To
Seek the Face of God in Prayer
This element expresses the content of the Promise. I could
rephrase this element in various ways, to pray, to meditate, to live the spiritual life. I have chosen this one
because it is Scriptural and expresses the nature of contemplation - wondering
observation of God's word and work in order to know, love and serve Him. The
contemplative aspect of Carmelite life focuses on God, recognizing always that
contemplation is a gift of God, not an acquisition as a result of putting in
sufficient time. This is the commitment to personal holiness. The OCDS wants to
see God, wants to know God and recognizes that prayer and meditation now take
on a greater importance. The Promise is a commitment to a new way of life in
which allegiance to Jesus Christ marks the person and the way this person
lives.
The personal life of the Secular Carmelite becomes
contemplative. The style of life changes with the growth in the virtues that
accompany the growth in the spirit. It is impossible to live a life of prayer,
meditation, and study without changing. This new style of life enhances all the
rest of life. The majority of Secular Order members who are married, and those
with families, experience that the commitment to the OCDS life enriches their
marital and familial commitment. Men and women OCD Seculars who work experience
a new moral commitment to justice in the work place. Those who are single,
widowed or separated find in this commitment to holiness a source of grace and
strength to live their lives with dedication and purpose. This is the direct
result of seeking the face of God.
Is the essence of Carmel prayer? Many times I heard or read that
affirmation. I am never sure just how to answer that. Not because I do not know
what prayer is or because prayer is not of great importance for any Carmelite,
but because I never know what the speaker or writer wishes to justify by the
statement. If the person means by prayer personal holiness and the pursuit of a
genuine spirituality that recognizes the supremacy of God and of God's will for
the human family, then yes, I agree. If the person means that I as a Carmelite
fulfill my entire obligation as a Carmelite by being faithful to my prayer and
that there is nothing else that I need do, then no, we do not agree. Personal
holiness is not the same as personal pursuit of holiness. For a baptized member
of the Church holiness is always ecclesial, never self-centered or
self-content. I am never the judge of my own holiness. (Nemo judex in causo
suo.)
I am sanctified by the practice of the virtues, which is the direct result of a life of prayerful searching for God's will in my life. This is the Carmelite secret - prayer does not make us holy. Prayer is the essential element in Christian (Carmelite) holiness because it is the frequent contact necessary to remain faithful to God. This contact allows God to do His will in my life which then announces to the whole world God's Presence and Goodness. Without the contact of prayer I cannot know God, and God cannot be known to others.
To seek the face of God requires an unbelievable amount of
discipline in the classic and original sense of the word disciple, one
who learns. I must recognize that I am forever a student. Never do I become a
master. I am always surprised by what God does in the world. God is forever a
mystery. The clues to God's existence always interest me. I find them in the
events of life, single, widowed, married, family, work, and retirement. But
they only become recognizable and clear through prayer, observing from the
heart. The call to holiness is a burning desire in the heart and mind of the
one called to the Secular Order. It is a commitment that the Secular must make.
The Secular is drawn to prayer, finding in prayer a home and an identity.
This prayer, this pursuit of holiness, this encounter with the
Lord makes the Secular more part of the Church. And, as a more committed member
of the Church, the Secular's life is more ecclesial. As the life of prayer
grows it produces more fruit in the person's personal life (the growth of
virtue) and in the person's ecclesial life (apostolate.)
(Fr. Aloysius Deeney, OCD)
General Delegate to the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order
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