Pope Benedict XVI

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I would like to talk to you about St Thérèse of Lisieux, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, who lived in this world for only 24 years, at the end of the 19th century, leading a very simple and hidden life but who, after her death and the publication of her writings, became one of the best-known and best-loved saints. “Little Thérèse” has never stopped helping the simplest souls, the little, the poor and the suffering who pray to her. However, she has also illumined the whole Church with her profound spiritual doctrine to the point that Venerable Pope John Paul II chose, in 1997, to give her the title “Doctor of the Church”, in addition to that of Patroness of Missions, which Pius XI had already attributed to her in 1939. My beloved Predecessor described her as an “expert in the scientia amoris” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, n. 42). Thérèse expressed this science, in which she saw the whole truth of the faith shine out in love, mainly in the story of her life, published a year after her death with the title The Story of a Soul. The book immediately met with enormous success, it was translated into many languages and disseminated throughout the world.

I would like to invite you to rediscover this small-great treasure, this luminous comment on the Gospel lived to the full! The Story of a Soul, in fact, is a marvellous story of Love, told with such authenticity, simplicity and freshness that the reader cannot but be fascinated by it! But what was this Love that filled Thérèse’s whole life, from childhood to death? Dear friends, this Love has a Face, it has a Name, it is Jesus! The Saint speaks continuously of Jesus. Let us therefore review the important stages of her life, to enter into the heart of her teaching.

Thérèse was born on 2 January 1873 in Alençon, a city in Normandy, in France. She was the last daughter of Louis and Zélie Martin, a married couple and exemplary parents, who were beatified together on 19 October 2008. They had nine children, four of whom died at a tender age. Five daughters were left, who all became religious. Thérèse, at the age of four, was deeply upset by the death of her mother (Ms A 13r). Her father then moved with his daughters to the town of Lisieux, where the Saint was to spend her whole life. Later Thérèse, affected by a serious nervous disorder, was healed by a divine grace which she herself described as the “smile of Our Lady” (ibid., 29v-30v). She then received her First Communion, which was an intense experience (ibid., 35r), and made Jesus in the Eucharist the centre of her life.

The “Grace of Christmas” of 1886 marked the important turning-point, which she called her “complete conversion” (ibid., 44v-45r). In fact she recovered totally, from her childhood hyper-sensitivity and began a “to run as a giant”. At the age of 14, Thérèse became ever closer, with great faith, to the Crucified Jesus. She took to heart the apparently desperate case of a criminal sentenced to death who was impenitent. “I wanted at all costs to prevent him from going to hell”, the Saint wrote, convinced that her prayers would put him in touch with the redeeming Blood of Jesus. It was her first and fundamental experience of spiritual motherhood: “I had such great trust in the Infinite Mercy of Jesus”, she wrote. Together with Mary Most Holy, young Thérèse loved, believed and hoped with “a mother’s heart” (cf. Pr 6/ior).

In November 1887, Thérèse went on pilgrimage to Rome with her father and her sister Céline (ibid., 55v-67r). The culminating moment for her was the Audience with Pope Leo XIII, whom she asked for permission to enter the Carmel of Lisieux when she was only just 15. A year later her wish was granted. She became a Carmelite, “to save souls and to pray for priests” (ibid., 69v).

At the same time, her father began to suffer from a painful and humiliating mental illness. It caused Thérèse great suffering which led her to contemplation of the Face of Jesus in his Passion (ibid., 71rc). Thus, her name as a religious — Sr Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face — expresses the programme of her whole life in communion with the central Mysteries of the Incarnation and the Redemption. Her religious profession, on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, 8 September 1890, was a true spiritual espousal in evangelical “littleness”, characterized by the symbol of the flower: “It was the Nativity of Mary. What a beautiful feast on which to become the Spouse of Jesus! It was the little new-born Holy Virgin who presented her little Flower to the little Jesus” (ibid., 77r).

For Thérèse, being a religious meant being a bride of Jesus and a mother of souls (cf. Ms B, 2v). On the same day, the Saint wrote a prayer which expressed the entire orientation of her life: she asked Jesus for the gift of his infinite Love, to be the smallest, and above all she asked for the salvation of all human being: “That no soul may be damned today” (Pr 2).

Of great importance is her Offering to Merciful Love, made on the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity in 1895 (Ms A, 83v-84r; Pr 6). It was an offering that Thérèse immediately shared with her sisters, since she was already acting novice mistress.

Ten years after the “Grace of Christmas” in 1896, came the “Grace of Easter”, which opened the last period of Thérèse’s life with the beginning of her passion in profound union with the Passion of Jesus. It was the passion of her body, with the illness that led to her death through great suffering, but it was especially the passion of the soul, with a very painful trial of faith (Ms C, 4v-7v). With Mary beside the Cross of Jesus, Thérèse then lived the most heroic faith, as a light in the darkness that invaded her soul. The Carmelite was aware that she was living this great trial for the salvation of all the atheists of the modern world, whom she called “brothers”.

She then lived fraternal love even more intensely (8r-33v): for the sisters of her community, for her two spiritual missionary brothers, for the priests and for all people, especially the most distant. She truly became a “universal sister”! Her lovable, smiling charity was the expression of the profound joy whose secret she reveals: “Jesus, my joy is loving you” (P 45/7). In this context of suffering, living the greatest love in the smallest things of daily life, the Saint brought to fulfilment her vocation to be Love in the heart of the Church (cf. Ms B, 3v).

Thérèse died on the evening of 30 September 1897, saying the simple words, “My God, I love you!”, looking at the Crucifix she held tightly in her hands. These last words of the Saint are the key to her whole doctrine, to her interpretation of the Gospel the act of love, expressed in her last breath was as it were the continuous breathing of her soul, the beating of her heart. The simple words “Jesus I love you”, are at the heart of all her writings. The act of love for Jesus immersed her in the Most Holy Trinity. She wrote: “Ah, you know, Divine Jesus I love you / The spirit of Love enflames me with his fire, / It is in loving you that I attract the Father” (P 17/2).

Dear friends, we too, with St Thérèse of the Child Jesus must be able to repeat to the Lord every day that we want to live of love for him and for others, to learn at the school of the saints to love authentically and totally. Thérèse is one of the “little” ones of the Gospel who let themselves be led by God to the depths of his Mystery. A guide for all, especially those who, in the People of God, carry out their ministry as theologians. With humility and charity, faith and hope, Thérèse continually entered the heart of Sacred Scripture which contains the Mystery of Christ. And this interpretation of the Bible, nourished by the science of love, is not in opposition to academic knowledge. The science of the saints, in fact, of which she herself speaks on the last page of her The Story of a Soul, is the loftiest science.

“All the saints have understood and in a special way perhaps those who fill the universe with the radiance of the evangelical doctrine. Was it not from prayer that St Paul, St Augustine, St John of the Cross, St Thomas Aquinas, Francis, Dominic, and so many other friends of God drew that wonderful science which has enthralled the loftiest minds?” (cf. Ms C 36r). Inseparable from the Gospel, for Thérèse the Eucharist was the sacrament of Divine Love that stoops to the extreme to raise us to him. In her last Letter, on an image that represents Jesus the Child in the consecrated Host, the Saint wrote these simple words: “I cannot fear a God who made himself so small for me! […] I love him! In fact, he is nothing but Love and Mercy!” (LT 266).

In the Gospel Thérèse discovered above all the Mercy of Jesus, to the point that she said: “To me, He has given his Infinite Mercy, and it is in this ineffable mirror that I contemplate his other divine attributes. Therein all appear to me radiant with Love. His Justice, even more perhaps than the rest, seems to me to be clothed with Love” (Ms A, 84r).

In these words she expresses herself in the last lines of The Story of a Soul: “I have only to open the Holy Gospels and at once I breathe the perfume of Jesus’ life, and then I know which way to run; and it is not to the first place, but to the last, that I hasten…. I feel that even had I on my conscience every crime one could commit… my heart broken with sorrow, I would throw myself into the arms of my Saviour Jesus, because I know that he loves the Prodigal Son” who returns to him. (Ms C, 36v-37r).

“Trust and Love” are therefore the final point of the account of her life, two words, like beacons, that illumined the whole of her journey to holiness, to be able to guide others on the same “little way of trust and love”, of spiritual childhood (cf. Ms C, 2v-3r; LT 226).

Trust, like that of the child who abandons himself in God’s hands, inseparable from the strong, radical commitment of true love, which is the total gift of self for ever, as the Saint says, contemplating Mary: “Loving is giving all, and giving oneself” (Why I love thee, Mary, P 54/22). Thus Thérèse points out to us all that Christian life consists in living to the full the grace of Baptism in the total gift of self to the Love of the Father, in order to live like Christ, in the fire of the Holy Spirit, his same love for all the others.

Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Fr. Goyo Señor Benedí, O.Carm.

The First International Congress of Carmelite schools  was held from April 8-13, 2010 at “Terenure College” in Dublin, Ireland.   All of it, from the beginning to the end, was a great moment and wonderful opportunity to share our educational and personal experiences with all those present.

There were religious and lay people from five continents gathered to discuss education, specifically catholic education with a Carmelite stamp.   This congress made us see how in spite of the geographical diversity, the core values of our Order are present in all our educational centers.   These values we try and live out in each concrete reality within the culture and time that each one of us is living in our place of origin.   

Also, we could live the internationality of the Order, which I think was a great discovery for the laity that accompanied us and for the many religious who participated, especially the young people.

The four lectures that were presented helped us to rethink the reality of our schools and can be a good reference in Carmelite formation for our houses if we are able to share it and work with it. 

The round table discussions were moments to share our education and pastoral experience and helped us to see how the geographic, cultural and economic situations of the different participants do not make our local educational projects very different.  In fact, the opposite is true. 

We observed values, so important to us, including: prayer, commitment to the poor in all places, devotion and fondness and worship of Our Lady of Mount Carmel are present in the daily life of all our schools. 

An  important and well-liked part of the Congress was working in small groups where we could get down to discussing the specific reality of each school, where we could share concrete and daily experiences of our educational work, of our social commitment  and solidarity as Carmelite schools and how we collaborate with the local church in each place.  In these small groups we also found  concrete ways of applying the human and religious values (especially those arising from the charism of the Order) to both the students and faculty of our schools and with the families that entrust the education of their children to us.   

The setting was very nice and unbeatable: we could participate in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Terenure College.  Without a doubt, the best part in regards to logistics was the support that was given at all times by the local religious community and the teachers and students of the school who were always conscious of the needs, suggestions or requests of the participants.  

Another special moment was the celebration of the Eucharist that was held in the school gym with the school community and presided by our Father General.   It was a celebration that impressed many of us, not only because the student body and teachers were participating in different parts of the liturgy, but also by the silent atmosphere that was present in the gym.   The surprise was greater for those of us who live in places where the celebratory and sacramental practices are cooler than in our school in Dublin. 

Another important aspect of this first congress, especially for the religious men and women who participated in it, was the ability to check the support and involvement of the lay people who work in our schools.  Their support and commitment to education assists the Order in the different educational projects that we have in many parts of the world.  The vitality and existence of our schools would be endangered without this support and commitment to the continuation of our schools in those countries where there is a decline in the number of religious.

Both in the breaks and in the times of sharing the participants commented on the great opportunity that the congress provided to know each other personally,  to know the different educational projects of the Order that are happening and the opportunity that is before us with respect to enrichment  that can bring to our students and teachers the reality of  the exchanges or visit that can be realized between schools and families of the Carmelite Family. 

Personally, I hope and wish that this great educational opportunity will not remain wishful thinking of a moment of euphoria, but that we are truly able to open up personally and make available our facilities for this possibility that many are realizing in centers that have been discovered and  are not Carmelite Schools.

Perhaps this experience between us was more enriched, more easily and, in one way, better able to create the reality of our Carmelite family. 

Thanks to our Father General for his effort and participation in this Congress as a participant and for his translation work which is especially important for those who do not handle English well. 

What stands out finally is the necessity to continue this Congress, perhaps on a regional or national level so that it is not just a passing event.  Its continuance would provide an opportunity for a greater number of members of our school communities to participate and this would produce a greater enrichment of our schools. 

May Our Lady of Mount Carmel  help us reap the fruits of what has undoubtedly been the result of much hard work and dedication of our Father General and the International Commission for the organization and development of the First International Conference of Carmelite Schools.  

Br. Daryl Moresco, O.Carm

Ordinarily, a 10th Anniversary may not seem like a very significant event to celebrate, however, it has been ten years since the second edition of the Ratio Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae (RIVC) was published. The RIVC has been described as the fundamental document for formation in the Order, and as the best document the Order has produced since Vatican II because it heralds a break-through in the understanding and presentation of our Charism. The International Formators’ Course, held in our monastery at Camocin de São Félix, Brazil from August 1st -15th, 2010, marked the occasion. It was time again to revisit and engage in a common reflection on the RIVC and to deepen our commitment to the profound work of formation.

The two week course focused on four main areas of Carmelite Formation: Carmelite Identity and The Role of Formator and Formandi; The Interior Spiritual Journey and The Role of Community; Human Development and The Vows; Internationality, Liturgy Inculturation and Fraternity. The presentations, given by experts in the Order, focused on the existing RIVC text together with new material drafted for inclusion in a new edition. The new material includes improved sections on The Liturgical Life of Community, Work on our Journey, Silence as the Meeting Place with Others, and an Inter-cultural Project.

The course was excellent, enriching and very intense. It was so well planned by the International Formation Commission that each day together was seamless. It was a meeting full of hope for the future as many of the 60+ formators were younger than forty - a sign of new life and vitality in many places. The diversity of cultures, the younger participants and the realization that many of our formators are no longer from Europe highlighted the new and emerging reality among us that the Order has a very different presence in the world than it did ten years ago when the RIVC was first published. This in itself was something to celebrate!

While vocations are plentiful in Africa, Asia, South America and parts of Oceania, sadly, there are very few vocations in Europe and Australia. The course not only highlighted the cross-cultural context in which formation is happening in various parts of the Order, it also drew our attention to the importance and urgency of the international dimension of the Order for our future as we continue to explore the new and exciting challenges that face both formators and formandi.

Each day began with Morning Prayer and Eucharist. The magnificent icon of Christ the Teacher in the newly refurbished chapel at Camoçim, reminded us that He is the way, the truth and the life. We paused for Midday Prayer and then celebrated Evening Prayer at the conclusion of the day’s work. Each meal and social gathering was filled with lively conversation as participants became more and more eloquent in languages other than their own. Building fraternal relationships, sharing our experience of formation ministry, hearing more about the challenges that we face, and being in solidarity with one another, strengthened the bonds and deepened our dialogue each day.

Our “free day” became a day of pilgrimage, visiting several places of major historical significance to Carmel in Brazil. Every place and every community we visited, every meal and every encounter with our Carmelite brothers and sisters and the people they serve was a festive gathering. The hospitality extended to us by our brothers of the Pernambuco Province was extraordinarily generous. We marveled at what awaited us at each place we visited.
Each presentation and discussion provided new insights, fresh challenges and thought-provoking material for formators to consider as we deepened our knowledge and experience of implementing the RIVC. I would like to share some brief extracts from the major talks that continue to resonate with me in the hope that they might encourage you to revisit the RIVC document for further reflection.

1. Internationality and our Cultural Roots: We are not exclusively linked to our cultures, however our culture is essential to each one of us for we are concretely incarnated into it. The challenge is that we cannot be too localized in it or too scattered by this reality. How do we achieve this balance? Prior General

2. Self-Knowledge and Carmelite Identity: A Carmelite is called to a spiritual experience of deep attraction to and love for Jesus Christ, an attraction that commits us to Christ in a journey of transformation. This requires an interior freedom reached only by self-knowledge: to accept and love myself as I am because God loves me and accepts me as I am in the secret that leads the candidate to personal interior freedom which enables him to embrace the God and the value of the Kingdom. Charlò Camilleri (Mel)

3. Formator as Sculptor: The sculptor is one who works with the beauty that is hidden in the stone. The formator liberates the beauty that is hidden in the person. This is a contemplative task in which the formator sees with the eyes of Christ. It recognizes that we begin the work of formation but it is ultimately God’s work for He is at the center. This is a mystagogical process that pervades formation.  Desiderio Garcia Martinez (Arag)

4. The Challenge of Silence: Our Rule gives special emphasis to silence in our life as Carmelites. We need to be anchored in it in order to be sustained by God “to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ. It is not a silence that is merely the absence of noise or sound but a silence that is nourished by relationships, a silence that is at the service of one another and God. It is a silence that enables us to find a balance, a way of putting things in order in our living and being with one another and God. Michael Plattig (GerS)

5. Sexuality as Gift from God: That our sexuality is a great source of energy for every person, an energy that moves us into relationship with another because of our desire to connect as human beings. We recognize that both the physiological and psychological grounding needed for our capacity to love is what God desires for each one of us, which enables us to live authentic humanness, not in isolation but deeply connected with others.  Quinn Conners (PCM)

6. Internationality, Inculturation and Fraternity: These three elements come together in our Rule. Albert found a way to bring the various countries and places that the early hermits came from into one language, a way of life, a formula vitae. How do we do this today? Inculturation occurs in limited time and space but it is concrete. In the concrete situations and realities that we live, how do we help people discover God’s presence in their lives? Like Elijah on Mount Horeb, we need to rediscover our mission. Fraternity is an attitude of life that permeates everything we do. Carlos Mesters (Flum)

The Carmelite formation process is also called  “A Journey of Transformation”. The RIVC invites us all of us, whether we are beginning or well on the way, to continue the journey by pondering this document. No doubt, every participant felt his/her own journey in Carmel being rekindled as we were immersed in it over these days.

Let us take heart and be encouraged by the Prior General’s final words to the participants: We need to know our tradition well. We must make every attempt to bring our tradition into dialogue with the world. When we do this, our tradition will bear much fruit. Putting our tradition of contemplation, prayer and intimacy with the Lord at the service of the Church is crucial to who we profess ourselves to be as Carmelites.