Who
Makes the Commitment to the Order
There are so many committed Catholics who are devoted to Mary
and even experts in Saint Teresa, Saint John of the Cross or one of our saints
who do not have the vocation to the Secular Order. These people may be contemplatives
or even hermits, who spend hours in prayer and study each day, but do not have
the vocation to be a Carmelite. What is the element that differentiates these
people from those called to follow Christ more closely as Secular Carmelites?
It is not the spirituality, nor the study, nor the devotion to
Mary. Simply put, the Secular Carmelite is moved to commit himself or herself
to the Order and to the Church. This commitment, in the form of the Promise, is
an ecclesial event and an event of the Order in addition to being an event in
the life of the person who makes the Promise. In a certain sense, remembering
always the person's context of family, work and responsibilities that are
involved in his/her life, the person who commits him/herself, becomes
characterized as a Carmelite.
As I said, it is an ecclesial event and an event of the Order.
It is for this reason that the Church and the Order have the essential say, in
union with the Candidate, in accepting and approving the commitment of the person.
It is also for this reason that the Church and the Order give the conditions
and set the terms for the content of the Promise. A person may want to commit
him/herself to certain things, daily meditation or the divine office for
example. But the Church, through the Order establishes the basic and broad
lines of understanding with regards to this commitment. The Secular belongs to Carmel. Carmel
does not belong to the Secular. What I mean by that is that there is a new
identity, one developed from the baptismal identity, which becomes a necessary
point of reference. As the Church is the point of reference for the baptized
person (the baptized person belongs to the Church), so Carmel becomes the point
of reference for the Secular. The more Catholic one becomes, the more one
recognizes the catholicity of the church. The more one becomes Carmelite, the
more one recognizes the catholicity of Carmel as well. In fact, the person who
commits him/herself to Carmel in the Secular Order discovers that Carmel becomes
essential to his/her identity as a Catholic. It
is because the Promise is the means by which one becomes a Secular Order member
that formation for the Promise is so important in formation and on-going
formation.
An important aspect to this commitment is the commitment to the
community. A person who wishes to be a member of the OCDS must be able to
form community, be a part of a group that is dedicated to a common goal, show
interest in the other members, be supportive in the pursuit of a life of prayer
and be able to receive the support of others. This applies even to those persons
who for various reasons cannot actively participate in a community. In the
formation of the future of the community, this social characteristic is one
that should develop. There are many people who are introverted and quiet,
but who are still quite sociable and capable of forming communities. And there
are many people who are quite extroverted and at the same time incapable of
forming community. In this question it is necessary to use common sense. Answer
the question: What will this person help the community to be in ten years?
There is also the question of people who belong to other
movements for example the New Catechumemate, Focolare, Marian Movement of
Priests, Charismatic Renewal. If a person's involvement in other movements does
not interfere with that person's commitment to Carmel and that person does not
introduce elements that are not compatible with OCDS spirituality to the
community, then there is generally no problem. It is when the person distracts
the community from its own purpose and style of spiritual life that problems
begin. Sometimes there are people so confused that they come to Carmel and talk
about Our Lady of Medjugorie and go to a Medjugorie meeting and talk about
Teresian prayer.
The most important point is that the person must choose the
Secular Order, and that commitment ought to be more important than other
movements or groups. This
commitment to the Church through Carmel has both content and purpose. These are
expressed in the final two elements of my description of who is a Secular
Carmelite.
(Fr. Aloysius Deeney, OCD)
General Delegate to the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order
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