on the occasion of the general chapter
To the Most Reverend Father Fernando Millán Romeral,
General Prior of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.
I address you, dear brothers of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, who celebrate the general chapter this September. I would like to offer you words of encouragement and hope during this time of grace and renewal, in which you are called to discern the mission of the glorious Carmelite order. The ancient charisma of Carmel has been a gift to the whole Church for eight centuries, and even today it continues to contribute to the building of Christ's body, revealing Christ's shining and holy face. The contemplative beginnings of your community spring from the land where eternal Divine Love was revealed in Jesus Christ, in the Word that became flesh. As you reflect on your mission as Carmelites in today's world, I recommend that you consider three elements that may guide you to fully realize your vocation, which is the ascent to the mountain of perfection. These are obedience to Christ, prayer, and mission.
Obedience
The mission of the Church is to bring Jesus Christ to the world. Therefore, as our Mother and Teacher, she encourages each of us to draw closer to Him.
In the Carmelite liturgy of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we contemplate the Blessed Virgin Mary as the one who stood "by the cross of Jesus." This is also the place where the Church is found: close to Christ. And it is also the place of every faithful member of the Carmelite order. Your Rule begins with an admonition for the brothers to live "in obedience to Jesus Christ", to follow Him and serve Him with a pure and undivided heart. This close relationship with Christ is realized in solitude, in brotherly community, and in mission. "The fundamental choice of a life that is specifically and radically dedicated to following Christ,"1 transforms your being into a journey that in love transforms you. The Second Vatican Council reminded us of the role of contemplation in our spiritual journey: the Church by its nature "is both human and divine, visible yet equipped with invisible values, energetically active yet devoted to contemplation, present in the world yet merely passing through it."2 The ancient hermits of Mount Carmel kept this holy place in their hearts, and even when they had to leave it and live far from it, they still directed their eyes and hearts to God's glory. When you reflect on the beginnings of your community and your history and contemplate the great multitude of those who have lived the Carmelite charisma throughout the centuries, you will rediscover your current vocation to be prophets of hope. And it is through this hope that you will find renewal. Often what seems new is something very old, seen in a new light.
The heart of the Carmelite mission was and is now to be found in your Rule. In preparation for the eighth centenary of the death of the Jerusalem patriarch Albert in 1214 (who wrote your Rule), you will remember that he formulated a "way of life," a space that allows you to live a spirituality fully centered on Christ. St. Albert outlined external and internal elements, the physical ecology of space, and the spiritual armor necessary for the order to adequately respond to its vocation and effectively fulfill its mission.
In a world that often does not understand Christ and actually rejects Him, you are urged to draw closer to Christ and to cling to Him more profoundly. This continually calls you to follow Christ and to become ever more like Him. This is vitally important in our disoriented world because "when the flame of faith goes out, all other lights lose their brightness."3 Christ is present in your community, in your common liturgy, and in the service entrusted to you: renew your obedience to Him in all that you experience!
Prayer
Holy Father Benedict XVI reminded you before your general chapter in 2007 that "the inner journey of faith to God begins in prayer", and in Castel Gandolfo in August 2010 he said to you: "You are those who teach us to pray." You define yourselves as a contemplative community among people.4 Indeed, it is certain that you are called to live on the heights of Carmel, just as it is certain that you are called to bear witness in the midst of people. Prayer is the "royal way" that opens the depths of the mystery of God, One in Three, but it is also a binding path that winds through the people of God on their journey through the world to the promised land. One of the most beautiful paths to enter into prayer leads through the Word of God. Lectio divina introduces us into a direct conversation with the Lord and opens the treasures of wisdom. A close friendship with the One who loves us enables us to see with God's eyes, to speak in our hearts with His Word, to preserve the beauty of this experience, and to share it with those who hunger for eternity.
A return to the simplicity of life focused on the gospel is a challenge to renew the Church as a community of faith, which always finds new paths for evangelization in a constantly changing world. Carmelite saints have been great preachers and teachers of prayer. And this is once again required of Carmel in the 21st century. Throughout your history, the great figures of Carmel have continually called for a return to your contemplative roots, to the ever-fruitful roots of prayer. Here lies the heart of your witness: to live, cultivate, and pass on the "contemplative nature" of the order. I wish each of you would ask yourselves: what does my contemplative life look like? How much time during the day do I dedicate to prayer and to those who teach us contemplation? You define yourselves as contemplative among people. It is indeed true that you are contemplative? A Carmelite without this contemplative life is a corpse! Today, perhaps more than ever, it is very easy to get distracted by the cares and worries of this world and to be drawn away by false idols. Our world is fragmented in many ways: however, the contemplative person returns to unity and represents a powerful call back to unity. Now more than ever is the time to rediscover through prayer the inner path of love and, through the witness of contemplation, through preaching and through mission, to offer today's people not useless quick solutions, but the wisdom that springs from meditating "day and night on the law of the Lord,"5 the Word of God, which always leads under the glorious cross of Christ. And contemplation is accompanied by a strict life, which is not merely a secondary element of your life and your witness. The very strong temptation to fall into spiritual worldliness also concerns you. The spirit of the world is the enemy of the life of prayer, do not ever forget that! I urge you to a stricter and more penitent life according to your most authentic tradition, to a life distant from all worldliness, distanced from worldly criteria.
Mission
Dear Carmelite brothers, you have the same mission as Jesus. All planning and discussions would be in vain if the chapter did not primarily realize a path of true renewal. The Carmelite family has experienced a wonderful flourishing around the world, a fruit – a gift from God – of missionary efforts in the past. Today, however, the mission (to those who fulfill it) presents difficult challenges, for the message of the gospel is not always received and sometimes is even rejected with violence. We must never forget, even when we are thrown into murky and unknown waters, that He who calls us to this mission also gives us the courage and strength to fulfill it. Therefore, celebrate the chapter with hope that never dies, with generous selflessness in the new acquisition of contemplative life and evangelical simplicity and strictness. In (one) homily in St. Peter's Square, I told the pilgrims: "Every Christian and every community is missionary to the extent that they carry and live the gospel and testify to God's love for all, especially those who are experiencing difficulties. Be missionaries of God's love and tenderness! Be missionaries of the mercy of God, who always forgives us, always awaits us, and loves us so much!”6 The testimony of Carmel in the past is a testimony of a deep spiritual tradition that grew into one of the great schools of prayer. And it also inspired the courage of men and women who faced (various) dangers or even death. Let us recall just two great martyrs of our time: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Blessed Titus Brandsma. But I ask you: is the tenacity, courage of these saints alive today—among you?
Dear Carmelite brothers, your testimony of love and hope, arising from a deep friendship with the living God, can blow like a "gentle breeze" that renews and fills with new strength your mission in the Church in today's world. To this you have been called. Your profession ceremony puts these words into your mouths: "I dedicate myself to God..., that by the grace of the Holy Spirit and with the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I may attain in the service of God and the Church to perfect love."
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Carmel, accompany your steps and make fruitful your daily journey to the Mount of God. I pray for abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit for all the members of the Carmelite family and especially for you, members of the chapter, and to all of you, I wholeheartedly grant my special apostolic blessing.
Francis
In the Vatican, August 22, 2013
Translated from Italian by Martina Vintrová
