P. Gorazd Cetkovský, O.Carm.
We prepared for this year's national meeting of tertiaries more than ever. For the first time, the tertiary profession was to be made for life in accordance with the new rule, and other brothers and sisters renewed their early profession. I may not exaggerate and will not be caught up in mere subjective impressions when I say that we experienced the meeting very beautifully. A total of 116 tertiaries made their permanent profession, eight completed their novitiate preparation this year and made their profession for three years, and another 51 renewed their profession. (To them will be added those who will make their profession at the autumn regional meetings.) I have therefore decided to present two "reflections" on the meeting on these pages of our journal.
The first reflection is a record of the homily given during the Holy Mass preceding the ceremony of the profession. If you want to look up the relevant biblical readings: 2 Kings 4:1-25; Psalm 116 (115); John 12:1-11.
Brothers and sisters,
the first reading we heard is not actually in the lectionary, meaning it is not usually read during services. Therefore, we read it directly from the Bible. It had caught our attention before because it gives rise to the custom of the first Saturdays. The man asks his wife: "Why are you going to Carmel when it is neither the beginning of the month nor Saturday?" (In the ecumenical translation it is translated as: "new moon" and "day of rest".) The beginning of the month and Saturday together represent the first Saturday of the month.
Why did I choose this excerpt for our celebration today? Precisely for the question the man asks the woman: "Why are you going there?" and he is surprised. It seems to him that she is overreacting. If she went there when she usually did, he would accept it. But: "Why are you going there today?" I feel that this is a situation that we often experience, or one that you, especially, often experience when you live "in the world" and go after God. The woman goes to Carmel because her child has died. She goes there out of urgent need. We find such situations of misunderstanding when we go after God, because we want to thank him or because we need to cleanse our hearts. "We are seeking our Lord" and those around us ask us: "Are you going there again? You were just there not long ago..."
You know, when I thought about today's service and how the content of today's service is closely connected with the tertiary profession, that you give your yes to God and many of you "for life" - as it is expressed in the profession, I realized that this connects you all: today in your relationship with God you desire to give to God. To give to God.
Many people around us, who look at our faith and how we live it from a bit of a distance, have the feeling that we are doing this or that for God because we have to. And because we have to, we somehow get through it. But that is a great misunderstanding. Maybe that's how someone sees it at the beginning of their relationship with God. But later - and that is precisely your situation - a person relates to God in a way that they want to give. They want to give and want to give themselves, they want to offer themselves. That is how the relationship with God is shifted - to this level. We do not look for what we must do for him, but we seek what could be done. What I could do, how to offer myself. If we sang in the psalm: "I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord," then "the cup of salvation" means: God first gifted us and gave us salvation. That changed our lives. To us, who had nothing to drink because we found ourselves in the desert, He offered the drink of salvation. And we take the cup of salvation from God's hand and want to call upon the name of the Lord. To this divine gift, we want to respond by offering ourselves, with all our strength.
It could be said: "But we have already done it in baptism..." That is true. However, it is even more evident now how we are still seeking to do it again, how to deepen it, how to renew this offering of ourselves. We are led to this by our desire, our understanding that this is right, that I cannot stand idly before God, that the flow of God's concern and love directed at me is so strong that it provokes a response. And so we seek how... And when someone tells us: "But you already did this at baptism," that is not enough for us! We want to live this continuously. And you, by your profession today, not only renew your offering to God but also specify it. You confess that you want to live your baptismal faith in the community of the Carmelite family and follow the spiritual path of Carmel. You want to commit to this. That is why you make the tertiary profession.
When we look at the other biblical readings that we read: especially the end of the Gospel passage can be a beautiful hint of something we should never forget. Namely that the offering to God is indeed an offering of oneself, that in a certain sense it means losing something, giving oneself up, abandoning oneself. Lazarus received life from Jesus. Jesus called, and Lazarus came out of the grave. And afterward, mere Lazarus' existence annoys the Jews, and they conspired to kill Lazarus. Not because Lazarus speaks of what the Lord Jesus did with him, but because Lazarus is, with his resurrection. And we must also take this into account. Even if we are not saints and do not do great things, if we genuinely allow God to act in our lives, it annoys the enemy of salvation. It causes him difficulties. But it is worth it for us. We want to connect our lives with Christ as closely as possible, even if it is not a "walk in a rose garden".
Deliberately, I have omitted any reference to the new documents that we will receive once approved from Rome (the rule and the statutes of the third order) during my lecture about the third order and even now in this homily about the profession. I intentionally did not draw from these documents, knowing that the brothers will discuss them with you in detail in individual communities. However, I will make one exception now. I was pleased that the new rule states in the paragraph about the tertiary profession this thought: the tertiary, when making their profession, is well aware that they stand before God with empty hands...
We do not make our profession as those who "are able to do so," who "already have what it takes". The tertiary, when making their profession, trusts in Christ, relies on God. As St. Therese of Lisieux expressed in her act of offering to merciful love (and the rule of the third order explicitly refers to her in this): I know that I am weak and powerless - "God, be your own my holiness!..." That is to say: I rely on you. In this sense, the tertiary profession is a cry of faith. Not: "I am so far along that I can make a vow," but: "Lord, I am maturing in my trust in my calling and in your help, and I promise you that I want to walk this path; I promise you faithfulness. But I expect that you yourself will give me the strength for that faithfulness. You be my holiness!"
And one more thought about the gospel itself - why I chose this excerpt. The Holy Father quotes this Gospel passage at the end of the document Vita Consecrata, which deals with the consecrated life in the church. Mary anointed Jesus' feet with precious oil. And Mary's act aroused dissatisfaction. Here we return to the situation I started our contemplation with: the various misunderstandings and objections we receive from those around us: "You are overreacting!" - "Why don't you do something for people, something useful?" - "You are always praying!..." Of course: we cannot neglect our family duties and others. But in this Gospel - the Holy Father beautifully explains - life has another dimension beyond mere "functionality." Mary performed an act of pure love. Love that is directed directly to Jesus’ person. Love that at this moment does not go to Jesus through the poor but goes directly to Jesus. And someone thinks that this is wasting time and that it is wasting strength. But the Lord Jesus in the Gospel defends Mary: "Leave her alone!"
This act of love - and the oil is a symbol of that love - filled the entire house with its fragrance. And we can only imagine and meditate on how everyone felt in that house that was filled with that fragrance... Mary could have cooked and cleaned, and I hope she really did that at other times, that she did not leave Martha alone in that. Other times she did that - but at this moment she anointed Jesus' feet. She poured her love over him - and the fragrance filled the entire house...
May the Lord accept today in your tertiary profession the love that you put into this your surrender. May he accept all that desire that is hidden in your piety. And when you go home and find yourselves again in your various tasks, in various relationships (in relationships that are sometimes very difficult), may you carry with you this fragrance of the poured oil with which we have anointed Jesus' feet. And we have promised him that we want to be his - in the community of Carmel and as he will give us strength for it.
The second reflection I received by mail a few days after the meeting, with this comment: "When we were leaving Vydří, I tried to express my feelings in the bus with a 'poem' that does not rhyme..." Then followed the advice to quickly forget those verses. However, I did not follow that (ultimately with the author's approval), so here is the poem - for your enjoyment.
June 19, 2004
It is the time of wild currant and daisies,
of rosehips and the scent of acacias.
You come and take my heart in your hands.
It trembles and resists: What will happen next?
You say: "Do not be afraid, that is my concern,
it was my idea, you are mine.
Just smile at me.”
Very well. You are the victor, you are the king.
My heart bears Your seal:
it is imprinted with the monstrance from the last adoration.
(Marie)
