Spirituality of Carmel
A call to follow Christ
The vocation, or call, to be a Discalced Carmelite friar is a freely given gift of God. It is a gift by which a person is called to follow Christ in a particular way, the way of Carmel.
The gift of a vocation to the Discalced Carmelite friars inspires in a person a desire to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. A vocation to Carmel is a call to live in community, to share in a true communion of life with one's brothers.
A call to prayer
A vocation to Carmel includes the call to prayer and contemplation, to seek Christ in solitude, and to discover Him in each brother and sister, in each event of one's daily life. Like the prophet Elijah, the Carmelite strives to live each moment in the presence of the living God. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Carmelite aims always to keep God's word, pondering it in his heart. Like St. Teresa of Jesus, he sees prayer as "an intimate sharing between friends," as "taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us." When God gives the gift of a vocation, this gift comes with a mission. The first responsibility of the Discalced Carmelite mission is to give witness to God who is experienced in the silence and solitude of prayer. As St. Teresa of Jesus states: This is the reason for prayer…the birth always of good works, good works.
Mission
St. Teresa urges Carmelites to teach by works rather than by words. What are the works of the Discalced Carmelite friar? What does our mission involve?
Above all, our mission is one of prayer, of seeking union with God. The Carmelite seeks this union with God not for himself alone, but for the good of the Church and of the world. Carmelite prayer is apostolic by nature, it is a service to the Church and the world. When the Carmelite stands in the presence of God in prayer, he does so always as a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. As he draws near to the Lord in faith and love, he bears all of his brothers and sisters in Christ in his heart, presenting their needs, their joys and sufferings, their praise and supplications to God. The Order of Discalced Carmelites is entrusted with the mission of being a praying presence in and for the Church and the world.
Apostolate of Spirituality
The Discalced Carmelite friar is entrusted with the apostolate of spirituality. The Church looks to the Carmelite to offer guidance to the faithful as they, too, seek a deeper union with God. In the tradition of our great saints, such as St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross, and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, the Carmelite places himself and his experience in the spiritual life at the service of his brothers and sisters in Christ. The Discalced Carmelite friar serves as spiritual director, confessor, and retreat director, especially for the monasteries of cloistered Discalced Carmelite nuns and the communities of lay Carmelites.
