Our Latest Doctor's Doctrine

Having just read "Maurice and Therese" by Patrick Ahern (quoting and
commenting on eleven or so of letters exchanged with a seminarian), I am
renewed in gratitude to God for this saints teachings. What courage she
had to counter the sin/fear focus of Jansensism! Here are some of her
quotes that attract me:

"Jesus does not demand great actions from us but simply surrender and
gratitude."

"Holiness is not a matter of this or that pious practice. It consists of
a disposition of the heart which makes us small and humble in the arms
of God, aware of our weakness, yet confident - boldly confident - in the
goodness of our God."

This is Therese's definition of prayer as given in the "Catholic
Catechism":
"For me, prayer is a surge of heart; it is a cry of recognition and of
love, embracing both trial and Joy."

by Sr. Ruth Elsbernd
Eldridge Carmel
 

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TO PRAY IS TO JOURNEY WITH CHRIST

My journey through life and my journey with prayer need to include the
Way of the Cross.  Jesus knew this in His life and very often said, "I
must go to Jerusalem," the place of suffering and death.  Jesus knew
this was the will of His Father, and no person or thing could deter Him
from its fulfillment.

In my life there are little Jerusalems of each day.  How do I accept
these as a preparation for the final one when I will meet God face to
face?

Lent, soon to be upon us, is a time to do some reflection on my personal
feelings of suffering, pain, hurt, and rejection that God allows to come
into my life.  It is a time of acceptance and saying YES to whatever and
wherever the Spirit may choose to lead me.  Of what do these little
crosses consist?  They are the everyday persons and events that cross my
path: patience and gentleness with one who is unkind, love and
understanding when another's ways are not mine, being at prayer in peace
and faithfulness when God's presence is distant or absent, loving myself
in giving time for me to rest and renew my strength, both physically and
spiritually, in order to meet the challenges of life and those of each
new day, noticing when one is tired and need of an encouraging word or
smile, and in reaching out to the other who is lonely and to BE for
her/him in whatever way I can.

The ways I will allow the Spirit to enter my life this Lent are
endless.  My prayer centers on one of openness as I journey: to have
eyes, ears, and a heart open to the needs of others so I may see, hear,
and feel the hurt and pain that is present before me, and then do what I
can to alleviate this.  My prayer needs to take the form of BEING rather
than that of DOING, realizing that it is God who takes the needs of all
people and gives answers and help in God's time and way.

This journey to the Father is often fear filled with challenges and the
risks of the unknown.  There may be even times when my journey seems
blocked with obstacles and darkness, which detour me from the road.
Here I need not only my own courage and strength, but I need that of the
Spirit of Jesus who will guide me and lead me as the Spirit led Jesus,
even to Jerusalem of pain, suffering, and death.

I ask for the grace and help of the Spirit of Jesus to BE with me and
not to turn back because the road ahead is difficult and rough to
travel.  Jesus feared and faced the unknown, ever aware of being turned
to Jerusalem.  I am God's chosen one who wishes to follow in Jesus'
footsteps and to walk the same road with Jesus.  Can it be any different
for me? During these days of Lent let each of us take a few moments to
reflect on the ways that will keep us turned toward the Jerusalem that
Jesus wants us to follow.
 

By Sr. Helen Sanchagrin, OCD
Eldridge Carmel
 
 

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A Short Study of Carmel

Devotion to Mary

We can trace the devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel back to the thirteenth century in
the Holy Land where hermits built a chapel and dedicated it to our Lady. These hermits
who settled on Mt. Carmel near the spring of Elijah were mysterious, silent men who chose
to live away from the mainstream of society. History has not left us their writings, and
even their icons have been taken from the niches in their caves. However, the foundations
of their oratory are still visible and the oral tradition that has been passed down to us is
remarkably consistent. They were simple dedicated men who were proud to be known
both as sons of Elijah and brothers of Our Lady.

They built their small chapel or oratory on the side of a dry riverbank known as the Wadi
'ain es-Siah.  In this beautiful (delightful) location near the present city of Haifa
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea one can still visit the site where the Order of Carmel
was born. The caves are on both sides of the mountain within easy walking distance of the
centrally located chapel.  Here the choice of location tells us more than can be expressed in
words.  The chapel was the center of their physical building and was dedicated to Mary the
Mother of God who, with Christ, was central in their spiritual lives.  Further, there is a
channel cut into the stone where the hermits could let water from the spring of Elijah run
by gravity first into the sacristy and then down to the terraced garden below.  Today, it is
not difficult to believe that these hermits, who had given up all but the most necessary of
possessions, were making a powerful statement by keeping the symbols of Mary and
Elijah in central proximity to their daily activities.

In his book, "The Latin Hermits of Mount Carmel," Father Elias Friedman further states
that:

"The principle that the Carmelites had come into existence for the service and honour of
Mary, Mother of God, is affirmed by the Chapter-General of the Carmelites held in
Montpellier, 1287. Peter de Millaud, Prior-General of the Order, in a letter to King
Edward I of England, promised his prayers to the Virgin [in whose praise and glory the
Order had been specially founded]"¹

There are many other stories and legends connecting Our Lady with the early
Carmelites,² but the Oratory is the most basic and most concrete evidence of the origins
of Carmel's constant devotion.  It is easy to imagine that the hermits felt a need to keep
Mary close to them in their daily thoughts.  They chose to name their place of prayer in her
honor.  Later, in 1263, the name of the oratory (St. Mary of Carmel) was given to the first
monastery.  At this Holy Ground so rich in tradition, we can also perhaps best get a feeling
for the Marian title "Star of the Sea," so often used in early Carmelite hymns.³  The first
monastery had a view of the Sea; and in a land plagued by drought during much of the year,
a cloud even on a natural level can easily be interpreted as a sign of a special presence and
grace. Thus, the hermits who were used to looking to the heavens for signs easily
interpreted the cloud mentioned in the scriptures about Elijah and knew with a mystical
certainty beyond the physical evidence that our Lady was present in their lives and
prayers.

Now, we also ask Our Lady to be near as we pray.  We ask this privilege with the
knowledge that this prayer has been asked and answered many times over for our sisters
and brothers in Carmel.  Carmel's devotion to Mary is almost too deep for words.  St. John
of the Cross first experienced the powerful protection of Mary as a child when he fell into
a well and reached for her hand and was saved from drowning.  One might expect that he
would have included many chapters to her in his spiritual writings.  We know that he loved
her dearly and that it was his desire to remain in our Lady's Order that caused him to
listen to St. Teresa and to enthusiastically embrace her reforms.  Yet, when he does briefly
write about Mary, it is almost assumed that the reader understands the primacy of
importance that he gives her in the development of our spiritual lives.  With one beautiful
exception, however, in his poem "Del Verbo Divino" St. John of the Cross expresses
volumes in four short lines:

St. John of the Cross, in this poem, reveals a special relationship and intimacy with Mary.
Usually, we invoke her as mother and protector. Here, St. John of the Cross in striking
contrast reminds us of her vulnerability and of her need for shelter and acceptance.  Like
Christ thirsting for souls until the last one is saved, St. John of the Cross sees the Mother
of God seeking to enter into our lives so that we may provide the contemplative space
where the word of God will be reborn in our hearts and in our times. This all-pervasive
consciousness of Mary's presence is equally expressed in the devotion of our Carmelite
spiritual mothers.  St. Teresa called her monasteries "little dovecotes of the Virgin, our
Lady,"⁵ and in her writings makes it clear that Carmel is unequivocally Mary's order.

In addition to the writings of the saints, however, we also appreciate the lived experience
of Carmelite sisters and brothers that continue to model their lives of prayer on the
example of Our Lady.  Thus, when we pray to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and when we
celebrate her Feast Day on July 16, our prayers are united with the prayers of all the
Carmelite family on earth and in heaven, and our common request grows in meaning and
depth as our song continues: "Mother of Mount Carmel hear".

2. For example, in Stella Maris Monastery on top of Mount Carmel there is a stained glass
window depicting the visit of the Holy Family to Mount Carmel. It was a common belief
during the time of St. Teresa that the Holy Family had often visited Mt. Carmel, which is
within a short distance from Nazareth, and that the hermits had settled in the same
location that they had visited.

3. Some of the Hymns are: "Hail Thou Star of Ocean", "Star of the Sea", "Hail, Queen
of Heaven" which contains the lines: "Mother of Christ Star of the Sea Pray for the
wanderer pray for me."

4. John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John Of the Cross trans. Kieran
Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications
1973) p. 737

5. Teresa of Avila, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila Vol. III, trans. Kieran
Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications
1985) p. 115

Sister Miriam Hogan, OCD
17937-250th Street
Eldridge, Iowa 52748-9425
 

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