Inspired
by Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross
Here we have the third element. I mention both Saint Teresa of Jesus
and Saint John of the Cross and I might say, right at the beginning of this
section, that I also include Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, or Blessed
Elizabeth of the Trinity or Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, (Edith Stein)
can also be included, but Saints Teresa and John of the Cross are central to
this point.
Having mentioned all of those great people of the Carmelite
tradition, I underline the importance of Saint Teresa of Jesus, whom, in our
tradition we refer to as Our Holy Mother. The reason is because she is the one
to whom the charism was given. In many parts of the world we are called
Teresian Carmelites. Saint John of the Cross was the original collaborator with
Our Holy Mother in both the spiritual and juridical re-founding of Carmel in
this new charismatic way. So he is called Our Holy Father. It is hard for me to
imagine any Discalced Carmelite of any brand who is not attracted by one, if
not both of these persons their histories, personalities, and, most
importantly, their writings.
The writings of Saint Teresa of Jesus are the expression of the
charism of the Discalced Carmelites. The spirituality of the Discalced
Carmelites has a very well based intellectual foundation. There is a doctrine
involved here. Doctrine comes from docere, Latin for 'to teach'. Any person who
wants to be a Discalced Carmelite must be a person with an interest in learning
from the teachers of Carmel. There are three Doctors of the universal Church,
Teresa, John and Therese.
A person comes to the community, a person with a great love of
the Blessed Mother, wants to wear the scapular in honor of Mary as a sign of
dedication to her service. This person is very prayerful but has no interest in
reading or studying the spirituality of the Teresian Carmel. This person tries
to read one of the Carmelite Doctors but just cannot find the interest to keep
reading. To me, this is a good person who may belong in the Confraternity of
the Brown Scapular, but definitely does not have a vocation to the Secular
Order of Carmel.
There is an academic aspect to the formation of a Teresian
Carmelite. There is an intellectual basis to the spirituality and identity of
one who is called to the Order. And, as with each friar and each nun, each
Secular represents the Order. A Carmelite that does not have the interest in
studying or deepening the roots of his/her identity through prayer and study
loses their identity and can no longer represent the Order. Nor does that
person speak for the Order. Many times, when listening to a Carmelite speak it
becomes obvious when hearing what is said that they have not gone beyond what
they heard in formation years before.
This intellectual basis is the beginning of an attitude that is
open to study. It leads to a deeper interest in Scripture, theology and the
documents of the Church. The tradition of spiritual reading, lectio divina
and time for study is the intellectual backbone of the spiritual life. Good
formation depends on good information. When the information is bad, or absent,
or incorrect, the formation stops or is stunted, resulting in confusion in the
Secular. If that Secular, through some twist of fate, becomes somehow an
officer of the OCDS community, the community suffers. It happens with Friars
and Nuns, and it happens with Seculars.
This academic or intellectual basis is very important and has
been sadly missing in many groups of the Secular Order. It is not a question of
being an intellectual in order to be a Secular. It is a question of being
intelligent in the pursuit of the truth about God, about oneself, about prayer,
about the Order and about the Church. Obedience has long been associated with
the intellect and the virtue of faith. Obedience means openness to hearing (ob
+ audire in Latin). Is a radical attitude of the person to move beyond what
that person knows. Education also comes from Latin (Ex + ducere to lead
out of).
Saint Teresa describes the person of the third mansions as
almost stuck and unable to move. One of the characteristics of this person,
permanently in the third mansions, is that they want to teach everybody else.
They know it all. In reality they are disobedient and uneducable. That is, they
are closed and unable to learn.
(Fr. Aloysius Deeney, OCD)
General Delegate to the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order
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