Vojtěch of St. Hedwig OCD
The Second Vatican Council reminds us of two important things: to return to the Holy Scriptures as the source of spiritual life in our spirituality, and for religious communities to renew their life practice inspired by the example of their founders.
In the case of religious communities of Carmel, these two calls are in harmony, as the hermit beginnings of the order have a distinctly biblical character. Where did this biblical character of Carmel originate, and how did it manifest?
To answer this question, we must return to Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries and seek to penetrate the piety that nourished the believers of that time. Theological speculation focused on Jesus Christ, more specifically, on a better understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist and reflections on the reason for Christ's incarnation and redemption. This subsequently influenced the piety of all layers of society, which can be characterized as Christocentric, showing an increasing interest in Christ's humanity and His earthly life. It is therefore natural that this spirituality began to turn more towards the Scriptures – the fundamental source of knowledge on these themes.
This spiritual orientation was so strong that it also manifested in external events. It should be noted that this was the era of the Crusades, motivated by the desire to free the tomb of God and make the Holy Land accessible to ardent pilgrims. The Crusades, in turn, supported and increased interest in the Holy Land and thus in the Scriptures.
A third source of interest in the Bible was a kind of “renaissance” of hermit life, which was likely a reaction to the decline of monasticism – the almost exclusive form of consecrated life. Europe began to be filled with hermits who sought out abandoned places to escape from the world. They naturally took as models the spiritual fathers from the early centuries of Christianity who lived in the desert. Thus it is no surprise that their spirituality, similar to that of the spiritual fathers from the desert, was distinctly biblical.
This triple legacy: Christocentric piety, crusading enthusiasm, and an inclination towards hermit life, was certainly brought by our early fathers to the Holy Land. After all, they were also flesh-and-blood people and children of their times. It is understandable that here, in places tied to biblical narratives, the biblical nature of their piety only increased.
How did it manifest and develop? The first document from which we can observe this is the Rule. It can be said that it is composed almost entirely of biblical quotations. Various authors present different numbers, so let us settle with the assertion that across four pages of text there are 45–77 biblical citations, assuming we dismiss the claim of some specialists that every word should at least vaguely echo biblical passages. However, much more important for us is the content of this Rule. There is unanimous agreement regarding its main message – it contains two ideas:
1) “Let all remain in their cells and ponder the Law of the Lord day and night” and
2) “Let the word of God dwell richly in your mouths and hearts, and whatever you do, do it according to the Lord’s Word.”
In both of these places, attention is given to a profound knowledge of the Bible, but also to an intimate relationship with the Scriptures.
At the center of every community remains the figure of the founder. Carmel, which does not know its own, shifts its focus to two other figures and attributes to them equal importance for its spirituality as the founders have for other communities. These are the so-called archetypes – models of life and at the same time individuals intimately connected with every member of the community: Elijah and Mary. How can we not venerate and live by the example of the great prophet when we live on the mountain where he operated, and lead a life traditionally attributed to him? How can we not venerate and live by the example of the Mother of God when Nazareth is so close, whether topographically or spiritually? The interest in these two figures, of course, has led from the beginning and still leads to texts from which they can be better known – to the Holy Scriptures. Thus, knowledge of the Holy Scriptures developed the cult of the Prophet and the Virgin, and conversely, the relationship with the Prophet and the Virgin developed knowledge and love for the Scriptures.
However, undoubtedly the most important aspect for the development of the biblical character of Carmel is its way of prayer, which is the heart of the order's charism. To “ponder the Law of the Lord day and night” meant for our predecessors nothing less than meditation in the manner of the fathers of the desert – originally Eastern meditation, which was brought to Christian West by St. John Cassian. What does this involve?
It is the rhythmic repetition of biblical verses. This practice occupied the hermit for most of the day, during which he would often linger on a single sentence or a few words. In this way, it is possible to achieve “much”: harmonization of the rhythm of the heart with external behavior, thus creating a degree of concentration that transfers peace and order from within to external actions; deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; engagement of an overly vivid imagination without resignation from prayer; extended atmosphere of prayer even during times when attendance is needed elsewhere… We know this prayer in a simplified form by the name of the Jesus Prayer, where the repeated phrase is the exclamation: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Eastern religions also have similar practices that involve tireless repetition of a word. This mantra is indeed somewhat different in its mentality, motivation, and experience, yet the kinship is undeniable.
I believe that the prayer of the first Carmelites looked similar, which still speaks to us today in our difficulties in meditation, so I believe that in this or that form it can be an alternative “method” of prayer in light of the example of St. Teresa of Jesus or St. John of the Cross.
What was the Holy Scripture for the first Carmelites and what can it be for us? It is primarily a source of prayer, whether as inspiration, a source of thought (what and how we should pray) and theological foundation, or as a possibility of “God's answer” (under which I do not imagine a somewhat simplifying and sometimes misleading form of opening the Scripture at random to know God's answer to a specific question, but rather seeking God's "You" in the context of the entire biblical theology, in the connections of the spirit of the Scriptures).
It is also a verification of the authenticity of our prayer – an indicator, an objective norm for our lives to be a true development of our personality and relationship with the Lord and not a deviation, perversion, or deformation.
And finally, it can serve as inspiration for understanding and experiencing our entire spirituality. It is not only possible but very beneficial to develop and deepen individual elements of our spirituality (whether the mentioned archetypes – Elijah and the Virgin Mary, contemplative prayer, living in God’s presence, solitude, silence, community or the apostolate of prayer and guidance towards prayer) in the spirit of the Scriptures, through the study of biblical theology and biblical spirituality.
And I cannot end without asking myself and you the question: what of this can, do, and experience I?
