campus, Fr. Tony Lester, was a Carmelite living in community with several other friars. Tony’s direction has challenged me to mature in ways I never envisaged.
A moment of conversion
My decision to join the Carmelite Third Order was closely linked to a moment of conversion in my wider Christian life. I was brought up a Catholic and continued to practise as a teenager. However, like many churchgoers I often attended Mass out of habit, rather than because I really wanted to be nourished by God’s word, sacrament and people.
It was on a student retreat, organised by Tony and Sr. Juanita of the Corpus Christi Carmelites, that I began to look afresh at some of the important questions about my faith. During the retreat, we meditated in front of an icon of Christ, considering Jesus’s question to Peter; Who do people say that I am? I asked myself that question for the first time. Who is Jesus? Is he a real person for me or a distant concept? Do I believe this man is the Son of God? Does it actually matter whether I pray or not? What does it mean to go to church?
Answering these questions honestly, made me realise that I was not allowing Jesus a central part in my life. But I knew that I wanted to be His disciple and that it must be a serious and committed undertaking. My relationship with God changed. Instead of simply talking at Christ, I began to listen more to what he had to say to me, and to spend time just ‘being’ in silence.
Lectio Divina also became an important form of meditation in my life. Reflecting upon scripture, picking out particular phrases which spoke strongly to me, and then asking why those phrases should be significant was an illuminating process. Listening to God’s word, I began to feel a yearning I had never experienced so strongly. I wanted to let myself be led by this man called Jesus. I felt shaken by the whole experience, yet calm and deeply loved by God at the same time.
Belonging to the Family
It seems natural now that after the student retreat I thought about joining the Third Order. After all, the Carmelite spirit of prayer, fraternity and service are the Gospel values of the Jesus I had decided to follow. I was so bowled over by the Carmelite figures I had met - who seemed to be authentic witnesses and followers of Jesus - that I asked Tony if I could join. After a period of discernment, I was received into the Order in 1998 and made my Profession a year later. At twenty-one, I believe I must be the youngest member of the Order in the country!
In theory I am an isolated Carmelite, not part of a chapter. However I don’t feel isolated at all. I am definitely part of the Carmelite family. Not only is there the Carmelite community in York, but the Discalced nuns at Thicket Priory down the road. I also relish the sense of fellowship in the Province as a whole and the fraternity of the wider world. One of my experiences as a student was to go on an exchange to the University of Rome, where I met the Prior General, Joseph Chalmers and ate at a restaurant run by the Donum Dei community! To me, the friendship and diversity of people are the most important and attractive gifts Carmel has to offer, where everyone feels a sense of acceptance and belonging.
Growth and grace
One of the things that attracted me to the Carmelite charism was the people I saw living their everyday Christian lives. I used to think that being a Christian was about being terribly pious and doing ‘holy things’. I learnt gradually that instead of walking with my head in the clouds, I should pay more attention to the world around me, because that is where God is. It’s good to have my feet on God’s good earth. I used to make a big effort to ‘reach’ a God on a white cloud far above me. I learnt from Carmelites I met that this image was quite wrong and that God had come down to reach me! That was a revelation - to know that God loves me immeasurably for who I am, not only for who I could be. God loves me not because of anything I can do, but because He can’t do anything but love. I have learnt to ‘let go, and let God’ and allow God to be him- or even her-self instead of the God I make in my own image.
Becoming a member of the Carmelite Family has not been the solution to all my life’s problems however. Simply wearing the scapular doesn’t make it any easier to follow Jesus. Soon after my Carmelite reception, I went through a period of uncertainty. Not only did I question matters of faith, but I felt despondent about my relationships, my attitudes towards others and my own self-worth. Yet throughout this period of confusion, I held onto the belief that God was in the mess somewhere and that things would resolve themselves if I trusted in God and worked with Him. I am grateful to the Carmelite friends who helped me through this time. Looking back, I see that period as a time of growth and grace. And I had a lot of resources and experiences from other Carmelites to draw on; in particular, the poetry of John of the Cross and the reflections of St. Thérèse. One thing I learnt was that it’s natural to ask questions and express fears and that sharing one’s problems with others is not a sign of weakness but of strength. Being a Carmelite has helped me to be more fully myself - more aware of my humanity and my capacity for God.
Diverse and unique
What I have discovered in the last few months is how diverse Carmelite spirituality is. Walking through life’s journey in the footsteps of Elijah, guided by the Rule of Saint Albert, each person is encouraged to discover and nurture her or his own gifts, following the example of Our Lady, who - as our mother and sister - shows us what it means to respond to God’s call. No one has to conform to a fixed concept of ‘Carmelite-ness’, because each Carmelite is unique. The original concept of Carmel - hermits gathered in a community - is an ideal arrangement, allowing individual growth supported by communal life.
Elijah was the first of many prophets in our family. I’ve been attracted to the Carmelites by the challenges they offer - by the questions which they are obliged to ask as Christians. For me, an exciting facet of our task as Carmelites is to be
prophets in our time. God still needs people to work with. Being a tertiary must be more than a social or pious thing. We have to be prophets speaking God’s word in a world crying out for meaning, social justice and peace.
The calling to the spirituality of Carmel comes not from ourselves, but from God, and leads to God. Not everybody is meant to be a Carmelite. But because it is so diverse, many people feel they belong in the Carmelite family. It is not an Order made up solely of friars or nuns, but also of lay people. That is why I believe the Third Order has a special part to play in the development of the Carmelite family and why the laity are becoming increasingly aware of their rights and responsibilities within the Church at large. God is at work here. Many people today seek a spiritual element in their lives and many young people in particular want to commit themselves to Christ and the Church. But many do not have a vocation to the life of a consecrated religious. Being in the Third Order allows me to make a deep commitment to the Church through the vows of the Order, whilst maintaining the freedom to fulfil my potential as a lay person and a student. I think that Carmelite spirituality has a lot to offer young people. I would like to see us attracting more youth into the ‘family’ of Carmel. I was very pleased last December to meet with other young people in the Carmelite family, on a day of reflection organised by Fr. Brendan. I would like to ask your prayers for the growth and success of this group.
New paths, new hopes
I think it is important as followers of Jesus never to take anything for granted, and to constantly review our opinions and practices. If we trust in God’s Spirit to guide us, then we will find ourselves led into all sorts of places - some of which will be uncomfortable and even frightening. But Carmel gives us the strength and fellowship to tackle that. I have great hopes for the future of the wider Carmelite family. I think that this Jubilee Year allows us the opportunity to look again at the very roots of our spirituality and to plan for the future development of the Third Order. Personally, I believe that we need to develop our identity as a group of consecrated lay people. This may involve at some stage a lesser degree of dependence on the friars. They have guided and supported us well for many years and the First and Third Orders are closely bonded. But I feel we have the mandate to emerge more fully ourselves. Time will tell and the Lord will guide us if we let Him.
I graduated from York this summer, and am now looking for further direction in my life. I’m sure that God had a purpose in my coming to York, and making contact with the Carmelites. I trust He will continue to support me on the path up Carmel ahead. God bless and hold you, and may you be enjoying many of God’s abundant blessings.
The Carmelite Charism
www.carmelite.org
What is a charism?
Catholic religious orders use the word 'charism' to describe their spiritual orientation and any special characteristics or values. A charism (from the Greek: χαρίσμα) in general denotes any grace that God gifts to an individual or group to perform a specific mission in the Church and the World.
Contemplation is at the heart of Carmel
The Carmelite Family believes that the heart of our way of life - whether we are friars, enclosed nuns, apostolic sisters, laity, or hermits - is contemplation. Saint John of the Cross described contemplation as the inflowing of God's grace into a human being. More recently Fr. Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm., has described it simply as 'friendship with God'. Another Carmelite has said that the Order's charism is "to know and love God, and to make God known and loved".
Contemplation is a gift we can be open to
Carmelites seek to be contemplative. We believe that God's grace and friendship is offered to all people, not as something we can earn or attain by our own efforts, but as a free gift of God, given whenever and to whoever God wishes. To become contemplative Carmelites seek to open their hearts to God, practicing what our tradition calls 'vacare Deo' (Latin for 'space for God' or 'openness to God').
Three elements of our charism
Many people understand the term 'contemplative' to mean someone withdrawn from the world, perhaps living in silent retreat and practicing 'contemplative prayer'. Whilst Carmelites value silence and solitude, we understand contemplation in a broader sense.
Carmelites speak of contemplation as a gift of God that can be nurtured by a life of prayer, community, and service. These three elements are at the heart of our charism.
In prayer (or worship) we build up a friendship with 'the God whom we know loves us', as St. Teresa of Avila described it.
In community building (or fraternity) we encounter God in our brothers and sisters, who comfort and challenge us.
In service (also known as mission, apostolate, or ministry) we open ourselves to be God's hands in the world, responding to the needs of others, especially the poor and marginalised.
Carmelites believe that it is the combination of these three elements - prayer, community and service - that makes us better disposed to receive God's gift of contemplation. Placing too much or too little emphasis on one particular element is not helpful. If we are to speak of 'contemplative prayer', then we should also speak of 'contemplative service' and 'contemplative community'.
An evolving understanding
As an idea 'contemplation' is both complex and radically simple. It is a mysterious gift of God, and different Christian traditions and religious orders have slightly different understandings of it.
At different times in the Carmelite Order's history our charism has been articulated in slightly different ways, or with varying emphases. The most recent statement about the charism of Carmel was in the 1995 Constitutions of the Order, in which Chapter 2 is entirely devoted to the idea of charism. The Carmelite Order is currently engaged in an academic project to see how our charism has been understood in different eras of history.
Action vs. Contemplation?
It used to be common to speak of religious orders as 'active' or 'contemplative', but Carmel understands contemplation and action to be complimentary, not contradictory. Our prayer, community building and service inform one another, and together are part of our contemplative vocation. We might be better referring to 'active' and 'meditative', but again the two are linked. It was sometimes said that the Carmelite friars were 'active' and the Carmelite nuns were 'contemplative', but both vocations are contemplative, and that means being both active and meditative.
All are called to contemplation
The elements of prayer, community and service are not unique to Carmel. Every religious order, every Christian, and indeed every person of any faith is called to practice and combine these elements. To become a contemplative - some might say "mystic" - is not something strange; it is what all Christians are called to by the grace of baptism. As Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner once said, "The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all." The mistake would be to think of mystics as esoteric people who live on a cloud or a pillar; mystics, contemplatives, are people with their feet firmly rooted on the ground in the reality of ordinary life, and open to God's extraordinary love.
So what is distinctive in Carmel?
So if all Christians are called to be contemplative, what makes the Carmelite way of life distinctive? There are many good and holy ways of living that are not Carmelite. But for those called to live out the Carmelite vocation, what is distinctive is the way that we practice the elements of prayer, community and service, taking particular inspiration from the prophet Elijah, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, patrons of our Order.
Modelled on Elijah and Mary
Elijah and Mary pondered God's Word in prayer, related to others in their local communities, and served those in need. They have inspired Carmelites over the centuries, and the Order today takes inspiration from other holy men and women who have lived the charism. Doctors of the Church such as John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and Thérèse of Lisieux have contributed to our understanding of Carmel, as have many other holy men and women, canonised or not.
The Carmelite Rule
Our charism is also informed by our Rule of Saint Albert, given to the first Carmelites on Mount Carmel around the year 1200 as a sort of 'vision statement' of how they should live together. The Rule encourages Carmelites to place particular emphasis upon Scripture, God's Word in the Bible. Again, this is not unique to Carmelites, but is a distinctive aspect of our life. The Rule unites all the different branches of the Carmelite Family; its spirit is expounded in the Constitutions or Statutes governing each particular group within the Family.
There is no single form of Carmelite apostolate
For some religious orders, their charism inspires work in a particular area. For example, some orders are devoted to teaching, or caring for the sick, or spreading the Gospel as missionaries abroad. Carmelites are not restricted to one particular ministry or apostolate. We go where we are needed, and where our gifts can best be put to the service of God and neighbour. Each person who joins the Carmelite Family brings unique gifts that we seek to match to a particular form of outreach.
Rather than doing a particular form of ministry, we seek through a variety of ministries to know and love God better, and to make God better known and loved.
There is no single form of Carmelite prayer
Just as Carmelites are not restricted to one particular apostolate, so we are not restricted to one particular form of prayer. Our Rule encourages us to ponder Christ and the Scriptures, particularly in the Liturgy (Mass and Divine Office), and to spend some time in silent meditation. Other than that, Carmelites are free to practice whatever forms of prayer they find helpful in nurturing their friendship with God. Carmelite prayer is more an attitude or understanding, rather than a particular method.
Rather than being restricted to one particular form of prayer, we seek through a variety of forms of prayer to know and love God better, and to make God better known and loved.
There is no single form of Carmelite community
There is also a great degree of flexibility in the Carmelite charism when it comes to forming community. Communities of friars (brothers) may vary in size and style depending on the members of the community and the place that it serves. Carmelite nuns live a more 'intense' community life that is enclosed, whereas Carmelite apostolic sisters are 'out and about' and are closer to most friars in their style of community life. Lay Carmelites occasionally live together in community, but in most instances they live in their own homes and form community when they come together for meetings perhaps once or twice a month. In all these different ways of living the Carmelite charism, emphasis is placed on the value of solitaries coming together to form community. The precise form that community takes can vary considerably from place to place, and country to country.
Rather than being restricted to one particular form of community, we seek in many different forms of community to know and love God better, and to make God better known and loved.
Lectio Divina June 2012
Lectio Divina
General Intention: Christ, Present in the Eucharist. That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life.
Missionary Intention: European Christians. That Christians in Europe may rediscover their true identity and participate with greater enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel.
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More Mother than Queen: a Carmelite View of Mary
by Gregory Houck, O.Carm.
For most of the Catholic world May is considered the month of Mary. As they’ve done for generations, parishes and schools will be holding May Processions and Crownings of the May Queen to honor the Blessed Mother throughout these thirty-one days. Although Mary, along with the Old Testament prophet, Elijah, is considered a spiritual founder of our order, the Carmelite connection to Our Lady has traditionally had a distinctly different feel than the regal pomp generally associated with Mary during May.
I was once at a meeting with a cloistered Carmelite group of nuns where a question was brought to one of them: “Why don’t the Carmelites have a strong devotion to Mary?” The nun’s response was memorable, “It depends on what you mean by devotion,” she said somewhat cheekily. “We don’t look at Mary as someone extraordinarily special; rather, we just look at her as one of the sisters who done good.” In that moment this nun summed up not only the way we see Mary, but also the way that Carmelites see God, and ourselves. Our Carmelite spiritual tradition is certainly mystical but it also deeply familial and relational.
The first people to identify as Carmelites were men who settled on Mt. Carmel because it was a safe place for both Western and Eastern Christians who were fleeing the warfare of the Crusades and had originally come to the Holy Land seeking God. All of these people from different backgrounds, geographical locations, and Christian communities were living and praying together. Historians believe that it’s very likely that the Carmelites took on Mary as a spiritual leader because she was a figure who could unite this disparate community of hermit men. They named their first chapel after her.
“The humble Carmelite can rightfully boast that the Queen of Heaven is his sister.”In the Middle Ages, when the Carmelites were established, social status was all encompassing. The world was very hierarchical/vertical and divided into lords who ruled and vassals who served. That paradigm carried over into people’s understanding of God and the saints as well – the saints ruled, we served. And as this group of hermits became organized they officially took the name “Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel” with this hierarchical/vertical understanding. They were the servants who swore their allegiance and service to the Lady of the Place: Mary.Then the early Carmelites did something rather unexpected and rather radical. They looked at their official name, “Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel,” and said, “if we are her brothers, she must be our sister.” With that simple line, they moved their understanding and relationship with Mary from the hierarchical/vertical to the familial/horizontal – a radical departure. For example, an early Carmelite, Arnold Bostius, by 1450, could write, “The humble Carmelite can rightfully boast that the Queen of Heaven is his sister.” The Carmelites would never leave this family-like and horizontal understanding of Mary.
St Thérèse of Lisieux once wrote about Mary “She is sometimes described as unapproachable, whereas she should be represented as easy of imitation. She is more Mother than Queen.” Rather than being remote and on high, Our Lady serves as a symbol for our belief in God as friend, as lover, as an intimate spouse. God is here with us and accessible to each of us.
A religious order maintains its health and functionality in much the same way a family does – by striking a balance between interdependence and independence. A family that provides adequate support to each member without smothering them creates solid horizontal relationships that connect all members to each other. That can be a difficult balance to strike. That mutually supportive relationship is one the Carmelites hope to embody with each other and with Mary. It’s through this horizontal relationship with the Blessed Mother that our Carmelite brothers can maintain a strong connection to one another. When we look for God inside ourselves, we have to also look for ourselves in God.
Culture and Spirituality in Dialogue
On Thursday the 17th of May the final evening in a series of evenings under the title, The Beauty of Carmel ... paintings, music and poetry”, took place at St. Albert’s International Centre (CISA) in Rome.
The first evening was led by Fr. Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm., on the topic,”Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Iconography”. The second was led by Federico Truffi, of the London University, who presented the musical compositions of Bartolino da Padova, a Carmelite composer of the 14th century. The final evening was dedicated to, “Adolescentia” a poem by Baptist of Mantua. The presentation was given by Andrea Severi, of the University of Bologna. All three evenings were well attended, with a high degree of satisfaction. It is envisaged that there will be a continuation of these events, organised by the Institutum Carmelitanum and the community of the International Centre (CISA).
Pentecost Sunday - the Holy Spirit in Carmel
Candida Kirkpatrick, ocds
JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Pentecost is such a special day for all of us! When we think of the Holy Spirit, maybe we think of the Spirit's seven gifts, His role as comforter and healer, the Paraclete who enlightens our minds and tongues, and assists us in the development of virtues. So many beautiful images are used to denote the Holy Spirit in our faith: the dove, tongues of fire, the color red (or sometimes white), and the Church. We often think of Our Lady gathered with the Apostles in the Upper Room, as the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, preparing them to receive His divine touch.
I would like to share a little article I wrote about the imagery of bees and honey as it relates to our Discalced Carmelite Order, and so many of the themes we associate with the Holy Spirit: the gifts of prophesy and wisdom, Our Lady, prayer, and the development of virtue. I hope you enjoy it!
Spiritual imagery abounds in our Carmelite Order, and has been used by our most beloved Carmelite saints to help describe the mystical life and how to strive for Union with God. Indeed, the very word “Carmel” means “paradise garden”, and has been used as a rich metaphor of the Carmelite journey. Jacques de Vitry, Bishop of Acre (1216-1228), described the religious communities of the first Carmelites that had sprung up near Elijah’s Well, as “where in beehives of small cells, those bees of the Lord laid up sweet spiritual honey."[1] In the same time period, Joaquim Smet further expressed this image in his book on the history of the Carmelite order, by comparing the first Carmelite hermits living near the Spring of Elijah as bees of the Lord in their comb-like cells who produced spiritual honey that was sent to heaven.[2]
I would like to explore this imagery of bees producing spiritual honey, and see how it can be utilized to further our journey in Carmel. The following will examine these religious metaphors, and how each has been widely used throughout the history of the Church to represent three things that are essential to Carmelite Spirituality.
Bees and Honey: Symbolic of Elijah’s Spirit of Prophesy and Wisdom
Eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13 -14)
The Old Testament uses the imagery of bees and their delectable by-product of honey to describe abundance, wisdom, and prophesy. Bees are used to denote messengers or “prophets” who speak the truth of God. Since the Old Testament, bees were seen as symbols of prophesy and wisdom. In fact, the very word “Deborah” can trace its meaning to “bee or small speech” and is synonymous with a messenger who speaks the truth to her people.[3] Further evidence is seen when we reflect on the words of Solomon cited above, where he uses honey as a symbol of wisdom, and tells us that such wisdom, produces “friends of God and prophets.” (Wisdom 7: 27b) Indeed, prophesy is seen as speaking the honey sweetness of God, as illustrated in Ezekiel (3:3) when the prophet consumes the scroll of God, and reports that it, “was as sweet as honey.”
This is in keeping with the Spirit of Elijah, whose prophesies and defense of the one true God against Baal on Mt. Carmel (1KG 18:19-40) epitomize the essence of our Carmelite charism to know God, seek His face and witness His Divine Truth to the entire world.[4] As a symbol of these gifts of prophesy, the Gospel of Matthew speaks of John the Baptist as imitating the ways of Elijah in that he wore “a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Mt 3:4) The school of prophets that sought to imitate the ways of their master Elijah on Mt. Carmel focused on these gifts of prophesy and wisdom, through contemplation, asceticism, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
In fact, St. Bernard de Clairvaux compared the bee to the Holy Spirit, Spouse of the Virgin Mary, in giving the gifts of spirit and understanding. The “honey doctor” developed his doctrine of wisdom as follows, "It is the spirit of wisdom and understanding which, like a bee bearing both wax and honey, is able to kindle the light of knowledge and to pour in the savor of grace." [5] Was it not the Holy Spirit that presented Himself to Elijah in the cave on Mt. Horeb as a “tiny whispering sound” (1 Kings 19:12b)? Furthermore, did not Our Heavenly Father generously bestow a double portion of Elijah’s spirit of prophesy upon his principle disciple Elisha (See 2Kings 2:9)? So too, do we as Carmelites, humbly ask for this spirit of wisdom and prophesy to glorify God!
As a bee quietly delivers pollen to produce honey for its interior community hive, we are called upon to utilize these gifts to build our interior Carmelite garden. As a consequence, our laboring for spiritual honey through prayer can result in the production of sweet honey (truth) to the greater world, as well as the sowing of seeds of love. As God promised Moses and the Israelites “a land flowing with milk and honey”, so too does prophetic truth lead to great blessings that reflect the ultimate truth – the saving sweet grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was described by Isaiah as one who would “eat curds and honey, that He may know to refuse evil and to choose the good” (Is 7:15). Indeed, Our Lord fulfilled all prophesies as signified when he ate broiled fish and a honeycomb with his apostles following his resurrection, and then pronounced, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Lk24:44)
This image can further explain the dual call of our mendicant order to follow Elijah’s school of contemplation and active apostolic service simultaneously.[6] Let us seek to create a secret interior garden where a honeycomb of virtues flourish, while in tandem pouring forth acts of mercy to sweeten the world with love.
Virgin Bees: Symbols of Our Lady and her Dutiful Servants
“I am the Mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth; in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.I have brought you into the land of Carmel to eat the fruits thereof, the choicest of them all “ (Ecclesiastes 24:28-31)
Secondly, bees also have an historic association with Our Lady, the Virgin Mary. As early as the Middle Ages, the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception were symbolized by virgin bees and the beehive itself.[7] In Eastern Europe, the Virgin Mary is the protectress of bees and beekeepers, and consecrated honey is offered on alters on the Feast of the Assumption. Throughout Europe, hives are decorated with the Madonna to honor her queenship.[8]
On the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the above-cited reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes is proclaimed to celebrate our Blessed Mother as the honeycomb of all virtue, gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Carmelites especially venerate Our Lady as the Mother of God, so often depicted by the imagery of the honeycomb itself. Hildegard von Bingen wrote to St. Bernard de Clairvaux that the Father “sent the Word with sweet fruitfulness into the womb of the Virgin, from which He soaked up flesh, just like honey is surrounded by the honeycomb.”[9] Indeed, we venerate our Lady as “Theotokos”, the bearer of Christ who is the very tabernacle or hive of the Christ Himself.[10]
To further this association between honeybees and the Virgin Mary, more detailed etymology reveals that Carmelus is derived from “car” (sponse) and “melos” (laus), which mean “praise of the bride” or “song of the beloved.” Secondly, the term “carios mellis” means “a gift of honey”, and is said to refer to our beloved Lady of Mt. Carmel.[11] This is in keeping with the comment of Blessed Titus Brandsma, O Carm who noted in his Lectures that in the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary we approach Mary, our Mother, as bees who “fly towards this mystical flower (Mary) to behold in it the fairness of the mystical life in its highest bloom, namely God, become man in her, so that He can also be born in us who belong to her.”[12]
It is clear that the closer we stay to Our Lady, the closer will we be to Her Son. By imitating her ways and wearing her garment (the Brown Scapular), Carmelites can learn the ways of virtue and store up spiritual honey that unite us to Our Lord, while positively impacting the world around us through our simultaneous call to service. As children of Mary, are we not called to carry Our Lord in the depths of our hearts to the world, as a hive stores its sweet honey?
The Honey of Contemplative Prayer
I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I gather my myrrh and my spices, I eat my honeycomb with my honey, I drink my wine with my milk. Daughters of Jerusalem Eat, O friends, and drink: drink deeply, O lovers” (Song of Songs 5:1)
This leads us to our last and most pivotal Carmelite calling that is symbolized by the bee and its heavenly dew. This is contemplative prayer and the imitation of Our Lady who fully embraced the Carmelite’s call to prayer by keeping “all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51)
St. Teresa compared prayer to a bee that gathers spiritual virtue through meditation and as an exemplar of how to conform our will to that of Our Triune God. In Interior Castle, our Foundress describes the room of self-knowledge as one where humility should be “always at work, like the bee making honey in the beehive” Such humility will be deepened in the room of self-knowledge when our soul flies upwards “to ponder the grandeur and majesty of God” just as “the bee doesn’t fail to leave the beehive and fly about gathering nectar from flowers.”[13]
As our self-knowledge increases, our prayer-life deepens. In the Introduction of Pope Pius XII “Address on Bees”, he quotes Saint Teresa’s Autobiography to describe the prayer of quiet and eventual union with God as she advises us to “be recollected as the wise little bee. For if no bees enter the hive and they all went about trying to bring each other in, there would not be much chance of their making honey.”[14] Just as the Magdalene sat at the feet of Jesus listening to his every word, so too do we “choose the better part” (Lk10:42) when we approach the Lord in prayer within the interior cell of our hearts where we seek to be united with Our Lord.
In his sermon entitled, “The Heart of Prayer”, St. Francis de Sales compares meditative and contemplative prayer in the same way as “bees made and gather honey: They go out gathering the honey which falls from heaven upon the flowers, and extract a little of the juice from the same flower, and then carry it to their hives. Thus we go along picking out the virtues of Our Lord one after the other in order to draw from them the desire of imitation.” [15]
Conclusion
As Carmelites, we recognize that our call consists of both the contemplative and active life. But the heart of the rule states that a Carmelite must first and foremost contemplate the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night and “watching in prayer.”[16] All apostolic action begins with prayer, where we gather up honey for our interior souls or hives, if you will. This makes our soul a garden in which the weeds are cleared out, and our cell is made receptive and fertile for the King to make His home within us. The more we root out our sins and imperfections, while cultivating God-given virtue and mercy, the more sweet honey is gathered and stored within our interior cells.
Our spring of contemplation comes from Mt. Carmel itself, where the waters of Elijah purify our souls, and the grace of God flows in. The two sources of inspiration for such prayer are found in our fore-father Elijah, as well as the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Mother of God. Elijah exemplifies the spiritual journey to Union with God, as he sought to perfect himself first, through solitary living in prayer, and then, by responding to God’s call to share His spiritual gifts with others. Mary perfectly models the contemplative calling of Carmelites by living in quiet prayer and obedience to God’s Will, while being moved to action by His Spirit at particular moments, as seen in the Visitation, the Presentation, the Fleeing to Egypt, and the pilgrimages to Jerusalem as a member of the Holy Family.
As the bee gathers pollen and produces honey quietly for the good of the entire hive community, so too are we called to our inner cell to seek God’s face and open ourselves to His divine movements in order to beautify our surroundings. This results in a rich cross-pollination that flourishes within our families, Carmelite communities, and the greater world around us. Just as the bee inserts the pollen into the hive to serve the Queen and produce honey as a form of sustenance for the winter, so too does our contemplative prayer become a means of becoming bees in Our Lord’s garden, where we can lay up “sweet spiritual honey” as Bishop Jacques de Vitry so colorfully described so many centuries ago.
[1] McGreal, Wilfrid O. Carm, At The fountain of Elijah: The Carmelite Tradition (Orbis Books, NY, 1999) p. 19
[2]Joaquim Smet O. Carm, T he Carmelites, Volume I, (Carmelite Spiritual Center, IL, 1988) pp. 5-6.
[3] Patrick Henry Reardon, “Judge Deborah: The Hebrew Prophetess in Christian Tradition”, Touchstone Magazine, 2000.
[4] The Rule of St. Albert, The New Constitutions and the National Statutes, Carmel Clarion, Washington, DC Oct-Dec2003, Vol. XIX No.6 p. 5,9, & 11
[5] St. Bernard de Clairvaux, In Cantica, Sermon VIII, 6; Migne, P. L., CLXXXIII, 813-a, b.
[6] Jane Ackerman, Elijah: The Prophet of Carmel, ICS Publications, p. 134
[7] The Herder Dictionary of Symbols: Symbols from Art, Archeology, Mythology, Literature, and Religion Chiron Publications, Wilmette, IL 1993 p. 21
[8] Eason, Cassandra Fabulous Creatures, Mythical Monsters, and Animal, Power Symbols CT, Greenwood Publishing Company, 2008
[9] Hildegard de Bingen, The Letters of Hildegard de Bingen, NY: Oxford University Press, 1994.
[10] [11] Dr. Valerie Edden, “The Mantle of Elijah: Carmelite Spirituality in England and the Fourteenth Century”
[12] Bl. Titus Brandsma, Lectures of Titus Brandsma
[13] St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, p. 291
[14] http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P12BEES.HTM
[15] St. Francis de Sales Oevres, Vol. IX (Amnecy-Nierat, 1892-1964) “The Heart of Prayer” Sermon for Palm Sunday given on April 12, 1615
[16] The Rule of St. Albert, The New Constitutions and the National Statutes, Carmel Clarion, Washington, DC Oct-Dec2003, Vol. XIX No.6 p. 2
Lectio: 11th Sunday of ordinary time (B)
The Parables of the Kingdom of God The Kingdom is like a seed
Mark 4:26-34
1. Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit to open the Scriptures for us in the same way that You opened them for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. With the light of the Word, written in the Bible, You helped them to discover the presence of God in the terrible events of your condemnation and crucifixion. Thus, the cross, that seemed to be the end of all hope, could be seen by them as the source of life and resurrection.
Create in us the silence that will enable us to listen to Your voice in creation and in Scripture, in the events of life and in other people, especially in the poor and the suffering. May Your Word direct us so that we, too, just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, may experience the power of Your resurrection and be witnesses for others of the truth that You are alive and that You live in our midst, as the source of fraternity, peace and justice. We ask this of You, Jesus, Son of Mary, who have revealed the Father to us and have sent us Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A division of the text that will help our understanding
Mk 4:26-29: The parable of the seed that springs up on its own
Mk 4:30-32: The parable of the grain of mustard
Mk 4:33-34: The conclusion regarding parables.
b) The text: Mk 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night an
d day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
3. A Moment of Prayerful Silence
- so that the Word of God may enter and enlighten our lives.
4. Questions
a) Why do both parables use growth as a theme for the kingdom of God?
b) In one parable, the result is ripe grain (food), and in the other it is shade for birds. How do these tie together?
c) What does Jesus mean by “the kingdom of God” in these parables, what would the listeners of the time mean by it, and what do we mean by it?
5. For those who want to look more deeply at the theme
a) For a better understanding
Why Jesus taught through parables: Jesus recounted many parables. All of them are taken from the life of the people. He helped people to discover the things of God in everyday life in this way, as life becomes more transparent, because the extraordinary things of God are hidden in the ordinary and common things of everyday life. The people could understand the things of life. The parables provide the key that opens that life and finds the signs of God in it.
Through the parables, Jesus helped the people to see the mysterious presence of the Kingdom in the things of life. A parable is a comparison. Jesus used the known and obvious things of life to help to explain the invisible and unknown things of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people of Galilee understood when someone talked about seeds, land, rain, sunshine, salt, flowers, fish, harvest, etc. Jesus used all these things that the people knew very well, in His parables, to help to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.
The parable of the sower is a portrait of a farmer’s life. At that time, it was hard to make a living from farming. The land was full of stones. There were many rough plants, not much rain, and a strong sun. In addition, the people, in order to take shortcuts, often walked across the land and trampled on the plants (Mk 2:23). Despite all that, every year the farmer would plant, trusting in the power of the seed and in the generosity of nature.
A parable doesn’t say everything, but induces a person to think and make discoveries, beginning with the experience the listeners have of the seed. This is not a neatly packaged doctrine that arrives all ready to be taught and embellished. The parable does not provide water in a bottle, but rather, leads people to the source. It also has depth. The deeper you penetrate it, the more you discover, and after, there is even more yet to discover and learn from it. A farmer, listening, would say, “Seed in the ground, I know what that is, but Jesus is saying that this has something to do with the kingdom of God! What could that be?” It’s not difficult to imagine the long conversations that might follow with the crowd. The parable moves with the people and gets them to listen to nature and to think about life.
b) Commentary on the text
It is wonderful to see Jesus, again and again, looking at life and at what’s happening around Him, for things and images that might help the people to detect and to experience the presence of the Kingdom. In today’s Gospel, again, He tells two short stories about things that happen every day in our lives: the story of the seed that grows all on its own, and the story of the tiny mustard that grows to be so big.
The story of the seed that grows all on its own
The farmer who plants the seed knows the process: first the seed, then the green shoot, the leaf, the ear and the grain. The farmer knows how to wait and will not cut the stalk before it is time, but he does not know from where the power comes for the soil, the rain, the sun and the seed to make a seed turn into fruit. That’s what the kingdom of God is like. It’s a process. There are stages and points of growth. It takes time and happens in time. The fruit comes at the right time but no one can explain its mysterious power. No one is its master. Only God!
The story of the tiny mustard seed that turns into something very big
The mustard seed is small, but it grows, to the point where the birds can make their nests in its branches. That’s what the Kingdom is like. It begins as something very small. Then it grows and spreads its branches. The parable does not say who the birds are. The answer to that question will come later in the Gospel. The text suggests that it refers to the pagans who will not be able to get into the community and be sharers in the Kingdom.
Jesus explained the parable to His disciples
In the house, when they were on their own with Jesus, the disciples want to know what the parable means. They do not understand it. Jesus is astonished by their failure to understand (Mk 4:13) and at that point responds in a way that is difficult and mysterious. He says to His disciples, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that 'they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'" (Mk 4:11-12) This makes the people wonder, “What use is the parable then? Is it to make things clear or to hide them?” Perhaps Jesus uses parables so that people will go on living in ignorance and not become converted? Certainly not! Today’s Gospel says that “with many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it” (Mk4:33).
The parable reveals and hides at the same time! It reveals, to those who have become attuned, who accept Jesus, the Servant Messiah. It hides, from those who insist on seeing Him as Messiah who is a mighty king. These see the images of the parable but they do not grasp their meaning. In a parable, the listener has to move to the frame of reference of the storyteller. Without that, the understanding cannot begin. If a story is told as concrete instruction, then there is argument and debate by those opposed. With a parable, if there is animosity towards the idea, as many had to the new ideas of Jesus, the person goes away confused or disinterested rather than angry.
6. Prayer - Psalm 96
Tell of His salvation from day to day
O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
tell of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
bring an offering, and come into His courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established;
it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
Let the heavens be glad,
and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for He is coming,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with His truth.
7. Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, we give You thanks for Your word that has helped us to see more clearly what is the will of the Father. Let your Spirit enlighten our actions and give us the strength to be able to do what Your word has allowed us to see. Let us, like Mary your Mother, not just listen to Your Word, but also to put it into practice. You live and reign with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen
Electoral Chapter of the Monastery of Caudete, Spain
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Caudete, Spain, was held 21 May 2012. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. M. Estela Santos Torres, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. Elena Ballester, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. Josefina Marco, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. Josefina Marco, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. Elena Ballester, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. Cristina Conejero, O.Carm.
