Service Among the People
As the Carmelites were gradually drawn into the movement of mendicant orders in Europe, they inevitably became increasingly involved in the service of God's people. Encouraged by the Church itself – including the Church of today – the Carmelites took their duty to share their spiritual wealth with others seriously.
We Carmelites must realize our mission among people primarily through the richness of our contemplative life. Our prophetic activity can take many varied forms of apostolic service. However, since not all forms of apostolic work can easily align with our charism or the capacities of a given community, we must always discern among the many diverse possibilities offered by the situation. (Constitution 1995, art. 92)
Faithful to the spiritual heritage of our order, we thus direct our diverse works towards fostering the search for God and the life of prayer. (Ibid., art. 95)
Through the words of its shepherds, the Church often urged Carmel to engage primarily in this area. Pope Paul VI repeatedly encouraged Carmelites, who prioritize their inner life, to become "experts in God" (1). Recently, when Carmel returned to France after a two-hundred-year hiatus, French bishops directly requested that the mission of the Carmelites focus on the ministry of spiritual guidance, organizing retreats, counseling, taking care of spiritual literature... Christians around the world consider this to be the normal Carmelite service, and they are disappointed when Carmelites are unable to provide it.
It is also true that the ways of the Lord are diverse, incredibly creative, and often unexpected. The Church itself has invited Carmel on unknown paths more than once. Individual communities and individual Carmelites can also be led to new, creative ways of witnessing to Christ, evangelizing, and showing solidarity with the poor and oppressed. It is not always easy to discern which activities are suitable for a Carmelite and which are not. The solution likely lies in the fundamental decision of Carmel to let God act according to His will, allowing His love to flood the life of the person, preparing to receive the gift of contemplation: the more God penetrates a person with His loving presence, the more that person is convinced that this is indeed the most beautiful gift they can share with others. They will feel the need to share this immense wealth with others and not keep it just for themselves.
St. Teresa of Lisieux found the answer to this dilemma, which troubled many Carmelites, in that she discovered her vocation to be love at the heart of the Church. She beautifully illuminates this not-easy-to-solve problem. The primary vocation of every Carmelite, whether they live in a hermitage, in a monastery, or are involved in any type of apostolate or mission, is to let the living flame of God's love permeate their entire being.
Love gave me the key to my vocation. I understood that if the Church is a body made up of different members, it does not lack the most needed, the most noble. I understood that the Church has a heart, and that this heart BURNS WITH LOVE. I understood that only love keeps the members of the Church active. If love were to fade, the apostles would cease to preach the gospel, the martyrs would hesitate to shed their blood... I understood that love contains all vocations within itself, that love is everything, that it encompasses all times and all places..., in a word, THAT IT IS ETERNAL! ...I found my place in the Church, and this place you gave me, my God!... In the heart of my mother Church, I will be love... (Autobiographical writings, 1991, p. 188)
In the effort to achieve harmony between the contemplative, fraternal, and apostolic dimensions of the Carmelite way of life, the constitutions urge Carmelites to attentively perceive the signs of the times, which prompt them to think with the Church and to be open to the Spirit:
Inspired by the fundamental orientation of our charism and the current ecclesial and social context, we outline certain criteria for guidance and discernment in our apostolic mission:
- the life of brotherhood and prayer among the people;
- responding to the needs of the universal and local Church;
- preferential service to the poor and those on the margins;
- special attention to the issue of the status of women;
- striving for justice and peace;
- care for those interested in the spirit, spiritual heritage, and the life of Carmel.
Thus, we strive to listen to God, who speaks to us in Scripture and in the history of His people. (Constitution 1995, art. 93)
(1) Address to participants of the General Chapter of the Order on November 14, 1968.
Taken from the book: Carmel in the Czech Church
Author: Redemptus Valábek, OCarm.
Published by: KNA
