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Prayer & Spirituality

‘Meditating on the law of the Lord day
and night’  ...   Carmelite Rule

All spiritualities evolve from our baptismal commitment and the Carmelite way of life is no different. Carmelite Spirituality flows from the Rule of St Albert, a rule which was written for the monks who lived on Mt Carmel in the 12 century, and who were already mirroring the Word of God in their lives. ‘meditating day and night on the law of the Lord and being watchful in prayer unless otherwise lawfully occupied’ The rule was based on the lives of these monks – and is the culmination of their lived experience.

Carmelites today continue to be inspired by this simple scriptural rule.

• Pondering the Word of God
• Central place of the Eucharist
• The balanced life – community life supporting the life of solitude
• Silence
• Work
• Environment: the early monks chose places of beauty and solitude

In 16th century Spain St. Teresa of Avila the foundress of our now worldwide order returned to St Alberts simple rule for inspiration. Our Carmelite contemplative way of life is the result and fruit, of her prayer and lived experience. Her writings The Way, Interior Castle and Foundations describe this journey of prayer.see web It is by prayer study and a Teresian ‘way of life’ that the sisters enter into this living tradition.

So what is special, different about Carmelite spirituality for us as cloistered women of Carmel today?

• Prayer as friendship with Christ. and from which all our other relationships flow.
• Small communities – ideally 13 – 15 which facilities interaction that allows for good interpersonal communications and where Teresa’s ideal is nurtured -  that ‘all should be friends’.
• Simplicity of lifestyle.
• Awareness of God in all our daily activities.
• Outreach through Hospitality– offering sacred spaces and a listening ear to those who visit our monasteries – and through correspondence.

The above are some of the emphasis of our distinct way of life.
    
Down through the ages some of the following are the well know figures who lived this way or were inspired by this way of our foundress.

St John of the Cross; St. Therese; Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity & St Teresa Benedicta - Edith Stein are all saints that brought their own unique personalities to the Carmelite way of life. You could say they discovered their vocation within a vocation. Eg the indwelling of the trinity within for Elizabeth.

We as Carmelites today continue to bring our own unique giftedness to our monasteries in order to enrich the Carmelite tradition which is always a life giving and living tradition.